𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄;
THE ART OF BEING BROKEN

— REESE LOGAN KNEW SHE was broken; she didn't mean slightly splintered, no, she knew that she was completely shattered. An unrecognizable mess of her past self, a shell of the girl she was before. And yet, miraculously enough, as she clung to her siblings like they were her lifeline to humanity, Reese could feel the shards of her fragmented soul begin to piece themselves back together. The longer she held Annmarie and Taylor in her grasp — further proving that this wasn't a dream, but reality — the stronger she began to feel. 

She didn't know how long she'd been there, kneeling on the hard tiles of the kitchen floor, with Annmarie clinging to her neck tightly, the little girl refusing to let go — almost as if she feared that if she released Reese for more than a second her big sister would disappear again — and Taylor wrapped into her side, snuggling into her warm parka, but Reese was sure that no amount of time was enough. Nothing else mattered to her in that moment; not Emmett who lingered a few steps behind her, and not Elizabeth who watched the reunion with teary eyes. Reese could only focus on the two little things in her arms, on the small children who she loved more than anything in the world. 

But this, much like every other good thing in her life, came to an abrupt end when a familiar scent hit her like a punch to the face. Reese stiffened, her body going rigid, as all of the joy that had been flooding through her veins began to sour. Annmarie lifted her head from the crook of Reese's neck, feeling the change in her sister. She blinked her big doe eyes at Reese, clearly confused by her reaction. Even Taylor, nearly asleep in Reese's lap, stared up at her, waiting for an explanation. Reese tried to make her body relax, to soothe her siblings, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep the irritation at bay. Reese grit her teeth, angry that this moment had been ruined for her, and slowly untangled herself from Annmarie and Taylor's tight grips. She rose from the floor, her golden green eyes scanning the house for the source of her mood change, and she found it after only a moment.

Flynn O'Connell was in her house; standing in her kitchen; staring at her. A low rumbled bubbled in her chest, an animal instinct as she spotted the person she least wanted to see — especially then. Reese was acutely aware of Emmett moving closer to her, preparing to step in in case she did something that could hurt the twins. His movement was like a stab in her chest; a horrible reminder that her anger could be potentially devastating now more than ever. No one would have batted an eye if she got upset before, but now, with the twins so close to her, there was no room for chances. Reese took in a few deep breaths, focusing on Annmarie and Taylor —who had taken to holding on to her legs to keep contact — to keep her mind level. Emmett didn't back up, but he didn't get any closer either, so Reese figured she was doing okay.

"Why are you here?" Reese asked when she'd successfully calmed herself down.

"My mom watches the twins when Elizabeth needs help," Flynn told her. "And I come over every day before school."

"Why?" Reese snarled, angry that Flynn had been able to see the twins while she'd been locked away at the Cullens. 

"You asked me to, Reese," Flynn reminded her softly. "You asked me to watch over them."

Reese was hit with the memory; a recollection of the night she laid on the couch, slowly succumbing to death, where she had asked her best friend to take care of her siblings after she was gone. Reese had figured that if Flynn had broken one promise she would have broken that one too. Despite the irritation that swirled through her like a storm, guilt wormed it's way through her anger, as Reese remembered how much Flynn loved the twins — how she had treated them like her own little siblings. Reese was ashamed to believe that Flynn would stoop so low as to abandon Annmarie and Taylor when they needed someone (not that she would admit that now, she was still upset after all)

"Well I'm back now," Reese said, folding her arms across her chest in indignation. "They don't need you anymore."

Reese expected Flynn to react a lot of different ways; sad that she was once again being told to go away, or maybe even guilty, but to say that Reese was shocked to see a confused frown etch across her features was quite the understatement. Flynn cast a look towards Elizabeth who seemed very interested in her chipping toe nail polish at the moment.

"She doesn't know?" Flynn asked, her question directed towards Elizabeth.

"What don't I know?" Reese demanded.

"I was going to wait," Elizabeth admitted, ignoring Reese's question. "I didn't think today would be the best time to tell her."

"Tell me what!" Reese shouted, angry that they had some inside secret they were keeping from her. 

Elizabeth sighed deeply and Reese saw guilt flash behind her green eyes. Instead of directly answering her though, her aunt motioned for Annmarie and Taylor to come to her. The twins squeezed Reese tighter, still refusing to release her. Reese let her arms relax and placed her hands softly against their backs — careful not to hurt them —, a silent confirmation that she wouldn't leave when they released her, and urged them towards Elizabeth. Annmarie moved first, glancing back at Reese every few steps to make sure she was there, and Taylor followed in suit. Elizabeth led them all into the living room, Reese and Emmett taking up the lead. She tried her best not to look at the couch, keeping her attention on her aunt and siblings. The twins sat parallel to each other and Elizabeth placed a gloss cup in the middle of them.

"Annmarie," Elizabeth began. "Show Reesey what you've been practicing."

Annmarie looked to Reese who sent her a nod of encouragement, and then she turned her attention to the glass before her, a look of concentration taking root on her face. Reese watched silently as her little sister focused on the cup, unsure of what what supposed to be happening. She opened her mouth to ask her aunt what she was supposed to be seeing, but then she saw it: the cup, which was a foot from Annmarie's grasp, began to rock back and forth, before finally tipping over. Reese couldn't help the gasp that left her lips, her eyes widening as her mind tried to process what she just witnessed — but Elizabeth wasn't finished yet. 

"Taylor," she turned to her nephew. "Your turn."

Just like Annmarie, Taylor stared down the glass. It wiggled the longer he looked at it before finally it finally lurched back to the starting position. Reese felt like she'd been punched in the gut; the Earth swiveled beneath her and for a moment Reese was certain that she would crumble. She could feel the eyes of her family resting on her, gauging her reaction, but Reese was still as stone. Emmett stepped towards her, taking Reese's hand in his, squeezing it as a form of comfort but she couldn't return the gesture. Her heart pounded against her ribs, causing the bone cage to ache painfully. 

Reese stared at her little siblings, slack jawed and shocked, as she felt it; the air of magic that surrounded them. It sang to her, urging her to reach out for her own magic, and Reese succumbed to the impulse. Her soul nearly caved in on itself when she felt the emptiness within herself, the void where her magic had once been. The emptiness burned fiercely, as if her insides were being carved out with a spoon. Reese tried not to focus on it, tried not to dwell on the hollowness, as hundreds of questions berated her mind, making her temples throb, but only one word effectively escaped her mouth.

"When?"

"Not long after your, you know what," Elizabeth told her cautiously, carefully avoiding the word death in the presence of the twins. "A few days after you went to the doctor, Annmarie sneezed and lit a candle. Taylor turned the faucet on when he cried."

"How?" Reese was still at a loss for words, her mind reeling. 

"The spell Mallory cast was broken after Morgana's you know what," Elizabeth explained. "There's no need for their magic to be blocked anymore, now that the threat is gone."

Reese knew that she should be happy; she should be thrilled that the twins could finally embrace the powers that they were born with knowing that their curse that plagued their family is finally gone, but she couldn't. Reese couldn't find it within herself to be happy. Jealousy burned in her chest, and Reese wished that she didn't feel that way but she couldn't help it. Elizabeth never used her magic, not after everything it had taken from her, and Reese had thought that returning home to some normalcy would make her feel better, but now that the twins could use the one thing she wanted more than life itself, Reese felt worse. How could she watch the twins' magic flourish while her's had been stolen from her? But she couldn't say anything; Reese had a role to play. She was their big sister, the one they looked up to for approval and guidance. So instead of breaking down like she wanted to, Reese forced a proud smile on her face and moved towards her siblings. Annmarie and Taylor were watching her expressions carefully, and when they saw Reese's smile their own formed.

"Auntie Elizabeth says we're witches, Reesey," Annmarie told her sister gleefully. "We have powers!"

"I'm not a witch, I'm a warlock," Taylor corrects with a puffed out chest, pride on his face.

"What else has Auntie Elizabeth told you?" Reese asks. "Did she tell you that mommy was a witch too?"

"Mhmm," Annmarie nodded quickly. "Mommy was super powerful!"

"You're powerful too, right, Reesey?" Taylor questioned, tilting his head to the side. "Auntie Elizabeth said so."

Reese's heart panged, but she kept the soft smile on her face. "Not as powerful as you two, I couldn't move a glass at your age."

"Why don't you two go get the present you made for your sister," Elizabeth butt in, taking not of the forced smile on Reese's lips. "I'm sure she'd love to see it."

Reese nodded at them, putting on a show of excitement. Annmarie and Taylor mimicked her emotion, grinning brightly as they pulled themselves off the floor and bounded up the stairs towards their room. Reese stared at the cup they left behind, willing it to move like the twins had made it, but like she had expected nothing happened. Her shoulders sagged, and Emmett squeezed her hand again. Tears burned at her eyes, but Reese quickly brushed them away not wanting anyone to think lowly of her for feeling jealous of her little siblings — but how could she not be? Reese sniffled and looked towards her Aunt who was watching her sadly.

"I"m so sorry, Reese," was all she could say.

"Yeah," Reese cleared her throat, turning away from the still glass. "Me too,"

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

— THE PRESENT THE TWINS had made for Reese was an enchanted flower, a lovely pink tulip that would never wilt or die — a gift that Reese thought was ironic given her immortal status. Elizabeth had been helping them with spells, and they'd wanted to do something for their sister. Elizabeth had done most of the spell casting, but they'd made the flower grow with their combined efforts. It was a nice gift, one she would have loved even more a few weeks ago, but now every time Reese glanced down at the potted plant in her hands and felt the magic call out to her she was only reminded of the void of emptiness that seemed to swallow her whole. 

Reese had smiled and kissed her siblings on the cheeks when they'd gifted it to her though, telling them how proud and grateful she was. They'd told her all about how they had grown the flower with their magic, how it had bloomed within an hour. Taylor prattled on about why they'd picked a tulip, it was their mom's favorite flower and Reese had been surprised that he even remembered that small detail about Mallory. Annmarie showed Reese a small journal that Elizabeth had gifted them, the twins had signed their name in the front in their childish scrawl and the first few pages had their power progress jotted down along with the spells they'd been practicing. Reese let her fingers run over her aunt's handwriting, wishing that she could test out the spell; wishing that she could feel the magic pulse through her veins once again. 

Emmett hovered beside her, keeping a comforting grip on her hand as Reese read over the words. He knew how much this hurt her, yet she didn't let it show. Reese kept the smile on her face, despite the pain it caused, not wanting her siblings to think that she was upset. She was doing a good job too, with keeping the facade up — despite the fact that her insides ached from the emptiness and that Flynn was laughing a few feet from her as Taylor showed her how to make a snowflake float — but she finally broke when Annmarie turned to her, her doe eyes gleaming with curiosity, and asked the one question Reese had wished she'd never asked.

"Reesey," Annmarie said, pointing towards the locket that dangled around Reese's neck. "Auntie Elizabeth said your necklace is magic. She said it shows mommy and daddy dancing."

"It does," Reese agreed, her heart sinking into her stomach as she could practically feel the words forming on her sister's tongue. 

"Can I see?"

Taylor turned away from his snowflake, looking at Reese with the same curiosity as Annmarie. Reese was certain that, at that very moment, if a strong gust of wind blew through the kitchen that she would completely shatter. All of the progress she'd made of gluing herself back together by being with the twins had been lost and Reese felt herself begin to break apart. How could she possibly explain to them that her locket wouldn't work (she knew, she'd tried); without the magic that coursed through her veins, her enchanted item was nothing more than a gold locket. The golden dust that came together to form her parents would remain nothing more than just that, dust. How could she explain that her magic had been stolen from her and that she was nearly completely ordinary — ignoring the fact that she was half vampire. Her aunt stared at her, not knowing what to say, and Flynn sunk deep into herself. Even Emmett didn't know how to react. Reese looked at her siblings, her mouth struggling to find the right words; trying to find an explanation that would make sense to them. She couldn't find one.

Instead, Reese untangled her hand from Emmett's and with shaky fingers reached up and undid the clasp on her locket. A strong pain rushed through her as she took it off, as if she was ripping out her own soul, and Reese motioned for Annmarie to come towards her. The little girl did, allowing her sister to place the necklace around her tiny neck. Reese nearly cried at the feeling of the bareness from the spot on her chest where the locket had rested since it had been gifted to her, but she pulled herself together. 

"Open it," Reese urged, trying not to sound as choked up as she was.

Annmarie followed Reese's orders, her tiny fingers unlocking the locket and letting the golden dust swirl out. Taylor watched in awe as the dust took on the form of two miniature figures. They moved together, dancing even though there was no music, and the longer the pirouetted across the kitchen the more solid their features became until it was obvious they were all watching Mallory and Paul. Poppy chased after the figures of their parents, jumping up to catch the magic dust in her mouth but always falling just out of reach. Reese heard Elizabeth sniffle, but she couldn't look away from her parent's faces. It had been so long since she'd seen them. Her first few days at the Cullen's house, after Elizabeth had taken her magic, Reese had been feeling particularly homesick and she had tried to open her locket so that she could see her mom and dad but without her magic it remained locked. Reese had cried herself to sleep the night. It took everything she had in her not to break down then and there. After a few minutes, Annmarie closed the locket and their parent's disappeared. The little girl moved to take the necklace off, but Reese stopped her with a firm shake of her head. 

"No," Reese said. "You keep a hold of it for me."

"Really?" Annmarie asked, clutching the locket tightly.

"Yeah," Reese tried to smile at her, but no matter how hard she tried her lips wouldn't turn upwards. "Now that you have magic, you and Taylor can use it to look at mom and dad."

Annmarie rushed towards her and wrapped Reese in a tight hug, Reese held her little sister for a moment, hoping that she would feel the same peace she had when she first returned home but she just felt empty. Tears burned at her eyes, and Reese pulled away. Annmarie frowned when she saw Reese's glossy gaze, but she just kissed the crown of her little sister's head.

"I'm pretty tired," Reese announced, everyone but the twins knowing full and well that she was lying. "I didn't sleep much last night, I think I'm gonna go take a nap."

"I don't like naps," Taylor grumbled.

"Yes you do," Annmarie frowned at him. "You take naps all the time."

"No I don't!"

"You do too," Annmarie argued, turning towards Flynn. "Flynnie tell him, tell him he takes naps all the time."

"I do not!"

"I think we should all take a nap," Elizabeth interrupted, stopping the twins from bickering further and dragging Flynn into it. "It's been a pretty exciting morning, c'mon you two let's let your sister get some rest okay."

The twins didn't say anything else, letting Elizabeth lead them up the stairs towards their room, Poppy at their heels. Reese didn't move for a moment, staring at the place her parent's figures had been moments previous. She knew that Flynn and Emmett were watching her, waiting for her to move or say something. Reese heaved a deep sigh, a long painful sound that seemed to hurt the two nearest her, and then rose from her chair. She moved on heavy feet, dragging herself after her family and towards her own room. She could hear Emmett and Flynn talking in hushed tones, but she didn't have the mental strength to listen to their words. Her mind was swirling with too much despair to pay attention to a think they said.

The twins were pretty much passed out already when she passed their room, tucked into their blankets, their eyes drooping though they struggled to stay awake to watch the dancing figures of their parents as they floated across their room. Reese quickly rushed past, not being able to stand feeling the magic that surrounded them, and didn't breath until she'd closed her door behind her. She quickly opened her window, breathing in the crisp morning air and clearing her senses of the magic that surrounded her in this house. Her legs wobbled underneath her, and Reese let herself fall into a heap on the floor. 

She curled into herself, her knees pressed to her chest, and in the comfort of her bedroom, Reese let herself cry. As it seemed, the universe was set on punishing her for something. Not only was she forced to die on her birthday of all days, but she then was forced into a life she didn't want, had her magic ripped from her unwillingly and now she had to deal with the fact that her little siblings had been gifted the magic she so desperately craved. Reese didn't know how much more loss and pain she could take before she completely shattered. It seemed no matter how much she put herself back together, there was always a stronger force that broke her down faster than she could fix; chipping away at her until nearly nothing remained. It was draining, and, not for the first time, Reese found herself wishing for it all to end — not the way it had the first time, she wouldn't wish that on anyone, but slipping away back to her mother and father's warm embrace was all that she wanted. A terrible thought, but one she had frequently nonetheless. 

Reese's body shook as her sobs escalated, she bit the sleeve of her jacket to silence the sound of her cries not wanting anyone to know just how badly she was hurting. She had pushed so hard to be able to come back home, and she didn't want them to think that she was ungrateful or anything. Reese would give crying in her own bedroom over crying on Rosalie's couch on any given day. She was so caught up in her own anguish that Reese didn't even notice someone had entered her room until she was wrapped up in another set of arms. Reese melted into their grasp; it had been so long since someone had held her, and she deeply craved the feeling of being touched. She'd spent so long making sure everyone else was doing okay, that sometimes people forgot that Reese needed this too; that not only the twins needed to be squeezed and told that everything would be okay. 

Reese recognized the feeling of the hand rubbing circles on her back; recognized the scent of coconuts that clung to her hair; recognized the soft voice of Flynn O'Connell telling her that everything was okay. But Reese didn't care that it wasn't Emmett or Elizabeth with their arms holding her tightly; she didn't care that she had been ready to rip Flynn's throat out less than twenty-four hours ago. Reese needed her friend — her best friend— and even though she still felt horribly betrayed by the girl, Reese clung on to Flynn. She was shattered — broken in almost every way — but being in a familiar set of arms (arms that had held her during some of her worst times) Reese felt herself begin the process of being pieced back together once again.

authors note: yeah so i had all the right intentions of this being a happy chapter but then i listened to a sad song so here we are ///: anyway the twins have magic which is like awesome for them but like salt in an open wound for reese (poor bby just can't catch a break) and she'd trying so hard to be supportive of them and what not even though it's literally killing her to watch them be able to use magic while she can't,,and yes she is still very angry and hurt about the whole flynn debacle but sometimes you just need to be held by your best friend while you cry and reese knows that,,,her and flynn will eventually be friends again but it'll take some time so just know that the iconic duo will eventually be back to their glory days !! hope you all liked the chapter and get ready bc we'll be getting into the events of twilight in a few chapters so get ready to meet bella and reyna !!!! also here's my usual shoutout to my bff  kara ily bby hope you're loving seattle (((((: