CHARMED: THE NEXT GENERATION

CHAPTER 1: MYSTERY GUEST

"Melinda was seated on her bed, flipping through the pages of her cherished magazine. Within a few seconds, her brother Chris suddenly orbed before her. "Chris, I've already told you that I don't want you doing that around me since I can't do it," she complained. He responded with an eye roll. "How else do you expect me to travel? Anyways, Mom said it's time for training." With that, he vanished in an instant. Melinda descended the stairs to find her uncles and father engaged in a discussion about some old, mundane baseball teams. Making her way to the basement, she joined her cousins, aunts, and mother who were eagerly awaiting her arrival. "Finally," Wyatt sarcastically remarked. In response, Melinda playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, guys, are you ready?" Piper asked. "Ready!" all the cousins chimed in unison. "Wyatt, do your thing," Phoebe instructed. Wyatt waved his hand, summoning 13 illusionary demons before them. Instantly, all the cousins assumed their battle stances. "GO!" Paige called out. Chris waved his arm, causing a demon to soar across the room and land on the tip of a sword hanging on the basement wall."
.

"A fireball came hurtling towards Prue, but she swiftly evaded it by levitating into the air. Seizing the opportunity, she beamed behind the demon and delivered a powerful kick to its back. "Melinda, my dear, now would be a perfect time to practice your melting and combustion power," Piper suggested. Melinda nodded in agreement and flicked her hands, hoping to make the demon melt. However, instead of the demon, she inadvertently melted an old box that lay on the basement floor. "Nice try, sweetie," Phoebe called out, offering encouragement.

Taking a deep breath, Melinda tried again, flicking her hands at another demon with the intention of making it explode. To her delight, she succeeded in her attempt. "Ha! I did it!" Melinda exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. "Well done, honey," Piper praised, her voice filled with excitement. Meanwhile, Henry Jr. employed his electrokinesis to electrocute two demons at once. Swiftly turning around, he repeated the feat on two more demons. "Good job, tiger!" Paige cheered. "Sword!" Kat called out, causing the nearby sword to orb into her hands from the wall.

She swiftly plunged her sword into the demon's stomach, incapacitating it. Parker, utilizing her empathy power, redirected the demonic fireballs, sending them back towards two of the demons. Patience showcased her advanced skills in astral projection, effortlessly maintaining awareness while in her astral form. She projected herself and delivered a forceful kick to a demon's midsection, causing it to sink to its knees before striking it in the face with another kick.

Wyatt unleashed his energy waves, obliterating two demons with their sheer force. Tamora noticed her twin sister wielding a sword and called out, "Sword!" The sword instantly orb to her, and she swiftly sliced off a demon's head. "Ouch!" All three sisters winced in unison. "Mom!" Kat whined. "She took my weapon." Tamora rolled her eyes. "Stop complaining!" The twins began to argue. "Alright, that's enough training for today!" Paige declared, placing her hands on her hips to assert her authority.

Piper ascended the stairs and fetched a pitcher of water before returning to find the kids engaged in animated conversation. "Alright, listen up. We don't know who the next Charmed Ones will be, but in the meantime, we need to train all of you," Phoebe explained. "She's right," Piper added. "And Mel, you need to learn how to control your powers." Melinda rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Mom, it's so difficult. Every time I try to melt, I freeze. Every time I want to freeze, I combust. And every time I attempt to combust, I end up melting. Why did the elders give me these two new powers?" Melinda folded her arms, clearly exasperated. Prue walked over to her cousin and draped her arm around her. "Melinda, relax. Remember when the elders blessed me with levitation?" Laughter erupted among the cousins. "How could we forget? Every time you got scared, you'd start levitating," Wyatt teased.

"Hey, Parker, remember when she used to levitate in her sleep?" Patience chimed in, causing the cousins to burst into laughter once more. "Don't worry, Mel. You'll get the hang of it," Paige assured her as the three sisters made their way upstairs. Just moments later, an elder appeared through orbing. "Hello, Halliwells!" the elder greeted, prompting the cousins to wave in response. "We elders have been observing your training, and I must say, you're making remarkable progress. Henry Jr., I am truly impressed. You never know, you could become a remarkable young Charmed One. Keep up the excellent work," the elder commended before gracefully orbing out.

HJ stood there in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. "No way. I could be one of the future Charmed Ones!" Wyatt approached HJ, a confident smile playing on his lips. "We all know I'm destined to be one of the Charmed Ones." The rest of the cousins exchanged eye rolls. "Just because you're the twice-blessed child doesn't mean anything," Chris retorted. "Yeah, who knows? I could be a Charmed One too," Patience chimed in. "Patience, you can barely even beam properly," Tamora interjected.

The laughter of the cousins echoed through the house as they made their way upstairs. Only Patience remained standing in the basement. "I'll prove myself!" she shouted, determination shining in her eyes as she sprinted upstairs to join the others.

==================================================================================================

The next day..

Melinda was seated at the table in the cozy Halliwell kitchen, engrossed in her homework. Suddenly, her cousin Prue beamed in behind her, a warm smile on her face. "Hey, girly," she greeted Melinda, taking a seat on a nearby chair. Melinda looked up and returned the greeting. Out of all the cousins, Melinda and Prue shared a special bond.

"I have so much homework to do. Sometimes I just wish I could zap it all done," Melinda sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. Prue nodded understandingly. "I get it, but remember, personal gain is a big no-no," she gently reminded Melinda.

Just as Melinda was about to respond, Prue's keen eyes caught sight of a football hurtling towards Melinda from behind. "Melinda, watch out!" Prue exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency. Melinda swiftly turned around and instinctively flicked her hands at the football, causing it to explode into pieces. Wyatt and Chris entered the kitchen, their expressions a mix of curiosity and annoyance. "Thanks a lot, Mel. You blew up my football," Chris complained. Melinda placed both hands on her forehead in frustration. "I meant to freeze it!" she exclaimed, her disappointment evident. "I'm never going to get the hang of this. I was perfectly fine with just my freezing power." Wyatt took a seat on the last remaining chair and offered some reassurance. "Don't worry, baby sis. You'll get the hang of it."

Melinda flashed him a grateful smile just as a mysterious time portal began to form in the kitchen. Prue, Melinda, Wyatt, and Chris all stood side by side, their curiosity piqued as they watched two figures step out of the portal.