✧

Working relentlessly at the library, Mia tries finalizing her history essay. These past few weeks, her grades have lowered to the point she's at risk of losing her spot as salutatorian. Refusing to let Edward's departure take more from her than it already has, she's become determined to raise her grades and get her life back to normal.

It hasn't been easy considering Isobel and Bella have been spending every waking minute by her side. After the incident at the Cullen house, Bella's been resilient in keeping an eye on her, and while Mia appreciates the concern, it's becoming suffocating. Privacy isn't a right anymore, but it's now a privilege she has lost.

Her only moment of solitude lies within the comfort of this library. She's able to concentrate on her work much better and while her overbearing classmates are still adamant on continuing to discuss the Cullens' departure, Mia's choosing not to take much notice of them. There are a few occasions when she's tempted to hex them, but even through this careless attitude she's adopted, she can't afford getting more in trouble than she already is.

As she nears the final paragraph, her pencil lead suddenly snaps, forcing her to head to the pencil sharpener past the peering gazes of her classmates. They're making it extremely hard to remain composed, but she chooses on swallowing her pride and hurries in sharpening her pencil. However, her attention is disrupted when she glances toward the bookshelves.

Wearing a gray peacoat, a young man is coursing through the row in an eloquent manner. His dark locks appear bronze with the minimal light entering through the windows. He's gently caressing the edges of the books as if they're a valuable relic, and the way he stands and is careful with his movements resemble his.

If she didn't know any better, she would believe he's returned, but her rationality reminds her of everything he said and why she was deserving of his abandonment.

"Hey, you okay?" Bella disrupts her momentary trance and follows her line of sight, which allows her to comprehend why she had been so attentive.

Removing the pencil from the sharpener, Mia starts heading back to her seat, "Always am."

Bella follows her to her seat, but notices Mike's invitation for his Halloween party peeking from her bag. "Are you going to this?"

"I'm not sure," Mia gathers the rest of her belongings and walks out the library doors. She wants to attend the party, but her mind is demanding her not to. It's happening at La Push and while she wants to go, she's afraid of what may happen. Something about bodies of water and hearing waves crashing against the rocks sends her back to that night at the lake. Anything remotely small like the sound or even the smell makes her feel like she's reliving everything, but much more intense.

The memories have kept her away from La Push for months. It's gotten extremely bad to the point just thinking about it makes her feel like the water is entering her lungs again. The feeling of the lake's waters mixing with her blood repulses her, preventing her from thinking logically and remembering memories can't hurt her.

Or can they?

"How about we stay in and watch movies?" Bella suggests, both of them walking alongside each other to the cafeteria. "Charlie's going to be working late, so we have the whole house to ourselves."

"We should go," Mia dismisses her suggestion as she's unable to fathom staying inside any longer.

It's Halloween, so instead of sulking in her room, she would prefer to dance the night away and drink all her troubles away. Just for tonight, she can pretend to be a regular teenager. She won't be the girl that got dumped or the girl that destroyed a million dollar home. Tonight, she can just be Mia Grey.

"I desperately need a night out," she tries pleading her case, hoping resistance won't be offered now more than ever.

Bella seems reluctant, but can tell this is something her best friend needs. "Alright. A night out at a Halloween party. Sounds good."

"You don't have to come," Mia doesn't want to burden her any longer. She knows how annoying it can be taking care of her, so the last thing she wants is to ruin the evening for her much more than she already has. "You and Jake can do whatever it is couples like to do on Halloween."

"Nope," she hastily cuts her off, her eyes narrowing in a challenge. "I'm definitely going and since it just happens to be at La Push, Jake will already be there."

Great.

Not wanting to say more, Mia just awkwardly gives her a thumbs up. It's such a ridiculous action, but it feels like the old her is still managing to find her way through. Even if it just so happens to be through this awkward action.

"I thought we were going to match," Jessica complains to Mike, who's shielding himself with his plate to avoid the grapes she's throwing at him. "I'm going as a cheerleader and you're going as a football player."

"Jess, that's such a cliche," Mike barely manages to miss the grape she throws at him, which only makes her more annoyed. "I'd rather go as anything else, but that."

"At least it's not the costume Eric picked out for us," Angela cringes at her boyfriend's costume choice, earning an offended scoff from him.

"I'm peanut butter and you're jelly," Eric tries selling his idea, but everyone (with the exception of Mike), agrees that it's such a corny concept.

"What are you going as, Mia?"

Mia internally winces at everyone's peering eyes on her. She doesn't want to ruin the mood by admitting she's not thinking of dressing up. Just because she's drowning, it doesn't mean she's dragging everyone down with her.

"I'm not sure yet," she chooses to say, which seems to work seeing as they all begin brainstorming ideas on what she should go as.

"How about a witch?"

If only they knew it wouldn't be a costume, but a revelation of her truth.

"A ghost?"

Seems fitting for how she's been feeling lately. Sometimes she feels like she's levitating through the streets and haunting this town.

"A vampire!"

A meaningless word makes her physically react. Her jaw clenches and unwillingly, hot and angry tears prick at her eyes that she blinks away before anyone notices. Going as a vampire would feel like she's honoring him, like she's holding him close to her even when he's far in who knows where.

She would rather die than choose such a costume.

Since Bella's the only one that knows about what she and the Cullens are, she knows the idea has become a trigger. "How about you go as the after self of Sandy Olsson?"

Receiving her aid makes Mia feel undeserving of it. She had been awful to her at the house and here she was treating her as if nothing happened.

Why didn't she hate her?

Why wasn't she leaving like everyone else?

What did she do to deserve her friendship?

"Now that's a hot costume," Angela shoots daggers at Eric, an indication of how that's a great costume instead of dressing like a sandwich.

Mike rests his arms against the table and leans forward, "Even if the party is happening at the beach, costumes are still mandatory, so wear something fun." He then points his finger at Bella, who's already busy starting to eat her lunch, "I'm looking at you, Bells."

Bella stares at him incredulously, "I am more than capable of wearing something fun."

"You didn't even dress up last year!" Mike rolls up a piece of paper and throws it at her head. "Hell, even Cullen dressed up."

At the mention of his name, everyone turns silent and instinctively glances at Mia. She hates how everyone has been tiptoeing around her like she's some kind of bomb about to go off. Instead of pretending like nothing happened, they seem adamant on making her seem like she's this fragile flower whose petals have been crumbled.

"I'm sorry, M. I didn't mean to-"

"I don't care, Mike," Mia's blatant lie is obviously caught on, but no one decides on continuing to mention it.

Choosing to change the topic of conversation, Jessica resumes her complaints about Mike needing to match with her. It's such a subtle attempt of helping, but Mia appreciates it more than anything. All she wants is for things to return to normal, so she can only hope her friends get the memo and stop treating her like a porcelain doll.

She takes a bite out of her apple and unintentionally begins fading their conversation out. She doesn't intend on glancing at the Cullens' previous table, but this invisible chain keeps hauling her in complete refusal to liberate her from perdition.

The table is empty, as if everyone had chosen to leave it deserted for whatever reason. People walk by it without a care, making it resemble a wandering spirit trapped on earth. It's meaningless to them, but to her, it means everything.

Correction – meant.

She used to have lunch with the Cullens and share the most interesting conversations. If she wasn't at their home, she was here enjoying their company, his company, but now it's nothing but a painful memory.

She's been trying to ignore this aching in her heart, but it's hard doing so when seeing how everyone has moved on, and she's still stuck on that day. Everyone is smiling and continuing forward, and while she's desperate for normalcy, it's killing her being trapped in this mental prison. The key has been taken to the ends of the earth, so she's forced to endure this everlasting torment.

Her heart is broken and all the pieces are scattered. No amount of stitches would bring it back together. Nothing would. Just like a crumpled piece of paper, there's no possible remedy to return it to its once perfect condition.

She would remain broken and nothing she does will ever return her to the once livened Mia Grey.

This is her life now and she hates herself for it.

__________________

Waves crash against the shore as if a storm was taking place. Its chaotic sound combines with the blasting music, offering a tinge of alleviation to the terror its waters cause. Just a little far from the shore, the bonfire sits comfortably. Its fire is more dazzling than ever and emits a blaze of warmth that's enough to make all kinds of frustrations vanish. Around it, people are dancing to the music and laughing in complete ecstasy – the kind of laughter that isn't faked, but is very much genuine and coming from the heart.

Dressed as the after self of Sandy Olsson and as a pirate, Mia and Bella head to the bonfire. Both of them are hesitant in continuing, but it's too late once Jacob notices them and begins making his way past the crowd, who Mia recognizes are a few of Sam's followers.

"You guys came!" Jacob holds his girlfriend in an embrace before placing a kiss upon her lips. "I'm really loving this pirate costume on you. You should wear it more often."

"Oh, really?" Bella softly questions, her voice coming out as barely a breath.

"Really," Jacob comes closer before landing yet another kiss, which serves as a sign for Mia to leave before it gets more intense.

With her hands inside her jacket's pockets, she heads over to the keg, where a guy with a large tattoo on his arm is performing a keg stand while everyone cheers on him. Not too soon after, he applauds himself for his newest record and embraces his title as the "Keg King."

Pushing through the already drunken crowd, she manages to acquire a drink, quickly swallowing the contents as if it were water. She tries ignoring the sight of the ocean, but its light mist splashing onto her makes it harder to pretend she's not near one of her recently developed fears.

"Little Grey!" Mike hollers in delight and raises her into the air to give her a spin. "I've been waiting for when you'd show up."

"Better late than never," she nonchalantly says.

"Let me guess," Mike narrows his eyes pensively as if to pretend he's giving some thought to it. "You're dressed as Sandy Olsson."

"You got it," Mia takes notice of his costume, which happens to be a football player like Jessica wanted. However, it seems he did a little twist by adding fake blood. "And you're a zombie football player?"

"Damn right," Mike takes her off guard when he suddenly places his arm around her to guide her to the others. "Jess said to go as a football player, so that's what I did. She never said anything about not turning it into a zombie."

"How dare you find loopholes?" Jessica rolls her eyes at him before taking a sip of her drink. "Did you just get here?"

"Literally just a minute ago. I arrived with Bella, but she's busy," Mia points toward her, everyone following her line of sight to find Bella and Jacob having a moment.

"I'm glad she's having more action than me," Jessica admits while glaring at Mike, who obviously catches on to the tension and starts parting away.

"I'm getting another drink!" Mike laughs nervously as he awkwardly shuffles toward the keg, his hands performing an odd move and legs appearing as if they're moonwalking.

Angela suddenly arrives with Eric, clearly displeased in her jelly costume while he has the biggest smile on his face.

For just a quick second, Mia finds herself wanting to laugh. She shields her smile by covering it up by taking a sip of her drink, but Jessica isn't shy on keeping her humor on the low.

"You guys look ridiculous," Jessica laughs and Angela only glares at her boyfriend as if a point was just proven.

Angela slaps his shoulder as he attempts to run away from her, "I told you!"

Eric is still adamant on defending his costume choice, "She doesn't know what she's talking about! We're the best dressed in this entire party!"

"You mean the worst," Angela rolls her eyes and frustratedly takes Jessica's drink. "You guys look amazing. I love my boyfriend, but sometimes I want to strangle him."

"Me with Mike," Jessica admits, but then frowns at such a thought. "And he's not even my boyfriend. Imagine if we were dating."

"It'll get worse," Mia finally speaks up as she arrives with more drinks in hand. "Relationships are a waste of time. You think you know someone, but then you realize they're extremely different than who you thought they were. It's complete bullshit."

Raising their cups in a celebratory way, Jessica and Angela agree with her, "It's complete bullshit!"

After chugging their drinks as if they were the last beverage in a desert, they head to the keg to acquire another round. Various cups are emptied and filled, granting the liquid courage to poison their bloodstream like a lethal venom.

Mia doesn't remember how or when, but now she's dancing as if her life depends on it. Laughters and cheers fill the beach, and for the first time in a while, she's able to lose focus of the mess her life's become. It's been weeks of drowning in this darkness, and tonight, the light has started to flicker back on. It's momentary and while she knows this feeling won't last, she chooses to move past it to live in the moment.

Allowing the music to do its thing, Mia focuses on the blaring sound filling her eardrums. The notes of the electric guitar make her feel like a puppet following orders of her master. She follows the rhythm of the melody, closing her eyes and taking sips of her drink continuously as she manages to find the strength to breathe without repercussions. The drums, electric guitars, and other instruments are so loud that it silences her demons and allows her to obtain a moment of peace.

A few minutes or maybe an hour have passed, but in all fairness, she couldn't care less. All she's aware of is that this night was needed and even though she might regret it in the morning, that's something she will worry about the next day, but not right now.

"I managed to acquire a bottle of my dad's infamous whiskey," Jessica pulls out a large bottle full of amber contents, making all of them smile in ecstasy. "How about we head a little further off for some privacy?"

"Way ahead of you," Mia grabs ahold of the bottle and starts running to the shore, now too drunk to remember the deep waters begging her to enter. Not even when feeling the waves on her feet does she seem to awaken, but the alarms in her body start going off in an incessant pattern. Still, she ignores the warning signs and takes a giant sip of the strong contents.

Jessica acquires control of it and starts chugging it, but Angela complains and forcefully takes it from her hands. For a few seconds, the two begin hassling over it like a couple of children fighting for the better toy, and that's when Mike and Eric seem to finally decide to intervene.

"How about you guys come sit down?" Eric guides his girlfriend back to the bonfire while Mike struggles on holding Jessica upright.

"Come on, little Grey," he extends his free arm to hold her, but Mia refuses to end her enjoyment just yet.

"I think I'll stay here," she smiles and awkwardly holds a thumb up. "I want to walk around, Mikey. Dance the night away."

"I'll be right back. Don't move," Mike hurries in taking Jessica back to the party. Once he makes sure she's well taken care of, he dashes back to the shore, but finds Bella and Jacob have already beaten him to it.

"Mia," Jacob calls out as he hastily strides closer to her. "Come on, let's go."

Bella reaches for the bottle in her hand, hoping she doesn't try to fight her off. "We're going home now. Come on, M."

"No. Screw you both," Mia shoves her arm off and manages to maneuver her way past them all the way to the keg. Despite her head spinning uncontrollably and every part of her body demanding she stops, she chooses to ignore the signs as she's afraid of her thoughts coming back.

"I think you've had enough," Jacob tries taking the drink from her hand, but she's resilient in continuing to own it.

"Put it down," Bella tries approaching her in a softer way as if to prevent her from becoming angry. "We're serious, M."

"No," Mia can feel irritation brewing under her skin, especially at how much they're trying to prevent her from having fun. It's all everyone has been wanting of her, so it doesn't make sense that they're wanting to put a stop to it. "Let me go!"

"Mia, I'm serious," Jacob argues and continues attempting to stop her from regaining more alcohol. His action only worsens everything when she abruptly lets go, causing the beer to spill all over his once clean shirt. "Okay, that settles it."

Before she can even attempt to scurry off, he places her on his back and starts taking her away from the bonfire. She flails in his hold and sends him various punches, but not even then does he let her go.

"What the hell?! Let me down!" Mia's demands cause everyone to turn in their direction, a momentary silence taking over as they watch expectantly.

"You're drunk, Mia," Jacob ignores all the punches received and manages to take her as far from the scene.

Bella tries calming her down, "We're just taking you home. It's for the better."

"Let me down!"

"I'm not doing that."

Mia finally seems to have found the right place to hit him in. He winces in pain, forcing him to set her down onto the sand. She tries getting up, but her head is spinning uncontrollably and now the sound of the waves are starting to affect her.

"Come on," Bella tries helping her up, but she refuses to receive her aid.

In her drunken mind, Mia blames her for this. This party was helping her put her thoughts on pause after the most agonizing weeks, and they're so adamant on breathing on her. They're suffocating her and it's getting harder to breathe with all their pitiful glares and overbearing concerns. They're treating her like she's a fragile glass, like she's bound to break at any moment, and now they're ruining this night for her.

"Just go!" Mia pushes herself off the ground and brushes her hair behind her shoulders.

"We're not leaving you," Bella reassures her, speaking softly as if not to worsen everything.

Jacob agrees, "We'll stay with you all night if we have to."

Mia doesn't understand why they're bothering with this. They have the chance of spending time together and living their lives like they should. It isn't their responsibility to care for her. She's not their burden to carry. She's nothing.

"But you shouldn't," she defeatedly says, her once hostile attitude faltering into despondence. "You shouldn't waste your time on me. I'm only ruining everything, so just leave before I ruin you both."

It isn't until now when Bella begins understanding how Edward could have possibly broken up with her. He made her feel like she isn't worthy, like she's only capable of destroying everything. He ruined her confidence and took away what made her herself. Everything.

"No!" Bella snaps, taking a step toward her. "You aren't ruining anything. You're my best friend and I care and love you. That's why I'm not leaving."

"We take care of each other, so we're not letting you believe anything that Cullen guy told you," Jacob means well, but the mention of Edward only shatters whatever remaining parts she had left. It isn't until seeing a mixture of pain and resentment in her eyes when he realizes his mistake, but it's too late when she's already starting to walk away. "No, wait-"

"Just leave me alone!" Mia is basically pleading with them, asking them not to pry into her life anymore.

She's afraid of ruining everything and if they keep insisting, she's bound to destroy them. She cares for them too much to allow that to happen, so if solitude is the answer for their salvation, then she would remain alone for all eternity if she has to. "I just- I need you to stop breathing down my neck. Can you please do that for me?"

"Fine," Bella decides to agree as a way to bring her defenses down. "We'll stop hovering, but can you just let us take you to Jacob's house? When you're rested, you can come back."

Mia knows this is a trick, but finds herself unable to argue against it. Everything is starting to spin much faster and not even her attempts to remain upright work. She braces herself for the ground's impact, but Jacob catches her on time. A hand caresses her cheek and holds her hand, and while she wants to fight off any comfort, her exhaustion and drunken haze win this round, returning her to her usual darkness.

__________________

It's 3 am when Mia wakes up. Like expected, her head is pounding as if a mallet was striking it incessantly. She rubs her eyes to try and rid herself of the grogginess, and from her blurred vision, she's able to make out a few things laying on the bedside table: a glass of water, Advil pills, a small note, and a trash can pulled to the side of the bed.

Reaching for the paper, she recognizes the writing to be Bella's. It reads, "I called your mom to let her know you'll be sleeping over at my place. Charlie is working late, so he won't even notice, but I had to head back to make sure we didn't get found out. Jacob will drive you home, so don't even think about stealing one of his bikes. Drink some water and take these. It'll make you feel better – Bella."

Mia feels terrible once again for how awful she's been acting. Bella's been treating her with care and has been so attentive over her, and she's been giving her nothing but the worst parts of her. How terrible of a person can she be to treat her best friend this way?

She reaches for the pills and drinks the entire water in a giant gulp. From the bottom of the door, she notices faint light, which indicates Jacob or Billy must be awake. Carefully, she slides to the side of the bed and tries ignoring her pounding headache. Now she's really regretting having mixed cheap beer with expensive whiskey. Never again will she be making that mistake.

The door creaks open as she steps out, alerting Billy of her presence, but she comes to notice that it's not just him, but it's Sam and Paul. Jacob is nowhere in sight, which makes her grow worried about what could have possibly happened during the time she was asleep.

"Mia, sorry, we didn't mean to wake you," Billy apologizes, but his voice trembles with unease. It sure doesn't help that his smile doesn't match his eyes.

"Pretty wild party, right?" Paul questions and she simply nods, unable to focus when seeing him and Sam without a shirt.

Do they not own one?

"I'm never drinking again," Mia leans against the wall and rubs her temples, hoping it would soothe her headache.

"You definitely shouldn't. It's not good for you," Sam scolds her like an older brother would with his little sister. "I'll make sure to look out for you-"

"Don't. I already have enough with my mother," she cuts him off and her speed in answering back makes them chuckle.

"Why don't you head back to bed, Mia?" Billy gestures towards the bedroom, which she finally recognizes to be Jacob's.

"Where's Jake?" she finally asks.

"A fight broke out at the party between Embry and Jared, so he went to help them," Sam assures her and while she's doubtful on believing him or not, she doesn't have the energy to argue back.

"Alright, well, I'm heading back to sleep. Thank you for letting me stay the night," Mia isn't sure why, but she gives them a two finger salute before going back to the room. She closes the door gently and just when she's about to lay down, she manages to overhear their conversation.

In a low and angry whisper, Paul obviously seems distraught, "They left town, so it doesn't make sense that she's here for them."

"They killed her mate," Sam tries explaining, but Paul isn't convinced. "It does make sense for her to want to seek revenge."

Billy huffs in response, "It doesn't matter why she's here. She's still a risk and if she remains in town, more of us will start phasing. My son included."

It doesn't take a genius to piece two and two together. This is about Victoria and while a part of her had anticipated her return, it makes her angry that even with the Cullens being gone, they're still here. Victoria being in town is just an example of it and while she understands everything started because of her, it enrages her that they still left knowing a vengeful vampire would appear.

"If that happens, I'll do everything to help him," Sam assures him, his voice getting slightly higher and making it easier to hear.

"Should we tell her?" Paul asks and Mia perks up at his question.

"Well, that vampire is looking for the one she's fond of-"

"Used to be," Mia walks out of the bedroom, making the three of them turn to her as if they were caught red handed. "If she's looking for him, then she'll leave once she realizes he's gone."

There's silence for a brief moment, but with just one look, the three of them decide it's best to fill her in on everything. She knows about the existence of the supernatural, so it would be useless to keep any secrets from her when they're just bound to get revealed.

"Maybe she will, but since you and him were involved, it would be best if you stay away from the forest and keep an eye out," Sam's sentence actually makes her laugh. He's completely wrong in believing that she had ever been important to Edward. She wasn't, so the fact that Sam believes otherwise, makes her laugh as if a joke has just been said.

"Keyword: Were," she loosens her smile, the tension now becoming more palpable and able to be cut with a knife. "If she comes for me, he won't give a damn. He'll be relieved."

Mia expects to receive pitiful looks, but she's surprised when finding nothing but understanding. They're not staring at her like she's a glass about to break. If anything, they're staring at her like she's strong and the most deserving person to receive their comprehension.

"There is one more thing," Billy exchanges a few looks with Sam and Paul before continuing. "There's been reports of cloaked figures roaming around town. Just last week, a skull was casted into the sky. We're not sure who or what..."

Everything around her starts to gradually fade once she realizes what this means. It's not just Victoria having come back, but it's most definitely her father and other death eaters. Dimitri has been missing for months and while she loves not having him in her life, the silence is killing her. She's constantly looking over her shoulder, waiting for him to emerge from the shadows and attempt destroying her again. In his absence, he's still holding her under the lake and carving his blade into her.

Mia despises admitting to it, but Dimitri terrifies her more than Victoria ever could. With a vampire, she knows what to expect. They're reckless and only driven by their impulsivity and predatory instincts. Vampires only care about one thing and it's blood.

Dimitri, on the other hand, is a mystery. His motives vary and while he claims to have a mind of his own, he's nothing but the Dark Lord's soldier. He follows his orders and won't think twice about going through with them. However, Dimitri also thinks before acting. He knows better than to act on impulse, which makes him much more deadly than a vengeful vampire could ever be.

"Mia, do you know who they are?" Sam approaches her, but is careful not to overstep when seeing how frightened she's become.

"They're-"

The windows smashing prevents her from finishing her sentence. All of them take cover on the ground, unsure of what's happening or who is the instigator for this. She knows this can't be Victoria as she wouldn't waste her time taunting them. She would head straight for the kill, so the only thing that Mia can think of is that her father has finally returned and is back to try to kill her for good.

As much as she's terrified, Mia can't allow him to hurt them. She needs to keep them safe, so quickly, she stands up and wastes no time in reaching for her wand. She ignores Billy and Sam telling her to remain inside, but she's never been the type to stay put and allow others to fight her battles.

This is something she needs to do on her own.

The second she walks out of the house, a dark cloud of smoke comes running from the sky. Fire emits at its landing and it isn't until the silhouette lands when she realizes this isn't her father.

This is a woman that she recognizes as Bellatrix Lestrange – one of her father's greatest accomplices.

Her deranged smile carves daggers into her and her untamed dark curls match her disturbed nature. She stands menacingly with her hand tightly gripping onto her wand and it isn't until Mia makes the first move when the woman decides to run off in the direction of the forest.

A few people start heading to the scene to help extinguish the fire, but allowing innocents to get involved would be the worst possible mistake. Sensing the same thing, the others start demanding for everyone to stay away.

Mia remembers having read about a spell that can alter the weather, and knowing she can't bring out her wand without revealing her magic to the few witnesses, she decides on taking the simpler route of using wandless magic. She looks up at the sky and focuses on that specific spell, soon managing to create a storm that allows the fire to become extinguished with ease.

"Jacob is still at the party," Billy attempts to leave his house, but Mia prevents him from doing so.

"I'll take care of it. Stay here," she orders and runs in the direction of the forest before he even can attempt to stop her.

"Mia, no!" Sam starts running toward her, but she extends her hand in his direction and emits a strong force that causes him to fall to the ground. She doesn't need anyone to get involved in her matters considering it's her fault this attack is happening. All she's ever done since arriving in this town is bring trouble to everyone, so she needs to fix this.

She wonders if perhaps there's a connection between the death eaters and Victoria. It can't be a coincidence that they're here at the same time. This has to be connected and if it is, it makes everything much more critical since nothing good can come out from a possible vampire and dark wizard alliance.

With the rain having been casted, the forest has become visibly darker. The clouds have covered the moon and cut off any possible illumination, leaving her stranded with only her wand as her light source.

After a few moments of running, she stops to listen to her surroundings. A torturous silence lingers to the point her pounding heart can be heard. The wind rustles the leaves and the faint thunder casts a shadow into the distance, allowing her the opportunity to see the woman standing as if eager to be discovered.

Out of nowhere, a fiery trail starts circling around her. The flames leave her trapped like a caged prey, but Mia isn't one to allow this. She's not letting her believe such an insignificant spell will make her surrender. She would rather die than let this deranged woman obtain pleasure from this.

"Come and get me!" Bellatrix sings in a mocking tone, causing her fury to intensify.

Mia extinguishes the fire with ease and runs after her. The sound of Bellatrix's laughter pounds against her eardrums as if knives were perforating them. Hearing the taunt in her voice is the worst possible sound to exist and if her mission was to infuriate her, then the dark wizard surely got what she wanted.

"Edward Cullen abandoned you!" Bellatrix taunts her, laughing maniacally like a mad woman. "Edward Cullen abandoned you!"

The mention of his name makes her run faster than she ever has. She has no idea how Bellatrix knows about her abandonment, but a part of her senses that perhaps this attack has been planned for a while now. Edward certainly must have known since his gift grants him the ability to know what the enemy is thinking, so that means his hatred was so deeply rooted that he left her despite knowing this would happen.

He's been wanting her dead all this time and such revelation enrages her to the core.

"Come and find me!" Bellatrix's laughter reverberates throughout the forest. Mia wishes for the sound to stop, so she casts the only spell that comes to mind. She's never fully meant it before, but it's all she desires to inflict now.

"Crucio!" A flash of red emits from her wand and to her luck, the curse impacts Bellatrix and sends her crashing to the ground in agony.

Through the heavy mud, Mia is able to now stand before her. Her wand remains addressed to her, causing the disturbed woman to writhe in pain.

"Found you," Mia's voice is low and deadly and after letting her endure the torture she has caused to many, her wand lowers. "Get up."

"You filthy blood traitor!" Bellatrix flicks her wand upward and bright green light comes flying in her direction, but she manages to deflect the spell by creating an invisible shield around her.

Mia jerks her wand forward and her spell comes so sudden that Bellatrix nearly misses from dodging it. She forms a small smirk at seeing the dark wizard surprised at her vitality, but such a small action infuriates the woman even more.

Their flashes of green light clash against the other, emitting sparks to fly all around them like fireworks. Each of them takes a step closer and just when Mia's about to make her next move, the most agonizing force suddenly overpowers her.

Her body writhes in the ground uncontrollably, her head feeling as if it's being split in two while her bones feel like they're being removed one by one. She tries masking her hurt, but this pain is unlike anything she's ever experienced. This is everlasting and Mia wishes for everything to stop. She wants it to end, to pass out... to die.

Tormented gasps and yells escape her throat as she concludes the end has finally come. The grim reaper has come to finish her off and drag her to its gates. No one should escape death, so this second opportunity will not be wasted. While she wants to fight back, a part of her sees no point. Her death will come in spite of her resilience, so she allows herself to become consumed by her destiny.

However, the pain suddenly comes to a stop. A pair of hands hold her upright and the tip of their wand pokes the outline of her jaw. She tries making sight of who the person is, but her vision is still struggling on recovering. Her head has become tilted on its axis and for a moment, she swears she's being spun around in a constant cycle.

"Do it now," an unfamiliar voice says.

Bellatrix laughs maniacally and addresses her wand to her. The other person, who Mia finally recognizes as Antonin Dolohov, holds tighter onto her and prevents any escape attempts. While she's already expecting the killing curse, she's taken off guard when Bellatrix's hands press into her temples.

A massive pressure is inflicted all over, but unlike the Cruciatus curse, this doesn't feel like the worst pain imaginable. This feels as if something is being injected into her and removing the power running through her veins. She flails in his hold, but his strength exceeds hers and keeps her trapped.

Black veins start running down her neck and Bellatrix's hands start glowing. Mia can feel herself start getting weaker by the minute, but just when she believes the worst is yet to come, everything suddenly stops.

A flash of light impacts Bellatrix and she comes crashing to the ground. Dolohov gapes in disbelief in the direction the attack came from, granting Mia the opportunity to free herself from his hold. She runs the furthest from him and comes to notice the black veins are starting to disappear. A sense of hope resurfaces that perhaps whatever Bellatrix was doing won't affect her. Maybe it didn't work since it was cut short. Whatever it is that occurred, Mia snaps out of her daze and acquires her wand.

Both death eaters are fighting against an unknown person. He's about her age and is dressed in what appears to be a biker costume, which indicates that he had been present at the party. He's fighting with ease, as if this were familiar to him, and Mia doesn't waste time in defending him like he had done with her.

Bellatrix yells in anger and jerks her wand forward at the same time Mia does. Their beams of light struggle on coming out as the winner, making the both of them use their entire strength and will to defeat the other.

A sudden fire surrounds them and the trees begin burning with ease. Not even the rain helps extinguish it and Mia is well aware that this will bring more attention to their whereabouts. Innocent people can't get involved, especially now that she knows two of the most sadistic death eaters are present.

Thinking the same thing, she and the stranger use their magic to inflict the most tortuous sound only Bellatrix and Dolohov can hear. The death eaters cover their ears in an attempt to shield the blaring sound, but it reverberates throughout their heads in an incessant pattern.

Mia suddenly hears growling from behind her, more specifically coming from the forest. She glances back and notices large wolves emerging from the shadows. One particular one has a deep set of dark eyes that seem familiar, almost like she's seen them before. As the black wolf walks forward, the rest follow like a herd of sheep.

At the sight of the wolves, Bellatrix and Dolohov apparate into a dark cloud of smoke. Mia extends her wand to the flames to extinguish the fire, but just when the water is about to impact them, a consuming pain expands throughout her chest and makes her head feel like it's getting burned all over again.

The unlikely ally notices and extinguishes the fire. He briskly heads in her direction and stares at her as if concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am," Mia doesn't intend on sounding rude, but constantly being asked that question has made her loathe it with her entire being.

The black wolf turns to her and as if being able to communicate with one stare, he and the rest start running in the opposite direction. She turns around to head back to make sure Billy and everyone is okay, but that's when the stranger decides on stopping her.

"Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

Stopping in her tracks, Mia slowly turns to him with narrowed eyes, "Yeah, thanks. Happy now?"

He softly chuckles, "I just saved your life. I would have expected a little more heartfelt appreciation."

"Don't expect it from me, and also, I had it handled," she starts heading back to the house, but he refuses to give up that easily.

He trails after her as if he were a lost puppy, "Yeah, it definitely seemed like you did."

Maybe it's her pride and her unwillingness to accept when defeat was reaching her, but despite knowing it's the right thing, she refuses to express her gratitude. "And who the hell are you?"

He walks forward with his hand held out to her, "I'm Jackson. Jackson Winchester."

Not accepting his hand, she only hums in response before turning around. She can hear him following her, which only makes her grow much more frustrated. "So, what? Are you, like, stalking me now?"

"I figured I'd keep an eye out. Just in case you might need my help again," Jackson is obviously teasing her, making her more curious on his insistence.

Mia comes to a halt and turns to glare at him. He has the most boastful of smirks and even from the way he's standing, she can tell his involvement has raised his ego. "I can take care of myself, so just leave me the hell alone."

"Why were those death eaters after you?" Jackson asks, making her internally wince, which is something he's able to notice.

"It's none of your business," Mia deflects his question as she refuses to explain herself to a stranger. Even if he did help her, it doesn't mean she's going to trust him with her secrets. She already made a mistake of trusting someone, so she's not about to make it again.

"I think it is since I'm technically involved now," Jackson tries arguing his way through, but it doesn't seem to work.

"Because you chose to do it. I never asked you to," she retorts, making him roll his eyes and move in front to block her path. "Move or I'll make you."

"Why would they travel all the way here for you?" Jackson insists, ignoring her attempts at moving past him.

"Like I said, none of your business."

"Are you some kind of danger to them?"

Mia feels like she's being questioned by an eager child. She understands his curiosity, but he should know better than to pry into her private matters. Even if he helped her, it doesn't mean she owes him an entire life story.

"You ask a lot of questions."

"Usually, it's only two," Jackson persists. "Who am I dealing with and how can I help defeat them?"

"Well, get in line," Mia tries ignoring the piercing sensation in her body. Her headache has gotten significantly worse and while a part of it might be due to her hangover, she's aware it has to do with the unknown hex Bellatrix was performing on her.

Jackson narrows his eyes in concern, knowing whatever spell they used on her, it couldn't have been anything good.

"Nearly all of the wizarding world is searching for those answers. It's getting more complicated over time, so believe me, I'm just in the dark as you," Mia finally reaches the edge of the forest, but is suddenly held back by him.

"You should look into the curse they were putting on you," he advises her and she shakes his arm off. "Make sure it isn't anything deadly."

"Yeah, I got it," she knows he's right considering curses' effects don't linger for long. This one is still in her system and appears to be affecting her senses. Something is different about this and while she's afraid of admitting it, she's aware she can't ignore this problem despite wanting to do so.

Mia starts walking away from him, but decides on pushing her pride aside. Jackson did help her and without him, this unknown curse would have affected much worse. Sighing heavily, she comes to a halt and glances back, "Thank you. You didn't have to help, but you did, so I appreciate it."

Jackson smiles, "No problem, little witch."

Little witch.

The nickname Edward gave her.

She used to love it and cherish it deeply, but now it's become the bane of her life. How funny how much life can change and the things she used to value were now the things she despises most.

"Don't you ever call me that again," Mia warns him and despite him being the most presumptuous person, he can tell the nickname has a deeper meaning.

"Got it," he raises his hands in surrender before moving closer to her. "But you didn't tell me your name."

"Mia," she tells him and he waits for her to fully introduce herself. "I'm Mia Grey."

Jackson offers his hand one more time and smiles when seeing her reluctance in taking it. "Oh, come on. It's just a handshake."

With reluctance, Mia chooses to shake his hand, but that's when she notices a scar tracing from his jawline all the way down to the start of his shirt. It resembles the one Remus has. Up to the color and the pattern, they can be mistaken as having been created by the same thing.

Jackson is quick to notice her attentive stare and subtly covers it. His smile fades ever so slightly and she can only wonder if it's actually linked to Remus' condition as well. "Well, I better head back to the party now. Don't want anyone to miss me."

Just like that, Jackson heads back into the forest as if he had never appeared. She senses there's something more, but chooses not to give much thought to it. Not everything has to be connected and besides, she has greater things to worry about.

Death eaters are in town and this curse that was being placed on her is one she needs to know about. This pain is becoming continuous and something is telling her that it isn't one of her issues that can be ignored until they go away.

This is something more.

Author's Note

Hey, y'all! Hope you're doing good!
Sorry for the wait, but I've been really focused on my Bridgerton fic. My brain is in a Bridgerton mood, so it's all I've been thinking about

Still, it doesn't mean I'm neglecting this story ☝🏼
I hope you guys liked the chapter!
Hope the length makes up for the wait!

Don't be a ghost reader!
Comment as much as you'd like! I'd really like to know your thoughts & opinions