A few quick notes about timeline and Au-ness of this world:
The James thing didn't happen, so this Bella has not been attacked nor bitten by any vampires (yet).
While Bella and the Cullens both know about the wolf back on the Rez, Jacob is not a wolf at the current time.
Edward and the Cullens have not left.
If you have other questions about this world and they aren't answered in-story I'll post answers here so leave questions in the review section.
Happy Reading!
Life couldn't be worse for Jackson Argent. Imagine a worse case scenario, Jack has probably lived it. Friend who likely hate for the rest of her life? Check. Dead family members? Triple check. Dead friends? Not enough check-marks in the world. Secrets can never tell a soul? Check. Cursed by a demon? Probably check. Moving across the country against his wishes despite a horrible nagging feeling in the back of his mind? Check.
What the hell was even in Forks, Washington?
His dad has mentioned a few family friends in town but considering the last ones had been mass murdering psychopaths he had little faith.
Maybe he'll get some actual sleep on the plane.
He hasn't had a peaceful night's sleep since that day.
He knew he looked rough and he knew his dad worried, but it felt like every time he closed his eyes he went back there, to that moment. To the corpses. To her scream.
He shook his head trying to clear his mind. It worked, for now.
Maybe Dad was right, maybe getting away from this place was for the best. Maybe Bella had the right idea, move as far way as she could get.
MEANWHILE:
Bella Swan opened her eyes and looked around the room. Sill gone. Edward wouldn't be back for another two days. She found herself looking outside the window again. The one he came through for their visits. The love of her life. Her vampire.
How would Kara react to this? The her dating a vampire of all things?
Probably laugh. There was certainly a level of irony to it all.
Of all the creatures she could have ended up falling in love with, it had to one that survives off of blood.
Her dad was out fishing and her boyfriend was out in the woods feeding on deer. Or mountain lions.
Today was as good a day as any.
Up in her closet hidden behind some books was a small wooden box. It was miniscule to what she used to have, but that was practical, this was more of a memento, a reminder she kept just in case. A box with an easy to open lid and compartments. A jokingly easy to spot false bottom that held a quaint little notebook. Anyone else would confuse it for a diary.
In truth it was more of a bestiary. Well, that's what the others had called it.
She flipped it open and saw rough sketches and notes. Most were 2-3 years old, she added entries as she found creatures. Of course the first entry was of course, werewolves. A brief small smile crossed her face. She shook it off and flipped forward to the end of the story.
The last few pages were note and plans to answer one simple question:
How in the hell can a witch lose her powers by being shot with an arrow?
She knew the person who took the shot has no magic, he couldn't have gotten either the arrow or bow enchanter in the time frame from when she last saw his equipment and the firing of the arrow, the tip was a blend of silver and iron most likely as that was in most of his arrows. But neither metal has the properties of stripping a witch of her magic.
Which narrows it down to one thing, the poison the jackass used to knock her out.
She had a few potential ingredients but she couldn't find a recipe that lasted as long as this has.
She could get more clues if she could ask the person but she had no intention of ever speaking to that person again. Ever. Besides he was still in Phoenix.
Probably. She hadn't checked on that family since the incident.
Nope. Stopping that train of thought right the hell there. She's hit a wall with her magic research and until she finds a poison recipe that can do what happened to her she just has to continue living like a regular human. With a vampire boyfriend. And a pack of hostile werewolves who won't mind their own damn business.
She needs to find a cure sooner rather than later.
Preferably one that doesn't involve her nearly dying.
One source had said re-attunement might help but…her initial attunement was a bit extreme and frankly re-traumatizing herself with near death is the last thing she needs to be doing. Especially since she isn't sure it would even work.
"What cha' doin' Bells?" her father asked, sticking his head through the door.
"Dad!" she startled. "I thought you were fishing!" He had said as much the night before, 'don't be worried if I'm not here when you wake up I'm out with Harry and Billy."
"Yeah, Henry had to cancel, Leah's still sick with a massive fever. Poor thing."
"That's sucks, I was looking forward to cooking up some fresh fish."
Charlie cracked a smile, "By the way have you had a chance to check up in the attic?"
"Yeah I've seen the attic. Why what's up?"
"There's something in there I keep wanting to give you but can't find. An old family heirloom. Your grandma wanted you to have it. An old journal passed drown from Swan women. Have you see anything like that up there?"
"No I haven't seen anything like that. I find it I'll let you know." The mention brought back an old memory, when she was very young Bella had been shown some kind of leather bound book by her sick Grandma. "I think I know what you're talking about though, the one with the knots on the front?"
"Yeah that thing."
"I'll have to take another look."
"Okay then, I'll leave you be kiddo."
"See you around Dad." He left the door and she quickly packed up her notebook back into the box and stuffed it back where it went. She was missing her Pulse Sense.
"I have got to get my powers back." She whispered to herself, she couldn't imagine what she might have said if he had seen what she was doing. She had school tomorrow, but maybe taking another look at the dust attic might yield this missing tome.
It was Jack's first Monday in Forks, Washington and the universe had already tried to kill him.
But at least the populace was normal humans. As far as he could tell.
Then again he had only seen a handful of his fellow classmates so who knows what horrors lurked in these damp, rainy and snowy halls.
He really needed to work on his optimism.
He closed his locker and rubbed the back of his head where it had collided with wet concrete earlier. It hurt and he was supposedly lucky nothing had cracked but he could feel it bruising.
"That was a nasty fall, are you okay?" Some girl had decided to cling to him, no actual touching but she just wouldn't go away and he had no idea how to get to leave him alone.
"I'm fine, just not used to all the water. Arizona doesn't get enough rain for me to have much practice." He took a step back from her awkwardly as she leaned forward towards him.
"You're from Arizona! That's so cool!"
"No, it really wasn't. Perpetual heat. Very uncomfortable." He was trying to make her uncomfortable enough to leave.
She launched into a fit of giggles.
Great. He can't even get rid of a groupie right. "Anyway I should be getting to class."
"What do you have?"
"Bio."
She frowned, "Aww…I have trig."
"Bye. Then." Awkward as ever he saw his excuse and took it. He practically ran from the girl in a direction. By sheer luck he had picked the right one and made his way into the classroom.
"Nice to have you here on time Mr. Argent." The teacher commented, "There's a seat over by Mike."
Jack turned to a blonde guy sitting behind a dark-haired girl wave his hand in the hair.
As he passed the girl he only saw a curtain of dark brown hair and as he settled into his seat shifting awkwardly the guy introduced himself. "I'm Mike. Nice to meet you, what's your name?"
"Jack, Jack Argent. Nice to meet you." He fumbled with his book and pencils before shaking hands with the guy.
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from Phoenix, Arizona."
"Dude! No way! Bella's from there too!" The guy reached forward and tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Bella, do you know this guy?!"
The girl turned and to Jack utter and complete horror there sat Bella Swan. The Bella Swan. The familiar brown eyes widened and in a moment that would never feel real no matter what he did, in a quiet voice with as much disbelief as he felt, "Jack?" She blinked once, twice. Her expression turned to sharp, burning anger, her eyes held enough fire to make the sun feel cold she said very loudly as if forgetting where she was, "What the actual fuck are you doing here?"