✧

"So... Jake's a werewolf," Bella blankly stares ahead as she tries to process how chaotic her life's become.

Mia nods at her, "Yeah, pretty much."

She can't even imagine all the things running through Bella's mind. Considering she was forced into the supernatural due to last year's occurrences, Mia's absolutely certain learning about more supernatural creatures will definitely turn her world upside down. If this were her, she wouldn't know how to react.

Bella sighs heavily and rolls down her window to call out, "Hey, I think we should go back and see if Jacob's okay."

Jared chuckles, "I hope Paul sinks some teeth into him. Serves him right."

Embry disapprovingly glares at him, "No way. Jacob's a natural. You see him phase on the fly? I got five that says Paul doesn't touch him." He looks back at the two girls and gestures with his hand for them to follow. "Come on. We won't bite."

"Speak for yourself," Jared remarks through a teasing smirk before walking inside.

Mia rolls her eyes at their blatant teasing. She wonders what could possibly be going through their heads to believe not being serious is proper, especially when it involves the imprint of one of their members.

"Ignore them," she tries easing Bella's nerves. "They like to play around a lot, so don't take what they say to heart."

The truck suddenly fills with an uncomfortable silence. The tension can practically be cut with a knife and as much as Mia wants to speak up, she knows better than to interrupt her friend's moment. It's not every day you learn your ex-boyfriend is a supernatural creature and that your life will never be normal again.

In all honesty, Bella's handling this much better than anyone would.

"Did you know all this time?" Bella eventually asks.

"Umm, I did," Mia reluctantly says, afraid of how she might react. "I wanted to tell you, but apparently it's forbidden to do so."

"How did you find out?"

Mia starts remembering Halloween night and the day at the meadow. It's been months of knowing this and regardless of her reasoning on not telling her, she wouldn't blame her if she were to yell or hit her.

"I first found out just about the pack on Halloween," she explains, quickly clarifying herself when noticing Bella's bewildered expression. "I was attacked that night and they came to help, and the second time was when I was attacked again by Laurent. Since shapeshifters and vampires are mortal enemies, they protected me and took care of the issue."

"Wait, hold on," Bella adjusts her position to now face her. "You were attacked twice? Are you okay?"

Mia glances down at her hands, the loss of her magic and barely starting to regain it making her feel like an empty shell. She's been keeping so much from Bella due to not wanting to burden her with her problems. It's not her weight to carry, so instead of becoming a nuisance, she preferred facing everything alone.

"I- I'm not okay," she reluctantly admits. "I lost my magic and have been looking everywhere for a possible solution, but there's been nothing. I have been seeing my father everywhere to the point I worry if I'm losing my mind, and earlier today, I attempted my magic, but even though I managed to cast one spell, it weakened me and it hurts to even move or breathe."

Mia stops to catch her breath, not realizing how quickly she rushed through everything and threw more information at her. She taps her foot vigorously, detesting the silence and not knowing what Bella's thinking. Her friend can be an open book sometimes, but it's challenging to even get a glimpse into her chapters.

Seems they're alike in that way.

"Did anyone know?" Bella eventually asks.

"Jake was the first person I told and the others found out because of their telepathic gift they share, which was inconvenient but also convenient at the same time," Mia rambles on and has to basically force herself to stop talking.

"So for months, you went through this alone?" Bella's eyes widen at her clarification and a sudden anger emerges. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have been there for you and helped you through it. I mean, you're my best friend and I- I want you to feel like you can trust me."

"I didn't want to burden you," Mia admits as she sinks lower into her seat. "It's just... Edward had recently left and I once trusted him with everything, but he hurt me by using it against me, so I was afraid that it would happen again."

"I would never do that," Bella assures her. "Screw him for doing that to you and know that I will always be there for you. Through the good and bad, you can trust me."

A strange sense of hope resurfaces. It's the feeling she never expected to feel again, but hearing the genuinity and care in her words, it's undeniable that she's not alone like she believed. Trusting again won't become the end of the world, but it doesn't signify that she won't remain wary of those around her.

"Okay," Mia softly squeezes her hand, a momentary silence coming in between them, expressing what words will never be able to. With a deep breath, she looks away and nods in the direction of the house. "Now, how about we join the others?"

Bella takes a shaky breath, "I- I don't know what to expect."

When Mia walks out of the truck, her vision darkens like earlier and her balance struggles to remain steady. To avoid raising concerns, she discreetly holds onto the truck in a way that appears normal. Despite feeling as if knives are piercing her, she maintains a stoic expression and tries focusing on the present moment.

"Don't worry, Bells," she interlocks her arm with hers, a coincidental action to help keep her coordinated. "They can be a handful, but they're harmless."

Bella's eyes widen at her sentence, "I was nearly attacked by one of them. I can argue against them not being harmless."

Nodding, Mia can't help from agreeing, "Well, Paul might have anger issues, but he's not that bad once you get to know him." She stops guiding her inside once they reach the porch steps, remembering the warning Jacob gave her about Emily. "Also, make sure not to stare at Emily. It bothers Sam a lot."

Bella narrows her eyes in confusion, "Why would I stare?"

"You'll see," Mia vaguely says, seeing as she doesn't find it proper to discuss it when it's not in her place.

Gathered around the kitchen, Jared and Embry are hassling over the muffins fresh out of the oven. A delicious aroma wafts through the air, making the home a comfortable and cozy place to reside in.

"Are you guys hungry?" Emily scoffs through a laugh, remembering who she's referring to. "Like I have to ask."

Mia takes the muffin Embry hands her and eagerly takes a bite. Even if she's been coming to the reservation nearly every day, she will never get over the delicious flavor. Now she understands why the pack always fights over it. Who wouldn't?

Emily greets her with a smile and embraces her, "I was getting worried you weren't coming."

"Like I'd ever miss blueberry muffin day," she takes a giant bite from the pastry, savoring every last bit and closing her eyes in satisfaction.

Jared elbows her on the ribs, "Every day is blueberry muffin day, you idiot."

Mia internally winces at the sharp pain and practically forces herself to move forward. She whacks the back of his head and grasps onto the pastry before he could take a bite. "That's exactly my point, wanker."

Emily finally notices Bella standing by the door, "Who's this?"

"This is Bella Swan," Mia introduces her and has to practically drag her toward them. "She's one of my best friends."

"And she's Jacob's ex," Jared adds as he manages to steal his muffin back and devour it in one bite.

"Which makes you the wolf girl," Mia says, making her and Emily exchange a knowing look at her word choice.

Bella gathers enough confidence to fully join them, "And I take it she's also the wolf girl."

Emily smiles and glances down at her ring, "Guess so. I do happen to be engaged to one."

"Sam, right?"

"Yes," everyone says in unison, the tone of their voices nearly sounding eerie and resembling the twins from The Shining.

"Muffin?" Emily gestures to the tray, slapping the boys' hands off but letting Mia continue reaching for another.

"Sure, thanks," Bella slowly approaches the table, slightly nervous about getting involved in between the chaos of the two ravenous boys.

"It's about time Jacob finally told you," Emily says as she takes the now empty tray to place in the sink. "We've been trying to get him to be honest for a while now, but he kept insisting that it was better if you were kept away from this."

"Like it'd be possible," Embry rolls his eyes, still in disbelief that Jacob believed he could deny the bond that comes with an imprint.

"Umm, he didn't say anything to me," Bella tries to protect him, afraid he could get in trouble with the pack. "I- I found out on my own."

"We don't mind that you know," Emily assures her. "It had to happen eventually and it's great that you're now in the loop."

"That's a wolf thing," Embry leans back against the chair and swallows the last piece of muffin. "Alpha's orders get obeyed whether we want them to or not. Oh, and check it out. We can hear each other's thoughts."

Mia softly smiles at Bella's continuous shock, but her smile fades when feeling a drop of blood fall onto her hand. Discreetly, she turns away and wipes it behind the sleeve of her jacket. Something is obviously wrong and it frightens her that she brought this onto herself by attempting her magic again.

This curse is not just taking her magic away, but it's weakening her. Whoever created it is a sadistic genius. They knew what they were doing and felt satisfied in releasing it to the world.

"Would you shut up? These are trade secrets!" Jared hits him on the back of his head and shakes his head in disbelief. "Bella's only known about us for not even five minutes and you're already telling her everything!"

Mia takes a deep breath and forces herself to rejoin them. It's painful to even approach them, but she can't let anyone know just how much weaker she's becoming. If word got around, she might as well be dead. With Victoria and death eaters after her, she needs to keep this a secret to ensure her safety.

"Are you okay?" Emily asks her in a whisper when noticing how pale she's become.

She quickly nods, "Yeah, I'm just tired."

Unsure on whether or not to believe her, Emily makes sure to keep an eye on her for the rest of the visit, which definitely adds more pressure on Mia. Now more than ever, she needs to keep up appearances that everything is fine. Whatever is happening to her, she will make sure not to attempt to use her magic until she's absolutely certain it won't be fatal.

"We're also faster than vampires," Jared prides himself and the pack, not even aware that he's now revealing trade secrets. "Freaked out yet?"

Bella shakes her head, "Not really. You're not the first monsters I've met." She looks over at Mia and already knows something is wrong based on the way her mind appears to be somewhere else, especially when noticing the purple under her eyes becoming more noticeable.

"You really are good with weird," Sam enters the house and approaches his fianceé, gently laying kisses all over her face with no desire of stopping.

The couple used to make Mia reminisce about her time with Edward. It pained her knowing she once had a love like that, but had now lost it. Now, she's completely unaffected by their romantic actions and even feels happy seeing them together.

Progress, some might say.

Jackson suddenly barges in. He's clearly worried, which is something that takes her off guard. Not to mention when feeling his arms around her. "He didn't get you, did he?"

"I'm more than alright, Winchester," Mia shoves him off, but squeezes his hand two times to let him know she appreciates the concern.

Bella furrows her brows in curiosity, wondering when they became amicable considering the last time Mia couldn't stand him. However, seeing her friend become more open with someone makes her happy that she's starting to move on. Whether they're becoming something more or just remaining friends, it brings her joy to see her moving forward.

As if nothing had occurred between them, Jacob and Paul enter in a joking manner. They're laughing and playfully shoving the other, causing Bella to walk over to Jacob and hold him in an embrace.

Paul walks away from them and only apologizes with a simple word, "Sorry."

Mia scoffs in disbelief, "Really? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Saying sorry was already hard enough," Paul nonchalantly shrugs and reaches over for a muffin, wasting no time in taking giant bites and finishing it.

Jacob holds Bella in a tight embrace and nods toward the forest, "Come. There's something I need to tell you."

Bella glances toward Mia to make sure she's going to be okay if she heads out with Jacob. Mia offers an awkward thumbs up and within the blink of an eye, Bella walks out, not expecting to receive information regarding the whole imprint bond.

Sighing heavily, Mia rubs her temples in an attempt to soothe her headache. She closes her eyes for a brief moment, but perceives the sudden silence, which is unknown territory for the chaotic pack.

When she opens her eyes, she's welcomed by the unnerving sight of everyone staring at her with concern, as if they're trying to get a better read on her. "Can you guys stop looking at me like that? It's creepy."

"You did magic today," Sam states the obvious, but there's a mixture of pride and concern in his voice. "But you pushed yourself too much."

"I didn't."

"Do you think we're blind and didn't notice the toll it's taken on you?" Jackson tilts his head to acquire a better look of her, which makes her more willing to avoid meeting their wide eye gazes.

"Magic always has its cons, but it's not something I can't handle," Mia knows better than to continue lying to herself, but if she admits that this curse placed on her is only getting worse, then she would have to consider the possibility of never using her powers again. She would have to settle on living an ordinary life and while she thought about it earlier, it makes her feel so miserable to be going a step back after the progress done today.

"I don't think you can handle death," Paul mumbles, the seriousness in his tone making the situation much worse.

Rolling her eyes, she curses under her breath, "I'm not going to die. I know my limits-"

"You do, but you choose not to listen to it," Sam begins scolding her as if he were an older brother and maybe it's due to him being the alpha, but his commanding persona makes her willing to stay silent and continue listening to him. "You knew it was hurting you, but you kept going. That doesn't sound like someone who knows their limits."

Jackson agrees, "He's right, Grey. I do admit, I am at fault for pushing you to do this, but how about we take a pause from the lessons?"

A pause.

As much as Mia hates to admit it, it's undeniable how right they are. If she continues going at this rate, her life could be shortened down all because of her stubbornness. She might have a death wish, but she would rather die doing something important and valuable to the world than dying for the most idiotic reason.

"Fine," she eventually says, taking everyone by surprise.

"Wait, seriously?" Jared looks toward the others for confirmation that this is actually happening.

Paul even stops eating out of disbelief, "I think I may be going crazy, but it seems our girl is actually listening."

Jackson jokingly places his palm against her forehead, "Are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever or something?"

Mia slaps his hand off and rolls her eyes through a smile, "Oh, shut up. I may act like an idiot sometimes, but I have my priorities straight."

"Hmm, you better," Jackson studies her micro expressions, making sure she's not being dishonest and is actually listening for once.

Of course, being a closed book has granted her the advantage of successfully hiding her true intentions. It's one of her greatest skills she prides herself with, but just as much as she values it, she also views it as a curse.

God, she wishes not to feel this way. She wants to feel complete and become the person she once was. All of these doubts, insecurities, and desires to follow death, terrify her more than anything. From never wanting to fade before, everything that has transpired these past months have altered her into becoming someone unrecognizable.

Without a doubt, Mia blames Edward Cullen.

And she hates him more than anything for it.