The Beacon -Paul Lahote 2-

Chapter 38

Mavis had her eyes closed, but she wasn't asleep. Not anymore. She could feel someone gently tracing patterns on her arm. The world was different to her now. It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was perfect. It didn't matter how much pain her body was in. She was happy.

There was a saying she heard by her aunt. One strike kills the Banshee, but two will kill her. It turns out she didn't die. Not really. Her body did for a moment, but she was still there. It wasn't Mavis who died. It was the Banshee inside of her. At first, the Cullens weren't sure what that meant. Then it became clear. Mavis was no longer a Banshee. She was a regular person. There was no more reason to fear for her future.

She opened her eyes, blinking a few times as she adjusted to the light in the hospital room. They had brought her to a real hospital, where she then passed out. There was a bandage over her injury. It would heal in time. It would take her a while to overcome what happened, but Mavis knew she could do it.

The blonde girl glanced at the person beside her. It was Paul. He was staring at her, a distant look in his eyes. "I thought I told you it was incredibly creepy when you watch me sleep."

He chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I still don't care." Mavis relaxed against the bed. The IVs were pumping her full of morphine. "How do you feel?"

"Tired." She felt tired. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Just two days."

Mavis blinked a few times. "And you've been here the whole time?"

"Yeah."

She smiled at him. "You don't have to stay here."

He pulled the chair closer. "I'm never leaving your side ever again."

Mavis tilted her head to look at him. At the time, leaving seemed like a good idea. She thought she was saving her friends. She had no idea it was supposed to happen that way. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Paul whispered. "Just don't do it again. Okay?"

That was something she could do. "Okay." She never had to worry about anything like that again. "I love you."

Paul smiled at her. "I love you too. So much." He intertwined their fingers, squeezing gently.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey," Jared said. "They have Uno. Do you guys want to play? Mavis?"

Mavis looked up at the sound of his voice. "No, you cheat."

"Me." He pointed at himself. "I cheat? Please. You have the wrong guy."

Leah laughed, kicking her legs over the side of the bed. "You use your wolf-telepathy to tell everyone what cards to use against me."

Embry slapped his shoulder. "You do, man."

Jared huffed, "you can't prove it."

Mavis momentarily glances at Paul, who's already looking at her. She sends him a comforting smile, which he eagerly returns. "So," Leah flipped through the magazine. "How long are you here for?"

"A few more days."

"Only a few days for a hole in the head? Nice. Technology has come so far."

"Dude," Quil muttered. "We're not supposed to mention the hole."

"Or the psycho doctor."

"Or the running away."

"Or the fact she died."

"Seriously," Leah snapped at them. "You guys somehow managed to talk about all of it in ten seconds."

The four boys stared at Leah with wide eyes. "Jared started it," Seth whispered.