Mara's foot went through the portal, landing on solid ground as the rest of her body crossed the threshold. She looked up at the giant building in front of her with a grin on her face and sat her bags down on the ground.

She pulled her keys out of her shorts pocket, checking the number before transporting herself and her luggage up to her room.

Before she even had a chance to set everything down and get a look at her new room, she was attacked by a force that almost knocked her to the ground.

"Oh my gosh Mara! I missed you so so much!" Trixle's high-pitched voice rang next to her ear.

Wincing slightly at the noise, Mara laughed and hugged her energetic friend. 

"It's only been a week Trix, calm down."

"Yes, but that's a week longer than we were apart all summer. How dare you tell me to calm down."

Trixle let go of her friend and Mara picked up her bags, taking them to her side of the room. Trixle bombarded her with everything that happened while Mara was gone for the week. She told Mara the juicy scoop about Alicia, whom she had met when she got to the fae kingdom.

She was a friend of Trixle's who went to Stoneside Academy, but just before they went back to school, she had asked Raysol out. He had said yes and asked his father to transfer him so he could go to school with her.

"I can't believe Ray actually has a girlfriend!" Trixle exclaimed. Her shock at her cousin’s accomplishment brought them into a fit of laughter.

A knocking on their door interrupted the girls’ giggling. Trixle bounded over in two strides flinging the door open wide to reveal a smirking Marx leaning on the doorframe.

"Well hello ladies" He flashed his toothy smile at Trixle before his eyes found their way to Mara, his smile faltered just slightly before he stepped into the room. 

Mara's breath caught in her chest, sure she had texted and talked to Marx a little over the summer, but this was the first time she had seen him since the last day of classes.

She had told him she still wasn't ready to advance their relationship, as much as she had wanted to, there had still been something holding her back, and he had black hair and green eyes. She knew it was ridiculous to let Zander have that much of a hold over her, but his actions had left her feeling wide open and she was unable to accept any sort of intimate relationship. 

"Hey." Mara said looking into Marx's deep brown eyes. Hey? Really Mara, that's the best you got? What am I going to do with myself? 

"So how was your break, you took a trip back to see your friends right?" Marx asked as he sat down backwards on Mara's desk chair. 

"Yeah, it was okay."

"Only okay?" Trixle asked.

"Yeah, it's just that it felt like a rift had grown between us. We used to tell each other everything, and now there is this big part of me that I can't share with them. It just forces this disconnect." She frowned at the ground.

"And they brought along this new friend they made, Ally, which I mean good for them for finding another friend, but they were all laughing and making jokes that I didn't understand. We used to have those jokes together and now it's gone." She looked back up at Trixle, her eyes sliding over to Marx's involuntarily. 

"Hey Mar, I'm sorry to hear that." Marx said giving her a sympathetic look.

Mara straightened her shoulders and blinked away the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. "It's okay, we are from two different worlds. Besides, I have a lot on my plate here, I can't be worried about taking time out of everything to be making trips back there to see them.

Trixle and Marx exchanged knowing glances. There was more to the subject than Mara was saying and they knew she wouldn't want to put her friends to the side.

Marx stood up from his spot. "Well, I have some unpacking to do." He went up to Mara hugging her tightly.

"It's really good to see you again." 

Tingles erupted all over Mara's skin where Marx touched her, she felt safe and happy. She wanted to keep hugging him, but she let him pull away before she awkwardly dropped her arms to her sides. 

Marx left without saying much else and Trixle went back to her side of the room. 

"Well that wasn't awkward at all." Trixle murmured barely audible.

Mara just snorted at her friend.

"Did you two discuss anything over the summer or did you just leave it for three months?"

"We talked I mean a couple phone calls and some texting, but we didn't really discuss much about the whole mate thing." Mara admitted, making herself busy so she could ignore the accusatory looks from Trixle.

"It won't just go away Mara. I know you were hurt by that jerk, but that's no reason to avoid getting into a relationship ever again."

"I know, but it's just scary. I mean normally you date someone and you see if things will work out in the long run. Then you possibly get married, start a family, and have the occasional fight." She sighed finally turning to face her friend.

"It just feels different knowing that when I step into that, there really isn't much guessing. Apparently we are supposed to be together. Two halves of the same whole, or something like that." 

Mara exhaled loudly and flopped face down onto her freshly made bed.

"Some people would consider knowing the person they will be with for the rest of their life a good thing. Less heartache from all the wrong people."

"But you also don't learn from all those heartaches. How am I supposed to know what love is actually supposed to feel like if I never experience anything else like it."

"But you did feel something like it before didn't you?" Trixle walked over to Mara, sitting next to her on the bed. "With Zander."

Mara stiffened at his name. Nothing about him brought back good memories, anything that had once been good was corrupted by his last actions towards her. 

"Yeah, that just shows how bad my judgment really was."

"Everyone feels that way about their ex." Trixle said with a small smile.

"Yeah, but not everyone had an ex that actually tried to kill them." Mara retorted. "He sent a rogue vampire after me Trix."

"Yeah, okay, major downside. That wasn't your fault though, no one saw that coming."

"Except for Marx."

"Right, except him. Alright, come on." Trixle pulled on Mara's arm until she sat up. "Enough moping around about the past, you can't change it. Now, you are going to finish unpacking and then we are going to go down and get dinner." Trixle winked. 

Mara rolled her eyes at her friend before closing them for a moment. When she opened them again everything was in its place and Trixle raised an eyebrow at her. 

"What? I was practicing." Mara laughed before she grabbed Trixle's hand and pulled her all the way down the dining room. 

Mara and Trixle sat at their usual table after getting their food. They were deep into conversation about the upcoming year when they heard a clang on the table and Emmett sat down next to them.

"Fancy meeting you two here." Emmett smiled as his shaggy hair fell into his eyes. 

Marx grabbed the spot across from Mara and they all caught up on each other’s summers. 

"So are you two rooming together again this year?" Mara asked.

"Of course we are. Do you really think I could let that guy out of my sight? Who knows what he may do." Emmett smiled and pointed in Marx's direction. He was just met by a sarcastic glare that caused the table to fall into laughter. 

When they had finished their food and the conversations had died down, Mara looked at each of her friends. 

"I know we can't get onto the roof anymore, but do you guys want to go out into the courtyard and just look at the stars?"

Trixle shrugged. "I'm in, they usually look pretty around here."

Emmett jumped in, agreeing right after and Marx decided he would join them as well. 

Mara transported up to her room, grabbed blankets, and popped back down to the table.

"You're just trying to show off now aren't you?" Marx asked teasing her.

"Hey, I'm just proud of myself." She jokingly turned her nose up to him. "Let's go."

The four left the dining center and went into the courtyard where Mara spread out the two blankets and they all laid down. 

The sun was setting, casting a pink-orange hue across the sky, and as the colors began fading and the sky turned dark, the first stars began to peak out in the vast blackness. 

They pointed out the constellations and talked about whatever came to their minds. As they lay there, Mara could feel the heat radiating off of Marx's arm next to her. The feeling seemed to draw her in, and her hand inched closer until her fingers were touching his. 

Marx turned his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers, and for a moment she felt like they were the only two there. Marx turned his head, looking into Mara's eyes with a hopeful expression. They were both yanked back into reality when Emmett jammed his elbow into Marx's side.

"What?"

"We were saying wouldn't it be cool if we could all do something together every night? Not necessarily looking at stars, because no offense, but that's sort of girly. But game nights or something like that." Emmett seemed to rant on.

"Yeah, that would be cool." Marx tightened his grasp on Mara's fingers slightly and smiled at her. 

"It's a good thing classes don't start tomorrow, staying out until two thirty would probably not be the best start to the school year." Trixle's voice suddenly cut through the silence.

"It's two thirty?" Mara exclaimed. Everyone reached for their phones finding the same time flashing brightly on their screens.

Reluctantly they all got up and headed back to their rooms.

When the door closed behind Mara, Trixle turned to face her.

"You two totally had a moment out there didn't you?"

Mara cheeks flooded with embarrassment. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the whole not acknowledging the existence of Emmett or myself." she gave her friend a pointed look.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Mara turned away and started getting ready for bed.

"I'm sure you don't. You don't have to admit it to me, just don't try lying to yourself too. Nothing good ever comes from lying to yourself."

Mara bit her lip and slid under her covers before they turned out the lights. 

She felt her eyes adjust to the darkness and stared at her blank wall before, when the darkness finally pulled her under she saw the same scene play out in her head as every other night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wild eyes of the vampire filled her vision and the fangs flashed in her face before the only thing she could she could see was the woman's hair covering her face. 

She could feel the sharp sting of the teeth as they sunk into her fragile skin and she could feel the blood leaving her body. 

Her head turned to the side, her eyes coming to rest on her friends, but it is as if they are just watching. They stand in their places without moving a muscle as the woman feasts at her throat.

Her body goes completely stiff and she can feel the last of her energy leaving. The vampire has completely drained her, drained her of blood, power, energy, and spirit. 

The woman drops Mara's heavy body to the rocky ground, her head colliding with the stone, one hand extended towards her friends, as she feels the last of her strength slip away.

The image of her three friends standing there, watching her die is the last thing she sees. The image goes blurry, the colors mix together and become darker as her eyes slowly drift shut.

Her worst fear had become her reality, her friends had stood by and watched as the Nightshade killed her.

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Alright, so yet again my first chapter is kinda short. My apologies, but it's really hard to start things back up. 

Mara is finally back with her friends, but apparently she brought something with her in her nightmares. I'm curious to find out what is happening there, and I bet you are as well.

If you liked the chapter don't forget to vote on it, and let me know what you think down below in the comments. 

Thanks all!