𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦

(the cursed witch, act two)

NINA HADN'T SLEPT WELL. It was possibly one of the worst sleeps she had ever had. Her arm burned and her head ached.

It didn't help that Edward looked as perfect as he did hours before as he kissed her forehead quickly and ducked out her window. She was worried about the things he might have been considering during her time asleep. The anxiety seemed to make her headache worse, forcing her out of the bed.

Bella picked her up like most days. Her orange truck was waiting loudly in front of the house, the sound of the engine alone announcing her arrival.

"Hey..." Nina greeted anxiously as she got into the passenger seat.

"How's the arm?" Bella asked.

The witch shrugged. She knew she didn't have to lie to her. "Hurts like a bitch, honestly."

"And the head?"

"Aching."

Nina sighed. "About what you saw last night..."

"It's alright. I won't tell anyone. I figured they were something supernatural anyway. How else would you let yourself get so close to Edward?"

Bella always seemed to prove herself smarter than Nina gave her credit for.

"Alice explained it to me last night when she took me home. I already promised not to speak a word of it."

Nina let out a sigh of relief. She had known Bella found it easy to keep her secret, but with the Cullens... it was a whole other realm.

"Thank you."

Bella shrugged as she drove into the parking lot. "What are best friends for?"

The witch turned when she heard a knock against the glass window by her head and smiled only for it to fall slightly. It wasn't who she had been expecting.

Getting out, she tried to keep her smile real. "Morning, Kit."

He smiled brightly. "Morning, Neens."

When her eyes left him to look around the parking lot, he spoke again. "How was your birthday? Bella said you don't really celebrate it much."

Her eyes were still on the parking lot, searching for a familiar car. When she didn't find it, she looked back. "It was fine..."

Bella walked around the truck finally and tugged on the witch's non-wounded arm. "Neens, we've got to go, remember? We've gotta work on that English project."

"Right! Yes. Gotta go. Bye, Kit."

She didn't even hear his response, Bella had already pulled her far enough.

"He never gives up," The human sighed. "Men."

Hearing Bella's grumble, Nina chuckled softly. "How are you and Jake doing?"

"Well, since Jake isn't at our highschool, pretty great. If he was near me twenty-four seven, I might kill him. I don't know how you do it. Being with Edward so constantly. I would tear his vocal cords out if I was near him for over six hours."

"... So, well, then?"

"Very well." Bella smiled. "He's taking me on a date tonight. I'm telling Charlie I'm with you though, okay? He's still in protective dad mode."

"I'll be your alibi, don't worry," Nina grinned.

The day passed slowly. It seemed as though each class dragged on for hours. Even lunch did, which Nina normally would have appreciated, however, without Edward by her side, it was Kit. If it wasn't for Bella making another fake project, she would have throttled him.

When the day finally ended, Nina was already waiting at Bella's truck, leaning against the metal as she looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy day and it rained for at least three hours of it.

The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach from the day before had yet to go away. If anything, it had only gotten stronger in the last few hours.

"You feeling okay?" Bella's voice asked suddenly as she neared the truck, keys in hand.

Nina looked at her and nodded. "Fine."

After the truck was unlocked, both girls got inside and waited for it to heat up.

"You sure? When most women say they are fine..."

"Just not feeling great," Nina sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "It'll go away after some sleep."

The drive took only six minutes.

"I'll pick you up in the morning?"

Nina nodded. "Thanks, Bells. Have fun on your date."

"Have fun wallowing. If you need company, call me."

When Bella's truck was out of sight, Nina turned to her house and was about to walk inside before something caught her eye in the crystal panes of the door.

She turned quickly, a smile forming on her lips. Jumping down the steps, she ran toward him, almost tackling him into a hug. "Sparkles! I missed you."

Edward's arms warped instinctively around her, stopping her from falling.

When she didn't hear him laugh, she looked up. "What's wrong, honey? Did Rosalie make fun of your hero hair again?"

Letting her feet hit the ground, he stepped back slightly.

"Take a walk with me?"

Nina stared at him for a moment before she nodded, "Of course. I'll just set my bag inside."

He watched soundly as she opened the front door, set her bag on the small table in the entryway before walking back to him.

"Where are we going?"

She could feel her heart beating inside her chest.

He turned, leading her into the forest behind her house. He was in the same suit as the night before, something she couldn't help but worry about.

She held her breath, unable to think of a way to protest. She didn't like this, whatever it was. The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was beginning to overflow.

This is bad, this is very bad, the voice in her head repeated again and again.

Nina followed unwillingly, trying to think through the panic. It was what she wanted, she reminded herself. The chance to talk it all through. So why was the panic choking her?

They didn't go very deep into the forest. Only about 50 meters. They were barely on the trail and she could still see the house behind her.

Edward stopped to lean against a tree, staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"What's going on?" Nina asked, her voice small. "Is Jasper okay?"

He took a deep breath. "Nina, we're leaving."

Nina took a deep breath, trying to keep her mind clear as she thought of what to say.

"Why now?"

"Nina, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless." His answer confused her.

"You only just moved here last year. I thought you said you were able to stay at least a few years..." She stared at him, trying to understand what he meant. He stared back coldly. 

With a roll of nausea, she realized something. "When you say we—"

"I mean my family and myself." Each word separate and distinct.

Nina stared at him, comprehending his words. He waited without any sign of impatience. It took a few minutes before she could speak.

"Okay," She said finally. "I'll come with you. I'm eighteen I don't have to stay with my mom–"

"You can't, Nina. Where we're going... It's not the right place for you."

"Where you are is the right place for me," She fought.

"I'm no good for you, Nina."

Her lips parted in shock. "Do you realize how stupid this is? Edward, you can't possibly think that you aren't good for me. You are the only good think I have–"

"My world is not for you," He said grimly.

"Bella promised to keep the secret. She won't tell anyone. And what happened with Jasper—that was nothing, Edward! Nothing–!" 

"You're right," He agreed. "It was exactly what was to be expected."

"Edward... you can't do this." Tears were clouding her eyes as she looked up at him. "This is because I'm dying, right? 15 years is nothing to you. You can't find a solution so you're just going to leave before it gets ugly–"

"Nina, I don't want you to come with me." He spoke the words slowly and precisely, his cold eyes on her face, watching as she absorbed what he was really saying.

There was a pause as she repeated the words in her head a few times, sifting through them for their real intent.

"You... don't... want me?" She tested the words she never would have thought she would hear come from him.

"No."

She stared, uncomprehending, into his eyes. He stared back without apology. His eyes were like topaz—hard and clear and very deep.

She wanted to look anywhere else but she couldn't pull her eyes off of him. "That changes things... a lot."

He looked away into the trees as he spoke again. "Of course, I'll always love you... in a way. But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change. Because I'm... tired of pretending to be something I'm not, Nina. I am not human." He looked back, and the icy planes of his perfect face were not human. "I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that."

"Please don't do this," She pleaded. "Please don't leave me too."

"You're not good for me, Nina." He turned his earlier words around, and so she had no argument.

She pulled her eyes away and looked at the ground below her. She could feel a tear slip from her eye and watched as it fell to her feet. "More like not good enough. Right?"

Her body was numb. All she could feel was his eyes on her. His dark glare.

"I would like to ask one favor, though, if that's not too much," He said. Nina would have laughed if she wasn't so focussed on trying not to cry.

A favour? Seriously?

"What?"

"Don't do anything reckless or stupid," He ordered, no longer detached. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Nina nodded.

"I'm thinking of Natalie, of course. She needs you. Take care of yourself— for her."

Nina nodded again. "I will," She whispered.

He seemed to relax just a little.

"And I'll make you a promise in return," He said. "I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't come back. I won't put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any more interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed."

The numbness spreaded through her. She couldn't even feel the way her blood pounded. His voice sounded farther away.

He smiled gently. "Don't worry. You're human — your memory is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for your kind."

"And your memories?" She asked. It sounded like there was something stuck in her throat, like she was choking.

"Well"—he hesitated for a short second—"I won't forget. But my kind... we're very easily distracted." He smiled; the smile was tranquil and it did not touch his eyes. He took a step away from her.

Distracted...

"That's everything, I suppose. We won't bother you again."

"Where will you go?"

He met her eyes then. "I don't know."

"Goodbye, Nina," He said in the same quiet, peaceful voice.

"Wait!" She choked out the word, reaching for him, willing her deadened legs to carry her forward.

For a moment, she thought he was reaching for her, too. But his cold hands locked around her wrists and pinned them to her sides.

"Take care of yourself," He breathed, the coolness brushing against her skin.

There was a light, unnatural breeze.

The leaves on a small vine maple shuddered with the gentle wind of his passage.

He was gone.

Nina pursed her lips, holding in a shaky sob. Her breaths were heavy and uneven as she looked around, trying to find him and for him to tell her it was a joke.

He promised. He promised he would stay.

With shaky legs, she followed the breeze he had left and walked further into the forest. The evidence of his path disappeared instantly. There were no footprints, the leaves were still, but she walked forward without thought.

She couldn't let him leave. Not like this.

Nina walked for hours. The time didn't matter to her as she pushed through the thick undergrowth, trying to avoid tree roots and ferns. She worried she might have been going in circles, but she kept going.

She stumbled often and as the sky grew darker, she fell often too. By then, her hands were scraped from cushioning her fall so many times.

Finally, she tripped over something—it was black now, she had no idea what caught her foot—but she stayed down. She rolled onto her side, so that she could breathe, and curled up on the wet bracken.

She laid there silently. Her breaths were slow, almost nonexistent as she stared up at the pitch black sky. Was it always so dark here at night?  Surely, as a rule, some little bit of moonlight would filter down through the clouds, through the gaps in the canopy of trees, and find the ground.

Not tonight. Tonight the sky was utterly black. Perhaps there was no moon tonight—a lunar eclipse, a new moon.

Nina shivered, though she wasn't cold. It was black for a long time before she heard them calling. Someone was shouting her name. It was muted, muffled by the wet growth that surrounded her, but it was definitely her name.

She didn't recognize the voice. She thought about answering, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. By then, the calling had stopped.

Sometime later, the rain woke her up. She wasn't sure if she had actually fallen asleep, or if she was just so lost in her own mind.

The rain bothered her a little. It was cold when it hit her burning skin.

It was then that she heard the calling again. It was farther away this time, and sometimes it sounded like several voices were calling at once.

She tried to breathe deeply. Nina knew she should answer, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get her voice loud enough for them to hear her.

Suddenly, there was another sound, startlingly close. A kind of snuffling, an animal sound. It sounded big.

She should feel afraid. She didn't. If she had any fear inside of her, it was numbed by the pain.

The snuffling went away. The rain continued, and she could feel the water pooling up against her cheek. She was trying to gather the strength to turn her head when she saw the light.

At first it was just a dim glow reflecting off the bushes in the distance. It grew brighter and brighter, illuminating a large space unlike the focused beam of a flashlight. The light broke through the closest brush, and she could see that it was a propane lantern, but that was all she could see—the brightness blinded her for a moment.

"Nina."

The voice was deep but she was sure it was familiar.

She forced herself to look up.

"Have you been hurt?" When she didn't answer, he spoke again. "I'm Sam Uley. Do you remember me? You met me on the beach."

She remembered him.

"Natalie sent me to look for you," He told her softly, keeping his voice still and warm so as to not scare her as he held his hand out to her.

Nina stared at it. She wanted to take it, he looked very warm, but she couldn't pull herself to reach up to him.

His dark eyes watched her for a second, and then he shrugged. In a quick and supple movement, he pulled her up from the ground and into his arms.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" He asked as he began to walk through the forest's rough terrain. With the small light of the lantern, he could see how full of tears her eyes were.

She stayed unmoving and numb in his arms. Nina tried to focus on other things, the feeling of leafy ferns hitting her legs, how warm Sam was, his footsteps.

But she couldn't take her mind off of him.

Everytime she closed her eyes for some relief, she saw him. She saw him staring at her with an uncaring look that she never thought she would see. She saw him leave.

It didn't seem like much time had passed before there were lights and the deep babble of many male voices. Sam slowed as he approached the commotion.

"I've got her!" He called, his voice booming.

The babble ceased, and then picked up again with more intensity. A confusing swirl of faces moved over her. Sam's voice was the only one that made sense in the chaos, perhaps because her ear was against his chest.

"No, I don't think she's hurt," He told someone. "She just keeps saying 'He's gone.'"

Was she saying that out loud? Nina bit down on her lip.

"Nia, honey, are you all right?"

That was one voice she would know anywhere—even distorted, as it was now, with worry.

"Mom?" Her voice sounded strange and small.

"I'm right here, honey."

She felt a shift beneath her, followed by the scent of Natalie's perfume. Natalie staggered under her weight.

"Maybe I should hold on to her," Sam suggested.

"I've got her," Natalie said, slightly breathless.

She walked slowly, struggling. Nina wished she could tell her to put her down and let her walk, but she couldn't find her voice. There were lights everywhere, held by the crowd walking with her. It felt like a parade. Or a funeral procession. Nina closed my eyes.

"We're almost home now, honey," Natalie mumbled now and then.

Nina opened her eyes again when she heard the door unlock. They were on the porch of the house, and Sam was holding the door for Natalie, one arm extended toward them, as if he was preparing to catch me when Natalie's arms failed. But Natalie managed to get Nina through the door and to the couch in the living room.

"Mom, I'm all wet," Nina objected, her voice tired and lacked emotion.

"That doesn't matter." Her voice was full of worry. And then she was talking to someone else. "Blankets are in the cupboard at the end of the hall."

"Are you hurt, Nina?" Natalie's soft voice asked after a moment.

"I'm not hurt," The witch lied in the same dull voice. The words were true enough for what she'd asked.

Her hand touched Nina's forehead, and her fingers pressed against the inside of her wrist. Nina watched as she counted to herself, her eyes on the clock beside the tv.

"Can you tell me what happened, Nia?" Natalie felt Nina freeze. "Did you get lost in the woods?"

Nina could feel the stares of several other people listening. Sam Uley, she recognized, along with Charlie Swan, Mr. Vanderburg; Kit's father as well as Kit himself.

Other deep voices rumbled from the kitchen and outside the front door. Half the town must have been looking for her. Natalie was the closest. She leaned in to hear Nina's answer.

"Yes," Nina choked. "I got lost."

Natalie knew she was lying but nodded nonetheless.

"Are you tired?"

Nina nodded and closed her eyes obediently.

Natalie looked up at the men in the room who all watched with similar worried looks. "I don't think there's anything wrong with her. Just exhaustion. She'll sleep it off and I'll watch her."

She heard Natalie whisper thanks to the volunteers as, one by one, they left. Soon enough, the house was cleared, not a stranger in sight.

The older witch sighed softly as she closed the door, locking it behind her before retreating back to the living room and sitting on the couch next to Nina.

"I know you're awake," She spoke, seeing Nina's eyes closed as she sat, almost swaddled in a swarm of blankets. "What's going on? You've never gotten lost in the woods before."

Nina opened her eyes and Natalie could see how red they were. She could also see the dried tears that marked her patchy red skin.

"You can tell me..."

"He left me," She finally spoke. Nina looked up at her mother, fresh tears falling down her face. "Edward left." 

duh duh duhhhhhhh

sorry, i had to :)