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  MAGNOLIA HAD NEVER HEARD a scream so loud. She had to cover her ears as her grandmother yelled out like she had been shot. The older woman had dropped to the floor and Timothy swooped in to catch her. She sobbed into his shoulder and all Magnolia could do was stand and watch in shock. "Magnolia, honey," She hadn't even noticed her mother approach her. "Go to bed, dear. We can discuss this in the morning."

She nodded silently and numbly left the room, walking across the hall to her bedroom. She shut the door and slid her back down it, cradling her knees in her arms. She didn't know what to think or feel about what just happened. It had been years since she last saw her grandmother, she didn't even know the Cullen's at the time. It was a big slap in the face to learn what most sorcerers thought of vampires.

Magnolia gulped and shook up, her legs shaking. She didn't bother changing out of her party dress as she slipped into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out cold.

In the morning, the house was dead silent. No sounds of her mother cooking or her dad watching the news. When she walked down the stairs, no one was down there. Magnolia sighed, trying to brush off her nervousness. She made a bowl of cereal and put on the TV. She wasn't even paying attention to what was on — her eyes were unfocused as she ate her breakfast.

For an hour, no one else came downstairs. Magnolia was left alone to her thoughts. There was so much going on inside her head she could barely think straight. She called Elton a few times, the pit in her stomach twisting every time she was sent to voicemail. Eventually, she stopped and grabbed a book. Reading was an easy escape, but she couldn't even focus on the exciting fantasy within the pages.

When she heard footsteps, her head snapped up. Her mother was groggily walking down the stairs, a large frown etched on her face. "Good morning, dear," She yawned and headed for the kitchen.

Magnolia got up and followed her. "Morning," She was a buzzing bundle of nerves.

Ariana didn't say anything until she took a sip of her hot coffee. "I'm so sorry about last night," She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're father and I screwed up."

Magnolia shook her head. "Mom, no-"

"Don't, sweetheart," Ariana put her hand up, stopping her daughter. "We did. Your grandmother is refusing to leave her room. She's really rattled," She sighed deeper and took a long sip of coffee. "It'll just be me and you going today. Your father will stay home with Grammy."

Magnolia nodded, understanding. "I really am sorry, mom. I didn't know how Grammy felt about vampires."

"Many people do not view them as we do," Ariana scoffed. "A lot of them still believe they're all soulless monsters."

"Other sorcerers?" Magnolia asked. Ariana nodded. "Oh! That reminds me! What did Grammy mean by The High Council?" The young sorceress questioned.

Ariana groaned quietly. "That is a discussion for tonight," The grip on her mug tightened. "But right now, it's quiet time." She walked past her daughter to the living room and sat ruffly on the love seat.

Magnolia huffed and turned away. Whatever happened last night changed everything.

  Ariana drove them to the clearing in the woods Carlisle had picked. All the Cullen's were waiting except Edward, who, presumedly, was getting Bella. Concerned enveloped Jasper as only Magnolia and her mother stepped out of the car and he was hit with all the emotions the young sorceress was feeling. He moved to greet them. "Ariana...Magnolia. Will Timothy not be joining us?"

Ariana shook her head. "His mother recently came to town. He just wants to make sure she's comfortable. I apologize that he can't make it."

"It's not a problem, Ariana," Carlisle had approached them. "This is not the only day we will be training. He's got plenty of time."

Magnolia suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Her grandmother was an unexpected and clearly an unwanted surprise for her parents and could possibly ruin everything they were building in Forks. She wrapped her arms around her torso and stared at the ground. "Are you alright?" Jasper's voice startled her.

"You know I'm not," She grumbled. Huffing, she looked up at him. His eyes softened at the look of anguish on her face.

"Your grandmother is visiting?" He tilted his head. Ariana and Carlisle had wandered off, leaving the two of them alone — well — as alone as you could be with five vampires who had super-hearing, around. Magnolia nodded silently. "Is she a sorceress?"

Her throat was dry as she remembered the haunting scream her grandmother let out at the fact her granddaughters' soulmate was a vampire. "Yes, and a very traditional one."

Jasper watched her face carefully. "What happened?"

Magnolia quickly shook her head. "Edward can tell you when he gets here. I don't wanna talk about it."

Without thinking, he reached out to take her hand. Her blue eyes snapped to his golden. "Whatever happens, I know you'll persevere — you always do."

Before she could respond, Alice had called them over. "We should get started!" She gave Magnolia a sympathetic smile.

Jasper frowned at her but nodded. "Alright," He walked towards the rest of the coven, Magnolia trailing behind him. "Emmett, you're up first."

The large vampire smirked and cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna whoop your ass."

Jasper kept a straight face with a slight hint of a smirk. Magnolia, arms crossed, stood next to her mother and watched as the two vampires prepare themselves. In pure Emmett fashion, he ran headfirst into Jasper, and in a blink of an eye was thrown across the clearing. Magnolia's eyes widened slightly. Jasper had to compose himself. He could feel how impressed she was and unbeknownst to her, it fueled his ego like gas to a car. "Again!" Emmett got right back up.

The rumble of a car engine caught Magnolia's attention. Pulling up in Emmett's silver Jeep were Bella and Edward. She suddenly became panicked, she needed Edward to see what happened last night, so, as hard as it was, she pushed the memory forward, focusing hard on it. Jasper could feel the shift in her mood -- she was suddenly scared, sad, and angry. Edward's eyes were right on Magnolia as soon as he got out of the car. Her thoughts were louder than usual and hard to ignore. He watched her carefully as he and Bella approached the group, holding each other's hands.

It was almost perfect timing for the wolves to show up. Over the hill, they emerged. Magnolia smiled at the sight of Seth happily wagging his tail at her. She promised to train with him the next time they got the chance, so naturally, the boy was excited. The rest of the pack, however, were not as excited to be in the presence of so many vampires. "They don't trust us enough in their human forms," Edward explained to Carlisle.

"They came," The coven leader nodded. "That's what matters. Will you translate?" He looked to Edward, who nodded. Carlisle stepped forward, Edward following him. Alice moved to take his place next to Bella. Magnolia stayed silent, keeping her eyes on Seth. "Welcome," Carlisle began. "Jasper has experience with newborns. He'll teach us how to defeat them. "

Sam, standing at the front of the pack, looked at Edward, who translated his thoughts. "They want to know how the newborns differ from us."

"They're a great deal stronger than us," Carlisle explained. "Because their own human blood still lingers in their tissues. Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life." He looked to Jasper and nodded.

The blond stepped forward, Magnolia's eyes were glued to him. "Carlisle's right. That's why they're created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army, but no human army could stand against them," Paused, looking between each wolf, making sure they understood him. A few growled or snarled in response. "Now, the two most important things to remember are, first, never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly," He paced back and forth, commanding their attention. Magnolia had never seen him this way. "And second...never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that, and you will lose," He turned away from the growling wolves and called Emmett.

Emmett smirked and moved into position. "Don't hold back," Jasper smirked.

"Not in my nature," Emmett sneered snarkily. He ran towards Jasper, just like the other time. Jasper opened his arms, allowing him to lift and throw him, but he recovered quickly. Magnolia could barely see what was going on. They charged at each other. Emmett went to swing but Jasper ducked and slammed the large vampire to the ground. "Never lose focus," Jasper smirked. His eyes briefly met Magnolia's and she couldn't help the blush that came across her cheeks.

Jasper watched and critiqued everyone, one by one. Magnolia was starting to get dizzy watching the vampires fight. She decided to go take Seth up on their deal. The young wolf was waiting for her, his tail thumping the ground with excitement. "Hi, Seth," She smiled, patting the wolf's coarse blond fur. He jumped and nuzzled himself into her. She laughed, unaware that she had caught Jasper's attention. He glared at the wolf boy, but Seth ignored him. The young wolf softly took her sleeve in his mouth and pulled her over to the pack. He sat next to Leah and pulled Magnolia in between them. "Leah," She nodded at the grey wolf. Leah responded with a soft whack of her tail.

They watched the vampires finish up and after a quick break, it would be her turn. Magnolia noticed Jacob had found his way to Bella, of course. Sher rolled her eyes and stood up, brushing the dirt from her pants. While the rest of the pack left, Leah and Seth stayed. "Magnolia!" Her mother waved her down. "Our turn!" She noticed that Edward and Bella were also leaving, but brushed it off.

"Come on," She pulled both of the wolves along. Seth was more than happy to follow, but Leah growled in protest. Magnolia stopped and put her hands on her hips. "If you don't want to train you can just leave." She glared. Leah glared back, but after a while, sighed and shook her head, following Magnolia to where her mother and the rest of the Cullen's waited. "I promised Seth and Leah they could train with us," She addressed her mom, ignoring Jaspers' stare.

"Is that alright with you, Carlisle?" Ariana looked to the head of the coven.

Carlisle nodded. "Of course. Everyone is welcome," He turned to Magnolia. "You'll be training with Alice, Jasper and Emmett. Is that okay?"

Magnolia smiled softly. "Of course," She looked to Seth and Leah. "Ready?" Seth nodded enthusiastically and bounded over to the vampires. Leah barked at him, chasing after him.

Magnolia shook her head and laughed softly, following them. "What's the plan?" She asked Jasper.

"Target practice," He gestured to Emmett and Alice. "Aim your fire just past them."

"But I could hit them!" Magnolia shook her head.

"That's the point," Jasper sighed. "You're practicing your aim. We're giving you stakes because you know what will happen if you hit them."

She huffed and glared at him. "I do," Cracking her knuckles she aligned her hands. Alice and Emmett were stoned-faced, but that didn't make Magnolia feel any better. She took a deep breath, remembering the training she had done with her father. She pictured narrowly missing Victoria and then pictured hitting her. Narrowing her eyes, she formed a slow ball of flame in her palm and then the other one. She prayed she wouldn't hit them and shot the flames. They flew pasted Alice and Emmett, hitting two trees behind them. "Yes!" She cheered.

Seth cheered with her, howling. "Good," Jasper nodded. "Now, can you do that while dodging hungry newborns?"

Magnolia paused and shrugged. "You never know until you try."

Jasper sucked in a sharp breath. "Magnolia," He said sternly. "You have to be ready for this. If you're not and you get hurt or die, I couldn't live with myself."

She looked at him, unable to really process what he said. Seth nudged her from behind. She sighed and rubbed his furry head softly. "I know you won't let that happen," She said after a moment of thinking. "Neither will Seth, or Leah, or Sam. And I'll have my parents with me. I'll be fine, trust me."

Jasper reached out and took her hand. "I do trust you. But I also worry about you."

"I'm not helpless," Magnolia glared.

Jasper chuckled softly. "Oh trust me, I know."

AUTHORS NOTE
damn, longest chapter yet! Hope you're all enjoying!