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Magnolia returned home no later than 9:00. Her parents had no clue she had been out all the way in Seattle with the two Cullen sisters, and that her dress wasn't one of the cheaply made ones from Port Angeles, that it was, in fact, three thousand dollars, a price she had adamantly opposed to, to which Alice used her power as a guilt tactic, "I've seen you wearing it at prom anyway, so I'm buying it for you."

Her parents welcomed her home, and her mother took her dress from her. She said goodnight — she couldn't get into her bed fast enough. Sleep overtook her fast. It was deep and dreamless.

The next few days at school, Bella was off. Really off. She wouldn't keep eye contact with anyone,  not even Magnolia — she was growing concerned for her friend. Every time she brought up the issue, Bella would always find an excuse, "I'm just tired," "I have a lot of homework," "Charlie's been stressing me out." All complete lies, Magnolia knew.

This particular morning, Magnolia had gotten a ride from her mother to school. She was standing with her regular group — Eric, Angela, Mike, Jessica — in the parking lot. She had noticed Bella was a little later than usual, with the obvious absents of her Chevy truck.

Eric was happily explaining to them what the theme was for the prom. "Monte Carlo? That's our prom theme?" Jessica asked in annoyance, crossing her arms in a child-like manner.

"Mm-hmm," Eric nodded curtly. "Gambling, tuxedos, and Bond. James Bond." He winked at Jessica, as he handed out flyers. Magnolia took one, eyeing its tacky bolded letters and stock photo images of champagne and bow ties.

The obnoxiously loud revving of an engine caught Magnolia's attention. She looked up, noticing Edwards silver Volvo. Then, she noticed something strange. "Oh...my...god." Angela had noticed the same thing.

Edward got out, opened the passenger's seat, and none other than Bella Swan stepped out. She smiled shyly at Magnolia as she did, and together she and Edward walked into the school, his hand protectively placed on the small of her back. "Bells?" Magnolia whispered in shock. She was dating Edward. How could this be happening? A human that close could reveal them — and her.

Jessica sharply turned to Magnolia. "Did you know about this?" She insisted.

Magnolia shook her head, still in deep thought. "No clue."

Slowly, she followed behind them, coming to a stop at Rosalie's red mustang. The first thing she noticed was a very prominent look of anger on Jasper's face — one she had never seen before. "Hey guys," They all turned to her. Jasper's face seemed to soften slightly. "What's going on between them?"

Rosalie scoffed and angrily got out of the car, slamming the door shut loudly. "Bella knows. About all of us." She stormed off, Emmett chasing after her.

Magnolia couldn't help but let her jaw drop. Bella knew about vampires, and that would mean it was only a matter of time until she finds out about sorcerers. Jasper was instantly at her side. "Would you like me too..?" He trailed off.
Magnolia knew what he was referring to. She nodded, and a soft wave of calm washed over her.

"What if...she finds out about me, Jazz?" Magnolia slowly turned to him, taking his hand and fidgeting with his fingers nervously. "She'll think I'm a monster. I don't want to kill you guys like my parents do."

Jasper tried harder to push the wave of calm over her, but her anxiety was stronger. The most he could do was wrap her in a hug. "She could never think of you that way. We're the monsters, not you." He mumbled quietly into her ear. Alice had come up behind her, softly patting the girls' back in comfort.

Later that night, Magnolia sat at the kitchen table, doing her calculus homework, when the house phone rang. Her father picked it up. "Hello...oh. What do you want Carlisle?" His daughters' ears perked up at the mention of the kind vampires' name. "Mmm-hmm...the Swan girl? She knows? What an idiotic boy," His eyes drifted to Magnolia. Ariana had come to stand next to her. "You want Magnolia there, to tell Bella about us? Why not all of us? We're a family." There was another pause as Carlisle spoke. "I guess...I guess you're right," Timothy sighed, grinding his teeth. "I will drop her off personally. Thank you, Carlisle."

He slammed the phone down, breathing heavily. Ariana softly wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, hugging him softly, swaying back and forth. "I don't like this, not one bit. Nothing good comes from humans knowing our secrets." He mumbled.

Magnolia stood slowly. "What did Carlisle want?" She questioned hesitantly — she didn't want to upset her father further.

Ariana let go, and the two of them turned together. The two of them standing next to each other was a beautiful and intimidating sight. Both of them were extremely good-looking, as their genetic code compels them to be, and their green and blue eyes could pierce through anyone's soul. "Carlisle's family is hosting Bella at their house tomorrow. They would like for you to come and explain what you are to her. If she knows the truth about them, it is only right for her to know about us." The anger in her father's voice did nothing to soothe her now raging nerves.

"Oh...okay." Magnolia had much more to say than that, but she didn't want to worry her parents even more about going over to a house filled with vampires. She sat back down, and continued her homework, focusing a bit too much on it.

The day had arrived. It was a normal morning — too normal for Magnolia's taste — and her parents seemed almost too happy, probably distracting themselves of the pure terror they were feeling. Her dad greeted her happily when she came down the stairs with a bright, "Hello!" And her mom was too gracious with the number of pancakes she was serving.

Timothy had suggested Magnolia bring her school bag filled with some of the old sorcerer texts that they had, to ease Bella into the idea of what they are. Magnolia didn't like the idea at all of telling Bella the truth, but within the territories of the vampire world, she must know about the other side of that coin.

Just like her father had told Carlisle, he drove Magnolia to the Cullen home. Timothy could give Rosalie a run for her money with how fast he could drive. It didn't feel like the usual fifteen-minute drive it normally is from her house to theirs, instead, it was more like five.

Esme greeted Magnolia at the door with open arms, taking the girl in as if she was her own. Timothy, of course, was hesitant to let Magnolia into that house again, but he noticed the change in Magnolia's demeanour, how the tension in her shoulders seemed to disappear, how her face lightened up at the sight of Esme — she was a completely different girl.

Magnolia could tell the house was tense. Rosalie didn't speak to her as she walked in, only receiving a strained smile. Emmett greeted her with his signature bear hug, Alice pecked her cheek and Carlise hugged her tenderly. Jasper waited for her to finish with his family, standing on their backyard deck.

"Hey," She approached Jasper, light touching his shoulder. She leaned against the deck railing. "You ready for today?"

Jasper smiled, nodding stiffly. "With you by my side, I would be ready for anything." His words could've caused Magnolia to faint — butterflies fluttered around her stomach as she smiled back at him.

"You're such a romantic." Magnolia chuckled, shaking her head as she glanced at the greenery in front of them. She listened to the birds chirping from above and watched the squirrels chase each other up and down the trees.

Jasper slid closer to her. "Is that a bad thing?" He moved behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. Immediately Magnolia melted into his touch, sighing contently as she shut her eyes, taking in his sweet scent.

She shook her head. "Mmm...no. I like it, actually. Most guys nowadays aren't as romantic. It's sad, really," She took another long and large breath in. "Ooo, you smell really nice today," she chuckled. "Sorry, that was weird."

Jasper laughed, finding her comment amusing. "No no, it was sweet. I wish I could know what you smell like." He leaned forward, resting his head on Magnolias' shoulder.

Magnolia opened her eyes, confused at first. Then she remembered a sorcerer or sorceress doesn't have a scent to vampires — it makes it easier to sneak up on them. She frowned, a sudden feeling of guilt overtake her. Jasper felt this. "Are you okay? Did I upset you?" He asked quietly.

Magnolia extracted herself from his grip, turning to face him. She smiled as best as she could. "You did nothing. My ancestors...that's my problem. I don't like that I've been bred to...to be a killing machine. You deserve so much better." She took his hands lightly, staring down at the floor.

Jasper sighed. "You can't change who you are," Magnolia looked up, glaring at him. "But," he continued. "You don't need to. You're perfect, just the way you are. You and I defy all odds. Never has a vampire had a sorceress as a mate-" He stopped, realizing what he said.

It took a few seconds for Magnolia to fully comprehend what he said. "I'm-I'm your...mate?!"

Esme suddenly appeared, she fumbled over her words hastily. "Jasper, Carlisle would like to speak to you," Jasper speed off with no hesitation. Magnolia gaped as he left, shocked. "Maggie, dear. Would you care to help with lunch? We're making Italian for Bella." There wasn't an option. Esme took the shaken girl's arm, and lead her into the kitchen, cursing under her breath at her son's stupidity. Magnolia was not ready to know that.

Magnolia sat on a far kitchen counter, staring at her hands silently. She listened to the sound of meat cooking, plastic crumpling, and knives cutting. She could hear the quick whispers of Carlisle and Esme and could feel the worried looks Emmett was casting in her direction. Alice has taken Jasper out of the house to hunt before Bella arrived, just as a precaution. She watched as they went, frowning as he didn't look back at her.

There was a sound of a door opening. Magnolia knew the time had arrived. Rosalie's nose scrunched up in disgust. She growled. "Rose," Esme scolded. "Manners." The female Hale rolled her eyes, continuing to angrily toss the salad.

"Is she even Italian?" Rosalie complained, clearly annoyed.

Emmett shrugged. "Her name is Bella."

"I'm sure she'll love it no matter what." Carlisle intervened in his children's bickering.

Voices could be heard from down the stairs. Magnolia picked Bella's out easily. They grew louder and louder. "Oof, get a whiff of that," Rosalie chuckled bitterly. "Here comes the human."

Edward and Bella turned the corner — Edward protectively keeping an arm around her. Bella didn't seem to notice Magnolia at first. Esme happily approached the girl, her motherly instincts taking over. "Bella, we're making Italiano for you."

Bella nodded. "Oh." She smiled.

Edward piped up. "Bella, this is Esme, my mother for all intents and purposes." He chuckled. This earned a small giggle from Magnolia. Edward's head whipped towards her. He had no idea she'd be here. Bella looked up as well.

"Maggie?" She questioned, at first not believing her own eyes, that her good friend, her normal friend, was sitting at the kitchen counter in a vampire's house. Magnolia waved shyly, the knot in her stomach becoming almost unbearable.

Carlisle stepped in. "You've given us an excuse to use the kitchen." His smile was blinding.

"I hope you're hungry." Esme smiled kindly.

Bella, turning her head away from Magnolia, nodded. "Yeah, absolutely."

"She already ate," Edward interjected, seemingly annoyed with his family's plans to woo the girl who had captured his heart.

A loud smash followed. Magnolia jumped, seeing broken glass mixed with salad at Rosalie's feet. "Perfect." Rosalie snarled. Emmett came up behind her, placing a hand on her arm in an attempt to calm his mate.

"It's just...I know you guys don't eat," Bella tried her best to ease the tension. Magnolia found it cute. There was no possible way to calm Rosalie down if she was angry, and if there was, Magnolia has yet to find it.

Esme smiled, understanding. "Of course, it's very considerate of you."

"Just ignore Rosalie, I do." Edward sneered at his sister.

Carlisle motioned for Magnolia to step forward with him. Bella felt her shock relapse as her attention was back on her friend. "Maggie, what are you doing here?"

Magnolia shifted awkwardly on her feet as she stood between Carlisle and Emmett. She didn't know what to say, she was completely speechless. "I-I...Carlisle?" She turned to the oldest vampire in hopes that he would know what to say. He did.

"Magnolia isn't completely human. She is what we call a sorceress. She exists to protect humans from...well, us." He gestured to the vampires in the room.

Bella's eyes widened. "You kill them? Why are you in their house then? How are you their friend?"

Magnolia groaned. She knew Bella would see her as a monster, given how in love with Edward she seemed to be. "No...I don't do that. My ancestors did. Both my parents are the same as me. They don't particularly like the Cullen's, but they don't want to kill them... I think," Bella seemed unconvinced. "I don't want to kill them, Bella. I'm less of a danger to you than they are, anyway."

Rosalie huffed. "Let's just pretend this isn't dangerous for all of us." She glared at Bella harshly.

The human stuttered. "I would never tell anybody anything." She eyed Magnolia as she spoke. The comment was mostly directed at her friend.

Carlisle sighed. "She knows that." He looked at Rosalie, clearly disappointed.

"Yeah, well the problem is you two of gone public now so-" Emmett was cut off by Esme's scolding tone.

"No, she should know," Rosalie spat angrily. "The entire family and Magnolia's family will be implicated if this ends badly." She walked over to Magnolia protectively, the glare hardening on Bella.

Bella tensed. "Badly...as in I would become the meal." She cringed at her words, but it caused the family to laugh, even Magnolia smiled at the comment. Bella had much to learn about the Cullen's and their vegetarian ways.

"Hi, Bella!" A cheerful voice that unmistakably belonged to Alice called out from the porch. She glided in, wrapping Bella in a large hug. "I'm Alice...oh! You do smell good." Jasper tensed from behind, but much more at the presence of Magnolia than Bella.

Magnolia moved closer to him, nervously taking hold of his arm. He looked down at the girl, his expression unreadable, yet he did not shy away from her touch, in fact, it calmed him from the hungry thoughts that plagued his mind with the scent of human blood in his home.

"Alice...what are you?" Edward shook his head, confused, yet it held some amusement.

"It's okay, Bella and I are gonna be great friends." Alice smiled, as if her mind was somewhere else, which it usually was.

Bella's eyes drifted to Jasper, her manner becoming slightly uncomfortable. Carlisle coughed lightly to grab her attention. "Sorry. Jasper is our newest vegetarian. It's a little difficult for him." Magnolia squeezed his arm tighter.

"It's a...pleasure to meet you." He spoke, swallowing in an attempt to clear his burning throat.

Magnolia leaned on his shoulder. "It's okay Jazz, you won't hurt her." She smiled up at him, and he felt the dryness in his throat disappear for a moment, as he stared into her deep ocean blue eyes.
Bella watched the two and felt a pang of pride. She loved seeing her friend happy.

Edward's face was of pure disgust. He was appalled by his family's behaviour. "Alright...I'm gonna take you on a tour of the house." He took Bella's arm, wasting no time to take her out of the room.

"I'll see you soon!" Alice called as they left.

The tension left the family, as they started to laugh. "I think that went well...for all of us." He smiled at Magnolia.

Jasper had turned to face Magnolia, burying himself into a hug, his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry if I frightened you earlier. Mates are a scary subject." His voice was muffled, yet never clearer.

Magnolia sighed, leaning her head onto his hair, taking in the sweet scent of pine and lemon. "No need to be sorry, I'd love to be you're mate."