Post by StoryGirl83 on Jun 27, 2011 0:55:38 GMT -5
Chapter Eight – Interruptions
Chris hung up the phone with a smile on his face. It was nice to talk to David, again. Clearly David wasn’t really good with the whole magic thing, but he’d missed the chance to chat with his friend. While the conversation had been a little awkward, once he’d gotten David off the subject of Janie and onto Rose and other people from work, it had gone well enough. Or at least well enough for the first conversation after David had learned his secret.
Chris headed for the kitchen just as the phone began ringing, again. He stopped and grabbed it up. He didn’t recognize the image on the screen. “Halliwell.”
“Well, thank goodness for that,” Emily announced. “I’ve been trying to get through for fifteen minutes. I was about to give up and call your mom. The only thing stopping me was the fact that it is awkward talking to your mom about magic.”
Chris frowned. “Emily? What about magic?”
“I don’t know, but I know something’s wrong when Wyatt is passing massages on to me through my brothers, probably so I would pass them on to you.”
“Wyatt, what?” Chris stared at her. “What’s wrong with Wyatt?”
“I don’t know,” she repeated. “My brother, Matt, felt the need to call and suggest I quit working at The Manor, because the owner’s son was insane. I called my other brother, Nate, and he told me he’s at the museum where Wyatt works and Wyatt told him they are locked in. Nate told me that Wyatt forbid him from leaving the office he’s in and told him to keep it locked. And then Wyatt told him to pass on a message to me. It was a tad mocking, but the basic point was he can’t orb. Or at least I think that was the point.”
Chris gulped. “Then, why didn’t he call me?” he asked as he headed into his room and grabbed up his phone. He looked down at the “1 missed call” message on his cell. He flipped it open and checked. “He left me a message. Thanks for calling, Emily. I’ll handle this from here.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Emily suggested. “Wyatt told Nate that someone named Nathan broke his phone. It’s possible my brother might by the only one who can get messages from your brother to you and I don’t think he’ll want to talk to a stranger at the moment.”
Chris inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Emily this is dangerous.”
“And my brother is at risk,” she reminded him annoyed.
“Call me if he calls . . .”
“With what?” she asked, sounding more annoyed. “I’ll be on the phone.”
Chris scowled. “Landline or cell, whichever he doesn’t call on. Otherwise let us handle this, Emily.”
Emily sighed. “Don’t let my brother die.”
It wasn’t something he could promise. “I’ll do my best.”
“Well, you’re best better be good enough.”
“Or what?” Chris asked. “You’ll do what? Expose me.”
“No,” she replied without hesitation. “I told you I wouldn’t. No threat, just don’t let my brother die.”
Chris smiled a little. “From the sound of it, your brother is in the best shape of everyone in that building, but I will do my best to get him, and anyone else, safely out. Now, I have a message to listen to, so if you’ll let me get on that.”
“Bye,” she said on cue.
Chris hung up the phone and pressed the playback button on his cell. Putting it up to his ear he listened to his brother’s voice.
“Chris, problem,” the recording announced. “I need you to find out everything you can about the Aphrodite Crystal. I think it’s cursed.” There was a slight pause before Wyatt continued, “There was a green glow around Nathan and Andrew.”
Chris heard a bang on the other end followed by, “What do you want, Nathan?” and “Give me the phone,” in a vaguely familiar voice. “I think Nathan’s loosing it,” Wyatt’s voice announced before the call abruptly ended.
“Aphrodite Crystal,” Chris mumbled as he closed the phone and picked up the other one, again. “Seth.” He waited as the phone dialed.
“I told you movie night was out tonight,” Seth Silberman greeted him with.
“Wyatt’s in trouble,” Chris informed him. “Do you want to help me?”
Seth sighed. “I’m spending the day with Peter. Wyatt can get himself out of trouble.”
“Seth, this isn’t just some easy fix,” Chris informed him. “Something’s got Wyatt trapped at his work and he can’t even call me anymore, because one of his co-worker’s broke his phone.”
“Why doesn’t he just orb out?” Seth asked, sounding resigned.
“According to the message he had Emily’s brother pass on to her, he can’t orb.”
“He’s passing messages through Emily?” Seth asked in disbelief, followed by even more disbelief as he asked, “He’s passing messages through her brother? What does he think the whole family should be trusted, just because you trust her?” Seth shook his head. “Sounds like a stretch.”
“We can discuss that when my brother isn’t trapped in a building with people he thinks are cursed,” Chris informed him, cross.
“Cursed?” Seth asked, curiosity in his voice.
“That’s what he said,” Chris agreed. “Does the Aphrodite Crystal mean anything to you?”
“Not a thing,” Seth admitted. “I mean I know who Aphrodite was, the mythological . . .”
“Nothing mythological about the gods and goddesses,” Chris interrupted him. “She was real.”
Seth sighed. “Fine. The goddess of love, or maybe it’s lust. I’m not really sure on that.”
Chris scowled.
“At any rate, what has she to do with this?”
“I don’t know,” Chris admitted. “Any chance you can do some research on it? That’s about the only clue Wyatt got to me. If you come over, I get playback his message for you. It’s really short though.”
“I’m staying here, for now,” Seth informed him. “Peter can help me research this. He’ll think it’s fun. And as long as all we’re doing is research, I’m not concerned.”
“This is for Wyatt,” Chris insisted. “Couldn’t you show a little more interest?”
“Chris, Wyatt is my best friend,” Seth reminded him, “but Peter is my brother. I promised him I’d spend the day with him and if I can I will keep it. If you need me physical presence, I will come, but if I’m only doing research, I will do it from home.”
Chris sighed. “All right. See what you can find about the Aphrodite Crystal and if there is any connection between it and a green glow or people losing it. That’s about all I knew anyway.”
“And what will you do?” Seth asked.
“I’m going to the manor to take a look at the book,” Chris informed him. “Hopefully there is something useful in there.”
“I’ll call your cell if I find anything,” his friend told him. “So make sure you have it on you.”
“Got it,” Chris agreed as he stuck the cell into his pocket. “Bye.”