✧

With her full magic back, Mia refused to make the long journey back to Forks by taking a flight. Instead, she apparated back home and left Edward and Alice to fend for themselves in Italy. A part of her felt terrible for leaving them stranded, but she figured that if they had no trouble abandoning her, she might as well return the favor.

It was morning when she arrived in Forks. Her mother had spent a restless night that by the time she returned, lots of reprimands were given. It's safe to say she's grounded for the rest of her life, but if she's being honest, Mia couldn't be bothered by any of it.

With having been absolved from the curse and regaining her magic back, she feels whole again that everything else rolls down her back. Now that she's aware that the only reason Dimitri appeared to her was because of their link, she's no longer afraid of the night. Anything he decides to throw at her, she will be able to handle.

From what Isobel learned back in New York, Dimitri wanted to mentally torture her in order to weaken her and make her more willing to take the Dark Mark. It's easier for a broken soul to head to the dark path, which is why he used every good memory and altered it to fit his perception. By breaking her mind, he believed it would grant him the needed respite, but having been unliked left him defeated and forced him back to England.

All the puzzle pieces are starting to come together. It took months to get here, but Mia's grateful to be closing a chapter and heading onto the next. She's finally returning home and reuniting with her friends after all this time. The thing is, she will be leaving the friends she made in Forks behind, which breaks her at the thought of being separated from those that have become important to her.

However, Isobel insisted that Mia graduate first before moving back. With all the secrets and heading back to Italy without her permission, Mia knew better than to argue back. Now it's just a matter of revealing her plans, but she has time to break the news.

Good thing graduation is in the first week of May and April is already starting.

As she stands in front of the ocean, Mia deliberates on heading back to town. La Push Beach is the one place she can breathe without having Edward constantly apologizing and regretting everything he did. She ignores him every time and has even casted a spell to keep him out of her house. It sure helps having Isobel's support by threatening him to hex him if he continues coming back.

Of course, Edward is incredibly resilient. He knows that at school, Mia won't be able to use her magic on him, which is when he pleads for forgiveness and expresses his regrets for hurting her. Regardless of his apologies, she's not willing to move past it. He destroyed her and made her think the worst of herself. He left a mark on her that will take a very long time to disappear, and is not certain it ever will.

Mia is just so angry that she can't imagine returning to him. She would constantly be doubting his feelings and wonder if they're real or not. It's not a way to live and she would rather they go their separate ways than be tortured with constant doubts. Not to forget how she doesn't trust him anymore. To her, trust is everything and once it's broken, simple apologies won't be enough to earn it back. There needs to be work, but work takes a long time, but even then, she's not certain trust will be fully repaired.

"What did I say about you staying away from the water?" Bella calls out as she approaches her.

Mia takes a step back from the shore, now standing only a couple feet from the ocean and closer to the drier sand instead. "I'm away from the water now, Bells. Like promised."

Bella stands alongside her as they look out on the shore, allowing the ocean mist to drench their faces. "How did your mom handle your impromptu trip? Did she go easy on you?"

"Well, I'm grounded for life now," she nonchalantly says, still not bothered over the consequences. "But at least I'm whole again. My magic is fully back, so I'm not complaining."

"I'm glad traveling to Italy brought one good thing at least," Bella frowns at the remembrance of the Cullens having returned. After all they put Mia through, she can't stand the mere thought of seeing them again at school or knowing they're roaming around as if nothing happened. "Are you okay with him being back?"

Mia folds her arms across her chest, internally wincing at the mention of him. She has tried so hard not caring for his return, but it's hard pretending he doesn't exist. After everything, she still loves him and she hates herself for it. "I'm dealing with it, but he's not making it easy."

"I can imagine," Bella says. "He's been trying to get me to convince you to hear him out. I just can't believe he's that stupid to believe I would take his side, like who does he think he is?"

"Unbelievable," Mia rolls her eyes, officially becoming more angry with him. She's appalled at how far he's going after she has been explicitly clear of wanting space. It seems after everything, he still hasn't learned his lesson. "But hey, it's a good thing they arrived to a destroyed home."

Bella chuckles when remembering how they trashed their home and left it in shambles. She wonders if they fixed it already or are still dealing with the aftermath. "I hate admitting it, but it was actually fun."

"Destroying things is always fun, Bells, especially when it belongs to those that deserve it," Mia glances down at the water, suddenly getting an idea on how to make this outing better. She takes advantage of Bella's distraction by hastily reaching down and splashing water onto her, laughing when seeing her bewildered look.

"I'm so getting you back for this," Bella returns the action, eventually resulting in them having a water fight. She smiles when hearing Mia's laughter and realizes how much she missed it. It seems traveling to Italy brought the old her to the surface and as much as she dislikes the Cullens for what they did, she's grateful the circumstances led to this moment.

Mia continues splashing water onto her and Bella surprises her by taking her further into the ocean. She laughs like never before and forgets about what's waiting for her beyond the reservation. Her feet soak into the sand, the salty water seeping into her skin and sending her previous memories of the lake to the back of her mind.

However, a few teens playing volleyball cuts their moment short once the ball hits Bella on the back of her head. Mia turns quiet as her mouth hangs slightly agape, both of them staying frozen as if shocked this occurred. After a few seconds of silent disbelief, they start laughing as they remember this is how they first met. Bella was so terrible at volleyball that she ended up hitting Mia on the head. A friendship between them was meant to happen that they can't imagine never having met each other. It seems life works out in surprising ways and now with everything starting to fall into place, this moment is the only thing they can focus on.

Mia rests against the sand and leans her head back. She closes her eyes and lets the ocean breeze hit her face, allowing it to become a part of her and wash away the distaste of her long forgotten fears.

"I've missed that," Bella breaks their momentary silence and she turns to her confused.

"Missed what?"

She softly smiles, "Your laugh. It's been months since I last heard it that it just makes me happy hearing it again."

It's now when she realizes that all these months of darkness, it didn't just affect her. They affected everyone around her. Her friends, her mother, she hurt them by losing her essence and it destroys her learning how much it took from them.

"I'm so sorry I haven't been myself," she hugs her knees together, averting her gaze to anything but her. "I hate that I let Edward's opinion of me affect how I saw myself. I'm still trying to find my way back and I'm not sure I can return to the girl I used to be, but I'll try-"

"Mia, you loved him and he broke your heart. You don't ever have to apologize for working on healing yourself," Bella says and reaches for her hand. "You're my best friend, practically my sister now, and I just want you to be happy, and if you ever decide to forgive him, I'll do my best to move past my dislike and support you."

"I'm not forgiving him," Mia states without an ounce of uncertainty. "Every time I see him, I just hear what he last said to me. I don't trust him anymore and I can't imagine returning to him without worrying that he will hurt me again."

Bella remains silent, letting her continue.

"And the rest of them, I mean, they expect me to treat them as if nothing happened," Mia chuckles in disbelief and runs a hand through her messy locks. "They think that because it was Edward that said those things, it means they're not to blame, but they are. After making me feel like I was a part of their family, they were so willing to leave without saying goodbye. How can I trust them if they were able to toss me aside as if I were nothing? I just- I can't."

Bella nods in agreement, "Then you don't forgive them."

"I don't forgive them," she repeats, but saying it aloud hurts more than expected. She loves Edward with her entire heart and the Cullens are still important to her. Even after everything they put her through, she still loves them and it hurts not being able to push her feelings for them aside.

Bella already knows what she's thinking with just one look. She wraps her arm around her, both of them resting their heads on each other's and remaining on the beach just a little longer. If there's one good thing that came from the Cullens' departure, it was bringing them closer and they couldn't be more grateful for it.

__________________

Mia brakes too harshly when seeing Edward waiting for her in her front porch steps. He's holding a small velvet box, continuously switching it between his hands rather too nervously. She curses under her breath and parks in her driveway, slamming the car's door as she reluctantly approaches him.

"What part of me not wanting you near, don't you understand?" Her eyes darken as she glares at him so intensively, ensuring he's able to know how much she detests his presence.

Edward knows her anger is justifiable. He put her through so much and nothing he does will ever fix his mistake, but it doesn't mean he will give up on them that easily. "I know and I'm sorry, but I just want to talk to you."

"I don't care what you want," she shoves past him to the door, but he's able to block her path. "Get out of my way."

"Mia, the only reason I left was because I thought I was protecting you," Edward tries explaining, his voice sounding desperate and broken. "I was getting my memories back and struggling to separate what's real from what isn't. I was losing control and I was seeing my murderer everywhere. I thought it was better if I left to keep you safe."

"You could have told me this and I could have helped you," Mia tries to keep the pain he caused her inside, but listening to his reasons for abandoning her makes it a million times harder. "But it's like you told me months ago, you didn't trust me, so really, what did we have? We had nothing."

"That's not true," Edward shakes his head, refusing to let her continue believing their months of happiness had been a lie. "I do trust you. I was just afraid of what it would do to us if you knew. I didn't want you to be afraid of me, so I stayed silent. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you."

She narrows her eyes, "But you already did. You hurt me by using something I trusted you with as a reason to leave me. Instead of being honest, you betrayed me and I just..." she trails off and looks away to blink away the tears. "I just can't forgive you for that."

Mia notices his composure start to deteriorate. She can see the panic flood his eyes and his hope that she would forgive him gradually fade. His golden eyes melt upon her declaration and it destroys her causing him pain, but she can't bring herself to forget the torture these months have been. He ruined her perception of herself and made her believe she was not meant to be loved, because how can a monster like her be worthy of such sentiment? She can't move on from this and she probably never will.

"Leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Edward tries reaching her, but she moves back as if he were poison. His heart clenches and is destroyed, but he knows this is well deserved. He deserves her resentment and much worse. "I know it will take a long time to earn your trust back, but I promise to do right by you. I will show you how much I love you and hopefully with time, you can forgive me."

It's unlikely, but Mia doesn't say anything. Instead, she just walks past him and unlocks her door, but suddenly feels his fingers intertwining with hers. She freezes at his touch, the electricity he gives her flowing freely through her veins and making her heart skip a beat. She hates how much she still loves him and even more that he's aware of it.

"I should have given you this a long time ago," Edward hands her a small velvet box, the same gift he meant to give her before leaving, but couldn't.

"No," Mia removes her hand from his and glances down. She has no desire in receiving anything from him. It will only serve as a reminder of his betrayal and make it harder to move on. "I don't want your gift."

Knowing he won't be able to enter due the spell, Edward tries one more time to get her to stay. He rests his hand on her waist and spins her toward him, both of them now standing so close they can feel their different temperatures. She forgets how to breathe as the only thing she can focus on is their proximity. His golden eyes stare into hers as if he were able to know what she's thinking. Worrying she might have brought her walls down, she reinforces any doors she might have left open, refusing to let him see a glimpse into her footnotes.

Mia wishes everything were simple. She wishes to put everything behind her, but she hears his words, and remembers how he had so effortlessly chosen the worst way to abandon her. All of these months, she would see him in the back of her mind. He would haunt her at every hour, run through her system like a burning fever, and strand her into the past.

While everyone moved on, she remained stuck in that forest. It was her last memory of him and like expected, the bad memories outweigh the good. But how good were they if they were all a lie? It doesn't matter if he claims he lied, because she doesn't believe him.

Edward crossed a line and like the river, his betrayal will flow through the current and downpour into a cascade. His claims of loving her are forgotten beliefs, only becoming the torture instead of respite. He longs to put everything behind him, but forgetting is a betrayal to herself.

Her words collide into the other, unable to place themselves into a perfect string. She's become entranced by his presence and it angers her not being able to part ways. It's impossible to stop loving him, which makes this entire mess worse knowing he had been the cause and he was the one to destroy them.

Mia wants to push him away, to demand him to give her space, or to disappear from her life like he did months ago. She desperately wants to express her resentment, but feeling his graze collide with hers leaves her stricken as if she were seeking for a glimpse of paradise. Breathing heavily, she's finally able to mutter a few words, "I'm returning to England."

Edward leans away, still trying to process what she said, "What?"

"I was asked to move back a month ago and I wasn't ready to leave yet, but I am now," Mia explains, now avoiding looking at him and creating distance between them. "There's nothing here for me, so I'm leaving after graduation."

It's absurd of him to want to ask her to stay. He has no right considering he did the same thing months ago, and besides, he's been aware her move to Forks was temporary. They used to discuss how they would become long distance and he even planned to move back with her. Now, he's afraid she would demand him to stay away. He can't fathom not having her in his life and he feels like such a fool for feeling this way. After all he put her through, she wouldn't want him near and it destroys him for having caused this.

"Mia, you can't leave," he mutters, staring at her in disbelief.

Her eyes narrow into slits, "I don't remember asking you for permission. I'm returning whether you like it or not, and I really hope it's enough to keep you away from me."

Edward reaches for her hand, but she harshly shoves his grip off, "It's too dangerous for you to head back. With the war approaching and many after you, you will be putting yourself at risk."

"I have been more at risk in this town than anywhere else," Mia argues, her tone becoming full of disdain and resentment. "I'm safer anywhere that's away from you."

Her heart breaks when seeing the pain in his eyes, but she can't let him back into her life as if nothing happened. The wound is still fresh and seeing him is adding more salt to it. Moving away might sound like she's running away, but sometimes, running away can lead to healing.

"Please, Mia. Don't go," Edward tries reasoning with her, but she refuses to listen to anything he says. "Stay."

A sense of satisfaction is felt as she's remembered of how she was in this exact position, but now it's him pleading her not to abandon him. The tables have turned and while it faintly quenches her desire to give him an ounce of the misery he caused, she's appalled that he believes himself to still have a right to demand her something.

Mia stares into his eyes and as much as it hurts being this close to him, she forces herself to ignore the pain and the love as for the first time, she can get an upper hand before he does. "I need to look out for myself. Getting out of Forks is the only thing that matters."

It's the same words he told her in the forest. She notices the recognition on his face and the hurt consuming him. She looks away to avoid being tempted to take back what she said, but even without staring at him, the bond they share prevents her from not feeling his exact emotions.

Like a tragic poem, they remain connected by their lines, following after the other like stanzas. A poem is meant to remain together and no amount of attempts would separate them to the ends of the earth.

"Mia, I'm so sorry for what I did," Edward desperately says, but she refuses to believe him. "I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, because I love you and I can't imagine a life without you."

There used to be a time when she would have fallen for his words. She would have believed him like a naive, senseless girl, but she's no longer the girl he knew. Everything that happened has changed her into a different version she never thought would emerge. If before, she used to view her trust issues as a curse, she now views them as a gift. It would prevent her from falling for another deception and from encountering someone like him.

He claims to love her, but he still moved forward and chose to hurt her in the worst possible way. How can she believe anything he says? How can she betray herself by not becoming wary of everyone she encounters?

Like many say, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

"Please don't leave," Edward tries reasoning with her one more time, but he knows it's useless when receiving a worrisome look. "You don't know the dangers you can encounter, and I know I have no right to ask-"

"You're right," she interrupts him. "You don't."

Edward internally winces at her hostility, but he's aware he deserves this punishment. Nothing he says will make the previous months disappear and it destroys him knowing he ruined the best thing that happened to him. "But it doesn't mean I won't worry about you. If you return, you will be even more exposed to danger. You can't leave, Mia."

"You really have some nerve to ask me this, or did you already forget how you did this exact same thing to me?" Mia raises her voice, but remembers they're not inside and decides to let him enter. She slams the door closed, now jabbing a finger to his chest, "I begged you to stay, but you didn't care how I felt. You only cared about yourself and chose to leave. You left me and you didn't care!"

"I did care," he argues. "I always have, but I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving. I wanted you to be safe, so I left to try and give you the chance of having the life you deserve."

"Nothing about my life is safe," Mia flails her hands for emphasis, urging him to observe her guarded home. "Look around you. This whole house has been spelled to prevent intruders from entering. You thought leaving would keep me safe, but your abandonment made everything worse."

Edward remains silent, unsure of what more to say.

"I blame you for everything that happened, so don't expect me to forget, because I won't," Mia blinks away the tears, wanting nothing more than to be able to forgive him that easily, but she can never trust him again. She will never be able to confide in him without being afraid he won't use it against her.

If she used to consider him heaven, he's now become her purgatory. Returning to him would be returning to misery and regardless of being tempted to fight everything for him, she will no longer descend for him. He's become her enemy and like all enemies, she's set to vanish them from her life, and moving back to England is the first step.

Mia will always love him, but she will also hate him. For the rest of her life, she will hold on to the memory of the man who broke her heart with ease. She will find a way to forget him, but it's one thing evicting him from her mind and another from her heart. It won't be easy, but for the meantime, she won't hesitate to be selfish.

Edward tries masking the pain of her resentment. He's lost the right to express his regrets after all he did. Still, it doesn't mean he will stop trying. Even if it takes years, he will ensure to show her how much he loves her and prove himself to be worthy. She's his purpose, his glorious destiny, and his God given solace. Losing her would be a grave mistake and he won't dare make the same one twice.

"Then I'll be coming with you," he declares and she gapes at him like he had said the most ridiculous thing.

"Edward, I don't want you near me," Mia says the words slowly as if hoping it would get through to him.

"I'm not making the same mistake twice," he comes closer and stands a couple inches from her. "You might hate me, but I love you and I will protect you with everything that I am and everything I will become. You are my purpose, Mia Grey, and I'll be damned if I lose you."

"You already lost me," she clenches her jaw and shoves past him. "Nothing you say will make me forgive you. You ruined what we had, but it only made me realize that I was right in hating you back then."

He knows she's referring to his human years. The ones where they were competing against the other and expressing their mutual dislike by tormenting each other through every waking minute.

"Trusting you had been a mistake and I just want you to leave," Mia opens the door with her magic and averts her gaze to anything but him. "I don't want you anywhere near me, so get out."

Edward doesn't want to leave, but he knows when he's lost and this is one of those times. She needs space and he will grant her that. He reaches into his pocket for the gift as he walks away, but before exiting, he leaves the velvet box on the side table. It's foolish to have hope she will open it, but for her, he's willing to believe in it til the end of times.

Mia still doesn't look at him once she slams the door. She covers her mouth to prevent her cries from being heard, but her racing heart and the gasp she lets out is enough to ruin everything. She doesn't want him to know how much she cares as it would only make him believe he has a chance of obtaining forgiveness. Even if she still loves him, she can't bring herself to move forward.

It hurts being near him, especially when he sounds so sincere and regretful. He sounds just like the man she loves and not like the one who broke her heart. Things would be easier if she were able to truly hate him, but she can never. Not fully at least. It's mostly her anger talking, but the love remains intact in spite of everything he did.

Why does she still love him?

Mia suddenly starts feeling a heavy pressure mount on her chest. It's getting harder to breathe and harder to remain standing. She finds herself sitting against the stairs and placing her palm against her heart. Her palpitations are running faster than ever, their beats becoming the loudest and its sound traveling all the way to her head. She tries to control her breathing, but feeling the walls caving in and feeling her temples pound like bass drums, prevents her from acquiring a glimpse of rationality.

She closes her eyes, a few tears escaping and sliding down her cheeks. Controlling her breathing is no longer in her grasp and she's terrified of not acquiring any oxygen. She begs the universe to help her, to grant her a respite and help her move past this. Nothing seems to be working. Nothing is helping her and she's falling deeper into this hole.

Mia loudly gasps, gripping onto her hair and providing small hits. She wants to believe everything will be temporary and she won't feel this way forever, but how can she pretend this isn't destroying her?

He used to make her feel safe and loved, but he shattered how she views herself without remorse. He claims he did it all in means of protecting her, but what pains her is how hurting her was the only way he considered ending things. There could have been any other way, but he chose the cruelest one.

Mia doesn't trust he won't hurt her again, and when he does, she won't be able to pick up the pieces. After everything she went through, trusting is now the most terrifying thing. Opening her heart never led to anything good and she would rather fall dead than hand it to anyone ever again.

She could have continued loving him and he could have let himself be loved, but he didn't let her. All these months, she has been haunted by his memory that it brings her comfort knowing it's his turn. When she leaves, he won't forget her and will always remember her voice. He will remember all the pain he caused, the deception, the lies, the betrayal, and it will torment him.

Forgiving him is a spell she will never cast. It's a chance he lost and it was his cowardice that transformed their dream into a nightmare. Their crossed paths are now parallel lines, never meant to connect or meet at the ends.

Edward used to be her home.

And she longs for the time when she used to believe he was.

Author's Note

And that concludes the end of act 2!
Next up, Hogwarts!

Hope you guys enjoyed New Moon era and are ready for even more angst, but with more magic and those magical characters we know and love!

I have so much planned that I'm so excited to share!
Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

Don't be a ghost reader! Comment and vote!
I'd like to know your thoughts and opinions!