The Beacon -Paul Lahote 2-

Chapter 23

September

Mavis was starting to feel whole again. It happened suddenly. One day the world was grey, and the next, she saw the light. She agreed to see a trauma specialist, and it was a good idea. Mavis went twice a week for two hours, and it was helping a lot.

Outside of her family, she had a limited amount of friends. There was Jacob, Seth, and Leah. Surprisingly, Leah was becoming one of her best friends. They always went through phases. They became close when Bella was pregnant, and that friendship grew afterward when they spent months together.

Now, they were closer than ever. Leah felt like she finally had someone to talk to about what happened. She was with Sam when he phased for the first time. They were together. While they were dating, he Imprinted on her cousin. Mavis was shocked when she learned the entire story and felt terrible for Leah. She was forced to watch the person she dated fall in love with her cousin. It didn't help Leah didn't know about imprinting, and when she shifted, everyone expected her to understand. She didn't. It didn't work that way. On top of all that, the wolf-telepathy made her hear all of Sam's thoughts about Emily.

"I can't believe you stayed in the pack that long," Mavis said. They were lying on Leah's bed in pajamas.

"Yeah," Leah stared at the ceiling.

"It must have been torture."

"It was," she sighed. "It is. I'm not sure how I feel anymore."

Mavis could understand that. "Why did you go back?"

Leah was silent for a moment. "I don't know." It was truthful. "I guess I thought I didn't have anywhere else to go. I'm used to being unwanted by people." Leah and Mavis were more alike than either cared to admit. They were both used to being unwanted and left behind. They were always looked down on for things outside their control. "I wasted a lot of time being angry over it. I feel like I lost so much of myself."

"I get it," Mavis whispered. "I feel like I lost out on a lot of normal things because I spent most of high school seeing dead people, hiding from vampires, and dating a werewolf." Leah let out a breathy laugh. "Now high school is over, and I realize that I didn't do anything."

"What would you have wanted to do?"

Mavis thought for a moment. There were so many things she wanted to do but never had the chance to. "I would love to have graduated." She didn't get to do that. "Or have gone to a party."

That caught Leah's attention. "You never went to a party?"

"Never really had the chance." If Mavis wasn't hiding from newborn vampires or the Volturi, she was dealing with Bella-related issues. "I feel like I missed out on so much. And now it's worse because of what happened." Mavis had only talked to one person about what happened. That was Leah. She knew more than anyone.

"I used to love parties."

That surprised Mavis. "Really?" Mavis couldn't imagine Leah as a party girl.

"Back when I was with Sam in high school. I used to love parties."

"I can't imagine you going to parties." Mavis only knew this version of Leah. The version that Sam had ruined and destroyed.

Leah sighed, "things change. People change."

Mavis agreed with that. She felt like an entirely different person. A year ago, everything was different. She was an entirely different person last September. Bella was pregnant with Renesmee. Life was confusing, but Mavis was still herself. She hadn't gotten lost in the world.

"Do you miss being in a relationship?"

There was silence on her end. It was a heavy question. "Sometimes," she whispered. "Sometimes I miss it." Mavis continued to stare at the ceiling. "I see you and Paul. Emily and Sam. Kim and Jared, and sometimes I want that. I want to Imprint on someone."