Touch The Soul | P. LAHOTE

Galatians 5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law"

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"Mary! Wow, it actually suits you" Emily smiled as she approached the vampire but Mary refused to come out from under the canopy. Unlike the vampire had guessed, the rain clouds hardly produced a drizzle. They'd broken and left the sun to shine down on the backyard.

"You're not gonna come out? Jared has been badgering me with questions for the last hour, could really do with someone tagging in"

Mary only gestured to the sky, "It's too bright"

"Does it hurt or something?", Mary only shook her head.

"I wish, tis much more humiliating than that"

"I doubt it. None of us will say a thing, right boys?" Emily assured Mary in a chipper tone with her last words paired with a glare, a quiet warning to the pack. It was clear then that history was right about power- whoever had the food had the authority.

After minutes of consideration and trusting Emily, against the advice of her vampire mentors, Mary slowly shuffled out from under the shade. Aro and the Volturi were so paranoid regarding exposure that Mary hadn't felt the sun in nearly seventy years.

She and John used to find any opportunity to visit their spot after he heard of the rules, he was caring and knew how much she missed bathing in the sun's warmth. Perhaps, even if this wasn't Ephraim's pack, Mary could bask in the freedom La Push had given her all those years ago. It would never be the same but the familiarity calmed the anxiety and grief she felt, Mary couldn't hold her regrets against them, although everything screamed she should. It was a nagging voice that whispered 'it's their fault'.

She mentally shook the weight from her shoulders, remembering His words: 'And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses'.

Mary's steps were small, an unnatural shuffle before the final one pushed her from the shadows. The light reached her skin as Paul returned from his small break in the woods. Mary was sure, even without her enhanced senses, she could hear a pin drop in the silence. In its stead, all she got was Jared's spoon clattering against his plate.

"You guys see what I'm seeing, right?" Jared stared with his jaw dropped, rubbing his eyes twice just to make sure Mary really was sparkling.

"Uh huh" both Emily and Sam hummed in unison.

"I would appreciate it if we could continue luncheon with mouths closed and a blind eye cast towards... this" Mary lightly gestured to her body.

"B-But how?" Emily asked.

"None of us know how, only the reason why," Mary began softly. You can see for yourself. After all, every one of you is starstruck just as prey would be." Instantly, everyone snapped out of the amazement and quickly returned to their food.

"Well that's one hell of a trick" Paul spoke up, finally calm enough to rejoin the pack.

"If only I could avoid it" Mary sighed, it was such a habit it felt natural to her stagnant body.

"I like it, as you said, it makes you less scary" Emily smirked, her voice quickly perking up from the table.

The vampire, once again, looked down at her glistening skin and hummed in agreement, "as it was designed, but I still assert tis rather troublesome nonetheless"