001. First Encounters

Mia stands at the edge of a cliff alongside Jacob Black.

Both of them look down at the stormy waters and grand waves, calculating the distance of how long the drop would be. The crisp wind slaps their crimson cheeks and the mist of the brewing rain faintly drenches their clothing.

"So how far do you think it is?" Jacob questions with his arms folded across his chest as he takes a step closer to the edge. He's seen Sam and a few of his followers jump from here and it always leaves a bitter taste on his tongue. Their constant need to prove themselves better than others, only makes his dislike grow by the second.

The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks melts into an odd tranquility, soon followed by the rustling leaves of the nearby evergreens. The skies start turning a darker color, a clear warning of the imminent storm approaching.

"I'm guessing about 20 feet?" Mia stands with her hands on her hips, her brows furrowing into a concentrated crease as she tilts her head in observation. "You should jump and figure it out."

A smirk appears on his face as he peers through his shoulder at her, "How about you jump? Or are you too much of a coward?"

Mia scoffs, offended at his blatant teasing that causes her to harshly shove him back. Now looking over the cliff, she starts reconsidering if jumping before school would be a bright idea. Considering it's her first day, arriving in drenched clothes would bring more attention to herself, and it's not like she can drive back home to change or use her magic. It would only make her more late and she can't ask Jacob to lend her some clothes since he's very particular on who can borrow them.

"What will you give me if I jump?"

He stares off into the distance thoughtfully as he tries coming up with some kind of reward. It would be fun watching her jump and then not give her anything. He knows how much it would infuriate her and he'd love to be a witness to the small girl's temper. "Twenty bucks?"

"Make it thirty," holding her hand out to seal the deal, she wiggles her eyebrows and smiles at him all teasingly. He turns the other way knowing he won't be able to say no to her if she keeps it up. "Come on, wolfie. Thirty or nothing."

Jacob rolls his eyes at her nickname. He has yet to understand why she calls him that. The only thing he knows is that it started once she learned the legends behind the reservation, and she's been calling him 'wolfie' ever since.

"If I say yes, will you stop calling me that?" Jacob questions, arching a brow at her as he extends his hand in her direction to seal the deal.

Mia gazes up at the sky to make him believe she's considering it. Her hand is placed under her chin in a pensive state and her foot starts to gradually tap against the pebbled ground. That's when she finally says, "Yeah, that's a no."

"Seriously? You have the chance to win free money, but you refuse because of a nickname?"

With a smile lifting from the corners of her lips, she nods and replies, "That's right. I'll call you whatever I want, whenever I want."

Jacob rolls his eyes, but couldn't help himself from smiling when seeing her gallop like a graceful gazelle to her belongings. He shrugs lazily, choosing not to give much thought to it, "I mean, it's not like you had it in you."

Her once amused expression falters into an offended one. She heads in his direction, now filled with a new sense of determination to prove him wrong. If at eleven years old, she faced Professor Quirell's two faced self and survived, cliff jumping should be a breeze.

"You know what?" Now removing her jacket and harshly shoving it to his chest, she proceeds to take her shoes off and gets ready, "I'll jump simply because I want to."

"Then show me how it's done!"

Not that Jacob would let her jump. He was simply waiting for the right moment of when she's deep in concentration, and just as she's about to take a leap, that's when he'll swoop right in and take her back.

"Mia!" The voice of Sam interrupts, stopping her in her tracks as both of them turn their heads. He emerges from the trees and briskly heads in her direction in an authoritative stance. "You're not jumping, do you hear me?"

"I'll jump if I want to jump," Mia whirls around, taking a giant step over the edge when Jacob's arms grab her waist and holds her tightly against him. Her eyes fill with a mixture of betrayal and puzzlement, "Traitor."

"Let's get out of here," he whispers in her ear, his tone darkening with tension. Just being near Sam makes him uncomfortable. He stares at him like he's waiting for him to join his circle of disciples.

The tension in the air is almost palpable and can be cut with a knife. A lingering silence trails after them on their way to the forest. Mia reaches down for her satchel and takes back her jacket, discreetly looking towards Sam, who keeps watching Jacob like a prize.

Her gaze darkens and her once determined expression dissipates into nothing but irritation. Her hands clench into tight fists as she sends the deadliest of glares, "I'll make sure to get you a photo of him the next time! Maybe I can charge you for it!"

Jacob grabs her wrist and drags her away in a swift motion as they start running down the hill and laughing when hearing Sam's protests. Stumbling over some debris, they barely miss from colliding over a fallen trunk and maneuver themselves past the millions of conifers. The drizzling slowly starts forming a heavy rain that makes them dash like a bolt of lightning to Jacob's motorcycle.

She glances down at her watch and feels a rush of panic overwhelm her when realizing how late she's going to be. She promised her mother visiting Jacob before school wouldn't compromise her schedule and from what it appears, it seems her promise is about to be broken. "Shit! I'm late! How fast can this thing go?!"

Being late on her first day certainly wasn't in her radar. Especially riding an obsolete motorcycle that is clinging on for life, and it sure doesn't help that it's raining buckets now.

"This thing has a name!" he snaps, evident bitterness in his tone.

"JUST GO!"

Without hesitation, Jacob turns on the engine and starts swerving past the winding roads. The rain forms an ornament of a torrential patter against her helmet. The gradual winds sway the evergreens into a graceful dance, joining the turmoil of nature as various cars cross their paths.

Mia holds tightly onto her friend, slightly regretting coming to the reservation at the crack of dawn. She didn't intend on visiting early, but she had woken up feeling more nervous than expected. Since Jacob is the only friend she's been able to make since moving here, spending time with him helped ease her nerves.

They first met when her mother bought the Volkswagen Rabbit he worked on for years and finally fixed. She was walking along the beach just enjoying the scenery when she saw him trying to hop on a surfboard and falling face down onto the sand. Her first instinct was to laugh, which definitely caught his attention.

The two started arguing on who could catch the first wave successfully. Mia wasn't the best at surfing, but having spent a summer with the Weasley's at the Freshwater West Beach gave her some type of experience. Not wanting to promise anything expensive or challenging, she offered to buy him a mango smoothie if he successfully surfed. Since he claimed to love mangoes, he agreed and made the same promise.

And just like that, the two sailed off into the waters and raced to the first wave. Only Jacob's overconfidence got the better of him when he suddenly slipped from the board and got submerged by the ocean, making her the winner.

"We're gonna make it!"

Forks High School comes to sight as he rides up the small hill towards the parking lot. The maroon hues of the bricked building hold a contrast to almost all the cars with the same monotonous colors, except for a red truck that's parked near the entrance.

Mia quickly removes her helmet and shakes her head slightly to try and fix the messiness of her damp hair. She's grateful the rain stopped pouring, but not grateful enough when noticing she's completely drenched from head to toe. "See you later, wolfie!"

Not giving him the chance to answer with a quick remark, she starts running off when hearing the bell ring. Nearly all of the students shoot their gaze at her, but she doesn't care enough to give them her attention. She scurries off in the direction of the front office and ignores her squeaking shoes and dripping jacket.

The irritating sound of the bell rings again, officially emptying the hallway that leaves her feeling extremely relieved in not having more people witness her in this state. She wishes this isn't the way her first day is starting out, just running like a maniac completely soaked with her bouncing hair and leather satchel.

To say she's irritated is an understatement. She's furious, disappointed, and completely frustrated with her lack of punctuality. There's nothing left to do other than just hope they don't mark her late on her first goddamn day.

She exhales in relief when seeing the glass doors of the front office. Her shoes squeal against the tiled floor and the door nearly slams against the wall as she barges in.

The office lady quirks a brow at her, her lips curving into the tiniest bit of a frown that is definitely not making Mia feel any better. "Tardy pass?" she questions and returns back to her work.

Mia rests her elbows on the counter and shakes her head, "I'm Mia Grey, a new student."

The older woman looks up at her and places her glasses over her head. She disapprovingly glares at her and stands up to head to the back room to retrieve her schedule and map of the school. "Quite an impression for your first day."

Mia doesn't say anything. She just nods and presses her lips into a tight line. What can she say? That she got too distracted with her friend that she completely lost track of time? Regardless of her response, it doesn't change the fact that her first day is already starting off on the wrong foot.

The annoyed lady hands her two sheets of paper and with a lack of enthusiasm, she says, "Hope you have a great day, hun. Welcome to Forks High."

Lowering her elbows from the counter, she awkwardly gives a thumb up and heads to her first class. There's no use in hurrying anymore since she's going to be late regardless if she sprints or not. But even when she tries not caring, her legs seem to have developed a mind of their own. They briskly turn the corner in the direction of the set of stairs that leave her disappointed they don't move like the ones back at Hogwarts.

"This is so lame," she mutters under her breath. Contrary to what many of her old schoolmates had to say about them, she loved their uniqueness and constant change. It adds more to the magical aspect of the school and makes it stand out from any of the insipid buildings she has ever entered. And with the stillness of these stairs, it only makes her less excited to study here.

Just as she reaches the second floor, she glances down at her schedule and is annoyed to find that her class is on the third floor instead. Rolling her eyes and cursing under her breath, Mia continues up the flight of stairs much quicker than before.

She studies the map of the school, surprised that despite how small it appears, there seems to be a fourth floor. Of course, it's not like this will impress her with how grand her old school was, but this is definitely a first step.

Just as she turns the corner, she feels the cold brush of someone's shoulders bump into her. The sheets of paper come flying down like leaves off a branch, leaving them scattered in separate places. She shuts her eyes for a split second, more out of annoyance this day is not going according to plan. She's already late and now she has to deal with this.

She takes a moment before kneeling down to gather her schedule and map. Only it seems the responsible party thought the same thing when he leans down and reaches for it at the same time. "Sorry about that."

That voice.

She knows that voice.

"Are you okay?" he questions and hands her the papers.

Mia freezes for a mere moment as the tuneful melody behind his voice repeats in an incessant pattern. With its sound being way too familiar for her sake, she's suddenly afraid as to who she might see.

Having yet come to terms with his death, she had become overwhelmed with the constant guilt of having been an annoying prick to him for years. She refused showing how much his death had actually affected her because through it all, she had grown to surprisingly care for him, and seeing Harry return with his corpse left a lifelong mark. And now, hearing the recognizable hint in this person's voice makes all the memories hit her like a whiplash.

Mia's aware all these uncertainties will fade if she just looks up, but damn it, these unwarranted nerves are getting the better of her. What if it really is him, but what if it's not?

After the longest seconds, she stands up, but doesn't look at his face just yet. She tries rationalizing her thoughts that just because their voices have a similar ring to them, it doesn't mean it really is him. It's not like there was anything special in his voice, so why can't there be another person with a matching tone? She's surely just being ridiculous to think otherwise.

Mia finally averts her gaze from the floor. Only the second her eyes meet his, her heart somersaults before dropping inadvertently. Her entire body turns cold, resembling the fall on a frozen lake and struggling to gasp for air.

"Holy mother of-" her words are cut short once she stumbles back too many steps and bumps against the lockers rather too cartoonishly. She can't even be bothered to care when seeing bemusement in his expression. All she cares for is trying to comprehend the sight standing right in front because it's him. The fallen wizard is living his life normally as if the entire wizarding world isn't presuming him to be dead.

How is this even possible? Did I somehow die and ended up in hell? It certainly can't be heaven because this idiot is standing right in front.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Mia blurts out and raises an accusing finger at him, her eyes narrowing into slits at the appalling encounter. She feels like a complete nut job, confused and slightly terrified at seeing his perfect condition. Well, perfect might be a little far fetched.

The young man's brows cinch in confusion. His hands are placed into his pockets as his shoulders hunch at the question that would appear crazy for others, but not to him. "Do I look dead to you?" he simply says, which leads him to scold himself for such an idiotic response when he could have said anything else.

Mia doesn't understand how this is possible. She's absolutely certain he didn't have any siblings, certainly not a twin. So how can this be? She lowers her hands to her hips and has to slightly lean her head back to look up at him for a better sight.

The resemblance is uncanny. His posture is awkward just like his was, his nervous smile still remains charming, but there's something else. His skin is as pale as a ghost and his eyes resemble a golden color that appears too unusual. Almost like they came out of something supernatural. Then there's the hair completely styled in a different way, probably from all the gel that got rid of the luscious waves and golden highlights only noticeable in the sunlight.

She takes a step back and scans him from head to toe as she takes in his question. If she's being completely honest, he does look dead, but a handsome one. "You actually do. No offense."

He tries to play off his nervousness by laughing lightly. Being able to read everyone's minds and knowing what they think of him, someone questioning his mortality has never happened. He tries searching deep in her mind for answers, for why she asked such a thing, but he's stunned when he finds nothing.

He feels a wave of panic since this is the first time he hasn't been able to read anyone's thoughts. Usually when he's afraid anyone might be suspecting him or his family, he digs deep into their minds and tries figuring out if their doubts are getting warmer to their secret. But standing right in front of this small girl leaves a sour taste when worrying she might be the only smart one to figure out the truth.

"Hard not to be offended by that," he stifles a laugh, eyes darting between her and the end of the hall as if expecting someone. "You're new, right? I haven't seen you around."

She faintly nods, still trying to comprehend what she's witnessing. She starts considering that maybe she's wrong in believing this guy is her late rival. He doesn't seem to know her and worst of all, his charming accent is gone. That's truly a tragedy. "Yup, but seems like I ruined it by being late."

"Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the wonder that is this school," his tone is filled with sarcasm as he extends his arms like he's showcasing some kind of majestic runaway. "I'm Edward Cullen."

Mia's mouth is slightly agape as her mind runs a mile a minute. She's definitely more baffled than before and can't comprehend how someone can resemble another to the exactitude without there being some kind of familiar relation. Maybe he's a long lost twin? Or some doppelganger? Whatever he is, it doesn't change the fact that this is extremely unsettling.

"Bold of you to assume you're the first," a hint of a smile plays at the corners of her lips, "The office lady beat you to it. Although, she didn't seem to mean it." She studies him much more carefully, watching the way his shoulders are tense, the way he tries to play off his nervousness by smiling, and those eyes. Those damned eyes that resemble a pot of gold and appear like they were bathed in sunlight.

Edward is silent for a quarter of a second as he's still startled by her closed mind that leaves him with no other option than to learn more of her the old fashioned way. Talking to her. He rubs his neck anxiously and tries saying anything, but the words die on his lips.

He stares into her eyes, a deep shade of brown that appears honey toned when light reflects onto them. Her faint freckles over her nose are more noticeable when she scrunches it in a concentrated state. Her cheeks burn with a tinge of pink, a beautiful kind that resembles the glory of a sparkling rose champagne. She's lively, like having been made entirely out of espresso shots. Her vibrant smile is as gentle as an artist's brush stroke going across their one of a kind masterpiece.

It is only after admiring her when he notices the dampness of her hair and the glittering droplets of rain sliding down her coat all the way to the crevices of the tiled floor. "You're- you're soaked."

Mia raises her brows at the very obvious. She scoffs quietly, a wry smile taking over, "Wow, seriously? I didn't even notice. Thanks for letting me know." Clear shock became evident on his face. His eyes fill with disbelief and utter startlement at the girl's sudden change in attitude. She noticed it too, which made her regret at how quickly she became irritated. Gaze now softening, she clears her throat and offers a genuine smile, "I apologize. Umm, I should probably get to class. Don't want to be even more late, but thanks for the welcome, ghosty."

She doesn't give him a chance to answer when she's already running off to her first class. Surely each of her professors' impressions of her will be ruined just for being late, so there's not much she can do other than just hope for the best.

"You didn't tell me your name!" Edward hollers, not bothering to care for the ongoing classes. Not knowing anything about her is quite irritating and it surely doesn't help that she's as closed off as he wishes the rest of the world was.

Mia whirls around and gazes at him with a sly smirk, "You'll learn it. Don't worry."

He leans his back against the lockers and just gives a faint nod of approval as she disappears into the corner. Even if he can't read her mind, he doesn't seem to mind getting a refreshing moment of some well needed silence. It's frightening not knowing what she's thinking, especially after her abrupt response when seeing him, but it's not like there's anything remotely off about her.

She's simply just an ordinary girl.









Author's Note

Finally the first chapter has been uploaded!
I promise I won't take long with the next part, it's just that first chapters are always hard to write.

Even if it's kind of slow and short, I hope you guys liked it!
Don't be a ghost reader!
Comment and vote!

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