𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘛𝘞𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘠

(the cursed witch, act one)

NATALIE WAS WAITING UP FOR HER. All the house lights were on. Nina's mind was blank as she tried to think of a way to make her let her go. Whatever way she found, she knew it wasn't going to be pleasant and she dreaded every second leading up. 

Edward pulled up slowly, staying well back from the house. All three vampires were acutely alert, ramrod straight in their seats –something that normally would have made Nina self conscious enough to fix her own posture–  listening to every sound of the woods, looking through every shadow, catching every scent, searching for something out of place. The engine cut off, and Nina sat, motionless, as they continued to listen.

"He's not here," Edward said tensely. "Let's go." Emmett reached over to help her get out of the harness.

"Don't worry, Nini," He said in a low but cheerful voice. "We'll take care of things here quickly."

She felt moisture filling up her eyes as she looked at Emmett. She had just started to feel comfortable around him, and not knowing when she would see him again after that night was anguishing. She knew this was just a faint taste of the goodbyes she would have to survive in the next hour, and the thought made the tears begin to spill.

"Alice, Emmett." Edward's voice was a command. They slithered soundlessly into the darkness, instantly disappearing. Edward opened Nina's door and took her hand, then drew her into the protecting enclosure of his arm. He walked her swiftly toward the house, eyes always roving through the night.

"Fifteen minutes," He warned under his breath.

"I can do this." She sniffled. Her tears had given her an inspiration. She stopped on the porch and took hold of his face in her hands. She looked fiercely into his eyes.

"I love you," She said in a low, intense voice. "I will always love you, no matter what happens now."

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Nina," He said just as fiercely.

"Just follow the plan, okay? Keep my mom safe for me. She's not going to like me very much after this, and I want to have the chance to apologize later."

"Get inside, Nina. We have to hurry." His voice was urgent.

"One more thing," She whispered passionately. "Don't listen to another word I say tonight!" He was leaning in, and so all she had to do was stretch up on her toes to kiss his surprised, frozen lips with as much force as she was capable of. Then she turned and kicked the door open.

"Go away, Edward!" She yelled at him with a sudden amount of anger that almost shocked him, running inside and slamming the door shut in his still-shocked face.

"Nia?" Natalie had been hovering in the living room, and she was already on her feet.

"Leave me alone!" Nina screamed at her mother through her tears, which were flowing relentlessly now. She ran through the hall to her room, throwing the door shut and locking it. She ran to her bed, flinging herself on the floor to retrieve her duffel bag. She reached swiftly between the mattress and box spring to grab the knotted old sock that contained her secret cash hoard.

Natalie was pounding on her door. "Nina, are you okay? What's going on?" Her voice was frightened. 

"I'm going home," Nina shouted back, her voice breaking in the perfect spot.

"Did he hurt you?" Her tone edged toward anger.

"No!" She shrieked a few octaves higher. The witch turned to her dresser, and Edward was already there, silently yanking out armfuls of random clothes, which he proceeded to throw to her.

"Did he break up with you?" Natalie was perplexed.

"No!" She yelled, slightly more breathless as she shoved everything into the bag. Edward threw another drawer's contents at her. The bag was pretty much full now. She quickly threw in a grimoire.

"What happened, Nina?" Natalie shouted through the door, pounding again.

"I broke up with him!" She shouted back, jerking on the zipper of her bag. Edward's capable hands pushed hers away and zipped it smoothly. He put the strap carefully over her arm.

"I'll be in the Jeep— go!" He whispered, and pushed her toward the door. He vanished out the window.

She unlocked the door and pushed past Natalie roughly, struggling with the heavy bag as she ran down the hall.

"What happened?" Natalie yelled. She was right behind her. "I thought you liked him." She caught her elbow in the kitchen. Though she was still bewildered, her grip was firm. She spun Nina around to look at her, and Nina could see in her face that she had no intention of letting her leave.

Nina could think of only one way to escape, and it involved hurting her so much that she hated herself for even considering it. But she had no time, and she had to keep her safe.

She glared up at her mother, fresh tears in her eyes for what she was about to do.

"I do like him — that's the problem. I'm not good enough for him. I'm useless! I wasn't even good enough for Dad to stay. I was so much of a disappointment he couldn't even bear to stay. I can't stay here. I can't put down any more roots here! I need to leave– if I don't I never will!"

Natalie's hand dropped from her arm like she'd electrocuted her. She turned away from her shocked, worried face and headed for the door.

"Nia, you can't leave now. It's nighttime," She whispered behind her.

Nina didn't turn around. "I'll sleep in the cab if I get tired."

"Just wait another week," She pleaded, still shell-shocked. "We can go to Italy. Talk to your father–"

She turned the door knob. Natalie was too close, one hand extended toward her, her face dazed. Nina couldn't lose any more time arguing with her. She was going to have to hurt her further.

"Just let me go." She repeated her fathers last words as he'd walked out. She said them as angrily as she could manage, and she threw the door open. "I can't have you hold me down anymore. It didn't work out, okay? You can't fix me."

Her cruel words did their job — Natalie stayed frozen on the doorstep, stunned, while she ran into the night.

She was terrified as she ran down the street to where the Jeep was parked just out of sight. She threw her bag in the passenger seat before jumping in herself.

Edward immediately began driving, speeding down the town roads. He reached for her hand, hearing her heart wrenching sobs echo through the jeep.

"I'm fine," She told him, though the way her voice cracked made it all the more obvious she wasn't.

He had heard her speech. And he knew every word she had said about herself was what she truly thought. She thought she was useless. She thought she was the reason her father left. She thought she was a disappointment. She thought she was something that couldn't be fixed. 

His long hands unexpectedly gripped her waist, and his foot kept steady on the gas pedal. He pulled her across his lap. The Jeep didn't swerve an inch.

He took her hand again, wrapping his cold arm around her waist. Her mind was filled with the image of Natalie in the doorway.

"The tracker?"

"He heard the end of your performance," Edward said grimly.

"Mom?" She asked in dread.

"The tracker followed us. He's running behind us now." Her body went cold.

"Can we outrun him?"

"No." But he sped up as he spoke.

Her plan suddenly didn't feel so brilliant anymore. She was staring back at the trees when the Jeep shuddered and a dark shadow sprung up outside the window. She gasped, about to scream when he stopped her.

"It's just Emmett! It's okay, Nina," He promised. "You're going to be safe."

They raced through the quiet town toward the north highway.

"I didn't realize you were still so bored with small-town life," He said conversationally, and she knew he was trying to distract her. "It seemed like you were adjusting fairly well —especially recently. Maybe I was just flattering myself that I was making life more interesting for you."

"I wasn't being nice," She confessed, ignoring his attempt at diversion, looking down at her knees. "That was the same thing my dad said when he left her. You could say I was hitting below the belt."

"Don't worry. She'll forgive you." He smiled a little, though it didn't touch his eyes. Nina stared at him desperately, and he saw the naked panic in her eyes.

"Darling, it's going to be alright."

"But it won't be alright when I'm not with you," She whispered.

"We'll be together again in a few days," He said, tightening his arm around me. "Don't forget that this was your idea."

"It was the best idea — of course it was mine." His answering smile was bleak and disappeared immediately.

"Why did this happen?" She asked, her voice catching. "Why me?"

He stared blankly at the road ahead. "It's my fault — I was a fool to expose you like that." The rage in his voice was directed internally.

"That's not what I meant," Nina spoke quickly. "I was there, big deal. It didn't bother the other two. Why did this James decide to kill me? There are witches all over the place, why me?"

He hesitated, thinking before he answered. "I got a good look at his mind tonight," He began in a low voice. "I'm not sure if there's anything I could have done to avoid this, once he saw you. It is partially your fault." His voice was wry. "Witches have a very special scent. It's amplified by the amount of power the person holds. And it's different from any human blood type. It's like I told you, you smell like apple pie and cinnamon, no human smells like that. If you didn't smell so different from the rest, he might not have bothered. But when I defended you... well, that made it a lot worse. He's not used to being thwarted, no matter how insignificant the object. He thinks of himself as a hunter and nothing else. His existence is consumed with tracking, and a challenge is all he asks of life. Suddenly we've presented him with a beautiful challenge — a large clan of strong fighters all bent on protecting the one vulnerable element. You wouldn't believe how euphoric he is now. It's his favorite game, and we've just made it his most exciting game ever." His tone was full of disgust.

He paused for a moment. "But if I had stood by, he would have killed you right then," He said with hopeless frustration.

"I thought... My scent wasn't strong. I thought it was calming," She said hesitantly.

"That's only for me. That's only because you were made for me. To the rest... you are a temptation to every one of them." She shuddered.

"I don't think I have any choice but to kill him now," He muttered. "Carlisle won't like it." She could hear the tires cross the bridge, though she couldn't see the river in the dark. She knew they were getting close.

She had to ask him now. "How can you kill a vampire?"

He glanced at her with unreadable eyes and his voice was suddenly harsh. "The only way to be sure is to tear him to shreds, and then burn the pieces."

"And the other two will fight with him?"

"The woman will. I'm not sure about Laurent. They don't have a very strong bond — he's only with them for convenience. He was embarrassed by James in the field..."

"But James and the woman — they'll try to kill you?" She asked, her voice raw.

"Nina, don't you dare waste time worrying about me. Your only concern is keeping yourself safe and — please, please — trying not to be reckless."

"Is he still following?"

"Yes. He won't attack the house, though. Not tonight." He turned off onto the invisible drive, with Alice and Emmett following behind. They drove right up to the house. The lights inside were bright, but they did little to alleviate the blackness of the encroaching forest.

Emmett had the door open before the Jeep was stopped; he pulled her out of Edward's lap, tucked her like a football into his vast chest, and ran her through the door. They burst into the large white room, Edward and Alice at their sides.

All of them were there; they were already on their feet at the sound of their approach. Laurent stood in their midst.

Nina could hear low growls rumble deep in Emmett's throat as he set her down next to Edward.

"He's tracking us," Edward announced, glaring balefully at Laurent. Laurent's face was unhappy.

"I was afraid of that."

Alice danced to Jasper's side and whispered in his ear; her lips quivered with the speed of her silent speech. They flew up the stairs together. Rosalie watched them, and then moved quickly to Emmett's side. Her beautiful eyes were intense and — when they flickered unwillingly to Nina's face – worried.

"What will he do?" Carlisle asked Laurent in chilling tones.

"I'm sorry," He answered. "I was afraid, when your boy there defended her, that it would set him off."

"Can you stop him?"

Laurent shook his head. "Nothing stops James when he gets started."

"We'll stop him," Emmett promised. There was no doubt what he meant.

"You can't bring him down. I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven." His coven, Nina thought, of course. The show of leadership in the clearing was merely that, a show. Laurent was shaking his head. He glanced at her, perplexed, and back to Carlisle.

"Are you sure it's worth it?"

Edward's enraged roar filled the room; Laurent cringed back. Carlisle looked gravely at Laurent.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice." Laurent understood. He deliberated for a moment. His eyes took in every face, and finally swept the bright room. "I'm intrigued by the life you've created here. But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against James. I think I will head north —to that clan in Denali."

He hesitated. "Don't underestimate James. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on... I'm sorry for what's been unleashed here. Truly sorry." He bowed his head, but Nina saw him flicker another puzzled look at her.

"Go in peace," Was Carlisle's formal answer.

Laurent took another long look around himself, and then he hurried out the door. The silence lasted less than a second.

"How close?" Carlisle looked to Edward. Esme was already moving; her hand touched an inconspicuous keypad on the wall, and with a groan, huge metal shutters began sealing up the glass wall. Nina didn't have time to admire it.

"About three miles out past the river; he's circling around to meet up with the female."

"What's the plan?"

"We'll lead him off, and then Jasper and Alice will run her south."

"And then?"

Edward's tone was deadly. "As soon as Nina is clear, we hunt him."

"I guess there's no other choice," Carlisle agreed, his face grim. Edward turned to Rosalie. "Get her upstairs and trade clothes," Edward commanded.

Rosalie instantly tugged the witch up the staircase, not letting her trip as she practically carried her. The blonde vampire dragged her into her dark bedroom.

"What are we doing?" Nina asked breathlessly as Rosalie set her down in a dark room.

"Trying to confuse the smell. It won't work for long, but it might help get you out."

Nina could hear her clothes falling to the floor.

The witch hesitated but Rosalie's hands were abruptly pulling her shirt over her head. Nina threw away her self conscious nerves and quickly stripped her jeans off herself.

Rosalie handed her something, it felt like a shirt. The witch struggled to get her arms through the right holes. As soon as she was done she handed Nina her jeans. She yanked them on, but she couldn't get her feet out; they were too long.

Rosalie deftly rolled the hems a few times so Nina could stand. Somehow the vampire was already in her clothes. Rosalie pulled her back to the stairs, where Alice stood, a small leather bag in one hand.

They each grabbed one of Nina's elbows and half-carried her as they flew down the stairs. It appeared that everything had been settled downstairs in our absence.

Edward and Emmett were ready to leave, Emmett carrying a heavy-looking backpack over his shoulder. Carlisle was handing something small to Esme. He turned and handed Alice the same thing — it was a tiny silver cell phone.

"Alice, Jasper —take the Mercedes. You'll need the dark tint in the south." They nodded as well. "We're taking the Jeep." Nina was surprised to see that Carlisle intended to go with Edward. She realized suddenly, with a stab of fear, that they made up the hunting party.

"Alice," Carlisle asked, "will they take the bait?"

Everyone watched Alice as she closed her eyes and became incredibly still. Finally her eyes opened. "He'll track you. The woman will follow the Jeep . We should be able to leave after that." Her voice was certain.

"Let's go." Carlisle began to walk toward the kitchen. But Edward was at Nina's side at once. He caught her up in his iron grip, crushing her to him. He seemed unaware of his watching family as he pulled her face to his, lifting her feet off the floor. For the shortest second, his lips were icy and hard against hers.

Then it was over. He set her down, still holding her face, his glorious eyes burning into hers. 

"You'll be alright. I promise." 

"I love you," Nina whispered, brows creased as her eyes turned wet again. He nodded hard, squeezing his eyes shut before turning away. And then they were gone.

The rest stood there, the others looking away from Nina as the tears streaked noiselessly down her face. The silent moment dragged on, and then Esme's phone vibrated in her hand. It flashed to her ear.

"Now," She said. Rosalie stalked out the front door, but Esme touched Nina's cheek as she passed. "Be safe." Her whisper lingered behind them as they slipped out the door. She heard the truck start thunderously, and then fade away.

Jasper and Alice waited. Alice's phone seemed to be at her ear before it buzzed.

"Edward says the woman is on Rose's trail. I'll get the car." She vanished into the shadows the way Edward had gone. Jasper and Nina looked at each other. He stood across the length of the entryway from her being careful.

"You're wrong, you know," He said quietly.

"What?" Nina gasped.

"I can feel what you're feeling now — and you are worth it."

"I'm not," She mumbled. "If anything happens to them, it will be for nothing."

"You're wrong," He repeated, smiling kindly at her.

She heard nothing, but then Alice stepped through the front door and came toward her with her arms held out.

"May I?" She asked.

"You're the first one to ask permission." Nina smiled wryly. She lifted Nina in her slender arms as easily as Emmett had, shielding her protectively, and then they flew out the door, leaving the lights bright behind them.