The Banshee -Paul Lahote-

Chapter 43

Mavis sat silently in the back of the car as they drove through Canada. She was angry, upset, and confused. Nobody dared break the silence that had lasted the entire trip. Alice continued to glance at her, feeling an overwhelming amount of guilt. Jasper didn't dare mess with her emotions. She was justified in how she felt. They had dragged her away from Forks without a warning and forced her to part with not only her family but friends.

She feared Paul would never speak to her again. He would hate her for leaving the way she did, and that thought alone started to destroy her. Mavis wiped the tears under her eyes, feeling guilty for crying in front of her family. It wasn't Alice or Jasper's fault. They had to protect Bella.

"We're almost there," Alice finally spoke.

"Great."

The silence returned, and she stared out the window. She was forced to be here. This was not her choice. If the circumstances had been different, then this would have been enjoyable.

They arrived ten minutes later at a small cabin in the middle of nowhere, Canada. Mavis silently pushed open the door. "I'll grab the bags," Jasper spoke. She didn't bother to acknowledge him. Instead, she walked towards the building.

Alice trailed after her, their feet sinking into the snow below. Mavis felt bad for shutting them out but had no idea what to say. Bella was pregnant, which should have been impossible. They had no idea what this meant for her or any of them.

A few days prior, she had heard a baby crying in the woods. That could be significant now, but Mavis was too angry to break the silence that followed. She walked up the steps and threw open the front door. Alice lingered behind her, watching Mavis closely, waiting for any sign that she might speak to them.

That never happened. Mavis marched down the hallway of the house and into her bedroom. It wasn't her first time at this house, and it wouldn't be the last. "Mavis," Alice trailed after her. "Do you want some-" the door slammed in her face. Alice winced, a wave of hurt crashing through her. She never fought with her daughter and wasn't used to the typical teenage attitude. "Dinner," she finished.

Mavis locked the door, walking towards the small bed in the center. It wasn't fair to be angry with her parents, who had no control over the situation. But she had to blame someone, and they were the only people around. It wasn't fair to be dragged away from her senior year of high school to the middle of nowhere without any explanation to her friends. "Mavis," Jasper knocked on her door. "I have your luggage." She laid down on the bed, putting the pillow over her head to block him out. "Please, open the door."

"Honey," Alice's voice was muffled. "Just set it down. We can try again later." Jasper seemed reluctant but agreed. The last thing she heard before falling asleep was them walking away.

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Nine days.

That's how long Mavis had been stuck in the cabin with her parents. Nine days of silence, awkward encounters, and painful goodnights. Nine days of avoidance on her part. She didn't feel like herself anymore. Mavis felt tired all the time, but all she ever did was sleep. It was difficult on her part, but she couldn't tell anyone that.

It was lonely at the cabin. She didn't have any means of communication. Nobody was around, and the TV only had reruns of soap operas. It was the longest nine days of her life, and it seemed to be never-ending. There were no signs of leaving.

Nine days didn't sound like a lot, but it was for her. She had nobody to talk to and nothing to do. The conversation was minimum on good days. On bad days, well, Mavis didn't like bad days. That was entirely her fault. At any point, she could speak to them but didn't have the words. By now to much time had passed. There were rare updates on Bella, but it was clear that she wasn't doing well. Both Alice and Jasper feared she would die.

Mavis caught sight of her mother as she passed by the kitchen. Alice had given up on trying to talk to her. The blonde girl was cutting vegetables when the oven buzzed. A signal that the chicken was ready to be cooked. Stepping away, she opened the oven and grabbed the tray. The heat burned the tips of her fingers, but she didn't mind.

Once the tray was inside, Mavis closed the oven door. She set the timer and spun back around. Her movements felt repetitive, having done this every day for nine days. However, as Mavis went to scoop the vegetables into a bowl, she found they were no longer there. The cutting board was now full of blood. It pooled on the counter and trailed off the sides and onto the floor.

Mavis gasped, body shaking at the sight. In the center of the cutting board was a baby, a tiny baby. She went to reach forward, wanting to see if the baby was alive. However, that idea vanished at the sight of her hands. They were covered in blood. She stumbled back, her foot snagged on the kitchen mat. Instinvicly, she reached out. Her hand had managed to hit the cutting board causing the item to fall as she did. It hit the ground, blood splattering everywhere.

It stained the white cabinets and her clothes. She could feel the blood on her face. Mavis felt her body fall into a deep panic. The girl screamed, violently trying to wipe the blood off of her. Tears blurred her vision, and that caused the panic to become worse.

"Mavis," Alice was by her side on the floor. "Hey, hey, calm down." The dark-haired woman wrapped her arms around her, trying to get Mavis to stop moving. "You're okay. I got you." Mavis clutched her arm, crying into her sleeve. "It's okay." Jasper was at her other side, a hand protectively on her back. He studied the kitchen, noticing the mess of vegetables. "It's okay, baby." Mavis had closed her eyes at some point. Opening them slowly, she noticed that there was no longer any blood. Only thrown vegetables and a broken cutting board. "You're safe."

"Safe," it came out in a whisper. "Safe."

"Yes, safe," Alice kissed the side of her head. "You're safe. We got you."

Tears streamed down her face, "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." But she did. Mavis was sorry for everything. "What did you see?"

It took her a moment to compose herself. "There was blood. It was-" the idea made her nauseous. Mavis was never very good with blood. "And a baby. There was a baby."

Alice had heard enough. "Jasper, pack the car. We're leaving." The man didn't need to be told twice and disappeared down the hall to pack their bags. "We're getting out of here. We should have never come here. I'm so sorry, darling."

"I'm sorry," Mavis pulled away from her. "I shouldn't have shut you out. It wasn't your fault."

Alice kissed her forehead. "It's okay. You did nothing wrong." She wanted to believe her. "Come on, let's go back home."