Train Wreck

Seth

She didn't look like my Mia; she looked different, somehow dangerous...

Her face was now shaped by dark brown hair, not the brown and red I loved; the new colour brought out her eyes, but made her skin look paler. She didn't look like my Mia.

She stared at me for a moment before turning to Brady who was now standing not inches away from her. "Hey Brady." She said with a small smile; even that was different.

"SIS!" He yelped pulling her up into a big hug, letting her feet dangle. "I've missed ya." He laughed putting her back down, her eyes shifted to me then back to Brady.

"Missed you too." She said patting him on the arm.

"Come, sit, eat." Her mother instructed pulling out the seat next to me.

Mia looked at me again before walking over to the seat, I was surprised that she leant over and kissed me lightly on the cheek. "I missed you Seth." She breathed in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I just nodded. I was speechless, who was she?

Everything about her was different; I just couldn't place my finger on it. She even smelled different. I still loved her more than anything in this world, but there was something holding me back, the feel of her burning hot lips on my skin freaked me out a little... Maybe she was just running a fever; she has been spending most of her time outside in the freezing cold for a month.

Just as Mia was about to place a spoonful in her mouth Maggie came running down the stairs, she almost tripped but managed to make it to Mia, hugging her violently from behind; Mia made choking noises before Maggie let go.

"Why didn't you wake me?" She yelp, tears in her eyes.

Mia laughed, even that sounded different. "You looked too cute, I just couldn't." She got up and wrapped her arms around Maggie; there was more muscle definition in them now.

"Oh Mia I've missed you so much!" Maggie squeaked letting her sister go and sat down next to Christina. "Tell me everything."

Mia laughed. "Really there's not much to tell." She flashed a quick glance at me. "I'm sure you don't want to hear it." I felt her knee bump against mine, I smiled weakly.

"Mags said you were heading to Canada." Brady laughed.

Mia smiled. "That was the plan." She looked at her mother coldly. Christina got up and dumped her plate in the kitchen sink then walked out. Mia rolled her eyes.

Maggie sighed. "Mia, she loves you... Don't do this to her."

"Maggie if she loved me she would have let me go." Mia shot back, getting up and walked out the room. Brady looked at me with wide eyes.

Maggie sighed and walked out as well. Brady scooted his chair so it was closer to me. He leant in close so he could whisper. "Dude, did you see that?" He asked.

I looked at him. "See what Brady?" I sighed a little annoyed.

"Mia, man, she was shaking like... well like we do before we phase. Tell me you saw that." He looked at me, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Nah man, I didn't see it."

He looked to the door, before shoving his chair back; Maggie walked in. "Seth, she wants to see you." She said blankly.

Maybe it was just me. I had studied her, watched her, knowing something was off, but I just couldn't place it. Of course I knew she would be a little different, she had been on the run for a month and a half, time like that could change anyone. But this change was different.

I watched her as she walked around her bedroom, pulling things from her bag and dumping them on the floor. I had no idea why I was here, it's not like me being here would make anything different, I knew how she felt; but still I needed to be near her, I needed to be able to look at her, to make sure she was safe. I practically had to force myself up here and we hadn't even said a word to each other.

She was taller, that was for sure, not by much, but enough for me to notice. The muscles on her legs were sticking out just enough in her tiny shorts and her arms were toned a lot more too. I traced my eyes up and down her lean body again... Whoa... She was still perfect... Just a different perfect.

"Seth?" She asked, my eyes shot up to her face. "You okay?" She asked. I could see the tears in her eyes, she blinked them back before they could escape.

No, no I wasn't okay. What the hell am I doing here? I'm such an idiot! Just go Seth; it wouldn't really matter if you did.

"Seth?" She choked folding herself on the ground.

I looked at her again before getting up and walking out, I walked down the stairs and out the door, phasing as soon as I came into contact with trees.

She doesn't love you Seth... Time to get over it...


Mia

Phasing unexpectedly scared the shit out of me. One little push and I could explode... It was getting worse; now that I had more things to be angry about.

I was furious at myself for causing so much pain to Seth; it wasn't fair he had to go through all this just because I had issues. I was mad at my mother for making a big deal out of my little get away, she knew why I left, but still she had to drag me back just so she could keep an eye on me, I was putting her and Maggie in danger.

I was mad at Robert for being out of his freaking mind and going crazy obsessed over my little stunt.

I was furious at myself for letting that happen in the first place.

I was mad at Seth for imprinting on me, even madder because he couldn't help it.

And I was pee'd off at my sister for sticking up for my mum.

Everything was just getting way too much for me to handle.

So when my darling sister came up to tell me off for being horrible to my mother, I almost lost it. Maggie had only seen me phase two or three times and I wanted to keep it that way.

"Mia! What was that?" She asked angrily.

A quiver rocked my whole body, I felt Maggie take a step back. "Nothing Maggie, please get out." I pleaded with her; I didn't want to rip her face off.

"Mia calm down..." She begged. "Seth and Brady are just down stairs, please Mia... Calm down."

My vision was going red and shaking like crazy, Maggie sobbed behind me. Focus Mia, calm down. I pushed my palms to the side of my head, holding it tightly, the quivers began to slow and then they stopped. I took a deep breath in before turning to face Maggie.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered looking at the ground ashamed.

"It's okay babe, it's okay..." She soothed walking over to be and catching me in a tight hug. "It's hard I know. It's okay." She whispered hugging me tighter. She let go of me, holding me out at arm's length. "I love you Mia, you know that right?"

I smiled. "I love you too Maggie, you mean everything to me... I'm sorry I did this to you."

She shrugged. "I would have done the same thing to that dick if I was you." She winked.

I chuckled. "Hey Mags..." I whispered taking a deep breath in. "Can you send Seth up here."

She giggled. "Sure." And she danced back down the stairs.

God Mia! Why did you do that for? You know that he's not going to want to talk to you. You took off and broke his heart, and then you turn back up and act like nothing ever happened! You can't do that to people. You know it's wrong and you know why you had to do it in the first place, so stop stomping on his heart!

I sighed and leant against the wall burying my face in my hands. There was a light knock on the door and I straightened up.

"Come in." I said just louder than a whisper. Seth walked in slowly looking at me. I went to open my mouth to say something but lost my nerve. "Sit down." I said pointing to the bed, he nodded and walked over to my bed.

Say something Mia, say something...

I walked over to my bag and started to throw the clothes on the floor, my room was way too clean; I knew Maggie must have done it.

The silence was uncomfortable and I felt like I should say something, but every time I went to open my mouth nothing came out, so I just went on messing up my room.

I turned around to face Seth for the first time. He looked horrible, big dark bags under his eyes, Brady wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't doing so well.

"Seth?" I asked looking at him, his eyes flickered to my face, and it was heartbreaking. I blinked back the tears. "You okay?" I asked. He looked at his hand neatly folded in his lap. Oh god, please answer me. "Seth?" I choked out. He looked back to me then got up and walked out...

I shoved my face in my hands, letting the tears pool in my palms, there was nothing I could do; he had believed me when I said I didn't love him and now he didn't love me... My life... Everything... It meant nothing to me now...


Maggie

Seth walked right past me and out the door, I watched him in horror. Brady appeared at my side, pecked me on the cheek and ran after him. I could hear my sister move around in her room. Oh god, what had happened?

I slowly walked up the stairs, my sisters gasps got louder and louder as I reached the top of the stairs. I heard her sniff then groan in pain. Oh no... NO... Mia, what are you doing? Oh god... I rushed through my room and into the bathroom; my sister was curled up in the corner of the room. I had seen this too many times before; I knew exactly what she had done.

"No Mia please..." I sobbed kneeing beside her; I pulled the scissors from her shaking hand, her fingers covered in blood. I grabbed her wrists wiping them furiously with my shirt, blood smeared over my hands. I studied the deep gashes on her wrist as they healed fast, closing over and already being to scab. "Oh god Mia... Please don't do this... Please Mia..." I sobbed grabbing her face in my hands. "Please!" I whispered.

And then finally she began to cry, tears welled up in her eyes and spilt over, crawling down her face and along her neck, soaking the top of her shirt. I cradled her in my arms, like I had done so many times before. "It doesn't work!" She sobbed gasping for breaths. "It doesn't work!" She cried harder. Gasping and sniffing she shuddered in my arms crying harder and harder.

I soothed down her hair, my hands still covered in dry blood. "Shhhh... Mia, it's okay, I'm here, it's okay. I will never leave you, I promise."

She gasped in a breath again. "But I left you Maggie!" She cried clutching my shirt harder. "I left you and I left Momma and Seth! I left you..." She sobbed trying to breathe.

"It's okay... You thought it was the right thing to do... It's okay..." I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

"He doesn't love me anymore..." She whispered sniffing.

"Of course he does Mia, he will always love you."

"I wouldn't..." She whispered closing her eyes. I rocked her gently soothing down her hair. Soon enough she was asleep in my arms. I pulled myself carefully to the wall and clung on to her tighter, closing my eyes.

I remember the first time it had happened... That was the first time I wasn't able to save my sister. I thought for sure she was gone by the time I found her. Even a rapidly healing shape shifter couldn't survive that amount of blood loss. The first time wasn't just her wrists, there were deep cuts on ever surface of her body she could reach, I knew she had been trying to kill herself. I rushed over to her, slipping and falling on the sticky blood that covered the bathroom floor; I reached her and began to shake her furiously, screaming at her to wake up. I almost died of shock when she began to cough and gasp for air. "Remiel..." She whispered before she passed out on the bathroom floor.

I had asked her about Remiel after she got the tattoo on her wrist, obviously she was important.

"I don't know who she is..." She admitted. "She was just there... She's always been there... She helped me, begged me not to give up... And every time I do, she helps me." I understood, I knew there was someone watching over my sister. A few years later I found Mia past out on the bathroom floor, she had drunken almost three bottles of vodka, it took her a lot longer because of her body heat. When she stopped phasing for a while it didn't take too much. When she woke up the next morning I knew there was something missing.

"She's gone..." Mia had said looking at her tattoo. "She's not there anymore..." And that's when mum had her admitted... For the first time.

Mia hadn't exactly had the best life, I'll admit. She was being chased and harassed everyday by a psychopath who wanted to hack her brain out all in the name of science. Every day she would get callls and threats; how he managed to get her new numbers we never understood and every couple of months we'd have to run because he turned up at our door step. She blamed herself for mine and Mommas pain, but we did it for her, because we loved her; but still she blamed herself and brought herself down. She was depressed all the time, drinking and getting stoned, not to mention her addiction to smokes and self harm. It was all too much for her. So the best thing for her was to be admitted, she could get better this way.

We thought everything would get better when we moved to Tasmania and to an extent it did, Mia never drank or did drugs, she kept up with her chain smoking – mostly because it kept her calm – and from what I can remember she never cut herself again.

But now... She was spiralling down and I was scared for her safety. Mia was her own worst enemy.


Seth

As soon as I shut the door Leah came running down the stairs. "Is she alright?" She yelped looking at me.

I shrugged. "She seems fine... I didn't get to talk to her much." I answered walking into the kitchen.

"What do you mean Seth? You've been waiting at her house for like two days and you didn't even talk to her?"

I looked at her. "It was just weird. She doesn't love me anymore Leah... Our imprint is broken."

Leah snorted. Why is everyone doing that? It's the truth. "HA! Yeah right, if that girl was anymore in love with you it would make me throw up."

I sighed. "Whatever Leah, I'm going to bed."

"Oh come on Seth, you have to tell me something... How did she look?"

Beautiful. "Different." I said and kept walking.

She followed me. "What do you mean different?"

"Go and see for yourself." I hissed. She wouldn't lay off, just like Brady; I wish they would give me some peace.

"Whatever Seth." I could tell she was angry at me now. "Oh just so you know, while you were moping around in your room for the last month and a half, Charlie asked Mum to move in with him..." There was a pause. "In case you wondered." I heard her walk away. "Or cared..." She muttered.

Of course I cared that Charlie had asked Mum to move in with him, I heard him when he asked her. I knew that pretty soon he would ask her to marry him; it was only a matter of time. I knew that now Mia was back the moving in plans would go ahead smoothly, leaving me and Leah a house all to ourselves; I'm sure Leah was happy with that.

Light coming from the crack in my door woke me up; I rolled over to see my mother poking her head around the door. "Hey Mum." I croaked.

She walked over to my bed and sat down. "I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to wake you." She smiled.

"It's okay."

She looked at me for a minute, touching my face. "I heard Mia's back." I nodded, feeling the tears well up again. "Oh baby, she loves you... I know it."

I shook my head, blinking back the tears. "I wish everyone would stop saying that."

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "You'll see." She whispered.

"Hey Mum..." I whispered. "I'm sorry I haven't been a very good son lately."

She chuckled. "It's okay honey, I know how hard it was for you."

I smiled. "And I wanted to say that I'm happy you're moving in with Charlie... I'm glad you're happy."

She smiled, tears rimming her eyes. "You're only happy 'cause you get the house to yourself." She giggled.

I shrugged laughing. "Yeah I know, but I have to share it with Leah." She laughed. I reached out and grabbed her hand. "Really Mum... I am happy for you... I'm glad you're happy."

She smiled and kissed my cheek. "I want you to be happy Seth." She said getting up and walking out of my room, closing the door behind me.

Tink, tink, tink

I opened my eyes slowly, listening to the sound, it must be raining I thought sleepily.

Tink, tink, tink

But that didn't sound like rain... Was someone throwing rocks at my window?

Tink, tink, tink

"God damn it Seth." Someone whispered below my window... Mia?

Tink, tink, tink

I rushed over to my window and threw it open; a small rock hit me in the head. "Ouch!" I hissed.

"Oh sorry!" Mia whispered loudly.

She was really here... Mia was really here, wanting to talk to me. "Mia what are you doing? It's..." I turned to look at the clock. "Half past two in the morning!"

"I know. But I couldn't sleep! I needed to talk to you!" She hissed. "Can you come down?"

I sighed; this was going to be heartbreaking. "Sure. I'll be there in a second." I turned to walk out the door, but looked down to what I was wearing. Just sweat pants, no top; should I change? I really didn't need to. I could have sworn Mia was wearing shorts and a tee shirt, even though it was colder than normal out there, anyone else would freeze. I shrugged and walk down the stairs and out the back door.

"Hey." Mia whispered looking at the ground as I reached her.

"Hey..." I whispered back, watching her. She looked up at me and smiled, I smiled back.

"So um..." She began. I looked more closely at her. Her pupils were dilated and she was blinking furiously.

"Mia are you okay?" I asked looking even closer at her.

"Yeah." She said looking down she played with her fingers.

"Are you high?" I asked.

"A little..." She sighed. "I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep."

I shook my head. "Mia, you shouldn't do that, drugs are bad for you."

She laughed a little. "Everything is bad for me..." She whispered. "Even you..."

I was a little taken back by the comment, it kinda hurt, I knew where this was going. "Look Mia if you're here to say sorry or something but tell me we still can't be together, save your breath. I've heard it enough." I said going to turn back to the house.

"No, wait!" She whispered after me. "That's not why I'm here..." She paused looking up at me; her blood shot eyes pleading at me. "I have to do this now or I'll lose my nerve... So don't interrupt." She smiled softly at me.

I took a step closer to her, heat was radiating off her body; this was too weird.

"I love you Seth..." She whispered. "I never stopped loving you... I thought that you would be better off without me so that's why I broke up with you. And I swear I wasn't running from you... Some stuff came up and..." She took in a deep breath. "I was running from my demons... But it seems I smacked right into them." She chuckled. She was definitely high; nothing she was saying was making sense.

"You love me?" I whispered. The words just slipped out.

She giggled. "I can't believe that you believed me when I said I didn't love you." She took a step forward and got up on her tip-toes, pressing her lips into mine for only a second, but it was enough to make my heart stop. "I have always loved you Seth Clearwater." She whispered touching my face.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into me, letting her feet dangle. She wrapped her arms around my neck pulling herself closer.

"I love you Mia." I whispered into her neck.

She pulled back and looked me in the eye. "Never believe me when I say I don't love you Seth..." I set her down; she took a breath and kept going. "I know I'm so messed up and such a loser, but if you want me... I'm still yours..." She whispered looking at the ground.

I chuckled and put my finger under her chin, lifting it gently to kiss her on the lips. "You're not a loser." I whispered and she smiled. "And I'll always want you." I kissed her again.

"I'm still messed up though." She laughed.

"You're perfect." I whispered. She rolled her eyes. I swallowed. "So you're not freaked out by the whole turning into a wolf thing?" I asked slowly.

She giggled taking hold of my hand. "Of course not." She said and began to walk around the house, pulling me along with her. "I have something to show you Sethy..."