Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 23:03:47 GMT -5
Chapter Six – Setting the Facts Straight
A few minutes later all three were in the attic. Chris was standing in front of the podium next to Piper. He was reading an entry in the Book, silently to himself.
Wyatt was walking about the attic collecting vials and other items. He stopped and placed his bag on the table. “Have you got the info we need yet? Kali needs us and we still have to drive down there?”
Chris looked up at Piper. “He’s right, Mom. We need to hurry. We don’t know when demon boyfriend will return.” Chris used a wave of his hand to pull a pad of paper off a shelf and into his freehand. He placed it on the ground and did the same with a pen.
“Wouldn’t it have been faster to walk?” Wyatt asked, bemused.
Chris picked up the paper and started copying info off the page. As he wrote he spoke. “We’ll get the basic info and call you if we need anything else, okay?”
Piper frowned.
Chris stopped and looked at her. “Please, Mom.”
“I should be around the house the rest of the evening,” Piper relented.
Chris finished copying the info he needed. He ripped off the paper and put the pad and pen on the table. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket. Looking at Wyatt, he said, “Ready.”
“Be careful,” Piper warned.
Chris turned and smiled.
Wyatt rolled his eyes. “We’ll be fine, Mom.”
“We will, Mom,” Chris added his own assurance. The two brothers headed out of the attic and downstairs to get Wyatt’s car and be on their way.
Something had been bothering Mark since before Kali hung up the phone. Finally, unable to contain himself he spun around on his computer chair to face Kali who was looking at book titles on the shelf. He hadn’t been doing anything useful anyway. Mark stood and strode over to Kali. “Didn’t you say your friends were witches?”
Kali looked at him, her brown eyes merely curious.
“I did hear you say that, right?” Mark tried again.
“Of course,” Kali confirmed. “They are witches.”
“Then, why did you ask him to orb here?” Mark asked, thoroughly confused.
Kali laughed.
Mark scowled at her. “I don’t see what is so funny?”
“I guess,” Kali admitted, “I never really think about that when I think about them. Wyatt’s half whitelighter. Chris is half elder.”
“Half elder?” Mark repeated, more curious than anything. “That has to be majorly taboo.”
“Don’t get fussy on me,” Kali commended, quick to defend her friends. “He is what he is and that’s just fine by me.”
“Just saying,” Mark informed her not wanting to make a big deal out of it, when he really hadn’t meant much by it. “I guess it doesn’t much matter to me so long as they can help.”
Kali smiled at that. “Oh, they can.”
At the sound of a knock on the door, Mark turned his head toward the door on the other side of the wall. “I’ll be right back.” Mark left the room.
Kali pulled a book off the shelf and started flipping through it. The sound of voices in the other room caught her attention, but instead of headed toward the door to investigate she put the book back and walked over to the window. In a resigned voice, she asked the question she dared not ask with anyone else around. “Why’d you do it, Gary?”
Mark walked back into the room followed by Mikelle, and a young woman with light brown hair.
“What’s going on?” Kali asked, looking at the two women.
“You’ve met,” Mark started, before amending, “well seen, Mikelle. She’s our family’s whitelighter. This is my younger sister, Beth.”
Beth smiled at Kali. “Mark says you’re mortal.”
Good naturedly Kali replied, “It’s not like your immortal.”
Beth winced.
“Our family has been under attack ever since Mom got back her powers and we got ours,” Mark informed Kali quietly.
“Someone died,” Kali stated somberly.
“Yeah,” Mark admitted. “A friend of Beth’s, another witch, got in the way, and she died.”
Kali looked at Beth, “I . . .” The sound of drums coming from her pocket stopped her. She looked down and pulled her cell phone out. She pushed the on button and put it to her ear. “Wyatt?”
On the other end Chris was holding Wyatt’s cell phone to his ear as Wyatt drove. And amused smile on his face he corrected her. “Chris. You really need to not rely on your ring tone.”
“Sorry,” Kali replied at once, “so Wyatt got you?”
“Hang on a moment,” Chris instructed her before pulling the cell phone away from his ear. He pulled an electric wire out of the dash and connected it to Wyatt’s cell phone. He flipped a switch and clipped the phone to the dash. “Okay.”
“So how long ‘til you arrive?” Kali asked glancing over at the clock.
“Anxious?” Chris replied with his own question.
Kali shrugged. “I have two witches and a whitelighter who I get the idea can’t fight. I can fight, but not against magic.”
Behind her, Beth glared at her brother.
“Two witches?” Wyatt asked, not taking his eyes off the road. “When did you gain another?”
“Hi, Wy,” Kali greeted. “Mark’s sister, Beth, and their whitelighter came over. I think Beth was attacked today, too.”
“I was,” Beth confirmed.
Kali looked at Beth. “Mark says they have been attacked since they got their powers. Why did you call, Chris?”
“We have a potion that might work for your friend. Could you get ingredients if I give you the list?”
“Sure,” Kali agreed. “Just a moment.” Kali walked over to Mark. “Do you have something I can write on?”
“On the desk,” Mark told her pointing, “next to the keyboard.”
Kali walked over to the desk and picked up a pad of paper and a pen. “All right, Chris. I’m ready.”
While Kali was searching for paper, Chris had pulled out the paper he had copied from the Book. “All right. Write this down.”