ONLY
HAVE EYES FOR YOU [The
second in The Scorpion Chronicles] by Nat
Faul <pruesdoux@hotmail.com> DISCLAIMER: (June 2000) This story is not
published for profit but to share creative ideas with other fans of Charmed
on this and other Charmed fan websites. The characters of Prue, Piper,
and Phoebe Halliwell, Darryl Morris, and Andy Trudeau are the property of the
Warner Brothers Studios. The character of Guinan is the property of Gene
Roddenberry Productions. Other characters were created by this author. Any
similarities to a real person or persons, living or dead, is purely
co-incidental. The following account is strictly fictional. It's sole purpose
is to entertain. RATED PG-13: Some graphic content It wasn't a good night for the P3. Very few
customers had come in that night and Piper had little to do. So it wasn't
difficult to notice the unusual stranger. He was all dressed in khaki -- khaki
shirt, khaki vest, and khaki jeans. He wore an Australian hat with the right
side of the brim turned upwards. A denim shoulderbag hung at his right waist by
means of a strap across his chest and over his left shoulder. He also wore
cowboy boots with an unusual texture and color. They seemed green or grey or a
bit of both mingled, depending on how the light hit it. But what caught her
immediate attention was the dark-papered cigarillo clutched in his teeth. She
quickly went up to him as he came up to the bar. "Oh, sir! This is a non-smoking
establishment. Could you please put out your cigarette?" He complied. He crushed out the cigarillo on
his left thumbnail then tucked it into the fold of his hat. Piper noted this
with curiosity. Doesn't that hurt? "Thank you. Now what can I get for
you?" "A pint of Guinness." It wasn't often called for so there wasn't
any on tap. She found a few bottles in the refrigerator. She poured one into a
frosty mug and brought it to him. He had taken off his hat and shoulderbag and
settled in to relax. With nothing much else to do, Piper decided to engage in
some small talk. "Looks like you just got into
town." "Yup. Had some business in Reno. And
once I'm finished with my business here, I'm off to Australia." "Wow! You sound like a busy one!" "It pays the bills. .... Y'know, I was
here a few years ago and this is a lot different from what I remember." "That place went out of business. I just
bought it last year and opened this." "You're the new owner? Well,
congratulations!" "Thank you." "Is it usually this lively?" "It's usually liveli-er. This is
just one of those off nights." "I can understand that. I'm a nightclub
owner myself." "Really? Where?" "Chicago." He pulled out a business card from his vest
pocket and handed it to her. It was very unusual in that it was round instead
of rectangle. Across this was a caricature of a curled scorpion in red. The
name read The Scorpion's Den over its address and telephone number.
Something about it struck Piper as familiar. Then she looked up into his blue
eyes with a gasp. "Excuse me! I just remembered something
I have to do!" She hurried across the club to a table in a
corner, where Phoebe sat chatting with some of her schoolmates. When Phoebe
looked up at her, Piper held the card in front of her face. "This was just given to me by a man with
blue eyes." Phoebe jumped to her feet, anxiously looking
around. "Where?! Where is he?!" "Shhhh! Don't act so eager! .... He's at
the bar, blonde, all dressed in tan. Let's just calmly go over there and I'll
introduce you, then you can take it from there. Just don't look so ...
man-hungry." "I'm not acting man-hungry!" Her friends, sitting around the table, burst
into giggling. She turned and waved a finger at them. "All right, you
guys!...." Piper went back to her place behind the bar
as Phoebe approached the stranger. "This is my sister," Piper
presented. "She's part owner of this club." Phoebe reached out her hand. "Phoebe
Halliwell." "Derek McPhillips." He took her
hand and they shook. Suddenly a vision burst into Phoebe's head.
She saw this handsome stranger before her, in a suit, and herself beside him,
in a bridal gown, and both looking very happy. She was stunned by this
revelation. Fortunately, the man had turned away to reach for his drink. She
quickly composed herself by the time he turned his attention back to her. She
had so many questions to ask and didn't know quite where to start. "Uh ... So ... uh ... you own a place
called Scorpion's Den." "That's right." "How did you come by that name?" " 'Scorpion' is my nickname." "How did you get that?" "I became skilled at knife fighting in
high school. Someone said I move like a scorpion's tail and inflict just as
much pain." This surprised Phoebe and Piper. Phoebe
wasn't quite sure about with what kind of person she was getting involved. But
she just had to press on. "Is that a Southern accent I hear?" "Midwestern actually; from southern
Illinois. I make my home in Chicago now but I do so much travelling, for
business, I never stayed long enough to pick up their accent." "You know, I have the feeling I've heard
your name before." "Could have. I'm in the news now and
then." "Really? For what?" "Oh, ... several reasons: ... my
businesses, giving to charity, ... getting into trouble, ...." "I won't ask what kind of trouble." "Good." "What kind of business are you in?" "I'm a treasure hunter." "Wow! What kind of treasures have you
found?" "Whatever people left behind, long long
time ago. Sometimes it's gold, silver, and gems, but mostly daily artifacts;
tools, weapons, articles of clothing, and especially works of art and writing.
I'm more interested in the daily lives and thoughts of other people in their
times and cultures." This went on and on throughout the evening.
Phoebe just kept pumping him with questions. Derek didn't mind. He enjoyed the
attention he was getting from two beautiful women on his first night in San
Francisco. It hardly seemed that much time had passed,
when Derek finally said, "I'd better turn in now. I've got to be up early
tomorrow." "I'll walk with you to your car,"
Phoebe offered. In the parking lot, they approached a red
pick-up with a small wooden house set on the back. "Here she is," Derek indicated. "What is that? Some kind of mobile
home?" "Yup. My home away from home. It's got a
bed, stove, 'fridgerator, shower, toilet, TV, stereo, and plenty of closet and
shelf space." "You drove that all the way here from
Chicago?" "Actually I flew in from Reno. I
arranged for this to be waiting for me at the airport. I usually do that when
.... Wait!" He faced something out in the darkness and
pushed Phoebe behind himself. From out of that point in the darkness came a
flash and the crack of a gunshot. Something struck Derek so that he leaned back
a little. But he whipped out a gun from his shoulderbag and returned fire. From
the darkness came the sound of a man crying out and falling to the ground. He
quickly turned and fired in the opposite direction. Another man cried out and
fell. Immediately, the whoop of a police siren blurted out close by and two
police cars flanked Derek. Uniformed policemen scrambled out and surrounded him
with guns drawn. "All right, McPhillips! Drop it and get
your hands up!" Phoebe moved out in front of him. "Wait
a minute! It was self-defense! They shot first!" Another car pulled up and Morris stepped out.
"All right! I'll handle this!" The officers put away their guns and went to
tend to the wounded men and comb the area for witnesses. Piper and Phoebe's
friends came running out, having heard the shots and sirens. Morris went up to
Phoebe. "What are you doing with him?" "He's a customer at our club. I was just
talking with him." She then gave Morris and Piper a rundown of what
happened. Morris turned to Derek. "Every time you
come into town there's trouble. As soon as I heard you've just flown in, I knew
I'd need two squad cars to follow you around. And as soon as I heard shooting,
I knew you'd be at the center of it." "But, Darryl," Phoebe protested.
"He saved my life!" "Your life wouldn't need saving if he
hadn't caused trouble elsewhere, so that it followed him here." Through it all, Derek stood silent. He had
been through all this before and didn't care to waste words. He simply took the
half-smoked cigarillo from the fold of his hat, relit it, and continued
smoking. By the time he and Phoebe were signing the police statements, Prue
came running, alarmed by the presence of police cars and ambulances. "What happened? Is everyone all
right?" "We're fine," said Piper.
"There's just been a shooting in the parking lot." She then gave her
a synopsis of what happened and introduced her to Derek. "Pleased to meet you, Derek. Thank you
for saving my sister's life." "My pleasure. Wouldn't want to see
someone else suffer for what I've done." Morris rolled his eyes and sighed. "All
right, McPhillips. You're free to beat it ... for now. I'm releasing you on
your own cognizance. Just don't leave town until this matter is closed." "Y'know, Morris? I was hoping that
partner of yours would have taught you to loosen up by now." "Trudeau's dead." Derek turned somber. "That's too bad. I liked
him." "You knew Andy?!" Prue asked with
surprise. "Yeah. He arrested me a couple of
times." "Arrested you?!" Phoebe exclaimed. "As the good inspector brought out,
every time I come to town, there's trouble. Usually, I go to a bar, get into a
fight, bust up the place, bust a few heads, and get arrested. Andy and I would
take potshots at each other while taking me to my cell. He was a lighthearted
character and one of the few cops to treat me decently." To Morris,
"Sorry about the loss, Man. I know he was your friend as well as your
partner." (This endeared him to Phoebe all the more.) Morris groped for words but couldn't find
any. All he could utter was "Yeah." Derek got into his pick-up to leave, when
Phoebe came running up to him. "Wait a minute! I just remembered where I
heard you name before! You put out an ad for the American Psychic
Society." "That's right." "I'll be one of the volunteers to help
clean up the new branch home." "Great! Then I'll be seeing you tomorrow
morning." "Right!" Phoebe felt giddy with
excitement and watched Derek drive off. Prue asked Morris, "What do you know
about him?" "He's one of the country's most
notorious vigilantes. Most people know him as 'the Scorpion'. He feels he knows
how to dispense justice better than the legal system and takes it upon himself
to pass sentences he feels the courts should have. He's wanted in 15 states and
five countries for assaults and property damage. He uses the law, the same as
career criminals, to beat many of his raps. And with the success of many of his
businesses, he can afford a lot of good lawyers. Then there's the matter of his
drinking and fighting, which is the headache of every police department whose
city he drops in on." (To Phoebe) "You're better off having nothing
to do with him. He'll just bring more trouble your way." An officer came up to Morris. "We
checked out the two guys he shot. There's a warrant out for them in Nevada.
Want us to hold them for extradition?" Morris gave a nod. He bade the sisters goodnight, then the
police and ambulance began clearing out. One of Phoebe's friends brought her
purse and jacket. "We're leaving now. You riding with
us?" "Sure." "Wait!" said Piper. "I want to
ask you something." "Wait in the car," Phoebe told her
friend. "I'll be with you in a minute." So she left her alone with her sisters.
Piper's question was "What did you see?" "What do you mean?" "I know that look by now. When you shook
his hand, you had a prediction. What was it?" With all the negativity said about Derek, she
was embarrassed to say, but couldn’t just flatly refuse to answer her older
sisters. (Prue was also waiting for an answer.) So she tried to throw them off
with vagaries. "Uh ... A wedding." "Who's wedding?" "Um ... His." "Who's he marrying?" "Um ... Me." She turned and tried to leave, but Prue
seized her by the shoulder and forced her to turn around and look her in the
face. "You had a prediction you're marrying
him?" Phoebe grinned sheepishly. "Well, ... I
admit his first impressions aren't that good ...." "First impressions not good?! Phoebe,
the man is trouble!" "So is Phoebe," Piper added.
"They're a perfect match." "Thank you, Piper, "said Phoebe
with a mock appreciation. Prue continued. "How could think of
getting involve with that kind of person?" "I don't choose my predictions! They
come as they are, whether I like them or not! And Madam Guinan said ...." "Oh please! Forget Madam Guinan!" "Madam Guinan said, last week, that he'd
arrive about now. She said he'd have blue eyes. And I had a vision of a
scorpion. ... And she did say he'd have a habit of getting into trouble ...
(looking at Piper) just like me." Prue just huffed with frustration. She just
would not buy into that fortune telling stuff and didn't like Phoebe putting
faith in it. But she realized it was pointless to argue so she changed the
subject. "What is this American Psychic Society?
And how did you get involve with it?" "A member of our wiccan sisterhood showed
me this article in the ads. Derek bought the Morehead house on San Bernadino
Drive, for a new branch of the American Psychic Society. He calls for all new
members to volunteer to clean up the place and get it ready for use, rather
than hire workers. That way, we get a feel for the house from the
beginning." "Wait a minute!" Piper interrupted.
"Isn't that house supposed to be haunted?" "Yeah. What better place for a psychic
club? .... Anyway, I didn't think much of it, at first, but when I touched the
paper, I had a prediction of a man, in an Australian hat, which I now realize
is Derek, holding me. I mean really holding me! I mean really really ...." "All right!", Prue cut in. "I
get it!" "Can I go now?" Prue simply folded her arms and looked away.
Phoebe ran off to the car where her friends waited. They greeted her with
whoops and hoots. ("Woooooo! Phoebe's got a new boyfriend!",
"Woooooo! Phoebe's in love!", and other expressions to that effect.) Next day, Prue spent all morning in the part
of the basement, she converted into a darkroom, developing sets of prints. It
was close to noon, when she heard Phoebe drive up the driveway. She had
expected her to be out all day, so thought it odd she would come home so early.
The front door opened a little and Phoebe
cautiously peeked in. She was pale and red-eyed. She quietly slipped in and
closed the door as carefully as possible. After looking around and listening
for any sound, she quickly tiptoed up the stairs. Then Prue's voice seized her
like a spiderweb. "Phoebe, What happened?" "Nothing. I'm fine." "No, you're not. Get back here." Phoebe sighed with resignation, turned
around, and slowly descended the stairs. Prue saw her face and worried.
"Now, what happened at that house?" Phoebe sat down on the stairs and began.
"I got to the Morehead House at "I was with the group in the attic. We
were just sweeping and picking up debris, when I started feeling really cold.
When I looked around, I found myself in a different room and alone, except for
a woman in a white gown and no eyes. Her eye sockets were empty and dripping
with blood. She held her hand closed in front of her, covered with blood. I
knew she was holding her eyes in her hands and she wanted to show them to me. I
tried to look away but couldn't move. Her hands slowly opened. "Next thing I knew I was up against the
attic wall and some members of the cleanup crew were shaking me. They said I
was screaming and thrashing around. I told them what I saw and they believed
me. Even though it was a warm day, my skin was freezing cold. And several of
them had felt an unexplainable presence. Someone had gone and told Derek. He
came up quickly and held me to comfort me. He really held me! I mean really
really ..!" "All right! I get it! .... So how are
you feeling now?" "Still a bit shaky. Some offered to
drive me home, but I didn’t want to impose on anyone. Derek told me to rest
until tomorrow." "You're going back to that place?" "I don't have to go back to the
attic." "That's not the point! The entire house
is possessed, not just one room! And the spirit has obviously targeted you! It
probably knows you're a witch and now wants to contact you for some reason,
which we can tell is not good! So why do you want to go back? Is it because of
him?" "It's not just because of him! It's
because I'm tired of being isolated! I'd like to go someplace where I don't
feel like such a freak! I just want to be around people where I don't have to
be on my guard all the time!" Phoebe got up and walked off to her room in a
snit. Prue was left blown away by this revelation. When Piper came home for
lunch, she discussed this with her. "I never knew she felt that way. I
always thought she was happy being a witch." "I don't think that was the issue. You
attacked her choice of friends, so she got defensive and grasped for
straws." "But I can't just sit by and say
nothing. Can't she see this is killing her? She's putting herself in a lot of
danger over this Derek. All this nonsense with that fortuneteller has blinded
her." "Maybe we're the ones blinded." "What?!" "What do we really know about Derek? We
only know what Darryl told us. Why don't we get to know him first hand, letting
him speak for himself, before we make any judgements?" Phoebe spent the rest of the day and evening
in her room. Piper was watching television that night, when she called out for
Prue. "Prue! Come here quick! Look at this!" Prue came running into the livingroom.
"What! What is it? What's happening?" "They showed the P3 on the news and
talked about the shooting last night. Then they talked about Derek's
involvement and now his involvement with the American Psychic Society." On screen, the anchorman was saying,
"...Millionaire, treasure hunter, explorer, private investigator, jeweler,
and paramedic. Now, member and financier of the American Psychic Society." "Did you hear that?" exclaimed
Piper. "Our sister snagged a millionaire!" "Not if I can help it," Prue
muttered. "And he has so many different
occupations! No wonder he's always so busy!" "Hopefully too busy for Phoebe." The newsman went on, "To most Americans
he's known as a superhero, fighting crime wherever he finds it." They
showed a scene of Derek on the telephone, doing a Clint Eastwood impression,
saying "Do you feel lucky, ... Punk?" The anchorman added, "Just
two months ago, he was deputized by the sheriff of "Wow! He was a deputy sheriff too!"
Piper marveled. "I wonder what else he was." Phoebe went back to the APS (American Psychic
Society) house the following morning. Many of the other members eagerly greeted
her. She had become popular as the first person to have a "psychic
experience" in the house. Soon Derek arrived with a woman. She was
beautiful, with long light brown hair, deep dark eyes, and a very pretty smile.
This worried Phoebe, who fervently hoped this wasn't his wife or girlfriend.
Derek went straight to Phoebe. "You feeling better?" "Yes. I'm fine. Thanks." "Glad you could make it." "So am I." He turned to the woman with him. "This
is the one I told you about." Then to Phoebe, "This is my cousin
Brenda. She's visiting from Relieved, Phoebe greeted her heartily. "All right, everybody!" Derek
announced to the other members. "As soon as enough of the people in your
clean-up crew show up, go to your assigned area!" To Phoebe, "I
re-assigned you to the basement; as far from the attic as possible." Then
to Brenda, "We need you in the basement too. There's still so much to be
done." When the attention on her died down, Phoebe
quietly murmured to Brenda, "Could we go to the basement now, ahead of the
others? I've got something to ask you." Brenda consented and went with her. Phoebe
closed the basement door and they sat down at the bottom of the stairs. "I just want to ask you about
Derek," Phoebe explained. "What was he like growing up?" "Oh! .... Well ... He was active, ...
outgoing, ... playful, even ... prankish. He loves playing practical jokes.
You've got to watch out for that." "I will. Thanks. Does he have any
brothers or sisters?" "Two older brothers." "Really! What a co-incidence! I'm the
youngest of three sisters!" "Yeah .... That is ... something." "Does he have a girlfriend?" "No. He broke up with his last
girlfriend two months ago. His businesses take him to other parts of the world,
very often, and most women want their man around most of the year." The clanking of falling pipes caught their
attention. Across the room from them sat a pile of disconnected water pipes.
They figured it was just pipes settling after having been moved the day before.
So Phoebe continued pumping Brenda with questions. "I notice that your accent is different
from his." "I'm the city cousin. He's the country
cousin." "What city?" " "Where exactly is he from?" "He was born and raised on a farm
outside Bourbon." "Bourbon?! There's really a place with
that name?" "Yes. And he gets jokes about it all the
time. But it's not named after the whiskey. It was named after the French royal
family." "So he's a farmboy." "Yup. One hundred percent bumpkin." They laughed but were once again interrupted
by the clanking of pipes. This time they saw the pile of pipes moving towards
them in a rolling wave motion. Phoebe and Brenda jumped to their feet. The
pipes stopped. "This is a phenomenon," Brenda
concluded. "It merits investigation." She stepped forward but Phoebe pulled her
back. "Wait!" On touching her, she had a vision of Brenda
impaled to the basement door by four pipes; two through her shoulders and two
through her hips. Brenda saw the look of horror on her face. "What! What is it?" "We've got to get you out here
now!" "Why?" "Your life is in danger! I just had a
prediction!" "Look, Phoebe. I don't mean to cast any
doubts on your psychic abilities..." The pipes moved again. Phoebe grabbed Brenda
by the hand and dragged her upstairs. "On the other hand," Brenda
continued. "Why tempt fate?" Phoebe tried to open the door but couldn't.
She desperately rattled the knob and pushed on the door. "I can't open it! We're locked in!" "And still on the other hand, fate is
sealed." Brenda glanced back over her shoulder in time
to see several pipes come flying through the air. She quickly pushed Phoebe out
of the way. "Phoebe! Look out!" Phoebe went rolling to the deck but quickly
scrambled to her feet. Looking up, she found Brenda crucified onto the door as
in her vision. She now began hysterically screaming for help as Brenda hung
silently in shock. From the other side of the door, others tried pulling the
door open. The pipes arose, poised to strike again, like a bed of snakes. Suddenly the door partly opened. (The pipes
driven into the door, through Brenda, prevented the door from being opened
completely.) An object, like a silver sphere, flew through the opening and
exploded in the middle of the basement floor. When it released a swirling cloud
of silvery sparkles, the pipes went noisily clattering to the floor. Derek reached in with a small tank. It was
attached to a mask, which he pressed to Brenda's face, and instructed her to
breathe deeply. She did so until completely unconscious. Then he pulled back
the tank and reached in with a circular power saw, which began cutting through
the pipes. By the time the last pipe was cut through,
the sound of sirens were heard outside. The door could now be opened all the
way. The other members gently eased Brenda off of the door. She was placed on a
pile of clean sheet, then with as many clean cloths as they could find, they
pressed on her wounds to help stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, Derek held Phoebe
as she wept. Just as the ambulance was pulling out, Prue
and Piper were pulling up in front of the house. They ran to the front porch,
where Morris waited. "Where is she?" asked Prue. "Inside." Prue went on in. "Thanks for calling us," said
Piper. Morris just tightened his lips and gave a
nod. They found Phoebe in the livingroom, where
she sat in a chair, sobbing uncontrollably. A few of the wiccan stood around,
rubbing her back, trying to sooth her. Prue and Piper thanked them, then
conducted Phoebe out, wiping her face with tissues. Back at home, they put her to bed. In the
livingroom, Piper sat on the couch while Prue furiously paced. "Again! That's twice in a row, she's
gone to that house and come home ... traumatized! .... This has got to stop!
.... This will kill her!" She became aware of Piper, just sitting
silently, with arms folded and eyes downcast and empty. "And look what it's doing to us!"
she continued, close to tears. "We don't like seeing her going through
this!" Piper simply raised her eyes but still said
nothing. She was afraid that if she just uttered one word, she'd lose it right
there; she would just break down. As mediator between her sisters, she always
wants to maintain that appearance of being in control, no matter how much it
tears her apart inside. The telephone rang and Pure picked it up.
"Hello!" "It's Darryl. How's Phoebe doing?" "She's asleep." "How are you and Piper holding up?" "By a thread. .... Darryl, what can you
tell us about that house?" "I just happened to have been doing a
little research on that. The house was built in 1893, by Edgar William
Morehead, a lumber mill magnate. The Morehead family became socialites, fitting
easily into "Oh my God!" "So, why do you think she would single
out Phoebe to attack? Why would she want to kill a fellow witch?" "I don't know. I might need more
information to figure that out. Maybe she saw Phoebe as a rival and didn't want
anyone else around with powers. Maybe she blamed witchcraft for all her
problems and wanted revenge against all witches. It's so hard to tell;
especially with someone who's insane." "I'm hoping you can help me out on this
one. I'm having a hard time explaining to my department what happened.
McPhillps' people won't leave that house and I don't want to have to send my
men back in there. No telling if they'll always come back out alive." "All right, Darryl. We'll take care of
it." "By the way, McPhillips left for "Oh no! Do you really have to?" "It's the law. I really have to." After she hung up, she related everything to
Piper. "What was the 'Oh no' part all
about?" Piper asked. "Derek took his cousin to "So, do we have to tell her?" "She's going to find out when he gets
back." "But it's not that serious of an
offense. It's not like he's going to serve life in prison." "All right. We'll just delay telling her
... for a few days ... until she's feeling stronger." In the attic, they looked through The Book
of Shadows. "Didn't you once use a spell to vanquish
a ghost?" Piper asked. "Yes. But that was a different kind of
ghost. The spell that exorcised Jackson Ward (the one Phoebe saw at "So then what are we looking for?" "Let's look over everything to do with
ghosts. There must be something that, at least, comes close to what we
need." "Will Phoebe be joining us? She's much
better at creating and modifying spells than we are." "We'll see how she feels by this
evening." That evening, the three stood at the door of
the APS home. Prue concentrated on the door locks. Piper put an arm around Phoebe. "You
sure you're up to this?" "I'm sure. I'm all right." "We'll be close by at all times." "I know that. Thanks." Finally the locks clicked open and they went
in. With flashlights, they made their way through the empty house. Phoebe led
them up the attic. They could feel an unhuman presence chill them to the bone.
At the end of the attic room, where Phoebe had the vision of the ghost, they
stood with their backs to the wall. Each took out a sprig of lilac and myrrh
and began waving them side to side. "Spirits
of the Stygian Lands, Break
the chains. Break the bands." The floorboards began rattling under their
feet. "Guardian
spirits, show your grace. Free
the one bound to this place." Although the windows were closed, a cold wind
blew through the attic. A stiff gust pushed them back against the wall. But
they kept at it. "Lords
of Take
this soul to your shores." The whole room began shaking. From the middle
of the floor, a luminous cloud arose. "Take
the madness. Take the pain. Erase
from here the doleful stain." Amidst the cloud, a human form took shape.
They saw a young woman in a Victorian gown, with empty eye sockets and her
fists clenched in front of her. The sisters swung the herbs in front of them
more strongly and chanted more loudly. "Spirits
of the Stygian Lands, Break
the chains! Break the bands! Guardian
spirits, show your grace! Free
the one bound to this place!" The apparition opened her hand and eyes
appeared back in her eye sockets. She grew brighter and a light filled the
whole room. "Lords
of Take
this soul to your shores! Take
the madness! Take the pain! Erase
from here the doleful stain!" The wind grew stronger and the all of the
windows exploded outward. "Spirits
of the Stygian Lands, Break
the chains! Break the bands!" Suddenly the apparition vanished and everything
went quiet. The sisters milled around the attic, sensing for a presence but
found none. "She's gone," Phoebe announced.
"She's free." Piper glanced out of one of the broken
windows and noticed lights going on the nearby houses. "We won't be if we don't get out of here
now." Quickly and quietly, they went down the
stairs, out the back door, through the back yard and back gate, then down the
dark alley. The made it to their car, a block away, without being seen. Day 3 -- Phoebe again went back to the APS,
this time in the late afternoon. Inside, some tables and chairs had been set up
in the reception area and a few members sat around. She went to those she
recognized from her wiccan circle. Irene was the first to greet her. "Phoebe! How are you feeling?" "Much better. Thank you. I would have
been here this morning but I had classes all day." "My goodness! You're a trooper! You just
keep bouncing back no matter what!" "Well, I'm ... dedicated ... to this
project. So, what have we done today?" "Our group put up wallpaper in the
livingroom. Next, another group will polish the floors before nightfall.
Tomorrow, some of the furniture arrives." "Wow! Everything's just moving along,
aren't they? Who's in charge of all this while Derek is gone?" "Vincent Davis. Derek chose him as chief
co-ordinator because of his in psychic investigation experiences and organizing
skills." "Oh .... Good! .... Well, ...." Then Gail cut in. "Did you hear what
happened last night?" "No. What?" "Someone broke in and smashed all the
windows in the attic. The police were her this morning." "Did they find out who did it?" "No. They just asked a few questions,
took down a report, and left. They didn't want to stay long." "Who can blame them?" Irene
commented. "After what happened yesterday." "Has anyone heard from Derek about
Brenda?" Phoebe went on. "No, not yet. We had the phone lines
hooked up today and Vincent will be bringing in the phones later. He has
Derek's number so he'll be calling him tonight." Phoebe wanted to be there for that moment, to
see if she might have a chance to talk to Derek. So she busied herself with
whatever was needed at the time. She swept out one room, cleaned the windows of
another, helped put up wallpaper in another, painted the baseboards and doorposts
of another, and so on. When Vincent finally arrived, he set down a
telephone on a table nearest to the telephone outlet and plugged it in. Others
came in and hooked up an electronic board, full of buttons, to the phone. Then
there were others, carrying large boxes full of new telephones. "I'll give you all 10 minutes then we
start the testing." he told them. "If all goes well, I'll call the
big guy." The others went off to plug in telephones all
over this huge house. Vincent looked at his watch to begin timing. As he began
the wait, Phoebe saw her opportunity to ask. She approached him meekly hunched
over. "Uh ... Vincent? .... Hi! .... It's
Phoebe. ... Uh ... I just want to know ... when you call Derek ... if I could
talk with him too .... briefly ... very briefly. I just want to ask about
Brenda ... since I was there when ..." "I don't see why not. I'm sure he
wouldn't mind." He knew, as the other members, that Phoebe
was the "star psychic" of this new group, and didn't mind slipping
her a few privileges. Phoebe took a seat near the table and waited with
excitement. She was glad Derek left a people person in charge. When Vincent
checked his watch again, he picked up the phone and began pressing the keys on
the electronic board one by one. "Larry! How's she sound? .... Good! ....
Bill! How's she sound? .... Good! .... Charles! How's she sound? .... "
And so on down the line. Sixty-two extensions in all to check. Each man had to
answer ten or twelve phones, running from one to the other after each check.
When that was out of the way, he dialed a long-distance number. Phoebe sat at
the edge of her chair. This was it. "Hey, Derek!" Vincent chimed.
"San Francisco calling! .... Yes! .... Doing fine! How's yourself? ....
Okay. .... Everything's swept out and taken to the landfill. Everything else is
cleaned up. On the first floor, everything's been painted, wallpapered, or
polished. Second floor is about half painted and wallpapered. So I'd say about
another two or three days should do it." Then he noticed Phoebe at the edge of her
chair, leaning forward, eyes wide, teeth clenched, and wringing her hands. "Excuse me, Derek. There's someone here
anxious to talk to you." He handed the phone to Phoebe, who snatched
it up eagerly. "Derek! It's Phoebe! How's Brenda? ....
Is she going to be all right? .... Really? .... Is she all right?" Derek held out the phone. "Tell her
you're all right." "I'm all right!" Brenda called out
from her bed. Derek brought the phone to her. Phoebe was elated. "Brenda! Is that
you?" "Yeah, it's me!" "Oh, I'm so glad to hear your voice
again!" "It's good to hear you too." "So, you're going to be all right?" "Sure. We know some very good surgeons
here. I just got home from the hospital." "Will you ... be able to walk
again?" "Oh yes! Full use of my limbs, they
said." "Oh! I'm so relieved! I'm so glad!" "So am I!" "Will you ever come back this way?" "I'll be there for the opening party,
even if I have to crawl all the way." "Party? What party?" "When a new APS branch is opened, we
initiate it with a huge bash. I never miss one." "Great! I look forward to seeing you
again. .... What are doing meantime?" "Just laying around the house and eating
lots of fruit. Notice that whenever you're in a hospital, people just give you
lots of fruit?" Phoebe laughed a little, then grew pensive.
"Brenda, you saved my life at the risk of your own. I can't forget
that." "Oh, don't start getting sloppy on me
now! You just take care of yourself so I don't have to keep doing it again and
again." "Right. .... Well ... I've got to go
now. Derek and Vincent still have a lot to talk about." (From here on,
Phoebe and Brenda became very close friends.) Phoebe went over to her wiccan friends, full
of excitement. "She sounds great! She's sounds so strong and in good
humor!" "Oh, great news, Honey!" said
Irene. "That's just wonderful!" Phoebe now had time to relax and just talk
with her friends. It also gave her time to think about other things. "Do you know what that thing was, thrown
in the basement, when all this happened? It stopped another attack after Brenda
was injured." None of the wiccan knew. But Greg, a young
man, who was with the basement clean-up crew, volunteered the answer. "I know. Derek told us before he left.
He called it a 'ghost bomb'." "Ghost bomb? Seriously?" "Yeah. It's like a crackerball, which
you throw on the sidewalk and it pops." "I know. I've played with those when I
was little. But that was one huge crackerball. What was in it?" "He said salt, silver, and a special
dust. He wouldn't tell us what the special dust is." "Salt and silver do repel spirits, as
well as other entities of darkness. 'Special dust'? Sounds like a secret
potion. .... How did he open the door?" "He just turned the knob and
pulled." "But I couldn't open it from the inside
and you couldn't open it from the outside. How did Derek do it?" "We never thought of that. We were more
worried about you and Brenda, so none of us bothered to ask about that." "Is he psychic? Do you know?" "No. He never told us." "The night we first met, he shot two men
hiding in the dark, ready to ambush him. And I couldn’t see or hear them, but
he knew they were there even before they fired a shot. Do you know how he could
have done that?" Greg shrugged. "Maybe he is psychic
then. He hasn’t told anyone. Maybe doesn’t want to brag." Phoebe thought hard on this and began
muttering. "Sees in the dark .... Secret powers .... Stronger than a ghost
.... Secret potions .... Sounds like a warlock." Greg overheard her and laughed. "Yeah!
Right!" Phoebe laughed too. "Oh, I'm just
getting silly! It's been a long hard day and now I'm just babbling
nonsense!" Still she wondered and worried. ***************************************************** [Next Episode: A letter from Nostradamus]
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