Post by StoryGirl83 on Sept 20, 2008 18:37:01 GMT -5
Chapter Six – Powers Available When?
Chris entered the entry hall and walked to the door. He opened it enough to see outside. On the front step he saw his aunt, Paige Matthews-Mitchell with her husband, Henry Wallace Mitchell, Sr., and their twin daughters, Alanna Mitchell and Janice Patricia Mitchell. Chris pulled the door open all the way. “Good morning, Aunt Paige, Uncle Henry, Alanna, Janice. Where’s Hank?”
Paige’s face fell at Chris words and Chris knew he had said the wrong thing. Unsure what to say he waited for his aunt’s answer. It came with a sigh. “Still with the elders and we still don’t know why.”
Chris gulped. It didn’t matter the time line. He didn’t much care for the elders. “Want me to go up there and find him?” He hated the idea, but he had to ask for her sake.
To his relief, Paige shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t want to risk them keeping you up there, too.”
With those words, she entered the house, a sad smile directed at her nephew. As her husband and daughters followed her in, Chris wondered what was up with his cousin. Why would the elders want to keep Hank? He’s not much for mischief, so they couldn’t be trying to keep him out of it. And he’s smart, so he could maybe be of some use here. Chris looked up at the sky before he flicked his wrist and sent the door back into its frame.
Back in the kitchen, Melinda and Wyatt were seated next to each other at the table. Melinda was laughing at the comical expression on Wyatt’s face. “You’d think I told you that the moon was indeed made of green cheese or something.”
“But you had your powers and you never used them?” Wyatt repeated dumbfounded.
“I didn’t say never,” Melinda informed him. “Almost never. Mom and Dad both told me not to. It was just too dangerous at times. Pratt watched out every move and no one wanted us kids to risk it. I’ve had to use them in self defense and I wasn’t about to let an innocent die if I could stop it, but for the most part I learned nonmagical means of defending both myself and innocents.”
“I just don’t get it,” Wyatt told her, shaking his head. “You had powers and you . . . you had powers.”
“Huh?” Melinda looked at him confused. “I’m well aware of that fact. What’s on your mind?”
Wyatt frowned. “Well, we didn’t have powers for years, not witch powers anyway. Chris has memories from another time line and one of the few things I have actually gotten out of him is that in that time line, magic worked and here you are telling me that in yours it worked as well.” He scowled up at the ceiling. “What’s so special about this time line that we lose our powers?”
Melinda winced at the sound of Wyatt’s raised voice. “Okay, that’s weird, but not yelling would be preferable.”
Wyatt sighed. “Sorry. Sometimes I feel like my family thinks I’m about two and can’t take whatever happened in this other time line.”
“What do you think happened?”
Wyatt shrugged. “I’m not sure. In one very odd conversation with Chris I gathered that his alternate self went to the past to save me, but I’m not sure from what. And yet, I don’t think the problem was that I died, because I have this feeling that if that was it, they would have just told me.” The sound of footsteps causes him to look up. “Look, I don’t think I should talk about this in front of Chris.”
Melinda shook her head, smiling. “Wow. If we can do this, I’m going to ask you again.”
Wyatt shrugged. “Won’t matter. I don’t know anything.” He dropped silent as Chris entered the room followed by Paige.
Chris stopped and looked at Melinda. I forgot. If they look anything like Vicki’s, I can’t let her see Melinda’s hands without warning her.
Paige barely avoided bumping into Chris. What’s going on? She tried to look past him, but was distracted as the rest of her family entered the room, bumping into her and almost pushing her over.
“There’s something you should know,” Chris began hesitantly.”
Melinda looked at him startled. He knows, she thought as realization spread across her face. “It’s okay; I’ll tell them. I’m Melinda,” she told them for Henry and Janice’s sake. She’d spent hours the day before with Alanna and had briefly met Paige before they had left the night before. “Did Aunt Paige or Alanna explain what was going on to you?”
Henry nodded.
“Mom and Alanna explained that you are from another reality,” Janice added, “and we are trying to keep you, but time is limited.”
“Very limited,” Melinda agreed. “We have less then twelve hours left and we are running out of ideas.” Melinda took in a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Sometime during the night we started to show physical signs of this time limit.
“What happened?” Alanna asked, instantly on the alert.
“Our hands . . .” Melinda told them bringing out her hands for inspection, “. . . are fading and I imagine the rest of us will follow.”
“That’s awful,” Alanna pronounced.
“No more awful than the end result if we don’t fix this,” Melinda reminded her. “Transparent hands I can live with. A lack of existence,” she shrugged, “I can’t.”