The Banshee -Paul Lahote-

Chapter 62

Everyone was walking on eggshells around her. They were before with the new vampires, but this was different. It was unclear whether her memory was serious or not. Mavis tried not to think about it. That part of her life was happily over. This was her life now, and she was happy with it. Sure, there were nagging questions about who she was, but Mavis assumed most adopted kids felt like that. They were simple questions but entirely harmless. Then again, most kids didn't have an aunt who attempted to kill them.

It was a lot to think about and a lot to process. Mavis didn't want to think about her past when her future was already questionable. Bella was training with the Denali's. They wanted to use her shield abilities to protect others. If it worked, then they would have an advantage. Mavis still hated the idea of leaving but promised Paul she would. It wasn't as if she was useful.

Alice and Jasper had yet to text her. They hadn't reached out in any way. It was concerning. Mavis began to fear that something had happened to them. They would have called by now. There wasn't much time before the Volturi arrived.

Mavis glanced at the clock. The time read 3:03 A.M. It was officially Christmas morning, but she was alone. There was a light rain. The soft thud against the window lured her to sleep. However, as tired as she was, Mavis couldn't get rid of her thoughts. There were so many, each worse than the last.

At first, it was weird being in Paul's room alone, but not anymore. Now it was comforting. He was on patrol with a few of the others. They were keeping an eye out for the Volturi. Alice hadn't exactly given them an exact day.

The front door opened. Mavis's eyes remained glued on the window. It provided the only light in the room. Paul's feet padded up the stairs, and the door slowly creaked open. Her back was facing him, and Paul slowly moved through the room. He fully believed she was sound asleep.

Mavis listened as he opened a drawer. The floorboards creaked as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. She didn't move, but there was a faint smile on her face as she listened to him struggle to be quiet.

After a moment, Paul pulled the covers down on the bed and slowly slid beneath them. Mavis looked away from the window and turned towards him. "Shit," he muttered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't asleep," she reassured him. "How was patrol?"

Paul sighed, "boring." Mavis hummed, letting her fingers skim over the shirt he wore. Since the Cullens opened their home, she had been staying with Jacob, but Mavis had been invited to dinner at Pauls. Terrance ended up stuck at work, and Paul had to go on patrol. Rather than having Mavis leave, he asked her to stay. "Why are you awake?"

"Too much on my mind, I suppose."

"Want to talk about it?"

She shrugged, "it's nothing interesting."

Paul stared at her, "doubt that. It's always interesting."

A faint smile appeared on her face. "I just-" she paused, "I just miss my parents."

"I'm sure Alice and Jasper are fine."

"I hope they are, but I miss them." Mavis hoped more than anything that they were alive somewhere, that they weren't in any danger. "I lied before."

"About what?"

"I don't know where they are," that was true. "But I knew they were leaving." She wasn't told much from them, but she did know. "I think they told me because Edward can't read my mind easily, and it wouldn't have put him at risk if Aro looked into his mind."

"Okay," he began slowly. "Did they say anything else?"

Mavis wanted to tell him but couldn't. She didn't want to put her parents in jeopardy. "No." Paul prepared to say something, but she spoke again. "They missed my birthday, which is fine. But I was hoping they would be back for Christmas. We've never missed a holiday together, ever."

Paul glanced at the clock, realizing it was, in fact, Christmas. "Oh," he muttered. "Well, Merry Christmas. I know I'm not as great as your family, but-" Mavis playfully smacked his chest.

"Shut up, you big goof."

He grinned at her, his fingers tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. For a moment, his fingers dance over the skin on her neck. Mavis feels goosebumps appear. Her eyes search his, watching as the gears turn in his head. Her lips part slightly, a question sitting on the tip of her tongue. Paul's eyes fall to her lips, and he moves quickly. Mavis gasps as he presses his lips against hers, his body weight shifting on top of her.

Her hand instantly made its way to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Mavis lets out a breathy laugh as Paul places gentle kisses over her cheek and neck. Her legs fall to the side, allowing him to settle between them. His hands pull at the bottom of her shirt, and Mavis smiles. Slowly she grips the bottom of her shirt and slips it over her head. Paul's eyes study her body, memorizing every detail. Without missing a beat, he pulls his own shirt over his head.

Mavis sits up slightly and reconnects her lips with his, her eyes closing. Paul grabs the back of her legs and yanks her closer. After a moment, he pulls away, but he leaves a trail of kisses down her neck and onto her shoulder. A breathy moan escapes, but the butterflies in her stomach vanish all at once. A sense of dread replaces the feeling, and she reopens her eyes. To her shock, she sees someone in the dark corner of the room. Their eyes stared back at her. Mavis lets out a cry and scrambles away from Paul to turn on the lamp. "What is it?" She flips on the light, but the figure in the corner is revealed to be a jacket. "Mavis?" Paul doesn't understand what just happened. Mavis stares at the jacket, confused as to what she had seen. She had seen someone, that she was sure of. It wasn't possible that it was simply a jacket. "Mave, you're freaking me out."

"I'm sorry," her voice was shaky. "I'm sorry. I thought I saw someone."

Paul looked around the room, but it was just them. "There's nobody here." He watched as her eyes scanned every inch of the room. "Baby." He grabbed the back of her thighs and dragged her closer. "There's nobody here." Mavis placed her hands on his shoulder, steadying herself. Paul was right. There was nobody there. But she had sensed them before her eyes were open. Her head fell forward, and she took a deep breath. "There's no one here." He places a hand on her cheek, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were full of both sincerity and concern.

"But I-"

"Mavis," he didn't want her to get worked up over nothing. "No one was here. I would have sensed it." That seemed to calm her slightly. Paul could hear her heartbeat slowing. He kissed her cheek gently, and Mavis leaned into his touch.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," he promised. She rolled her head to the side, still feeling the same unsettling feeling inside of her.

Paul reached over to turn the lamp off, but she grabbed his arm. "Don't," her voice was full of fear. "Please."

Paul was surprised by the action but slowly pulled his arm back. "Okay." He didn't want to cause her any more stress. It was clear something more was going on inside her head. "We can leave it on." Mavis was still staring at the corner of the room. "Hey," he tried to get her attention. "It's okay."

"I know," she tried to shake it off. "Sorry, I'm being dramatic." She laid down on the bed, her back facing him.

Paul sighed and kissed her exposed shoulder. "Let's get some rest." In one swift motion, he brought Mavis to rest on top of his bare chest. Normally, the delicate action would have made her smile. However, tonight was a different story. She couldn't take her eyes off the corner of the room. Mavis knew this had to be in her head and feared she was beginning to lose her mind.