The Beacon -Paul Lahote 2-

Chapter 8

The warm water from the shower relaxed Mavis. She lazily ran her fingers through her hair. Her head was under the faucet, the water hitting her in the face. Her eyes are closed as she simply enjoys the moment of peace. Being back home meant she had her shower back. As much as she liked showering at Paul's, the water pressure at her house was far superior.

Being back home was not magical. Things had changed after her minor breakdown. Her parents were more understanding, but the rest of her family thought she was losing her mind.

Rosalie apologized for her words. She didn't think Mavis was selfish. Sometimes they all forgot she was human. Sadly, her time was limited, and they never thought about how moving affected her mentally. They didn't want Mavis to suffer with them. Although, they all believed that Mavis's breakdown was more than a breakdown. With the recent events and odd behavior, they thought the other part of her, the Banshee part, was becoming more powerful. It worried them, and they feared for her mentality.

Mavis felt better now that she wasn't holding onto her emotions. The incident three days prior had started to fade from Mavis's mind. She wasn't worried about the woman currently. It was easier to assume it was in her head. Mavis found herself doing the same thing with the memory of Abigail.

Mavis knew there was a chance she could have saved the girl if only she had gotten out of the car. There was also a chance she would have found her dead body. She would never know for sure. It should have been obvious that day at school—the echoing of the lockers and sitting in the wrong seat. They were all warning signs.

She couldn't think about it too much. Abigail was gone. There was no saving her. Mavis had to look forward and stay strong. It was the only way to remain positive. That was why she didn't want to think about it.

There were several things to look forward to. Prom was tomorrow, and graduation was approaching. Mavis was excited about prom. Paul had agreed to go with her, and the dress she had was beautiful. It would be a great way to get her mind off of things.

The thought of her future lingered in the back of her mind. Her heart was begging her to make the choice she truly wanted. To stay in one place with Paul forever, if that was possible. Mavis loved her family more than anything, but she had grown tired of sacrificing her happiness. If she left, they could come with or visit. They wouldn't be gone forever. If they moved closed by, Mavis could visit them. They planned to leave Forks eventually. This could be an opportunity for them. Mavis had limited time. They didn't. She couldn't waste any more time pleasing others.

A chill went down her spine, and a sinking feeling set in. "Sophie," a voice whispers against the back of her ear. Mavis spun around, slipping on the shower water. She could feel the person's lips on the shell of her ear. Her arms knocked over all of the bottles around her.

Mavis struggled but managed to get out of the shower. Her heart was racing. It felt as if someone had been standing right behind her. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it around her body. She threw open the door in a desperate attempt to get away from the shower. She stumbled out of the bathroom. "Woah," Emmett caught her as she fell. "What's going on?"

"Why are you in a towel," Emse questioned.

Mavis was trembling, "I-" she had no idea what to say. "There was someone in there."

Jasper looked inside the bathroom. Eyes searching the room, but there was nobody there. "There's nobody here."

"I heard them," Mavis cried. "I heard them. I felt them. They were in there with me."

"Hey, hey," Alice kneeled in front of her. "I believe you. It's okay. You're okay."

"I'm not crazy."

"We know that," Alice promised. "We don't think you're crazy."

Mavis felt ridiculous once she calmed down. The only thing keeping her from exposing herself to her family was a thin towel. "Here," Rosalie grabbed a robe. She seemed to sense the young girl's worries.

"Thank you." Alice helped Mavis to her feet and allowed the girl to slip on the robe. Everyone was looking at her, silently judging her. Mavis wanted to scream at them, beg them to believe her. They knew what she was. A Banshee. A beacon of death. What she saw and heard was usually never real. It was all happening inside her head.

"Come on," Alice wrapped an arm around. "Let's get you to your room."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone had been watching her, observing her since the incident. Mavis felt as if they were judging her. The Cullens were simply afraid for her, but the irrational part of her was concerned. They had no idea how to help her or if helping her was even possible.

Tomorrow was prom. Mavis was looking forward to having a relaxing night with Paul. After last week's events, a night to party and act like a normal teenager was all she wanted.

Her eyes traveled from her book to the radio, which was on the ground. It was blasting static noise and was starting to drive her crazy. Paul didn't seem to mind. He sometimes said extra noise would drown out the unwanted thoughts of his fellow pack mates.

Mavis remained quiet, attempting to read. Paul's fingers traced patterns over her bare legs as he messed with his phone. She tried to focus on the book in her hand, but it was becoming a challenge.

Paul glanced at her but remained silent. He could sense that she was slowly becoming agitated but assumed it was because of her book. She often found herself overly invested in her readings. "Prom's tomorrow," he started a conversation. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah, of course. I get to spend the whole night with you." Paul smiled to himself, shaking his head at her words. Mavis smirked to herself. She loved when Paul was flustered and at a loss for words. "Sorry in advance for all the pictures my family will take. They're sort of obsessed with capturing my entire life in images." Paul understood. The Cullens were frozen in time, and Mavis wasn't. They wanted to capture every moment of her life while possible. Suddenly, he got a text on his phone. He read the text silently. "What is it?"

"I'm late for patrol," he pushed off Emily's hammock. "I'll be back in two hours. Stay until I get back?"

Mavis glanced at the clock. It was only seven o'clock. "Are you sure you'll be back that soon?"

"Yeah, Seth is taking my late-night patrols for the rest of the week."

That confused her, "why?"

He hid his smirk, "no idea." It was a lie. "I'll be back soon." Paul leaned over the side of the hammock and pressed his lips to her cheek. "Love you."

She blushed, "love you." Mavis glanced at the radio. "Turn the radio off on your way, please. I know the noise can help, but it's driving me crazy."

Paul froze on the step, his eyes on the girl. "Paul," Sam shouted in the distance. "Come on! We don't have all day."

Paul ignored him, "what did you say?"

"The radio," Mavis pointed at the device. "You left it on."

He glanced at the radio. It wasn't on. In fact, Emily's radio hadn't worked in years. Sam had promised to fix it but never had. "Radio's not on." All at once, the noise stopped. Mavis stared at the radio, not sure what to do. "Hey," he kneeled in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"Paul," Sam called again. He was becoming annoyed with him.

"You're going to get in trouble."

"I don't care." He grabbed her hand, "are you okay?" Paul wouldn't leave her alone if something serious was going on.

"Fine," Mavis lied with a smile. "Go before you get in trouble." Paul hesitated, "it's fine. I think I'm just used to hearing it." It had never worked before, and it worried him that Mavis had heard it more than once.

"Okay," he didn't believe her. "I'll see you in two hours." Mavis nodded. Paul let go of her hand and walked away. She watched him jog towards Sam and transform. Paul trotted towards Sam but glanced back at her one last time before disappearing from sight.

Mavis stared at the radio, but there was no noise. "I'm not crazy," she spoke to herself. "I'm not crazy." But it was becoming harder to convince herself of that. "I'm not crazy."