Chapter one: The outside
2031, San Francisco.
Decades ago the San Francisco Bay had been overlapped by the gigantic Golden Gate Bridge. Night and day were perfectly separated and there was a balance between buildings and nature. However, ever since Wyatt Halliwell had taken over community, the city was covered in darkness 24/7. The bridge had been blown up when he’d lost his temper once again, which happened lots of times.
Everyone was scared to death for the Charmed Ones son and there were only a handful of people who stood up to him. The rest of the community was murdered on his command or tried to please him by spying on the enemy or kill them. The Halliwell manor had become a place to fear and those who tried to escape from the Tiran tried to avoid the house as much as possible. It was also the place where Wyatt had his meetings. Tonight was one of them.
He was sitting at the living table and had a superiority expression on his face. He impatiently tapped on the table with his fingers. Than he glanced at the kitchen. “Chris Perry, what’s taking you so long?” In the kitchen there was a twenty-two year old guy walking up and down with plates with cookies and tea. He walked in in the living room and put the plate on the table.
Wyatt raised his eyebrows as if he wanted to say: “That’s it? Aren’t you supposed to say something right now?” Chris didn’t need any words to get what Wyatt’s expression meant. “I’m really sorry, mister Halliwell. I hope you can still enjoy the cookies and tea” Wyatt waved with his hand as to make Chris leave.
Chris went back to the kitchen and sank down on the floor. It had been like this ever since he had arrived in the Halliwell manor. His parents had taken off when he turned fourteen and Wyatt, who was fifteen by the time, had let him live in his house. His parents, Leo and Piper, died the same time Chris’ parents disappeared and Wyatt had said that they should stick together and protect each other.
But doing chores, serve Wyatt and his friends like they were kings and never get outside, was not what Chris had in mind when Wyatt spoke about sticking together. Wyatt had saved his life and he was paying duty now.
When the meeting was over and all of his minions were gone, Wyatt came into the kitchen. He found Chris, who was still sitting on the floor, and he curled his nose. “You know, Chris, that dishes really aren’t going to clean itself, if you get my point”
Chris crawled up and walked to the sink, where he turned the tap open. Wyatt kept looking at him and it made him really nervous. He swallowed and rotated his head slowly to Wyatt. “Can I help you with something, mister Halliwell?” Wyatt shook his head and Chris continued his work. “I was wondering if you know where your loyalty lies”, he said coldly.
Chris blinked to make the words sink in. “See, I’ve heard out of a good source, that you’re planning to break the rules and go outside. You have permission to go-” Chris looked up, surprised. “-but if you do, you cannot come back here” Chris got a disappointed expression on his face.
“But that’s not fair! You can’t keep me in here forever! I need to go outside! Please, Wyatt, just let me go outside for one day, that’s all I’m asking for”, he desperately begged. Wyatt squeezed his lips together and a stubborn glance appeared in his eyes.
“You remember the first day we met? You were walking down the street and it was raining like hell. You were covered in mud and you smelled like hell. You hadn’t been eating for days and you had no place to live. Your parents took off ‘cause they didn’t wanna take care of you. I saved your life, and all I want from you is to stay inside. It’s way too dangerous for a mortal like you, an innocent. It’s full of demons out there and you’d be killed in no time”
“I’m not a little kid anymore. I can protect myself” Wyatt violently and stubbornly shook his head . “I said no. I will succeed where your folks failed and that’s protecting you” “But-”, Chris started, but Wyatt cut into it: “I said no” Chris let his head hang, defeated.
Chris went to his bedroom and sank down on his bed. He lay down and stared at the ceiling. He wondered how the world outside would be like. Sure he had a clear view from behind his window, but it wasn’t the same as really be outside. He heard a familiar noise and a few seconds later Bianca materialized in the center of his room. He looked up at her, with an angry look in his eyes.
“Thanks for betraying me, Bi” Bianca sighed and shrugged. “I was only trying to help you. Wyatt shouldn’t be treating you this way and you know it” “What can I do about it? He saved my life. He raised me when my parents disappeared. They never wanted me, unlike Wyatt who actually did. If I go out of the house, it’ll break his heart. He’s trying to protect me”
Bianca could not believe he just said that. “Who are you and what did you do to my best friend? Come on, Chris, you can’t just give up like that” She paused to catch a breath and than continued. “You have to get outside. We can go to the movies or eat a hamburger and fries or go to a club. I don’t know, as long as you don’t stay in here”
She saw the look in Chris’s eyes and it encouraged her to keep going. “Just for one day. Wyatt never has to find out” For a moment Chris still hesitated, but than he agreed. Bianca pulled him up and they went downstairs.
They were just about to leave when a cold voice stopped them. They turned around and saw Wyatt, who seemed to be furious. “You weren’t planning on leaving, were you, Chris Perry?”, he authority asked. “It was my idea, Wyatt”, Bianca bravely said. “If you wanna punish someone, pick me. I can handle it”
Wyatt ignored her. He held Chris’ look and said: “Excalibur!” The magic sword appeared in his hands and he walked towards Chris. Chris, who was still standing at the front door, couldn’t move a single muscle. His face went pale when Wyatt stopped right in front of him. For a moment nothing happened. Than Chris felt an indescribable pain coming from his stomach.
Wyatt pulled the sword back and Chris fell down on his knees and than on the ground. He couldn’t breathe and he was choking. Wyatt orbed out and Bianca fell down on her knees to look at Chris. She held his head in her arms and she looked at him, an unkempt glean in her eyes. “You’re not going to die. I won’t let you. D’you hear me? Don’t even think about dying”