The morning wasn't any different than normal.

Roman bikes to school, arriving minutes before Edward and Bella, ten before Angela and Ben, twenty before Jessica or Lauren. She has a thermos of coffee tightly in hand, work shirt shoved deep into her bag.

She was full of energy, still thrumming off the buzz from the best weekend in the history of ever, not even the ugly, taunting rainclouds could dampen her good mood.

Waking up tucked in close to Bella while stealing kisses from ever had that sort of effect.

So yeah, it was a great morning and that alone should have tipped her off that something was going to go terribly wrong at some point. She didn't expect it to start so early.

And certainly not with Jacob leaning against his illegally parked motorbike towering over high school students. The younger boy had a flare for the dramatics it seemed, pulling a page from Sam's book as he borrowed the serious scowl that near permanently marred his handsome face.

It sent shivers down her spine each time he tried to use the expression, especially around her.

She wasn't going to let it slide with her. She wasn't going to be intimidated by the likes of him.

"You can't park there," she says, rolling her bike up next to him. "You have to move it... and then try a gentler approach if you're going to try and talk to Bella. She's already pissed with you."

"I'm not here to speak to her."

"Lies. You wouldn't come otherwise. Don't try and fool me, Jacob Black," she snaps, knuckles turning white with how hard she grips the handlebar. "Now move your bike and try to act like a decent person before you do something else you regret, like, oh, I don't know, accusing her of visiting her mom as an excuse to turn."

His jaw tenses. "I never said that."

"Right, just like the rest of your friends didn't waste my time by keeping me on the phone for hours," Roman seethes with a sharp smile. "Because I did figure that one out around the same time Bella did, thanks, I'm just not sure if it was to keep me away from Edward and Bella or if it was to make sure I didn't time to turn as well.

"Either way it's infuriating and insulting, and I don't know what to even say to that sort of terrible attempt to make me unhappy! How little do all of you think of me if you think it's alright to just blatantly hurt me like that?" she continues, twisting her hand around the plastic. "I take pride in the work that I do, and it might not be much to any of you, but my maps are important. To act like you're just amusing me, using me to keep track of a situation that isn't even a big deal makes you... makes you... makes you horrible people!"

He shifts, shrinking so that he didn't look so tough and intimidating, more approachable. "Sam listened to all of your suggestions, for what it's worth, and Seth was genuine about asking for your help. I'm sorry for what the others did but they thought they were doing good."

She sniffs. "They're idiots."

"I know," he snorts. "I'll help Seth kick their ass if it makes you feel better."

"You sound like you want to do it anyway.'

He shrugs. "They deserve it. They should've known better."

"Yeah, well, you should have known better than to just call Bella to make her feel back like that," Roman says. "She wasn't happy with you, to begin with."

"That wasn't why I called, and if that's the approach you want to take, then that bloodsucker shouldn't have come onto our land so I wouldn't have needed to call at all."

She blinks. "What?"

He doesn't get to answer as Bella and Edward arrive, the boy shifting her so that she was standing further back, closer to him with her bike acting as a sort of barrier. If she noticed then so did Jacob.

"You could have called us," Edward says in a steel-hard voice.

"Sorry, I don't have any leeches on speed-dial."

"You could have reached me at Bella's house, of course," Edward says, smug.

Jacob jaw tenses. He doesn't answer.

"You could have called me. Seth is always on the phone with me."

"Didn't think it would be appropriate after what happened last time," he replies, sounding less apologetic as before.

Roman winces. "Right. Of course."

"Look, this is hardly the place," Edward looked around them pointedly. "Can we discuss this later?"

Her phone rings from the depths of her bag, the blaring ringtone making her jump. She flushes, cheeks burning warm as she steps away to answer it, Edward taking her bike from her.

Roman frowns when she sees Marnie's name bright across the screen. "Hello?"

"Ah, Romey, it's good I caught you before school started. I need you to come and meet me at the station."

She cast a look to the school and then Edward and Bella behind her. "Why, did something happen?"

"No, it's just incredibly important that you come," Marnie states, voice sounding a little strained. "I've already spoken to your school and got you the day off. I'll be waiting by the trailhead at Route 36."

The line is cut after that leaving her with more questions than she started with and little choice but to do as she's told as she turns back to the still arguing group. She waves, briefly catching Bella's eye before hopping back onto her bike, kicking away from the curve and blowing a kiss as she goes. 

Edward would have heard the conversation. He would know where to find her. 

The ride is one that's she's made too many times to count, one that she could do with her eyes closed, so it didn't take her long, rather, it didn't feel like long when she was pulling up to where Marnie had said that she was. 

And there she really was, standing straight, spine stiff, as she faced the woods. Something like caution flared at the back of her mind, a warning siren blaring in her head. 

There was something waiting there for them, something that her mother wanted her to go towards, and she could only hope that it wasn't a body and Marnie had just neglected to call the cops. God, please don't let it be a body. 

Her mother turns to her. "Hurry up." 

"What is going on?"

"It's nothing bad. You have to trust me." 

"Trust you? Mom, how can you expect me to trust you after everything?" 

Marnie bolstered, face turning red. "I've only ever done what's best for you." 

"You've only ever done what you thought was best," she counters, crossing her arms defensively. "You've only recently renewed your interest in me, so can you please just tell me what this is about?" 

The woman shifts, gaze falling to the trees and whatever lies waiting for them. There's this longing, this yearning, to go that make the hairs at the back of her neck rise. 

"It's nothing terrible, Romey, I swear." 

"Mom, it fills like the bad beginning of a Stephen King novel." 

"Please, just follow me." 

Marnie doesn't even wait to see if she follows before she goes on in, walking fast with this bounce to her step. 

It wasn't reassuring, only dragging the unsettling feeling further up into her throat as she reluctantly follows. She didn't want to go, didn't want to be here, but all that was too late now. Besides, she couldn't just abandon Marnie to whatever it was. 

They walked in far, moving from the worn trail to the open trees, that made Roman's head buzz as she tried to keep track of where they were going. It didn't make sense that Marnie would go in confusing, roundabout ways just to try and get them lost. 

They stop by a small, flatbed stream, standing beside an old, fallen, tree, the rotten roots sticking up into the air. The small patches of grass were dead, brown leaves spread around the earthen floor. It felt dead, like a forgotten place abandoned by mother nature.

"It's nice that you've finally joined us, Roman." 

The cool, deep voice froze her heart, lodging fear and anger in the pit of her stomach. She breathed deeply, shaky, as she slowly turned, shifting so her back was pressed to the fallen tree, though she knew it would do her little good. 

"Dad?" 

"The way you left us was very rude. I had thought that you were scared, but that wasn't the case, was it?" 

She tenses, eyes darting around his face. "What are you doing here?" 

He moves, regulation boots pressing footprints into the soft earth. "I have given our family a lot of thought and when your mother mentioned that the boy you loved was a Cullen, I realized what had truly come to pass. I will not lose you to that family." 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Honey, the Cullen's are vampires," Marnie says gently as if it was some great revelation. 

"And? What of it?" she snaps, biting out the words. 

Julius growls. "So it as a matter of you choosing them over us." 

"You make it sound like me choosing to be with you was ever a real possibility." 

The noise he makes echoes but she refused to shrink, muscles to stiff and tense to respond regardless. There was no way out of this, no help to come. Julius was a crazy man, one with years to hone his madness to this exact point of fixation, so focused that he had managed to draw Marnie under the pull of his insanity.  

"You are our daughter, Roman, you belong with us," Marnie implores, all motherly pleading. 

"That's something that I decide, not you. I don't want to be a part of whatever this is, please," she stammers, back digging into the crumbling bark. "Can't you just do it without me? Leave me out of it!" 

"It's impossible to have a family without the child," Julius says, tone cold and uncaring. "You'll learn to love us again once you're free from their spell." 

She stumbles as she backs away, following the length of the tree. "You're crazy! Stay away from me!" 

Julius growls. "Don't raise your voice to me!" 

Her heart kicked into action, hammering against her ribs so hard she was sure they would break, sending adrenaline thrilling through her veins, the urge to flee from the superior predator overwhelming. 

Roman takes off, racing back in the direction that she came, hoping that Marnie would keep him from following at the risk of being seen. She knew she wasn't fast enough the moment she took her first step, stepping into the stream and past the roots as he grabs her by the arm, yanking her back with a jerking motion that makes her yelp. 

"Let go!" she shrieks, kicking at him uselessly. His hold on her arm tightens and she can feel it straight through her bone. "Stop! Stop it!" 

"Julius, isn't that a bit much?" Marnie worries, refusing to look at her daughter. 

She wants to scream, rage that her mother was a traitor, an evil woman. She wanted to tell her that she hated her, but the words are forgotten as he squeezes once more, harder, before dropping her back down into the stream, jeans soaking where she falls. 

The sleeve of her sweater rips away with him, tearing easily in his hands as he breaks it into strips with a clawed hand. 

Roman holds a hand to her aching arm, refusing to acknowledge the tears that trailed down her cheeks. 

"Yes, I suppose you're right, dear," he says kindly, lovingly as he speaks to Marnie. "We have to make it look like an animal attack." 

Her eyes widen, shifting as her gaze darts between them. 

He turns, kindness gone as he's suddenly in front of her, grabbing her by the hair as he drags her up, pulling her around the small space as he makes sure her hair is caught and torn free. 

"The wolves after come anywhere near here, if that's what you're hoping for," she remarks backing away once she's free. "Charlie will know somethings up when he references my maps and doesn't see any prints." 

"Charlie isn't the hunter that you are, Romey," Marnie says soothingly as if it was for her benefit.

"Edward would know!"  

Julius knocks her back hard against the fallen tree, eyes dark and empty. She wonders when he had lost himself; if he had ever been himself after he turned. 

Because this had never been the man that she remembered, the man that her mother had spoken so highly of. He was a shell of a man, gone to the war he fought then the excruciating pain of turning. 

She couldn't help but pity Marnie for a brief, brief, moment knowing she was destined to love a shell of the man she had once known. A broken thing that could never be fixed. 

That pity was gone when he lifted her up, angling her jaw so that he had easy access to her neck -- because the neck was close to the heart, a thick artery fluttering under fragile skin. His touch made her skin crawl, terror pounding through her with the power of a drum -- lodging in her throat as she shut her eyes tight. 

They jump to the front of her mind, their smiling faces behind her eyelids, welcoming, comforting in her final moments. If she had known she would have said something more, something to express the depth of her love and yearning, adoration and devotion. 

Roman would have told them again and again until her throat ran dry and voice hoarse. 

She didn't trust Julius to keep control, not like he said that he would, with how hard he held her jaw, threatening to crush the bone between two fingers, she knew he wouldn't manage such a feat no matter how disciplined he was. 

A branch cracked. Then another. A low, deep growl filling the air, a sound that filled her with silly hope, eyes blinking open quickly. 

There was a smallish grey wolf, sleek and powerful in their stance, and the eyes -- she would recognize those angry eyes anywhere. 

Leah howled, the sound ripping across the silent, still forest, echoing as others responded close, so close. The girl launched, snapping at Julius' arm as he danced and darted out of the way. 

Crumbling, she cried out, watching as her friend jumped around him, pushing away from her pathetic form.

Black darted in, Sam's large wolf form moving without hesitation. Then there was another and another, boys she didn't recognize moving on the attack as they slowly forced Julius to take flight, snatching Marnie in his arms before he ran.

The wolves took chase. 

And she sat there shaking, shivering, as she tried to figure out where she hurt more, wondering how she had managed to survive, why he had been so slow in everything that he had done. 

Was it just the way that things were meant to play out? The call of fate that she didn't believe in resolving the time with her father? The wolves wouldn't let him get away, no matter who he was. She didn't want them to, no matter what it would mean for Marnie. That relationship was destroyed beyond salvation, dashed away to nothing. She never wanted to see the woman again -- and god, if Marnie did come back then Roman would have nowhere to live. 

That house was a curse, an apartment of haunting memories of a mother that could've been but never really was and a father that hated and never returned. It was filled with empty walls and barred doors to keep herself locked away out of sight, out of mind. 

She had always believed Marnie was just a hands-off mother, too focused on work and making sure they had money to survive with Julius gone, but if her eyes hadn't been clear before then they were now. She didn't want Roman nearly as much as he did.

Trembling, shaky fingers came up to prod at her jaw, wincing at the throbbing pulse of her heartbeat that wasn't supposed to be there. 

Her fingers came away red and she blinked dumbly at the blood. "Oh." 

A huff of hot air burst across her face and she looks up slowly, meeting Leah's concerned gaze. The girl nudged her to her feet, encouraging her to stand. 

It took longer than she thought, legs wobbly and weak as the ground swayed, trees spinning around her. 

Roman faints gracefully against Leah's side. 

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bye bye momma marnie! bye bye papa julius! bestie leah to the rescue! we might just get some wholesome friendship fluff next chappie if i dont change my mind :)) 

unedited

2019-11-16