Parker tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his eyes taking in the building before him. This was it. He was going to prove he could be a chef once and for all. He had to get this job; there was no other choice. His stomach flipped nervously as he remembered his last job interview. The executive chef had taken one look at his resume and scoffed.
"You are a bank teller! You have no training!" he had exclaimed. Parker had shifted uncomfortably. "Well, no, I didn't get a chance to go to culinary school. But I can do this. Give me a chance." The Wolfgang Puck wannabe only shook his head and tossed the resume across the desk. He dismissed Parker with a wave of his hand. Parker didn't see the use in fighting. He simply picked up his resume and left, his shoulders slumping. He had a good feeling about Quake, though. Chef Moore promised he could cook his audition recipe, regardless of what it said on his resume. Yes, sir, once Moore tasted his food, Parker would be a bank teller no more. All he had to do was get out of the car. "Okay, here goes nothing," he sighed. Mustering his confidence, Parker opened the jeep's door. He lifted his bag of ingredients from the passenger seat and climbed out. Taking a steadying breath, he closed the door and started towards the trendy restaurant. Chef Moore raised an eyebrow when Parker entered the kitchen. "You are late," he said, his words thick with a French accent. "I'm sorry, Chef. It won't happen again." Parker winced as he peered at the clock. He was only five minutes late – not too bad. If only he hadn't stayed at home long enough to listen to Philip ramble on about witchcraft and being something called The Charmed Ones. But Philip had taken it all so seriously, and Parker didn't want to hurt his feelings. Paul was right. Sometimes Parker was too soft for his own good. Pushing all thoughts of his family out of his mind, Parker washed up and changed into the chef uniform Moore had provided. Moore announced he had exactly thirty minutes to "wow" him and promptly left the kitchen. Parker went to work. Parker forgot about everything as he started to cook. He was in the kitchen, and that's all that mattered. He followed his recipe to the letter. No variations until he had the job. He mixed and stirred and lost track of all time. It wasn't until he heard someone clap behind him that he realized Moore had returned. "Your time is up," he said, his French accent thick. "Let's see." He picked up the index card on the counter. "Roast pork with gratin of fennel and penne with a port giblet sauce." He eyed Parker, clearly believing the dish wouldn't be any good at all. Parker nearly dropped the bottle of port wine and the measuring cup he was holding. "Uh, Chef Moore...?" he began. Moore picked up a fork and speared a piece of roast. "What?" Parker set down the port and the measuring cup. "Uh, the port..." Moore waved him away. "Yes, without the sauce it is nothing more than a salty marinara. A recipe from a woman's magazine. Puh!" He prepared to take a bite. No! No! This couldn't be happening! Parker could see his dreams going up in smoke before his eyes. He had to stop him. "But, Chef Moore, I didn't have time..." In panic, Parker threw up his hands. Moore stopped moving, the forkful of food near his mouth. Parker relaxed a little. Maybe he'd be able to add the port. But something was wrong. Chef Moore wasn't moving at all. He wasn't even breathing. Parker's moment of relief quickly passed. He waved his hand in front of Moore's eyes. No response. "Chef Moore?" Nothing. Deciding not to waste this strange twist of fate, Parker grabbed a baster and filled it with port. He then dribbled some on Moore's forkful. The minute he stepped back, Moore unfroze and stuffed the bite into his mouth. Moore smiled. "This is very good. C'est magnifique!"Parker breathed a sigh of relief. His chance may have been saved, but he was going to have to talk to Philip. He didn't know what had happened, but something told him he was the cause of it. And Parker wanted to know why.
* * * * As soon as Parker reached his car, he whipped out his cell phone. The other end rang and rang and rang. Philip was either ignoring the phone or not there. Parker scowled. ‘Probably out messing with his bike,' he thought. After five rings Paul's deep voice announced no one was home. Then came the beep."Philip, if you're home, pick up. I've got something to ask you." He waited a beat. "Okay, guess you're not there. Call me back when you get this, man. You've got some explaining to do." He rattled off his cell phone number, then flipped it closed.
Parker dropped his phone back into his pocket and sighed. He leaned against his jeep and buried his head in his hands. What was happening to him? Did weird things happen to his brothers? Was there really something to that spell Philip read? Had he really stopped time? "Penny for your thoughts." Parker's head snapped up. He relaxed the moment he saw the beautiful woman standing in front of him. "Jenny." He pulled her into a hug. "Man, am I glad to see you." She looked up at him. "Bad day?" "Let's just say it's been a little weird." He moved a lock of her long, brown hair out of her eyes. "What are you doing here anyway?" Jenny stepped back and took his hand. "I have a surprise for you. A little celebration for you getting the job." "But I don't know if I've gotten the job yet." "Then let's call it a pre-celebration." She tugged on his hand. "Come on. I'll let you drive." Parker laughed. "That's only because you don't have a car." He walked her around to the passenger side and opened the door. "All right, you navigate." Jenny hopped in. "I'd be glad to." Parker closed the door. He then climbed in on his own side. ‘I'm not going to worry about Philip or that spellbook. Not now when I get a moment of normal life,' he decided as he cranked the car and pulled out of the parking lot. * * * * * "Are you sure this is the place?" Parker peered at the run-down warehouse through his windshield. The building was abandoned and looked like it was falling apart. Windows were broken out. Pieces of the wall were damaged. "Trust me, honey. Everything is set up inside," Jenny said as she stepped out of the jeep. "Okay." The place gave Parker a bad feeling, but he didn't want Jenny to think he was weak. It wasn't every day he had a beautiful woman who wanted to surprise him. He got out of the jeep, locked the doors, and took Jenny's hand. They walked into the decrepit building and into the large elevator in the center. Jenny lowered the gate. She then pressed the up button. She grinned at him, her eyes glittering. "You're going to love this. You might even brag about it to Paul and Philip." Parker wrinkled his brow in confusion. "I never mentioned Philip came home." "Oh." Jenny was the picture of innocence. "Oops." A double-edged knife materialized in her hand. She took a step towards him. Parker took a step back. "What's that?" "Your surprise, baby." Jenny's grin spread wider. "I've waited six months for this. Ever since Gramps went to the hospital. I've known for quite some time that the moment that old witch croaked all your powers would be released. Powers that would reveal themselves as soon as the three of you got together again. All that was needed was for Philip to return." She was crazy. Parker's girlfriend was a raving loon. He remembered the news reports. The bodies found on the altars. "You killed all those people, didn't you?" He tried to remain calm. After all, she was a small thing. Maybe he could overpower her and get the knife. "Not people. Witches." Parker kept his eyes on the knife. "Why?" Jenny raised her hand and flames appeared on her finger tips. "It was the only way to get their powers." Within a split second, her face transformed into that of a monster. "And now I want yours!" she growled in a demonic voice. She lunged. Parker reacted and threw up his hands. Like Chef Moore, Jenny froze in place. Her face held the ugly mask. Her hand gripping the knife, poised to strike. Parker didn't intend to stick around to see how long her frozen state would last. He searched the elevator until he saw the opening above him. The elevator had stopped between two floors. He jumped for it, his hands gripping the edge. He then pulled himself through the opening. He wasn't quick enough. The elevator immediately moved, and a hand, stronger than he had anticipated, grabbed his ankle. He kicked as hard as he could. The hand released its grasp and he heard a sickening thud behind him. Parker climbed onto the floor. He then pushed to his feet and ran as fast as he could. There had to be a staircase somewhere. He glanced back, but couldn't see Jenny at all. God, Jenny. His girlfriend. She was supposed to be the one, and instead, she turned out to be a monster. He couldn't wrap his mind around it, but it was true. She had tried to kill him. She may even try to kill his brothers. Parker found the staircase and flew down them. He had to get home. He had to warn Paul and Philip. * * * * Parker didn't care it had started to rain. He floored the gas pedal, praying his brothers would be home once he got there. He soared through lights and cut corners a little too closely. He didn't dare breath until he reached his street and saw Paul's car sitting in the driveway. "Thank God." He swung in right behind him. Once parked, Parker burst into the house. He immediately shut the door and double-locked it behind him. "Park, what are you doing?" Parker turned to see Paul and Philip standing in the foyer. He guessed they must have arrived right before he did. "Philip! That book of yours. Does it say how to get rid of a monster?" Philip's brown eyes widened. "Dude, are you serious? What kind of monster?" "One that goes around stealing witches' powers?" "Whoa! What the hell are you talking about?" Paul asked, worry written on his face. "A warlock. He's talking about a warlock." Philip started for the stairs. "What? Parker, what happened?" Parker pushed Paul in the direction of the stairs. He told his brothers the whole story as they climbed the stairs to the attic. By the time they reached the landing, Paul had his cell phone out. "I'm calling the cops," he announced. "And tell them what? That we're witches? That some tiny, five-foot-four freak with powers is trying to kill us?" Parker answered. ‘Aw, man, what happened to my nice, orderly world?' he wondered. Philip ran into the attic and pulled the Book of Shadows out of the trunk. He set it on a pedestal near the large bay windows. He opened it and flipped through the pages. He stopped when he found something. "I think I've found the answer," he said as he held the book out to his brothers. Parker's mouth dropped open when he saw the page. "A spell?" He looked at Philip. "You're serious?" "You got a better idea?" Before he knew it, he, Paul, and Philip were sitting around a cauldron with nine candles surrounding it. He held a poppet in one hand and a rose in the other. He'd never felt stupider in his life. A psychokiller was trying to kill him and here he was casting a spell. Now, he really, REALLY missed his normal life. "Here goes nothing," he said. He placed the rose on top of the poppet. "Your love will wither and depart, from my life and my heart, let me be, Jenny, and go away forever." He pressed the rose into the poppet's chest and tossed it into the cauldron. "Okay, the spell's complete." "Let's hope it works," Paul said. Within minutes, a small explosion erupted from the cauldron and fire enveloped the poppet and the rose. Parker looked from Philip to Paul. "Is that it?" "I guess so," Philip answered. He reached out to pick up the cauldron. The minute his hands touched it, his body jerked and his eyes closed. Paul moved towards him. "Philip!" Philip's eyes snapped open. "It's not over. She's coming and she's pissed." "How do you know that?" Parker asked. "Vision," Philip simply said. "Vision? You get visions?" Parker looked to Paul for support. His older brother shrugged. "Philip gets visions. I move things with my mind. You?" "Freeze time. What the hell happened to us?" Philip was on his feet and running for the door. "Guys, now's not the time. Remember, crazy warlock bitch wanting to kill us. Ring any bells?" He raced out of the attic with Paul and Parker on his heels. All three made it downstairs, but they didn't get any farther than the foyer. No sooner had their feet touched the bottom step than the front door exploded. Jenny stood in the rain, thorns covering her skin and the knife raised above her head. Anger radiated from her. "Gentlemen," she said. Paul stepped forward, planting himself between his brothers and Jenny. "Parker, Philip, get out of here." "No way," Philip said. Parker nodded. "We're not leaving you." Paul didn't have time to argue. Jenny ran towards him. Parker couldn't see what his brother did, but Jenny all of a sudden flew back against the wall. It didn't phase her in the least. She was back on her feet in seconds. "Cool parlor trick, bastard. You were always the tough one, weren't you, Paul?" she hissed. Paul took a step back. Parker and Philip moved closer. Jenny advanced on them, and Paul sent her flying back against the wall. "What now, Phil?" Paul asked. "I can't keep throwing her back." Parker looked at his baby brother to see his eyes light up. "The spirit board, man. Remember the inscription on the back?" Philip gripped Paul's right shoulder. "The power of three will set us free," Paul said. Philip glanced over at Parker. He indicated his hand, and Parker mirrored him, grabbing Paul's left shoulder. "We've got to say it together," Philip said. At that moment a ring of fire surrounded the brothers. There was no time to argue now. As one, the three of them chanted the inscription over and over. All of a sudden, a whirlwind surrounded them, destroying the ring of fire. The more they chanted, the faster it became. Jenny screamed. "I am not the only one! I am one of millions! In places you can't even imagine! In forms you would never believe!" Her voice hit a frenzied pitch. "We are hell on Earth!" The three men chanted louder, never once losing the rhythm. Jenny screamed once again. She then exploded and disappeared. Paul, Parker, and Philip stopped chanting. The wind died down and disappeared, leaving a mess in its wake. Philip and Parker released their hold on Paul. "The power of three," Paul said. It was over. Jenny was gone. Next Chapter