𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄;
THE SECOND LIFE OF REESE LOGAN

— REESE LOGAN WAS BURNING. She was burning; locked away in complete darkness. Her body felt like she'd been doused in gasoline and then set on fire. She was burning. For four days Reese wondered if this is how her ancestors had felt when they were burned at the stake. If they felt like the skin was melting off of their limbs and their muscles were being reduced to liquid. Like their blood was now lava. Reese wondered how anyone could endure this kind of pain. Inside of her own mind, trapped with her thoughts, she was screaming; begging for someone to help her. For someone, anyone, to stop this agony. But no one listened or no one heard. So Reese continued to smolder.

For the life of her, Reese couldn't understand what she had done to deserve this. She'd given up everything! She sacrificed her own life for the good of the many; was forced to say goodbye to the people she loved most as she layed there dying; hell, she even battled a three hundred year old witch filled with the magic of over a hundred witches — and Reese had won. Where had she gone wrong? She didn't know. For four days that's all Reese could think about (or maybe it was four years, time seems to slow down when one is trapped in their mind while continually burning). She tried to bury the pain with happy thoughts. Memories of her siblings and her aunt. Reese tried to picture their faces, but their images were blurry as if her mind could hold onto a single thing. Like her brain had been reduced to mush.

Then, after what felt like eternity, the pain stopped. It was as if someone had finally heard her please and poured a bucket of water over her to extinguish the flames. Reese stayed in the dark, crying out in relief. She tried to force her eyes to open, but they felt like they were glued shut. Reese attempted to move, even just a wiggle of her toes would've been sufficient enough, but she had no luck. She tried to yell, wanting someone to know that she was there. But her jaw didn't move a fraction of an inch. Reese was frozen. Stuck. A prisoner inside her own mind. Just when she had lost all hope, Reese felt a warm feeling rush over her body. For just a second, terror filled her as she thought that the burning would return, but it didn't. Instead, Reese's eyes shot open. 

Reese found that she couldn't move the rest of her body, so her vision only extended to a view of a ceiling. Reese felt the panic set in. Where was she? What was going on? She grit her teeth, trying to force herself to move. She needed to get out of here. As she struggled, a tingling sensation ran down her body, bringing feeling back into her limbs slowly. Reese turned her head to the side and saw one section of light blue walls covered with posters of sports teams she didn't recognize and a large flat screen television. There was a stereo on the desk that was playing some kind of sports broadcast. Baseball she thought. Reese glanced to the right and was surprised to see that the second call was all windows. There was a glass sliding door that led out into the woods, it was pushed open just enough to let in a sprinkling of rain and a cool breeze that was a stark contrast to the flames that had been burning her only minutes earlier. The room was beautiful Reese decided, but she didn't have the time to examine the interior design of the strange room she was in. Reese needed to get out of there.   

It took probably five minutes, but soon Reese was able to sit up off of the couch she'd previously been laying on. The carpeted floors made it easier for her to move silently towards the door. She had no idea where she was, but that didn't matter. Reese needed to escape. She needed to find her family. She needed to find out what exactly was going on. Why wasn't she dead? Reese was certain that she had died, but the memory of everything that had happened was a little fuzzy. Had Flynn and Elizabeth found a way to bring her back? If so then why wasn't she in her own bed at home. And where were the twins? Had they been told that Reese was dead? She needed to find them, to hold them in her arms. She needed them to know that she was alright. 

Reese had just made it to the open slider when she heard the sound of voices somewhere below her. Reese cocked her head to the side to listen more intently, these voices were familiar. She knew they were, but she couldn't quite place them. Reese paused, listening to their conversation. Even though they were quiet, Reese knew they were talking about her. A feminine voice asked when she would be waking up — there was something so familiar about her — and a husky voice replied that it should be any day now. Reese dared to stay a moment longer, trying to figure out who was speaking. Then a new person spoke and Reese felt her legs turn to jello. Elizabeth was here. Her voice was barely recognizable, the softness now had a rough edge to it that could only come from crying, but Reese knew it was her aunt.

Reese moved away from the wall of windows and towards the bedroom door that was open, revealing more windows and white walls that made the hall seem a lot bigger than it probably was. Reese cautiously positioned where she stepped, not wanting the floorboards to creak. She needed to make sure it was actually Elizabeth before she showed herself. When Reese reached the staircase leading to the first floor landing, she squatted down so that she could survey the occupants of the room. From her hidden spot, Reese could see the familiar honey blonde locks of her aunt. A sob worked its way up into her throat. She never thought she would see her again. The second her foot hit the first step, four figures spun around to stare up at her. Their golden eyes full of shock, but Reese didn't see them. Her attention was solely on Elizabeth. 

Her aunt looked like she had seen better days. Her face was gaunt and pale like she hadn't been eating or sleeping and her green eyes were red and foggy from crying. Her blonde hair that was always perfectly styled was now pulled up into a matted ponytail as if she'd been sleeping in it for days and had yet to brush through the knots. Reese slowly ascended the stairs, ignoring the stares of the people around her. They weren't important. Elizabeth was the only thing that mattered.

"Reese," Elizabeth whispered when Reese's bare feet hit the wooden floors of a large living room. "Oh my God, Reese."

Elizabeth took a step forward, her arms reaching out to pull her niece into a hug and her eyes filling with more tears but someone stepped between the two. Reese's tunnel vision was broken and she blinked, glancing up at a blonde man with golden eyes who couldn't be a day over twenty-three. Reese knew that she was looking at Carlisle Cullen which confused her even more. Why were the Cullens here? 

"Hello, Reese," Carlisle said in a soft tone, like he was speaking to a cornered animal. Reese frowned, why wouldn't he let her see Elizabeth. "How are you?"

"Where am I?" She asked instead, not quite sure how she was feeling. A little confused (maybe a little nauseous even).  

"This is my home," Carlisle told her, never moving from blocking Elizabeth. Reese was starting to get angry. "We thought it would be best if you were brought here."

Reese blinked in confusion. "Why? What's going on? Aunt Elizabeth?"

Reese tried to step around Carlisle so that she could see her aunt, hoping for an explanation from someone she knew well, but Carlisle moved with her. "I'm here, Reese," Elizabeth said from behind the Cullen patriarch.

"Why won't you let me see her," Reese questioned Carlisle, she was scared and she wanted her aunt to tell her everything was all right. "Why am I here!"

"You don't remember?" Carlisle said, his golden eyes flickering behind Reese but the girl kept her gaze forward, waiting for the moment Carlisle wasn't paying attention so she could get to her aunt. "It's okay if you don't, sometimes that happens to us."

Reese was getting frustrated. A glare worked its way on to her face and she faked right, Carlisle following her trick, then moved left. Reese stepped forward, going towards her aunt when a hand wrapped around her upper arm tightly, stopping her from going any farther. Reese struggled, panic flaring up inside her. She turned to shove whoever was stopping her from seeing Elizabeth away but gasped when she saw Emmett. His golden eyes lacked their usual charisma, replaced with sadness. Maybe even a little guilt. 

"Emmett?" 

"Hey, Reese," he loosened his grip enough that it didn't hurt but also didn't release her, his fingers were tense waiting for her to break away so he could catch her.

"Why won't they let me see her," Reese whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Reese do you remember your birthday?" Elizabeth asked from the other side of the room, Reese turned to meet her gaze and cocked her head to the side when her aunt flinched. Elizabeth looked almost scared, and that scared Reese even more. Her aunt had never looked fearful of her before.

"Yes," Reese nodded, not sure how they thought she could forget that. "I died. But you found a way to bring me back. Right? You found a way?"

Elizabeth covered her face with her hands and cried quietly for a moment, when she glanced up she shook her head dejectedly. "Flynn and I searched the whole day, Reese, but we didn't—I'm so sorry."

Reese stumbled as her mind was hit with a series of memories. She remembered the mountain top and Morgana's sinister grin and the fire that surrounded them. She remembered the curse she cast and how Morgana's soul had been shredded to pieces before being takes away by the wind. Reese remembered seeing her mother and father and all the other witches looking at her proudly. But most importantly of all, Reese remembered the searing pain that tore through her. A pain that felt like she had stepped into fire. Reese felt like the ground had disappeared from under her, and she turned to gaze up at Emmett who avoided looking at her.

"Oh, Emmett, tell me you didn't," she pleaded, feeling a sob work its way up up her throat. "Please tell me you didn't."

"I'm so, so sorry, Reese," was the only answer he had. 

Reese ripped herself away from him. Her head was spinning. No, she thought. Please no. Reese looked around until she found a mirror. It was resting on a wooden hutch beside a pretty blonde that Reese recognized as Emmett's sister Rosalie. Reese rushed over to the mirror, gripping the sides of it as she stared into her reflection. Reese ran a hand over her face making sure the one she was looking at was actually her. Reese couldn't help the hysterical wail that escaped her lips. Her honey blonde hair that was usually frizzy from Fork's rainy weather now fell in smooth, glossy waves to her shoulders; her face that had been prone to a pimple or two was now clear if not a little paler than her usual complexion; the little pudge on her stomach had flattened. But it was her eyes that caused the world to whirl around her. The once beautiful jade green eyes that she shared with her mother were now marred by a ring of red. Reese let herself crumble, her knees hitting the floor hard but she didn't even feel it. Through her tears she looked over at Emmett, her bottom lip quivering as another round of sobs hit her. 

"You promised me you wouldn't," she cried. "Emmett you promised!"

"I'm so sorry, Reese."

Reese didn't answer. She just continued to cry. Her body shook and her lungs burned from a lack of oxygen. Reese felt a comforting hand rest on her shoulder, she found Rosalie kneeing beside her, her golden eyes filled with knowing. Reese cried harder. She had never wanted this life, and Emmett had promised her that he wouldn't. She'd made him swear on it. Reese was okay with dying, she knew that she had to; but now she was back and she couldn't even get close to her aunt. That meant that she'd never see the twins or Flynn every again. Reese would outlive them all; she would see Annmarie and Taylor grow up from afar but never be involved in their lives again. She would watch their skin wrinkle and their hair turn grey and she would see them get buried. When she was in the afterlife, Reese didn't even have the possibility of being with them but now that she was alive again — well, sort of — and she knew that she couldn't be with them would ruin her. Reese would spend eternity without her family. That thought alone crushed her. Her family was everything to her. She would — and even did — die for them.

A sudden wave of anger rushed over Reese, replacing the sorrow she'd been feeling. It was white hot, and a sizzling sensation rolled over her. Reese wanted to hit someone, preferably Emmett. He had promised her that he would let her go. She had told him that she didn't want this life; that she wanted to go when she was destined to. She had accepted her death, welcomed it even. And he had taken that choice from her. Reese clenched her fists, and a wave of heat coiled in her stomach. A loud snap suddenly echoed around the living room and a gasp from the people sounded from around her. Reese risked a glance up, not wanting to ever look at her reflection ever again but curious as to where the sound originated from. Reese blinked when she saw that the mirror on the hutch had shattered. Pieces of glass littered the floor all around her (not that any of it actually pierced her skin) and Reese frowned. Had she hit it? She didn't remember doing that, but then again the anger had muddled her brain.

"Reese did you do that?" Elizabeth asked, shock evident in her tone. Reese didn't dare look at her, not wanting to see her flinch away again. 

"I—I don't know," Reese stuttered, sniffling loudly. 

"I need to test something," Elizabeth told Carlisle and Reese heard her feet shuffle closer towards her. Carlisle put an arm out, a warning look in his eyes, Elizabeth huffed in irritation. "She won't hurt me."

"Reese is a newborn," Emmett argued, coming to stand beside Reese in case she actually tried to go after her aunt. "Their thirst is uncontrollable."

"Look at her!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Is that kind of behavior typical of a newborn? I've seen your kind when they're in their first few months, Reese would've gone for me the second she saw me. But she didn't. Don't you want to know why?"

The Cullens shared a collective look and finally Carlisle let Elizabeth past him, staying one step behind just in case he needed to intervene. Elizabeth knelt beside Reese, the teen turning her head and shifting her body more so that her aunt wouldn't have to look into her eyes. Elizabeth's hand reached out and lightly grabbed Reese's face, turning her back so she could look into her eyes. Then, surprisingly, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Reese and squeezed tightly. Her aunt cried into Reese's shoulder, wetting the fabric of the pajamas she had worn on her birthday. Reese didn't know why she was crying, but she let her arms slide around Elizabeth's small frame to hold her tighter. She wept too.

"What is it?" Emmett asked, a hint of worry in his tone. "Is she okay?"

Elizabeth released Reese, but didn't take her arms off of her shoulders. "I can't believe it. I've only ever heard of this happening once before."

"What happened?" Reese questioned softly.

"You didn't fully transition, Reese," Elizabeth said, letting out a relieved sigh. "You're still a witch." 

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

— IT TOOK A LONG time, but Elizabeth finally explained what had actually happened to Reese. How the magic in her blood had tried to fight off the venom, and the two forces had waged and internal battle inside of Reese before they eventually combined. She'd gained the speed, strength and immortality from the vampire venom but still kept her magic. Her human blood was still in her tissue, meaning Reese would stay a newborn for the rest of her immortal life. Reese was now neither human nor vampire; her body split between the two worlds. The switch from soul magic to elemental had helped, Elizabeth told them, because now her magic was bound to her body and something like venom wouldn't burn it out of her. Reese was still herself — partly herself.   

Reese didn't know how to feel. Sure, she was happy that she still had the connection of magic with her mother, but on the other hand Reese wished her body had just chosen one side. Wished that one magical force had come out victorious. Because now Reese knew that there was a chance she could have remained human; a chance she could have gotten her old life back. She would have been able to go home and apologize to Annmarie and Taylor for being gone so long when she'd promised them that she would be there the next day — maybe it was a bit hypocritical of her to be angry at Emmett for breaking a promise as well, but she couldn't find it in her to forgive him just yet. But her magic hadn't been strong enough to completely defeat the venom. So there she was, on the brink of one world (a world she'd known her whole life) while teetering slowly towards the other (one that would never end). Reese rubbed her head, as if her mind was trying to split itself in half to accommodate for this new side of her. Just thinking about it was giving her a headache.    

"Can you try something for me, Reese," Elizabeth asked once she'd finished explaining, pulling Reese from her thoughts. 

"What do you want me to do?"

Elizabeth pointed towards the sky outside, it was an unusually sunny day. "Can you make a storm, like the kind from your birthday?"

Reese was more than glad to try. The warm day made her angry, because she thought that it should be a dark shade of grey after what had happened to her. Reese glared at the sky, willing a storm to brew. She felt heat flow through her until she heard it. Off in the distance, thunder rumbled and dark clouds rolled over the sun casting a shadow over Forks. Patters of rain hitting the window sounded, coming down harder the more Reese concentrated. Lightning flashed over head, crackling loudly as it struck a tree and the thunder roared. Reese stared out at the storm she had caused, happy that the sun was gone. 

"That's incredible," Carlisle murmured, but Reese heard him perfectly.

Reese felt the warmth inside of her raise in temperature, and anger flared. The storm reflected her mood, lightning landing closer to the house and the rain coming down in sheets so thick that she could barely see. For a second, Reese wanted to destroy everything around her. To see what kind of power she really had. Then, she shook her head and frowned. Reese didn't know where that thought had come from, but she was glad it didn't stick around. She let out a shaky breath and the storm slowed, before finally ending. The clouds broke apart and the sun returned, causing the droplets that remained on the windows to glitter and cast little rainbows across the marble countertop. 

"She's certainly powerful," Esme, Emmett's adoptive mother, chimed in and sent Reese a warm smile that burned her anger away. It was hard to want to hate someone with such kind features. 

"What will she need to eat?" Carlisle asked as if Reese was a pet that he was watching over. Reese tried not to take it personally, knowing that he was just curious. 

Elizabeth shrugged. "Possibly both blood and human food. I can't be sure."

"I can take her hunting," Emmett offered, digging his hands into his jean pockets. 

"Hunting?" Reese echoed, frowning at him. "I don't like guns."   

Emmett laughed lightly at her and Reese forced the butterflies that fluttered around in her stomach to go away. She was angry with him, she reminded herself. No laugh was going to change what he'd done to her.

"Not that kind of hunting," Emmett said.

"I'd like to talk with her first," Elizabeth said and Reese had never been happier to have her aunt with her. She didn't want to spend any more time with Emmett than she had to. Reese trailed after Elizabeth, following her to the kitchen where they sat on the wooden stools pushed into the island. Reese tried to be careful, not knowing her own strength anymore. She wasn't sure how much force to use. When they'd finally gotten settled, Elizabeth took Reese's hand in her own rubbing soothing circles on her skin to comfort Reese. "Do you remember anything?"

"I remember it all," Reese told her aunt, shuddering as memories played in her mind.

"Can you tell me?" Elizabeth asked. "If you're comfortable."

Reese nodded and launched into a retelling of what she'd experienced after death. How she'd seen the mountain she once hiked and camped on with some of her Minnesota friends. How everything had been dark and dead, like Morgana had sucked the life out of everything. Reese told Elizabeth how all of the witches Morgana had killed had given the last bit of their power to Reese so that she could defeat the power hungry witch. How the elements had obeyed Reese's every command. Reese repeated the curse she'd used against Morgana, the one that had successfully shattered the witch's soul — leaving out the part about a shard hitting Reese, not wanting her aunt to worry. Reese told her how Morgana had almost won, when the venom entered her body and the pain numbed her magic. How Reese had pushed through it for her family. How Reese had come out victorious.

By the time she finished explaining, Elizabeth was crying. "You did it, Reese," Elizabeth said, wiping away her tears. "You broke the curse." 

"I wouldn't have been able to without their help. She almost got me, aunt Elizabeth."

Elizabeth squeezed Reese's hand tightly. "But she didn't, Reese. She'd gone now. She can't hurt anyone ever again."

Reese wanted to believe that, after all she'd gone through she wanted nothing more than to know that Morgana was completely gone but there was a sinking feeling in her gut that made her think otherwise. "What is she's not gone though? What if she can come back?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "After the spell you cast? That's nearly impossible. When a soul gets shattered, the pieces get scattered so far apart that there's no chance they'll ever be able to reform. Unless she has access to magic from another source, she'll stay gone."

Access to another source echoed in Reese's head. If she touched her chest, Reese could feel where the part of Morgana's soul had hit her. Reese shook her head, there was no way that could have survived the vampire venom that coursed through her veins. Morgana was gone, she reminded herself. Her family was free. They would no longer have to fear for the lives of their loved ones. No more black beetles would come singing in the night, warning them of their death. The Piedmont's were finally free.

"When can I come home?" Reese asked, desperate to see her little siblings. To hold them tight.

Elizabeth shuffled uncomfortably, and glanced over to the living room where the Cullens were sitting, trying not to listen. "Well, Reese, I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?" Reese felt panic swell up in her, her eyes widening. "Why can't I come home? I'm fine, right? I'm okay?"

"I don't know, Reese," Elizabeth whispered, but her words felt like a punch to the gut. "Just because you were fine with me doesn't change the fact that you're technically a newborn. You haven't been around blood yet. Would you be able to forgive yourself if Annmarie or Taylor got a little cut and something happened? Just—just give it some time, okay? Just until your eyes turn gold. Once you get accustomed to the Cullen's way of life. Why don't you call tonight, to talk to them? Just to let them know that you're okay, they've been worried."

Reese felt her bottom lip quiver. "You're going to leave me with them?"

"Not for long," Elizabeth promised. "Just for a little while. They'll take good care of you."

"Please don't leave me," Reese cried. "I don't want to be alone."

"You have Emmett—"

"No," Reese said fiercely. "Please. Please don't leave me here with him, aunt Elizabeth."

Elizabeth looked like she was on the verge of agreeing, but she stepped off the stool and glanced away from Reese. "I'm so sorry, Reese. I wish you could come home today, but—"

"It's not safe," Reese echoed in a monotone voice. The dark clouds reappeared, a light drizzle falling. "Yeah, got it."

"You should give Flynn a call," Elizabeth said. "She'll want to talk to you. She missed you."

"I will," Reese whispered, not even looking at her aunt.

"I'll come by tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure," Reese heard Elizabeth shuffle to the front door, saying a few words to the Cullens. Reese broke down in tears when she heard the door shut, knowing that she was alone with the Cullens. Her aunt had just left her here. Deep down, Reese knew that Elizabeth's concerns were legit, but it still hurt her. Still made that strange anger heat up. Reese breathed deeply, forcing it back down. The Cullens (Emmett excluded) didn't deserve her rage; they were kind enough to house her for a while. 

"Reese?" The soft voice of Esme called from the threshold, Reese didn't have the strength to pick her head up from the counter. Reese felt the stool Elizabeth had been on slide out, and Esme sat down. The one on Reese's other side moved to, Rosalie taking the third spot. Esme rubbed her hand over Reese's back, soothing her sobs. "I'm sorry that you can't go home and I know that you don't want to be here, is there anything I can do to make your time here more comfortable for you?"

"Can I see my siblings?" Reese asked dejectedly.

Esme shook her head sadly. "No, I'm sorry."

Reese sniffled. "Then there's really nothing you can do, but thanks anyway."

The three sat like that for a while, Rosalie and Esme comforting Reese as she cried about her family. Part of Reese knew she was being selfish, a week until she got to see her siblings was basically nothing, and she could call them; meanwhile, the Cullens had to loose contact with their families the moment they were turned. Reese should consider herself lucky, but she'd never been away from the twins for this long. She had never wanted to leave them again, especially after their parent's deaths. Reese tried to control her crying, for Esme and Rosalie's sake, but that just made her shake even more.

"Why don't you get settled," Esme said, helping Reese rise from the stool she felt glued to. "I'm sure a shower would feel nice right now."

"Yeah," Reese croaked out. "It would. I'm really tired too."  

"You can use my room," Rosalie offered, her voice filled with kindness. "I have a couch and a lot of pillows. The bathroom is right across the hall too."    

"Thank you," Reese said gratefully, drying her eyes. "Thank you both so much."

With Rosalie and Esme leading the way, Reese dragged herself towards the stairs. She tried not to look at Emmett as she passed him, not sure she would be able to contain her steadily rising anger. She knew that it would come out eventually, but Reese didn't have the energy to deal with it. Emmett opened his mouth to talk to Reese but Rosalie stepped between them, glaring at her adoptive brother. 

"Not now, Emmett," Rosalie practically snarled. "She doesn't want to talk to you."

"She'll talk when she's ready," Esme told her son in a much softer tone. "She just needs space right now."

Emmett backed up, giving Reese some space, at his mother's orders. Reese was more than thankful for that, and followed Esme to the second floor, her eyes never straying up from the ground in fear that she might accidentally catch her reflection again. Rosalie's door was the first on the left, the room a stark contrast to the one she'd woken up in. The walls here were a soft lilac, with only a few decorations. She had a large bookcase that held textbooks ranging from medical studies to car manuals. Reese liked this room better, it reminded her of the one she had in Elizabeth's house.

"Come down whenever you're ready," Esme said, smiling at Reese warmly. "We'll go hunting then."

Reese attempted a grin, and failed by a mile, but Esme seemed pleased by her effort. The two vampires then left Reese alone, and the silence closed in around her. Reese let herself drop onto Rosalie's couch, and cried into the pillows. She cried for her siblings. For her mother and father. She cried for Elizabeth. Even cried for the Cullens. But mostly, Reese cried for herself; for the human life she lost. For the thickness of her skin and the ugly red of her eyes. Reese Logan was more dead that she was in the afterlife, and she cried for that too. 

authors note: okokok,,,so i really tried for this chapter but im not gonna lie,,it was a little hard for me to write //: i hope you all liked it and understand where reese's anger in coming from and i really wanted reese and rose to become friends bc they're both presidents in the "i would/did say no to this life club",,don't worry reese won't stay mad at emmett long but i would be hella angry is i made someone promise they wouldn't turn me into a vampire and they did it anyway,,let me know what you guys think of the chapter ((((: