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More appearances have been made by Victoria these past couple of days. More hikers have been killed to the point there's an uprising hysteria in town. Her frequent attacks have made the pack much more resilient in hunting her down, which means they have left to go after her and won't return until she's gone.

However, a second issue has emerged. After the sighting of the wolves, Charlie decided on taking matters into his own hands by going after them to hunt them. Isobel has been contemplating revealing the truth, but with death eaters roaming around, letting him into the supernatural world would only put him at risk.

Which leads to the third issue.

Forks has been awfully quiet in the death eater department. There's been no sightings or any clues that they've been present. Silence is never linked to anything good. It's like the calm before the storm. Such oddity has brought Isobel and Jackson to work together, seeing as they're the only two with reliable magic. Locator spells have been casted, traveling across the state for investigative purposes, and even resorting to heading back to London have become frequent.

Mia hasn't been allowed to accompany them. It would only attract more attention (her mother's words, not hers). She's become more known thanks to her father now, which means Ilvermorny will be hesitant to help if they knew it would be in favor of the daughter of a dark wizard. It seems they haven't moved on from the Grindelwald fiasco despite him being imprisoned.

With her constantly having to stay back, she's been spending more time at the reservation. Now that Bella knows the full truth, they've been able to talk more freely and discuss things that weren't allowed before, but for the past three days, Bella's been away in Jacksonville visiting her mother, leaving Mia alone for the meanwhile.

The silence is unsettling as every time she's alone, her father uses her solitude as an advantage. Invading her dreams has become easier, leading to the inescapable becoming the verity. She's been having trouble discerning dreams from reality. The dreams feel too vivid and with their constant switch, it's almost as if she's dream hopping and floating in the astral world with her father at her side.

Dimitri knows how to toy with her fears and use them against her. Being a nuisance to everyone and believing she's only tolerated for her magic is her greatest insecurity, so convincing her on how much of a burden she's become has been easier than breathing.

Mia's a beautiful little fool who fell for his trap and no amount of mending can shield her from his twisted version of the truth.

As much as it's debilitating not acquiring a moment of rest, Mia prefers the exhaustion over seeing him. However, her behavior has started to raise concerns. With her grades dropping and sleeping in class, sleeping pills were recommended by her doctor as it's now affecting her daily life. Still, the medication hasn't been working. Mainly since she manages to throw the pill or trick her mother that she's taken it.

But Isobel knows her.

She knows when her daughter is being sneaky. As much as she detests it, the pills are administered into her nightly tea. Even though she means well, the drug is only damaging her more. Mia's left in a numbing state, making her more susceptible to Dimitri's attacks.

With Isobel in New York, Mia's acquired a moment of breath. No nightmares have happened. No sign of Dimitri. She's free for the meanwhile, but she's not a fool not to know it will be short lived.

Today, Mia's taken refuge up on her roof. It's an overcast day and in spite of spring having arrived, the remnants of winter insist on battling. She pulls the sleeves of her jumper down and hugs her knees close together. It's getting colder and heading back inside would be the reasonable thing, but she would rather freeze to death than endure another dream with her demented father.

Mia takes a sip of the can of beer she managed to steal from Charlie. With him staying over during the weekends, there's traces of flannels, beers, a few police reports, and his uniform all over the place. It's the first step of moving in, so of course, she's going to take advantage of the leftover alcohol lingering around.

Drops of rain start falling, causing her to frown and curse mother nature for forcing her inside. Harshly, she crumbles the can and tosses it into the neighbor's backyard. With his terrible drinking habits, no one will bat an eye that the empty drink belongs to him.

Reluctantly, Mia climbs back inside through her window. Now, if there's one thing to note is that after becoming a paranoid mess, she always makes sure to close all her windows. On these occasions when she climbs to the roof, she explicitly leaves only one open. In her mind, she believes the more secure her bedroom is, the safer and less susceptible she will be to her father's visits.

Oh, how wrong she is.

The first thing she notices when she climbs back in is the rest of her windows wide open and her curtains flying around. There's nothing off about her room, so she blames it on being too exhausted and having forgotten to close them.

Once all the windows are shut, she lays down on her bed and stares up at the ceiling. The rain clatters against the glass as thunder blares from afar. A few flashes of light are casted into her room, allowing for the silhouette of the trees' branches to adorn her wall. Odd shapes taking the form of wilted leaves, parched flowers, and even a branch resembling a hand are present. An entertaining action, she considers.

Mia counts the amount of lightning strikes, which proves to be a mistake once she feels herself start growing weary. Any reasonable person would call it a day, but her exhaustion only worsens her resilience to stay awake. Closing her eyes means seeing Dimitri again. He will use her most cherished memory and twist it into a cold truth. She can't continue doing this, so remaining awake is her only form of escape.

She rests her hands on her stomach and blinks sharply, hoping her tiredness would vanish. It's a challenge not shutting her eyes, especially with the soothing chant of the rain and its partner. She can feel herself start to lose the battle, but all it takes is seeing the familiar shadow of a top hat.

She wonders if this is all a trick. She can't possibly be experiencing a dream when she didn't get the chance to fall asleep. She didn't lose the fight, so for a fleeting moment, she considers that it's all in her head. It's the only way to explain why she's seeing the shadow man again. Let alone outside by her window that happens to be on the second floor.

A lump gathers in her throat and the usual feeling of dread consumes her lungs like a disease. She observes the wall much more attentively, waiting for the shadow to be casted again. The seconds turn into minutes and it's when she decides on blaming her exhaustion.

"You're growing mad," she scolds herself and runs her hands through her hair. A slight chuckle is given, more out of absurdity than humor. "It's all in your head."

Deciding enough is enough, she approaches her window to shut the curtains. Not even a second into closing them, her attention is caught at the sight of her father standing in the driveway. He's completely still like a statue, only gazing up at her as if she were the most interesting thing to exist.

Mia should be used to seeing him by now. She shouldn't be scared every time he appears, but the coldness behind his eyes, the malice in them, transform her into a meek and helpless child. The same version of the small six year old girl she once was. The one who hid under the covers, screamed until her vocal cords were strained, cried with sheer terror, and despised the night for the endless torture.

Dimitri has haunted her for years and he will continue doing so for as long she's still breathing. Well, that can be resolved.

Ring!

The phone ringing makes her jump. She glances past her shoulder to her open bedroom door, the sound echoing all the way from downstairs into the upper story. It's probably Isobel calling to check in on her. Having traveled to New York must be taking longer than expected, so Mia already guesses she'll be spending the night alone.

The voicemail enters and her mother's voice emits from it. Her message is muffled through the thunder and mainly since she can't bother focusing on it. She looks back outside and a pang of relief is felt when finding her father still in the same spot. Good. That means he didn't take advantage of her momentary distraction to invade her home.

However, everything changes when the loudest flash of thunder is casted. The sound of an explosion is heard from afar, probably lightning struck a tree or a generator exploded. Any of these reasons are much better than the ones she's afraid of believing. She forces those thoughts away and looks back at the driveway, but that's when she notices her father is no longer present.

Mia loses her ability to breathe, to think straight, or even move. She's becoming withered like the leaves during autumn and turning into a hollowed den. If Dimitri is no longer there, then he must probably be roaming around her house. He's hiding in the dark, waiting for the right moment to attack, and she's been left so helplessly alone.

She pinches her forearm in hopes this is all a dream. She must have fallen asleep and he's only visiting her out of routine. If she wakes up, she will be safe. She will be free from him. But nothing she does is working. Not even her hits are saving her from this nightmare. If anything, they're informing her that she's forever trapped.

No.

The sleeping pills. They must have found a way into her system. It's why she can't remember falling asleep. In getting rid of them, she won't be susceptible to his attacks. She will be ready for him and have the strength to resist.

Mia hurries to the bathroom and slams the cabinet open. The unnecessary medicines are tossed to the floor, but when finding the orange container, she throws the red and white pills into the toilet to flush them down. The sight of them nauseates her and makes her start to hyperventilate as everything that's tormented her all night has been due to them. They're the reason as to why she's become so weak in her dreams. They have made her more vulnerable and taking them will only ruin her instead of sparing her.

Once they're gone, Dimitri will never come to her again. He won't use her memories against her and make her believe the worst about herself. She doesn't need his help for that. She has herself for it.

Mia remains on the bathroom floor and grasps onto her hair. She shuts her eyes and waits for the room to stop spinning, but even through her shut eyelids, the walls caving in are still felt. She tries to reassure herself that this is all temporary. She's escaped the shadow man before and lived for years without him. If she gives in to her fear, he will always pride himself for the power he has on her, and that's enough to prevent her from continuing to make this mistake.

However, the sudden sound of footsteps behind her intensifies the pain much more. She opens her eyes and slowly raises her head. She's terrified of looking back and finding him present. Even if she's dreaming, he always finds a way to hurt her. His abuse has translated to reality, leaving behind a trail of unexplainable bruises and scars.

Mia braces herself for the end and reluctantly glances behind her. Pointy shoes are the first thing she sees and she feels nauseated as she remembers all the times he used them to kick her in the ribs. By morning, she would awaken with purple marks and a sore body, which are hard to explain when being forced to change in the locker rooms during gym class.

"Mia?"

That's not his voice.

"Remus?" Mia looks up at him, finding her protector staring at her with concern. "What are you doing here?"

Remus kneels down in front of her and helps her up. He sighs heavily before pulling her in for an embrace, "I needed to check in on you. You haven't been answering my letters."

His warmth radiates onto her like a security blanket. She nuzzles herself deeper into his coat and finds her fears and ghosts vanishing. If Remus is here, that means she's safe. Nothing can bring her harm and Dimitri will certainly not decide to attack.

"I'm sorry I haven't written back," she says, her voice coming out as barely a whisper. "I just- I have been dealing with... a lot."

Remus guides her out of the bathroom back to her bedroom. His leather briefcase has been left on the stairs, almost like he had dropped it all in means of reaching her quicker. "I'm so sorry I had to leave so suddenly."

She understands, seeing as she's not the only one dealing with a lot. Her friends back home are struggling with the imminent war and even if they're not communicating for their safety, she's able to acquire information from him. It's not how she would prefer it, but she understands it's for the better.

"Is there anything new that's happened?" Mia takes a piece of chocolate from the box and already, she starts feeling much better. It seems sweets really do solve everything.

However, Remus is hesitant to mention anything. His silence worries her as everything wrong that could happen starts barging into her thoughts like fists knocking against a skull. She considers that maybe him not saying anything is not correlated to anything. Maybe he doesn't have any new knowledge and worrying about the improbable is the last thing she should do.

But silence is never good. Silence is often the calm before the storm.

"Please don't start keeping things from me," she implores, practically begging him for answers. "I need to know if something is happening back home."

Remus looks away for a mere moment before finally saying, "I have information about the curse."

She turns quiet to process the information. It might be the most foolish mistake, but his sentence gives her hope that there's the possibility of ridding her of this problem. She can become the person she once was and not be anyone's burden. She can regain her strength and become the independent person she was months ago. Some good needs to come after all this darkness and she prays to the universe that this new information could lead to a respite.

Like always, how wrong she is.

Remus becomes more hesitant to continue when seeing the light in her eyes, but he made a promise to be honest and he won't break it now. "I'm so sorry, Mia, but the curse was created to be permanent and meant to be fatal."

Death.

That's the end result of this curse. It isn't just taking her magic away, but also her life. There was never a chance to escape this, so believing there was the chance of finding a solution had all been in vain. It's no wonder she's gotten weaker. The curse is destroying her and it's no longer a matter of if, but a matter of when she dies.

Hot and angry tears prick at her eyes that she immediately blinks away. Crying about her fate won't make this disappear. It will only make her look weak once she's gone and if she's going to die soon, she doesn't want anyone to remember her as a frail girl. If anything, she would rather be forgotten than be known as the withered thread.

"There is a way to prolong this," Remus squeezes her hand softly, hoping to offer some comfort. "But the answers are in a place extremely dangerous. I need you to promise me you will listen to everything I say. You won't hesitate to do as I ask, so you need to give me your word."

Mia has a million questions. She senses the gravity of the situation and the necessity to make this oath, but the feeling she always gets whenever something is about to happen is becoming more suffocating. It's getting worse through every breath that for the first time, she's doubting giving him her word.

He perceives this, which only makes him pressure her even more. "Mia, you must promise me you will do as I say with no questions asked."

"Yes," she finally says. "I give you my word."

Remus moves closer, his voice barely above a whisper, "I hope you understand what I'm saying. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to do anything, you do it."

"I understand," Mia assures him despite the unsettling feeling becoming greater.

Her statement is more than enough for him to proceed. He stands up and offers his hand, an indication for her to take it. She follows his order, but isn't given the chance to prepare herself as now they're standing in the middle of the forest.

Both of them remain still as they perceive their surroundings. Mia looks toward Remus and is both relieved yet unsettled when finding him surprisingly calm. After the warning he gave her, she figured he would have been the opposite of tranquil. He's always been open when expressing his concerns to her, so seeing him become the picture of stoicism makes her grow much more troubled.

"Let's go," Remus says and begins walking to the darker part of the forest.

She's reluctant to continue, but she gave him her word and she would never break it. Not unless she needs to. She makes sure to stay in close proximity while being attentive of their surroundings. There's minimal light due to nightfall approaching, but she can still see as clear as day. As if winter were still present, the trees bear no leaves and there's only withered and icy grounds instead.

Gray and blue hues are everywhere. From a distance, fog starts brewing out of thin air. There's no breeze or any sound, only the silence and their footsteps. She's been in every part of the forest, but this specific area is one she doesn't recognize. Its unfamiliar territory brings her unsettlement, but being here with him reassures her nothing wrong can occur.

"We need to keep going," he breaks the silence, not sparing her a glance as he walks ahead without looking back.

The forest appears to be endless the more they keep walking. With all the trees being in the same form, thin with no leafage, she considers if they've been walking in circles. Their pale color resembles a corpse and if this were any other time, she would have chosen to flee the scene, but she's safe with him, so nothing can go wrong.

"Where are we going?" Mia has to practically run after him, but just when he makes a turn into a gathering of bushes, everything turns completely still. "Remus?" Silence is her only response and despite knowing he went through the greenery, the darkness surrounding it makes her reluctant in stepping a foot inside.

Rustling is heard around her. She glances behind her shoulder and despite not having the strength to do magic, it's inevitable not thinking of defensive spells. She had been warned this was a dangerous place, so any lurkers are automatically her enemies.

A hint of salt lingers in the breeze. It's one typically smelt when being close to the sea and she wonders if the location is near it. Maybe he brought her to La Push, but it wouldn't make sense. The forest already has blossomed into a beautiful green and this forest is the representation of hollow and deserted.

Either way, she can't afford remaining far from Remus any longer. Regardless of her reservations on heading past the bushes, she would rather face danger by his side than alone. If death eaters are around, they will take advantage of her weakness and curse her into the monstrous version of herself.

Before Mia gets a chance to turn around, she notices a shadow attempting to go unnoticed. Only it's now not just one. There's two of them now. Both of them are cloaked figures and their slender hands are carrying wands. Despite their frail and skull-like appearance, it's undeniable their strength goes beyond the spectrum.

Mia has never been the type of run off from a fight. She would rather face the issue head on, but it doesn't take a genius to know she will lose this battle. With no magic, no strength, and no right mind, she's better off dead than facing an encounter.

Without hesitation, she scurries into the bushes despite the menacing darkness. She expected to be welcomed by more trees, but she's instead welcomed by an entrance to a cave. She had been right in suspecting the location is by the sea, seeing as a couple meters in front, a cliff hanging above the large body of water is present.

"Remus?" Mia calls out, her voice coming out as more of a whisper than anything. She squints her eyes to try and get a better look, but now with the full moon starting to emerge, it's becoming harder to perceive her surroundings.

"This is the place," he emerges from the cave, a triumphant smirk and widened eyes covering his features. "Come now. We need to be quick before the time runs out."

Mia walks toward him and does her best to ignore the rustling coming from the bushes. She needs to acquire this solution before it's taken from her. If there's a chance of prolonging her end, she's willing to go to great lengths to acquire it.

Remus admires the cave as if it were the most thrilling place to exist. He caresses the rough edges, mumbling incoherent things that could be mistaken for a foreign language. She tries making sense of what's occurring, but a sudden glow appearing on the entrance answers her question.

Cracks start appearing and expanding throughout the walls. The cave begins quaking and a few residue scatters all around. At any given moment, they could be submerged by the boulders, but the trembling subsides just as quickly as it began. The glow starts dimming and it's then when they finally enter.

"Lumos," Remus casts, sparks now flying around the cave and illuminating up to the furthest corners.

Carefully, Mia follows him deeper inside. It's times like these when she feels the most useless. Not being able to cast the simplest of spells without weakening herself is pathetic enough, but now that they're more exposed to danger, it's beyond a tragedy of grand proportions.

However, the light from his wand vanishes once the faint flicker of a few candles appears. If she wasn't disturbed before, she's beyond more now. She wonders why there's candles in a cave and why this place has the answers she's been seeking. It's inconceivable permitting herself to dwell on the positive aspects, but the warnings being given are enough to prevent her from believing this is anything safe.

"Come on," Remus gestures toward the center of the cave, his scar becoming faintly illuminated by the flames.

Mia approaches the scene slowly, the alarms in her head becoming louder. She doesn't want to go any further, but she gave him her word to follow his every command. He traveled all this way to offer her salvation and even if it's temporary, she appreciates him for trying.

"Where exactly are we?"

Remus gently hovers his hand over the flames to stroke them. He admires them as if they were the greatest thing to behold and remains silent despite her constant questioning. She grows tense under the silence and waits, but if time is running out, she would rather face whatever it is that needs to happen already.

"Remus, can you please just tell me what we're doing here?" Mia walks closer and it's only then when he finally glances up at her.

He stops his movement and a soft smirk crosses his features, "You stopped using your magic thinking it's the root of all your problems. Let me guess, you have nosebleeds, intense migraines, physical pain, and nightmares?"

Mia's aware of never having told anyone of the lingering effects using her powers has caused. While it's public knowledge of no longer having it, she's kept the rest a secret. It's not their burden to carry, so she wonders how he could have known.

She narrows her eyes at him, "How did you know?"

"Mia, I've done enough research on this curse," he explains. "I know it like the back of my hand by now. These effects are the most common in its victims..."

Its victims.

Jackson told her this curse was new. It has never been used on anyone but her and Remus knows this. With his great knowledge of the dark arts, he would have been aware of this curse and not kept her in the dark this long.

Mia remains silent and listens to him explain more about this. She knows better than to ignore her gut instinct, but she needs to make sure nothing is wrong before acting on her suspicions. Surely, this must all be a misunderstanding. It has to be.

He walks to her and she resists taking a step back, but he knows her like the palm of his hand. "I know this place can be scary, but there's nothing to be afraid of. Here, take this."

Mia observes him reaching into his coat's inner pocket and immediately recognizes her wand. She hasn't seen it in a while, mainly since before this curse happened, she learned to master wandless magic so there was no need for her wand anymore. The last she remembers, it had been placed in her trunk in the attic.

When did he obtain it?

Remus reaches for her arm and holds it out. He places the wand into her other hand and redirects it above her forearm. Her heart starts racing upon this action as she's reminded of one of her nightmares she had last year. It started the same way and ended with her demise, but this can't be. She can't be nearing her final stage at his hands, because he's Remus. He wouldn't dare hurt her for anything.

She pulls her arm back, "Remus, I'm not sure about this-"

"A reverse spell must be casted in order to remove parts of the curse," Remus firmly holds her and she's surprised at how tight his grip has become.

"I thought there wasn't any spell for this," she softly holds her wand, unsure if following through would be the right thing. All of this is turning out to be too much, especially being in this unknown cave with candles around them.

"There's only one, but it must be done at your hands."

"Why mine?" Mia can sense he's losing his patience, but it's only making her realize that something is off about this.

For starters, having been taken to an unknown forest and then to a cave is making everything more suspicious. She doesn't want to lose her trust in him, but this terrible feeling is clawing at her to be released. It's been a while since she's listened to it and maybe it could have spared her a lot of trouble, but following through with it now only makes her afraid of losing her connection to the one person that has stood by her side all these years.

"The one who is cursed must bear the responsibility," Remus says in a monotone voice as he stares intensely into her eyes. "I will help you, but you must take the first step. Do you trust me?"

She does. She does. She does.

"Mia, do you trust me?" Remus asks again and raises his voice slightly.

"Yes," she forces herself to say and attempts to move back, but his hold is much stronger than her. "You're hurting me. Can you please let go?"

He doesn't move an inch and she begins growing fearful, "You promised you would do as I say, so why are you doubting me now?"

"I'm not," Mia responds far too quickly, enough to reveal her dishonesty.

"I know you must have lots of questions and I promise to answer them, but you need to do as I say," Remus speaks with a sense of urgency as his eyes dart around as if expecting someone or something.

"Okay, I will," Mia shivers at the rush of wind entering the cave. The most haunting sound travels through the passageway, its sound resembling the destruction that comes with natural disasters.

"Repeat after me," Remus begins saying the words, but with how quick he speaks them, she struggles in following through. Still, her wand starts glowing nonetheless. It hovers over her wrist in a firm hold, its vibrant light removing traces of the curse she's been forced to endure.

But something feels... wrong.

The spell is supposed to offer her alleviation and bring more strength, but she's anything but stronger. The physical pain is still present, her headache has become more intense, and then there's the burning feeling. That one is new. It's something she's never felt and while she's experienced the torture curse before, this feeling is foreign.

Immediately, she realizes what's happening.

But it's too late.

There's pride in his smile yet an obvious malice hiding behind it as well. Her wand is taken from her like an adult having taken candy from a child. He lets out a breath as if a burden had vanished, but never once does his smile disappear. With just one word, he expresses the secret he thought was well hidden, "It is done, darling."

Darling.

Remus has never called her that before. That name is reserved for one person only, but if it's true, then all this time she had placed her trust on him. Like a naive, senseless girl, she followed his guidance into the trap. She had taken a bite of the forbidden fruit and now she's been exiled from the Garden.

No, this must surely be a coincidence. Not everything has to take a turn for the worst, but Mia isn't blind to the obvious. Her life is a constant cycle of tragedies, so why shouldn't she expect the devil in disguise?

It's not like-

The full moon.

Mia remembers the full moon emerging when she was nearing the cave. Remus should have transformed by now, but he's still in his human form. There's no cure for lycanthropy or a way to prevent a transformation, but if that's the case then...

This is not Remus.

Slowly, she takes a few steps back. She notices her wand hanging loosely from his hand, but it would be foolish attempting to acquire it. Maybe she can trick him into believing she's grateful for this, but he's not an idiot. He would see right through her facade.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Before Mia can offer a response, his face starts revealing his true self. The scar that ran down started disappearing and the warmth behind his green eyes were transforming into a diabolical icy blue. His chestnut locks turn darker like a raven's feathers and then there's the hollowness in his cheekbones, the ones that make him resemble a skull.

Burning gathers in her forearm. It courses through her system as if a drug had been administered. This blaze centered in her arm is a different type of pain. It's not just physical, but also emotional, one that consumes the soul and drags it to purgatory.

"All color will fade to grey."

His father's motto is an indication that he's won. His plans for her have been fulfilled and she's now set to follow in his footsteps like everyone predicted, and all of this happened because of her. She fell for his tricks like a helpless idiot and now she's eternally cursed.

Imprinted on her forearm, the Dark Mark dances in celebration. Its skull with a snake running down poisons her with its wickedness and condemns her to perdition. Denying her fate had been useless as it was written in the stars to become a monster.

Mia feels so helpless, so defeated, and lost. There's nothing preventing her from ending it all now. Her worst nightmare has come to life and if she continues, she's bound to obliterate everything in her path. It doesn't matter if she refuses to obey. Dimitri will find a way to force her into committing the most atrocious acts. It's his way of proving his dominion over her and like a faithful servant, she will follow all in the name of protecting her loved ones.

"No, no, no," she repeats in a whisper, an attempt to convince herself that this isn't real. This must be a horrible dream and she needs to wake up now. "This isn't real. This is just a dream."

Dimitri saunters toward her, his stance a mixture of content and arrogance. He kneels down in front of her and redirects her gaze by raising her chin, "What are dreams if not a glimpse to the truth?"

He's spent months torturing her, both physically and mentally. He's clouded her perception of reality to the point she's now doubting her sanity. Now with the mark, she's become his reflection. It will be the first thing everyone sees and nothing will spare her the endless mocks and insults.

Fate. A four letter word that many have praised. Some believe fate is meant for finding a soulmate, a word that only revolves around the hope good things will come. No one seems to associate it with death. No one views it as the beginning of the end and an endless pattern of tragedies.

Mia's arrogance made her believe she could escape fate. She believed doing the right thing would make the universe have mercy on her. Maybe it would understand her pain and take it as its own, but since when has the universe offered anyone that kindness?

From the way she sees it, there's two different ways a person can die. Either by living a long, fulfilling life and reaching old age, or dying a little bit each and every day. There's two types of people in this world. Those who are fortunate and those who aren't. She used to consider herself a person in between the scales. Not fortunate, but also not misfortunate. Things are different now.

The mark will always serve as a reminder that she's an abomination. It will always be a part of her and not even in her death will she escape it. Her body will continue having the ink, tainting her soul and marking it for an eternity. It's the one thing everyone will remember her for.

Poor Mia Grey, the daughter of a death eater gone rogue.

"I want to wake up," she whispers in a prayer, her denial sparing her from the future pain that will come with acceptance. "Why can't I wake up?"

Dimitri caresses her hair in a way that almost appears fatherly. It's one she only ever dreamed of happening, because through it all, the little girl inside her is hoping for a father. She longs for the love and the safety they provide, but she's been cursed to the obscurity resisting from disappearing.

"Why did you do this to me? Why can't you leave me alone?" Mia says the words so quietly, almost like she's saying them to herself instead of him.

"Oh, darling. I gave you the key to salvation," Dimitri calmly says, his eyes beholding a mountain of deception and malice. "They will never accept you as one of their own. You have seen it and have lived it. Just take a look around you. Isobel, Edward, Remus, your friends, everyone has left you, because they don't care what happens to you. They know what you're going through and they still left-"

"Stop," Mia begs him.

"You and I are the same. We have the same darkness inside us. Like you, my father showed me the way and I thank him for blessing me," he says the words quickly, each of them pounding against her head and burning her with their sharpness. "Why waste this gift for people who don't care about you? No one wants you. No one needs you or loves you. With me, you will finally have a family worth protecting-"

"Stop it!"

"You have nothing left. You're not meant for anything great without this gift, so just accept what you are and return home!"

"SHUT UP!" Mia covers her ears to protect herself, expecting his voice to continue, but she's only received by a sudden silence. She lifts her head from her hold and slowly uncovers her ears, her eyes continuously darting between every dark corner. She's alone again. He's gone, but has left the scars as evidence of his visit.

Cautiously, Mia quietly starts heading to the exit. She's unsure of where to go, seeing as she can't go back home with this mark. Her mother will disown her and her friends will despise her. If she's not alone now, she certainly will be after today.

When she steps out of the cave, the forest is no longer the desolate and cold one from earlier. There's greenery and the flourishing trees along with the spring breeze Forks offers. The sky is losing its light and the moon can be seen from afar, but it's not a full moon like previously. It's a new moon.

Mia's now confused. She explicitly remembers the full moon and how she used it to prove Dimitri's trickery. The forest wasn't lively like it is now, but it was dying and filled with cloaked figures.

Had everything been in her head?

Did she hallucinate everything or was it all a dream?

Is she still dreaming now?

Millions of questions run through her head. All of them in which she has no answers to. She's doubting everything in sight, every sound, every movement, and even herself. A tinge of hope resurfaces when considering the Dark Mark had been a trick, but it's dismissed when it remains intact against her skin.

The ocean waves and thunder awaken only a part of her from her dissociated state. As if a spell had been casted, she courses through the forest toward the sound. She recalls these grounds and a cliff nearby. She and Bella had seen the pack jump, but she had been prohibited from doing so. Something about the cliff being too dangerous and the waves becoming uncontrollable lately.

While she has no intentions of jumping, Mia's mind being placed into a numbing blank drags her to the scene. Branches rustle from behind her and even if she's aware possible death eaters could be roaming around, there's nothing worse they can do to her than what's already occurred.

The closer she gets, the louder the rustling becomes. It isn't until her name is called when she gives in and turns around. Heading to her, her mother is running as if having been chased by the devil. She's out of breath and her face is adorned with panic. Her hand is gripping onto her wand and her feet are moving faster than it can be humanly possible.

"Mia!" Isobel takes her breath away when she slams against her. She holds her in a tight embrace and breathes with relief, "I arrived home and didn't find you anywhere. I had to do a locator spell to find you. What are you doing here?"

She's quiet for a moment before glancing down at her arm, afraid of what her mother will think. "I'm sorry. I- I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Isobel tenses when seeing the empty yet shattered look in her eyes. She follows her line of sight and her heart breaks when realizing what happened. "Mia, how- how did this happen?"

Mia glances toward the cliff, her mind still trapped in her dissociation. "I think I'm still dreaming. I think the pills are working."

Isobel redirects her gaze to her, "Honey, I need you to tell me how this happened."

"He made me believe he was Remus," she finally says, but her eyes keep darting back and forth as if ensuring he's not around. "He said he had a way to stop the curse from killing me, but he lied. He tricked me into getting it, mum. I promise I didn't choose this!"

Tears gather in her eyes as she prays her mother believes her. She doesn't know what she'd do if she loses her love. Without her, she might as well leave and never come back. She already doesn't have a father, so if she were to lose her mother because of a mistake, Mia will never forgive herself.

"Oh, honey. I was afraid this would happen," Isobel's voice breaks as she holds onto her.

"I didn't want this! Please believe me!" Mia begs her and cries onto her shoulder, terrified of the repercussions she will receive. "I didn't want to become a monster."

Isobel abruptly pulls away. She cups her face and wipes the tears that slipped, offering a soft tight lipped smile. "Mia, how can you become something that you already were?"

Hearing the disdain and the honesty in her mother's words break the last remaining part that was whole. She expected to receive a long scolding about needing to make sure everything is right before following someone, but she never expected her resentment.

"What?" Mia swallows hard, her tears now coming to a stop.

Isobel takes a deep breath and tucks her hair behind her ear, "New York didn't have the answers I was looking for, honey. I thought there was a way to save you, to prevent you from becoming like your father, but I was told there was only one solution."

She's afraid of asking, but she needs to know, "And what is it?"

A silence all too consuming reverberates through the forest. It combines with the saltiness of the sea and the tension unfolding between a mother and daughter. All the years of repressed fears and insecurities are coming into the light and all it took was this day to emerge.

Isobel's eyes brim with tears as she caresses her daughter's cheek with delicacy, "Darkness was born with you and to destroy the darkness, you must die."

Mia's eyes fill with fear and heartbreak. She never expected her mother to suggest death. To her, a mother would give everything to keep her child safe and alive, but to hear her lips saying these words, it makes her wonder if all these years of her proclaimed love had been a lie. This resentment and disdain must have been gathered and seeing the mark had been the last drop to spill the glass.

She had been the cause for all the pain in her life. Giving up her first love, being forced to marry Dimitri, and bearing a monster of a daughter, it all destroyed her and now is the chance to make things right.

"There has to be another way," she tries pleading with her, but Isobel only shakes her head and strokes her cheek. "I would never hurt anyone! I swear!"

"It's okay, honey," Isobel swallows hard and releases her, now glancing to the waters beneath them.

Mia struggles to maintain her balance as her feet are nearly dangling from the edge. The ocean is flowing wildly and the rain has started pouring, creating the largest waves she's ever seen. Seeing them fills her with an overbearing fear, causing her chest to heave uncontrollably and her blood to rush to her face. One wrong move and she falls to her end, and no one will be able to save her.

She finds her mother's arms and holds onto her, begging her to help and protect her like she had done so years ago. "Mum, please. Don't do this."

Isobel blinks away her tears and lands a kiss to her forehead, "It's time for the darkness to end. It will be over quick and you won't have to worry anymore."

"Mommy, please. I don't want to die," Mia begs her in the same way the six year old version of her would. She hasn't called her mother 'mommy' ever since turning eleven years old. It's a term she considered childish and meant for babies, but being dangled over the precipice of a dangerous cliff by her supposed protector brings out the fearful child inside her.

"I love you, honey. Never forget that," Isobel says as she takes one last glimpse of her.

Mia continues to hold on to her, afraid of the ferocity of the ocean and the slow death that awaits her. Drowning is painful and one of the worst possible ways to die. Contrary to what many think, it is not peaceful or the most merciless of deaths. It's agonizing and traumatic. Taking your last breath of water and knowing the end has come is a feeling no one should ever experience, but death doesn't discriminate and it's returned to take her back.

The soft yet harsh push from Isobel pierces her deeper than any blade ever could. Being sold to the grim reaper at the hands of her mother destroys her more than anything ever did. More than Edward leaving her, more than losing her magic, more than being given the mark. Losing her love is the last straw and the scissors cutting her thread of sanity.

But something strange happens as she falls. As she braces herself for the impact, she sees her mother start transforming into the specter that's haunted her for years. It wasn't Isobel who pushed her, but it had been her father, Dimitri Grey, disguised as her after having taken the polyjuice potion.

And that enough brings her peace before the end comes.