The Beacon -Paul Lahote 2-

Chapter 21

Mavis sat on the steps, her leg beside her. Seth and Embry both had sharpies and were having a competition of who could draw the best on her cast. They were taking their time, but Mavis didn't mind. It wasn't as if she could easily leave or had anywhere else to be.

The pack was doing incredibly well with treating her normally. Mavis appreciated that. It made everything easier. For a moment, she wasn't the Banshee or the girl who was kidnapped. She was just Mavis.

But sometimes, being just Mavis was too much.

She looked up, eyes searching for her boyfriend. At the sight of him, her heart dropped. He was standing by the pit with Sam, Jacob, and someone else. Sam and Jacob were in a deep conversation, but Paul was talking to the girl.

"Who is that?"

Embry followed her gaze to the girl. "Oh, that's Rachel Black. She's one of Jacob's sisters." Mavis had never met his sisters. "She's home from college for a bit."

"How do they know each other?"

Embry didn't want to lie. "She got here like four weeks ago. They spent a lot of time together while you were," his words faltered, "missing."

"Hm." Rachel laughed at something Paul said, placing a hand on his arm. The action caused Mavis to raise an eyebrow. Paul smiled at the girl, not thinking much about the situation.

Embry looked at Jared, who had a frightened expression on his face. "Uh oh," he spoke under his breath. "Someone's in trouble." Luckily, Mavis didn't hear him.

She watched Paul speak with Rachel. There were no words to explain how she felt watching them inside. It wasn't jealousy. It was envy. It was clear to anyone watching that Mavis was anything but normal. Rachel was normal. Paul deserved someone who was normal.

It wasn't fair that he got stuck with her. The only reason Paul was so loyal to her was because of the Imprint bond. As Jacob had said, Imprints don't have to be romantic. They could be friends, and that would satisfy the bond.

Mavis was a Banshee. That was something she would be forever. She would always sense death and would always be an issue. Paul didn't deserve that. Along with what she had seen in her prediction. Paul was better off far away from her.

Beside's, something was changing inside of her, and not for the better. She needed to distance herself from him. From everyone.

"We're glad you're back," Embry tried to comfort her. "We missed you."

"Some more than others."

All eyes went to Seth. He shrugged, smiling at her. "I missed you a lot."

That made her smile. It was nice to hear that someone missed her. "I missed you all too." Her eyes fell back on Paul, and the smile vanished. Watching him with Rachel only solidified her thoughts. She needed to end things with him. It was better for Paul. It gave him a real chance at a normal life.

Mavis loved Paul more than life, and that was why she had to let him go. He deserved better.

Paul represented the good in life, and she represented the bad. Paul didn't deserve to be tainted with such darkness. The best thing Mavis could do for him would be to let him go.

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

"Want to watch a movie or something," Paul asked as he walked into the room. "I think I can make it through the next Star Wars."

Mavis stared at him, studying his features for the last time. She knew that ending things was for the best. It wasn't because she didn't love him. It was because she did. She needed to free him from her.