35. How Long The Night Was

It was all eyes on us when we returned to the Cullen house.

"What?" I shrugged before sipping my champagne. I hadn't asked Ana why she was keeping this a secret, but I wasn't going to tell anyone. Except Edward, but that wasn't my fault.

"Liz, we need a location. Can you do that?" Carlisle said, acting as spokesperson.

"Sure." I nodded at Ana. "Come on."

Alice took us up to her bedroom and we sat across from each other. Alice went to leave and I stopped her.

"You're made up of magic. It might help us," I told her honestly.

She smiled as she sat down completing our circle, and took each of our hands. As soon as Ana gripped my other hand, we were catapulted together through a wormhole, our abilities mixing into something strange and powerful. There were vibrant colors pulsating around us and it gave me the odd sensation of what I imagined it felt like to be born.

Suddenly, without warning, we were within the lair of the enemy.

The room was large and dark; the only light was coming from old-school torches in holders along the walls. The walls and floor were stone, and towards the far wall was a literal throne. Sitting there was a woman, her face drawn and bitter. Scattered throughout the room were many women... and some vampires. I counted three.

A pretty blonde entered the room through a huge wooden door... Was this a fucking castle? It really looked like a castle. No wonder witches were going dark side.

The blonde approached the throne and knelt down.

"How's our company holding up?" The woman sitting in the large chair asked, smiling evilly.

"He's asleep," the blonde answered happily. "Passed out from the pain, I believe. Should I wake him?"

"No, leave him be for now. I'll end his suffering tomorrow."

The scene suddenly shifted, and we were floating above the building we'd been inside of seconds before. It wasn't a castle, just a house made to look like one. We began a strange descent back to our waiting bodies, flying backwards all the way to the Cullen house - which wasn't all that far, oddly enough - and then floated down to ourselves.

I gasped and doubled over, something malicious taking hold of my insides. It came out of my mouth with an inhuman sound and a burst of bright smoke.

"Liz!" Alice said.

"Oh my god..." Ana came closer to my quivering form and smoothed the hair away from my sweaty face.

I opened my eyes and they both gasped. Ana's hand jerked away from me.

"What?" I panted as they stared.

"Your eyes," Ana said, still fairly freaked. "Your eyes were like fire."

My breath was still coming in quick, short bursts, and I was suddenly crying. I disappeared from Alice's room to sit on the roof and cradle my legs to my chest.

There was no avoiding it anymore. My best friend had been kidnapped and tortured, his execution already planned for tomorrow... because of me. Because he was seen with me, or because he loved me more than he should. Because it was clear to anyone that I would do whatever was asked of me to spare his life.

I thought about what the world would be missing if he wasn't here, if there was no more of his bright personality and his dark art. That inevitably led to me thinking about what I would be missing... Mark was important to me. Special to me. We'd had that instant click when we met, and we'd gotten so close since then. He was my best friend and my confidant. I'd been leaning on him so much lately, seeking comfort in him. Maybe more than I should have.

"Do you love him?" Edward sat down silently beside of me.

"Not in the way that you mean," I said, wiping my tears away. "But of course I love him. He's..." Mark. He was basically a piece of me. He saw straight through me and still stuck by my side. He knew how fucked up I could be and he loved me anyway.

He loved me.

"Being in your mind is so different. It strikes me every time," he commented. "I actually enjoy your perspective."

"Thanks," I said, not really caring. My mind was elsewhere.

"I was wondering something," he said.

"I guess that doesn't happen to you much."

"Indeed."

It was silent for a moment. "Well?"

"Why don't you use your powers to get the things you want?" he asked.

His question really confused me. "I have everything I want," I finally said. "Well... there are some other things I want. Maybe there's a spell to stop climate change and end war, hunger, poverty. Maybe if I survive tomorrow, I can fix the whole world."

"Do you want to kill these witches?"

I looked at his too-perfect face with wide eyes. I didn't want to kill anyone. Ever. I already had once, and it haunted me. I was sure it always would. No way was I willing to add to my death toll.

"What did you plan to do with them?"

I sighed. "I'm not sure exactly. I have to strip them of magic. After that..." I had nothing but to let them go. I figured calling the police and having them arrested for kidnapping was a bit much considering the many, many circumstances. I didn't have any other choices.

"They could come for you again."

"I don't live in the world of "could". If something goes down, i'll handle it. I'm not offing a bunch of misled young women," I snapped.

"Come up with a plan of action. I'll talk to the others about ideas." He started to get up and bent his knees, ready to jump. "Oh, and Liz? When you're asking yourself how you fit with Seth, remember this conversation. You two balance each other. I hope you realize... that you are a good person."

He left me more confused than ever.

Liz?

I scratched at my ear and spoke silently in return. Hey, Lily.

I could feel her prodding at my insides. I'd ask if you're okay... When do you want us to come?

Tomorrow. I'll be here. And then I shut her out.

I wanted to be alone - or I thought I did.

"Elizabeth?" I heard from far below me. "Can I come up?"

He was wrapping me in his warm arms moments later. I wanted to get lost here, in this perfect solace I only found in him.

"I'm sorry. For not saying something earlier about Mark." I choked out his name and gritted my teeth.

"Me too. I've known this whole time."

I looked up at him and let my expression speak for me.

"He kissed you within weeks of you befriending him - "

"Yeah, but that was - " I began to interject.

He stuck his finger in the air and I stopped. "I thought he was over it for a while, and he might have been. But over time there was a shift in the way he looked at you."

I sighed. "It doesn't bother you?"

I could tell just by looking at him that it did. "It's not like he can help it. And I still trust you both." He smiled. "It's just hard not to love you."

"I wish he didn't. And I feel shitty for even thinking that."

"People fall in love, they fall out of love. He'll find someone else someday." His fever hot lips touched my shoulder. "You should sleep for a few hours."

I wiped at my tear-stained face and tired eyes. "What's the plan so far?"

"Show of force. All of us are going to meet them with you, Bella is going to shield everyone from their spells. Of course we'll take out the vamps... Edward said you won't consent to killing them."

"I can't do that." I kill them, I become them.

He pulled my body tighter to his. "I don't want that, either. None of us do."

I leaned my head into his chest and immediately slipped into a dream.

(Mark) - Something In The Way...

I ground my teeth together and winced as Misty took a lit cigarette to my bare chest.

She pulled back and her eyes met mine expectantly.

I smirked at her. "Fuck yeah, baby. Give me another one."

Her face slipped into a childish pout. "You're no fun anymore, Mark." She stuck the smoke between my lips and flung herself on the couch I was chained up two feet from.

"You're fuckin' crazy. You know that?" I had to spit the burning cigarette butt away from me.

She raised her head and smiled at me. "You used to like it."

"I used to be stupid." And that was the truth. I was so over these immature chicks.

The smile twisted into something grotesque. She got up and walked over with her finger pointing out, then she suddenly stuck it into the burn she'd created moments ago.

I couldn't pretend that time; she'd caught me off guard. I screamed and she smiled, satisfied.

"Your girlfriend is going to be dead this time tomorrow," she taunted.

I managed to laugh at that. "You all are some twitty ass bitches running this place."

"Excuse me?" she said.

"You all are stupid, Misty. Fucking dumb. I mean, I knew that you were, but I would have figured your overlords or some of the others at least weren't as fucking shit-for-brains as you."

She straight punched me in the face, and it hurt - but I just laughed and spit the blood out. "You're so worthless, even your bitch won't take the time to come and find you to save you," she sneered.

"Why in the hell do you think she would? Liz is not my girlfriend. You all were too fucking dumb to even nab the right guy." I laughed and straightened my spine. I eyed the pack of Marlboro's on the broken desk to my right, and Misty lit one for me and put it in my mouth.

"We've seen you two together," she said.

"Yeah, and? We're friends. Not everyone is fucking around with everyone they befriend."

"There's something there. I saw it myself," she tried to defend her position.

"There's not."

"She has feelings for you," she said doubtfully.

I shook my head. "She doesn't. You guys did all of this shit for nothing because you couldn't spend two minutes getting to know your target."

"Shut your filthy mouth before I feed you to one of the vampires," she snapped angrily. "She WILL come to get you back tomorrow, and when she does... we're going to slice her open and drain her dry. We're going to kill everyone she brings with her. And then we're going to kill you."

"Go ahead and off me, you decrepit old shitbag. I'd rather be dead than listening to you."

She leaned down until her face was right in mine. "Maybe I'll keep you around as a sort of... pet, or play thing. I've just had such a great time with you today," she smiled.

"Fuck me," I laughed. She actually had me there. I didn't mind dying, but the idea of spending time with this lunatic past tomorrow was just too much.

She ran her fingers roughly through my hair and stood back at her full height. "Maybe tomorrow. I doubt you'd be up for it tonight," she said, smiling as she eyed my crotch.

"In your dreams, babe." I stood up for the first time since I'd been here, which was an unpleasant experience, but now I actually had use of my hands. I took my cigarette in one hand and smoothed my hair with the other. "How do I look?" I grinned as widely as I could, knowing full well that I looked like hammered dog shit. She'd done a number on me today.

She was looking at me for a few seconds, and then it was like she wasn't as psycho. Like the crazy in her eyes just drained away. "You look like shit," she said, and it sounded like she felt bad about that. She picked up the cigarettes again and lit one for herself. I guess I can move you to the couch soon," she said as she eyed another fixture on the wall that she could hook my chains to.

"Why don't you just hold me magically? This chain shit is inhumane."

"I can't waste magic on something like that with everything going on. Lira would kill me."

She seemed like a totally different person than the one that had spent hours of today literally torturing me... so I chanced a serious question. "What do you guys want Liz for, anyways? I mean, assuming there's reasoning behind this elaborate plot to murder her."

She sighed as she dug around in her pocket for a moment, and then she surprised the hell out of me by unlocking the cuffs on both of my hands. "We want her power. She's bursting with it, and there's only one way to extract that much of it without her killing us all in the process."

"How's that?"

"She has to willingly give her blood."

I sat down on the couch and kicked my feet up. "And you guys think that she's going to offer herself up in exchange for me?" I scoffed. "No way is that happening."

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "Look, I'll leave the chains off and just lock the door, but I swear to goddess - "

"I won't try anything funny, I swear."

She eyeballed me as she shut me into the room, alone with my thoughts. I'd had a burst of strange nostalgia when I had realized one of my captors was none other than Misty freaking Sunshine... but my head had already remembered everything from that short affair, and I wasn't running through that shit again.

I thought about the one thing that I always thought about; a pale skinned, blonde haired, blue eyed beauty. I thought about the way she smelled, the sound of her voice when she sang, how incredibly cute it was when she laughed. I thought about the way she looked at me the day that I fell into the abyss of loving someone that would never love me in return.

I had gotten the short end of the stick with that one, but I was dealing with it. I couldn't be angry that Seth was with her, because when it came down to it I knew that he was better than me. He was the nicest person I knew and I envied the fuck out of him.

I'd made the decision to stick around Liz, knowing that we would never run off into the sunset together, knowing that it would be hard sometimes... knowing that this was better than cutting her out of my life. And I was cool with that.

In the real world, she belonged to him. But when I closed my eyes, I could practically feel the heat of her skin on mine.