The Beacon -Paul Lahote 2-

Chapter 33

Her head was pounding. Mavis groaned, opening her eyes. For a second, she thinks it's all a dream. That nothing happened, but then her eyes adjusted. Mavis tries to sit up, but her arms are tied to a bed. Panic rushes through her. She tugs at the restraints, but nothing happens.

There's an awful ringing in her right ear. She looks around the room—Claus is fixing a box beside her. He glances at her, a smile on his face. "Good. You're awake."

Mavis blinks a few times. "What are you doing?"

He smiles, setting the box down. "Wrong question, dear. The question is, what are you going to do for me?" Her entire body is numb. Her legs are tied to the bed as well. "I knew you were special from the moment I met you." Mavis looks around the room. She had no idea where she was. "I've met others, sure. But none like you." Claus was excited. "It was so easy to get you here." He let out a laugh. "I'll never understand what it is about teenagers and them doing the exact opposite of what they're told. I mean, really, Mavis? Every time. It was almost too easy." She's dazed and confused. "It works every time. I give you a few vague answers, and I have your undying trust just like that." He snaps his fingers in her face.

"What?" Mavis didn't understand.

Claus moved closer, his breath hitting her in the face. "You're just as dumb as the rest of those girls."

Mavis's face contorted into one of fear. "Wh-"

"Shh," he placed a hand on her cheek. She flinched, tears filling her eyes. "I understand this is all very confusing for you. Don't worry. You'll understand soon." Mavis watched as he flipped the switch on the box. "We'll need to get you to the right frequency, but we'll have to make sure you're the right one before we get down to the hard stuff."

Mavis tried to free herself from the restraints, but it was useless. "What are you even talking about right now?" 

She came here to save her friends because she trusted Claus. It turns out that trust was misguided. It was part of a plan to lure her here for something bigger than she could ever imagine. "You'll understand." He flipped another switch. "Soon enough." Mavis stared at him. "Don't worry, Mavis. Everything's going to work out just fine."

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

A letter. 

That's all Mavis left behind. A vague letter that Paul had read at least twenty times. He was angry with her. She thought leaving would solve their problems. He didn't care if his life was in danger. All he wanted was Mavis. "We have to find her." Paul couldn't accept anything else. "We'll look for her. She couldn't have gotten far."

"Paul," Jacob whispered. "This is what she wants."

"I don't care," he snapped at him. "She's scared. Running away isn't going to solve anything."

Carlisle crossed his arms. "What if it does?" Mavis had predicted the deaths of her friends. It was deaths that she would cause. If she wasn't here, then she couldn't hurt them. "We will never understand the depth of her ability, not like she does. If Mavis thinks this is the way, we have to accept that no matter how hard it is." Alice was clutched her necklace tightly. Jasper was trying to comfort her but was struggling himself. Mavis was gone.

Paul didn't understand the Cullens. They never went after her when she needed them. They were always so quick to forget and move on. "So, that's it? You're just going to let her go? She's seventeen!"

"She's trying to save all of you," Bella yelled at him. "She left to save you!"

"It was selfish." She didn't even say goodbye.

"It's brave!" Bella hated the way Paul was acting, how all of the wolves were acting. "She sacrificed her entire life to save you! She gave up everything she knew so that you could keep living your life." Paul looked away from her, shaking his head. "Mavis loved you enough to give up her family. Her livelihood. That is not selfish." Edward smiled slightly, proud that Bella was defending Mavis's actions. As much as it pained him to admit, he agreed with Mavis's choice. He knew it couldn't have been easy, but she chose to save them. "Mavis did what she had to do so that you can live." She looked at the others. "So all of you can live." Bella had the group's attention. "Congratulations, you just got another shot at life because of her."

Seth glanced at Paul, noticing the frown that appeared on his face. He felt the same way. Mavis was his closest friend outside the pack. "She's not coming back, is she?"

Everyone looked at Bella. She was the last person to talk to her. The only one who knew about her plan. "I don't think so."

"So," Alice began, "what do we do now?"

There was a silence that settled over the group. "We try and move on," Carlisle spoke up. "It's what she would have wanted us to do."

Paul couldn't accept that. Even if it was what Mavis wanted, he couldn't accept she was gone forever. Paul didn't care about the risks. He was going to find Mavis and be with her. "Paul." Edward could hear his thoughts. "No."

He glared at the man. "Maybe you can live with this, but I can't. I'm going to find her." He slammed the letter on the table and marched out the back door.

"Paul." Jacob chased after him. "Stop." Paul ignored him and continued to march towards the woods. "Hey!" He grabbed his arm.

"Don't." He pushed him off. "Don't."

Jacob dropped his arm. "You can't do this. You have to let her go." Seth and Leah ran out of the house and rushed towards them. The Cullens stayed inside. "It is the only way."

"I don't care," he breathed. "I'm going to find her."

"Paul." Jacob wanted him to understand. "You don't understand-"

"No, you don't understand!" They all watched him. "You did the same shit with Bella not too long ago, remember? You would never have abandoned her." Jacob knew he was right. "I'm not just going to move on like she meant nothing to me." Mavis meant everything to him. "I won't."

"Paul, this isn't ideal, but this is what she wants." Leah wanted Mavis back desperately, but she understood why she left. It was the only way to save them.

"She's my Imprint." This time his voice was laced with sadness. "I'll find her, but I won't bring her back." Paul would rather spend his last days with Mavis than live a life she wasn't in.

Paul ran into the woods. Once he was in the trees, he transformed. He didn't care if the others understood or not. He didn't care if Mavis wanted to leave. Paul couldn't live without her. He was going to find her no matter what.

Leah took a step to follow him, but Jacob stopped her. "Leah, don't."

Leah watched as Paul vanished in the trees. "Mavis is my friend," she said to Jacob. "She would never abandon me. So, I won't abandon her."

"Leah-" but she was already on the move. Taking two steps, she transformed and followed after him. Seth was next. It was his sister. He had to help her and Mavis.

Alice watched the three wolves vanish into the woods. She was delighted that they were going to search for Mavis. She understood what her daughter was thinking, but leaving on her own wasn't a good idea. Nobody could protect her from the Volturi. They would find her eventually. Avoiding them was impossible. Alice would have left with Mavis. She wouldn't have hesitated to give up her entire life for her daughter. She assumed that's why Mavis didn't tell her. She wanted Alice to stay with the Cullens.

Everything had changed, but Mavis was still Mavis. She was her daughter. Alice loved her more than anything. In January, she had a vision. It involved Mavis and her death. When Mavis was kidnapped, Alice hoped the worst was over. That everything would become normal again. Then she realized her prediction had nothing to do with the kidnapping.

The vision had not wavered. Everything was the same. Alice feared that her time was coming to an end. Mavis was on her own. Nobody could protect her.

"Dear." Jasper approached her. "Come. Let's sit down."

Alice looked around the room. The group had split up. Nobody wanted to think about Mavis and how they would most likely never see her again. "I think," she whispered. "The vision I had. It's happening now."

Jasper clenched his jaw, his eyes scanning the area. Carlisle said they had to let Mavis go. It was what she wanted. "Alice-"

"She's going to die if we don't help her."

Jasper couldn't let that happen. "What do we do?"

Alice stared at him. "We're going after her."