✧

Driving through the endless roads, the sinking feeling in Mia's stomach only gets worse the closer to home she gets. With Edward and the rest of the Cullens not having attended school for days, the alarms in her head keep going off. Their absence came out of nowhere, and she knows better than to think the worst, but the fact that it happened right after their argument makes her believe that it could be possibly linked to that night.

Edward always lets her know beforehand if he and his family are going to be absent. If they're in need of hunting, he tells her the night before, but he didn't say anything this time. There was just nothing. He's just... gone, as if he's vanished from the face of the earth.

A pressure gathers in her chest as she makes a turn into her neighborhood. Her grip on the steering wheel tightens and the dread becomes more present. She tries reassuring herself that it's all in her head and that perhaps everything will be better by the end of the day, but since when has she been a glass half-full kind of girl?

Disappointment always returns like a boomerang, harshly striking her in the face and leaving a scar behind. What's to say this is different?

No.

She's not going to do this. She's not going to believe the worst, especially when these past few months have been full of color. She trusts that everything will be alright and before she knows it, this will all be a sour memory to be forgotten about.

Edward is worthy of being given the benefit of the doubt. He's never given her a reason not to trust him, so she's not about to start now.

He would never hurt her.

Not today and not ever.

When she makes a turn into her street, she notices his familiar silhouette standing by her driveway close to the forest. Relief and joy are felt knowing that he's okay and that he's here after what felt like an eternity. She smiles on her way over to him, but her smile dims when noticing he's still wearing the same suit from dinner and has a cold expression plastered on his face.

"Hey," Mia greets him lightheartedly. "I was worried about you. Are you okay?"

Edward ignores her question and instead just nods in the direction of the forest, "Come take a walk with me."

She furrows her brows in concern, narrowing her eyes in suspicion as she trails after him. The way he's walking almost seems reluctant, like he's hesitant in doing so. She looks down at his hands and notices they're clenched tightly, a sign that indicates he's nervous and afraid.

Edward suddenly comes to an abrupt stop not far from her house. It's strange he wanted to have a conversation here, which makes her wonder what he has to say that he couldn't inside. She doesn't want to think the worst, but the feeling she always gets whenever something terrible is about to happen starts resurfacing.

He turns around and avoids making eye contact, but she's still able to notice his eyes are a darker shade of gold and the purple under them is much more noticeable. He averts his gaze to the trees behind her as his voice is barely a whisper, "We have to leave Forks."

Confusion and surprise overwhelms her, the look in her gaze then switching to an unreadable one after. She looks back at his strange behavior from that night and it does seem like a reasonable reaction, but it doesn't make sense since the rest of his family didn't appear to be upset. If anything, they were more than alright.

"Why?" Mia simply asks despite the millions of thoughts running through her head.

"Carlisle's supposed to be 10 years older than he looks, and people are starting to notice," Edward's words are insincere that he could only hope she believes them.

The gears in her head start turning, all of them moving in different directions that she's unable to choose which path to take. She's worried this is just a lie to cover up the truth, but the trust she has for him makes her choose to believe this is honesty.

"Okay, well, we can make long distance work," she assures him. "We've dealt with worse, so this shouldn't be too hard. I mean, we both knew this would happen eventually since my move to Forks was only temporary."

Mia waits for him to respond, but all he does is remain silent. He's staring at her with defeat, as if a hidden meaning was concealed behind his supposed reason.

"Is there something more?"

"Yes," Edward hastily responds and unlike the other night, he's having no trouble breaking eye contact now. "We can't risk anyone finding out about us, so we're not returning. Ever."

She notices the emphasis on the last word, as if he's trying to get her to understand what he's trying to say. A part of her suspects where this is going, but she's afraid of saying it out loud and making it real.

"I can help with that," Mia blurts out, unsure of where she's going with this, but all she knows is that she needs to stop the boulder. "Maybe I can alter their memories. I can make them forget their suspicions so you can all stay."

"Mia-"

"I'll fix this," she insists, not giving him a chance to continue. "I can do it, so please, let me help you."

"You're not allowed to use magic-"

"The trace is no longer with me," she cuts him off and holds her arms close together. "You don't have to move and escape your home anymore. You can stay."

"Mia," his voice is sharper than a knife and vibrates throughout the empty forest. "We're leaving. We don't want to stay here."

"I- what?"

"I don't want to stay," Edward clenches his jaw and glares at her in a condescending way.

She recognizes that look all too well. She'd be foolish not to since it's all she's received growing up: a mixture of resentment, fury, expectance, and hatred. All the emotions present in the people she's encountered back home, but never had expected to see them in the face of the man she loves.

"But I'm here," she tries arguing her way through, hoping it's enough to convince him not to leave. "You wouldn't just be leaving Forks, but you'd be leaving me as well."

"I need to look out for my family and myself. Getting them out of here is more important," Edward has to fight the urge to take everything back. He can't bear seeing her in such a vulnerable state when all she's ever been is the picture of valor and strength, but this is the only way to make it easier. Making her hate him is the best way for her to move on after he's gone. "It's the only thing that matters."

"The only thing that matters?" Mia gapes at him in disbelief, his admittance fracturing her already maimed heart. "What about me? Do I not matter to you anymore?"

Edward is quiet for a moment, reluctance and avoidance appearing for a short second, "Everything that's happened made me realize that you just don't belong in my world, Mia. We're different and nothing will ever change that."

"Anyone else can believe that, but not us," she moves closer to him, refusing to let him continue with this absurd reason coming out of nowhere. "We both know we're not so different, so don't try to use your immortality against me, because it's not going to work."

He slightly nods his head and uses all of his efforts not to lose his mask of stoicism, but it's getting harder trying to hide his feelings from the person that knows him the most. "You're right. Maybe we're not so different, but we are in one thing."

Her gaze is wary and full of scrutiny, "And what is that?"

Edward can see the hurt in her eyes and it kills him having been the cause. All he's ever wanted was to make her happy and bring the world to her, but now, he's about to make the world come crashing down her shoulders.

"I wouldn't have brought danger to my family," he nonchalantly says as if this was normal for him. "I would have ensured their safety above all, because I'm not selfish."

His words perforate her soul like blazing knives. They cut her deeper than any blade ever could and it kills her that he's saying this without appearing remorseful. If anything, it sounds as if he's been holding it in for a while and has barely gotten the courage to say them.

"I would have died for you," Mia may be a lot of things, but selfish is not one of them, so she's not about to let him make these accusations without a cause. "No, I actually did. I lost my life to destroy the cure that would have killed you. I helped you from the very first day knowing I could get found, so don't you dare call me selfish."

He hums in thought for a moment, "It doesn't change that you were still the reason for everything. You brought danger into my family's lives, into mine, and for that reason is why we need to leave."

"I tried giving you an out," her voice is louder than anticipated and he internally winces at her hostility. "I never wanted you or your family involved in my mess, but you were the one insisting to know the truth. You called me irrational, reckless, and foolish for having hid this from you, so don't you dare put the blame on me when you chose to get involved."

"And it was the greatest mistake of my life."

Her words are held captive and as much as she wants to defend herself, she's too consumed with shock and anger. He's never spoken this way to her before and that's with the exception of the other night. This sudden outburst has come out of nowhere and not even in her darkest thoughts did she imagine this could happen.

"Everything was great between us a couple days ago," she manages to say after a while, not bothering to spare him a glance. "You told me you loved me and we made plans, so what changed?"

Edward averts his gaze to their surroundings, as if searching for the right words. "Nothing has changed, because I was only lying. I've been wanting to say this for a while, but couldn't find the right time," he explains slowly to make sure she understands.

Her eyes fill with tears as she wonders if he's actually telling the truth. She knows him well enough to know when he's lying or pretending. Their time together didn't feel like a farce. It felt real. It was real to her.

"You can't expect me to believe that," she shakes her head, willing him to admit to his dishonesty. "Are you forgetting that I know you? You're lying to hide the real truth, which I don't understand why you would. We trust each other, so tell-"

"I don't trust you," Edward's heavy and sharp voice takes her soul and heart apart.

"You don't?" Mia can feel herself sinking into a hole, the light surrounding her now fading and leaving her deserted in the darkness. All this time, she believed that he trusted her like she trusted him, but it seems she was so wholeheartedly wrong.

"No, I don't," Edward's affirmation burns her from the inside out. His words become a part of her, linking themselves like a forced puzzle piece and damaging her much worse than anything. She wants him to stop, to stop inflicting this pain, but he doesn't care for her wellbeing. He's only determined to keep hurting her as if it's his life's purpose. "How can I? I was killed by your kind. It would be foolish of me to do so."

Fire and aching brews under her skin as the stitches in her heart that were once tightly bound were now loosening themselves and opening the wound that had been healed. The once sorrow consuming her is now transforming into anger and in this moment, she can't remember a time where the person standing before her wasn't hurting her.

How dare he put the blame on her kind? Does he not realize that his kind can be much more or equally as deadly?

"Says the vampire with lack of control," she seethes, her gaze hardening and the unshed tears becoming full of fury.

He slightly nods, not bothering to think of a remark, "Then you get it. We can't trust each other, so let's not."

Mia walks closer to him and if she wasn't already hurt, she becomes absolutely destroyed when he takes a step back. He's now avoiding any contact as if she were poison and could be the reason for his demise.

"You didn't care when you learned the truth, so why are you doing this now?" Mia doesn't want to sound like she's begging for answers, but it's suffocating her not knowing what brought this on. She has done everything right and has shown him how much she loves him, so it's cruel that he's giving her nothing but torment. "You say you don't trust me, but I don't believe you. You told me you loved me and now you're trying to hurt me to push me away? Why?"

Edward doesn't react to her words and continues maintaining his controlled demeanor, "Mia, I don't love you anymore."

Mia stops breathing at his words, the harshness and lack of remorse shattering every last part of her. She knows he's lying and never in her wildest dreams is she willing to give up on them, "You're lying. The Edward I know wouldn't say this to me. He wouldn't hurt me for anything."

He's trying his hardest not admitting to his lies, but he can't turn back the time and take his words back. It's too late to fix anything, so he decides to continue knowing it's for the best.

"You don't know me as well as you believe then, Mia," Edward calmly says and she stares at him like he had said the most ridiculous thing. "All this time, I've been lying and you didn't even notice. You don't know anything about me, so don't assume everything I'm saying is a lie, because I can promise you that it's not."

The harshness in his face and the detachment in his voice makes her afraid that her nightmare is coming to life. A part of her wants to leave, to never speak to him again, but the part that loves him is much stronger and demands her to stay. As much as he's hurting her, she needs answers as to why everything is changing between them and why he's so willing to ruin what they have.

He's abandoning the ship and leaving her to drown like she means nothing, as if their time together had been a waste. He told her he loved her a few days prior, but all the clues are pointing to the opposite. He's taking back the color he had painted her with and she's angry that he's tossing that away for nothing.

"If you're telling the truth, then I need to know one thing," her voice is strangely calm yet also deadly. "What made your love die for me?"

Edward knows he won't be able to continue if he stares into her eyes, but he needs to do this in order for her to quit trying. She needs to have nothing to hold onto so she can move on with ease.

He takes a step toward her and forces himself to glare at her with a look full of resentment, "I was killed by a dark wizard. You are the daughter of one. Every time I look at you, I see them. I see the darkness starting to consume you and turning you into a monster. If my family and I stay, it's only a matter of time until you destroy us."

Her heart shatters into a million pieces and the part of her that remained whole, the part that helped reassure her that she's nothing like her father, was now vanishing and burying her alive. He knows how terrified she is of becoming a monster and he still went ahead and used it against her.

It was an entirely different thing when her mother admitted to this. Isobel isn't aware of her fears and insecurities, but Edward is, and he still didn't care. He didn't care how much this would break her, because he doesn't love her anymore and despises her for what she is – a monster.

Tears flood her eyes as she looks to the ground, letting them fall silently down her cheeks before she wipes them in an instant. She wants to speak, but the shock and agony have made her words become trapped in her throat.

"I'm sorry, but you wanted to know the truth," Edward is broken at the pain he's caused and wishes to take everything back, but knows she would never forgive him for this. He went too far and now there's no turning back, but he convinces himself that it's for the better and that she would be safer without him in the picture.

Something changes in her at that moment. The light she once emanated fades and transforms the world into darkness, resembling the depths of purgatory and the black door that appears before entering the grim reaper's home. If before, she had believed there was a possibility of escaping her destiny, now it was gone. She's back to being that maimed girl who loathed herself, her last name, her blood, and she blames him for it.

"So that's what you think of me," it isn't a question, but more of a statement.

The sound of her voice is resentful and even though this is what he planned, he's still surprised by it. He wants to fix what he destroyed, but realizes he can't when seeing the pain and hatred in her eyes.

"Yes," Edward forcefully says in a low voice. "I know I have no right to ask, but I just want you to promise me one thing."

Mia clenches her jaw and looks up at him, a stoic expression covering her features despite the pain brewing inside. She doesn't say anything and remains quiet, a silent indication for him to proceed.

"Don't do anything reckless," he wants to be certain she's going to remain safe as he can't imagine what he'd do if anything were to happen to her. "Please. Do it for Isobel's sake."

She says nothing, simply letting him continue with his final words.

"And I'll promise something in return," Edward assures her and creates more distance between them. "This is the last time you'll ever see me. I won't come back and you can go on with your life without any interference from me. It will be like I never existed, I promise."

A laugh, one so quiet yet full of disdain comes out from her. She looks at him with disbelief and loosens her humorless smile, "You don't get to ask me for anything. I'm not making any promises to you. You can go to hell for all I care."

He swallows hard, shocked at her expected anger, but remains silent nonetheless.

"You truly think I'm such a monster then?" Mia glares up at him with a detached and hardened look. "Fine. Make me your villain."

Edward stops breathing at her hostility, recognizing there's nothing but a void trapped in her gaze that once held her spark. He had become the reason for her essence having been destroyed and there will never come a day where he finds the strength to forgive himself.

She walks away from him and he attempts to reach out for her, but knows better than to do so. She needs to hate him so he would become nothing but a distant memory, and that way, she could live the life she deserves.

He loves her and he always would in spite of her hatred.

__________________

Mia isn't a stranger to abandonment.

It follows her like a shadow, haunts her at every hour, taunts her with every breath, and poisons her notion like a snake's venom. She's learned to live with it as if it were the air she breathes and the organs keeping her alive. She endures it, abides by it, and understands such calamity would paint her in its invisible ink for all time.

Years have been spent looking over her shoulder, always worried that anyone she becomes remotely close with would end up leaving her. She would spend the long hours of the night pacing like a ghost searching for any warning signs. If she were just able to pinpoint who would be the next abandoner, then she could leave first before they leave her. A twisted logic, some might call it, but it's better saving herself from the loss, from the pain, and from the heartbreak of experiencing such torture in a constant cycle.

She lives and breathes the warning signs. They're hardwired into her brain like an implanted chip. It's always been a part of her and she trusts herself for it.

Correction – she trusted herself.

Edward abandoning her is nothing but her own fault. She should have known better than to hand him her heart on a silver platter. Instead of lowering her barriers, she should have protected herself and caved to her instincts. She shouldn't have trusted him. She shouldn't have confided in him about her worst nightmares and even about her dreams, which are nothing but forgotten memories now.

If she hadn't, none of this would be happening. She would have saved herself a life's worth of betrayal and pain, but she can't take anything back anymore. It's too late to swim to the shore, to crawl her way out from the hole he's buried her in, and if she's being honest, not a part of her is willing to reach the surface.

The air she breathes is no longer existent and suddenly, she's back at the lake becoming submerged by its waters again.

She let this person in, she let him in, and she never lets anyone in. She's always been a closed book and she had so foolishly allowed him to read the pages of her life. He made her believe her scars could be healed, that he could bring the stars to her, and protect her from the monsters under her bed. When in reality, the monster had been him this entire time.

He's trapped her in his web of deceptions and taken her ability to escape. She's become a prisoner to his words, to his beliefs, to his cruelty, and she's falling deeper and deeper into the darkness he's created with no means of escape.

How could he have been so cruel?

How could she have been such an idiot to put her faith in him?

Mia had been a beautiful little fool for believing lightning had been caught in a bottle. Such a phenomenon could never be obtained and it was her hubris that allowed her to think a diamond in the rough could love a piece of coal.

She can't even deny his words are nothing but the truth. They hurt in ways she never expected, but they were true. She is her father's daughter and a variant of Mount Vesuvius, a dormant volcano threatening to explode at any moment. A ticking time bomb is implanted into her chest and nothing she does will prevent the inevitable from occurring. If she had managed to lose the love of the most important person in her life, then that means everyone had been right about her.

She's an abomination, a wreck against nature. Nothing more than an insignificant, ordinary person that is only outweighed by her father's shadow, but she doesn't care anymore. There's nothing that can destroy her more than Edward already did, so all she does is wander the streets like a tormented soul.

By now, the daylight has faded and has become replaced by the night. The autumn leaves are scattering throughout the deserted roads, the chilly breeze sending a chill through the bone. She knows she should head home since her mother is probably worried, but she just can't seem to stop. Heading home and having to explain everything would make this real. It would mean accepting that this is her life now and there's nothing that will change it.

So instead, she continues walking with no means of ending. The outskirts of town have definitely been reached and vaguely, Mia remembers Mike had mentioned there's a bar where the bartender can be bribed to serve alcohol to those underage. It might be the worst mistake, but she needs to be away from Forks and everything that reminds her of him.

A small rundown bar with bright neon lights comes to sight. There's a few cars parked and the music can be heard from afar. She reaches into her inner pocket, feeling her wallet and various bills that will be spent all night. Sighing heavily, she paces herself and opens the wooden door, the sound of the bell making the closest people to the entrance turn to her.

The terrible stench of alcohol and tacky cologne overwhelms her nostrils. The blinding lights in various colors make her squint her eyes, but nevertheless, it doesn't stop her from reaching her acquired place.

"ID?" the bartender questions once she sits herself on a rusted stool.

Instead of answering him, she discreetly slides him a $100 bill and glares at him with indifference. He glances around to make sure no one is looking and just nods in approval before placing the bill into his jeans' pocket.

Once the first drink is served, Mia downs it all in one giant gulp. Harshly, she slams the glass into the counter and demands for another round. One, two, three, four. The bitter liquor inflames her throat, but she doesn't dare stop. It's the one thing keeping her standing and numbing the devastation he's caused.

"What brings you here?"

Lowering her drink in a harsh thud, she turns to the person who sat himself next to her. He's an older man that appears to be in his mid 30s. His dirty blond hair hangs loosely below his shoulders and the darkness of his eyes matches the ambience surrounding him.

"Wanted to have a drink," Mia vaguely responds. "My boyfriend-" she cuts herself off when realizing she can't call him that anymore. "My ex boyfriend abandoned me like the coward he is, so I'm celebrating."

"Ahh," he breathes out, taking a sip from his large glass of beer. "I'm also celebrating. My wife decided to divorce me. Finally!"

"Then cheers to our losses or better yet, our wins," Mia raises her drink in a celebratory way despite feeling the complete opposite. This isn't a win. If anything, it's a tragedy and the greatest loss of her life.

The man clinks his glass with hers and takes a sip, soon becoming distracted by a woman entering the bar. He pushes himself off the counter and heads to her, relieving Mia from enduring unwanted company in this rundown vicinity.

"More," she tells the bartender, watching her glass become filled with the intoxicating beverage before disappearing just as quickly as it was refilled.

__________________

In front of the Grey residence, the Swans, the Blacks, and the Clearwaters are gathered trying to find Mia. It's nearing midnight and there's still no sign of her, making Isobel think the worst that somehow, Dimitri or any death eaters might have taken her.

She paces around and attempts to remain calm, but hearing the police and everyone discuss the possibility that Mia could have gotten lost in the woods makes it harder to do so. Charlie tries comforting her, but nothing helps ease the storm inside her to the point his comfort is rendered useless.

"She's okay. She has to be okay," Bella fidgets with her hands nervously, praying to whatever holy divine is out there that her friend is safe.

"I'm trying the Cullens' place again," Isobel defeatedly starts heading back inside, hoping this time, the family answers.

"The Cullens left town, Isobel," Billy informs her, making her stop in her tracks and develop a new fear that her daughter could have possibly left with them.

"Good riddance," Harry Clearwater mumbles to himself.

Charlie furrows his brows in concern, "Where did they go?"

"How could they have left so suddenly?" Bella runs her hands through her hair, refusing to believe Mia could have skipped town without saying goodbye. It doesn't seem like a possibility since Mia would never do that. She would never vanish without an explanation, so none of this is making sense.

"It's what they do best," Jacob mutters to himself as he holds his girlfriend in an embrace.

"We'll find her, Isobel," Harry assures her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Isobel feels completely useless just standing here. Her daughter is out there and knowing how much danger is in town makes her hysteria worsen to the point it feels as if her chest is about to explode. She takes deep breaths and continuously looks into the forest, hoping that any time now, her Mia comes running back safe and sound.

__________________

With a drink in hand, Mia walks over to a rundown jukebox in a far corner. She flips through the choices and struggles on focusing on the blurry letters and maintaining her balance. The alcohol has now severely consumed her to the point she's officially lost knowledge of her whereabouts. Nevertheless, she recognizes a familiar song and makes her decision.

Closing her eyes, she takes a sip of her drink and leans her head back. The lights are vibrant through her shut eyelids and the entrancing beats make her movements flow in a rhythmic pattern. Her feet topple against each other as she calmly dances, but she couldn't care less about her incoordination. The only thing that matters is the drink in her hand and the music filling her ears.

The soft melody places her in a trance, granting the needed liberation from her perdition. The war in her mind has been placed on pause, but her heart tells a different story. Despite the lies and betrayal, it insists on calling his name and reminding her of what she lost. She wants to stop thinking of him and regain a breath of fresh air, but knows she'll never be able to since he had been her oxygen, and now he's gone.

Edward has abandoned her and now she can't breathe. She can't think. She can't do anything. She's just a floater amongst the crowd, an insignificant person wandering town as if she wasn't a hidden monster. His casual cruelty was painful, but she's now realizing that if the person she loves and had once loved her believes this, then of course others will.

It's useless denying her true nature and while the greater part of her is demanding to take his words with a grain of salt, the part that once trusted him clouds her judgment and makes her believe everything he said is the truth.

The sudden empty feeling of her glass makes her open her eyes and head to the bartender for another drink, which he eagerly provides with the rewarding pay she hands him. She drunkenly waltzes over to the center, allowing the music to course through her veins and consume her very being.

Extending her arms all around, the remnants of her drink spill over and drench her clothing. She spins around, not bothering to care when she topples over a few tables and receiving the attention of the remaining customers. Her heart has become replaced with stones and her soul feels as if it's been shattered into a million pieces, so caring for what anyone thinks seems like the most useless and worthless thing to do.

Another drink is acquired and despite her head starting to spin uncontrollably, she can't seem to stop dancing. She has nowhere else to go, so stopping for no reason is something beyond her realm of desires. If she had been disposed of as if she were nothing, then staying in a worn down place seems fitting.

While belting out the lyrics with agony, her hair performs a perfect circle as she spins around. Her drink vanishes and the glass comes crashing to the ground, shattering into a million pieces that end up pricking the sole of her shoe into her feet. Still, Mia can't find the strength to care or to stop. She's certain if she does, everything she's repressed since Edward's departure will come crashing and submerge her with its weight. This suffocating pressure will become the end of her, preventing her from ceasing the drink numbing the war in her.

Mia refuses to think of him, but he insists on haunting and torturing her with all the lies he fed her with these past few months. She trusted him. She believed in him and what did he hand her?

Resentment. Affliction. Betrayal.

She's done everything right for years. All the rules have been followed as if they were the law, and what was given?

Cruelty.

Had it been worth it to place her faith in him or should she have cursed his name from the start?

Mia should have known better. She shouldn't have opened her heart and linked her soul with his. She could have avoided this pain burning her from the inside out, but instead of trusting her instincts, she ignored them and went ahead in placing her faith in him like a child.

He left her like a father, made her scars bleed, turned her light off, and destroyed her spirit.

What did she do to deserve this?

What did she do to deserve this?

The sharp impact of a table prompts her to head over for another drink. She tries using her words, but all her senses are failing and leaving her deserted like the abandoned she's become. In her haze, she bumps into a pair of warm shoulders and it surprises her from them being the warmest she's ever felt.

"Come on, Mia," an unrecognizable voice calls out to her, but she's aware it belongs to a man. She's heard it before, but just can't quite put her finger on. "Let's take you home."

She weakly shoves his arm off, but he's much stronger than she could ever be. Before she knows it, he's carrying her out of the bar as if it's the most normal thing. The flashing lights and the music start fading, making the memories and the harshness of his words plague her entire being.

Edward has taken her ability to fight and she despises him for it. She despises him with the same passion that she loves him and it destroys her knowing these feelings will never die. They're a force of nature and like the gravity he is, it will be everlasting. Their invisible string will never be cut and as much as she wishes to shred it, there's no strength to reach for the scissors.

The engine of a car suddenly stops and not even in her wildest attempts does she care if she's being kidnapped or not. There's nothing anyone can do that hasn't been done before, so she just waits for the worst to come, but is suddenly surprised when recognizing Jacob's voice.

"Isobel, Charlie," Jacob calls out, quickly rushing in her direction along with the pair and Bella.

"She's alright," Sam carries her in their direction, carefully placing her into Charlie's arms.

"I got her," the chief holds her protectively as Isobel, Bella, and Jacob trail after him into the house. "I got you, Mia. You're safe now."

Charlie takes her into her room and gently sets her down. Isobel caresses her cheek, worried about the terrible state her daughter is in. She's never seen her this way before and it infuriates her that Edward could have been the cause. Mia's been reckless before, but never to the point in which she's disappeared for hours and found drunk.

"Is she okay?" Bella places a blanket around her, concern filling her expression and making her voice tremble with it.

Isobel's unsure of what to say, but just offers a nod of reassurance, "I hope she is."

But of course, hope is nothing but an empty promise, and Mia has been a witness to it.

Author's Note

Hey, y'all! Hope you're doing good!
Sorry for the wait, but just wanted to make sure this scene was given justice, which I really hope it did.

To paint a better picture, the song that Mia was dancing to was "Drink Before The War" by Sinéad O'Connor.

Hope you guys liked the chapter!
Don't be a ghost reader! Comment and vote!