tongue twister • paul lahote

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W I N D  W H I P P E D at the windows, drawing a dark sense into the house. Jacob Black had gone missing, revolting against the wedding invitation he'd received. Though he and Santana had not grown close again, she still worried for his well being. You could see the worry in Paul and Jared's face when they came around to visit her. Nobody spoke about it much, figuring it would take him some time to cool down, but days had passed and he had not yet returned. In the living room sat Santana on the couch, Paul Lahote at her side, and Jared across from her. They only came to visit when the other members of her family were out hunting. Paul had a hand on her jean clad leg, finally growing used to the terms of their relationship. He wanted to be with her, even if she was a vampire. He had to be. She was the only thing that made his world spin the right way, with a purpose.

Jared, on the other hand, did not have to bring her back into his life. He did so because he had such a love for her when she was human. He didn't want to lose their friendship that had been gained. Santana wanted to remember the love she had for Jared. She could feel it in her fingertips when he came around, when he got the will to joke with her, but she couldn't place where it came from. The only memories she could recall was the ones she could feel with Paul. Even those were fuzzy, only coming back in pieces. The rooftops, the conversations, she could feel deep in her chest, but the words and fine lines blurred somewhere in between. The Cullen's had just left, and probably wouldn't return for a while. She fed more often than them, but decided tonight she could do without. She wanted to see the rest of her family.

"Jared," she spoke up, turning her head towards him. Her face put him off, still feeling uncomfortable with her golden eyes and perfect features. He grew more used to it the more they spoke, but he was on edge. It wasn't the same Santana he knew before. There was a piece, every now and again, that resurfaced. He could see it deep down, she just didn't know how to get it out. "Can I try something?"

"That's a way to start a conversation, Tana." He rolled his eyes. She stayed silent for a moment, feeling rejected at the comment. She still wasn't completely sure if his sarcasm was because of distaste or because of love. "What's up?" He finally asked, realizing she might not have taken it in the way he meant.

"I'm having trouble," she murmured. "Remembering how you and I are friends, why you guys are still around." She explained. "I have a power, one that has to do with manipulation of relationships." She explained. "I was wondering, maybe if you let me see myself through your eyes, I could piece things together." She explained. He thought about it for a second, unsure if he should let her. In the end, he knew no real harm could come from it. Still, he was weary at the thought.

"So you want to mess with my head?" He questioned. Paul watched the interaction, the grip on her leg tightening a little. He wanted Jared to let her, to help her. They knew she wouldn't do anything to hurt them. Jared heard his thoughts, agreeing with him.

"Not mess with it, just see into it. My power doesn't work like Edward's." She sat up, now, placing a small hand on top of Paul's. "I can't read your thoughts, I can't do it like that. What I do... when I let myself into your eyes, I can see what you think of another person. If I try hard enough, I can change the way you feel towards them. I don't want to do that," she paused. "But sometimes I can see memories, if I'm in there for a while. Maybe if you thought about what I was like when I was human, I could see it, understand it." She finished.

"Does it hurt?" He asked.

"No, at least I don't think so. It hasn't hurt anyone else before." She informed the worried boy. "If it does, just tell me to stop. If I'm not doing anything to alter your mind, you should still have free will. I just want to look into it." He shifted, slightly uncomfortable at the idea. If she could see that, what else could she see. She might be upset if she knew of the slight distaste he held for her now. "If you just focus on me as a human, I don't have to see anything else." She knew what he was thinking, or at least had an idea of it. "I won't stray far from it, I have a good control over it now." It's true, she had been practicing often with people in the house. They allowed her to test her limits, to see what she was capable of. She never turned their thoughts vile, just peaceful and minimalistic changes. She knew she could do it for evil, but she didn't want to do that anymore.