✧

Mike's Halloween Bash was announced just as soon as history class ended. He stood by the door and gave the flyers to nearly everyone, but once Alice and Jasper walked by, he refrained from offering an invitation to the pair.

Even if the Cullens are the most talked about and desired throughout the whole school, it seems their popularity isn't enough to get invited to parties. It's not like they haven't been invited before, but not showing up to a single one certainly ruined their chances of getting any more invites, causing the entire school to keep their party's location a secret just in case they decide to show up.

Something Mia's unable to understand since it's not like this Halloween Bash is a private invite, seeing as Mike's flyers are plastered all around. It's quite humorous to believe that not giving them an invite would keep them from knowing the location, so really, not inviting them is completely useless.

As she starts gathering her belongings and placing them into her satchel, she notices Edward doing the same at a relatively slower pace. Usually he's the first one out the door, but today for whatever reason, he's taking his beloved time walking out. She doesn't think much of it and instead becomes focused on how much she's not looking forward to her next class, which used to be art but is now yearbook. Since the class was full, the office made rearrangements and placed her into the only one that was available. Now she's become the new yearbook editor, much to her dismay.

"Why do you look like someone just ran over your cat?" Edward asks as he walks up to her with his hands placed in his pockets.

She groans in annoyance, "I have yearbook next and it's such a snooze fest. No offense to those who like it, but there's nothing interesting to do. I'm just the editor, which is extremely boring and requires a lot of responsibility."

"You've only been there for two days," he points out. "Maybe it will get better."

She turns around and points at him like she just caught something interesting, "Keyword: Maybe. I just don't understand why they assigned me to be the editor. I know nothing about it and quite frankly, I would have preferred to be a photographer."

Just as they reach the door, Mike hands her a flyer while ignoring Edward, "Better see you there, little Grey."

"There better be pizza or else I'm not going," she takes a look at the bright orange paper with a ghost in the center and the bold letters above saying, Mike's Halloween Bash.

"Tell me anything you want and I'll make sure it's there," Mike ruffles her hair, earning him a slap on the shoulder that causes him to wince.

She notices Edward subtly walking away and already knowing he must not have plans for tonight, she turns back to Mike and asks, "Can you give me another one?"

Taking notice of her intentions, he's reluctant in giving her an extra one, "It's a costume party, so make sure to come dressed up or else you're not allowed in."

She ignores his comment and shoves the flyer into Edward's chest, "You're coming to this."

Not even glancing at the paper, he's already dismissing her suggestion, "I'm not really a party type of guy."

She rolls her eyes and tries hiding her disappointment, but is unable to when seeing that smirk on his face, "So having fun is not your type? Seriously, Cullen?"

Edward laughs, already knowing where she's going with this, "Parties are just an excuse for people to get black out drunk and hook up with each other to then regret it the next day."

Mia raises a brow at him, "Sounds like you've had experience. Maybe you're not as boring as many say then."

He scoffs in offense, "I just don't find parties fun."

"Come on, ghosty," Mia insists. "I can't let you spend Halloween all alone. It's unacceptable."

"You don't have to worry, I'm not going to be alone."

That catches her attention.

"You're not?"

Edward shakes his head, "I have plans for tonight."

Now even more interested, she can't help but wonder what plans he has up his sleeve. Maybe it's something with his family since they're pretty close. Perhaps a party, which would explain why she overheard Alice earlier mentioning something about getting a drink tonight.

"And what are your plans? If it's alright to know," she opens her locker and places her textbooks from her previous classes inside.

As much as Edward wants to be honest, he can't just admit how he and his family are going hunting. He likes Mia, but he can't reveal his secret to her no matter what. It would be too dangerous for her to know and it's not like he would expect her to believe him. She seems like the type to not believe in the supernatural, which is honestly refreshing.

"My family and I are heading to Seattle. Carlisle has some friends over there and they invited us for dinner," he lies, hoping she believes him and doesn't choose to question him about it.

"Seattle sounds like fun. Maybe Halloween looks better over there."

He nonchalantly shrugs, "Yeah, maybe."

As both of them walk alongside each other to her next class, Mia notices the curious looks sent their way. It seems that her sudden friendship with Edward has turned the world upside down, which she completely understands. To everyone, it's strange how the reserved classmate is suddenly willing to make friends (even more when it's with a new student). She just wishes they keep their curiosity on the low, but maybe it's something small towns offer.

"Well, if you decide to change your mind, you have the location," Mia points to the flyer in his hand and starts entering her next class. "I'll see you in biology, ghosty."

"You're never letting that nickname go, are you?" Edward complains through a smile, knowing it's a pick at his pale complexion.

"Never, so get used to it!"

Edward stares at her as she walks into the classroom. Just seeing her walk in such a graceful manner fills him with a comforting warmth. He likes the way her voice sounds, the way her smile can brighten up a whole room, the way her forehead creases when deep in concentration, and the way her eyes light up when seeing the rain.

"What are you doing?" Alice's voice fills his mind, disrupting his attention when looking towards his sister, who's standing at the end of the hall. "Shouldn't you be heading to class instead of gawking at your friend?"

"Shut up," he whispers and quickly turns away, not bothering to listen to her pestering thoughts about his staring.

"You can run away now, but we're talking about this at home," she tells him one last time before he turns the corner and heads to his class. Now he's dreading going home from being certain Alice will tell everyone about this, which will make this night much more nerve wracking than it already is.

__________________

"So what are your plans for tonight?" Mia curiously asks Bella as they get in line for lunch.

She nonchalantly shrugs, "I'm staying in. Charlie really likes Halloween, so we're having a horror movie marathon."

"That sounds fun," Mia wishes her mother would watch horror movies with her, but she prefers romance. Don't get her wrong, Mia appreciates a nice love story, but some are extremely cheesy that it just gets on her nerves. "I might sound like I'm a bad influence, but if movie night ends early, you should come to the party."

"You're going to it?"

She nods, "Yeah, I don't have plans, so I figured why not?"

"I would go, but it's a costume party," Bella admits. "And even then, I don't think I would enjoy it. Parties are too loud."

"Bells, parties are supposed to be loud," Mia says.

She softly chuckles at the obvious, "Then there you go. Another reason as to why I shouldn't go."

"Damn it," Mia shakes her head in defeat, frowning at having to go alone. "It would have been nice to attend the party together, but it seems I'll be going solo."

"What if you go with Mike? He seems to like you a lot," Bella tells her, causing Mia to laugh at such a thought.

Don't get her wrong, she likes Mike, but not in that way. Besides, it's obvious Jessica likes him, so she'd be damned if she were to get involved with him and bring herself unnecessary drama.

"I'd rather get run over than go with him," Mia remarks while popping a chip into her mouth. "Any ideas on what my costume should be?" She doesn't have a clue on what to wear. If the circumstances were different, she would simply dress as a witch and use her wand as a prop. It's an easy costume and it might be basic, but hey, it's way better than reusing last year's, which happened to be a massive pumpkin out of having lost a bet to the twins.

"Really? You want to take fashion advice from me?" she gestures to her outfit, a cream colored long sleeve with slightly baggy jeans that are nearly dragging against the floor.

Mia lets out a laugh and playfully nudges her shoulder, "You're probably right. I don't want to be a fashion disaster."

Bella scoffs and returns the nudge before both of them start laughing as they head to their table. "Believe me, if you take a look into my closet, you will be horrified."

"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad," she refuses to believe her friend doesn't have taste because based on what she's seen, her style isn't awful. She figures Bella's just trying to be modest and is just hating on her clothing for having been forced into buying it since all of her old clothes were for warmer weather.

"I have a long khaki skirt," Bella confesses with a deadpan look that's enough to make the chip on Mia's hand drop. "Blame my mother."

"Please never wear it. Save me the torture of being a witness to that," Mia plops her elbows onto the table, not bothering to imagine the terrible clothing that she seriously hopes will never escape the depths of Bella's closet. "Would a devil or angel costume be too basic? Or should I just go as the girl who hates parties, but actually doesn't? Maybe I should just wear a plain sheet and be a ghost."

"How about a favorite movie character?" Bella suggests and remembers how she dressed as Snow White when she was little.

She considers her suggestion and looks back on her favorite films. There's tons of them, but only one seems to acquire her attention more. It sure helps that she has the outfit already, which will make her life much easier for tonight. "Hmm, I think I got it."

Not even a few seconds later, the rest of their friends join their table. Mike continues rambling about his party and how it will be the event of the year. All the pressure is on him from everyone's expectations flying through the roof, especially when it's taking place near the Waterfall Trail – a place with a vast field nearby that's surrounded by the grand forest.

"Costumes are mandatory, so wear something amazing and incredibly hot," Mike nudges Jessica on the shoulder, soon sending a wink to Mia that earns him a whack on the head.

Seems she's spending her first Halloween alone, but instead of complaining about it, she's determined to have fun and make this night quite eventful.

__________________

"The dance committee is a chick thing, but I gotta cover it for the paper anyway," Eric complains to Mia and Bella as they enter biology class. "And they need a guy to help choose the music, so I need your playlist."

"My music taste is all over the place, so get ready for lots of random songs," Mia removes her jumper to shake off the rain and messily gets rid of the droplets from her hair. "How soon do you need it?"

"By next week," Eric tells her and proceeds to look over at Bella with a nervous smile. "Hey, listen, I was wondering, did you have a date to-"

"What's up, little Grey?" Mike barges into the classroom and shakes the water off his cap onto Mia's head. "How you liking the rain, girl?"

"Oh, I love it," she sarcastically grumbles.

"Better get used to it," Mike advices as he removes his jacket to place on the coat hanger.

Eric tries to pretend his interruption didn't bother him, especially when he was just about to ask Bella to the dance. "Yeah, Mike, hey, you're real cute, man."

Mike agrees through a wide smile, "Oh, I know."

"Good thing for the interruption," Bella sighs in relief at not being forced to reject him and creating awkward tension between them.

"The day's not over yet," Mia teases as she starts heading to her seat.

Bella stares at her with a deadpan look, "Not funny, little Grey."

"Don't call me that, Bells!"

She sends her a satisfied smile, "Won't be making any promises."

Mia rolls her eyes before taking her spot next to Edward, "Hey, ghosty."

Her gentle and lively voice makes him glance up at her with haste. For a brief moment, he swears his heart started beating the second she joined his side. "Hey, how was yearbook? Still boring?"

Mia takes out her textbook and homework, setting it down in the center of the table along with his. "Same as always, but come on. What did you expect?"

Edward turns quiet for a second as he looks down at the flyer peeking from under his notebook. It's tempting to attend the party knowing she'll be there, but he hasn't hunted in a while. If he wants to remain friends with her, he needs to take extra precautions to ensure her safety. Maybe after, he'll make an appearance, but there's still an uncertainty on whether or not he should comply.

The class starts and no matter how hard he tries to focus on the lesson, it's maddening being forced to resist not glancing at her for just one second. He knows it's absurd to feel this, especially when it's obvious he's the only one to feel it. Everything is just in his head and instead of trying to get a glimpse of her, he should focus on anything else.

However, it's easier said than done.

For the first time, Edward is able to ignore everyone's thoughts and only focus on her. He stares in amazement, noticing a reflection in her eyes that resembles the beauty of a sunrise and the sublime of snow on a beach. Truly resplendent and magically captivating.

Why is he feeling this?

The longest hour soon passes and class ends. It's only then when he considers dropping his plans and agreeing to come to the party. Maybe it will be fun. Maybe nothing wrong will occur. If she's there, everything will be alright.

"Maybe I'll attend the party after all."

Mia raises a brow at him as she places her books into her locker, "What about your plans?"

"I'm certain my family will understand," Edward notices his siblings looking at him from the exit with a rather curious expression, which means he won't be hearing the end of it any time soon. "But it's still a maybe, so don't get your hopes up."

She narrows her eyes in contemplation, "If you decide to come, just know costumes are mandatory."

"I'm not dressing up," he firmly states, not even imagining himself wearing some kind of ridiculous getup for some party.

Mia groans and nudges his shoulder as they start heading out to the parking lot. She starts getting the random urge to suggest an idea on what he should dress up as. Based on what reaction he gives, it could either make or break her suspicions on what he and his family are. What Remus told her about her looking for a needle in a haystack is wrong since she's certain there's more to these unusual and striking characteristics of the Cullens.

"Lame," she begins, "I was going to suggest that you should dress up as Dracula, the most iconic vampire ever known."

Edward freezes, his jaw clenches and if he wasn't already dead, he would've died for a second time. There's something in her tone that sounds accusing, almost as if she's searching for some answers and is awaiting his reaction to confirm her idea. He lets out a nervous laugh, quickly loosening the tension in shoulders before saying, "Why Dracula? You should've given me Batman at least."

She's not blind not to have noticed his sudden decline in mood. The way his eyes lost their vibrant sparkle, the way his shoulders tensed, and the shaky vibrato in his laugh made it clear as day that her suggestion hit close to home. Maybe she is right after all. She had been named the brightest witch of her age and would probably still remain at the top of her year if it hadn't been for this move.

"I'll be your Catwoman then."

His eyes widen as his throat runs dry, making him unable to form a coherent response. If he's not mistaken, Catwoman is one of Batman's love interests. Is she flirting with him or is he imagining everything?

Mia shakes the horrifying realization of what she said. It came out completely wrong and the last thing she wants is for him to believe she's flirting with him when that's not the case. "Umm, just go dressed up as something good." She turns around and heads to Bella's truck as she seriously hopes he takes her words with a grain of salt.

As Edward heads to his Volvo, he's unable to peer his eyes away from her. He can't help but admire the way she parts her hair, how incredibly mesmerizing her chocolaty waves bounce as she strides, and the way she walks with an incredible poise that makes it hard to look away from.

God, what is he getting himself into?

__________________

"What are you supposed to be?" Isobel tilts her head in observation, her expression completely dumbstruck at her daughter's costume.

Mia decided on dressing up as Kim Boggs from Edward Scissorhands. The fact the protagonist is named Edward is quite comical to her that she regrets not suggesting it earlier. With his pale features and dark sense of fashion, the costume would have fit him like a glove.

She twirls in front of the mirror and adjusts the dainty buttons trailing from top to bottom before placing her shoes on. It was pure luck that she already had an exact replica of the dress that it seemed idiotic not to take advantage of it. The only thing she's missing is the wig, but hey, not everything has to be accurate - especially since this is just for Mike's party.

"You are a woman of no culture," Mia scolds her mother, refusing to believe she doesn't remember the movie they watched at the cinema and claimed as their favorite. "I'm Kim Boggs, duh."

"OH," Isobel's eyes widen in realization. Her glass of wine nearly drops from her hand as she gets comfortable on the couch. Clueless plays in the background along with her complaints on how odd this movie is for pairing Cher with her previous stepbrother. Mia can only nod and agree with her, knowing if she starts rambling with her, she would never leave the house.

The familiar rumble of Jacob's motorcycle starts getting nearer. The headlights shine into the living room before completely shutting off. "And that's my cue to leave. I'll see you later, mum."

"You look beautiful, peach. Come home before midnight!"

"Yeah, after midnight, whatever," Mia opens the door and catches Jacob midway into knocking. He opens his arms and spins around slowly to show off his costume. Anyone would realize that he's dressed as Danny Zuko based on what he's wearing: a tight white shirt that makes his muscles pop and dark pants along with the necessary leather jacket.

With a wide smile, he asks, "So... what do you think?"

"Don't let me drink too much or else I might just kiss you," she nudges his shoulder playfully as both of them laugh at the thought.

Even if her mum has suggested that Jacob would make a great boyfriend, she could never envision herself seeing him that way. Don't get her wrong, she's aware of how attractive he is, but there can never be anything between them other than just friendship.

Despite not knowing that she's a witch and her move is linked to escaping a group of pureblood supremacists, he gets her in ways that only a friend can. Something she will never want to lose by trying to force something that's not there.

Besides, when Mia introduced him to Bella, it was abundantly clear that he had a crush on her. He would speak louder, laugh at Bella's jokes even if they're not funny, and you sure can't ignore how red in the face he gets every time he's around her.

As they ride off into the road, Mia's already regretting this costume. The crisp October wind feels like icicles slapping her face. She should've just gone as the after self of Sandy Olsson since she already has various pieces of clothing that resemble her, but no. She just had to try and look attractive despite knowing she would be cold later on. The only thing that brings her comfort is knowing she has shorts underneath, so there would be no accident brought by the wind or hopefully, none from her drunken classmates.

She glances up at the sky and admires the stars that are more noticeable from the lack of ambient light. Something she doesn't get too much of in London and can only watch from Hogwarts. Just staring at the night sky brings a sense of comfort, a profound sense of safety that is strange with the risk of getting found at any moment.

She rests her head on Jacob's back and closes her eyes as the trees turn into a blurry turmoil until he leaves the road and dives into the forest. The headlights illuminate the path and reveal glimpses of fallen trunks and small animals getting ready for the night.

"Why the hell did that Newton guy choose this place?" Jacob wasn't too sure of attending this party after everything his father told him about the cold ones living nearby. The only reason he came was to try and keep Mia safe as he can't fathom the idea of anything terrible happening to her.

"Probably because he invited the whole school and it's not like his tiny ass home can fit everyone," she actually loves that the party is taking place in the forest. If anything, it helps set the mood for the spooky night. Almost every horror movie has a scene take place in the woods at the dead of night, which oddly enough makes her feel like an idiot for heading into a possible lion's den.

The waterfall comes to sight along with the swarming crowd of teenagers dancing to the blaring music. She's actually surprised that everyone is wearing some kind of costume. There's Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhess, along with the Addams Family and the usual costumes of a devil, angel, vampire, and a witch.

Once she hops off the motorcycle, she heads to the keg stand for some drinks. She receives some compliments from various people on her costume, but they all think she's dressed as a bride or some kind of angel. It seems no one has seen Edward Scissorhands, which only disappoints her.

As she acquires drinks for her and Jacob, she pushes her way through the crowd. That is until someone accidentally shoves a drink to her chest. The stench of beer and the horrible stain of the red liquid made her look like a zombie bride rather than Kim Boggs. She harshly drops the drinks, already annoyed at the person's carelessness that she's about to confront them, only that's when she realizes it's none other than Jessica Stanley.

It's barely eight o'clock and Jessica's already too drunk. Her hair is placed into two side buns just like Princess Leia and her outfit seems to have received too many shoved drinks from how vibrantly red it is.

Jessica leans closer and wraps her arms around her, her lips nearly grazing Mia's ear, "You look fucking hot!"

Smiling, Mia tries loosening her tight grip while removing the cup from her hand, "Thanks! You look hot as well!" She looks around for Mike and finds it odd he's not with her since this past week, they've been attached at the hip. He's extremely clingy, so why in the world is he not with her? "Where's Mike? Did he come with you?"

Jessica rolls her eyes as she jabs her finger into Mia's chest, "The asshole ditched me and do you know why?" Mia takes a step back once Jessica starts getting closer to her face. She's more than capable of defending herself, but it's not fair when the other person is extremely drunk. "All because he saw you arriving in that stupid motorcycle and wanted to say hi! You know, it's always because of you! Mia this, Mia that!"

"Yeah, I'm not doing this," Mia refuses to fight over a boy, let alone over Mike. "If you think I'm interested in him, you're wrong. Stop bitching about it and just go find him." She whirls around once again and makes her way back to the keg stand for another round of drinks.

This is exactly why she refused to become closer friends with Mike. Dealing with boy drama is exhausting, especially if it's one sided and all coming from the insecurities of one person.

Once she acquires the drinks, she starts heading in Jacob's direction, who's clearly uncomfortable given the fact that he doesn't know anyone. He was tempted to bring Embry and Quil, but knowing they refuse to step foot into the forest because of all the legends, only made him unwilling to even mention the topic.

"Here you go," Mia hands him the cup and is surprised when he downs it all in one giant gulp. "Easy there, big guy. Don't want to get drunk on your first drink."

Jacob shrugs as a faint smirk starts to form on his chiseled face, "My tolerance level is extremely high, so trust me, I can never get drunk."

"Well how lucky are you," she sarcastically says before taking a sip of her drink. Without intending to, she looks for Edward in the crowd. Is he already here or did he change his mind and decide not to attend?

He leans close to her and speaks into her ear so she could hear him through the music and loud voices, "Looking for someone special?"

"My friend said he was coming, but I'm pretty sure he changed his mind!"

Jacob is surprised at the mention of this friend. She hadn't mentioned anything about him, which is strange since they talk about anything. Was there a reason for this? Did she purposely forget or is it because there's something more?

Leaning closer to her again, he asks, "He? Is it that Newton guy?"

Mia starts laughing at the mention of him and shakes her head, "What is it with everyone thinking I'm interested in him? We're not even that close."

She looks into the crowd again and continues searching for Edward. After a few minutes, she comes to the conclusion that he changed his mind and decided to go to Seattle after all.

She rolls her eyes and sighs in aggravation on how absurd she's being. It's Halloween and she's at a freaking party with her friend. She should be having fun and being a normal teenager instead of worrying for a guy.

Knowing Jacob would deny dancing with her, Mia doesn't give him a chance to protest and just drags him by the arm to what appears to be the center of the field. The sound of the waterfall syncs perfectly with the music and excitement of the crowd. It doesn't matter if she's the least bit cold as she's only focused on having a great time.

Letting the music do its thing, Mia focuses on the melody. Simply following the notes of the electric guitars, the drums, and every single instrument as she twirls around and ignores the harshness of the wind sending goosebumps down her skin. Her hair forms a perfect circle, her shoes hit the right spot, and her hands miraculously were able to find another drink.

With her eyes closed, she allows the music to send her into a trance that makes her forget everything. All of her problems, her fears, and worries of the imminent war start fading to the back of her mind. Nothing else matters, just her, this song, and this dance.

Not too far from the scene, Edward finally arrives. He took Mia's suggestion to heart and chose to dress as a vampire, which definitely did not go well with his family. In all honesty, he couldn't care less as he thought this could be a nice inside joke between them. A part of him was tempted to choose the Batman costume, but if she wasn't dressed as Catwoman, his costume wouldn't feel complete.

As he looks through the sea of people, he decides on searching in everyone's minds. He's not surprised when all of them mention how attractive she looks, but the second he hears Mike's insufferable thoughts, it sends him into a fit of rage.

Why out of all people was Mike Newton infuriating him?

Why did it bother him so much that he's interested in Mia when she's just his friend?

He grits his teeth, his stance assertive and filled with discontent. His eyes, once golden and welcoming, now resemble the darkness of an empty night and the depths of an impenetrable fortress. He holds his breath, refusing to lose control in a place where she's present and decides to continue looking for her in every possible place.

"Girls on Film" by Duran Duran plays through the speakers. Edward starts heading into the center of the field and ignores the shocked stares as no one expected the brooding Cullen to make an appearance.

With a sly smirk, he continues his path in a quest to find her. Like a strange twist of fate, Edward finally finds her in the crowd. She's dancing with no care in the world. Even if she doesn't know how to, it sure doesn't stop her from performing her moves. The music has entranced her and sent her into a state of pure bliss and tranquility. Her hair flows in sync with the wind, her arms are raised and waving into the enchanting notes, and her smile, that perfect and damned smile, makes him weak to the knees.

"You came!" Mia exclaims, the remnants of her drink spilling onto the grassy lane. She meets him halfway and smiles when noticing he went through with her suggestion in dressing as a vampire. "And you're Dracula. I'm very much impressed!"

Edward looks down at his outfit. His white button down shirt is tight around his body, the red vest makes him stick out even more from its vibrancy, the dark bowtie is tied loosely around the collar of his shirt, and his cape ends at the right measure. Emmett surely got a huge laugh out of it since he was the only one supportive of his choice of costume.

"Let me guess. You're..." he pauses for dramatic effect, already knowing she's dressed as one of Winona Ryder's iconic characters. Anyone would be a fool in not recognizing the dress. "Kim Boggs from Edward Scissorhands."

A jolt of electricity runs through her, "Yes! Finally someone who gets it!"

Jacob joins the circle when recognizing Edward. He stands next to Mia rather too protectively and glares at him with the fire of a thousand suns. Suspecting what Edward is due to the legends, he's become fearful of the unknowing danger she's putting herself in.

"Edward, this is Jacob. Jacob, this is Edward," Mia tries diffusing the tension and prays to the heavens her two friends don't start something. The last thing she needs is any kind of drama, whether it's coming from Jessica or these two, she refuses to waste her time getting between them when there are far more important things.

"Nice meeting you," Edward breathes out as he ignores Jacob's harsh thoughts. He would much rather pretend to be friendly to not ruin the night by creating an argument.

"Mia!"

The sudden voice of Bella Swan makes the three glance her way.

Sure enough, Bella decided to attend the party at the last minute. However, she didn't choose to wear a costume, but it's not something surprising.

"You're here!" Mia runs to her with wide arms and holds her in a tight embrace. "Did movie night end early?"

She softly laughs, "Charlie ended up falling asleep, so I figured, why not come?"

"I'm so glad you did," Mia guides her to the others and notices the starstruck in her eyes the second she sees Jacob. "Bella, I'm guessing you remember Jacob?"

"Y-yes, of course," Bella stutters nervously, matching the nervous smile on Jacob.

"You look incredible," Jacob walks over to her, unable to keep his eyes away from her. "Do you want something to drink?"

Bella only nods in response, and soon, Mia and Edward are left behind.

"I guess it's just us now," Mia interlocks her arm with his as they start parting from the crowd. "I didn't think you would actually come."

"And let you have fun all by yourself? Not a chance, Grey."

They start heading to a small bridge close to the waterfall. There's a few passed out drunks sprawled around and a few couples making out in the darkness. The music is recognizably lower and the cheers from the crowd have diminished. It's a perfect place to have a conversation without any interruptions.

"You know, everyone kept staring at you. You've become the talk of the party," Mia chuckles as they continue walking alongside each other. "Seems an appearance from the infamous Edward Cullen is able to make the world stop turning."

He laughs lightly and rests his elbows on the wooden base while looking out at the grand scenery. "It wasn't just me they were staring at. They were looking at you as well."

She groans, already knowing their gawking was linked to her terrible steps. "Yeah, because I was dancing like a freak. Did you see me out there? My two left feet kept stepping over the other."

"That's not why," he interjects, his mind repeating everyone's thoughts on how beautiful and perfect she looked dancing under the stars.

Mia smirks as she wonders what more reasoning there could be, "Which is?"

Edward smiles as he looks down at the river. If he could still blush, there's a one hundred percent chance he's doing it right now. "I don't know. Probably because there was a gorgeous girl dancing as if her life depended on it."

She turns silent and looks away from him, unsure how to respond to the compliment that is making her feel as if butterflies are in her stomach.

Knowing what he said was wrong, he continues looking down at the river and scolds himself for saying anything. "Mike hasn't been able to take his eyes away from you," Edward breaks the silence and chooses to mention him knowing it will get a reaction out of her. "Are you and him about to become a thing or...?"

"People seriously need to stop insinuating that," Mia becomes appalled at such an idea. Mike's better as a friend and besides, there's nothing that has captivated her interest. It sure doesn't help having Jessica's jealousy over her shoulder. "I think he's trying to convince himself that he likes me, but I believe it's simply because of my irresistible accent."

"Can't blame him. British accents are charming," he carelessly says, quickly fixing his cape that's blowing like crazy from the wind. Only that's when he realizes something is off. There's an all too familiar bitter scent flowing through the air. It's not coming from the field and certainly not near the bridge. It's coming from deep in the forest.

She notices his mood shift into a worried stance. His shoulders have tensed and his eyes are wide and filled with alertness. The once calm demeanor surrounding him has transformed into a distressed bearing that seems to be linked to the obscurity of the woods. She follows his line of sight and squints her eyes for a better view to try and learn what has him so captivated.

"Stay here," he orders before walking to the end of the bridge directed to the entry of the trees.

It's not in her nature to stay put and do nothing. She's never been the type to allow others to do the work while she simply waits for answers. Call it idiocy or bravery, but at this moment, she defies his orders and trails after him.

The lights coming from the bridge start getting dimmer. The music and cheers from the crowd have faltered into a low mumble the deeper she heads into the woods. There's no longer the sight of Edward since he has apparently gone off rather too quickly into the direction of the unknown.

She stops in her tracks and blinks profusely to try and adjust to the darkness. The wind blows incessantly and the branches crackle as their leaves drop. It's times like these when she wishes to be able to use her magic. Surely, Lumos would help illuminate this darkened path and help her find the source.

Slowly, she continues her path and scrambles for the smallest sight of his cape. She glances through every corner and makes sure there's nothing lurking around, until suddenly, her eyes fall upon a darkened figure looming in the shadows.

Narrowing her eyes once more, she's able to notice the silhouette's blonde hair. He stands menacingly, almost as if he's debating whether or not to attack. She reaches down for her wand that she chose to bring as she refuses to be ambushed, and even though it might lead to her getting discovered, she rejects the idea of getting hurt by some stranger.

Maybe her worst nightmare has already come true and this figure is linked to the Dark Lord. Maybe it's some kind of twisted joke that this is happening on Halloween, the same day the Potters lost their lives.

The person remains eerily still. Their posture is firm and assertive and just as when she's sure he's about to make his move, a pair of cold hands cover her mouth and hold her tightly against him.

"I told you to stay back," Edward angrily whispers as he drags her away from the figure back to the bridge. Why couldn't she just listen and stay put? Does she not know of the dangers hiding in the shadows?

Harshly prying his hands off, Mia shoves him as hard as she's able to. Her action doesn't affect him as he remains in place just frustratedly glaring at her. She points her finger like an angry teacher and matches his height, "Don't ever grab me like that again."

His mouth hangs slightly agape as his eyes widen in disbelief she's scolding him for his action when it all came from worry. He runs his hands through his hair in exasperation and glances back too quickly that causes his cape to bump into her. "Are you being serious right now?! I'm trying to keep you safe and you're worried about how I held you?!"

"Exactly," she affirms, her hands placed on her hips and her glare as harsh as ever. "You should know better that by telling someone to 'stay here,' it only makes them do the opposite! And stop yelling at me!"

"You're yelling at me too!"

There's a momentary silence that follows after as they stare in aggravation at the other. The stranger and the smell of blood has been left behind from their bickering.

He clenches his jaw and folds his arms across his chest as he waits for her to give up and return to the party, but Mia stands her guard. She mirrors his stance and firmly plants her feet to avoid any possible grabbing from his part.

"Go back to the party. I'm not asking," he states while making his way around her.

She scoffs, "Oh, so now you're ordering me?"

Edward stops in his tracks, his back faces her, but she's able to tell her question caught him off guard. Quickly, he turns around with a bewildered look, "Can you just do as you're told?"

Rolling her eyes, Mia starts heading back into the forest. She refuses to wait like a sitting duck and let him do all the work. If only he knew everything she went through back at Hogwarts, then maybe he would shut up and know better than to underestimate her.

His jaw hangs wide open as he looks around as if expecting to receive some reassurance from someone. He clenches his fists and heads in her direction, refusing to let her march into the lion's den without him there to keep her safe. If there's the smell of blood lurking around, there's a high percent chance the intruder heard the party and thought it would be the perfect place to feast.

"At least let me go first," Edward holds his arm out in front of her and ignores her attempts at shoving it off that brings the tiniest smirk to appear.

Mia exhales sharply and chooses to cave by following him. She starts glancing around and wonders what exactly he's looking for that has him so determined to find. Did it have to do with the blond man or is there something more?

She looks up at Edward and is surprised he's doing the same. The second their eyes meet, he quickly turns in the other direction in a rather sassy way.

"Geesh, way to let things go," she mutters, earning a low mumble from him that she's unable to hear. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said shut up," he answers irritably.

Before she's able to respond, the loudest gut wrenching shriek is heard not too far from them. Both of them exchange startled looks and nod at each other before running in its direction.

This is definitely not what she meant by wanting the party to set the mood for the spooky night. She seriously hopes this is some kind of joke from their classmates and they pop up out of nowhere in a sudden jumpscare.

Only Mia couldn't be more wrong. Once they reach the source of the scream, it's more than clear this is not some haunted house. This is very much real and the stranger definitely had some part in this.

Laying on the ground is Jessica Stanley. Her arm and neck have blood dripping down and Mia swears her injuries are in the shape of bite marks. Jessica twitches uncontrollably, her hand flailing around as she keeps stuttering, "It burns."

Dropping to her knees, Mia tries her hardest to keep her still. She's dealt with other injuries, but never ones that've been linked to a vampire attack.

What does she do? Would calling an ambulance be wise when there's a chance she becomes a vampire and can attack the paramedics?

"Edward-" her sentence is cut short when seeing his darkened gaze. He stands a few feet back with the most frightening of looks and Mia's able to hear the faintest growl. He stares hungrily at Jessica, his chest heaving uncontrollably before completely dropping into a hunting position.

It is only then when she realizes her suspicions have been right.

Edward Cullen is a vampire.

Author's Note

Happy Halloween! 🎃

As you can tell, there's some new parts, but also a few remained the same.

I really hope you guys liked the new version!
Don't be a ghost reader!
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