𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 - 𝐄 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗘𝗗

𝐗𝐗𝐈

𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘛𝘞𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘠-𝘖𝘕𝘌

(the cursed witch, act one)

WHEN NINA WOKE UP SHE WAS CONFUSED. Her thoughts were hazy, still twisted up in dreams and nightmares; it took her longer than it should have to realize where she was.

She sat up quickly, the rough sheets falling down her legs from the quick movement as she looked around the room. It was too bland to belong anywhere but in a hotel. The bedside lamps, bolted to the tables, were a dead giveaway, as were the long drapes made from the same fabric as the bedspread, and the generic watercolor prints on the walls.

Nina couldn't remember getting there. She could only assume she had passed out from the exhaustion of her three hour long panic attack.

Her eyes glanced out the window and saw mountain tops in the horizon, the sun peaking above them. The yellow light, streaking across the cloudless sky, stung her eyes. But she couldn't close them; when she did, the images that flashed all too vividly, like still slides behind her lids, were unbearable.

Natalie's broken expression — Edward's brutal snarl, teeth bared — the keen-eyed scrutiny of the tracker — the dead look in Edward's eyes after he kissed her the last time... Nina couldn't stand to see them. So she fought against her weariness and the sun rose higher.

She wasn't shocked to see they had made the two day journey in only one. She slowly got out of the bed and perched herself by the window, staring blankly at the wide, mountainy expanse laid in front of her.

Nina recognized where they were, they were on the main street just by the Yukon River. She and Natalie had stayed there once when Nina first set their kitchen on fire. It was the Eldorado, if she remembered correctly.

Down a little further, she could see the Klondike shop, a place she had loved to frequent. It was a jewelry store, but they had hundreds of pictures framed across the walls showing the history of the Klondike, something Nina had always enjoyed learning about.

Then of course, right next to it was the Klondike ice cream factory – she had loved that place even more. Down from that was a whole row of bakeries, from sourdough to cheesecakes to anything sweet. Then there was the store where she had gotten her first cd.

It was a bright day, brighter than any day she had ever seen in Forks. The sun hadn't even fully risen and yet it was already strong. She knew it wouldn't be warm, but the sun still felt incredibly comforting as it danced along her burning skin.

Nothing could hide in these shadows. It was a small town, the streets open and colourful. Almost all the buildings were connected, leading to no dark alleys and street lamps were posted every 45 meters apart.