𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄;
DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS

WARNING: DEATH AND LONG CHAPTER AHEAD

— REESE LOGAN DREAMED OF death in the nights leading up to her birthday.

For a whole week, she dealt with the reoccurring dreams of her ancestor successfully killing her. Every night, Reese would hear Morgana's sinister laugh and feel her magic getting siphoned out of her. Reese felt Morgana's thin, yet strong, fingers grip her arm tightly causing a searing pain to ripple through her. Reese heard the voices of all of Morgana's victims pleading for her to fight back, to save them, but she was too weak. Her energy was spent. Her magic was nothing compared to the power that Morgana contained. The three hundred year old witch cackled as Reese crumbled to the ground, feeling completely empty inside without her magic. Morgana tsked at her, as if she couldn't believe that this was the Chosen One. 

The pain of having her magic taken from her was unbearable; like having her heart ripped from her chest or getting torn to pieces by a pack of hungry wolves. More painful that losing her mother and father. More painful than anything she'd every experienced before. Reese wasn't used to pain like that. Reese knew mental pain. She was more than familiar with the dark chasm of anguish that frequently threatened to drag her deep into its abyss. But this, this was something she'd never known before.      

The physical pain started on December thirty-first, merely a slight tingle — somewhat like how skin feels after getting a bandaid ripped off — that flooded her veins and made her joints ache. It stung but was tolerable. Barely noticeable even. On January first, the tingle grew to a sizzling sensation. It felt like her insides were boiling. She spent the whole day hunched over her toilet, hurling up anything that got down her throat. The fever started that evening, bringing her temperature to just slightly over one hundred and rendering her brain to mush. She barely had any idea who she was. The fine line between dreams and reality had melted, until Reese had no idea where she was anymore. By January second, Reese was sure that someone had replaced her shower water with some type of acid, her skin felt like it was bubbling and her organs had been reduced to liquid. Her sensitive nerves reacted to anything that Reese touched, sending shocks of searing pain through her body.  

That pain was nothing compared to January third.

The morning of her eighteenth birthday brought Reese Logan nothing but pure agony. Reese woke up from a different nightmare than she usually had to endure. Instead of listening to Morgana laugh at her agony, Reese found herself drowning in an Alaskian mudflat. When the silt had successfully filled her lung, Reese's eyes shot open. Her skin was sleek with sweat, gold hair stuck to her overheated forehead. She was breathing heavily, sucking in copious amounts of oxygen, and glanced over at her clock that read four forty-five. She flopped back against her pillow and that was when she noticed that something was wrong. Reese's bed was completely covered in dirt. Her pale blue sheets and duvet were stained with mud. The cotton shorts and sleep shirt she wore were coated in the same dark sludge that was smeared on her once white bedspread. Her mouth tasted like soil, her lips and teeth coated in the stuff. And for the first time since she had learned about her fate, Reese was truly terrified. She wailed in fear, desperately trying to disentangle herself from her sheets to no avail as her mind replayed her nightmare: she was stuck, drowning in mud. Her wails grew into frightened screams as Reese couldn't get free. She was on the brink of a panic attack. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears, the sound of rushing blood making her stomach do flips.   

Reese clawed frantically at her linen, tearing at the soft material with her nails like a scared animal. Reese was finally released from the silk trap just in time for her door to get bust open. Elizabeth and Flynn appeared at her door, their hair and pajamas a mess from sleeping but their eyes were alert, looking for any signs of trouble. Reese cried louder when she saw the dark marks running up Flynn's arms. Elizabeth stared, slack-jawed, at the ample amount of dirt on the floor, her eyes following the trail up to Reese's dirty body.

"Oh God, Reese," Elizabeth moved forward and quickly tugged the shaking girl into her arms. "Oh my God!"

Reese opened her mouth to answer, to plead for help maybe, but all that came up was more mud. She ripped out of her aunts grasp and dropped to her knees, her stomach heaving up more of the dark substance. Reese's throat burned as she coughed, dirt flying from her mouth in clumps. She gasped for air, struggling to breathe as earth piled onto her floor. She felt like she was slowly suffocating (her dream playing on repeat in her mind). When her stomach relaxed, Reese hit the ground like a ten ton sack of flour. She was in pain and exhausted. She felt Flynn lay down beside her, entangling their hands together so that Reese knew she was there. Reese squeezed the hand tightly, wanting nothing more than for this pain to end. Less than a day now a voice in her head reminded her. In roughly fouteen hours this would finally be over. She just had to make it to midnight, and Reese would be okay.

"What's happening to me," Reese choked out, gagging on more dirt that spilled out of her mouth.

"It's starting," Elizabeth croaked back, her body frozen in place as her mind tried desperately to comprehend was was going on.

"What the hell does that mean?" Flynn shouted, and Reese could feel the worry radiating off of her in waves as Reese hurled up more dirt. "What's starting?"

"The grimoire said that in the days leading up to the Chosen One's death her magic will increase tenfold," Elizabeth said. "She will channel the elements, gaining more power from them so that she can defeat Morgana."

"Why would they need to do that?" Flynn asked. "I thought Chosen Ones were already super powerful."

"Yes, with soul magic," Elizabeth replied. "But soul magic burns off pieces of you throughout your lifetime, especially spells that use more power. So some witches who dabbled in darker magic or practiced with ancient grimories to give their powers to the Earth, using nature as a natural balance. It helped their powers grow. Morgana Piedmont used that method. The ancestors are trying to even the playing field with Reese."

"It hurts," Reese cried in response, clutching her abdomen as her stomach rolled uneasily. "God, it hurts!"

Flynn held her tighter. "Can't you help!"

"There's nothing I can do," Elizabeth whimpered. "This is the ancestors magic at work."

"Why would they do this to her?"

Elizabeth wiped away some tears. "To give her a better chance of survival. The witches that go through with this transformation willingly do it slowly and over long period times, the books say that if you do it too quickly it can kill you."

"Who would ever subject themselves to that?" Flynn queried. 

"Done right, it's worth it in the long run. Most witches don't even attempt it, the process is incredibly painful," Elizabeth told her sadly. "Most who attempt don't finish or die trying."

Flynn contemplated Elizabeth's words soundlessly, her bottom lip began to quiver as tear tricked down her cheeks. "How long will she be like this?"  

"God only knows," Elizabeth shook her head, and moved to lay down beside Reese, rubbing her back to ease her pain. "But it'll only get worse."

Elizabeth was right, it did get worse. 

By ten o'clock, dark storm clouds swirled together looming over Fork ominously. The weather channel warned of flash floods and torrential downpours, notifying commuters to be cautious out on the roads. By ten-thirty, the rain began. It started as a light drizzle, but the droplets grew thicker and harder with every passing minute. Reese layed on the couch in the living room covered in a pile of blankets, but still shivered. As she coughed up clumps of dirt and shook violently, the water pipes in her house groaned. Poppy, seeming to sense that Reese was unwell, curled up at her feet to keep her company. 

Elizabeth and Flynn sat on the floor close to Reese, both of them hunched over the coffee table staring down at the grimoire and other books they'd accumulated while on the search for another loophole that would save Reese. They periodically glanced over at her, as if expecting her to die any second but Reese knew she wouldn't. Not yet. Her bones ached from the power that surged through her, her nerves sent out waves of electricity as the pain reached new heights. Every once in a while Flynn would rush to the bathroom to vomit, her body not able to take the second hand pain or the amount of magic that was conducted through her. The black lines that marred her skin got darker with every passing hour. Reese tried not to cry for her friend, knowing that her raging emotions made the storm outside even worse. 

"Find anything," Reese murmured, struggling to keep her eyes focused on her family. They both jumped, not thinking that Reese was coherent enough to even speak, let alone see what they were doing. They tried to mask their fear behind fake smiles, but Reese could see right through it. She may be dying, but she wasn't stupid.

Elizabeth reached over to hold Reese's hand but recoiled back when she yelped in pain. "We're still looking, Reesey, you just hang on."

"I have school today," Reese slurred out. "Mr. Henderson is giving us a test, he'll be upset if I miss it."

"Don't worry about it, Reese," Flynn tried to send her her usual smile, but fell short by a mile. "Don't even think about Henderson right now, just save your energy."

Reese agreed with her friend, and tried to stay as still as possible to avoid the pain that came with movement. Her eyelids felt like they had lead weights attached to them; Reese struggled to keep them open, not wanting to fall asleep and possibly pass while she dreamt. She was scared. She didn't want to tell anyone, mostly because she'd been so adament that dying was her only option and she needed to go through with it, but staring down the barrel of the gun and feeling the Grim Reapers breath on her neck Reese was absolutely terrified. Flynn looked up from her book, her blue eyes were warm and comforting; she could feel Reese's fear pulsing through her. You'll be okay, Reese, Flynn said to her. Go to sleep, we'll be right here when you wake up. That seemed to be the invitation her subconscious was waiting for, because Reese barely had any time to answer when she eyes clamped shut and she was enveloped in darkness. 

Her dream was filled with whispers from past Chosen Ones, multiple voices whispering to her at once. Her body felt like she was being swallowed by the ground, suffocated from water in her lungs, crushed from the pressure of the air around her, and burnt by a fire so hot it flickered blue. All at once. Reese had thought she'd be safe in her dreams, free from pain, but she wasn't so lucky. The voices grew louder and stronger, their words melting together so she could barely understand them. Reese tried to make them go away, but the water that filled her lungs made it hard to speak. She heaved up some of the water, desperate to get it out so that she could finally get them to shut up. To give her some peace and quiet. 

Shut up, Reese thought as she clawed at her throat. Just shut up.

They only grew in volume, their voices synching up until they chanted the same words over and over again in a language unfamiliar to Reese: Vist aboli anima por eternum. She had no idea what that meant or why they were so adament that Reese hear it, but they continued echoing the spell. Reese felt like it had been carved into her brain, seared into her memory for some unknown reason. But she didn't really care. Reese just wanted out of the dream. She let her eyes fall shut, concentrating on the souls that seemed to take up every inch of space in her subconscious. They were practically screaming their incantations at her now, and Reese couldn't take it anymore. She pressed her hands against her ears, trying to block them out, but their cries seemed to reverberate through her skull. 

Please shut up Reese begged in her mind, unable to talk. I don't know what you want from me.   

They didn't give an answer, merely got luder. Vist aboli anima por eternum, they cried at her. Vist aboli anima por eternum. Reese couldn't help it, she started crying. She wanted to wake up now, the pain she endured while awake was better than being trapped in her own mind with hundreds of voices screaming strange languages at her. She tried to open her eyes, force herself to wake up, but she stayed in the darkness. Reese ground her teeth together, her fear and frustration turning to anger. Fury bubbled under her skin, flooding her veins with pure rage. Reese shook violently, defiantly, and then she screamed. 

The wind had already begun by the time Reese's eyes shot open.    

It was dark out when she came out of her dream, the sky getting even darker. Strong gusts of air beat against the house and rattled the windows, broken branches and pine needles whiped around outside like miny tornadoes. Reese breathed in through her nose and out from her mouth, desperate to keep the contents of her dream to herself. She wanted to ask Elizabeth what the words vist aboli anima por eternum meant, but she was scared to know the answer. So Reese kept it to herself. 

But she couldn't help the cry that worked it's way past her lips when she felt the stabbing sensation in her side. That small burst of emotion was enough to cut off the power to the house, leaving them in darkness. Reese heard her siblings shout in surprise from where they played in their room and heard the thudding of their small feet on the stairs as they ran to the living room for comfort. Taylor flung himself onto Elizabeth — who had just enough time to hide the books under the couch — while Annmarie climbed up on to Reese. She groaned in pain from the pressure and the rain beat down against the ground harder. 

"It's dark," Annmarie whispered in Reese's ear. "I'm scared of the dark."

"You're safe here," Reese told her weakly. "Nothing bad will ever happen to you when I'm around." 

Annmarie buried her head in the crevis between Reese's shoulder and neck as thunder rumbled across the sky. Reese whimpered at her touch, but didn't want her sister to move even though it caused her immense pain. This could be the last time that Reese got to hold her; to comfort her. It didn't matter that her bones felt as fragile as glass or that her insides felt like mush, Reese couldn't let Annmarie go. Using the limited strength she had left, Reese wrapped her arms around Annmarie's tiny body, holding her tightly.

"I wish you weren't sick, Reesey," Annmarie mumbled into her sister's skin. "When will you bet better?"

"Soon, Annmarie," Reese told her, holding back a sob. "I'll be better soon."

"But today is your birthday?" Taylor said from Elizabeth's lap. "How will you eat cake if you're sick?"

To be honest, Reese didn't feel much like celebrating her birthday. Eighteen wasn't something she really wanted to remember. But she couldn't tell Taylor and Annmarie that; she couldn't just say oh sorry guys, I won't be celebrating much because I'm going to die so instead, Reese forced away her grimace of pain and shot her little brother a comforting look. 

"I'll be okay," she told him. "I'll have lots of cake tonight."

Taylor smiled his toothless grin at her. "Can I eat cake too?"

"Of course," Reese pushed out a fake laugh. "I can't eat it all by myself."

"I can have some too," Annmarie questioned, staring into Reese's green eyes with her warm brown ones.

Reese nodded. "You two, Aunty Elizabeth, Flynn and me will eat lots of cake."

They cheered and that sound made everything worth it. All of the pain. The fear. The knowing what awaited her. None of it mattered. Annmarie and Taylor would get to be happy. Their eyes would still be warm and their cheeks would hurt from big smiles. They would grow old and find love and they would get everything that they deserved. Sure, Reese wouldn't physically be there to see it but she would make sure that everything went right for them. Their lives would be as sweet as apple pie. She was dying to ensure that they got their happily ever afters and that was enough for Reese. Her sacrifice would mean something. Her siblings would live full lives. Reese was comfoted by that thought, enough so that the migration that pulsed in her temples began to relax.

"Annmarie," Elizabeth called to the little girl. "Why don't you let Reese rest, you can sit with Flynn and I."

Annmarie pulled herself away from her sister and Reese found it incredibly hard to let her go. She missed her sister's little body curled up against hers, knowing that she would never get to feel that same warmth again. She sniffled, rolling so her back was facing her family so they wouldn't see her cry. Reese didn't want to scare them. The sadness that seemed to swallow her whole only made the storm outside grow worse. Broken branches swirled in the wind and formed small tornados that ripped up dirt and pushed over mailboxes. Reese focused on her breathing, pushing her emotions back down the chasm she kept the buried in, until the wind calmed down some.

"Reesey," Taylor said, standing on the end of the couch. "Can we play Candy Land? We always play that on your birthday." 

"That's a great idea," Reese replied before Elizabeth could say no. "Why don't you go get it."

Taylor ran upstairs to get the game. Flynn helped Reese sit down in the floor, her hand recoiling when she felt the heat radiating from Reese's skin. Reese ignored the fearful look her friend shot her. When Taylor returned they passed out the pieces, agreeing that Annmarie and Taylor would play as a team. Reese got handed the yellow player, and she ran her fingers over the plastic ginger bread man. She hoped that the twins would keep up the tradition of playing this game even after she was long gone. Elizabeth seemed to read her mind because she sent Reese a soft nod. Reese sighed in relief. 

Reese ended up winning. They played again. Reese won for a second time. She wasn't sure if it was just luck or her magic affecting the cards that she got, but she was okay with it. At least she wouldn't lose this game. Sure, she was going to lose her life but there was something about winning a game that made her feel a little better. Annmarie and Taylor wanted to go for a third round, their little faces scrunched up in a competitive stare. Reese would've played all nigth with them if she could, but the fever was frying her brain and she felt weak. 

"We'll play another time," Elizabeth croaked out. "We're going to have dinner soon. We're having Reese's favorite."

"Pizza?" Taylor asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "I called Pop's, it'll be here in a half an hour."

Reese spent the next thirty minutes using all of her willpower to keep her magic contained. She ground her teeth together from the pain, but there was no way that Reese was going to risk hurting the poor delivery driver in her storm. The magic oozed out of her skin, causing the flashlight Elizabeth had on to flicker and the faucets to turn on and off. Reese felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion when the driver finally arrived. It was a kid she went to school with. They had English together. Reese tried to remember his name — Caleb maybe? He recognized her. 

"Hey, Reese," he said as he placed the pizza on the counter while Elizabeth went to get some cash. "Didn't see you in class today."

"I'm feeling a bit under the weather," she told him. Maybe his name was Jordan. "Did I miss anything?"

Jordan /  Caleb — or was it Aaron? — shook his head. "Nah, Ms. Hayes just gave us a packet to read. I think she was hungover."

Reese forced out a chuckle and let out a sigh of relief when Elizabeth reappeared with some money. "Sorry," she told him. "I lost my wallet. How much do I owe you?"

The exchanged money and soon her classmate was on his way. Reese wondered what he would say tomorrow in school when everyone found out she was dead. Would he be shocked, after all he'd seen her. Would he tell people that he'd delivered pizza to her house and seen how sickly she looked. Maybe he would forget all about it and just say that it was terrible she had passed. Reese hoped he wouldn't remember her. 

Her family sat down and ate, Reese nibbled on a slice of cheese. Her stomach churning unhappily at anything that passed her lips. Instead she just leaned back and watched. Her siblings handed their crusts to the dog and Elizabeth and Flynn whispered quietly to one another. She wished that she could just fade away then and there, leave them while they were happy. Just turn to gold dust like the figures from her locket, but Reese knew that wouldn't happen. She wasn't going to go peacefully. 

Elizabeth brough out the cake not long after they finished eating, setting the small cake in front of Reese and lighting the candles. They sang happy birthday, but Reese wished they didn't. She wished that today wasn't her birthday. Wished that she had more time. Just a little longer. Enough time to tell the twins just how much she loved them and how much she appreciated all that Elizabeth had done for her. She wished that she could tell Flynn how thankful she was to have her in her life. Instead, she made a wish and estinguished the flames. Reese Logan wished for their happiness. Something she herself would never get, but wanted them to have.

When they all dug into the vanilla cake, Annmarie picked her head up from her plate and turned to Reese. "How come Emmett isn't here? Did he not want to come to your birthday?"

"He's with his family," Reese told her sister. "He couldn't make it. But he'll come around another time."  

Personally, Reese was glad he wasn't there. Saying goobye to her family was hard enough but to say goodbye to the boy who she might've seen a future with was too much. Emmett Cullen could've been her Paul, but she would never be certain. Besides, what kind of life would they have had? He was a vampire and she was sort of human. Reese could never leave her family and Carlisle only turned people who were dying, so they never would've been together forever anyway. It was best that she was leaving when she was. 

After they cleared up all the plates, placing them in the dishwasher, the twins and the puppy danced around the living room. Reese let her eyes flicker to the clock that read nine o'clock, she had three hours left. Such a short time. Reese looked away, knowing that if she didn't she would stare at the clock until it read twelve. She couldn't do that to herself. She didn't deserve to suffer more than she already was.

"Aunt Elizabeth," Reese said, her aunt looking up from the dishwasher and over at her. "I packed up my stuff. It's in boxes in my bathroom. Can you give it to them when I'm gone?"

"I can do that, Reese."

"Good. Also, can you send them away," that was the hardest thing Reese had ever said in her life. "I don't want them here when I—"

"They're going next door to Molly's for the night. Poppy is going too," Elizabeth told her, her voice a whisper. "They're packing right now."

Reese layed back down on the couch, her head just hitting the pillow when Annmarie and Taylor returned. They had backpacks slung over their shoulders and the stuffed animals Elizabeth had gotten them when they first moved to Forks in their arms. They looked sad to be leaving. The two rushed over to Reese before they left, and she pulled them close. Held them so tight she heard them struggle to breathe. She wished she could stay like that for the rest of the night, holding the two things she loved more than life itself. But Reese couldn't do that to them, so she, reluctantly, released them from her steel grip. 

"We don't want to go," Annmarie told Reese sadly, rubbing her nose as she sniffled. "It's your birthday."

Reese ran her fingers through her sister's soft hair, comforting her like Mallory used to. "It's okay, Annie. We'll celebrate another time, when I'm better."

"Pinky promise?" Taylor asked, his brown eyes wide with innocence as he stuck out his hand.

"Pinky promise," Reese said, wrapping her pinky around her brother's and the words burned. She then pulled her siblings in for another hug. "I love you both so, so much. Remember that, okay."

"We love you too, Reesey," they chorused when she let them go. 

"Goodbye," she whispered, waving as they walked out the front door not knowing that they would never see their sister again.

Reese cried the second they left the house, Elizabeth walking them next door with Poppy on her leash. Her sobs made her whole body shake and the wind whistled loudly in response. Flynn came and sat beside her on the couch, clasping her fingers around Reese's. God, how could she make a promise like that knowing damn well that she wouldn't be there the next day. She was a terrible person. She should have said she'll see or anything else; how dare she say that she promises. Reese had never once broken a promise to her siblings, she'd made sure she never did, and yet there she was breaking a promise. Taylor and Annmarie would probably remember that for the rest of their lives. They would come home tomorrow and Reese would be gone and the echo of what she'd last said to them would never leave them. At least she'd gotten to tell them how much she loved them.    

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

— THE FIREPLACE SUDDENLY CAUGHT fire at eleven. 

The wood in the hearth that had previously been unburnt went up in flames as soon as the clock struck ten fifty-nine. The candles that Elizabeth had burning for light rose up so high that it almost touched the ceiling. The furnace kicked on, bringing the room to a sweltering one hundred degrees, but Reese hardly felt it. She shivered despite the sweat that coated her skin. Elizabeth and Flynn were beside her, now in shorts and t-shirts, their skin turning the lightest shade of red from the mere heat that radiated off of Reese. She acted like the sun, scorching their pale skin and leaving behind a painful mark. Elizabeth had Reese's head in her lap, fingers brushing through her slick hair. Flynn was on the floor, her hand clutching hers tightly. Reese didn't know how they could stand being so close to her, she felt like there was pure magma pumping through her veins and she was sure they must have noticed it. Reese knew that her temperature must have been close to one hundred and five. She was shaking so badly that she spilled the water from the cup on the table beside her when she reached for a drink. 

"What time is it?" Reese asked, her mouth jumbling the words together.

"Eleven thirty-five," Flynn answered, and Reese didn't know if she was crying or sweating. Maybe both. "How're you doing Reese?"  

"I"ve been better," Reese said, and then let out a feverish laugh. "Yeah, I've been a lot better."

The kerosine lamp on the kitchen table promptly exploded, sending shards of glass and oil in multiple directions. Elizabeth jumped and Flynn tightened her grip on Reese's hand, attempting to redirect the magic not that it was doing any good. Even with Flynn helping her, Reese's magic was too much. Too strong. Too dangerous.

"You two need to go," Reese mumbled, her bottom lip quivering at the thought of being alone. "I don't want to hurt you."

"We're not going anywhere," Elizabeth told her defiantly. "We're staying right here with you, Reese."

"It's getting too hot," Reese told them, wincing as she sat up. "This could kill you. I'll be okay on my own—"

"No," Flynn interrupted. "Get it through your head, Logan, we're not leaving you. I don't care how hot it gets."

Reese was silent for a moment, hoping her friend could feel how thankful she was that they were there. Reese didn't want to be by herself, she was scared. Terrified even. But the thought of these two that meant so much to her getting hurt because she couldn't control what was happening was too much to bear. Reese leaned her head on Elizabeth's shoulder and Flynn climbed up on the couch to to sit beside her. 

"I'll miss you," Reese told them, putting as much feeling into the words as she could. "Thank you both for everything."

"Don't say goodbye yet," Flynn sniffled. "I'm not ready for goodbye."

Reese looked over at the clock, it was eleven forty now. She had twenty minutes to tell them how much they meant to her. How grateful she was that they were in her life. How appreciative she was that they had searched tirelessly for a way to save her, never giving up. They had come to mean as much to her as Mallory and Paul and the twins did. She would never forget them. 

"I need to say goodbye," Reese said. "I need to tell you how much you mean to me."

"Not yet," Elizabeth cried, kissing Reese's forehead comfortingly. "Please, not yet."

Reese ignored her aunt. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me, Aunt Elizabeth. I didn't think I could possibly love anyone as much as I do my parents but you mean as much to me as mom and dad do. I will be forever grateful for you. I want you to know that."

Elizabeth sobbed loudly, her body shaking from the amount of tears that were falling from her eyes. "Oh, Reese, I love you too, honey."

"And Flynn," Reese turned to her friend, squeezing her hand with the strength that she had left. "Thank you for being my friend. For being there for me even when I tried so hard to push you away. You are the best protector a girl could ever wish for. I'm so sorry that I dragged you into this mess, but I couldn't imagine life without you in it. In another life we would have been those two old bats in the nursing home, wreaking havoc on the nurses, but this one will have to do."

Flynn cried in response, struggling to form any words. "Thank you for being the best friend I've ever had, Reese. I would trade places with you in a heartbeat if I could. You deserve so much more than this."

Reese shook her head. "And you don't deserve this. Life has so much in store for you, Flynn O'Connell. I can't wait for you to experience it."

The three of them cried together as the clock slowly ticked down. Rain and wind pounded against their house and the gas stove lit on its own. Reese felt her eyelids getting heavy. She was so tired. She wanted to sleep. Or maybe this was death? Honestly, Reese couldn't tell the difference. It all felt the same. Her energy was fleeing fast, and her limbs felt like her bones had turned to lead. Her head pressed down on Elizabeth's shoulder. She was just so tired.

"I didn't say goodbye to Emmett," Reese slurred. "I wanted to say goodbye to him. Tell him I said goodbye, Flynn. Tell him that I wish things could have been different."

"You tell him yourself, Reese," Flynn said. "Just hold on a little longer. Okay, just a little longer."

Reese felt Flynn's hand leave hers. She blinked a few times, trying to focus on what her friend was doing. Reese saw Flynn grab her phone and frantically press a handful of numbers, holding the cell to her ear and looking back and forth between the clock and Reese. God, she was tired. Flynn's mouth moved quickly, Reese couldn't hear what she said but she could hear the urgency in her voice. When Flynn hung up, she returned to her spot on the couch placing her hand in Reese's again.

"Who did you call?" Reese asked.

"Shh," Flynn shushed her. "Save your strength, Reese. You just need to hold on for a little while longer, please."

Reese tried. She battled the exhaustion that was burning through her body hotter than the fever. She forced her eyes to stay open. It was hard. Reese wanted to sleep so badly. She felt herself drifting a few time, but Flynn or Elizabeth would shake her awake. Their eyes pleading with her to stay with them. Reese would do anything they wanted then, after all they'd done for her she could manage their final wish.

The clock hit eleven fifty-seven when the door was forcefully shoved open. Reese recognized the figure immediately. Emmett Cullen lumbered into the house, his golden gaze locked on Reese. She struggled to move, the air around her thick like syrup, but she managed an upright position. Emmett didn't seem to have the same trouble as her, because he was in front of her quickly. His hands were cool from the outside weather and it soothed Reese's fever. She couldn't help the faint smile that formed on her lips.

"Emmett," she said wistfully. "You're here."

"I"m here," he repeated, letting his hands rest on her cheeks. Reese leaned into his touch. "I'm here, Reese."

"I wanted to say goodbye," she told him. "I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."

Emmett brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I wish you didn't have to say goodbye. I need you, Reese."

"You'll be fine, Jeep dude," Reese said and he laughed sadly at her original nickname for him. "I know you will. I wish we had more time, but I'm glad you're here."

Eleven fifty-eight.

The ticking from the clock seemed to resonate in Reese's ears, but she focused solely on the people around her. The people who were with her in her dying moments. They helped ease her fear of what she was going to experience when she was gone. Reese's gaze moved behind Emmett when she saw a flicker of movement. A gasp escaped her lips as she clearly made out the outline of her parents. They were standing side by side and smiling sadly at her. Reese let out a choked sob. It had been so long since she'd seen them.

"What is it, Reese," Elizabeth asked, sadness and worry in her voice. 

"I see my parents," she whispered. "I see my mom."

Eleven fifty-nine.

Mallory moved forward until she was beside Emmett, Reese stared at her drinking in her appearance. Her mother was right there. Her blonde hair and jade eyes the same as Reese remembered them being. Mallory reached out and let her hand rest on her daughter's face and Reese sighed at the contact. It had been so long. 

"Mom," she croaked out. 

"I'm here, baby," Mallory said, her voice just as soft as Reese remembered it being. "We're here."

Paul moved to stand on the other side of Emmett. Reese cried. He was staring at her with so much love that it made her chest ache. The longing to be with them overshadowed the pain of dying by a long shot. God, she was just so tired.

"Dad," Reese called, reaching out a hand which he took.

"Hey, Reesey girl."

Reese felt her dad's grip get tighter as the world around her began to spin. Reese only focused on the image of her parents. She could vaguely hear Elizabeth and Flynn's sobs and Emmett pleading with her to stay with him, but it all sounded a thousand light years away. Reese's eyes started to close, she tried to stay awake so that she could stay with her family but sleep sounded so tempting. Her breaths came out in short gasps, but her parents only got clearer. They were no longer whispy silhouettes but were now fully formed people. Reese's eyes fluttered shut, her parents faces the last thing she saw as her head lolled back against the couch.

Twelve.

The storm outside came to an abrupt stop. The flames dimmed before finally going out. The heat left the room. The black lines of Flynn's arms faded. The Chosen One was dead.

authors note: 

so ik that I said that last chapter would be the last one but basically,,I'm a liar . . . so this was reese's death and when I tell you that I almost cried when she said goodbye I mean that shit. but this was reese's death and I hope that I did it well,,and that you're all sad . . . next chapter will be her battle with Morgana and the end of part one (there's also a little twist so get ready for that!) !! I'm so sorry for all the emotional pain that I put you all through and I promise it does get better (eventually) ((((':