𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐗;
FALLING

— EMMETT DIDN'T LET HER go for hours. They stayed on Rose's couch, pressed against each other long after the sun had past the center of the sky. Reese knew that eventually she would need to release her iron grip and go back to pretending that things were normal, that her freak incident with the snow and mental break down had all been a little hiccup from coming back from the dead. But for now, Reese didn't have the strength. Emmett hadn't shifted once since she'd wrapped her arms around him, probably fearing that if he did she would somehow remember that she was angry with him. That she wouldn't let him comfort her anymore. Under all of her fear and pain, Reese was still angry — no long hug would let her forget what had happened to her — but it was easier to forget with his bulky arms wrapped around her; keeping her safe from the nightmarish reality that endangered her constantly. 

Only when the sun threatened to sink below the mountains did Reese begin to move. Her aching throat the only reason she broke herself from Emmett's grasp. She'd been trying to fight it, not ready to face the rest of the Cullens — to deal with their worried and pity filled expressions — but the hunger that ravaged her body wouldn't let her ignore the outside world for very much longer. Emmett, very reluctantly, released her and his golden eyes watched her expectantly. Almost like he was waiting for Reese to crumble again. Reese couldn't blame him for that look, he had every right to stare at her like that. Even now, with all of her emotions locked away where she couldn't touch them, Reese teetered on the edge of insanity.     

Despite the steel like feel of her skin, Reese felt as fragile as egg shells. If too much pressure was put on the wrong place, she would shatter. Her body, despite it's strength, would crumble to dust. Reese stared out at the setting sun, the golden rays painting the sky a magnificent hue of pink. Emmett rose from the couch and stood beside her, letting his hand wrap about her much smaller one. The gesture was meant to be comforting, but it only made Reese want to cry some more. Emmett was already too attached to her; too tightly entwined with the girl who was destined to die — the girl who should have died. She couldn't help but wonder how much happier he would have been if he had never sat beside Reese on her first day of school. Reese would have died, but Morgana would have been gone forever, and she would remain happily with her mom and dad until the rest of her family joined them. Emmett would have continued his eternity, probably found another girl — a girl who didn't have tragedy written in the universe — and he would be happy. Emmett deserved to be happy.   

If she was strong enough, Reese would have taken her hand away and fled. She would leave him behind and disappear into the never ending woods that surrounded their little town. It would hurt at first, the pain would be unbearable for both of them, but he would out grow the longing eventually. Reese would find a secluded spot, somewhere without any inhabitants, where she could succumb to Morgana's presence in peace. But, Reese wasn't strong enough. She could force her hand away from his. Couldn't leave her family behind, no matter how much she might hurt them in the future. She was weak. A coward, even.

They stayed like that for a long time, tied together and watching the sun lower itself until the horizon completely swallowed it, casting an inky black over them. Not even the stars were strong enough to shine through, and Reese could relate. The handful of happy memories she had, like beacons in the night, weren't strong enough to cast out the darkness that swirled under her porcelain skin. Reese focused on her breathing, the only thing she was able to control in her life, letting it in through her nose and out of her mouth. It relaxed her, knowing that there was one variable in this world that hated her that she had authority over. Emmett was the first to break the silence they'd been in, since Reese had stopped blubbering. 

"You should call Elizabeth," he said quietly, his voice barley above a whisper, but the silence was broken now and Reese could hear other sounds that she'd been blocking out before. "She'll know what's going on with you."

"I'm fine," Reese argued, and the lie burned her tongue like fire. 

"No, Reese, you're not," Emmett shook his head and released the hand that was holding Reese's so that he could rub his temples out of frustration. "I know that you're not fine. You're so far from it actually, it's scaring me."

Reese wanted to agree with him, it was scaring her too; but if she admitted defeat then she would be forced to come clean about what was actually going on with her, and that was worse that the facade she created. She cleared away the thickness in her throat. "It's just being a vampire, I'm not used to this strength—"

"Cut it out will you," Emmett interrupted, his golden eyes were blazing. "Stop coming up with excuses for what's happening to you! This isn't normal, Reese, so stop trying to convince me that it is."

Reese felt that pesky ball of emotions she'd locked up break free of it's chains, and anger was the dominating feeling. "Fine!" She snapped. "You want to know what's wrong with me, Emmett? I died! I was sent to a battle field with a three hundred year old witch who was trying to kill me! You think that didn't leave some scars? Think that I would just walk away from an experience like that unscathed?"

The fury is Emmett's eyes burned out. "Reese—"

"No," she held up a hand to stop him before he even started. "I don't want to talk about it or even think about it, I just want to forget it even happened. I'm going to go hunting, clear my head."

Reese didn't wait around to hear Emmett's attempt to get her to talk more and jumped from the open door in Rosalie's room to the ground below. She took off running, tears of anger and guilt flooding her eyes. Sure, Reese hadn't completely lied to him, she'd been honest about the battle field and being unscathed, but Emmett didn't know the extent of the trauma that a split a fissure in her brain. A line that had to be drawn to separate two different souls. A body was only equipped to hold one, and Reese was busting a the seams, desperate to escape, while the second continued it's internal rampage. Reese was a lot of things, a witch, orphan, and, now, a vampire; but she'd never been a liar before. It made her stomach roll uneasily as she hunted down a deer. 

A cackle that echoed in the back of her mind seemed to be mocking her, and Reese felt the darkness rush at her again. It hit her so hard that Reese nearly crumbled, her lungs felt like they'd gotten the air sucked out of them and her vision blurred. Anger roared through her veins. Anger at Morgana and her ancestors. Anger at Emmett and Flynn. Anger at herself. Reese screamed in frustration and a wave of hate rolled off of her. It killed the surrounding vegetation in every direction, desiccating the plants to the same level of dehydration as the mountain top in the afterlife. Reese screamed until her throat was raw, and then her legs crumbled under the weight of her body.

Morgana laughed again, sinking back into the depths of Reese's mind. This is only the beginning, Morgana seemed to tell her. Reese knew she was right, it would get much much worse. Morgana was only testing what kind of power she had over Reese, the things that would make her tick enough to release a steady flow of magic through her body; the same magic that allowed her presence to expand. Still on her knees, Reese locked any emotions that had escaped back into their steel cages. She couldn't afford to feel anything anymore. Empty of anything that would allow her to feel, Reese shakily got to her feet and started the slow trek back to the Cullen's home, feeling like a shell of someone she once was. Merely a shadow of Reese Logan; an echo.  

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

— WHEN REESE STEPPED INTO the house, seven sets of golden eyes landed on her. They stood in a half circle each and stared at her, each wearing varying expressions of worry and pity. Behind the fear in Emmett's eyes, Reese could make out anger. Reese froze, standing on unsteady feet as she turned to look at Edward. The boy couldn't meet her eyes, and Reese knew exactly what had happened.

"You told?" She asked, her voice so quiet she didn't think he would hear.

"I'm sorry, Reese," Edward apologized, bowing his head in guilt. 

Reese shook her head, tears pricking her eyes but she forced down any emotions. It took her a few seconds to get a grasp on them, collect them all and then keep them down. It was tiring work, but it needed to be done. Reese focused on her breathing, desperate to keep any emotion from getting free. She locked up any amount of guilt or fear, sadness and joy. Reese left nothing behind.

"Why are you doing that?" Jasper suddenly asked her, frowning at her.

"What's she doing?" Emmett asked, frustration clear in his tone.

"Nothing!" Reese objected, then grit her teeth and continued to hold back the stress that was fighting hard to break free.

"She's blocking her emotions," Jasper told Emmett, ignoring Reese's outburst. "I can't feel anything."

Emmett turned to Edward, who seemed to shrink under his brother's fiery stare. "Why is she doing that?"

"Stay out of it, Emmett," Reese growled, and the laughter returned along with a wave of anger that she couldn't keep down. Reese's breath hitched as she tried to wrangle the free feeling back into it's cage. "Just let it go."

"Edward, why is she blocking her emotions!"

"Someone named Morgana," Edward said, despite Reese's pleas for him to keep quiet. "She's using Reese's emotions to take control."

Emmett went rigid, the anger left his eyes and he turned to Reese in shock. She was sweating, the moisture beading along her hairline as she struggled to stay empty. Reese looked away from him, knowing if she caught his eyes she would lose her grip and everything would tumble back into her. The next time Emmett spoke, his voice had lost the roughness and concern replaced the fury. "Reese, you need to call Elizabeth," he said.

"No," she spat, gritting her teeth as a migraine rippled through her brain from the pressure. "I'm not calling her."

"Carlisle," Emmett turned to his adoptive father, and the elder vampire nodded almost immediately.

"I'll make the call."

"No," Reese roared, and the house shook violently. Her breathing was labored, and Reese felt cracks appear in the wall that held back Morgana. They were small, but just enough for the witch to begin to seep through. "I'm fine!"

"She's back," Edward told Emmett, narrowing his eyes at Reese. "I can hear her thoughts."

"Carlisle," Emmett's voice was urgent. "Call Elizabeth now."

Carlisle was gone in less time than it took Reese to blink. Reese clenched her teeth, her jaw close to breaking from the pressure but she didn't let up. Morgana untangled the emotions Reese had tied up, and the hit her like a train. Everything seemed to be increased tenfold; all the pain and anger and fear and sadness blurred the lines of her vision. Reese crumbled under the weight of it all, her hands pressing against the sides of her head as Morgana's voice whispered to her. It was shrill and painful. Reese was acutely aware of Emmett and Rosalie at her sides, and Jasper was trying to control the emotions that were wreaking havoc on her mind but he was straining. 

You can't stop this, Chosen One, Morgana hissed in her ear and Reese wailed louder. I am inevitable. 

The wind howled outside, picking up speed the more Reese lost control. She felt like she was being compressed, chains wrapping tightly around her body and stopping her from fighting back. She heard Esme cry out something about Reese's eyes, but she couldn't worry about it long. Reese was too busy worrying about her mind. Her soul was getting shoved back towards the chasm that Morgana had freed herself from and there was nothing she could do to delay it. 

"Elizabeth is on her way!" Carlisle called over the raging wind when he returned from the room, he too kneeling beside Reese. "She'll be here in a few minutes!"

"We don't have that much time," Edward argued, and Reese knew that he was losing her thoughts. He could hear Morgana very clearly now. "She's taking over!"

"Jasper," Emmett shouted to his brother. "Is there anything you can do?"

Reese felt Jasper attempt to control her emotions again, get a handle on the ones that would allow Reese to fight back but the anger Morgana wielded was far too powerful. His eyes were narrowed in concentration and Reese felt a tug in her mind, but it was useless compared to Morgana's strength. Her rage was taking root in Reese, settling in every nook and cranny it could find. It was poisoning her from the inside out. Rotting out all of the good that had ever been in Reese, destroying anything happy, and leaving only decay in it's waste. Reese could only cry, not that she wanted to, she wanted to tell Emmett how sorry she was for dragging him through this again. To watch her die, again. But Morgana had a hold on her tongue, stopping Reese from saying any of the things she wanted to.

It could have been a few minutes, or maybe even hours, Reese wasn't sure but she felt herself growing smaller. Her spacial awareness was dimming and she felt herself receding into the background of her own body. Morgana's presence only grew in response, her wickedness completely enveloping Reese. Reese tried to fight, she really did, but there was nothing to hold on to. Images of her siblings had been wiped clean — what were their names again? Elizabeth's voice was fading in and out — was her timbre really that low? Reese was sure she had a best friend — what did she look like? Everything that Reese needed to keep on fighting had been melted away. What was there to fight for when she had nothing?  Even Emmett's face — or was his name Ethan — that was right in front of her seemed to fade. She was slipping, falling deeper and deeper into a dark abyss of nothingness that threatened to swallow her whole and never release her. A prisoner in her own mind.

"We're losing her!" Someone cried out. "Her thoughts are fading!"

"Reese please," the boy in front of her said, his golden eyes filled with such pain it made her gasp in agony, as if it hurt her too. "Please, don't let her win." 

Morgana was crowing with joy, flexing her muscles in the new body she'd taken over. Reese felt the magic soar out of her and into the witch who was possessing her. She tried to fight, like the boy had asked her too, but her mind couldn't hold a thought long enough. Anything that might have helped her to stay strong was gone. All of the emotions that were free had been corrupted, spreading only fear or mimicking the others. Reese had nothing to cling on to as she tumbled through the darkness on her mind. She clawed at the walls, desperate to free herself from the bonds that held her down, but there was nothing to stop her. She wailed in protest, but there was nothing she could do. Nothing to stop this terrible presence from invading every corner and stripping Reese from her body. She'd never felt a pain quite like this before. Vampire venom had nothing on getting her soul cast out of her body. There was nothing to soothe this kind of ache.  

Then, she felt hands on her cheeks. Reese tried to see who it was through the tunnel vision, tried to center to sight on a set thing, but she couldn't. She was falling to fast. It could have been her aunt, or maybe just another stranger — there really was no difference anymore. Reese tried to focus, but she was falling; farther and farther away from the light she dropped. Reese felt her mouth move, and a voice that didn't belong to her came out. It was darker, angrier, filled with such vehemence that even though she was miles away it pierced through the thickness of her ears.

"You," the voice that came out of Reese said.

"Me," the stranger hissed, and Reese watched as the woman blew a handful of purple dust at her. It filled Reese's lungs, even though she hadn't inhaled, and the darkness completely surrounded her as she continued to fall into the unknown. The last words she heard were the strange woman's. "Now get the hell out of my niece!" 

authors note: yes,,i did use an avengers quote what about it ???? but also emmett now knows what's up with reese !!!! edwards a snitch,,so yikes to that but it needed to be done !! so if you guys saw i republished the previous chapter with a change to the end,,i felt like i was moving a little bit too fast with the whole morgana thing and it's very unlike reese to tell people her problems as she tries to handle them herself first . . . she probably wouldn't have told elizabeth and emmett until she was at death's door,,also sorry this chapter was kinda short and kinda crappy but i tried //: i've also made a timeline for reese so that it goes smoothly with the twilight series (although smeyer really gave such big time jumps that imma have to fill in) and in a few chapters we'll be meeting the swans !!!!!!!! (: