A Charmed Reincarnation (Season 2)

０６ • Ｂｅｔ Ｙｏｕ Ｄｉｄｎ'ｔ Ｓｅｅ Ｔｈａｔ Ｃｏｍｉｎｇ

𝑱𝒖𝒏

I set two steaming cups of chamomile tea down on the table, one with lemon and one without. A quick glance at my watch tells me she should be arriving in 3...2...1. A light knock on the door sounds, and a small smile appears on my face. I head to the door, pausing to give myself a quick once over before opening the door. Phoebe stands there, hair in a red beanie, wearing a long flowy dress. She appears nervous as she greets me with a smile.

"Hi, Jun," she says.

"Hey, Phoebe. Come on in." I sidestep the entrance to allow her through.

"Wow, this place is nice. Reminds me of my ex's." She remarks, staring at the various artworks in the hall. Her eyes continue to wander in wonder, but her smile falters slightly.

"He used to be the Source of All Evil, but is now just a demon, right?" I ask.

"That's the one!" She laughs, but I can tell it is still a sore subject.

"Ambrose might have shared a few things with me about the past evils you guys have faced. Cole, unfortunately, being one of them." I add gently.

"Yeah, and he refuses to stay in the past. Funny how things happen, don't they?" she shrugs, looking down.

"Come have a seat," I lead her over to the table. "I brewed some fresh chamomile tea. I made yours with lemon."

"Oh," she says, surprised. "How did you-- oh right, you're psychic." She rolls her eyes at herself and takes a seat.

"And so are you," I remind her, sitting down as well. "Just in different ways."

She scoffs. "I haven't really been psychic as of late. I haven't had a premonition in god knows how long, and I can barely levitate. I know this may be too forward of me, but I thought maybe you could help me figure out what's wrong."

"I can try, but I can't make any promises. May I hold your hands?" I ask. She extends them, and I grip them firmly but gently and close my eyes. I allow myself to detach from the present and bring my senses to a higher state. "I can see... you've been extremely busy lately. You've been writing as usual, but now there are live appearances, interviews, and maybe even a radio show in the making." I open my eyes to confirm with her.

"Yes, my boss has been giving me some advice on that. I love what I do, truly, but it's just been..."

"A lot," I finish for her. I sigh and consider my next words carefully. "From what I know, Phoebe, your powers come from your emotions. My powers come from my faith. Based on what I see, you're extremely overworked, and with the path you're on now, you're just going to continue getting busier and busier, neglecting to take for yourself. You need balance, or else your powers will continue to weaken," I tilt my head slightly as I can see being a columnist is still the right path for her. "But your work is still important to you, and you shouldn't neglect it either."

She sighs and asks, "Then how do I find the balance? I love my job, but I love being a witch too."

"Let me try to see further in the future," I tell her. I allow myself to drift further off, opening myself up to the shifting waves of the future, but this time it feels different. Usually, when I look into the future, it's like watching the ripples in a small pond. The ripples are the decisions one can make. One ripple will lead to another and then to another until a whole new future comes about from just one decision. What I'm experiencing now, though, is nothing like that. The pond is there, but I'm sinking into it, unable to escape, and suddenly a vision is before me. I hear myself gasp aloud as I'm struck by the sight of a woman being brutally murdered. My eyes fly open, and I pull away from Phoebe and stand up from the table. My ears ring with the sound of her tortured screams, and my eyes start watering.