Chapter 21:
I felt myself moving before I realized I was. Everyone was crowded around her, trying to see what was wrong, but I knew. I knew that the baby was dying and that Lizzie felt it too. She was cooing it, well as best as she could while she was cringing and crying out as the contractions were killing her. The baby was coming, but when it comes, it can be dead. I looked at John for only a split second and suddenly I knew. He was willing to lose the child, for his Lizzie. He needed her. And I needed to do what I can do. Paul helped me grab Lizzie and pull her over to my car.
Everyone was in hyper speed and I could see the complete worry on their faces. But the look on John's face was so worse. It was complete agony. Something I knew not even does not will nor could I match. But I knew this look, the complete agony. It was the look of a Wicca losing their task. Like if I lost Bella. I could understand the pain.
I could feel my witch kick in. My blood was kicking and I was taking charger. Immediately, I grabbed Lizzie into my arms. I saw the strength and sacrifice in her eyes, she was willing to die for her child. And I knew the bond that she had with this little being, and being that her and John created, and I knew that I would do the same thing. I understood, but I wouldn't let her do it. I won't let it come to that.
"John, start the car. Help me get Lizzie in the car, now! Will, call Carlisle tell him it's an emergency. Paul, I need you to stay here. Keep an eye on the pack." I demanded as I situated Lizzie in the car, but I saw that Paul was not going to give up. I wasn't dealing with this. I gave him my best stern look. I do not have time for this petty stuff! Lizzie is dying! "Paul, do not argue with me. I need to do this, and I need to focus. Please stay here."
I didn't give him time to argue. I jumped in the driver seat just as John shut the door and I slammed on the pedal. I could smell the intense scent of Lizzie's scent and it almost made me gag. Not because the pulsing need to drink, but because it sunk in. She's dying, the baby's dying. Everyone around me who's important is leaving me. But I couldn't dwell on it, I needed to stay focused. I could hear Lizzie crying and screaming and cooing and it was only making me angrier, I stepped as hard as I could on the gas and I almost hit about four cars on the freeway.
I could hear Will yelling into the phone, and I could hear the other end. They were both frantic, Carlisle trying to understand Will's frantic words and Will trying to convey some way to tell him how hurt he was and how scared he was. But I knew Carlisle got most of it from him saying 'Lizzie' and 'the baby is coming' and 'blood' at least twenty times. He said to get here as fast as we could, and I stepped on the gas even further. It felt like forever before we finally arrived.
When we did, Carlisle, Emmett, and Rosalie were all outside waiting. I didn't waste a second. I ran around before a blink of an eye and I had an arm around Lizzie. Carlisle grabbed the other side and Will and John followed in back. I could hear John's frantic thoughts and I hissed. I saw the image he had in his head. Lizzie, pale and cold, dead. Laying in a casket with her hands folded and pictures of our family sitting with her. My goddess's beads were sitting in her hands, her lips and eyes shut. I couldn't believe what I saw, and how real it could be. I shook the image.
"Carlisle, it's killing her. Get it out." I whispered as we pulled her up the stairs and brought her into a hospital room. We lied her down and she let out a bloody scream. We all covered our ears, but Carlisle got into motion. He grabbed a couple of syringes and plunged them into her arms and neck. I grabbed her hand but she wasn't really unconscious. She looked over at John and she grabbed his hand.
"John, please. Save her. Save McKenzie. Save her! Please forget about me, save our daughter! I love you….forever….Please, John, be happy…." She whispered as I saw her head loll back. I screamed, my breathing going heavy. I could hear her heart going slower and slower, but Carlisle had already cut her open, and he held the little angel in his arms. He handed her to Will and soon was working to fix Lizzie up. I could see he was moving frantically, but I heard it. Her heart had stopped. The baby, her heart was too weak.
It was so slow that I could hear it was over, we couldn't do anything, even venom, her heart isn't strong enough. I watched in horror as Carlisle moved quickly, checking everything and trying to make her better. But I could see there was no hope. My sister, my family, my life, is over. The one person other than Bella I needed to protect, is gone, is taken from me like a fly being killed by a fly swatter.
"Carlisle…change her! Change her! It's the only way! Save her! Please!" I screamed as I grabbed her in my arms and shook her. He laid his ear right on her heart, and his expression was grave. I chocked back and I screamed, louder and I could hear my heart skip a beat.
Lizzie is dead…my Lizzie, my sister Lizzie is dead.
I could feel the anger, the pain, the need to make something feel my pain. But John was worse. He didn't feel anger or pain, he felt nothing. I could see the numb expression on his face as he watched Lizzie.
"Mia, it's too late, she's gone. I am very sorry." And I couldn't take it. I jumped from the table, running down the stairs, but right when I reached the door, Bella grabbed my arm.
"Mia, please, calm down, don't hurt yourself…." Bella whispered as she held my arm for dear life. I felt my anger intensify, which is not good. A task is supposed to level us. But I felt the anger, the hurt for Lizzie. Lizzie is dead. No!
"Bella, please, get away from me." I whispered. She gasped and took a step back as she saw my eyes, I took advantage. I ran out the door and into the woods. I felt my anger, and I knew it was only a matter of time. I stopped when I saw I was far enough. I let out one scream, one heart-wrenching scream that it even shook my heart to hear it. Before I knew what I was doing, I felt a tug on me, but not on me, on my soul. And I felt myself, the power, the magic, I hadn't used build up. I felt my body shaking, and then I let it loose. Everything around me, the trees being pulled from their roots, the air starting to speed up, and my hair whipping around me. The earth was shaking and then I saw it. The ground ripped open, and suddenly I was engulfed in a large fire, surrounding me, but not burning me, almost protecting me.
It was helping me mourn, giving me the time. I knew that John should be the one, being so angry and intense and pain filled that he could just kill everything around him, but it's me. I am the one, and I know that it's because I am a witch, my emotions are so intensified that everything is worse for us. I have protected my family since I was eleven, and I was thirteen when Lizzie came into this family. She's been with us for two years. I can't get over that.
I could feel the fire burn brighter, bigger and I could see the air around it fueling it. I could feel everything working with me, helping me. But I knew something was happening beyond my control. But what? That's when I saw her. And I was surprised because just twenty minutes ago she was happy and smiling, but this wasn't her. It was the true her.
"Lizzie." I breathed. She smiled and sat next to me, sitting in front of me criss crossed. I couldn't find joy in seeing her like this, because I knew it really meant she was dead. She smiled sadly and nodded. But she read my thoughts! Oh my, what happened to her!
"Mia, I'm dead. And you're dreaming. Your body couldn't take the pain and you passed out, to save your children. But I came here, to tell you it's okay, before I leave." She smiled sadly. And I could tell it was a dream immediately. The air around us quivered as we talked, our words breathing out into the air and turning a beautiful silver color. We were surrounded by fire as we sat so close together, trying to find some logic in this.
"Where are you going?" I asked quietly. 'You can't leave us!' I screamed in my head. 'You can't!' but she only smiled. She read everything that was going through my head, but I didn't care. I knew she could go back, but she shook her head slowly.
"Mia, your goddess has been so kind to take me with her, to stay with her. Stop shaking your head, Mies. You know, it was my time to go." She whispered softly. I could see she saw the pain and determination to keep her with me. But she knew something I don't know. " Please, understand I will always look over you, and I will never be gone completely. I will be everywhere. The air, the trees, the ground, even the animals around you, I'll be there. Always, I will be your guardian angel."
"But you can't leave me. I need you. Please don't leave me." I whispered brokenly, the tears streaming down my eyes. I couldn't control it. I started sobbing, horribly. I was blubbering like a baby when she drifted over to me and kissed my forehead. I could see she didn't want to leave, but she knew something, maybe that she was behind something, but she knew it would be okay.
"You are my sister Mia. Take care of yourself, honey. You are going to be a strong and powerful woman. It will all work out for the better. But please, take care of McKenzie. I love you. Remember, I will never be far away." She whispered as suddenly she really was just the air and I could hear her voice shimmering in the wind. I sobbed so bad, as her lingering kiss left a stinging on my forehead. I heard a rustling and then I saw a baby deer, walking over to me, with a dreamy look in its eyes. It walked right up and licked my cheek. I kept crying, but I knew, this is Lizzie. Showing me she's here. It ran after a minute, but I knew that Lizzie was right, she will always be here. It didn't stop the pain I felt.
And it didn't stop the crying, or the big, fire intense ball that covered me as I laid on the ground and just sobbed. And when I finally stopped, I woke up, the fire was still covering me, but I could hear voices on the other side. And I knew them off the bat. Paul, Carlisle, Bella, Edward, and John.
"Does she do this often?" I heard Paul ask as he examined it. I cried out, but none of them could hear it. There was a loud sound of a blow torch and I knew it was the fire, letting me grieve. And I could hear John's sobbing on the other side.
"Only when she is mourning. Only one selected people can go through without being burnt." I heard John say through the tears. And then I heard Edward hiss, but Bella had already crossed through the fire, and sat next to me. She clutched me in her arms and she just held me as I sobbed, and somehow, John was able to pass, and he pulled his arms around me, all three of us sat, while John and I sobbed. We both mourned our sister and his fiancé while we sat huddled.
It had to have been a day before I was calm enough to lower the wall, and then they were all surrounding us, but John and I continued to hold each other, as well as Will as he ran over and we just sat there. We were all so grievance filled that Carlisle insisted that we all, including Ri, stay at their house in the guest rooms. Which implied at least to Paul that he stay with me. I didn't care, I wouldn't be paying attention. I didn't pay attention as they dragged us back to the Cullen's or as they shoved us all into rooms and told us to get a good night sleep. I didn't care. I didn't want to think. Ever. I needed to be alone, I knew that. I wrote out a randomly quick note and handed it to Paul as he held me in his arms.
"Please, can you go put this on the front door of us house. So my parents know where we are…" I said unevenly. He smiled sincerely and nodded, walking out of the room. I sat for a minute, not knowing what to do. I wasn't thinking as my hand sought out my small silver phone and I didn't know what I was doing as I dialed the number I should be staying away from. And as I listened to the ringer, I knew I was an idiot.
"Hey, it's Jake. Leave a message." Hearing his peppy voice, even in an answering machine, killed me, and I knew why I did it. To put me through the pain I wanted. I wanted pain, I deserve pain, and I let Lizzie die. I didn't save her. And I don't know how John could ever forgive me. I hoped deep inside that he didn't forgive me, so I could really experience pain. I kept the phone to my ear. I heard a loud beep and I took a breath.
"Jacob, uh hey, it's Mia, your- well just Mia I guess. Um, call me back, I guess, when you get this message. I have some news you uh might want to know. Uhh, yea." I took a deep breath and I whispered 'I love you' very softly before I hung up and I crushed my phone in my hand. Not a very good idea when I say call me back, but I couldn't help it, the pain of losing Jake and losing my sister all crushed me, stopping my breathing and I could feel a whimper leave my lips. I opened the two doors that let the cold crisp summer air. Kinda funny when you consider it's about the beginning of July and the air feels like its February.
I took a deep breath and leaped into the air. I landed quietly on the ground and I ran into the forest surrounding. I sighed as I saw the deep green lush of the forest rushing by me as I ran deep into the woods. The air was colder as it whipped by me. I could hear the sounds of small animals just coming out of their homes, the beautiful moon was high in the sky and guided me through the dark night, even though I could see perfectly. I could hear the sound of my feet as they dug deep into the ground and I propelled myself forward.
I thought of my life before coming to Forks. The moon was easy to get lost in my old memories. I remember the day I first met Lizzie. I smiled to myself and let out a chocked laugh.
I sat my lunch table at Lynch High school. I sat with Chelsea, who was a sophomore at the time while I was a freshman, and all of her 'popular' friends. I was put in the category by default because I was her girlfriend, which means I had to be included. I had my arm wrapped around Chels's waist and she was talking cheerily with her friend Demi Lee, a small high spirited Australian girl who I had seen around school almost every day since fourth grade. I sat twirling a lock of Chels's hair as they talked, not paying attention. John and Will had the same lunch, but they sat on the other side of the Caf with their friends. Occasionally we would sit with them, but they didn't like Chelsea much, so it wasn't often.
I kept an eye on them, of course, but I knew at school, it was safe, and I told them that at school I wanted them to be normal. Of course I had already discovered my powers in sixth grade, right when I turned eleven, which was strange because the normal age was thirteen. I had known all along, but I kept it quiet, and when I eleven I finally mastered one power, so I told my family. But I tried to act normal at school. Chels knew that something was off about me, but she accepted that I couldn't tell her. Chels was really a sweet person, I knew she was cheating on me, of course, but I didn't care, because I loved her too much. She denied it of course, but I knew.
Most of them time it was either with Jamie Folls, a small girl about my age with bleach blonde hair and big pink plastic looking Barbie lips and electric blue eyes, or Eric Peterman, a fill in quarter back for our high school football team who had deep brown eyes and long brown hair that was always tied in a ponytail at his neck. I didn't tell Chels I knew, and Will and John resented that I let her get away with it, but they couldn't say anything, mostly because he was never around when I was with her. But that's not what stopped me.
I saw Lizzie, a dirty blonde haired girl with puppy dog brown eyes that usually stuck with her little group cheerleaders on the other end of the Caf, walk over to John and kiss him on the lips. I whispered to Chels I would be back and I kissed her cheek. She pouted as I walked over to John on the other end of the Caf. Lizzie's friends were glaring over at her, trying not very hard to hide their jealousy. John was defiantly a guy who was looked up to our school, always was the head of everything, and their year, he is a junior, and Lizzie is a sophomore. I didn't like her to begin with.
"John, what's going on?" I asked seriously. He looked up at me with a scared expression and he knew I defiantly wasn't happy. I had always encouraged him to get into dating, I mean we won't always be together as a family, I would soon find my task and I would be spend my life with that person, although I desperately hoped that I would suddenly task Chels, but it didn't happen. Hey, I was whipped, what could I say? Will would find a nice girl and would get married have some kids and be happy. And John would have his life. It would all fit.
"Mies, you know Elizabeth, she's my new girlfriend. We've been dating for about a month, now, I thought it was time to come out with it. Babe, this is my sister, Mia." John said uneasily. I had a cold, emotionless look on my face, I knew it. I hated this. Lizzie and I had never started out good. She tried to be the nice cheerleader and I wasn't buying it. But I couldn't get mad her, too many human witnesses. Too many deaths.
"We will talk about this, at home." I said coldly, shooting Elizabeth a glare before I walked out of the Caf and skipped my last classes.
That night, I had waited all day for him. He could have had any other girl, but it had to be her. It had to be the one girl at school I hated. The one girl who constantly got under my skin. What was I supposed to do? I knew John was serious about this girl, he never goes public with his relationships, but I couldn't let him be with her. She'll ruin him, and our family. And when he walked through the door, I let out everything.
"John Corey McDaniel's!" I yelled as he walked into the room and dropped his stuff. He saw that I wasn't happy. I could feel myself losing the control I had been building up. And he could see it, and he was scared.
"Mia, please, she's not really that bad, you just gotta get to know her. Please, I really like her."
"John, I don't trust that girl! You say you really like her and immediately I'm supposed to accept her? It doesn't go like that! I can't accept someone I do not trust!" I screamed, and he looked at me like a lost puppy.
"I want to tell her about you, I don't want to keep secrets from her-"
"Oh hell no, John! That's not happening-" His look immediately changed, and suddenly, he was mad. He glared impossibly hard and jumped up, pointing his finger.
"Why not? You told Chels! Why can't I do something to make me happy?" John demanded, pointing his finger at me. I saw the real determination behind his words. He must really like this chick, he never acts like this.
"I haven't told Chels anything, actually! But John, what happens if you break up with her and she knows? You really want me to have to kill her? I don't like what I am any more than you do, but I would rather not have a reason to hate myself! I don't want to be a killer of innocents! If something goes wrong with you two I would have to finish it!" I yelled and he finally understood, but I saw he knew I was right, but he wasn't giving up.
"We won't break up, Mia. I love her. I really do. I promise you, we won't. I want to be with her forever, Mies. If I was a witch, she'd be my task, I know." He whispered brokenly. I really hated being the bad sister, not being able to just let him be happy, but I can't.
"I'm sorry, John. But no. And that's final." I said finally, walking upstairs, not bothering to look back. It didn't last long, I heard John take off and then an hour later, I heard the door. I walked over quietly, still feeling my anger and need to hurt something in my body. And there she was, standing there looking uncomfortable. I glared and hissed. "John isn't here."
"I'm not here for John; I am here to talk to you. Mia, you must understand. I know you hate me, though I don't know why, but I really like your brother. And I don't intend on ever losing him. I mean it. And I really wish you would see that." She said honestly, and I could see it, she really did love him.
"Elizabeth, you don't understand. This is more than John having a girlfriend, even one that I don't like. We have secrets, and if you ever found out and things ended badly, I would have to kill you. Hell, I should kill you now for what I already told you." I admitted, but she made no move to be scared. She looked me straight in the eyes and I saw who she really is.
"Then I give you permission to kill me if it comes to that. Because nothing would be worse than losing John." She admitted back. I surveyed her for only a moment. She had no hint of lies in her mask. I opened up my shield and looked into her mind, and I saw that she really did mean everything, and she really did love John. But I also saw everything else. I saw her life before her eyes. I had always hated her because she had been with Chels at one point, no one knew. But I saw it in her mind. She had been with Chels one night, and then she ended it, because she didn't feel right. But Chels always had a hidden agenda with her, and she convinced me to hate her. But right now, I lost the hate, because she really did love John, and I wanted him to be happy.
"You would stand here, right now, and let me kill you, if I said you couldn't be with John?" I asked honestly, and she nodded. I saw in her mind that she was ready for death; she was ready for it all. Mostly because, I saw for the first time, that John was the one who understood her, and it would literally kill her if she lost him, and suddenly, I didn't have the strength to keep up with me facade. "Okay, Elizabeth. You can be with John. But if it ends badly, I do have to kill you."
I said finally as I shut the door and I heard her sigh in relief and I saw she thanked me in her head, and she accepted what I had to do.
Later that night, when John finally came back, he hugged me so tight that it hurt. And it did hurt. He knew I accepted their love, but I didn't accept her just yet. It wasn't until one night, one single night, that I finally accepted her as family. Two weeks later, when I did kill.