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When they pulled up to Magnolia's house, the girl could see the silhouette of her parents at the door. She turned to Elton. "How mad are they?"
He physically cringed. "On a scale of one to ten? I'd wager...one million."
Magnolia sighed, rubbing her hands down her face. "Let's just get this over with," She unbuckled her seat belt, pausing as she gripped the door handle. "You should probably stay in here. You don't need to face the wrath of Mr. and Mrs. Siren." Elton didn't argue, allowing her to walk alone up to the house. She stopped at the front steps, unsure of what to do or say.
"Magnolia," Her father began slowly. His voice cracked ever so slightly. "Would you mind coming inside so we can talk?" She got a good look at both of them; heavy, purple bags under their eyes, unkempt hair. It was like they didn't sleep for days. Silently, Magnolia nodded, following her parents inside the home. Timothy pointed to the couch, wordlessly telling her o take a seat. She didn't argue.
They both sat in front of her, her mother's hand gripping her father for dear life. Timothy opened his mouth but was unable to find the right words. The normally angry man couldn't find it in his heart to be angry. He was so worried about his daughter, and judging by how shaken up she looked, he doubted yelling would make anything better. "Are you...are you hurt?" His voice was strangely quiet.
Magnolia swallowed the lump in her throat. She found herself being unable to look either of them in the eye. "N-No," Ariana let out a sigh, grateful. "And I'm sorry. It was all so quick and unexpected. Alice was back and saying Edward would be presenting himself to the Volturi because he thought Bella was dead and Bella wanted my help and then Jasper was there and-"
"Magnolia, dear," Her mother's shaken voice stopped her rambling. Magnolia froze, finally looking her mother in the eye. Instant regret pooled in her stomach at the look on her mother's face -- a mix of horror, sadness, and pain. It was horrible to see the distress she caused. "We know why you went. Carlisle called us."
"He did?" Magnolia paused. Why would the Cullens go out of their way to help her, after all the pain they caused?
"Yes," Timothy nodded. He was doing remarkably well holding his anger in. His teeth and jaw clenched. "We understood why you went...but that doesn't mean we approve of it either."
"If the High Council heard that you went to Volterra, there would be severe consequences for not just you, but us as well," Ariana explained slowly, painfully. "I'm glad Alice had the sense to stop you from going in. The relationship between Edward and Bella is one for Aro to deal with. He doesn't need another reason to destroy the Cullens."
"Destroy?" Magnolia knew of the Volturi's -- of Aro's -- distaste for the vegetarian coven, but to go as far as to destroy them entirely? She had never been told that. "Why does he want to destroy them?"
Ariana sighed deeply. "That is a conversation for another day," She stood up and offered a hand to her daughter. Magnolia took it hesitantly. "We will talk about this more in the morning, however, we've all had a long day. Get some sleep, and bring Elton in please."
The tension in her shoulders dropped. She was thankful for how understanding her parents were being, but she was sure this calm would not transfer to the next day. "Thank you, mom, dad," She smiled and turned to get Elton. The ginger stood on the porch leaning against the brick wall of the garage. "Hey, you can come in," His eyes were wide with concern for his best friend. "Everything is fin, Elton, really. Come in, it's cold."
He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure?" He searched her face for any give away that she was lying.
Magnolia sighed, but she understood why he was so nervous. "Yes, Elton. I'm okay," She took his hand off her shoulder and held it in hers. "You can stop worrying."
Elton shook his head as they walked back inside the warm house. "I'll never stop worrying about you. It's my job as your best friend."
"Is annoying me a part of that too?" Magnolia rolled her eyes and dropped his hand, gripping the railing.
Elton winked. "You know it." Both of them laughed. Magnolia felt happy once again, if even for a fleeting moment.
The next morning, Magnolia woke up early, and as much as she wanted to curl right back up into her comforter, she just couldn't. Thoughts of what her punishment might be and if Bella had returned home safely kept her mind awake and racing.
She walked down the stairs as quietly as she could, but the smell of bacon indicated someone was up. She rounded the corner to the kitchen to see her mother standing over the stovetop. "Good morning," She said quietly as she sat at the kitchen table. "Smells good."
Ariana turned to her, the same sad smile from the night before still prominently plastered on her face. "Morning, dear. Hungry?" Magnolia nodded, unsure about how to act. "Your father had to go meet with Sam. The Cullens have returned, I'm sure you're aware."
"Yes," Magnolia swallowed. "Jasper...had mentioned that." His name felt like acid on her tongue, painfully disgusting.
"Carlisle and Esme will be stopping by later. They wanted to check on you," The mention of the two parent Cullens brought a strange feeling of comfort to Magnolia. "Is that alright with you?"
She nodded. "Of course. I'll be glad to see them again,"
Ariana stiffened for a moment. "They are also coming over to discuss your punishment," Magnolia's raised a brow. Why would the Cullens have a say in my punishment? She thought, perplexed. "You'll see why when they get here."
Magnolia nodded. She didn't know what to say, and she knew it would be pointless to argue. So, she waited until Elton came down the stairs. It was clear the entire household was in a terrible mood. He lazily hugged her from behind and sat ruffly in the chair next to her. "Morning, Maggie. Morning, Ariana."
Her mother smiled at the red-headed boy. "Hungry, Elton?" He nodded desperately. "great. You're just in time for breakfast." She plated the bacon, eggs, and toast and placed them on the table. She had made a plate for herself. "I'll leave you two be. I have to write some emails to a few of my students' parents."
Thankful her mother had left, Magnolia hastily grabbed what food she could without looking greedy. Elton only smiled, she needed to eat. "Did you sleep?" He asked as he grabbed a piece of toast.
Magnolia took a bite of eggs and swallowed quickly. "Yes," She nodded. "But not long. I woke up a couple of hours ago and just couldn't go back to sleep."
Elton frowned. "Are you okay? Nightmares?"
She shook her head. "Nothing like that. Just worried about Bella," She took another bite of food. "I'm hoping I could go see her later today, if mom and dad let me," She grumbled the last bit.
"I'm sure they will," Elton touched her hand lightly. "You went through all that trouble to help her," He paused a moment. "You're an amazing friend and person, Magnolia. Don't you ever forget that." He was deadly serious.
Magnolia felt herself becoming weepy. Tears pricked behind her eyes, but she kept them at bay. "Elton..." She sighed softly. "Thank you." Normally, the two best friends were never this sappy, but something about Magnolia's sudden trip to Italy made both of them realize how much they needed and cared for each other.
Both teenagers jumped at the sound of the front door being blown open. Magnolia strung from her seat in a panic, lacing around the wall to see who it was. When she noticed her dad, she let out a sigh of relief. "Geez, dad! Knock next time." She shook her head.
Timothy looked down bashfully. "Sorry, dear..." He stood in the doorway a moment, but then remembered who was standing behind him. "Carlisle and Esme are here." He announced.
It was a shock to Magnolia seeing the older vampires after such a long time. Obviously, they hadn't changed a bit. "Magnolia," Esme's voice was airy and feather-like. It sent a warm feeling of familiarity down the girls' spine. "It's so good to see you again."
She stood frozen as Esme walked to her with open arms and enveloped her in a small hug. "Hi, Esme," She spoke slowly. Elton had stood up, standing behind Magnolia protectively. The female vampire's eyes winded slightly. "Oh," Magnolia turned to him. "It's okay, Elton. She's fine."
Elton softly touched the small of her back. "If you need me, I'll be right upstairs." He looked her in the eye. Magnolia nodded, allowing him to go.
Carlisle had stepped up behind his wife, an arm placed loosely around her waist. "It's nice to see that you're well, Magnolia," He nodded, smiling kindly. Oh, how Magnolia had missed that smile, more than she'd care to admit. "I'm sure you know why we're here?" She nodded. "Great. We will discuss with Timothy and Ariana, then you get a say in how this punishment, will go," He almost looked sorry for the girl. "Let it be known that Jasper and Alice are being punished as well."
Magnolia once again nodded. She didn't want to talk about Jasper, or even Alice, for that matter. She only had one person on her mind. "Is Bella okay?"
Carlisle nodded. "Yes. She's resting at home. I'm sure you can go see her later today," He told her understandingly.
Magnolia waited anxiously in the living room, as her parents, Carlisle, and Esme talked outside. She was sure her punishment would be terrible, they were taking excruciatingly long. Her head snapped up when she heard the back door open. The four of them stepped into the house, all their faces unreadable. Magnolia stood, fiddling with her hands nervously. Her mother stepped forward. "For the remaining school year, you will train every day with your father, no breaks, on the reservation."
"I'll be living there?" She stepped forward, trying to understand.
"Yes," Ariana nodded. "Elton will be here with me. After graduation, you'll go to University, as we planned."
"And the summer?" Magnolia pressed.
Her mother took a deep breath. "You will train, but also will have time to yourself. To see Bella, Elton..." She didn't continue.
"No Cullens," Magnolia concluded. It made sense, they had caused her so much harm already. Ariana nodded, frowning deeply. "Isn't there that little problem of me being...his mate?" She couldn't even say his name.
Carlisle stepped forward. His hands were folded neatly together. "If what you want is to never be with him again, he accepts that. But I'm sure you know the consequences of vampires losing their mates?" Magnolia nodded. She didn't care very much if he'd fall into a depressive state, he had done the same to her. "Alright. If that's what you want."
"I do," She managed to keep her head held high. "Thank you, Carlisle." She watched silently as the doctor and his wife left. As she walked up to her room, she couldn't help but wonder how her life had gone so wrong. Maybe it was allowing a vampire into her heart, of which he still had a hold, a hold he would always have, despite Magnolia's efforts. She was still and forever would be, in love with Jasper Hale.
AUTHORS NOTE
And here is the end. Wow. Over a year of writing this book and what a ride it has been. Don't you all worry, the sequel will be coming very soon! I can't thank you all enough for the constant support of this and I hope to see you continue Magnolia's journey with me!