"Here you go," Piper said, calming her nerves and trying to keep a relaxed front as she handed Leo a cup of coffee.
They sat in the parlor, on one of the sofa's there. Leo smiled and looked at her.
"So, umm�" Piper started, hoping that her murmuring would start a conversation. Come to think of it, she had never acted this way with a guy before, especially since puberty was long gone.
Leo focused her eyes on her. His look was so warm and welcoming. They had a considerable peaceful two months, meaning no Demon or Warlocks or attacks of any kind.
Phoebe kept glancing at the large clock, which hung right across from her high on the wall of the classroom. The lesson just kept dragging longer and longer with no visible end to it.
"Now, for the final exam which is due to take place in two days�" the professors' words faded to her ears. She seemed to be losing the somewhat attention she did try to pay. The tension in her grew stronger as the date approached. "This exam is in fact going to separate those of you who will actually pass this course and go on to work in this profession. As I have stated at the beginning of the year, Psychology doesn't stand at the making of 300 dollars per hour, it means being a good listener, a good secret keeper and knowing how to suggest solutions! Now, the psychoanalysis you have received as your final assignment yesterday was about the effects of traumatic events on one's mind and spirit�"
Phoebe gazed at the 10 paged paper in front of her, the ready assignment, which took her about five hours of making, since the house was awfully quite for the past few days. Prue was constantly working for that new magazine, which she was hired for. She was back at around ten o'clock everyday and out of bed by eight. Exhaustion was a top quality, which was obliged onto her. Despite of her acceptance to a position alike the previous one at the magazine, she believed she must invest long hours and show that she is hard working from the start. However, it was Wednesday today, which meant that the weekend was soon to come and that Phoebe's final exam is even sooner than she remembered.
"Miss Halliwell?" Her professors' loud voice, echoed all around the classroom, tearing Phoebe far away from her wandered thoughts. "Hmm?" she raised her look at him, he stared at her with piercing eyes, "Psychosomatic post stress, where, what, and why" he said, glaring at her.
It was almost as if he had expected the entire class to fail, if she didn't know any better� She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and focus her attention back to class; "Umm," she started, quickly going through all of her notes, amongst all the thoughts running through her mind at the moment was a wish to have Piper's power. Putting aside all the personal gain issues, freezing the entire class would in fact allow her to actually look good to her professor just this one and only time, but that was out of the question. "Umm, an anxiety disorder in which a particularly stressful umm, event occurs�" she muttered, her heart pounded quickly as she tried to speak further, but comprehended her mistaken interpretation."Mostly happens when� -" she stopped being cut off by her professor, "Miss Halliwell, that is a very good answer," Phoebe felt somewhat relieved for a mere second but that was all gone when he continued. "If I were to ask of Post-Traumatic stress disorder!" he said roughly. "Miss Halliwell, I advice you with full seriousness that you study and study well for this exam, if you wish to get your long awaited degree!"
Phoebe looked at him, a tad embarrassed, "no, professor, I have it," she said, holding her finger on the lines marked in blue marker.
"Miss Halliwell," he replied irefully, "you should know it by heart by now!"
Phoebe lowered her look down, focusing it back on her papers. She felt so angry with him! If only he hadn't walked all over her self-esteem she might've been able to answer rightly.
"Dismissed!" he yelled, walking back to his desk.
Phoebe stood up, gathering her books and notes. She glanced at the professor as the rest of her classmates headed up towards the exit. She walked down the stairs towards his desk, "Mr. Riley," she said, already standing at his desk. He gathered his papers into his briefcase, without even looking up at her.
"Mr. Riley!" she repeated strongly, hesitating at first but then taking courage, although her shaky voice stated on her nervousness, "a� I� just wanted to say that I don't appreciate you putting me down this way in front of everyone, I work hard and I believe that I am a good student, no, I know I'm a good student!"
"Well, well," he looked up at her, "I appreciate honesty greatly Miss Halliwell," he answered in almost a receptive tone, "but I do not appreciate being criticized about my teaching methods. They have proved to work with excellence in the past and of all people, I should not be excusing myself to you. Good day" he said, lifting his briefcase, and walked towards the back exit.
Phoebe stood at the same spot for several more minutes, following the professor with her eyes as he left the lecture room.
Prue paced forward and backward, holding her camera tightly in her hands, searching for the perfect position. That shot had to come out perfectly, she thought to herself, while kneeling down and aiming the camera at the nearby tree, which was leaning over a small creek.
She zoomed in and took the picture, then changed her position, closing in on the tree and focusing on its shadow, and took several more, with that ending her film.
As she walked back towards her car, taking the finished film out of the camera, she noticed the sun setting. She quickly hurried towards the car and began searching frantically for another film in her bag, which lay on the back seat. She loaded the film quickly, turning to take pictures of the sunset, when suddenly, a gust hollowed through the trees strongly, almost lifting her up into the air. She held onto the car strongly, as the wind calmed quickly.
Prue looked around, catching her breath and quickly placing the camera back into the bag. The time was already around 17:45 PM, and Prue figured it would take her about three hours to get back home with the traffic at this hour and considering the shoot destination she filmed at was an hour drive away from the city. Darkness began befalling down on her when Objected opinions rolled inside her as she decided to take a few more shots. She just had to make sure it's as best as it can be. The photos were due tomorrow early in the morning so she still had a long night ahead of her.
"You're kidding! You actually did that?" Piper asked trying to hold the giggle in her shaky voice back, she quickly raised her hand to lean on top of the sofa and covered her mouth, but a smiled emerged from behind the palm of her hand, becoming clear to Leo, who smiled to her, nodding his head. Piper looked at him, charmed. He was so different from everyone else; so real and sincere. She felt her heart racing in enormous speed as he drew near her. He hesitated at first, keeping his eyes connected with hers.
The tension they felt grew stronger and built intensely. Suddenly, the sound of slamming door, echoed around the Manor. Piper jumped up, turning to the door and catching a quick glimpse of Phoebe as she raced upstairs, without even noticing them.
"I a� I� should go� umm�" Piper murmured under her breath to Leo, standing up whilst pointing her hand at the staircase and intently at Phoebe, whose bedroom door now slammed strongly.
Leo stood up, leaning to the right, and following Piper with his head as she walked up the stairs. He held himself after almost falling and sat back down.
"Phoebe?" Piper asked, knocking on Phoebe's bedroom door.
Phoebe didn't answer. She sat on her bed, with five large books lying open and a large empty notebook lying on her knees. She held a pen in her hands, and tried ignoring Piper so she could settle herself down. She felt such fear and anxiety of the thought these four years just went down the drain, since she obviously isn't going to pass this test.
"Phoebe? Can I come in?" Piper repeated, this time lowering her hand to touch the handle.
Phoebe closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then re-opened them and started writing, she had to prepare. She just had to. The burden she felt inside wasn't at all wholesome, for her or the people around her.
Piper opened the door slowly and peered into the room carefully, she sure didn't want to tick Phoebe or to add to the stress she's in. "How did class go?" she asked and walked to the bed.
She cleared a small spot next to Phoebe and sat down, looking at her.
Phoebe's light brown hair fell on her face, and her hand kept constantly writing.
"That bad, huh?" Piper assumed, without even getting any type of a response. "If you don't wanna talk, I'll leave but� -" Piper gazed around the room.
Phoebe didn't respond, she kept her eyes focused on the notebook and stopped writing. She felt such frustration and tried to hold herself back from speaking solely to spare Piper of her outbursts of anger.
Piper touched Phoebe's hand gently and stood up, heading towards the door. She decided to let Phoebe be. Phoebe almost never repressed things, keeping them to herself, and so if she needed a talk, she would say so. She was always one to speak her mind. Piper reached to the door and opened it, "Piper, wait" Phoebe said suddenly, raising her look to her sister as she stood on the threshold.
She lifted her reading glasses up onto the top of her head and turned to Piper, who then approached her, "what is it, honey?" she asked and knelt beside Phoebe.
"I am never going to get all these studies done for the test!" Phoebe whined.
"Honey, I'm sure you know it, besides there are two more days, just don't overload yourself," Piper said, in what appeared to be a fail attempt of calming her sister down.
"No, Piper you don't understand! I have so much P's to learn!" She continued fluently to the sight of the puzzled expression on Piper's face, "Umm, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Paranoid disorder, pervasive development something� and uh god, the worst of all," she stopped, quickly passing her finger on her writings, "Psychosomatic post stress".
"Uh" Piper twitched her face to the sound of all the material, realizing it was only half of what Phoebe had to learn, "You're not helping" Phoebe said, now filled with self-pity.
"Oh honey, it's gonna be okay, you've started studying for this ages ago �"
"I object to that, I started three days ago, and that is so not enough! Piper, I'm going to flunk this and never get a degree, I'll probably end up on the streets, A homeless witch�, man, I'm gonna get beat up�" she mumbled between her teeth, letting her mind just drift away and create all kinds of absurd scenarios.
"Phoebe! You are not going to live on the street, and definitely not gonna get beat up, you kick but, okay? And I don�t want to hear you underestimating yourself again. You're one of the most resourceful, intelligent and smart people I know� No!" she said stopping Phoebe from showing complete consent to her words, "I don't want to hear it. Now, use your head, you know you got what it takes. Now get back to the books and I don't wanna hear another peep from you about failing and don't make any excuses for not studying. You are not to leave this room until you're done, unless it's an emergency. Is that clear? Okay, good" Piper said, on one breath, rising to her feet and walking away. She stopped at the door, glanced back at Phoebe and winked at her with a smile appearing on her face. Phoebe smiled humbly and turned back to the books.
"Hi" Piper said as she walked down the stairs towards Leo. He gazed up at her as she neared to him.
"Hey, is Phoebe okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, she's just fine, just nerves before the test" Piper replied and sat down, next to Leo.