𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘖𝘕𝘌

(the cursed witch, act two)

NINA EVANS KNEW SHE WAS DREAMING.

But although she knew, it didn't stop the pain.

She was chained to a wall, the metal wrapping around her wrists tightly as she waited. What she was waiting for, she wasn't sure. She rubbed her restricted hands anxiously at her knees, the skin turning red from the action.

A door across from her opened suddenly, the loud bang of metal echoing in the concrete room making her look up.

A man walked in. He was tall and had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. His hair was short, curly and blonde.

Nina watched as he ran toward her, speaking. She couldn't hear the words he was saying but she could tell he was nervous as he pulled the chains off of her wrists and ankles before helping her stand.

"What's going on?" She heard herself ask the man, but she didn't hear his response.

He pulled her out of the room, her feet barely touching the ground as he walked quickly out of the building.

The forest was dark when she walked out through the double doors of the building, the only light being the full moon shining down on them.

She heard herself scream in pain and looked down to see her ankle broken.

The man carried on, not stopping but she felt his hand rubbing her shoulder as he continued to pull her through the forest.

"Stop! Stop! I can't–" She cut herself off with another howl of pain. Her wrist had snapped.

He stopped, gently letting her fall to the ground, resting on her hands and knees as she felt more bones break. The man kneeled, his hand moving to her cheek. His lips moved but she heard nothing. All she could focus on was the immeasurable pain.

He stood suddenly, letting her fall to the ground as her shoulder cracked.

"Dad!" She screamed.

Nina woke up gasping for air, sitting up quicker than she should have, making blood rush to her head.

She breathed out softly, opening her eyes and seeing she was back in her bedroom, the overcast light softly cascading in through the curtains.

"Are you okay!?" She heard Natalie's voice shout before her door barged open, the woman's figure barreling inside with a baseball bat. She paused, glancing around the room, "You're not getting murdered?"

Nina smiled at her mother's antics, shaking her head and laying back down. "Just a bad dream."

Natalie smiled suddenly, setting down her bat before running out of the room. Nina shrugged.

It had been a little over two months since she was almost killed by the rouge vampire known as James. Summer came and went, just as rainy as any other season. But through the rain, it was the happiest she had ever been.

Natalie ran back in, making the witch look up from her pillows. She was carrying a small gift box with a wide grin on her face.

"What's that for?" Nina asked, watching as the woman moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"You really have trouble remembering this stuff, don't you?" Natalie teased. "Happy birthday, honey."

Right. She glanced at the calendar that hung above her desk. She was right. It was September 17th.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"You're turning 18 today! It's a big deal."

"Okay..." She smiled at her mothers enthusiasm. "What'd you get me?"

Grasping onto the small box, she slowly unwrapped it.

"It's nothing much. I just figured it was time."

Nina's brows furrowed as she realized it was a square, black velvet jewelry box. Pulling it open, she saw a necklace inside.

"It's a familiar heirloom–"

"We have those?"

"A few," Natalie smiled. "Want me to put it on you? I know you already have the diamond one from Edward but..."

Nina nodded quickly, gently taking the necklace out of its box before handing it to her.

When it was secured around her neck, she took another look at it. It resembled a wax seal, the way the metal was pushed in on the centre while the outer edges flooded out unevenly. In the centre, an E was written in a beautiful script.

"Is it from Grandma?" Nina asked, tracing over the letter with her thumb, recalling her mothers maiden name being Ellison.

Natalie hummed.

"It's beautiful." She turned to see her mother. "Thank you."

"What's up, loser?" Bella called from her burnt orange truck, grinning widely.

Nina laughed, walking down her driveway before getting into the passenger seat. "Are you happy to see me or is that a pen in your pocket?"

"It's not a pen, I can tell you that," Bella replied, smirking as a chuckle passed her lips. "Happy birthday. I hope my presence is a good present because I'm poor and didn't get you anything else."

"It's more than enough. My mom got me seeds once for Christmas so..."

"Seeds?"

"Yeah. Lettuce seeds. We were dirt poor when Dad fucked off. The lettuce was good though."

Bella shook her head in amusement. She had gotten used to Nina's snide remarks about her absent father and had learned to not worry so much about her friend.

"Charlie got me a brick once. He said it was shaped like Texas but it really just looked like a brick. Still have it though – just in case anyone breaks in."

"Bricks are a useful tool," Nina hummed. "Do you mind not telling anyone it's my birthday?" She asked as they drove into the parking lot.

"Why? Don't you want people all over you today?"

The witch shrugged. "I don't mean to be a buzz kill but... I don't really like celebrating that I'm one year closer to my imminent death."

"If it was anyone else I'd say you were being dramatic. But sure... Kit does know though... and so does Angela..."

"Bella!" Nina groaned.

"I'm sorry! You were a little late in telling me! Maybe next time don't wait till the last minute."

Nina laughed suddenly. "It sounds like you're my wife."

"What do you mean?" Bella gasped. "You're telling me we aren't 72 and married?"

"Oh no. We definitely are! You know, I am still waiting on the ring though. 56 years of marriage and..." She held up her ringless hand, "nothing to show for it."

"Oh not this again. Baby, I'm gonna get you a diamond so big it'll blind you when it hits the light. I just gotta get this promotion okay?"

"I guess I can wait a few more weeks..." Nina ended with a giggle. She glanced across the parking lot and saw a familiar grin. "Looks like I'm being summoned by the mistress."

Bella rolled her eyes, "That one's always getting in the way. You should get a more inconspicuous mistress."

Getting out of the truck, Bella by her side, she swung her backpack over her shoulder. "I should, shouldn't I."

She could feel his cold glare on her back. It made her smirk.

"I'm sure Kit would jump at the offer."

If Kit was anywhere in the parking lot, Nina was 90% sure he would be dead.

"Nini!" A voice suddenly screeched before she was just about tackled to the ground by a large form.

The witch laughed. "Griz!" She shouted with the same level of enthusiasm. "What are you doing here? I thought you graduated?"

"We came to say happy birthday!" Emmett grinned widely, helping her stand straighter. "I got you something."

In Nina's peripheral vision, she could see the rest of the Cullen family walking toward them, Edward rolling his eyes.

Nina held up her middle finger in his direction, not taking her eyes off of Emmett. "What'd you get me?"

He pulled his bag to his front before scavenging around in it before he pulled out something soft.

He presented it to her proudly, holding it with both arms.

It was a teddy bear... or rather a grizzly bear and in its paw was a bag of eggs.

Nina couldn't hold back her laugh as she grasped the bear.

"Do you like it?" He asked excitedly. The rest of the Cullen's had joined them now, making Bella slightly nervous, not used to being surrounded by the Kardashians, but the sounds of Nina's laughter calmed her.

"I love it," Nina reassured him, smiling widely. "I guess Edward can't stay over anymore. There'll be no room for him in the bed."

"That's exactly the point! My boy needs to stay with his virtue and being next to you... He's struggling, Nini." He leaned in closer, as if they wouldn't hear him. "Honestly, hun, he's gone through like six boxes of tissues and three bottles of lotion in one weekend."

Edward rubbed his forehead, tired by the pair who were now giggling madly.

"I'm leaving," He announced, turning on his heel, only for Nina to catch his hand.

"Don't be dramatic, Eeyore! I'm flattered really."

He rolled his eyes again.

Nina pulled him down slightly so she could whisper something in his ear. The vampire choked at her words, sparing a glance at his siblings who were pretending they didn't hear her. Rosalie was even whistling a tune while tapping her foot on the floor.

"Anyways. Before Edward rudely interrupted," Alice started, clapping her hands together. "We're having a party!"

"Oh?" Nina questioned, shocked by her words. "I'm not really the party type–" She silenced herself when she saw Alice's glare. "I love parties actually. They are my favourite thing."

Edward grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her snuggly to him while his chin rested on her head.

"It'll be at seven," Alice told them before she turned to Bella. "Can you make it? I can pick you up."

"Sure," Bella shrugged. She had never been to the Cullen home but she was happy to be there for Nina.

The bell rang and Bella soon scurried off to her Science class, leaving Nina with the Cullens.

"Are you sure this is a great idea?" The witch asked, concerned. "The last time I went to a party I did a keg stand and I got so drunk I ended up in the hospital."

Edward glanced down at her, "When was this?"

"Two weeks ago– Three years ago... Definitely not while I knew you... And definitely not with Jasper..."

"Just stop talking, Nina. You're making it worse," Said blonde vampire spoke, glancing nervously at his brother.

"You let my girlfriend do a keg stand?"

"She said she always wanted to try one. I figured at least she was doing it safely and with supervision. Rosalie was the supervision."

"Don't bring me into this! Alice was the one that distracted Edward from going to the hospital!"

"Hey! Emmett was the one that brought Edward out hunting to keep him away!"

"Can we just blame Carlisle?"

The Cullen siblings looked between themselves before nodding. "We usually do."

Nina glanced nervously up at Edward.

"You're underage," He informed her.

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist. I'm gonna die soon, might as well have fun while I'm still here. Right, Emmett?"

Before Emmett could agree, he saw Edward's glare and stopped himself. "Gotta go! Gotta go! Shield me, Rosie!"

He ran off, the rest following him.

"Should I be offended that you did that without me or grateful?" He asked, turning her around to face him letting his hands drift down to hold her warm ones.

"Grateful," She informed him. "It wasn't pretty when I started puking on Carlisle."

Edward grinned. "So that's why he showered for an hour when he came home."

"Probably..." She smiled. "I mean, if you want to live out the experience, I can do it again–"

"Not a chance." He glanced down at the chain around her neck, colliding with the familiar one he had gifted her months before. "That's nice," He complimented, his cold thumb reaching to touch the metal.

"It's a family heirloom... Cause apparently we have those."

"Have you thought about what I can give you?" He asked as he began to lead her toward the school.

"You can't get me anything," She stopped him. "No gifts from you."

"And why is that?"

"You give me more than enough just by being next to me."

"Sounds an awful lot like you're going soft on me, Evans," He teased, earning a jab to his side.

"Very funny, Sparkles. But seriously, I don't need gifts. I just... I don't know, I've never really had a birthday that was celebrated by a lot of people before. So far it's only been my mom and I with a singular cupcake... I just want to be with all the people I love – you being one of them."

"If being by my side all day is what you want..." He sighed dramatically. "I guess I can do that."

"Don't make it sound so terrible." Her eyes suddenly brightened. "I'm older than you now! Does that make me a cougar?"

"... I don't know what that means."

He heard her explain it through her thoughts and shook his head after a moment. "I'm 109, darling. You're only 18."

Nina shrugged, letting her fingers intertwine with his. "My antique."

"I was hoping you would have forgotten that nickname by now."

"You said it yourself."

"And I regret it everyday."

"You know you love me," Nina grinned, pulling him with her to the school.

"Unfortunately."

No one bothered to stare at them as they entered their first class just seconds before the last bell rang. The student populus had gotten used to the no-longer mopey and groany Cullen being with the sarcastic Evans that pushed his buttons every thirty minutes.

Even Kit Vanderburg didn't bother to give Nina the glum stare that used to make her feel a little guilty. He smiled now instead, and she was glad he seemed to have accepted that they could only be friends.

He had changed over the summer—his face had lost some of the roundness, making his cheekbones more prominent, and he was wearing his dark brown hair a new way; instead of short and slightly spiked upward, it was longer and gelled into a carefully casual disarray. It was easy to see where his inspiration came from—but Edward's look wasn't something that could be achieved through imitation.

Nina had considered her options for the evening. She wasn't sure how well celebrating her birthday with seven vampires and a human would go. She also wasn't used to people wanting to celebrate her. She appreciated it, don't get her wrong, but she didn't understand why they would go through the trouble.

And she'd very pointedly asked—well, ordered really—that no one give her any presents this year. It looked like Natalie wasn't the only one who had decided to overlook that. The only person seemingly to respect it had been Bella so far, which she was grateful for.

She'd never had much money, and that had never bothered her. Natalie was a single mom who spent the majority of her money on their homes and food. Her only personal income came from the three days a week she worked at the local sporting goods store that Mike's family had been kind enough to give her.

In a town as small as Forks, she was lucky to have a job. Every penny she made went into her microscopic college fund.

Edward had a lot of money—she didn't even want to think about how much. Money meant next to nothing to Edward or the rest of the Cullens. It was just something that accumulated when you had unlimited time on your hands and a sister who had an uncanny ability to predict trends in the stock market.

Edward didn't seem to understand why she objected to him spending money on her—why it made her uncomfortable if he took her to an expensive restaurant in Seattle, why he wasn't allowed to buy her a car, or why she wouldn't let him pay her college tuition.

Edward thought she was being unnecessarily difficult. But how could she let him give her things when she had nothing to reciprocate with? She was strictly no longer allowed to use her magic – a rule that every single Cullen as well as Natalie had put in place – which meant she couldn't even help him sleep as a small thank you. And yet, he, for some unfathomable reason, wanted to be with her. Anything he gave her on top of that just threw them more out of balance.

As the day went on, neither Edward nor Alice brought her birthday up again, and she began to relax a little. They sat comfortably at their usual table for lunch. The three of them – Edward, Alice and Nina – sat on the far end of the cafeteria by the windows.

Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper had graduated the year before. Nina actually missed her and Emmett's gym classes. But with their being less Cullens, it made Alice and Edward seem less intimidating which meant they didn't sit there alone.

Nina's other friends, Bella and Kit, Mike and Jessica (who were in the awkward post-breakup friendship phase), and Angela and Eric (whose relationship had survived the summer), all sat at the same table, on the other side of an invisible line. That line dissolved on sunny days when Edward and Alice always skipped school, and then the conversation would swell out effortlessly to include her.

Edward and Alice didn't find the minor ostracism odd or hurtful the way she would have. They barely noticed it. People always felt strangely ill at ease with the Cullens, almost afraid for some reason they couldn't explain to themselves. Nina was a rare exception to that rule.

Sometimes, it baffled Edward with how at ease the witch was in his presence. He would have thought, by now, after all the things she had seen, she would have been keeping a safe distance from his side. And yet, she cuddled into his side, letting his arm drape around her shoulder while her fingers hooked into his belt loop.

The afternoon passed quickly. School ended quickly to Nina's dismay and Edward walked her out to his car. He had already spoken to Bella prior and informed her Nina wouldn't be needing a ride. Bella had asked him if she was going to be getting a different kind of ride. The vampire didn't understand but the way Nina dragged him off, blushing, made him think it was some sort of sexual innuendo.

"Can I drive?" Nina asked.

"You've been banned from that too, darling." Edward grinned, gently leading her into the passenger seat.

"Have I ever told you I hate rules?" Nina asked as he got into the driver's seat.

He glanced her way. "Once or twice. Think of something I can give you, okay?"

"You shouldn't get me anything. I didn't get you anything for your birthday–"

"You were in a coma on my birthday."

"Not an excuse. How many people celebrate their 109th birthday? It was important."

"Technically you already gave me a gift–"

"That mug wasn't a proper birthday gift though! I only got that because I was making fun of you."

"I still use it every day though," Edward disagreed. "A gift is meant to be useful. And that one is. I use it every morning."

Nina was shocked by that. She had figured he would have thrown it out by now knowing how his siblings would tease him torturously over it. "Really?"

The vampire nodded. "Unsurprisingly, Emmett keeps trying to steal it from me."

"And you said I shouldn't get more for Christmas presents..." She shook her head, containing her smile as she looked out the window, watching the trees pass as he drove at a regular speed through the town.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Nina asked suddenly. "I've got a bad feeling about it."

"That's just nerves," He reassured her. "I'll be at your side all night. Nothing will go wrong."

"How long exactly is 'all night'?"

"If you're asking me to come back to your place after the party–"

"I am."

"Then yes." He chuckled at her quick response. "Is that going to be my birthday gift to you?"

"I had a few other ideas," Nina smirked, seeing his eyes widen slightly.

When they arrived at her home, he parked perfectly in the driveway behind Natalie's Cadillac.

Before she could get out, he stopped her, his hand grasping hers before she could pick up her backpack.

"I know..." He started. "I know today is a hard day for you. I know it is only a reminder of what's to come but... humour me a little? I want you to have some fun. You do deserve it, you know?"

She sighed, glancing down at his hand before her eyes met his and she nodded. "I'll try."

He smiled widely, getting out of the car faster than she could react before opening her door, taking her bag from her hand and holding his free hand out to her. "Good. We have something to do before we go."

"You're coming inside?" Nina asked, surprised, taking his hand.

"This is important," He shrugged, helping her up the steps. He was still careful with her leg. Although it had been healed for a few solid weeks, he still held her a little tighter.

"What exactly..." She trailed off, seeing what he was talking about when they walked into the kitchen.

Natalie was standing with a singular cupcake on a plate, a candle glowing from it as she softly sung happy birthday to the teen.

Nina smiled, her eyes slightly glossy at the family tradition. She had figured with the Cullens throwing the party, it would leave her own little traditions in the dust.

"Happy birthday, sweetie," Natalie finished, setting down the cupcake. Nina rushed into her mothers arms.

After a few hours of embarrassing stories and baby pictures, Natalie let the two teens go.

Edward immediately got to work, going through her closet.

"What are you doing?" Nina asked, huffing as she flung herself onto her bed.

He was silent until he pulled out a t-shirt and turned to her. "When did you get this?"

Nina glanced at the shirt and chuckled. "Emmett gave it to me. He said it was fitting."

The shirt said 'I fuck losers'.

Edward rolled his eyes, throwing it easily into her trashcan across the room. Ignoring her annoyed shout, he went back to her closet.

Finally, he pulled out what he had been looking for. It was a black dress that Nina didn't recognize.

"Alice put it in there a week ago," Edward informed her, throwing the fabric at the bed before turning around to face the wall. "Put it on. We've got..." He glanced at his watch. "Half an hour."

"You guys really need to stop breaking into my house," Nina muttered but did as she was told.

"Get used to it."

She rolled her eyes. "There. I'm dressed... Can you tie this thing? And the zipper?" She reached behind her back, trying to tie the small corset that covered only her stomach. "I can't reach it."

When he turned around, he smiled at her. "Beautiful," He muttered under his breath.

"You never fail to take my breath away, my darling Nina."

The witch blushed brightly, turning around to hide it. "Yeah, yeah. Tie me up, please?"

He was behind her before she could react. "If you say so..." He trailed off. His right hand rested on her waist while the other moved her hair off to her shoulder. Nina shivered in delight when his lips touched the soft skin of her neck.

Leaning her head back against his shoulder, she hummed happily. "Keep doing that, we won't be going anywhere."

She felt him breathe out a laugh before he pulled away.

"Edward?"

"Mhm?"

"You unzipped my dress."

He grinned. "Did I? My finger must have slipped."

Nina rolled her eyes, holding back her smile as she felt his cool fingers glide up her back, the sound of the zipper moving slowly filling her ears.

"There. Back to boring."

She turned around, letting his arms move back to her waist. "You've been spending too much time with Emmett. What happened to sobriety and virtue?"

"It's a little hard to be virtuous when I have you in front of me."

"Does this mean Emmett was telling the truth when he said you went through three boxes of tissues and bottles of lotion?"

He turned away from her, "I'm leaving. You can find your way there."

Nina giggled softly, holding her hand to her mouth. "Oh don't be like that! It's my birthday. Can't I tease you? At least a little bit?"

Edward glanced at her over his shoulder and saw her pout.

"Fine."

She smiled brightly putting on her boots before holding out her hand to him. "Come on then! Time to go, Virgin Mary!"

He could hear Natalie's laughter come from somewhere in the house and sighed, taking her hand nonetheless and letting her lead him out.

"This book is terrible," Nina muttered to herself from Edward's passenger seat as he drove through the town once again, this time to his house.

He glanced down at it. It was Romeo and Juliet, a book they had to be reading for their English class.

"You know, I've never had much patience with Romeo," He commented, his eyes moving back to the dark road ahead.

"What's wrong with Romeo?" Nina asked, confused. The fictional character seemed fine for the most part, slightly boring but other than that, he was fine.

"Well, first of all, he's in love with this Rosaline—don't you think it makes him seem a little fickle? And then, a few minutes after their wedding, he kills Juliet's cousin. That's not very brilliant. Mistake after mistake. Could he have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly?"

"Didn't realize you were so passionate about fictional stories," Nina smiled.

He glanced again at the page she was on, having heard her read it in her thoughts. "I'll admit, I do sort of envy him here," Edward said, his free hand resting comfortably on her thigh, where the hem of her dress ended.

Nina hummed. "She's very pretty. Or atleast, that's how she's described."

He made a disgusted sound. "I don't envy him because of the girl—just the ease of the suicide," He clarified in a teasing tone making her frown. "You humans have it so easy! All you have to do is throw down one tiny vial of plant extracts...."

She turned to look at him with a concerned look. "What are you talking about, honey?"

"It's something I had to think about once, and I knew from Carlisle's experience that it wouldn't be simple. I'm not even sure how many ways Carlisle tried to kill himself in the beginning...after he realized what he'd become...." His voice, which had grown serious, turned light again. "And he's clearly still in excellent health."

"What do you mean, this is something you had to think about once?"

"Last spring, when you were...nearly killed . . ." He paused to take a deep breath, struggling to return to his teasing tone. "Of course I was trying to focus on finding you alive, but part of my mind was making contingency plans. Like I said, it's not as easy for me as it is for a human."

Nina tried not to flinch at the mention of her last trip to Dawson City. She could remember it clearly – the mountains, the familiar buildings, the familiar cool air and the sadistic vampire who almost tortured her to death.

She still saw his face in her dreams.

Unthinkingly, her fingers traced the crescent-shaped scar on her hand that was always just a few degrees cooler than the rest of her skin. She shook her head—as if she could shake away the bad memories—and tried to grasp what Edward meant. Her stomach plunged uncomfortably.

"Contingency plans?" She repeated.

"Well, I wasn't going to live without you." He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. "But I wasn't sure how to do it—I knew Emmett and Jasper would never help... so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi."

She shivered at the thought of her own father killing him. She didn't want to believe he was serious, but his golden eyes were brooding, focused on the road in front of them as he contemplated ways to end his own life.

"Anyway, you don't irritate the Volturi," Edward went on, before she could start. "Not unless you want to die—or whatever it is we do." His voice was so calm, it made him sound almost bored by the prospect.

"Pull over. Now."

He glanced at her, not seeing her point but when he saw her icy stare he did as he was told. As soon as the car was parked, she took both his marble-like hands and held them tightly.

"You must never, never, never think of anything like that again! No matter what might ever happen to me, you are not allowed to hurt yourself!"

Edward shrugged. "I'll never put you in danger again, so it's a moot point."

"Put me in danger? I thought we'd established that all the bad luck is my fault?"

"What would you do... if the situation were reversed?" He asked.

"That's not the same thing." He didn't seem to understand the difference. He chuckled. "What if something did happen to you?" Nina blanched at the thought. "Would you want me to go jump off a cliff? To use all of my magic till it kills me?"

A trace of pain touched his perfect features. "I guess I see your point...a little," He admitted. "But what would I do without you?"

"Whatever you were doing before I came along and complicated your existence."

He sighed.

"You make that sound so easy."

She sighed. "It wouldn't be that easy. I know that. But you can't... You can't hurt yourself because of me. I'm going to die soon. Whether it be from my magic or from an accident – it's going to happen. I can't live with myself knowing the second something happens to me, you aren't going to be alive anymore."

"Moot point," He reminded her, putting the car back in drive before moving back onto the road.

"You know what you would love? A nice little Mercedes-Benz. Very quiet, lots of power . . ."

"There's nothing wrong with Bella's truck. And speaking of expensive nonessentials, if you know what's good for you, you didn't spend any money on birthday presents."

"Not a dime," He said virtuously. "My siblings on the other hand... Can you do me a favor?"

"That depends on what it is."

"Darling, the last real birthday any of us had was Emmett in 1935. Cut us a little slack, and don't be too upset tonight. They're all very excited."

"Fine, I'll behave."

They were pulling up to the house now. Bright light shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowers — some with red flowering currant, others with pink douglasia — lined the wide stairs up to the front door.

"Remember to smile," Edward teased.

"You won't be laughing when I make you sit on the floor all night," Nina warned him.

She moved to walk up the stairway, holding in her smile when he grabbed her by her waist and lifted her over them.

"Seriously? My leg isn't broken anymore, you know?"

He shrugged, opening the door with his foot. "Still fragile. Wouldn't want you to stub your toe or anything."

"You're so annoying," Nina grumbled.

"If I'm annoying then you're a danger magnet."

"I take it back then–"

"Good–"

"You're a teenage boy that was turned into a vampire at seventeen before all of his brain could fully form leaving him slightly stupid for all of eternity."

"That's my girl!" Emmett's voice suddenly shouted before his loud footsteps sounded. "Let my girl go, man. You've been hogging her all day!"

Before Edward could protest, Nina was grabbed by the burly vampire and pulled into his side. "Little witch!"

Nina giggled as he spun her around before setting her back down.

The rest of the Cullen family quickly joined them at the sounds of the witch's laughter. Alice soon walked in behind them, Bella at her side. The sight of the human made the witch smile. She brought a sense of normality to the party.

"Happy birthday, Nina!" The Cullen's announced excitedly making Nina blush brightly not used to the amount of direct attention.

Alice, Nina assumed, had covered every flat surface with green candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of carnations and orchids. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's grand piano, holding a white birthday cake with green accents, more orchids, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.

The vampires had truly gone all out and had clearly talked to Bella for some inspiration.

Edward wrapped an encouraging arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

Carlisle and Esme—impossibly youthful and lovely as ever—were the closest to the door. Esme hugged Nina carefully, her soft, caramel-colored hair brushing against her cheek as she kissed the witch's forehead, and then Carlisle put his arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry about this, Nina," He stage-whispered. "We couldn't rein Alice in."

Rosalie and Emmett stood behind them. Both of them were smiling, Rosalie's grin striking the witch as it always did. The blonde vampire truly was heavenly.

Edward elbowed her side when he heard her train of thoughts.

"Cool it, Sparkles," She warned quietly, making him roll his eyes. His family acted as if they hadn't heard her whispers but she could see smiles threatening to rise on their lips.

"You haven't changed at all, Nini," Emmett said with mock disappointment. "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always."

"Thanks a lot, Emmett," Nina said, blushing deeper.

He laughed, "I have to step out for a second"—He paused to wink conspicuously at Alice— "Don't do anything funny while I'm gone."

"I'll try." Alice let go of Bella's hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs.

"Time to open presents," Alice declared. She put her cool hand under Nina's elbow and towed her to the table with the cake and the shiny packages.

Nina put on her best martyr face. "Alice, I told you not to—"

"But I didn't listen," She interrupted, smug. "Open it."

A camera appeared in her hands after she handed Nina a small, rectangular silver box.

The box was so light that it felt empty. The tag on top said that it was from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper.

She glanced up at them and saw them grinning mischievously.

"Nothings going to jump out at me, right? The last time something did that my mom lost her eyebrows and had to get bangs–"

"Nothings going to jump out perse..." Rosalie trailed off.

"That wasn't reassuring at all," Nina muttered. She opened the box, hoping for further illumination. But the box was empty.

"Um... thanks. You got me... air?"

Rosalie cracked a smile.

Jasper laughed. "Look outside," He explained.

Nina's head turned slowly, unsurely glancing at them before she looked out the window and saw Emmett leaning against a black Mercedes Benz, a very familiar black Mercedes Benz, the very same Mercedes Benz that Nina almost ran over a grandmother in.

"You didn't..."

"We did."

"I almost killed a 90 year old and six pilons..."

"She was 96," Rosalie corrected. "And it was 8, if I remember correctly. Or at least, that's how many dents there were."

Nina blushed deeper.

"It was an old car of ours. None of us drive it very often so it didn't cost us anything to give it to you," Jasper explained. "That means you can't say no to it."

She breathed out softly before a smile fell onto her soft pink lips. "Thank you. I'll try my best not to dent it. But no promises."

Rosalie chuckled.

"Open mine and Edward's next," Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a small, flat square in her hand.

Nina turned to Edward and sent him a glare. "Traitor."

Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. "Just in time!" He crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look.

"I didn't spend a dime," Edward assured her. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, leaving her skin tingling from his touch.

She inhaled deeply and turned to Alice.

"Alright then," She sighed, unable to hold back her grin.

Emmett chuckled with delight.

Nina took the little package, rolling her eyes at Edward while she stuck her finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape.

"Shit," She muttered when the paper sliced her finger; she pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut.

It all happened very quickly then.

"No!" Edward roared. He threw himself at her, flinging her back across the table. It fell, as she did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. Nina landed in the mess of shattered crystal.

Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide. There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face.

Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes focused only on her while Rosalie and Esme guarded Bella's shaking form.

Beyond the shock, there was also pain. Nina had tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with her arms thrown out instinctively to catch her fall, into the jagged shards of glass.

Only now did she feel the searing, stinging pain that ran from her wrist to the crease inside her elbow.

She looked up quickly, holding her arm close to her stomach, clutching it as she looked into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.