𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘛𝘞𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘠-𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘌𝘌

(the cursed witch, act one)

THE LETTER HAD ONLY TAKEN HER A FEW MERE MOMENTS TO WRITE, THOUGH IT HAD FELT LIKE AN HOUR. When she returned to Alice's side, she noticed Jasper still hadn't come back.

"Are you feeling better now? Physically, at least?" Alice questioned when she saw the witch walk in with a forlorn look.

"The pain is still there," Nina shrugged. "It gets easier. I've gotten used to it over the years, I guess." Sending a glance down to her hands, "That... not so used to. But I've never used my magic for that long before."

The vampire nodded remorsefully, wrapping her arm around the witch's back and leading her back to the sofa. "You're still quite hot, though..." Her hand reached up to touch her forehead, letting her cold fingers linger on her forehead. "What does that exactly?"

"Just a buildup of magic. After I use it, sometimes at least, there is more that wants to come out... but usually if I let it all out I end up in a coma."

"This has happened before?"

"Three times. Only once did it end with me being okay afterwards."

"Let me guess. Edward was there?"

The witch nodded.

"Is that when the entire Language hall's lights blew? And there was that crazy storm outside?"

Nina nodded again, blushing slightly. She hadn't realized she had blown every single light in the hallway.

"What were the other times?"

"The first was when I was thirteen. I was still living here and I was down by the boardwalk with some friends..." She glanced out the window, seeing the very same boardwalk from her memories. "I couldn't stop it. It was the most pain I had ever felt. 30 people ended in hospital, it completely overloaded the small one here... It's why my mother became a nurse though, so I guess something good came out of it."

"What did you do? If you don't mind me asking?"

"I flooded the town. All the water from the River beside us... It came in like a tsunami around me. The entire town was a wreck for years..." She stood slowly, her fingers trailing along the wooded wall by the window. "See? All new wood. It wasn't because they felt the need to remodel."

Alice stared at her. She remembered hearing about that on the news. It was strange, rivers were never known to create such tidal waves which was why it made the news even all the way down to Fort St John where the Cullens had been residing.

"But you couldn't control it. It's not your fault."

Nina sighed. "That's what my mother keeps telling me. But why is it just me? There has been no other witch known to not be able to control her magic. I mean, even with Edward I can hardly stay on my feet after doing a sleep spell. There's gotta be something wrong with me."

"You think there is something wrong with you?" Alice asked, her voice gentle as the words left her lips.

Nina looked back at her. "What other explanation is there? I'm the cursed witch. And I will never be anything more than that..."

Before Alice could argue, she moved on. "The next time it happened, it was in Prince Edward Island and I was fifteen. Luckily, no one really hears about that place since it's so small and America only cares about itself," Nina rambled. "I was in my home ec class. I had a crush on this boy and I let myself get distracted."

She shook her head at how stupid she had been. "The ovens exploded. Everyone but me ended with 2nd degree burns... If the fire department hadn't been there as soon as they were, the whole school would have gone down in minutes."

"If Edward thinks he is a monster... he clearly doesn't know enough about me," She finished, her eyes hard as she looked out the window, recalling how Edward had felt about himself and his kind.

The witch closed her eyes slowly, keeping them shut for a moment before turning back. She frowned, seeing Alice bent over the sofa, gripping the edge with two hands.

"Alice?" Nina asked, rushing over. She didn't react when Nina called her name, but her head was slowly rocking side to side, and she saw her face. Her eyes were blank, dazed... Nina's thoughts flew to her mother. Was she already too late?

"Alice!" Jasper's voice whipped, and then he was right behind her, his hands curling over hers, loosening them from their grip on the couch. Across the room, the door swung shut with a low click.

"What is it?" He demanded.

She turned her face away from Nina, into his chest.

"Nina," She said.

"I'm right here," The witch replied.

Her head twisted around, her eyes locking on Nina's, their expression still strangely blank. She realized at once that Alice hadn't been speaking to her, she'd been answering Jasper's question.

"What did you see?" Nina said — and there was no question in her flat, uncaring voice. She kept her expression vacant as Jasper and Alice's eyes flickered toward her.

Nina suddenly felt a tranquil atmosphere settle around her. She welcomed it, using it to keep her emotions disciplined, under control. Alice, too, recovered herself.

"Nothing, really," She answered finally, her voice remarkably calm and convincing. "Just the same room as before."

She finally looked at me, her expression smooth and withdrawn. "Did you want breakfast?"

"No, I'll eat at the airport."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Nina knew she was referring to their previous conversation. "No. But now you know... It's good, one of you knows."

Before Alice could ask what she meant, Nina retreated to the bathroom to take a shower. She knew Alice would need to speak to Jasper about her real vision, so she could tell him that they were doing something wrong, that they were going to fail...

Nina got ready methodically, concentrating on each little task. She tied her hair back, she didn't usually since her hair was so long that it gave her a headache but... there's no headaches in death, right?

The peaceful mood Jasper created worked its way through her and helped her think clearly. Helped her plan.

She changed slowly, pulling on a tight purple top along with a pair of black jeans before yanking a black jacket over her shoulders. She dug through her bag until she found her sock full of money.

She emptied it into her pocket. If James was going to kill her, he could have at least paid for her cab.

She was anxious to get to the airport, and glad when they left by six.

Nina sat alone this time in the back of the dark car. Alice leaned against the door, her face toward Jasper but, behind her sunglasses, shooting glances in Nina's direction every few seconds.

She was sitting comfortably in the middle seat, her legs up on the console when her eyes brightened suddenly.

Grabbing her bag, she pulled out what she had wanted before inching closer to the front seats. "I brought snacks. You guys like gushers? I stole them from the hotel fridge... Or should I be offering a vein? Would that be weird?" She glanced out the window. "Yeah, that'd be weird. Gushers?"

Alice chuckled, shaking her head at the witch.

A few minutes later, Nina inched forward again. "Alice?" She asked indifferently.

She was wary. "Yes?"

"How does it work? The things that you see? Edward said it wasn't definite... that things change?" It was harder than she would have thought to say his name. That must have been what alerted Jasper, why a fresh wave of serenity filled the car.

"Yes, things change..." She murmured — hopefully, Nina thought. "Some things are more certain than others... like the weather. People are harder. I only see the course they're on while they're on it. Once they change their minds — make a new decision, no matter how small — the whole future shifts."

Nina nodded thoughtfully. "So you couldn't see James in Dawson until he decided to come here."

"Yes," She agreed, wary again. And she hadn't seen Nina in the stage room with James until she'd made the decision to meet him there. Nina tried not to think about what else she might have seen.

She didn't want her panic to make Jasper more suspicious. They would be watching her twice as carefully now, anyway, after Alice's vision.

This was going to be impossible.

They got to the airport. Luck was with Nina, or maybe it was just good odds. Edward's plane was landing in terminal four, the largest terminal, where most, if not all flights landed — so it wasn't surprising that his was.

But it was the terminal she needed: the biggest, the most confusing, and the most busy. And there was a door on level three that might be the only chance.

They parked outside. The airport wasn't big enough for a parking garage. Nina led the way, for once more knowledgeable about her surroundings then they were. They took the elevator up to level three, where the passengers unloaded.

Alice and Jasper spent a long time looking at the departing flights board. She could hear them discussing the pros and cons of New York, Atlanta, Chicago. Places Nina had never seen. And would never see.

She waited for her opportunity, impatient, unable to stop her toe from tapping. They stood by the metal detectors, Jasper and Alice pretending to people-watch but really watching her.

"Here, let me hold that," Nina told the female vampire, gesturing to her purse, earning a strange look. "You're both holding all the bags. Let me be useful?"

Alice nodded, quickly handing her the designer black handbag. Nina didn't show her happiness.

Every inch she shifted was followed by a quick glance out of the corner of their eyes. It was hopeless. Should she run? Would they dare to stop her physically in this public place? Or would they simply follow?

She pulled the unmarked envelope out of her pocket and set it on top of Alice's black leather bag. She looked at her. "My letter," Nina explained. She nodded, tucking it under the top flap. He would find it soon enough.

The minutes passed and Edward's arrival grew closer. It was amazing how every cell in her body seemed to know he was coming, too long for his coming. That made it very hard.

She found herself trying to think of excuses to stay, to see him first and then make her escape. But she knew that was impossible if she was going to have any chance to get away.

Several times Alice offered to go get breakfast with her. Later, she told her, not yet.

Nina stared at the arrival board, watching as flight after flight arrived on time. The flight from Watson Lake crept closer to the top of the board. And then, when she had only thirty minutes to make her escape, the numbers changed. His plane was ten minutes early. She had no more time.

"I think I'll eat now," She said quickly.

Alice stood. "I'll come with you."

"Do you mind if Jasper comes instead?" She asked. "I'm feeling a little..." She didn't even need to finish the sentence. Her eyes were wild enough to convey what she didn't say.

Jasper stood up. Alice's eyes were confused, but — Nina saw to her relief— not suspicious. She must be attributing the change in her vision to some maneuver of the tracker's rather than a betrayal by Nina.

Jasper walked silently beside her, his hand on the small of her back, as if he were guiding her. She pretended a lack of interest in the first few airport cafes, her head scanning for what I really wanted.

"Airport food always sucks," She muttered, walking past another terrible restaurant.

And there it was, around the corner, out of Alice's sharp sight: the level-three ladies' room.

"Do you mind?" She asked Jasper as we passed. "I'll just be a sec."

"I'll be right here," He said.

As soon as the door shut behind her, she was running. She remembered the time she had gotten lost from this bathroom, because it had two exits. Outside the far door it was only a short sprint to the elevators, and if Jasper stayed where he said he would, she'd never be in his line of sight.

She didn't look behind her as she ran. This was her only chance, and even if he saw her, she had to keep going. People stared, but she ignored them. Around the corner the elevators were waiting, and she dashed forward, throwing her hand between the closing doors of a full elevator headed down.

She squeezed in beside the irritated passengers, and checked to make sure that the button for level one had been pushed. It was already lit, and the doors closed. As soon as the door opened she was off again, to the sound of annoyed murmurs behind her.

She slowed herself as she passed the security guards by the luggage carousels, only to break into a run again as the exit doors came into view.

She ran out of the airport quickly, dashing through the parking lot as she searched Alice's purse. Pulling out the car keys she had seen her place in there earlier, she found the black Mercedes with ease before hopping in.

"I'm really sorry. I hope I don't crash your car, Carlisle," She muttered as she placed the key in before quickly driving out of the parking lot, swerving on the highway.

The drive was silent and her foot was unsteady on the pedal. If there were any drivers behind her, they definitely hated her. She went from 90 up to 120 to 100 and down to 80. Luckily for her, the highway hadn't gotten too busy yet. It would be when the Cullen's figured out she was gone.

The airport was fifteen minutes out of the city. It only took her six. She drove slowly up to her old house. It was abandoned, Natalie had never sold it. She had thought they would come back to it after finding Nina's father.

Placing the car in park, she got out slowly and walked up to the front door. The lock was broken so she was able to get inside easily.

It was dark inside, empty, normal. She ran to the phone, turning on the kitchen light on her way. There, on the whiteboard, was a ten-digit number written in a small, neat hand. Her fingers stumbled over the keypad, making mistakes. She had to hang up and start again.

She concentrated only on the buttons this time, carefully pressing each one in turn. She was successful.

Nina held the phone to her ear with a shaking hand. It rang only once.

"Hello, Nina," That easy voice answered. "That was very quick. I'm impressed."

"Is my mom all right?"

"She's perfectly fine. Don't worry, Nina, I have no quarrel with her. Unless you didn't come alone, of course." Light, amused.

"I'm alone." She'd never been more alone in her entire life.

"Very good. Now, do you know the music studio just around the corner from your home?"

"Yes. I know how to get there."

"Well, then, I'll see you very soon."

She hung up. She ran from the room, through the door, out into the cold street. It must have been only ten degrees.

She left the Mercedes there, hoping it might deter the Cullen's for at least a minute if they found it.

There was no time to look back at her house, and she didn't want to see it as it was now —empty, a symbol of fear instead of sanctuary. The last person to walk through those familiar rooms was her enemy.

As she ran through the street, she pulled out the spell in her back pocket, going over every word, memorizing it. She only hoped she had enough power in her... If she didn't though, it would kill her nonetheless, something that was probably nicer than being killed by the ruthless vampire waiting for her.

When she rounded the last corner, onto 2nd avenue, she could see the studio, looking just as she remembered it. The parking lot in front was empty, the vertical blinds in all the windows drawn. She couldn't run anymore — she couldn't breathe; exertion and fear had gotten the best of her. She thought of her mother to keep her feet moving, one in front of the other.

As she got closer, she could see the sign inside the door. It was handwritten on gold paper; it said the music studio was closed for spring break. She touched the handle, tugged on it cautiously. It was unlocked. She fought to catch her breath, and opened the door.

The lobby was dark and empty, cool, the air conditioner thrumming. The plastic molded chairs were stacked along the walls, and the carpet smelled like shampoo. The dance floor to the west was dark, she could see through the open viewing window.

To the east, the music floor, the bigger room, was lit. But the blinds were closed on the window. Terror seized her so strongly that she was literally trapped by it. She couldn't make her feet move forward.

And then her mother's voice called. "Nia? Nia?" That same tone of hysterical panic.

She stopped thinking. She sprinted to the door, to the sound of her voice.

"Nina, you scared me! Don't you ever do that to me again! " Her voice continued as she ran into the long, high-ceilinged room.

She stared around her, trying to find where her voice was coming from. She heard her laugh, and she whirled to the sound.

There she was, on the TV screen, tousling Nina's hair in relief. It was Thanksgiving, and she was twelve. They'd gone to see her grandmother in Calgary, the last year before she died.

They had climbed a mountain one day, and Nina had leaned too far over the edge. Natalie had seen her feet flailing, trying to reclaim her balance. "Nia? Nia?" She'd called to her in fear.

And then the TV screen was blue.

Nina turned slowly. He was standing very still by the back exit, so still she hadn't noticed him at first. In his hand was a remote control.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and then he smiled. He walked toward her, quite close, and then passed her to put the remote down next to the VCR. She turned carefully to watch him.

"Sorry about that, Nina... Or should I say Nia? But isn't it better that your mother didn't really have to be involved in all this?" His voice was courteous, kind. And suddenly it hit her.

Her mother was safe. She was still in Forks. She'd never gotten her message. She'd never done a locator spell. She'd never been terrified by the dark red eyes in the abnormally pale face before her. She was safe.

"Yes," Nina answered, her voice saturated with relief.

"You don't sound angry that I tricked you."

"I'm not." It didn't matter now. Everything would be over soon. Her mother would never be harmed. The Cullens would take care of her, Nina knew that. She felt almost giddy. Some analytical part of her mind warned her that she was dangerously close to snapping from the stress.

"How odd. You really mean it." His dark eyes assessed her with interest. The irises were nearly black, just a hint of ruby around the edges. Thirsty.

"I will give your strange coven this much, you witches can be quite interesting. I guess I can see the draw of observing you. It's amazing — some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all... always caring more about other supernatural's more than yourselves."

He was standing a few feet away from her, arms folded, looking at her curiously. There was no menace in his face or stance. He was so very average-looking, nothing remarkable about his face or body at all. Just the white skin, the circled eyes she'd grown so used to. He wore a pale blue, long sleeve shirt and faded blue jeans.

"I suppose you're going to tell me that your boyfriend will avenge you?" He asked, hopefully it seemed to her.

She didn't answer. She wasn't going to give him that.

He smirked. "That's too bad. I was hoping for more of a challenge. When Victoria couldn't get to your mother, I had her find out more about you. There was no sense in running all over the planet chasing you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So, after I talked to Victoria, I decided to come to Dawson to pay your old home a visit... I knew your mother would show eventually. I'd heard you say you were going home. At first, I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldn't it be the perfect ploy, to go to the last place you should be when you're hiding — the place that you said you'd be."

"But of course I wasn't sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey that I'm hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. Then your boyfriend got on a plane to Dawson. Victoria was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players, I couldn't be working alone. And so they told me what I'd hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared; I'd already been through your charming home movies. And then it was simply a matter of the bluff."

"Very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, I'm hoping you're wrong about your boyfriend. Edward, isn't it?"

Nina didn't answer. The bravado was wearing off. She sensed that he was coming to the end of his gloat. It wasn't meant for her anyway. There was no glory in beating her, a weak witch.

"Would you mind, very much, if I left a little message of my own for your Edward?"

He took a step back and touched a palm-sized digital video camera balanced carefully on top of the stereo. A small red light indicated that it was already running. He adjusted it a few times, widened the frame. Nina stared at him in horror.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think he'll be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. And I wouldn't want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You're simply a witch without magic, who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add."

He stepped toward her, smiling. "Before we begin..."

She felt a curl of nausea in the pit of her stomach as he spoke. This was something she had not anticipated.

"I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Edward would see that and ruin my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me."

"You see, the vampire who was so stupidly fond of this little victim made the choice that your Edward was too weak to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the asylum where he worked — I never will understand the obsession some vampires seem to form with you humans — and as soon as he freed her he made her safe. She didn't even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. She'd been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long. A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then." He sighed. "I destroyed the old one in vengeance."

"Alice," Nina breathed, astonished.

"Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess her coven ought to be able to derive some comfort from this experience. I get you, but they get her. The one victim who escaped me, quite an honor, actually. And she did smell so delicious. I still regret that I never got to taste... She smelled even better than you do. Sorry — I don't mean to be offensive. You have a very nice smell. Cinnamon, somehow... warm..."

He took another step toward her, till he was just inches away. He lifted a lock of her hair and sniffed at it delicately. Then he gently patted the strand back into place, and she felt his cool fingertips against her throat. He reached up to stroke her cheek once quickly with his thumb, his face curious.

She wanted to use the spell, but her lips were frozen. She couldn't even flinch.

"No," He murmured to himself as he dropped his hand, "I don't understand." He sighed. "Well, I suppose we should get on with it. And then I can call your friends and tell them where to find you, and my little message."

Nina was definitely sick now. There was pain coming, She could see it in his eyes. It wouldn't be enough for him to win, to feed and go. There would be no quick end like she'd been counting on.

He stepped back, and began to circle, casually, as if he were trying to get a better view of a statue in a museum. His face was still open and friendly as he decided where to start.

Then he slumped forward, into a crouch she recognized, and his pleasant smile slowly widened, grew, till it wasn't a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed, sharp and glistening.

She couldn't help herself— she tried to run. As useless as she knew it would be, as weak as her knees already were, panic took over and she bolted for the emergency door.

He was in front of her in a flash. She didn't see if he used his hand or his foot, it was too fast. A crushing blow struck her chest — she felt herself flying backward, and then heard the crunch as her head bashed into the wall.

There must have been a mirror somewhere along the way. The sounds of glass hitting the floor, shattering from her weight. She was too stunned to feel the pain. She couldn't breathe yet.

He walked toward her slowly. "That's a very nice effect," He said, examining the mess of glass, his voice friendly again.

"I thought this room would be visually dramatic for my little film. That's why I picked this place to meet you. It's perfect, isn't it?"

Nina ignored him, pulling out a shard of glass from her thigh, pushing herself back, crawling toward the door. He was over her at once, his foot stepping down hard on her leg.

She heard the sickening snap before she felt it. But then she did feel it, and she couldn't hold back her scream of agony. She twisted up to reach for her leg, and he was standing over her, smiling.

"Would you like to rethink your last request?" He asked pleasantly. His toe nudged her broken leg and she heard a piercing scream. With a shock, she realized it was hers.

"Wouldn't you rather have Edward try to find me?" He prompted.

"No!" She screamed at him. "No, Edward, don't—"

And then something smashed into her face, throwing her back into the broken mirrors. Over the pain of her leg, she felt the sharp rip across her cheek where the glass cut into it. And then the warm wetness began to spread down her face with alarming speed. She could feel it soaking the shoulder of her shirt, hear it dripping on the wood below. She didn't even feel the pain blooming in her skull.

He grinned, walking closer, his finger reaching down. "Blue..." He smiled, reaching back to his lips, tasting the odd coloured blood.

Nina knew it was now or never. She grabbed his arm when it came back down to her, most likely wanting another taste.

"Tenebris anima vestra contundito mortem et conteret spiritum," She held back her screams. The spell was dark, black magic that she was told to never use. Her fingers began to turn black, reaching her palms. "Frange vitam nolite corde ut sub terra esse, ad tenebras usque in sempiternum."

He stumbled back, screaming out, his eyes going completely red. Nina shuffled back, she couldn't stand though. She could see the bone in her leg sticking out.

She repeated the spell. Over and over, but her voice was drifting.

"Tenebris anima vestra contundito mortem et conteret spiritum..." Her fingers were cold. "Frange vitam nolite corde ut sub terra esse, ad tenebras..."

She couldn't continue. All she could feel was the flow of blood from her face and neck. It was sucking away her consciousness.

Her eyes closed. The last thing she saw was his dark eyes, hearing as though she was underwater, the final growl of the hunter, his dark shape coming toward her.

With her last effort, her hand instinctively raised to protect her face.

"Incendia."

Her eyes closed, and she drifted.