𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍;
NOW YOU KNOW

— IN THE DARKNESS, THERE was a a ray of light shining through the underside of a door. Reese felt like she needed to see what was on the other side, a burning sensation in her lower back forced her forward. Her shaking hand gripped the knob and twisted, pulling the door open. Reese felt tears burn at her eyes as she recognized the hallway of the house on Sunrise Street. She glanced back and realized that the dark room she had been standing in had been her own. Reese let out a relieved cry. It hadn't been real. The fire. Her parents deaths. Moving across the country. None of it had actually happened, it was just a terrible nightmare.

"Mom!" She shouted, rushing down towards where she could hear the television playing in the living room. "Dad!"

Her parents were seated on the love couch, Paul's left arm wrapped lovingly around Mallory's shoulders while his right was positioned on the large swell on her stomach. Reese came to an abrupt stop, her eyebrows pulling down into a frown as she glanced around at the familiar room, but came to a sudden realization that there was no evidence of the twins; there were no class pictures on the mantel or perfectly organized magnets on the fridge in the kitchen. There were no toy soldiers littering the ground. It was as if the twins had never existed.

"Mom?" She repeated, but her parents never turned. "Mom, can you hear me?"

Mallory never even glanced in her direction. "Please," Reese begged, moving towards them until she was standing in front of Paul and Mallory, blocking their view of the news but they looked right through her. "Please see me."

"Mommy?" They turned for that, and Reese's eyes moved past them to see a young child holding a stuffed bear standing in the hall. Reese blanched; she was looking at a young version of herself. This isn't real, Reese let her shoulders deflate it's just a dream. But something was shouting at her in her brain, reminding her that this wasn't a dream but a memory. A memory long forgotten and pushed aside by more important things. Reese tried to call out for her parents again, but their attention remained on their young daughter.

"What is it, baby?" Mallory cooed, motioning for her daughter to come to her. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Yes," young Reese answered, cuddling up to her parents on the couch. "There were mean people and big dogs. They were trying to hurt me."

"It was just a nightmare, Reesey," Paul comforted her, running his fingers through her blonde hair. "Nothing to worry about."

"Can we watch cartoons?" Young Reese asked hopefully, her green eyes gazing up at her beloved parents. Love them while you can, ghost-like-Reese wanted to shout at her. "I promise I'll go sleep! Pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

"Well since you put a cherry on it," Paul laughed, and Reese felt the unshed tears trickle down her cheeks. She really missed them.

Paul had just changed the channel, a scene of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck replacing the news that had been on. Little Reese moved to the floor, her innocent eyes staring at the iconic characters. Mallory and Paul watched her, smiling at the child they had created. Reese wished she remembered this.

A knock sounding at the door caused her parents to share a confused look, a silent conversation going on between them: they hadn't been expecting company. With the help of Paul, Mallory rose to her feet and waddled to the front door pulling it open and letting in the guest. A look that Reese had never seen — or didn't remember seeing — crossed her mother's face as the individual entered the house. Elizabeth Piedmont strolled into the living room, shedding off her rain coat and shaking the water drops off her long blonde hair. Reese frowned, she didn't recall her aunt visiting before the twins were born. But here she was, and Mallory looked less than pleased about the unwanted visit.

"Lizzie," Mallory greeted her through gritted teeth, her voice quite as to not alert her daughter who was content watching Bugs and Daffy shout duck season, rabbit season at Elmer Fud. "What a surprise. I thought you and Rich were in Atlanta?"

"We are," Elizabeth informed her. "I couldn't sleep because of something I dreamed, so I caught the first flight out here."

"I think I'll let you too talk," Paul interrupted the stony gaze the sister's were sharing. "C'mon, Reesey girl."

"But dad," she whined. "I want to see the end. I even said pretty please with a cherry on top!"

Paul didn't budge; Reese watched as her younger self groaned loudly at her dad before standing up and following her dad down the hall, her green eyes landing on the stranger and mother's exchange with a curious expression. Paul picked her up in one swing and carried her down the hallway and to her bedroom. Reese stared after her father, almost moving to follow him but little head was seen poking around the corner watching her aunt and mother with interest. Apparently she had snuck back out.

"We talked about this, Liz," Mallory hissed, her green eyes reminding older Reese of a viper; she'd never seen her mother look so fierce. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't come here any more. Not after what you said to Reese, she had nightmares for weeks!"

Reese wracked her brain to think of whatever it was that Elizabeth could have told her that would have given her nightmares, but came up empty. In fact, Reese couldn't even remember her aunt ever having a real conversation with her. Another memory that was missing. Reese was frustrated.

"You need to listen to me," Elizabeth urged her sister to listen. "It's about Reese and Paul-"

"No," her mother interrupted. "No, I don't want to hear it."

"This is important, Mallory," Elizabeth snapped, grabbing her sister's hand and dragging her away from the front door and deeper into the living room, lowering her voice to a whisper she started talking again. "I dreamed about the prophecy, it's not over Mal, those spells you cast did nothing to change it, it's still going to happen. Reese still has a role to play in this."

Spells Reese wanted to say, and the voice in her head raised it's volume; desperate to be heard. To tell her something important, but it was as if that voice had been blocked from ever interacting with her.

"What do you mean?" Mallory seemed defensive, and her eyes flared with protectiveness for her eldest child. "Reese has nothing to do with this anymore. I cast that spell to blocks her powers, the prophecy isn't talking about her."

"It is," Elizabeth sighed, rubbing her eyes that were lined with dark circles. "You know it is, Mal. We've both seen it. It says a firstborn daughter will be the one to break it, Reese is a first born. She could be the one to end all of this!"

"I'm a first born too," Mallory reminded her sister. "But I wasn't the one it was talking about, and maybe neither is Reese. Don't jump to conclusions, Elizabeth."

Reese watched as her aunt shook her head adamantly. "Mal, I've done the research. I spent the last two weeks digging up every single one of our relatives and none of their first born's were daughters — only Reese. It's her." 

"No, it's not!" Mallory cried out. "It's not my daughter!"

"But it is," Elizabeth replied firmly. "Reese is the Chosen One, and you need to tell her. You need to tell her about the curse that this family carries." 

"Lizzie, you know what that information did to us! It's made us fear falling in love. Not to mention dad; I grew up just waiting for him to die! You know, every time he left the house I would wonder, is today the day he won't come back? I want Reese and the twins to never have to worry about that."

"Well, you don't always get what you want, Mallory," Elizabeth snapped. "What happens when the curse finally gets you or Paul? Imagine the pain of losing their parents will cause them. Not to mention, what happens to Reese when the prophecy is sent into motion? She won't even know what's happening to her. She won't be prepared for it. You're hurting her in the long run by keeping her in the dark."

"That's not going to happen! They're not going to lose us!" Mallory shouted, rising up from the couch slowly due to the size of her stomach and glared down at her sister. "My children will never know about the magic that is running through their veins or the curse that comes along with it! Especially not Reese. And I don't want you to ever bring it up to them, do you understand me? Don't you say one word!"

"Mommy," little Reese called, stepping out from her hiding spot and into the view of her mother. "What curse?"

Mallory's eyes softened and she walked over to the smaller version of Reese, squatting down to her level. "There's no curse, Reesey girl, auntie Lizzie was just telling a story."

"I don't like that story," mini-Reese said, rubbing her eyes to stop the tears that were brewing. "She said that you and daddy were going to die. I don't want you to die."

"Oh, sweet girl, we're not going anywhere," Mallory soothed, pressing soft kisses to her daughter's cheeks and forehead until she started giggling.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Reese felt the tears sting at her eyes and she furiously rubbed them. She was angry and confused. Her anger only fueled by the fact that her mom knew something was going to happen to her; that she and Paul were going to die. Reese's brain was swimming with confusion at mention of a curse. And the prophecy? Reese wasn't sure what prophecy they were talking about, but they both seemed to know something that Reese didn't and that bothered her. It mostly bothered her because it had something to do with her, and she knew nothing about it — about something that seemed to fall on her shoulders to fix.

She wanted to know more, wished that her younger self hadn't made her presence known so soon. Elizabeth surely would have said more about the topic, maybe even explained why Reese was the one destined to end whatever curse they were talking about. But before she had the chance to even think more about it, or hear the rest of the conversation the memory was changing.

This time, Reese was standing in a play ground. She was younger this time, maybe eight at the most. Her long blonde hair was splayed out behind her as she kicked her legs faster, forcing the swing to rise higher and higher into the sky until the little girl was sure that she was flying. A call from her mother made her movements slow until the swing came to a stop. Reese remembered this. Her parents had forced her to leave the park after she'd gotten into a fight with a girl over who got to use the swing. She'd pushed her, hard, and Mallory had rushed over and ushered her out of the park. They'd never gone back after that.

Reese spotted said girl, her brown hair pulled into even pigtails as she attempted to take the swing young Reese had been sitting on before her mother called her over. She wanted to know if I was hungry Reese recalled. Eight year old her stomped over to the girl, preparing to shout at the girl for stealing her spot.

"I'm using that," young Reese confronted her, green eyes shimmering with anger — the same way Mallory's had when Elizabeth had visited. "I'm not finished."

"You move your feet, you lose your seat," the little girl taunted, sitting on the swing. "It's not my fault you left."

"Get off," young Reese wailed, and Reese felt the voice shout at her again; it was getting clearer. Watch what happens it cried out, finally breaking through the barrier it was stuck behind.

"I know what happens," Reese replied to herself feeling only fifty percent crazy. "I push her off."

Watch what happens for real, the voice answered. Reese watched the exchange carefully, waiting for the moment when she reached forward and pushed the girl off the swing. But it never happened; instead, her younger self stomped her foot and the swing-stealer flew backwards.

"I didn't touch her," Reese whispered, watching as Mallory shot up off the bench ripping her daughter back from the girl and dragged her out of the park, leaving the other girl crying that little girl pushed me off to her parents who were rushing towards the scene. "She must have fallen," Reese tried to comfort herself, in denial of what she truly saw.

You know what happened, the voice echoed around her brain, triumph clear in it's tone. You know now.

"Know what!" Reese shouted, glaring up at the sky as if it had been some god whispering in her ear. "What are you talking about? What do I know?"

What you are! It said for the last time, and Reese dropped to the ground clutching her head in agony, feeling as if her skull was being split in two. Images flashed across her eyes, memories that didn't belong to her; these memories belonged to her mother.

The scenery changed once again and this time, Reese didn't know where she was. The dining room she was standing in didn't belong to the house on Sunrise Street, it was painted maroon with portraits of an unsmiling family plastered on the walls. Hanging from the ceiling was an expensive looking chandelier, the table was carved from oak and was polished so much that Reese could see her reflection staring up at her. Seated at the table, eating in silence from glass china and pure silver silverware was a family. A girl that looked exactly like Reese was sitting closest to her, her head resting in her hand as she threw glares at her father.

"Mom?" Reese whispered, surprised at how identical the two of them were. She really was a mini Mallory.

"Mallory," a woman who Reese could only assume was her grandma Marguerite from the curled blonde hair and startling blue eyes spoke. "Why are you angry, dear?"

Mallory slammed her hands on the table. "I don't understand why I can't be with Paul!"

"Because, darling," Keith Piedmont — Reese's grandfather — started, slicing his knife through his perfectly cooked steak. "The prophecy."

"Enough of this chosen one bullshit—"

"Mallory Evangeline!" Grandma Marguerite gasped. "You watch your language!"

"No!" Mallory shouted. "You're telling me that I can't be with the man I love because I might be destined to stop this curse! I'm calling it exactly as it is: bullshit!"

Marguerite remained calm, although when she spoke again her tone had a bite to it. "There is nothing special about him, darling. But you could be the one to save this family, and because of that you must remain focused on your training."

Reese wanted to smack the smug grin off her grandmother's face. How dare she insult Paul Logan — a man who loved Mallory and his children. Reese wanted to leave, wanted to order the god that was making her suffer through these memories to let her go, but her curiosity forced her to bite her tongue and stay where she was standing.

"You got to stay with dad," Mallory argued, pointing an accusing finger at her father. "So what's it matter if I stay with Paul? I love him!"

Marguerite sipped on her wine, swallowing before responding. "Yes, but I wasn't the Chosen One that generation."

"Well," Mallory shot a look at Elizabeth who was sinking down in her seat, trying to hide behind her thick curls. "What about Lizzie? Why can't she do it?"

Keith laughed. "The prophecy has always said the first born daughter in the Piedmont line would break the curse. Elizabeth doesn't meet that criteria."

"That's most unfortunate then," Mallory sneered at her parents and Reese knew what was coming next, she'd talked to her mother about this moment before: "Because I'm done with training. I'm pregnant. It's Paul's and we're keeping it. He's already asked me to marry him. And I said yes."

Her grandparents exchanged outraged looks, before Marguerite's calm demeanor disappeared and was replaced by pure anger; she slammed her wine glass down the item shattering into a thousand little pieces. Keith stood up from his chair, his green eyes blazing as he glared at his daughter. Elizabeth shouted for Mallory to leave, but the eldest Piedmont simply did nothing but stare at her parents hatefully.

"He's not even a—" the word was replaced by another voice.

"She's waking up," the world around Reese began to crumble, letting her fall back into the complete darkness.

"He's not even a—"

"Help her sit up."

"You don't deserve to be a—" the dining room image melted away, the final word on her grandfather's tongue echoing around Reese's head as she shot up, her green eyes meeting Flynn O'Connell's worried gaze.

"Witch," Reese said aloud, the word feeling strange on her tongue.

Now you know the truth, the voice whispered before it was locked back behind it's wall, it's cries falling on deaf ears.

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

— AFTER HER EXCLAMATION IN the nurse's office, Reese felt different. Like there had been chains wrapped tightly around that had been broken by those words. Witch she had shouted, confusing the nurse and Flynn who had been waiting for her to wake up only Emmett Cullen — who had been sitting in the chair beside Reese's bed — hadn't seemed shocked. In fact, he was looking at her as if he expected her to make some sudden observation about him.

Nurse Donalds was leaning over her, and pulled the thermometer out from her armpit, checking the number and then disposing of the plastic cap in the trash with a sigh. "You're running a fever, Miss. Logan, is there anyone home who can come pick you up?"

"I can drive—" Reese started but was interrupted by the nurse.

"No, I don't want you passing out again at the wheel," she took of the band that checked Reese's blood pressure. "You're extremely pale and I can see how badly you are shaking."

"You look like him," Flynn snorted from the corner, nodding in Emmett's direction.

Reese ignored Flynn. "My aunt is at work."

"I can take her," Emmett offered, surprising both Reese and Mrs. Donalds. "I have a free period next, any way."

Emmett left with the nurse to call his mother and make sure that it was fine that he left and to also call Elizabeth to tell her what had gone down and also to say that Reese was going to be leaving early. Flynn stuck around, ignoring the bell that rang. The girl pushed herself off of the wall and sauntered over to Reese's bed, jumping up and landing on the mattress with a grunt.

"I know you passed out and everything," Flynn started, excitement clear in her eyes. "But you should have seen the way Emmett carried you here. I mean it was so Superman it was crazy."

"He carried me here?" Reese asked, her eyes widening. Their classroom had been all the way across campus from the nurse's office, and she was dead weight. "Wait, why are you here?"

"Ouch," Flynn feigned being hurt, pressing a hand on her chest. "But I saw him carrying you through the window in history, you should have seen the look on Mrs. Henderson's face! I sprinted out of there like a real track star, and met him here," Flynn's eyes darkened. "You looked so sad, Reese."

Reese tried not to think about everything she had experienced in the time she had been passed out. All of the memories — including the one that didn't belong to her — came rushing back to her, and the girl groaned at the headache they caused. Rubbing her temples in soothing circles, Reese pushed the words she'd heard and the things she'd seen behind a wall, not wanting to deal with them at the moment. But Flynn was looking at her, practically pleading through her gaze to explain.

"I saw my parents," Reese offered her a reason. "For a second, I thought that all of this had been a nightmare, that my parents were still alive and I was back home. But the twins weren't there, that's when I realized."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Flynn grabbed her hand and squeezed, there was no pity or ulterior meaning behind her words, just understanding. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."

Part of Reese wanted to tell Flynn to leave it alone, but then those things she hid broke through the wall she built and reminded her of what she'd done and what he mother was; what she might be. "Actually—"

The door opened and the nurse and Emmett reappeared, shutting the door behind them. Reese let the her sentence end there, sending a look to Flynn with a promise of talking about it more when there was no one around. Flynn received the message and sent her a nod of acknowledgment.

"Mr. Cullen will be taking you home," Mrs. Donalds informed her, passing Reese her coat and backpack that Emmett must have carried all the way there with him. "Your aunt is going into a surgery right now, but she told me to say that she promises she'll be home as soon as she can."

Reese was thankful that Elizabeth wouldn't be home, she needed to be alone with her thoughts for a bit. She needed to think about everything she'd seen and to look into what she heard, and the one thing she really didn't need was her aunt breathing down her neck worried that she would pass out again.

"Great," Reese muttered, sliding off the bed and letting the world stop spinning before she moved towards Emmett. "Thanks for the ride."

"No biggie," Emmett brushed her thanks off, but smiled regardless. Reese didn't return it.

The two of them left the office, Emmett holding all of her stuff as they walked out into the chilly air. Thankfully, the rain had let up allowing them to avoid getting soaked to the bone. They walked in silence, but it was comfortable. As they walked down the steps and onto the grass, Reese spotted Emmett's siblings watching them with blank stares but their eyes traveled with them. Reese frowned, but decided to ignore it adding the weird Cullen/Hale family to her list of things to dwell on at a later date. Right now, she had bigger fish to fry — those fish being her weird memories.

As Emmett and Reese walked into the parking lot towards his Jeep, their peers gawked and began whispering among each other. Reese could practically imagine what they were saying: the orphan and one of the hottest guys in school, he probably pities her. Reese's shoulders slouched a little as her inner monologue hurt her own feelings.

"You okay?" Emmett asked, noticing her change in posture.

"Yeah," Reese attempted to persuade him, but that was no dice. "It's just, ugh, I can practically feel all of their glares because I'm walking with you and I know it's because you pity me—"

"What!" Emmett stared at her in shock, Reese had never seen him angry; worried, yes, but anger had never crossed his features until that moment. "You think I pity you?"

"Everyone else does," Reese deadpanned with a deflective shrug. "What makes you any different?"

"Reese, I don't pity you," Emmett clarified, his expression relaxing. "I mean, I do, just not like—"

"Chill, Jeep Dude," Reese interrupted him. "I get what you mean."

"Oh, good," Emmett sighed and Reese was perplexed; she didn't know why her thinking that he was only driving her home out of pity was such a big deal.

When they reached his Jeep, Reese unlocked her own car that was parked next to his and retrieved the text books she'd left in there for the next day's classes. Emmett stood by the passenger's side door, waiting for her to shut and lock the vehicle. He pulled open the door and helped her inside, making sure she didn't fall backwards as she practically launched herself inside. Once Reese was secure, he slammed the door shut and wandered over to the drivers side, easily lifting himself inside.

They pulled out of the parking lot and Reese directed Emmett to her aunt's house. Music played softly on the radio, classic rock. Reese didn't pin him as a rock listener, he didn't seem the type. The DJ ended the song, and then went on into a short speech about a new prize for their morning show. When the message ended, and the next song began, Reese tensed; her breathing became shallow and her stomach churned uneasily. Coming from the speakers was Kenny Loggins' For the first time; the song that her parents played at their wedding.

Reese blinked when the music abruptly cut off, leaving the cab in silence. She slowly turned to face Emmett, his amber eyes looking back at her. He let go of the wheel with one hand, and let it wrap around one of her shaking ones. Reese squeezed it tightly, thankful for the anchor his hand became; keeping her out of her own head and firmly planted in the present.

Emmett pulled into her driveway soon after, and Reese had to practically pry her hand away from him, her body not wanting to release. Emmett stepped out first, snatching her backpack out of the backseat and then moved to her side and helped her down. He walked her to the front door, even being kind enough to look away as she took the key from it's hiding place. She opened the door and stepped inside turning back to take her bag off his hands. After she slung it over her shoulder, Reese paused. There were a lot of things running through her mind and a lot of things she wanted to say to him, but only two words slipped past her frozen tongue: "Thank you."

"No problem," Emmett smiled, leaning against her house with one arm. "If you ever need a ride just give me a call. Before you ask, Flynn put my number in your contacts."

"That's not what I was—" Reese stopped herself and blinked in surprise. "She did what?"

"She's a strange girl," Emmett chuckled. "Practically forced it out of me."

Reese pressed her face into her hands and groaned loudly, apologetic for the way her friend had acted. "Sorry about her, but, um, I actually wanted to thank you for earlier—"

"You mean carrying you?" Emmett guessed. "I know Flynn told you. Really it was nothing."

"Thanks for that too," Reese rushed out. "But I wanted to thank you for not only talking to me out of pity. That goes a long way for a girl who people only talk to because they feel bad. So, yeah, I just wanted to say thanks."

Emmett smiled brightly. "Any day."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Reese asked, stepping more into her house.

Emmett nodded. "Yeah." He pushed off the wall and began to jog back towards his running Jeep but paused before he opened the door. "Hey, Reese!" He called.

She stopped the door from shutting and pulled it back open, raising her eyebrows expectantly. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as if he was afraid of asking her something. She didn't rush him, letting him work up the courage on his own. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning, it's not out of the way, I promise."

Reese felt the corners of her lips twitch (almost a smile). "It's a date."

With that, Reese let the front door shut and heard Emmett clamber up into his monstrous vehicle. Poppy rushed up to greet her, barking happily that someone was home. Reese knelt down and rubbed her fur affectionately, the puppy rushed out of the entryway and into the living room where a basket of her toys was placed. As she picked out her favorite stuffed duck to play with, Reese felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. Pulling it out, Reese opened up a text from Flynn.

coming over once school is done it read. The phone buzzed again and Reese read the second message from her friend. i want to talk about the whole witch thing you shouted at me, it was very early sixteenth century and i was afraid you were going to accuse me of all the rain we've been having to the village council.

Now you know, the voice in her head had told her and Reese finally understood: she knew what she was.

"I'm a witch," she breathed out her her dog, thankful no one else was around to hear her crazy thoughts finally voiced. "Holy shit."

authors note: heLLO AND WELCOME BACK !!!!! sorry that this isn't getting updated that much i've been really super busy with work but also after october my updates and my presence on here are going to be getting less frequent because i'm actually moving to australia for a year !!!!!! i'm going to try and update this story as much as i can before i go so get ready for lots of reese (enter longest yeah boi ever video here). as usual thank you to kara for her constant support and love bc she's my best friend y'all. but ALSO look at this,,,we got a genuine emmett and reese content and im LIVING FOR THIS !!!!! and flynn and reese's friendship is GOALS