Demonic Saviour

[Blueness2]

This is the second time I've posted this story. It had a very short life and in saying that, I mean no disrespect at all to the moderator/the person who was responsible of moving all the fics.
The story is not about the Charmed Ones but about a fire demon named Callen instead who thinks she's a good witch. Her mother Selene wants what every demon wants; to destroy the Charmed Ones and rule the world but she's much more cunning and intelligent than your average demon. Soon Callen finds out about her heritage and her mother's plans and defies against her mother's wishes but she will face the biggest challenge of her life. Will she survive? She'd better or this might be a battle that the Charmed Ones might not be able to win, even with the help of their children and Cole.
Notes: This is a pretty dark fic and moments of true happiness are few and far in between. If you're the kind of person who doesn't like those kind of fics then I advise you not to go any further but if you're the kind of person who enjoys reading about dark, brutal stories then go right on ahead. If you're one of those people who enjoy only reading about he Charmed Ones then obviously, please head onto the Charmed Ones Section of the fanfics because I'll warn you now, I don't feature them much in the story and if anything, only as minors. Thank you, now I hope you enjoy the story.

More Notes: Sorry, I forget to mention that this is in an alternate future. The Source has been vanquished. Cole is a good demon. Richard Calloway is Paige's husband but he's dead, as well as Leo and Piper, Leo from a Darklighter arrow and Piper in the Source battle.

Chapter 1

Selene’s child was blinking curiously up at her from its crawling on the craggy cavern floor, its blue eyes full of innocence and wonder. Selene smiled at it in pleasure, kneeling down in front of it and gazing at it with utmost reverence. Selene was a fire demon but she was also feared as one of the greatest fighters and a ruthless killer the Underworld had ever seen, also the most beautiful, seductive-looking female demon to live with features that would radiate a heavenly beauty if it were not marred by the pure unholy evil lurking in her breath-taking azure irises. This reputation certainly was true yet when it came to two particular…demons her manner altered astonishingly. She scooped her daughter up in her arms, holding her lovingly-well, as much love as a demon could love-and stood up, rocking her gently. This child was the symbol of the love she and Raynor shared and she would take great pride in teaching the child how to kill, the enjoyment of killing an innocent or witch and best of all, if she or Raynor perished before they got a shot at killing the Charmed Ones, her child would be stand at least a fair chance to finishing what they started.
“Selene?” Raynor whispered as he sidled up beside her, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her lightly. “I’ve got great news. Remember the house you wanted for us? Well I cleared it out. Now it’s all ours.”
A joyful spark lit up the beautiful fire demon’s features and she grinned at him ecstatically, “Oh Raynor, you are the best. What would I do without you?”
“I’m sure you’d have killed the owners in your own unique, creative way,” He said, a smirk lining his handsome face. “Now come on, let’s move in before the mortals find it empty.”
“Wait, what about our child? We said we’d name her before we moved in,” Selene told him.
“Hmmm, do you like the name Callen?” He asked. “It was my mother’s.”
Selene smiled malevolently, kissing him on the lips affectionately. “Perfect.” She looked down at her daughter and said. “Did you hear that my little demon? Your name is Callen.”
Her child only gazed up at her innocently, giggling as Selene picked her up and blew a raspberry against her cheek.
“Come on, let’s go,” Raynor said.
And with that, they all shimmered out.

***
17 years later…

“Why don’t you want me to come with you?” Selene demanded angrily as she stormed after Raynor, her hands shaking with controlled rage.
“Because if I fail, then you can carry on the mission,” Raynor said impatiently, knocking her hand off his wrist harshly.
“What are you arguing about?” An innocent voice asked.
They both spun around, Selene having already raised her hand to throw an already formed fireball and Raynor wielding an energy ball. Raynor squashed his energy ball as he saw who the owner of the voice was and Selene’s fireball faded in her hand. Callen was standing at the doorway with a scorched, burned lizard in her hand though she didn’t realize it was dead, wearing a soccer outfit which Selene had stolen from a dead young girl, whom she had killed beforehand. She was looking from one to the other, a worried and confused look on her 4-year old face.
“Nothing, nothing Callen,” Selene shook her head.
“Look, Selene, I’ve got a plan and I talked about it with you. Promise me you will do what I asked you to,” Raynor turned his attention back to his love, his face honest and earnest.
Selene bit her lip and then sighed, meeting his eyes. “Just get out of there if anything goes wrong okay?”
“You got it and I’ll bring you back something…nice,” He chuckled, smiling meaningfully, an evil glint in his dark green eyes.
“Don’t kill yourself over it,” Selene smiled.
“I won’t,” Raynor nodded. He walked over to Callen and knelt down in front of his daughter. “Hey, Daddy’s going away but only for a short time. So don’t go bothering your mum about where I am.”
“I won’t,” The little girl obeyed dutifully. “Where are you going Daddy?”
“I have to do something for work,” He chortled and ruffled the girl’s blonde hair roughly. “I’ll see you later kiddo.”
He shimmered out. Callen watched him go with curiosity, glancing over at her mother. “Can I do that mummy? Other people can’t”
Selene sighed, walking over to her daughter and guiding her gently to the couch. “Of course you can and the sooner you learn how to fight the sooner you can do what you were born to do.”
“Are you going to be teaching me?” Callen asked though she didn’t sit down on the velvet couch.
“No, mummy’s got other business to do.” Selene replied, a demonic smile playing about her lips. She turned around as a tall, blond man dressed in black clothing strode into the room. He had honest blue eyes and rugged, polished features. He was also sporting a wicked looking athame which he wielded with great care and grinning evilly.
“Callen, this is Leon. He’s going to be your teacher. Treat him nicely,” Selene smirked ironically at those last few words. “And listen and do everything he says.”
Callen nodded with the innocence and blind trust only a child could inhabit.
“Good girl. I’ll be back later dear,” Selene kissed her daughter. She threw Leon a threatening look, out of view from Callen and warned, “Make sure you do everything I asked you to and if you don’t then you know what I’ll do.”
Leon gulped visibly and nodded, “Of course Selene.”
The fire demon shimmered out in a ball of flames and Callen asked her new mentor, gazing at him inquisitively. “Are you like us?”
Leon, who had breathed an instant sigh of relief when Selene had flamed out, was confused at first, then comprehension dawned across his face and he smiled at her, disguising the true demon he was. “Yes, yes I am and I’m going to teach you how to use your powers.”
“Powers?” Callen repeated in wonder.
“Yes, your powers.”

7 years later

“No!” Selene screamed as Raynor burst into flames before her eyes.
It was a pitch black night and the fire demon had been lurking out of sight near another building, watching the whole battle transpire in a lamplight-lit scene and staying out of the way on Raynor’s orders. She had watched the Charmed Ones fling their powers at him only to have the powers bounce back at them and Raynor was on the verge of victory when the youngest one had procured a potion out of nowhere when his attention had been on the injured oldest one, and then it had been too late. Her scream of warning had come too late and now all that was left of her beloved was a scorch mark on the pavement. Selene roared a terrible roar of rage and the Charmed Ones swung towards her roar. In that one split second Selene knew she had made a fool’s mistake and alerted the witches to her presence. She had that split second to decide whether to stay and fight or flame out and flee. She chose neither. Instinct saved her from ending up like her beloved Raynor. She flamed out not a second too late as the middle one flung her hands up to explode her and blew up the car behind her instead. The instant she re-appeared she fired a wild barrage of fireballs at the witches only to have them zooming back at her through the oldest one’s powers and winged a scorching stream of fire at them before flaming out again, this time for good.
She was in a fearsome rage when she teleported inside the luxurious manor and nearly vanquished a terrified Leon in her haste.
“Where’s my daughter?” Selene snarled.
“Watching TV, she wanted to see something,” Leon said nervously.
Selene stared at him incredulously and she whispered, forming a fireball in her hand, “Are you a demon or not?”
“Y-yeah,”
“Then you should be doing what I asked you to. Not reducing my daughter to a mere mortal,” Selene growled.
“I’m sorry!” He cried in panic as the fireball increased in size.
“Sorry’s not good enough,” Selene said coldly. The demon decided to leave at that moment but Selene swung the fireball at him, vanquishing him on the spot.
“Mummy, what was that?”
Selene whirled around to meet a terrified Callen. The 6-year old girl was rooted to the kitchen entrance, staring at her mother with fear mixed with confusion, having just seen the demon explode in a fiery inferno of flames.
“What did you just do to him?”
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry you had to see that but Leon was a bad, bad man and I just sent him to a place where he can’t hurt anyone anymore,” Selene said soothingly. “Come here Cal.”
The girl seemed unable to move, seemingly unconvinced. And scared.
“Callen, it’s okay. I promise you, Leon is alright,” Selene continued to reassure her, the memory of Raynor’s death still burning in her mind. Her face was a lying mask of sincerity.
Callen took a hesitant step forwards and then slowly but eventually surely, moved up to her mother who embraced her warmly. She stroked her daughter’s long, blonde hair and whispered with hatred in her refined features, “I promise you, everything’s going to be okay.

Present Time

“Mum, can’t I go out?” Callen pleaded, dropping to her knees. “Mum, please, I’m begging you! This is really important!”
“Don’t beg me Callen,” Her mother said reprovingly, glaring down at her disdainfully.
“Okay fine, sorry,” She stepped up to her feet. “But this is a really important night for me and you can’t not let me go.”
“Honey, you can go out with your boyfriend any time you want but I need you here for this tonight. It’s very, very important as well, for you.” Selene wasn’t balking.
“Yeah, that’s right, because your daughter learning how to cook a dinner for your friends is more important than your daughter going out on her first date with the boy she’s had a crush on for six years,” Callen retorted sarcastically.
“Yes, it is actually,” Selene reprimanded her with a stern, menacing glare.
Callen nearly backed down under that glare but she had grown used to it and just grumbled, “Fine, you know what, I can get out using magic, I don’t need your permission.”
She stormed past her before she could say or utter another word, up the stairs, into her bedroom, shut the door with an angry slam and locked it, crossing over to her desk where her unfinished piece of artwork for the art school she attended rested. Callen sighed, running her hand over the smooth, dark lines on the paper and crossed over to her bed, hopping down onto her patch-work quilt lightly and lay down, staring up at the ceiling. Absent-mindedly, she conjured up a fireball and began to throw it up and down, its flames illuminating the ceiling as it neared it precariously. Callen fumed in her bed, muttering darkly, “Wait until I move out of the house, then I can do whatever I want. The one thing I’ve ever wanted in my life and she doesn’t let me!”
It was true. Callen had always obeyed Selene’s orders and done whatever she had asked her to, whether it be working on her acrobatic skills or practicing with her weapons although she had admit even she found those things a little strange. Nobody else she knew-granted, not many people-had anything even close to those hobbies. She had been deprived of school life because her mother was a school teacher and she assumed the people she did know were not witches like her. She had been taught from a young age that weapon skills were essential to a witch’s training to survive in this demon-ridden world, along with the ability to use powers effectively. She had done that, she had finished and not once had she ever disobeyed a command that her mother had given her so why in hell’s name couldn’t she let her go on the most important date she will ever have with her officially first boyfriend?
The anger at the injustice of it all fueled her fireball so that when she finally flung the fireball at the wall opposite her in fury the impact caused it to explode with much more intensity and power than usual, leaving a large glaring black burn mark.
“Callen?” Selene called, opening her door at that precise moment.
“Yes?” She said grudgingly after a short moment as she sat up, faintly guilty of the damage she had done.
Selene closed the door behind her, her eyes flicking to the burn mark. Callen braced herself for it…but it never came. Selene smiled in a strange sort of way and as she glanced at her daughter, there was understanding in her dark blue eyes. “You’re not going to get in trouble Cal. In fact, if anything, this is a good sign.”
“What?” Callen stared at her in amazement. She always punished her whenever she did something wrong but she wasn’t punishing her for nearly blowing a hole in the wall?
“It shows you’ve been learning and I’ve decided to postpone the meeting for tomorrow instead,” Selene nodded approvingly, a flash of excitement darting across her face.
Callen felt as if she had landed in the twilight zone. What was she so excited about? She asked, “Why aren’t I in trouble?”
“You’re a growing witch Callen and growing witches need space to use their powers,” Selene said, turning around.
“What about Ronnie?” Callen hardly dared to believe she had escaped punishment. “Oh you can go out with him tonight,” Selene told her.
“Really?”
“Yes, just make sure you’re home before midnight,” Selene warned, her hand resting on the door. She pushed it back open and disappeared outside, leaving a thoroughly stunned Callen sitting on her bed.

It was a perfect night for moonlit walk. The stars, strewn across the black-bluish empyrean like thousands of glittering white sparkles, twinkled brightly and the luminous moon bathed the streets and houses in a pale glow. Callen wouldn’t have liked it any other way. The young fire demon was strolling along down the street, hand in hand with her boyfriend Ronnie. Ronnie had been her friend ever since she had joined the art school and slowly, ever so slowly, their relationship had progressed into love but she hadn’t ever told him about her heritage. They had pretty similar backgrounds though as Ronnie had lost a parent at a young age as well and he had been home schooled until high school. He had warm blue eyes and curly red hair and being fun, romantic and sweet were the qualities which attracted her.
“Hey, Cal, look,” He said softly, gesturing to a shooting star in the sky.
“Do you believe in them?” Callen asked, her eyes following the star’s path.
“I believe that things come true for people who deserve it,” Ronnie replied, his eyes smiling at her.
“So make a wish, hurry, it’s almost gone.”
Callen’s heart beat a little faster as she made the wish and she said quietly, smiling back at him, “Done.”
“You have a beautiful smile, do you know that?” Ronnie said, brushing back a few red strands of hair from her face.
Callen blushed and she murmured, “Thanks. Come on, we’ve still got a little way to go and mum’s going to be furious if I don’t get home on time.”
Ronnie nodded understandingly, “Same with mine. You’d think when we’re already 17, they would trust us with something like this but I guess they think we’re going to run off and escape the country together huh?” He said jokingly.
“Or get married,” Callen laughed and then she pushed him lightly, her blue eyes sparkling with playfulness as she darted away. “Come on Ron, race you back to your house!”
“Hey, come back here, you little cheater!” Ronnie chuckled, racing after her.
Callen’s long blonde hair flowed behind her as her feet pounded the pavement and a joyful feeling was threatening to burst inside her. She couldn’t believe she was out here with her boyfriend! She was the happiest girl in the world right now and she felt as if she could do anything. At first, nervousness and butterflies had taken residence in her stomach because this was being with her best friend on a whole new level and a maelstrom of questions had swirled around in her brain. She had been nervous, excited, dreading, exuberant and restless all at once but the night had gone without a hitch.
There was nothing in the world that could wreck it. Then she stopped dead in her tracks as she saw something that would stay with her forever.
Ronnie’s house was a one-storey house and it had no neighbours save her house for miles so the only people who would be around at this time was Ronnie’s family but sometimes Selene and her would come visit. Apparently, this was one of those times except Selene wasn’t visiting. Instead, she was laughing horribly as she was setting the house on fire.
Callen stood rooted to the spot as the fire tore ravenously through the wood, illuminating the building in a fiery inferno, frozen in horrified shock and not believing her eyes but as Selene sent another jet of scorching fire into one of the open windows, she choked out as if questioning the terrible realism of it all, “M-mum?”

[Blueness2]

Callen’s heart plunged dreadfully as Selene turned around in alarm because that proved this was real. She was broken from her trance and instinctively threw up her hand to extinguish the flames. She had learnt many years ago how to manipulate her mother’s fire if it wasn’t at its greatest and concentrating hard, she pictured the flames sputtering as if an invisible coil had been wrapped around them, squeezing the life out of the flames. Slowly, they seemed to lessen.
“Stay away from this child!” Selene snarled, her eyes flashing red.
Callen was too shell-shocked and horrified to answer. Then a scream of pain echo through the night. It was Ms Banner!
“Callen, what…holy crap, what the hell is going on?” Ronnie jogged up beside her. He stared at his burning house in horror and his face turned white. “Oh god, mum,” Ronnie whispered.
“Ronnie, get out of here,” Callen’s scrambled brain seemed to be only able to form those words as concern for her boyfriend kicked into her numb mind.
“Mum! Mum, I’m coming!” Ronnie shouted, running towards the raging inferno which was his house.
“No!” Callen screamed, breaking out of her paralysis. Before she could do anything though, Selene flamed out and flamed back in front of her daughter, halting her dash.
“RONNIE!” Callen’s brain told her that this shouldn’t be happening, that to go after Ronnie would be in vain. Her mother’s powers were more powerful than hers and she wouldn’t be able to vanquish the flames before Selene added more but she couldn’t think rationally right now because her world was crashing to her ears all around her.
“Uh uh, don’t be a bad girl Callen,” Her mother smiled and Callen stumbled back, staring in horror. That smile was cruel, sardonic…evil. Why hadn’t she ever seen that before?
“Why…why are you doing this mum?” Callen whispered, tears stinging her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. This…she nearly fell as the world seemed to swim in and out of focus for a second before her eyes.
“I’ll explain that all back at the house dear, just watch the show with me hmm?” Selene replied.
“So you’re just…killing them for no reason?” Callen’s voice was trembling violently. Her mother had always taught her that there always had to be a valid reason for violence.
Past her mother she saw Ronnie take a deep breath and then plunge into the fire. His torturous screams were something which would haunt her for the rest of her life.
“Yeah, best time I’ve had in years,” Selene nodded, a sick smile on her face.
“No…Ronnie,” Callen cried. She staggered towards the blazing fire, paying no heed of Selene. The noise of the flames devouring the building drowned out any noise that might’ve occurred. Then she heard Selene’s voice.
“It’s too late honey, you can’t save them,” Selene said calmly.
Murderous rage flared inside her and she glared at her ‘mother’ with a look of utmost loathing. “How could you? You…, I HATE YOU! YOU KILLED THE ONLY PERSON I’VE EVER LOVED!”
“I’m hurt Cal, don’t you love me, your own mother?” Selene smirked.
“You’re not my mother,” Callen spat.
“I’m a demon love and that’s what we do, we kill. Now I think we’d better get out of here before the authorities arrive,” Selene stated.
Callen felt as if she’d had a blow to the head and didn’t protest as Selene grabbed her and flamed out with her in tow.
A demon? How could that be?

[Blueness2]

“And don’t you dare run away because if you do then I’ll find you and just bring you back here,” Selene warned as she slammed Callen’s bedroom door shut-with her inside it.
Callen was numb all over with sadness and shock.
The scenes kept replaying over and over again in her mind and she could barely feel the quilt beneath her body as she just stared blankly at the wall for a moment, sitting on the foot of her bed and still absorbing all she had just been told. In just the short period of five minutes her life had been shaken and ripped apart then scattered all over the ground ruthlessly. Everything she had been told was a lie. Selene was a demon, her father was a demon…a demon, not witches and that meant she…she was, Callen swallowed back a sob, blinking back tears furiously. But they wouldn’t be prevented. As she thought of Ronnie her hands clenched into fists unconsciously and hot angry tears spilled down her cheeks.
The sobs racked through her body and she lowered her head in her hands, crying, shaking and trembling. She didn’t know how long she cried for but she fell asleep that way, curled up on her bed and crying to sleep. The pain in her heart was nearly unbearable.
Ronnie was gone…
It was all because of her…
It was…
It was her fault…

The next morning, or afternoon as she saw it was saw her feeling something poking her very sharply.
“Quit it,” She mumbled sleepily, not registering where she was at the moment.
The poking became sharper and more painful. Then in an instant the memories of last night played like a movie across her mind. Hot angry tears started to form in her eyes as an image of the face of a smiling but flame-enveloped Ronnie surfaced. She faintly registered that the poking had ceased so it must’ve been Selene who had been doing it but didn’t care at all at the moment.
“Ironic isn’t it? Ronnie died from flames and what are you my daughter, but a fire demon?” Selene’s mocking, callous words sparked her fury and without thinking, Callen spun around and tackled her mother to the floor ungracefully. She had been trained how to use these techniques so it wasn’t as ungracefully as a normal random tackle would have been but right now Callen wasn’t thinking about how smooth or fluid it appeared, only intent on throttling every single bit of Selene she could find.
“I hate you!!! I hate you!!!!” Callen screamed as she wrestled with her mother on the floor, tears streaming down her face.
“Do you think I care? They’re just words, honey, words that don’t mean anything to me,” Selene laughed, pushing her daughter’s hands away easily.
“Don’t call me that, you liar!” Callen snarled, and this time her fist found its mark; right in the nose.
The sound of snapping bone pierced the air and Selene’s smile vanished. Her right knee found Callen’s ribcage but by sheer luck, she didn’t break it. Instead, Callen fell off her, clutching her bruised bones as she lay on her side and gasping. Selene pushed herself to her feet, her nose a bloody mess and her face seeming inhuman and monstrous.
“If you ever do anything like that again I will make your life so miserable you will plead for death before long,” Selene snarled ominously with blood pooling down the front of her shirt.
“I’ll welcome it, it’s better than living with you,” Callen wheezed with pure loathing in her watery eyes.
“Better? We’ll see,” Selene spat, gazing down at her daughter with nothing but disgust and regret. “You could’ve been so much more. It was living here in this mortal world which softened you, made you useless and spineless. I should never have moved into this house or left the Underworld but I’ve always had a taste for grand things.”
“What else have you been lying about?” Callen whispered after a stunned silence. She was perfectly still, staring down at the floor unseeingly.
“You really want to know child?” An amused smile was stretching across her lips.
“Tell me,” Callen said hollowly.
Selene didn’t respond but frowned a little instead. She squatted down beside Callen, tilting her head curiously at her daughter. “No fighting? No running away? No trying to kill me anymore?”
No answer.
“Okay then, don’t go anywhere. I have to go wash this mess off my face,” Selene smiled. She vanished in a burst of flames, not noticing her flames char Callen’s clothing and left arm. Callen remained exactly where she was. The pure horrible truth of this whole ordeal had struck home and she felt as if all her short-lived strength had deserted her with Selene flaming out. Her life…she had been living her entire life in a world based purely on lies…why? Was everything Selene had taught her about the magical world a lie or was it just her identity?
“Callen! Cal!”
Callen blinked. Was that someone calling her name?
“Cal!” Her breath caught in her throat and without hesitation, without thinking, she leapt to her feet.
No, no, no, no! That was Kiera calling her to come down with her to go their art school and if she didn’t get out of here before Selene answered her call before Callen…goddess help her, she didn’t want her best friend dead. All thoughts of teleportation by fire escaped her brain as she rushed out of the door at full speed. She nearly toppled down the spiral staircase in her haste but then her training kicked in and she fled down with the speed of a cheetah and swiftness of a dancer down the stairs, with agility.
“Are you alright Mrs Douglas?” She heard Kiera ask with concern.
Oh no! That meant Selene was already…goddess please let her be okay…please…Callen launched herself from the stairs eight steps before the landing, nearly tumbling over in her haste but she managed to remain on her two feet.
“Yes dear, I just got into a little spat last night with…someone,” Selene was saying.
“Did you call the cops? That person shouldn’t have gotten away with it!” Kiera sounded shocked. Oh, if only she knew…
“No,” Selene sighed. “But it’ll be alright.”
“Hey Cal, ready to go?” Kiera had just seen her entering the main hallway.
Callen’s eyes were on Selene though and she saw the message in her eyes: Tell her anything and I kill her. A tension seemed to spring up between the two and neither one moved for a moment. Then the young fire demon walked past her mother, her face stony and her dark blue eyes like cold sapphires of steel. She noticed that her mother had changed her blood-stained top. She gently pushed her friend out of the door, out of Selene’s sight and glanced back over her shoulder at her mum for one last word.
“If you do that I’ll kill you,” Callen said so quietly that only her mother could hear it.
Somehow saying that to her own mother didn’t alarm or shock her, not even in the least.
Callen turned her back on Selene and disappeared outside, taking care to slam the door as atrociously loudly as she could behind her.

[hollypop]

I am a fan of dark fanfics and I have to say that this is one of the best I've read. It's so well written, the characters you've created are very realistic - I lost myself in your story and I can't wait until you can update it.

[Blueness2]

“What on earth was all that about?” Kiera asked the minute they were outside.
“Nothing,” Callen replied shortly.
They started to walk together along the pavement. Art school was quite far from here, about 10 miles not including the bridge but they had been doing this for years now so they could take it.
“Yeah right, nothing, I don’t think so. Did you have a fight with your mum?” Kiera was gazing at her friend with a gentle concern.
Understatement of the year, Callen thought darkly. What she said though was “No. We just…got into an argument is all.”
“But you’re okay?” Kiera demanded.
Callen managed to force a reassuring smile onto her face but on the inside she felt like nothing would be alright in her life anymore. “Yeah, don’t worry about me.”
Kiera still looked uncertain but Callen silenced her with one look that clearly said ‘Just drop it.’ The pair continued on in silence for a while, Kiera shooting discrete glances at her friend every once in a while, a wide amount of emotions following one by one on her fair-skinned face and Callen remaining closed and somewhat…brooding. It was a very alarming expression for Callen because Kiera knew that her friend wasn’t usually like this. When they reached the bridge the young redhead seemed to come to a conclusion and glanced at her friend with firmness in her eyes and determination lining her features.
“Don’t ever come to my house again, do you understand?” She warned.
Kiera stared at her, too stunned to answer for a moment. Then she said, jokingly and raising a hand to pretend to take her friend’s temperature, “This is a joke right? You’re joking.”
The dead serious look on her face proved her wrong though and Callen brushed Kiera’s hand away from her forehead slightly irritatingly. “No, just don’t come anymore. You or Nate or Sharon or your dad. I’ll go to your place if you need me.”
“Cal, stop it, you’re starting to freak me out,” Kiera said, sounding a bit scared. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates and she was nervous.
Callen pulled back, calming herself down and reminding herself, with great difficulty considering all that had happened to her so far, that Kiera had no idea what was going on so she couldn’t know what Callen ordered her to do. The young fire demon knew how freaky and strange she sounded right now but there was no hope for it. If Kiera or anybody else she knew ever perished because of her…goddess she didn’t even want to think about it.
“Sorry, it’s just…you’re right. My mum and me aren’t exactly getting along right now so I just don’t want you in the middle of it,” Callen sighed, turning to face her. “That’s what all the tension was about back at the house.”
Kiera didn’t say anything for a moment, her surprised expression slowly turning into sympathy. “Oh Cal, I’m so sorry,” She said, her voice kind. She hugged her friend comfortingly. “Next time tell me these things okay? Don’t scare me like that again.
At first Callen didn’t know why her left arm throbbed with pain when Kiera made contact with it and then she vaguely remembered Selene flaming out and the immediate lasting sting of pain afterwards. The flames must have touched her flesh. Kiera relinquished her friend, feeling Callen wince.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked with gentle care.
Callen shot her a sarcastic look, muttering with the same sarcasm, “Oh I don’t know Kiera. My whole life’s a mess right now, that’s all, nothing to worry about.”
She wished she could have reeled those words right back into her mouth the minute she said them because Kiera looked extremely hurt. She rested her head in her hands, then she clasped them with Kiera, apologizing, “Oh Goddess, just ignore me now okay? I’m going through a rough patch.”
“Sure,” Kiera nodded, smiling bravely but behind it Callen could see the hurt in her eyes.
“How about I meet you there okay? Walk on ahead without me,” Callen suggested.
Despite her hurt, Kiera gazed at her friend uncertainly. “You sure?”
“Trust me, I just…I need to be alone right now. I’ll snap at you and all I’ll do is hurt you more,” Callen turned around to the edge of the bridge, gazing down below at the rushing waters.
Callen couldn’t see her friend at the moment. All she could see was the light blue colour of the furious river beneath the bridge. The more she gazed at the waters the more it reminded her of Ronnie. The way it moved with such playful tease and fun energy. Tears gathered up in her eyes as those screams echoed repeatedly in her head and she shut her eyes in a useless effort to block out screams that couldn’t be blocked out. She had never told him…a lump formed in Callen’s throat. She felt Kiera’s arms wrap around her shoulders, comforting her and heard her whispering, “It’s okay, it’s okay,” even though she couldn’t possibly know the reasons for her soft crying at the moment. Callen almost poured her heart out to Kiera at that moment. They had been best friends for 7 years now and there was nothing-well nearly-that the other didn’t know about each other. They knew each other’s dreams, hopes, fears and embarrassments. They had been together through the bad times and the good, and their experiences together strengthened their friendship. Kiera had been there for Callen when she had practically humiliated herself to the ends of the earth in front of the entire art class. Callen had watched with eager fascination at horror movies while Kiera had been forced to watch them along with her thanks to some ‘coaxing’ from Callen. Yet they also had had their fair share of fights but each time had reconciled.
“I’m not leaving you like this, no way,” Kiera said fiercely, all previous hurt forgotten.
“Thanks Ki,” Callen whispered.

***

When the pair reached the Art School their lesson was already half-way through and their teacher was not happy. After yelling at them in front of the class for about 10 minutes for being so late, they took their seats.
“Hey Cal, Kiera, have you guys seen Ronnie yet?” Matt asked when they had settled into their seats. He was a good-looking black-haired boy who always seemed to have a roguish smile plastered across his face and the resident bad boy.
Callen’s insides turned stone cold and fortunately, Kiera spoke for the both of them, noticing Callen’s upset at the mention of his name.
“No,” She shook her head.
“Why were you guys so late?” Sky questioned curiously.
Sky could easily be said as one of the best students in the class and also the wildest. She wore her long curly black hair in braids and wore clothing that could easily be described as a mix of gothic and trendy.
“Slept-in,” Kiera replied easily.
“Both of you?” She raised a sardonic eyebrow.
“Just, don’t ask okay?” Kiera said, looking at the Asian girl with an expression of subtle askance to leave it.
Callen concentrated on the piece of a work written on the board in front of the room, choosing to not participate in the conversations or any invitation to one. Even when Chelsea stirred up a furious debate about whether literally cartoon animations were better than real-life animated movies, and asked her what her opinion was, her mind was a thousand miles away.
“Hey, what happened to your jacket Cal?” Matt’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
She started, dropping the charcoal she’d been using and immediately glanced at her jacket sleeve. It was scorched black. A dark look crossed the young witch’s face and she muttered, “Got burnt while cooking.”
Kiera was looking at her worriedly, a light frown creasing her features.
Then Lachlan asked her whether she’d seen Ronnie at all, Callen had made up her mind. Selene was going to pay, one way or another, she sure as hell was going to pay for what she had done.

Kiera pulled Callen aside-gently yet firmly-as only she could the second Mr Louise declared they could just mess around for the remaining 10 minutes if they wanted or finish their work.
“What?” Callen demanded once they were out of earshot out of everybody else.
“Okay, you know normally I wouldn’t ask this but…you’re scaring me Callen and I’m worried about you. What in the hell is going on with you and your mum? You guys have always gotten along so what’s going on?” Kiera was holding her shoulders and there was care in her voice.
To any other person with the exception of Ronnie and a couple of other close friends, she would have walked away by now but this was Kiera. She deserved to know something.
“Selene,” Callen started.
Astonishment adorned Kiera’s face but the girl said nothing.
“She did something that ruined my life alright? She did something to someone I cared about very deeply. It was unforgivable,” Callen clenched her fists in shaking anger. “I hate her Kiera. I hate her so much right now. If it wasn’t for her Ronnie would be here with us, laughing and having fun with us.”
“What?” Kiera was thunderstruck, thrown by her last sentence.
“She killed him okay?” The words were out before Callen could stop them.
The silence, everything else seemed to fade away and she felt as if they were the only two existing at the moment in the world. Kiera released her numbly and Callen had to actually hold onto her to prevent her from collapsing although she staggered a little. She closed her eyes, stroking Kiera’s back comfortingly in the same way her friend did for her back at the bridge. They both shook, one’s body wracked with sobs and the other, with the effort of trying to remain calm.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Leon asked, concerned. The blond boy had hurried over and was now looking at Kiera but his question was directed clearly at Callen.
“Time of the month Lee. You know, we tend to get emotional,” Callen explained. Leon was one of their best friends but she wasn’t ready to tell him yet-about this at the very least.
“Oh okay, I guess I should just leave you guys alone?” Leon blushed.
Callen nodded but she couldn’t even give Leon a grateful smile. She watched him walk away, speak to Mr Louise and then return to his seat and speak to her fellow classmates. She realized then that Ronnie’s death should not go unnoticed, as well as his mother’s. Selene probably had ‘covered her tracks’ so to speak but she wouldn’t allow Ronnie’s body-whether it be whole or just a pile of ashes right now-to be lost, forgotten forever.
“Callen…how, what, oh my god,” Kiera seemed to be incapable of any articulate sentence as she attempted to form one through her tears.
“It’s okay, I’m sure he’s happy wherever he is now,” Callen said softly.
“I wouldn’t count on it Cal dear.”
Callen froze, both a terror and anger ripping into her stomach at once. She looked over Kiera’s shoulder, praying to the goddess she had just imagined it but no. Selene was standing there in the frame of the door like some horrible harbinger of the apocalypse.

[Blueness2]

Chapter 2

When the initial shock of seeing her mother, the person who had only just three hours ago or so had threatened to make her life a living hell, positioned at the entrance had subsided, Callen found she could speak again.
“What the hell are you doing here?” She spat although at the same time, gently releasing Kiera and guiding her so she was standing behind the young demon and out of danger.
“Mrs Douglas, I would think that a mature adult like you would have more respect not to intrude on a class!” Mr Louise sounded shocked and stern at the same time.
But Selene ignored the art teacher, entering the room and smiling a knowing, evil smile at her daughter.
“Get out of here. NOW,” Callen’s voice was cold as ice, harsh and unforgiving and the muscles in her body tightened in tension. There was a rage in her features.
“Why? I’m here to pick you up darling, so you’d better start showing some appreciation,” Selene mocked.
“What the hell do you want from me?!” Callen shouted, causing several nearby pieces of work to burst into flames but no one noticed, as all their attention was now on mother and daughter.
“Whoa, bit-” Lachlan started to whisper but Chelsea glowered so menacingly at him that he immediately stopped.
“What do I want?” Selene’s beautiful blue eyes, so much like her own but so different at the same time, had a familiar red tinge in them…
Callen frowned. Where had she seen that before? Then she remembered.
“Mrs Douglas!” Mr Louise marched forwards to confront her with an air of someone attempting to sort things out for the worst.
“No,” Callen whispered, staring into Selene’s eyes with horror.
“Yes,” Mrs Douglas grinned and the art teacher seemed to realize something was up.
“Damn!” Matt yelped as his jacket caught fire from one of the burning pieces of papers attached to the easels, leaping out of the way. He shucked it off as if it was acid and stamped on it repeatedly to get the flames out.
When Mr Louise turned instinctively to look Selene acted but Callen was even quicker. The man was standing half a feet away from her and the flames that had erupted out of nowhere from her open palms were gushing like a cheetah on steroids at Mr Louise before anyone could blink. While people were planted to the spot, thunderstruck, Callen brought her hand up in one furious motion and the flames seemed to falter and decrease in intensity. With a swift gut-wrenching twist of her hand like squeezing someone’s heart, the flames extinguished before even a breath of them had touched the teacher. Mr Louise seemed incapable of speech and so did everyone else. Callen dimly noticed Kiera had stopped crying and was now looking at Selene with terror. Matt’s jacket was smouldering crisply and the flames were threatening to start up again but he didn’t notice.
“Well, girl, I see you’ve still got some power in you,” Selene was gazing at her calculatingly.
“I’m not going to help you,” Callen whispered in hate.
“You don’t have a choice. What I wanted is for you to kill the Charmed Ones, to be trained in all the arts of fighting, to know how to use your powers without a single hesitation,” Selene’s features were bitter and icy.
“You mentioned them before,” Callen murmured more to herself than Selene.
“Yes and you were meant to be the perfect killing machine, ruthless and callous, strong and efficient but you weren’t. I should’ve raised you up in the Underworld like any other demon but,” Selene was pacing now like a restless animal and her feet were actually melting human foot-sized holes in the linoleum as she walked. She spun around to face them, winging a fireball at a random person who thank goddess, had good enough reflexes to duck. “I always had an obsession for living in luxury. Never mind, you get to choose your choice right here and now dear Callen.”
This time Callen was too late to stop the double torrents of boiling hot fire that surged from Selene’s hands hungrily around the students to form a literal ring of fire around them, preventing any escape. The flames were taller than an average human man and everyone was trapped. Screams and panic dominated the vicinity. Matt, terrified, was swearing like Doomsday was about to approach, Leon’s face was stark white, Chelsea had broken down in sobs, Sky was standing stock still and Kiera was gripping onto Callen, which she now was painfully aware of. Concentrate, concentrate damn it!
“So what’s it going to be Cal?!” She could hear Selene jeering.
Callen closed her eyes, picturing the flames in her mind’s eye. This was definitely not the most she had displayed but it was definitely one of the most difficult and powerful concoctions she had ever performed, requiring an extraordinarily high level of experience. But maybe, maybe she could lessen it enough for the others to escape, but she knew she couldn’t extinguish it. Callen could’ve escaped herself if she wanted to but human decency declined that offer, her innate conscience that had been nurtured inside of her, that made her human. She couldn’t leave her friends. She snapped open her eyes and there was a vibrant flame in them, exactly like the one in Selene’s. Mr Louise’s charred, blackened body tumbling down in front of her, as well as the screams that followed, nearly spoilt her concentration but she regained it a few seconds later. She could spare tears for the dead teacher later but right now loss of concentration could be fatal to the lives of the others here. The flames in front of her parted sharply like a curtain being pushed apart to reveal a grinning Selene but it certainly wasn’t her doing.
“If you try to help I will not hesitate to kill your friends Callen. Though I’m encouraging you to destroy them yourself, I don’t really care either way. There are other ways to make you do what I want,” Selene threatened.
The flames, which had been beginning to simmer down, crawled back to life again and for the first time, Callen was entirely unsure of her mother’s intentions. It wasn’t that she doubted that Selene was set 10 or so other people to fire or hurt, then proceed to kill them in an equally torturous manner considering she was evil. She had actually absorbed the revelation that her mother was a ruthless malevolent killer quite well. It was that she couldn’t figure out her motive now.
“Do you promise not to hurt anyone else if I do what you want?” Callen’s eyes returned to normal.
“Of course dear, on the condition that you do what I want,” Selene’s flame-enveloped irises seemed to burn brighter.
“How can I trust you? You’re probably going to kill everyone the moment I let my guard down,” Callen retorted.
“If I wanted to kill everyone I would’ve done that already dear Callen,” Selene snapped, the twitch in her jaw suggesting her tolerance and patience with her daughter was growing less and less.
Callen considered her words for a second. That was true, she thought darkly, hate suffused in her face as her eyes caught out the dead body of Mr Louise.
“Fine, what do you want me to do?”
“Kill them,” Selene’s smile stretched widely across her luscious lips and her eyes twinkled with evil, creating a rather terrifying look.
“What?”
“You said you would do whatever I wanted you to do so kill them for me. It’ll be your exercise to kill the Charmed Ones,” Selene was gazing at her carefully.
Callen’s fists clenched in fury so tightly that she nails drew out blood, “You…you…”
“Better you than my friends,” Selene chuckled.
Bewilderment crossed her features, “Friends?”
One by one the demons shimmered in until they were all ringed around the group. The flames had decreased somewhat in size so they were visible. There were hideous demons and a wide majority of them possessed very dangerous-looking weapons or were wielding them. For some their body parts were their weapons. Callen spied a demon with a grotesque face and an enlarged eagle’s foot where his hands should’ve been. A warlock.
“They won’t be able to stand the heat much longer dear daughter,” Selene’s eyes glittered cruelly.
Forgetting that there were about 15 demons in the room excluding her mother that could kill her in one second flat, she spun around. They were all on their knees coughing or on the floor unconscious. It was the smoke! She realized. It was smoke from the fire! Since she was a fire demon she was immune to it.
“Too late,” Selene smiled.
Callen cursed under her breath. She was right. There was no way in hell she would be able to save everyone-there were too many demons.
“You may as well kill them Callen. If you don’t the fire will or I will,” Selene shrugged.
The intense heat wasn’t bothering Callen at all but that was her, not everybody else. The fire demon bit her lip, weighing the options that were possible. Her eyes met Selene’s, steel in them and she raised her hands in surrender. Warm blood from the nail-cuts seeped down, causing her skin to tingle. “Okay, you win Selene. I’ll do it. Can you just give me a minute to compose myself?”
Selene eyed her suspiciously and looked to the demons. The flames had lessened in height and nearly everyone had succumbed to the effects that the flames had brought with them. Kiera was the only one who was barely conscious and she was staring up at her from the ground in shocked hurt, a look of utter betrayal plastered on her features. Callen avoided her gaze, restraining the urge to comfort her friend. Any gesture even remotely caring at this moment would mean certain death for her friends.
“Get ready to fire at her if she tries to save them,” Selene ordered.
Various energy and fire balls crackled to life in the palms of the demons’ hands although a few merely watched; silent spectators and players in this deadly supernatural game of elimination. Callen didn’t flinch as she walked forwards through the gap in the flames to the person she absolutely loathed most.

[Blueness2]

“You two guard the doors and make sure no one comes,” Selene barked out sharply to a pair of black-striped demons with skin that resembled burnt paper.
They nodded and shimmered out. Selene turned back to Callen, spreading her arms out as if inviting her wayward daughter to an once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“The show’s all yours Cal honey,” Selene declared.
“Don’t ever call me that!” Callen snapped, wishing she could strangle the woman in front of her.
All eyes; demon and human were on her now. The stage was all hers. She could feel Selene’s eyes boring holes into her head and nearly sensed her gleefully anticipating the kills, see the scorn and doubt in the other demons’ faces amongst the red of the flames and worst of all, could fully see Kiera and Leon’s hurt and shock at her apparent betrayal from her position. They were kneeling, both close to unconsciousness and Leon was supporting Kiera. Callen inhaled deeply, placing her hands in front of her palm-up. Slowly the flames began to gather in the middle of her palms, fiery and vivid. At first they were thin wisps of orangey-red flames but then she concentrated, the familiar fire burning heatedly in her blue irises. They became thicker, more vibrant and soon they had converged into an impressive mass of roaring fire, desperate to destroy and scorch but it needed to be bigger to work the way she wanted it to. Her hands began to shake with effort violently as the flames increased in size and intensity, whipping this way and that frantically and swallowing the oxygen that fueled it greedily. They were obscuring her friends from view now and Callen was relived that they at least provided that solace for her. All she could see was vivid red, literally and nothing else. She didn’t notice the column of flames rise higher on either side of her or Selene’s eyes narrowing. All that mattered was that she managed to do it before anyone intervened.
“Hurry up,” Selene said with a note of impatience.
“Leave the kid alone Selene. She wants to finish them off in a bang,” One of the demons said.
Callen ignored him and released the massive mass of flames. They hurtled towards the group, devouring everyone in one terrifying second. Callen nearly lost control, the huge pressure squeezing out of her like a cork being popped off a bottle but she held on, just barely. Normal vision returned. Yet no one was screaming in torturous agony.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Selene snapped with fury on her face.
Concentrate, just concentrate! Callen closed her eyes, commanding the fire not to harm, only to teleport those that it was ‘consuming’ with it as it vanished into the fabric of time and re-appeared in another place. The blazing inferno was a harmless blaze.
“I’m going to give you three seconds to stop,” Selene threatened.
“One,”
She was nearly there, she was nearly…
“Two,” She could see Selene nod to the demons out of the corner of her eye. No! Just a little more time!
Her friends were nearly out of danger…but this was taking a lot more effort than she had thought it would. Her eyelids fluttered but she kept her hold. She could almost see the utter amazement and bewilderment in Leon and Kiera’s faces as they, along with everybody else started to vanish.
“Time’s up,” Selene’s voice was deathly lethal.
“No!” Callen screamed as she felt her control being ripped away from her. At that point the flames had been at their highest and on the verge of teleportation but in a mere second Selene had changed them into the roaring monsters that were destroying her friends quicker than the blink of an eye. They didn’t even scream. Yet Callen hadn’t forgotten about Kiera and Leon and immediately killed the flames surrounding them before Selene could turn them to her evil control. They emerged whole, unscarred and completely dumbfounded. Callen fell to her knees, the world tilting away from her as flames suddenly burst out from Leon’s chest, separated and wrapped around his entire body like twin snakes. Blood spewed from the wound, merging with the vivid red of the flames and Callen’s helpless look locked with her friend’s one last time before that kind face melted under an assault of flames like wax. All that happened in five seconds flat.
“So, it’s just dear Kiera left Callen,” Selene smiled at her, sweeping apart her arms in one motion. The ring of fire disappeared instantly.
Callen tried to stand but found she couldn’t. Her legs felt like jelly, her mind was dazed and reeling. How could she have been so arrogant to believe that she had the power to save them when Selene was so much more powerful than her? How?
“You ungrateful little traitor,” Selene spat, hoisting her up none too gently and sending her crashing high into the opposite wall with a jet of harmless flame-with the wall facing her. Into a brick wall nevertheless. The pain was agony.
Callen smashed onto the floor, the noise echoing terribly throughout the silent room. She curled up slightly, pain contorting her features. Maybe being a fire demon strengthened your bones or something because she was sure that would’ve broken her spine into a million pieces but Selene had never told her, in Callen’s more trusting years, that fire demons had supernaturally strong spines.
“Fine, if you don’t want to kill her, I will,” Selene had walked over to Callen and now proceeded to kick her daughter’s ribs, each kick becoming harsher and more powerful.
This time she couldn’t restrain the scream that escaped from her vocal chords as the final kick snapped her right ribcage. Pain stole all sight in a momentary red haze and occupied her mind. The blindingly torturous pain that wracked her body would not leave. For a moment she forgot all about Ronnie, Selene and her demons, Kiera, her deceased friends and Mr Louise. She vomited crimson blood in one foul swoop, a messy thick line of it decorating the floor near her. Her senses regained themselves, somehow and she pushed herself, just mid-way using her hands, biting her tongue so hard her eyes watered to swallow back the scream as her ribs sent barbaric pain through that area.
“Since you’re her best friend, I’m going to give you a choice of death Kiera,” Selene was telling a completely devastated Kiera, looming above her like the Angel of Death.
“No…” Callen whispered, despair in her voice. She could see her best friend’s inability or from shock to speak or do anything. Selene would kill her!
All the demons’ attentions were focused entirely on Selene now and she was basking in the glory. No one was looking at her. If only…if only she could distract her but what could she do now? Callen looked around the room, even to the ceiling desperately and then she saw it in all its simplicity. The windows lining the other side of the room.
“Goddess,” She cried out even though she was immediately rewarded with another sharp spasm of pain.
“What?” Selene demanded, whirling around to her daughter.
“Nothing,” Callen shook her head as if it was not important.
“Don’t lie girl,” Selene warned.
“I think there’s someone outside.”
Selene and all the other demons spun around, energy balls and whatnot prepared to fire. But there was nothing, no one there. By the time Selene and the others had turned back Callen had already teleported to Kiera and painfully had hauled herself up to her knees, gripping her friend by the arm. No less than 15 fireballs and energy balls zoomed with lethal intent and speed towards the pair. Callen flamed out just in the nick of time, re-appearing with Kiera ‘safely’ on the filing cabinet in the corner where all the students’ forms and whatnot was stored. She shielded her eyes against the massive explosion that consequently formed, igniting the room in a fiery red light. At least five were vanquished by the sheer after-effects of the impact. Callen’s vision blurred as her broken ribs began to scream again and blackness passed before her eyes once. Then someone was slapping her and she focused again, just barely. It was Kiera.
“Cal, Cal! Wake up!”
Callen was conscious, at least for the moment but what she was more interested in was that big red fireball just over Kiera’s shoulder that was speeding towards them. Callen grasped Kiera’s wrist messily and flamed out.

[Blueness2]

Callen collapsed to the floor the second she was out of the building-with Kiera in tow of course. She didn’t care that she had no idea where she had just transported them. She closed her eyes, exhaustion setting in and not just physical either. She wanted to stay forever in that void of blackness that was swamping her vision right now. There was a desperate, worried voice screaming out her name, shaking her but it was fading…and she was spiraling downwards into endless oblivion

***

Unfamiliar faces flitting in out of view. A blond-haired, handsome face obscuring her view and pulling back to reveal two other men, shaking their heads grimly. The blond-haired man gazing down at her sadly. A horrible aching sensation spearing through her ribs. Then the darkness was overwhelming her again.

***

Clearer, much more bright this time. Less pain. A girl’s face this time came into focus. Instant relief as she realized it was Kiera, a concerned but healthy Kiera. Gratefully slipping back into unconsciousness.

***

Callen’s eyelids fluttered open blearily. The first thing she registered was that she was no longer out on the streets but in a room of some sort. The next thing was that her ribs were only hurting at a regular aching level, as if she’d run for an hour plus non-stop.
“Hey,” That was Kiera.
She turned her head to that direction and saw that Kiera was sitting in a chair beside her, sporting a sprained wrist but other than that, she was perfectly fine, thank goddess.
“Hey,” Callen smiled weakly.
There were a dozen questions she wanted to ask and Kiera obviously knew but it wasn’t her who answered.
“You’re in the hospital Callen,” A man’s voice answered.
Callen blinked at the usage of her name by an unknown stranger. A man wearing a white uniform, obviously the doctor, appeared at the doorway although once he entered the room, giving Callen a good look of him, she could tell he was only a couple of years older than her, maybe three at the most which truly bewildered her. He had dark blond hair worn long and a pair of warm grey eyes. He was quite tall, muscled and projected a sense of jovial friendliness and sincerity which endeared Callen to him immediately.
“I’m glad you’re awake,” He smiled, walking over to her.
“This is Dr Calloway. He’s been making sure you haven’t left me,” Kiera told her.
“Call me Jake,” He said warmly and pulled a face. “Doctor makes me feel old.”
Callen smiled in spite of herself. “You’re…” She trailed off, not sure how to place it.
“The youngest doctor ever to be employed in history,” He finished, chuckling. “Yeah, my friends in the hospital call me the baby in the family.”
“Callen!”
She attempted to adjust her head to see the owner of the voice but discovered she couldn’t because tiredness swamped her once she moved her head. Kiera’s step-mum, Sharon, rushed into the room a minute later, followed by her husband. She embraced her in a grateful and gentle hug, whispering, “I don’t what we’d do if it wasn’t for you Cal.”
“We owe you our lives Cal,” Mr Wells said sincerely.
A dark look swept her features but she just nodded, “It was no problem.” I don’t owe you anything. If it wasn’t for me, then Mr Louis, Leon, Ronnie, Sky, everyone wouldn’t be dead now! She wanted to scream but what would that achieve? It was better they didn’t know the truth.
“It was a noble thing you did. Risking your life to save your friend against impossible odds,” Jake…Jake commended.
“It was nothing, really. How long have I been out?” Callen mumbled, directing the question at no one in particular.
A silence descended on the room like a heavy blanket and for some reason, they avoided her eyes, even Dr Calloway and Kiera, which she found odd…and fearful.
“A week and a half,” Kiera broke the silence by saying softly.
“Has…what…?” Callen could barely form a coherent sentence, her mind whirling.
Kiera seemed to know what her friend wanted to know and squeezed her hand reassuringly. “They’ve cleared the School out. They…” She paused, getting control of her shaking voice. “They couldn’t find anything left of the bodies. I told the police that it was arson but they haven’t found the suspect.”
Callen’s eyes flicked to her friend’s questioningly, alarm mixed with confusion in them. Didn’t you tell them about Selene? They were asking but Kiera shook her head just very slightly, a barely discernable action.
“You’re very lucky to be alive,” Jake told her. “In fact, by all rights, you shouldn’t have survived. The internal bleeding you suffered from your ribs and fractured spine…” He shook his head in disbelief. “Let’s just say I’ve never seen a more miraculous recovery.”
She was then aware that whenever she exerted pressure on her back pain razored through it.
“She’ll be alright though right?” Kiera asked, worried.
“She’s one of the lucky ones. She’ll have full recovery of her spine and her ribs will heal perfectly fine,” Jake commented, smiling reassuringly.
“Where’s your mother Callen?” Sharon’s brows furrowed in what the fire demon assumed was disapproval.
Callen was caught off-guard by this question as she hadn’t spared her murderous, evil mother any thought at all. Two weeks ago she would’ve simply replied that Selene was busy with work but she knew better now. Selene would never be her mother…ever. She glanced at Kiera, wondering whether her friend had mentioned anything but Kiera’s face was blank.
“She had to go for a conference meeting in Japan,” Callen replied stiffly, lying.
“But I’m sure she’ll come back. Maybe she hasn’t heard,” Sharon frowned.
“Sharon, honey, visiting hours are nearly over. We’ll leave Ki and Cal to talk in private. We’ll come tomorrow again,” Mr Wells reminded his wife.
“I’ll see you tomorrow Callen. Thank god you’re okay, we were so worried,” Mrs Wells stroked Callen’s hair affectionately. “We’ll call your mum for you okay?”
“No, it’s okay Mrs Wells. I’ll do it, thanks. You don’t have to worry,” Callen said firmly.
She looked surprised but dropped the matter and departed with her husband, both wishing her well before leaving.
“Well, like your father said, visiting hours are nearly over so I’m afraid you guys have only got 5 minutes left,” Jake apologized.
“That’s okay,” Kiera and Callen both said in unison.
“Okay. I’ll be back in half an hour to check on you again,” He left, leaving the pair alone.

[Blueness2]

It was a short while before any of them spoke, both hesitant thanks to the sheer…bizarreness the past events had uncovered about Callen’s heritage.
“They had to put sedatives to lessen the pain,” Kiera said quietly.
“That was nice of them,” Callen responded lightly.
“What happened back there?”
Callen’s eyes locked with her friend’s and without warning, tears started to well up inside of her, hurting her still-tender rib. This brought back painful memories, ones which she’d like to toss away into the sea forever, never to be seen again. Explaining all about what she was, witches, the supernatural side of her life…that would re-open the scars that had etched themselves permanently into her brain ever since she’d discovered what she was really was. But she had a right to know didn’t she? After all, she was her best friend and her life had just been twisted around thanks to Callen. She deserved to know the truth. So she spilled her guts out, explaining about fire demons, the Underworld, witches, magic, Selene, the plot to kill the Charmed Ones, her own revelation, Ronnie’s death and by the end of it tears were rolling freely down her cheeks and she felt like she couldn’t speak anymore. Kiera’s eyes were glistening with wet tears but she nodded, accepting, understanding this new change in her knowledge of the world.
“I’d always wondered why your looks never really changed much,” Kiera joked lightly, managing a small smile through her tears.
Callen managed to laugh but that didn’t erase the guilt she felt.
“Listen, it’s not your fault alright?” Kiera whispered though her voice trembled.
“Everyone died because of me Kiera. How is that okay? How is that not my fault?” Callen cried; her voice bitter. It didn’t help that her ribs were killing her with each sob, causing her cries to become choked and littered with painful coughs.
“Shhh, Cal, sshhhhh, you’re going to hurt yourself. Don’t think about it, sleep now alright?” Kiera’s voice was strong but as she cradled her friend’s head, stroking her head reassuringly, Callen could feel her body trembling with contained sobs.
She could find only little solace in her friend’s reassuring gesture but there was nothing she could do to revive her dead friends. The guilt was all hers alone to bear. And it was nearly too much.

[Blueness2]

Chapter 3

As the days sailed by Callen was able to distract herself from the ghastly murders of her deceased friends. This was largely thanks to Kiera’s never-ending support and her family’s as well but there was still the question of Selene, or from Mrs and Mr Wells’ perspective, her dear sweet harmless mother. Callen managed to shy away from the subject by putting it off to bad weather, bad reception but finally after a week, in which she had been released from the hospital, it was obvious that Mrs Douglas had not bothered to come. Naturally, this came as a huge shock for Kiera’s parents but Callen managed to calm them down. Now came the difficult part.
It was also obvious to Callen or anybody with half a brain for that matter that Selene had enough sense not to massacre an entire hospital-full of people, therefore causing a whole lot of noise and alerting the authorities before she could even get her hands on Callen.
So what else could she do but lay low and wait?
Kiera had told her what had happened afterwards. She’d passed out. The School had been in flames. The people who lived around that area had ventured out of their homes to see what was happening. Kiera had phoned 911 and once the ambulance, right after the firefighters had arrived, they’d been sent to the hospital. Selene had disappeared. Callen had been drifting on the brink of death or so it had seemed. Meanwhile a single funeral was being held for all the pupils of the School and well, the date was unclear.
Callen remembered when she walked out of the hospital, about Selene’s mission and she paused on the steps beside Kiera, conflicted. She didn’t even personally know the Charmed Ones yet…
“Cal, what’s wrong?” Kiera was looking at her, concerned.
“I have something to do. Kiera, just go home okay? I’ll come by later,” Callen said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about me,” Callen nodded. “Go,” She said gently when Kiera hesitated.
Callen watched her friend leave until she was out of sight and then crossed the street to the public toilets. When she was safely concealed inside the toilet cubical she closed her eyes, envisaging the interior of the Halliwell Manor, a tricky feat considering she’d only ever seen the picture of the Manor in her own mind’s eye, supplied by the vivid descriptions of Selene so she also inserted the street name sign ’13 Prescott Street’ into her imagination. For a minute all she could see was a vibrant red haze and hear a raspy crackling sound. Then someone knocked the air out of her when she became corporeal and stars danced in her vision.
“Gotcha, got…hey, you’re not Cody,” Someone with a sing-song voice said.
“Ow, you got that right,” Callen groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head.
She was looking at a round, inquisitive face full of red freckles and a tangled mop of curly red hair. A pair of curious blue eyes stared at her. For one wild moment Callen thought it was Ronnie gazing at her but then she realized that this boy was only eight, 10 at the most.
“Get away from her Tyler,” A male’s voice ordered. It certainly didn’t sound friendly.
The boy scrambled off her obediently and Callen rose to her feet, absorbing her surroundings for the first time. She was in a room with antique old Victorian furniture. The couches were worn and faded but somehow still valuable. A handsome coffee table stood in the middle and it was laden with bowls of various fruits. She could see the granite of the kitchen counter through the arched doorway and the lower half of an oak wooden staircase, the banister already chipped in some places. A grandfather clock with gold arches rested in the corner, its pendulum swinging softly. Various pictures sat on the mantelpiece, evidence to the years that had passed.
“What are you doing here?” A voice demanded-rather rudely.
Callen turned to face the owner which turned out to be a spiky and black-haired boy, around the same age as her with intense hazel eyes, handsome features marking a swarthy complexion and he was wearing a scowl. He was also wielding what seemed to be an energy ball and was preparing to fling it at her.
“Okay, easy, I’m not here to hurt you,” Callen said in what she hoped was a peaceful tone.
“That’s what they all say,” He scoffed.
“I might look like a demon but I’m not alright?” Callen snapped, thoroughly annoyed now.
The boy was a son of one of the Charmed Ones, she knew from Selene and considering that she had just flamed in here in a demonic manner, Callen understood why he was hostile but after all that had happened it seemed very insulting and hurtful.
“So why’d you flame in here?” His voice was sarcastic.
“Why would I not attack you?” She shot back.
“Cody, she would’ve grabbed me when I tackled her if she was a demon,” The red-head, Tyler, said simply.
The boy seemed to mull the words over and then said grudgingly, crushing the energy ball with his hand quickly, “I guess you’re right. So what are you and what are you doing here?”
“I’m…I’m a messenger,” Callen replied after a moment, unsure of how to explain herself without revealing her experiences to him.
“A messenger?” He repeated, confused.
“Look, are any of the Charmed Ones here?”
“No, what do you need to tell them?” He answered.
“Where are they? This is really important.”
“Hey, watch what you say. Who are you?” He warned.
“My name’s Callen and that’s all you need to know,” Callen retorted.
An angry look passed the boy’s face and he closed the gap between the two, scowling. “Don’t push your luck, just tell what you want to tell and get lost.”
“First, get out of my face before I break your nose,” Callen said in a low but very dangerous voice.
A flicker of apprehension appeared in the boy’s hazel irises and grumbling, he stepped back two paces.
“There’s a fire demon out there called Selene and she’s planning on killing your aunts and your mum. I don’t think I need to tell you she’ll kill anyone or anything that gets in her way.”
“That’s what you came here to tell us about?” He stared at her in disbelief.
“Selene is different. Just look her up in the Book of Shadows and you’ll see why. She’s intelligent and manipulative and she’s an actual fighter, not your run-of-the-mill demon.”
He seemed at a loss for words and then the younger boy spoke up, tugging on his sleeve.
“Cody, come on, let’s go check. She’s telling the truth,” He said, gazing up at him with naïve sincerity.
The older boy looked at her but before he could speak a mass of small round white lights appeared in the room. Callen couldn’t help but be amazed at the pure beauty of such a display, diverting her attention effectively. She had read about Whitelighters before, knew one of them guarded the Charmed Ones and knew of their teleportation and healing powers but never seen one before.
“Callen?”
Callen stared, stunned. It was Jake.

[Blueness2]

“You know her?” Cody asked in astonishment.
“Yeah, she…was one of my patients,” Jake replied, staring at her in turn.
“You’re…you’re a whitelighter?” Callen managed to find her voice.
“And you’re obviously not who you appear to be either,” He nodded.
For a stunned moment no one else said anything more. Each person in the room was looking at each other in bewilderment, including Tyler. Callen was still staring at Jake in absolute shellshock. He was wearing more casual clothing now; a beige corduroy jumper over a striped flannel shirt and brown pants. It didn’t look like he’d died in WW1 and returned to be the guardian angel for the Charmed Ones.
“I think you’d better come with me Callen,” Jake said finally, breaking the silence.
It was like a school principal calling a misbehaving student to the office. The misbehaving student wasn’t going to go without a fight.
“No, you tell me who you are first.” She was getting sick of all the surprises.
His eyes hardened, making quite a startling change in his friendly manner. “Callen, you come into my parents’ and my Aunt’s house uninvited and you know about whitelighters so I assume you know about magic and demons too. You miraculously survive a fire with excessive internal bleeding and a fractured spine when by all rights you should be dead. So you tell me who you are.”
Callen glared at him, rattled by the hardness in his eyes but standing firm. “You don’t know what I’ve been through and I don’t know how I survived okay? I just did. I’m a fire demon-”
“What?” An expression of disbelief marked his features and Cody’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
“I’m not here to kill you though. I don’t want anymore death to happen because of me,” She sighed.
Jake looked uncertain but then he murmured, “God help me, I’m signing our death warrants but alright, I’m going to give you the benefit of a doubt, only because you haven’t killed or kidnapped my cousins.”
“Jesus, you are signing our death warrants Jake,” Cody muttered.
“I’m the son of Richard Calloway and Paige Matthews,” He explained. “These two are respectively my cousin and brother, Cody and Tyler.”
Callen nodded. “I know.”
“This is a first. A demon wants to help us,” Cody grunted, amazed.
“Just look up the Book of Shadows for a fire demon named Selene alright?”
Before any of them could answer she disappeared in a burst of fiery orange and red flames.

She re-appeared in Kiera’s bedroom, causing her friend to drop all the paints, paintbrushes and paper she was carrying.
“Sorry,” Callen apologized, kneeling down to help pick up everything.
“That’s okay. I guess I’m going to have to get used to that,” Kiera replied, taking the paintbrushes from her gratefully.
“Why have you got so much stuff?” Callen asked curiously, watching her walk to her desk.
“I’m going to make a masterpiece. So where’d you go anyway?” Kiera pulled back her chair, pausing and looking across at her. There was a gentle sympathy in her gaze though and Callen knew her friend would stick by her, just as she would for her.
“To give a message,” Callen said nonchalantly.
“I won’t ask you who to but I guess you can’t go back to your house now since…” Kiera settled into her seat, squeezing some blue paint out into the paint palette.
“Yeah but I’m not going to stay here either. I don’t want you getting hurt,” Callen said quietly.
Kiera didn’t answer her and the young demon’s brows furrowed in concern.
“Kiera?” She ventured to say, questioning.
She seemed to be concentrating intensely on her work but it seemed like much more of a distraction to something that was bothering her.
“Ki, what’s wrong?” Callen asked, moving towards her friend hesitantly.
“Nothing,” It sounded like she had trouble saying that one simple word.
Callen frowned. It sure didn’t sound like nothing. She reached out to touch her shoulder but then Kiera rested her head on her hands, the paint brush slipping through her fingers. Her shoulders shook. She could hear her friend’s sobs. Callen felt her hatred for Selene deepen even further and she went around to the front of Kiera, encircling her friend’s shoulders in a hug and laying her head on them.
“I know it’s hard but don’t worry, I’m going to make sure she pays,” She whispered.
“No, it’s not just that,” Kiera lifted her head up, looking Callen straight in the eye, tears running down her face. “Your mum, she came when you were in the hospital and she told me that if I ever tell anyone about her she’ll kill my parents and Nate.”
“Oh Kiera, I’m so sorry.” Callen said softly, her heart going out to her friend.
“And you can stay here if you want,” Kiera sniffed.
“Yeah, when hell freezes over,” Callen muttered. “There’s no way I’m going to endanger your life, and your family’s, like that.” Something occurred to her and she asked, “I haven’t seen Nate yet, where is he?”
“He’s still in Singapore doing his working exchange thing.”
“Good, he’ll be safe there.”
A heavy silence descended as both were lost in their own thoughts. Callen strode over to the window, peering out at the people strolling down the streets, people walking back from work, walking to work, friends hanging out, people in cars zipping past…they were completely unaware of the real danger that lurked in San Francisco.
They really had no idea, Callen thought darkly.
“What are you going to do now Cal?”
Callen lapsed into thoughtful silence, pondering Kiera’s question. It was a pretty good one. Where could she go now? Staying at Kiera’s place would be signing her death warrant so that was certainly out of the question, the same with returning ‘home’. Selene would probably vanquish her on the spot. She could run away to another country, highly plausible but would Selene murder Kiera or use her to her advantage? Callen scowled. She didn’t trust her erstwhile mother down to the last tiny little cell in her body. So that wasn’t an option either. Callen’s face grew grim. There was only one solution to end this needless killing and that was to eradicate the problem.
She said in a very quiet voice without turning around, her expression hard and pitiless, “I’m going to fix the problem.”

[Blueness2]

Chapter 4

Of course, she’d be near to suicidal to go up against one of the best, most efficient killers the Underworld had ever bred alone with her powers. Though they were quite powerful she had inherited them all from Selene, not to mention learnt all her fighting skills and acrobatic stunts from her. She would know every move she made and Callen would know every move Selene performed before she even did them, thanks to hand-to-hand sparring in their horrendously large amount of training sessions they had accumulated up until now. So the solution was simply this; she had to push herself and she only hoped that they would co-operate.
As Callen walked into the Royal Children’s Hospital foyer, the atmosphere a tangible solemnity, she couldn’t help but flinch, not at the sheer cold casualty with which the workers worked with and seriousness of the atmosphere but at the clinical and professional appearance to the building. The fake flowers sitting on the desk at the front reception and brightly coloured walls didn’t fool Callen, anymore than did the feigned smiles plastered on the receptionists’ faces.
She had experienced hospitals like these before; pretending to be something that they’re truly not. Once, when she had been placed in IC for malaria and another time when Kiera had punctured a hole in her heart by playing with a knife at the age of seven-although at the latter stage she was the visitor not the patient and she had been bawling her eyes out. In both instances, the staff had treated them with false smiles but they had been as quick as humanly possible with them, more concerned about finishing work on time than providing their patients with comfort and care.
Of course, that wasn’t to say all the staff in the hospital were cold-hearted and professional. After all, this was where Jake worked on Sundays.
She felt something tug at the bottom of her jeans, “Have you seen my mummy?” A tiny voice, scared, asked.
Callen jumped, looking around wildly and then she realized it was a little girl. She was wearing a blue jumper over a red-and-white striped football team shirt that was about two sizes too large for her and army pants. Her long dark brown hair was braided immaculately and she had heart-warming light green eyes, which at the moment were filled with anxiety and the beginnings of tears. She couldn’t have been more than eight.
“I don’t know where they are, they said they’d be waiting for me when I got out,” The girl looked close to crying.
Frustration passed Callen’s features and she glanced around, hoping to see a distraught mother or father. It wasn’t that she was callous but she really didn’t want to be running around the hospital attempting to find this kid’s parents. The girl probably just got lost and in any case, she could see no reason why her parents would abandon her.
“What’s your name?” She asked, trying to keep her voice friendly and level.
“M-M-Melinda,” Tears were gathering in her eyes now and she stuttered.
“Okay,” Callen knelt down in front of her and put her hands to the girl’s shoulders in what she hoped was a comforting manner. “Melinda, don’t cry alright? We’re going to go find your parents. What did they tell you to do?”
The girl was sniffing, wiping away tears-for that Callen had to give her credit, “My Dad isn’t here but my mum and brother are. They just told me to stay here.”
Callen’s eyes narrowed, “You mean they just left you here all by yourself?”
“I have a cousin who works here,” She said defiantly. “My mum isn’t bad. She’s a good person!”
“I’m not she is,” Callen tried to sound reassuring but it was difficult. “Alright Melinda, tell me what is your cousin’s name?”
“Jake,” An expression of surprise stole Callen’s features. Did she mean…?
“What’s his last name?”
“Calloway,” Melinda sniffled.
Callen stared at her. This kid was Jake’s cousin which meant…
“Mel, what did I tell you about wandering off by yourself?!” A familiar voice scolded.
It was him, in full doctor’s uniform as well. Melinda’s face brightened dramatically as she saw Jake and she ran over to him, practically flying into his arms as he strode into the area.
“Jesus Mel, why aren’t you with Aunt Phoebe and Wyatt?” He asked after lifting her up and blowing an affectionate raspberry into her face.
“I don’t know where they are Jake.”
“Who were you talking…,” He trailed off as he realized just who she was.
“Hey Jake,” Callen said with a weak smile, standing and meeting his eyes.
Jake was lost for words. Luckily he didn’t have to say anything because someone crashed through the glass windows, spraying bits and pieces of glass everywhere. People screamed all around them and scrambled out of their chairs, dashing for the exit, the receptionist staff among them until nobody was left except for them. Jake had shielded Melinda with his body, while Callen just stood there among the crowd of people, caught between alarm and pure anger as she saw just who the person was that was picking himself up from the glass, spitting out blood and wearing a murderous expression at the seemingly human being that bounded in after him. Cody Turner.
“Heh, from the way Selene was talking I’d have expected you to put up a better fight,” Tarnak snickered,
“Take Melinda and go back to the Manor, the rest of my family should be there and tell them what’s happening,” Jake hissed, handing the young girl to Callen.
“But-”
“No buts Callen, go now,” Jake strode over to Tarnak. “Hey, why don’t you pick on someone your own size?!” He shouted, goading him.
Callen’s mind was whirling uncontrollably. What the hell did he think he was doing? Tarnak looked like a normal man in his late 20s but he was the right-hand demon to Selene, and as intelligent and manipulatively cunning as his master. Not to mention extremely tactical, a common traits which demons seemed to lack. He was also not prone to getting angry at insults easily and not taking the verbal bait when it was thrown at him.
“Jake, be careful!” Callen took a few steps towards Tarnak, setting Melinda down who was starting to cry.
Tarnak glanced over at her, grinning maniacally, “My darling Callen, I thought I would never see you again after our little massacre at your school.”
“Selene should’ve killed you a long time ago Tarnak, what are you doing huh? She’s still got you wrapped around her little finger doesn’t she?” Callen said with a humourless half-smile.
“Attitude problem as well,” Tarnak nodded approvingly.
“Why are you risking demonic exposure?” Callen demanded.
“Do you see any demons around? The worst that will happen is that the police will come and arrest me but I’ll have escaped and the media will pass it off as an unexplainable freak accident,” Tarnak sneered.
“What have you done to my family?” Cody yelled, his feet crunching the glass as he moved forwards and fists clenched.
“Oh, you mean the Charmed Ones and Belthazar? I’m not going to do anything to them. It’s Selene who’ll be stealing their powers, then killing them,” Tarnak said nonchalantly with a shrug, lips stretching in a feral grin.
“You’re bluffing,” Callen scoffed. “There’s no way Selene can take down the Charmed Ones and their children together.”
“Did you forget Callen, your mother’s smarter than most demons. Do you think she’d challenge them together?” Tarnak pulled out a glowing orb from his jacket. Everyone in the room went still as statues, recognizing it for the item it was. It was a teleportation orb. “Merry Christmas,” He mocked and hurled it into the middle of the room before anyone could react.
It didn’t break but instead landed on the floor with a thick, wet thud, as if it were made out of concrete instead of fragile glass. For a second it looked incredibly ridiculous but then beams of light spanned out across it and encircled Callen, Jake, Melinda and Cody. A weird tingling sensation spread through Callen and Cody’s bodies and then the floor literally dropped out from under Cody’s feet. The marble tiles caved in on themselves under his feet in a split second. Callen was the first to see it and she dived across the floor, reaching out and managing to grab Cody’s hand before the boy was out of her grasp completely.
“Teleport out!” Callen called down, straining to hold onto him.
“I can’t!” He yelled after a second.
“Jake, help!” Callen cried out as she felt her hold slipping.
Jake had been attempting to restrain Melinda from rushing over but seeing his cousin nearly loose his lifeline, he grabbed Callen around the waist and slowly he began to haul him up-until Tarnak swooped down onto him in his very grotesque bird form which resembled a gigantic half-eagle, half-human. There were a lot of noises of the furniture being smashed, screaming and deafening screeching which made it sound like they were at a demolition derby but Callen’s attention was entirely focused on Cody. Callen let out a cry as Jake was wrenched from her and her heart leapt to her throat as she realized she couldn’t flame out, couldn’t do anything except fall…

“No!” Jake screamed as he watched Callen and Cody disappear into the inky blackness. The floor closed up rapidly. The entire hospital foyer looked like it’d been rampaged by a giant and Mel was screaming for him and them to come back.
Everything was fading, becoming smaller and smaller as the eagle demon carried him higher and higher. At this moment exposure didn’t matter at all because as far as he was concerned, a bird the size of a 4-wheel-drive was enough exposure so orbing out wouldn’t cause too much fuss.
“What’d you do to them?!”
“Killed two birds with one stone,” He mused.
“What?” Jake’s insides turned cold. He hadn’t actually thought they had died.
“They’ve been sent into another dimension boy. They’re gone, forever,” And a smile seemed to curl at the corners of his beak.

[Blueness2]

Cody opened his eyes and immediately wished he hadn’t. For one thing someone was shining a very bright light into them and for another, he was in a strange room with blinding white lights and people dressed up like surgeons. It came back to him in small flashes; Piper being chloroformed, Wyatt being dragged unexpectedly into the alleyway, the demon who was doing the dragging instantly getting vaporized by him, Wyatt urgently yelling for him to get Melinda from the hospital, him orbing out, Jake confronting the man, the man with brown hair and eyes who obviously hadn’t been a man at all, him talking boasting about how he would be in his master’s highest regard after diminishing two of the threats, the chase all the way to the Royal Children’s Hospital, then the fire demon, Callen, who had grabbed him before he had tumbled to what he had assumed would be his death…speaking of, why wasn’t he dead?
“This one’s alive,” Someone declared.
This one? He blinked, clearing his senses and sat up.
The girl, Callen, lay unmoving and with eyes closed on a wooden table. There was a man with mismatched eyes checking her pulse and another was prodding her in specific places. Fear stabbed Cody’s heart as he thought for a second she was dead but then he spotted the rise and fall of her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
“She’s not responding,” The man said gravely.
“Try fire,” Cody suggested, remembering Callen was a fire demon.
The two men looked at him, confused.
“What I mean is get some fire and put it near her face,” He elaborated.
“That’s a new one doctor, why don’t we try it?” The man without the mismatched eyes agreed.
“Alright, Dawson, get a candle from the supplies cabinet and light it up,” The other man ordered.
His friend complied with a nod, departing the room. It was then that Cody absorbed his surroundings. It appeared to be a single room, the wallpaper stained and very few possessions and furniture in it. The sole source of light was a dangling lamplight hung from the peeling ceiling. A fan, ancient and blades whirring the air precariously, spun on automatic above the ‘doctor’s head. The air was also deathly still, which unnerved him greatly.
“I got it Dr,” The other man had returned, holding a lit candle.
“Hand it over Dawson,” The Dr took the candle, holding the burning flame close to Callen’s face.
Meanwhile Cody’s thoughts turned to his family. He hoped they would be okay and had absolutely no doubts about Jake saving Melinda from harm. They had proved more than once that they were capable of doing so but this Selene was a new one in all areas. Cody was sure she wouldn’t kill them straight-away. Every demon had a weakness and Selene’s was her penchant for torture. It wasn’t much better than death but it was something to cling to. Then something that demon had said registered: your mother’s
Your mother. That’s what he had said.
Callen’s eyelids fluttered and she emitted a low groan, “What…what?” She murmured.
“Amazing,” The Dr breathed as Callen her eyes snapped open.
When she saw the flame and the Dr, she leapt off the table, wrenching the man’s candle-free arm behind his back and resting her hand on his neck threateningly.
“Hurt me and I’ll pop your neck,” She hissed.
Whoa. Cody blinked. He hopped off the table, looking Callen dead in the eyes and grim, “I know you’re good but if you do hurt anyone then I’m going to have to kill you.”
Callen’s expression changed from wild to confusion to horror in two seconds. She let the terrified doctor go and stumbled back, staring at her hands.
“Oh Goddess, what did I almost do?” She whispered.
Cody stared at her, uncertainty tracking his dark facade. “Which side are you on?”
Callen’s eyes seemed to clear and she blinked a couple of times as if registering where she was. “Where are we?” She finally said, staring around the dirty room, dismay on her face.
“I don’t know but we have to get back. Your mum’s going to kill my family,” Cody snapped impatiently.
Red hot anger flared in Callen’s blue irises and she snapped back, blowing the nearby windows open with a terrible splintering sound, “Do you think I asked to be born into a demonic family?! Do you think I wanted to kill anyone?”
The two glared at each other heatedly, Cody’s swarthy features marked with fury and dislike and Callen’s defiant and enraged, though she managed to cover the hurt that accompanied those words very well with her stance and defiance.
“Um…e-e-excuse me,” The Dr was stuttering, looking from one to the other as if they were insane.
They ignored him, both simmering in each others’ own fury. The tension between the two was so thick it was suffocating until Callen finally backed down, throwing a faint scowl at Cody, muttering, “You don’t know the whole story Turner so don’t go patronizing me. Let’s try and find a way out of here, arguing won’t help us save your family.”
Cody started to retort but then closed his mouth, thinking better of it. He mumbled, “Fine, let’s go.”
“Wait, hey, what is this place?” Callen asked the man with the mismatched eyes.
He seemed too terrified to speak, just stared at her with big, wide astonished eyes.
“Hey sorry about what happened, I don’t usually do that. I was just scared,” She apologized, trying to make her voice sound sincere.
Cody rolled his eyes, striding past Callen and the man named Dawson. He saw Callen shoot him a questioning glance out of the corner of his eye but ignored her. With some effort (the guy was heavier than he looked) Cody gripped the guy by the front of his shirt and hauled him up to the fan. He yelped out in fear as the fan blades came closer to his head.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Callen cried.
“Only way to make people talk is to threaten them,” Cody explained a matter-of-factly.
“Are you kidding me? You’re talking about him like he’s a demon. We just plopped into their world, we shouldn’t threaten to kill them,” Callen’s features were a mask of shock and disbelief.
“Please, let me go, I’ll tell you what you want, just don’t hurt me,” The good doctor begged.
“For Goddess’s sake Turner, let him go now,” Callen shot him a disgusted look. “I don’t even know why I tried to save you.”
“Will you please let him go boy?” The other man, Dawson, was procuring something that seemed to be a shock prod out of his pocket.
Cody’s eyes studied the club indifferently and he shrugged, “You can try it if you want but your friend here dies a nasty death if you so much as even approach me with that thing.”
Dawson hesitated and then placed the prod down on the floor. “Good boy,” Cody muttered and lowered the doctor down. “Okay, answer me these questions. How’d you find us and where are we?”
“W-w-what do you mean where are we?”
“What planet are we on?”
“New Earth,”
Cody raised his eyes quizzically, “New Earth?”
“The Earth after Selene exposed magic to humankind, the earth that has humans in hiding, humans like us,” The doctor whispered, crouched on the floor now.
In spite of himself, Cody found himself looking over at Callen as the doctor mentioned her mother’s name. Her grave expression mirrored his except for two vital differences; there was a cold loathing in her eyes and he would never admit to her in a thousand years but she looked more dangerous than even Wyatt had when the Source had been torturing their parents in front of them.
“What about…” His voice shook and he regained control with difficulty as he gathered the courage to ask the next question, “What about the Charmed Ones and their children, where are they?”
“Dead,” Dawson supplied.
“What?” Cody felt like someone had punched him in the gut.
“They were killed defending us.”
“All of them?” Cody whispered.
“Yep,” Dawson nodded. He was wearing quite an ugly expression indeed, “They were all slaughtered by the demons and Selene. Not a single one of them survived.”
Cody had to steady himself using the edge of the wooden table. What kind of world had they been teleported into?

[Blueness2]

Chapter 5

“This is great,” Callen said sarcastically as they stepped out into the disaster-ridden street about half an hour later.
“Yeah, home sweet home. Come on, we have to go to that place the good doctor was talking about, then we can get out of this hellhole,” Cody muttered, shouldering past her, his feet crunching the blackened, dry soil noisily.
Callen glared daggers at the boy’s head as he bumped into her, resisting the very tempting urge to set him to fire. Out of all the people to be stuck with, it had to be him. Granted, under the circumstances she could understand why he was being the way that he was but there was something about him, his attitude and his manner that rubbed her the wrong way. Then Callen saw what type of place she was in and if she was to be honest, Cody’s description was of it was accurate to the last letter. It was a hellhole. Run-down cars littered the streets here and there. Smoking ruins which were the remains of torched buildings smouldered thickly whereas the buildings that had remained intact to some degree were vandalized and crumbling. The shop windows were smashed. In fact, the shops couldn’t even be classified as shops anymore considering that all of their items had been either stolen or destroyed. The few trees that populated the intensely damaged street were scraggly and gaunt with their grandeur and leaves stripped from them. Some of those leaves were lying on the cement, curled and dried-up and dull, as if they were old men willing to die. As Callen raised her gaze up to the skies, she wished she hadn’t. They were the worst of all; though it was only the early afternoon they were completely black and the clouds obscured most of the sun so that barely any sunlight managed to touch the earth, rendering things that resided on it black and unfeeling. At first Callen thought she was gazing at particularly strange birds but then she realized the swarming mass in the sky, filled with different colours, were bird demons and very few were actual birds.
“Are you coming or not?” Cody demanded impatiently. He was further up ahead and impatience graced his features.
“Would you keep your voice down tough guy,” Callen hissed sharply, catching up to him. “Do you want Selene or anybody else to know we’re here?”
Looking slightly abashed, he abruptly fell silent.
“Look, I know you’re worried about your parents and your family but they’re the Charmed Ones. Your cousins, your siblings, they all have the powers of the Charmed Ones. Selene’s powerful but I know she’s not that powerful,” Callen said quietly.
Cody didn’t reply and after a moment, he continued onwards but Callen could see she had reassured him somewhat from the expression on his face.
It wasn’t that Callen didn’t care because far as she was concerned, the fate of humankind rested on their shoulders even more now and their offspring. She had absolutely no relationship of any kind with them so she would sympathize, she would comfort if they perished but she wouldn’t be devastated. She was more worried about Kiera and her family.
The doctor had told them about strange lights that flickered rapidly for seven minutes straight every second moon at an old army base not far up in north and Callen had suggested they were portals. He had found them there in fact and with the help of his friend, carried them all the way down to their ‘home’ and tended to their injuries.
Callen shivered mentally, feeling tingles creep down her spine. There were a few resistance forces, they had learnt but they hid themselves so expertly that it was near impossible to find them by any human means. The two men had explained (after some more ‘encouragement’ from Cody) that there actually were some survivors after Selene and her demons massacred the witches and people generally tended to stay indoors nearly all of the time, which explained why there was a lack of people. Apparently, demons also tended to remain out of sight at night, preferring to hang elsewhere. Callen and Cody’s first plan of action had been to shimmer there but Dawson had warned them against it because the area was well-guarded by magic. He had had friends who’d tried it before and not a single one of them had lived to tell the tale.
“How’d you know that bird demon before?” Cody asked.
“Tarnak. He was my…mentor after Selene killed my first one,” Callen answered after a pause.
Cody had stopped and was gazing at Callen hard, puzzlement adorning his façade. “I don’t get you Callen. You’re a demon, your mum’s a demon but you don’t fit the description. What’s the deal? Why are you different?”
“Because I have a conscience,” Callen said steely, not looking at him.
Cody looked confused.
“Don’t ask Turner. All you need to know is that I grew up here. I have people I care about. And I want Selene dead as much as you do. Keep on walking.”
Cody obliged without a second’s hesitation. He could figure her out later. All that mattered now was getting to those lights.

In silence, the pair walked, each submersed in their own thoughts but the most prominent of these thoughts they both had in common were these; what’s happening in the real world now? Has magic been exposed? Why did they get sent here in the first place? This world obviously was what would happen if Selene was victorious but why would she send them here…? Why wouldn’t she teleport them to an inescapable place? She was providing them a chance to escape and Callen knew she was smarter than that.
“Hold it,” Cody placed a hand on her arm, which she immediately shoved off.
“What is it?”
“Listen,” He said with a slight hint of vexation.
Then she heard it; the noises of footsteps belonging to someone who was very unskilled in the art of stealth creeping up behind them. Callen’s first impulse was to turn to see who this person was but Cody decided to do something first and even more as Callen soon saw. He shimmered out and the next minute, someone swore, someone female. Callen spun around, already in defensive stance but discovered she had no need of it.
The person appeared to be a skinny woman in her late 20s and she seemed to wearing clothing that was three sizes too big for her. She was kneeling on the floor thanks to the pressure Cody was exerting on her back and also because he had her arm behind her back in a rather painful manner. Black hair spilled in a disheveled mane around and down her shoulders. Eyes like the colour of the crystal water were full of pain. A nasty scowl marked her thin, gaunt face.
“Why were you following us?”
“How does a kid like you know this move?” The woman groaned.
“Answer the question.”
“I was gonna mug you alright? Money’s tight around here and small fish like you are easy prey,” The woman struggled against the hold Cody had on her.
“Why do you need money?” Callen asked in astonishment. “What possible use for it could you have?”
The woman stared at her like she was an alien, which she was. “Where’ve you been kid? Money’s good because demons give you stuff for it…like food and water in return for serving them.”
Callen glanced at Cody, stunned and he appeared the same.
“Will you please let me go now? I won’t mug you, I swear it.”
Cody relinquished his hold and as he did, a thought hit Callen.
“Hey, do you know an old army base in the north?”
“Yeah, what of it?” The woman said, standing up and gazing at the fire demon curiously.
“Do you know a fast way to get there?”
The woman’s eyes dropped to the floor nervously, an odd action for a person 10 or so years older than her. “Well yeah but why would you want to go there?”
“Because we need to,” Callen didn’t elaborate.
“I’ll take you as far as the hills but from there it’s a straight walk,” The woman nodded.
“Why were you so nervous when Callen mentioned it?” Cody’s gaze was unflinching.
“That base is near Selene’s castle. There are demons and other beasts in that area,” The woman said grimly. “If you kids want to go off and waste your lives be my guest but I ain’t gonna put my neck out for what you want to do.”
“Charming,” Callen and Cody both muttered simultaneously.
They both started in surprise and determinedly avoided each others’ gazes.

[Blueness2]

“Eye witnesses reported a giant bird that seemed to be part-human, part-bird. Whether this bizarre claim is true or not, it is certain that something large and definitely not natural demolished a third of the Royal Children’s Hospital’s ground floor. Luckily there have been no fatal casualties from this accident. According to Dr Marcus Lawrence and Stephanie Lewis, both staff members of the hospital, there were only four people in the hospital vicinity when the creature attacked…” The news-reporter on the TV read out the names and then four photos of Callen Douglas, Jake Calloway, Cody Turner and Melinda Halliwell appeared on the screen.
“Damn it, I can’t go back to the hospital.” Jake switched it off.
“Of course you can, you just got to not give crazy answers to people who ask you questions,” Wyatt, who was standing near the couch, said.
“It’s pretty hard to explain two people just disappearing into thin air Wyatt. The police want to see me at 6:00 to ask me some questions.” Jake’s features were creased with worry. “What the hell am I meant to tell them?”
“People don’t know it’s a demon right? No one actually got a clear picture of it,” Chris asked. The 21-year old was sitting on the couch beside his older brother.
“It was big enough to punch a hole a truck would’ve made running through it Chris so I think it classifies as something abnormal,” Jake said.
He had no answer to this and neither did Wyatt. They were in the living room and nerves and anxiety were running high. It had been approximately one hour now since Jake had escaped intact for the most part with Melinda from the bird demon. Fortunately he had avoided any controversy as nobody had had any video recorders or cameras at the scene. Unfortunately, Jake and his family were at loss as to where exactly Cody and their new demonic friend, Callen, were. At least the demon hadn’t said they had been killed but then again, demons were reliable when it came to telling the truth, Jake thought. He began to pace the floor, a habit he had gained when he was anxious or nervous. His mum and Kate were up there in the attic now scrying for Cody using the scrying pendent. It was a pretty long shot but if the demon had been lying about the whereabouts of his cousin and Callen, that they were in actuality being holed up somewhere in San Francisco, not wandering around in another world. Melinda was being comforted by Phoebe and Cole was scouring his demonic connections and sources for any information.
Jake touched his wound on his shirt sleeve where Tarnak had shredded his flesh, leaving bloody welts in the skin. The demon had managed to get one blow in before he had orbed out with Melinda, intending to probably lift him up higher into the sky and kill him from thereafter but it had missed, just barely.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to heal that?” Wyatt asked, his green eyes flicking to his cousin’s injured arm.
“Don’t worry about it Wyatt, I’ll be fine,” Jake nodded, though he sent him a brief grateful smile.
“What is taking Tyler so long with the Book? All he has to do is bring it down,” Chris muttered, casting a side glance at the doorway.
“Maybe you should go get him,” Wyatt said as patiently as he could but Jake could see a hint of irritation in his cousin’s eyes.
Chris shot his brother a faint glare but rose to his feet and departed. It was interesting how different both physically and mentally Wyatt was from his younger brother. Whereas Chris had his mother’s hair and eye colour, Wyatt had his father’s hair and eye colour. Where Chris was lanky, smoothly handsome and yet well-muscled, Wyatt was tall and well-built, and his good looks lay in his square jaw and strong features. Wyatt was more tolerant and amiable than Chris, who was prone to anger and irritability.
Cole shimmered into the room but his expression was grim.
“Things aren’t looking good,” He said solemnly.
“What do you mean?” Wyatt’s brows were lowered and apprehension shone clear through his earnest green eyes.
“Remember what I said about Selene being favoured as the new Source earlier? Well she’s taken that step. The Underworld has a new master to follow,” Cole’s eyes, which were starting to wrinkle with age, seemed much older and an extremely dark look lined the contours of his rugged countenance. “She’s planning to unleash every demon she has at her control to destroy your parents and you, no matter who gets in the way. I also found out where Cody and Callen went. The good news is that they’re not dead but the bad news…” He seemed to struggle to get the next words out. “They’re in our future world, the world that will come to be if Selene wins.”
Shocked silence followed his words. Until Chris orbed into the room with Tyler in tow and at the same time, someone knocked determinedly on the door.
“I’ll take care of it,” Wyatt said, moving out swiftly.
They heard the door creak open (it had been doing that for quite a while now).
“Stop it Chris!” Tyler cried out as they materialized.
“You tell them what the hell you were doing up there while our family, our lives are in danger!” Chris berated angrily, and they could see that they he was holding the boy by the shirt collar.
“Chris! Jake, Uncle Cole, tell him to stop!” Tyler whined.
“Put him down Chris,” Cole warned his nephew.
“What were you doing Ty?” Jake said sharply.
“I was looking for the spells you asked but I got side-tracked!” Tyler complained. He was close to tears. “I couldn’t help it!”
“Let him go Chris, he’s only a kid,” Jake walked over to Chris and unlatched his grip from his younger brother.
“Jake,” Wyatt said from the doorway.
He turned and his eyes widened in surprise. The girl, Kiera, Callen’s friend, from the hospital was standing beside him. She looked perfectly fine. Chris, Cole and Tyler all glanced at her in varying degrees of disdain and/or confusion.
“This young woman says she knows you,” Wyatt told him.
“I know where Selene’s house is,” She locked eyes with Jake. “And I’ll help you get there on the condition that you promise me you’ll get Callen back from wherever she got blasted off to.”

[hollypop]

WOW!! I finally caught up and I can't beleive what I read.. what an amazing story!

I'm probably going to have to read it again to take it all in but you have a great imagination and talent.