His Hermosa, Paul Lahote

14

Alyssa and Paul made their way downstairs, his arm held out behind him, leading alyssa by their joined hands.  Emily sat in the kitchen, a stale atmosphere clogging the air.
"hey you!" Emily's smile brightened up when she saw Alyssa coming down the stairs.
"hey, thanks for letting me stay here" she smiled, hugging her quickly before sitting beside Paul.
"it's nothing really" Emily assured sliding over a plate of muffins for the two.
"where's Sam?" Paul asked as he sat down at the table grabbing a muffin almost immediately.
"he went to see charlie Swan" Emily's smile vanished from her face as she spoke, her gaze lowering to her cup on the table.
"is it about Bella? " Alyssa spat her name out like a bug in her mouth.
"no" Emily said quietly, Paul's hand found Alyssas as she sat in the chair next to him, both of them watching her grave expression turn strained "it's about your dad" Emily's eyes held a multitude of regret as she looked to the girl she had grown close to "he's been found in Forks, he's...he's dead".
Alyssas heart dropped to her feet, a tingling at the top of her nose as the tears she stored for her father bubbled up, the breath in her lungs turned rooten as it stayed stagnant, unable to function at the throbing pain throughout her.

A sharp ringing surrounded her, her eyes closing as she saw something, a light, a small glimmer on a wavey surface, she kicked her tiny feet in the cool water, a feeling of danger in her gut, she tried to reach the light but couldn't quite get there  her child limbs felt drained and empty as she began to give up. Just as she allowed her arms and legs to rest, just as she began falling deeper into the clear blue sea, a hand separated the waves, causing ripples as it grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her to the surface. She took in all the air she could fit as soon as the sun hit her skin. Her eyes still closed from the sting of the ocean as a pair of hairy arms wrapped tightly around her body, holding her close.
"I was so worried baby" her father whispered, his bare chest wet from the heat of the sun, his feet buried in the sand under the sea as he held his only daughter close. Alyssa looked to see a woman sighing in relief on the shore, she was pretty, blonde hair, tanned skin. "i thought I lost you" Alyssa giggled, kicking her tiny legs as she looked to her protector, her comedian, her hero.
"its okay silly, I'm right here" the little girl reassured, smiling a toothy smile at the greatest man in her world.
"no your not" the man said his smile disappeared. His warm features turned cold. His eyes looked glassy. Rope burn appeared on his neck.

He looked dead.

He dropped her from his warm embrace, his arms falling to his side  his eyes trained forward, not looking at anything but watching everything while alyssa fell back into the waves-
now muddy and wild- as the ringing took over her ears
"I'M HERE!" she screamed, crying as she kicked and thrashed in the cold chill, her words reaching her ears were muffled as the ringing became too much to bare. She closed her eyes once more, unable to tell if it was water or tears on her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself, curling into a ball as the vast sea enveloped her.
"I'm here" she whispered again and again. Her hands palmed against her ears.

"baby, I know" Paul whispered, stroking a sweat-stuck peice of hair out of Alyssas face as she lay curled up in his lap. Paul sat on the floor beside the kitchen table, hoping the cool of the floor tiles would help with her overheating, a tear trickling down his cheek. Her eyes opened slowly, half hoping to see her fathers green eyes staring back at her.

Grief.

"I'm here" she whispered again to Paul, looking up at him as she cried, curling her body around his arm. "I'm here" she repeated, Paul wrapped his other arm around her.
"I know, Rica" he said, watching the love of his life disintegrate in his arms was torturous, she was slipping through his fingers as she wept.
"I'll get her a damp cloth" Paul thanked Emily as she rushed to the sink. Paul pressed the fabric to Alyssas forehead, she opened her eyes, Paul was overwhelmed by the pain whirling inside of them, her face dropped, like she was drained.