𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘙𝘛𝘌𝘌𝘕

(the cursed witch, act one)

NINA WOKE UP IN HER OWN BED THAT MORNING. She had insisted Edward take her home after she found Emmett continuously walking into the Cullen Medical Room where she had been resting to make sure she was still breathing. It was nice the first few times, but after he woke her up 30 times in one hour, it got a little annoying.

Edward had agreed, but only on one condition.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," A familiar voice spoke when she groaned at the sight of sunlight.

"Shut up, you bastard," Nina groaned into her pillow.

Edward was sitting at her desk, messing around with a rubix cube she had owned since she was 12. He had solved it over 70 times in the last hour alone, while Nina had yet to solve it in the last 5 or so years of owning it.

"Not a bastard," He grinned, putting the rubix cube down before moving closer to sit on the edge of the bed. "Just an orphan."

Nina giggled softly, shaking her head against her pillow. "You're an idiot."

She could feel his cold fingers trail across the bare skin of her arm and smiled. "Did you rearrange my room again?"

"No," He smirked. "But I did clean out your closet. Why do you own so many Sabrina Carpenter cd's?"

"Cause she's amazing, you uncultured fuck."

Her voice was still raspy, though it was entertaining nonetheless.

"You've already sworn two times in the last 5 minutes of being awake. I think I should be investing in a swear jar."

She hummed. "Or a better attitude."

Edward held his chest, "You wound me, darling."

Nina grinned, grabbing him suddenly, pulling him into the bed. "No school," She told him, wrapping her arms around his torso, snuggling into his side. "Just sleep."

"I can't sleep."

"More sleep for me. It's your fault for being dead, not mine. Now, shh before my mom wakes up and murders you for being here."

"Now why would she do that?" He grinned.

"She always wanted me to marry a girl. Said it would be a cute wedding but now you've ruined that dream. Safe to say, she isn't going to be a happy camper when she hears I've gone the straight, boring route in life."

"If I couldn't read your mind, I'd be hurt."

"And what exactly is my mind telling you?"

"That you almost love me."

"Just almost?"

He kissed her hair, "For now."

Edward had driven the witch to school that morning. He had insisted, and Nina couldn't say no so she sent a quick text to Bella saying she didn't need a ride and that she would meet her there.

"Where is the rest of your family?" Nina asked when he drove into the school parking lot.

"They took Rosalie's car." He shrugged as he parked next to a glossy red convertible with the top up. "Ostentatious, isn't it?

"Jesus," She muttered. "Should have taken up Rosalie's offer yesterday."

Edward grinned, "Are you insinuating this car isn't as nice?"

"Definitely. If she has that, why does she ride with you or Emmett?"

"Like I said, it's ostentatious. We try to blend in."

"You do a shit job of fitting in." She laughed and shook her head as they got out of the car. She wasn't late anymore; his lunatic driving had gotten her to school in plenty of time. "So why did Rosalie drive today if it's more conspicuous?"

"Hadn't you noticed? I'm breaking all the rules now." He met her at the front of the car, staying very close to her side as they walked onto campus. He closed the small distance and intertwined their pinkies. Nina smiled at the act.

"Why do you have cars like that at all?" She wondered aloud. "If you're looking for privacy?"

"An indulgence," He admitted with a smirk. "We all like to drive fast."

"Figures," She muttered under her breath.

Under the shelter of the cafeteria roof's overhang, Bella was waiting, her eyes about to bug out of their sockets.

"Hey, Bells," Nina greeted, giving the brunette human a once over. She looked more stable than she did before, if anything she looked fine. "Spent lots of time with Jake, I see," She teased, knowing he was the reason she was feeling better.

"Shut up," Bella blushed. "Besides, he's way too young for me."

"Don't be dramatic. He's sixteen and you're seventeen. It's not even a full year, it's more like 9 months." Besides, Eeyore here is like a trillion. Edward bumped her side with a grunt when he heard that thought.

Letting go of his finger, Nina wrapped her arm around the Swan's shoulders. "You doing alright though?"

She glanced back when Bella didn't answer and shooed Edward away. He rolled his eyes but left and wandered over to his siblings.

"Just having some trouble sleeping," Bella admitted. Nina knew the feeling. Emmett did too – while he had been on his escapade of making sure she was still breathing every 6 minutes, he also had to wake her up every now and then from the brutal dreams.

"Did you want to stay at my place tonight? My mom will be home so we can have a girls night. Or we could do some witchy pot–"

"I'm not doing magical drugs, Nina."

"Your loss," Nina sighed. "But really, being with other people will help. Especially when it's a bunch of women."

Bella nodded, "Okay. Am I driving you then? Or is your new boyfriend also a chauffeur?"

"Boyfriend?" Nina asked. Sure, she knew they were mates, but he had never really asked if she wanted to be his girlfriend. It made sense but hearing it outloud somehow made it more real than she realized. "I mean, I guess he is... I don't know. I've never had a boyfriend."

"So, a chauffeur that occasionally holds your hand?" Bella asked, grinning at her stumbling friend.

The witch nodded, "Close enough. Now enough about my internal crisis, we have English to get to."

"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook!" Bella called out, following the witch into the school. "You're telling me everything tonight."

"Morning, Neens, Morning, Bella," Mike said from the seat next to them when she sat down. Both girls looked up to see an odd, almost resigned look on his face.

"How was Port Angeles?"

"It was..." There was no honest way to sum it up. "Great," Nina finished lamely when she saw Bella at a loss for words. "Jessica got a really cute dress."

"Did she say anything about Monday night?" He asked, his eyes brightening. Nina smiled at the turn the conversation had taken. "She said she had a really good time," She assured him.

"She did?" He said eagerly.

"Most definitely."

Mr. Mason called the class to order then, asking them to turn in their papers. Trig and then Government passed in a blur. Nina didn't really focus on the lessons though. She was caught in a storm of thoughts while also trying to hide them from the annoying mind reader that also happened to be her mate.

If you start listening to my thoughts right now I will make everyone in this world forget about you, she warned, hoping it would be enough.

She knew she had to talk to her mother at some point, it would be the easiest way to learn and understand what was going on with her.

If being with Edward was what she needed to be able to perform her magic without it causing immense pain, why did she still faint and feel like her energy was being drained?

There had to be something else – another piece to the puzzle.

Could it be her bloodline? The wolf heritage? Was it a curse placed on her? Was her timer still running?

If Edward lives forever, what's going to happen to him when the magic runs out?

She knew she should take another trip down to the reservation. Maybe Sam would be able to help. He seemed to be at least slightly knowledgeable in the matter and probably knew more about shapeshifters than her mother.

But she also didn't want to leave Natalie in the dark. Her mother had stayed by her side through everything and even if Nina felt slightly betrayed by the held back knowledge, she wouldn't want to push her away.

The entire period of her Spanish class was spent with Jessica going on about her date with Mike while Bella passed out against her desk. Nina actually didn't mind for once, if anything, the teen drama was a nice distraction from her internal dilemmas.

And then the bell rang for lunch. As she jumped up out of her seat, shoving her books roughly in her bag, her uplifted expression must have tipped Bella off. "You're not sitting with us today, are you?" She guessed.

"I don't think so." Nina didn't want to admit it, but she had been craving being in his presence again. One, because the distance had brought back a slight pang of pain in her hands, and two, because she missed him. Disgusting. Feelings are gross, she thought to herself.

Outside the door to their Spanish class, leaning against the wall — looking more like a Greek god than anyone had a right to — Edward was waiting for her. Bella took one look, grinned teasingly, and departed.

"See you later, lovebirds." Her voice was thick with amusement.

"Hey, gorgeous." His voice was amused. "Have fun with Jessica?"

"Wonderful time," She informed him, walking toward him before weaving her hand with his. "Other than the fact I might shoot myself if I hear her say Mike's name one more time today."

Edward laughed, "That bad?"

"So many teenage dilemmas with that girl."

"You blocked your mind off for a while there. Something happened?" He asked quietly. Luckily the hallways were empty, all the students already in the cafeteria, indulging happily in their hour of social time.

"It worked?" She asked hopefully.

He nodded.

"Good."

"What was it that you didn't want me to hear?" He asked. He wasn't offended by it, more so worried that she might be stressing over something and keeping it to herself.

"Oh, Jessica was just giving me the sex talk. I didn't think you would want to listen to what positions she liked best."

Edward grimaced. "You know I can tell when you're lying, right? Your heart gets all jumpy and your ears get red."

"What?" Nina asked nervously. "I'm not lying. She was talking about that."

"That's not why you were blocking me though," He insisted. It was only then that he noticed the lights around them flickering.

"Nina?" He asked worriedly when a spark lit, three lightbulbs exploding in its wake.

She didn't answer. Edward grabbed her arms gently, leading her out of the school through the back exit where he knew no students would be. It was a cloudy and cold day so everyone had piled into the warm cafeteria.

Taking her outside, leading her up to the hill and into the forest, he felt the wind around them speed up and gain power. Leaves blew around wildly and the trees howled.

"Just let it out," He told her.

A blue light glowed from her hands and he could tell she was trying to suppress it. He could feel the shockwaves of power radiating around her body but he stayed still. "You won't hurt me."

The trees surrounding them fell harshly as the blast of magic hit them. The crack of wood was loud, but the vampire didn't flinch. He hadn't even felt the wave of power, it had been like she shielded him.

Breathing out slowly, her shoulders slumped and Edward quickly moved to hold her up.

"Better?" He asked softly, moving her hair out of her face.

She looked up at him with glossed over eyes, "No."

The couple had resorted to staying outside for the remainder of the lunch period. Tucked into the forest, propped up on one of the moss-coated, fallen trees, they talked quietly.

Nina felt better, magic-wise. It didn't feel like she was going to explode anymore at least. But that didn't take away the anxious feeling.

"What happens when you eat food?" Nina asked, trying to take her mind off the elephant in the room.

"Nothing really. It's not all that enjoyable and since we are dead we have no working digestive system so we have to make ourselves vomit."

Nina stared at him, "So when I made you eat that ice cream and you disappeared for ten minutes..."

"Yeah."

"That's fucking gross."

"So judgemental," He tsked, smiling. The witch scoffed at his accusation. "I am not judgemental. I am only honest."

"Brutally."

She hummed, "You're really good at distracting me."

"Ah," He breathed out, shrugging. "I've been told I dazzle people." She rolled her eyes at the comment.

"Do you really need to go to Seattle this Saturday, or was that just an excuse to get out of saying no to all your admirers?" She made a face at the memory. "You know, I haven't forgiven you for the Tyler thing yet," She warned him.

"Oh, he would have found a chance to ask you without me — I just really wanted to watch your face," He chuckled. She would have been angrier if his laughter wasn't so fascinating. "If I'd asked you, would you have turned me down?" He asked, still laughing to himself.

"Probably," She admitted. "I'm not the greatest at dealing with others' emotions..." She fiddled with her fingers. "I can't even deal with my own so I would have blurted something out like I did with Kit."

He was puzzled. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"Well... And don't take this the wrong way, but I did think you were planning my murder for a solid two months."

"I remember that," He hummed. "It was quite entertaining seeing you so frazzled. But you never told me — are you resolved on going to Seattle, or do you mind if we do something different?"

"I'm open to alternatives," She allowed. "I know Bella didn't even really want to go. She was just going as a way to get out of the dance... But I do have a favor to ask."

He looked wary, as he always did when she asked an open-ended question. "What?"

"Can I drive?"

He frowned. "Why? You've never driven before."

"I wanna learn before I graduate and now– well, hopefully now, I'll be able to control my magic enough that I won't set fire to the engine like the last one." She didn't mention it was something on her bucket list of things to do before she died. "And you drive insanely fast."

He rolled his eyes. "Of all the things about me that could frighten you, you worry about my driving." He shook his head in amusement, but then his eyes were serious again. "Won't you want to tell your mother that you're spending the day with me?" There was an undercurrent to his question that she didn't understand.

"Definitely not. I really don't feel like talking about which protection works the best. Where are we going, anyway?"

"The weather will be nice, so I'll be staying out of the public eye... and you can stay with me, if you'd like to." Again, he was leaving the choice up to her. "But if you don't want to be... alone with me, I'd still rather you didn't go to Seattle by yourself. I shudder to think of the trouble you could find in a city that size."

"I'm not that much of a danger magnet–" He gave her a look that made her sigh, "Fine. I am. But I can take care of myself. And, as it happens, I don't mind being alone with you."

"I know," He couldn't stop the smile that spread onto his lips. "You should tell Natalie, though."

"Why would I put myself through the trauma of that?"

"To give me some small incentive to bring you back."

She blushed brightly. "Why did you go to that Goat Rocks place last weekend... to hunt? I was talking to Bella's dad and he said it wasn't a good place to hike, because of bears."

He stared at her as if she was missing something very obvious. "Bears?" She gasped, and he smirked. "You know, bears are not in season," She added sternly, to hide her shock.

"If you read carefully, the laws only cover hunting with weapons," He informed her. He watched her face with enjoyment as that slowly sank in.

"Bears?" She repeated with difficulty.

"Grizzly is Emmett's favorite." His voice was still offhand, but his eyes were scrutinizing her reaction. She tried to pull herself together. "What's your favourite?" She asked, finally meeting his gaze.

"Mountain lion... Of course," He said, and his tone mirrored hers, "We have to be careful not to impact the environment with injudicious hunting. We try to focus on areas with an overpopulation of predators — ranging as far away as we need. There's always plenty of deer and elk here, and they'll do, but where's the fun in that?" He smiled teasingly.

"Yeah," She agreed soundly, still stunned that he could take down a bear.

"Early spring is Emmett's favorite bear season — they're just coming out of hibernation, so they're more irritable." He smiled at some remembered joke.

"Nothing more fun than an irritated grizzly bear," She agreed, nodding.

He snickered, shaking his head. "Tell me what you're really thinking, please." She must have closed off her thoughts without even realizing it.

"I'm trying to picture it — but I can't," She admitted. "How do you hunt a bear without weapons?"

"Oh, we have weapons." He flashed his bright teeth in a brief, threatening smile. She could have sworn she saw his canine teeth grow longer and sharper. "Just not the kind they consider when writing hunting laws. If you've ever seen a bear attack on television, you should be able to visualize Emmett hunting."

"That's amazing," She muttered, hand moving to hold his jaw. "Do it again?"

He was hesitant at first. "Just don't touch them, okay? They're sharp."

"No shit," She muttered as his lips parted, revealing his now pointed teeth. She could imagine it better now; how fierce of a predator he could be.

"Are you like a bear, too? When you hunt?" She asked in a low voice.

"More like the lion, or so they tell me," He said lightly as her hand left his skin and his teeth retracted. "Perhaps our preferences are indicative."

"Perhaps," She repeated. But her mind was filled with opposing images that she couldn't merge together. "Is that something I might get to see?"

"Absolutely not." His face turned even whiter than usual.

"Too scary for me?"

"If that were it, I would take you out tonight. You need a healthy dose of fear. Nothing could be more beneficial for you."

"Then why?"

"Too dangerous. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you in that state..." He glanced down at his watch before standing from the tree. "We're going to be late. Are you feeling up to class?"

Taking the hand he had offered her, she let him pull her up. "If I don't, I'll start failing." 

a/n

if you don't like it I'm sorry but i had to give them fangs. i literally can't deal with the fact they don't have them. and it's going to help out so much in future chapters