𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓
— 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓈𝑒 —

     𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 broken; that was the very thing Paul Lahote was sure of when the sun rose above the horizon, waking him from his restless slumber. Though he had managed to close his eyes the night before, he could hardly bare the replaying memory of Serenity's tears as he presented the temper he would forever hold. He wished so desperately to could go back, to wrap her within his arms and promise that he didn't mean the painful words he spoke. Paul's intentions were pure, and lied within protecting her from all that he was: a monster. And for that, he would never inform the blonde that the two were destined to spend eternity with one another. Though the boy had crushed her kindness, he had secured his position . . . never again would she want to face him as she did that night, staring at him as though he created the world, only to find that he, too, was as cruel as the life that had been given to her.

But for reasons unknown, Serenity didn't feel the way in which he hoped. After returning home upon request, she hadn't strayed to her dim bedroom with her emerald eyes watering, nor had she locked herself away from her family who yearned to take the pain away. Instead, the girl had spent the night lying within the arms of her mother figure, who took one glance at her tear-stained features and nearly began to weep, herself. Laythe had remained at Emily's cottage for too many hours, and didn't offer to drive his younger cousin home — Jacob had been the kind boy to provide his warm hand to the shaking blonde, relaying to her that she deserved so much better than crying over a boy who would never have the pleasure of knowing her. He, too, wanted to ease the burning in her chest that would never truly go away, and that began with his intentions of distracting her from any memories of that night she might dwell on in the future.

Embry, joining Sam's side, had relentlessly attempted to avert Laythe's attention away from the fact that Paul so easily denied his imprint. But the russet-skinned, defensive boy had no incentive to follow the orders of his alpha when the girl dearest to him wallowed in the thoughts that she wasn't wanted. Paul, as he feared, had already begun his cycle of destruction. Although he wanted nothing more than to seek Paul in the forest and inflict endless amounts of misery on his cold heart, he understood that Paul would soon realize that his own actions carried consequences. The pull of fate would drive him to no end, and he would endure the suffering that awaited. So Laythe returned home in the light of the following morning, no longer angry, but determined to prove to Serenity that she could find happiness. Her options were unlimited, and he would search to the end of the world for the very boy that could mend her heart. She was broken by a boy she never knew, and for justifications that she couldn't perceive, Serenity was overwhelmed with the feeling that she had lost her other half before she could embrace it.

And so it led to now; Serenity lounges on the leather sofa with bright eyes as Marina runs her slender fingers through the girl's golden hair. Jacob sits alongside her, munching on a bag of potato chips while momentarily sending a circumspect glance in Laythe's direction. The cousin is considering his options for the day — Sam, on the previous night, had suggested that he stay affable for the day being, and he planned to do that very thing. Before Serenity woke that morning, he had relayed to his mother an arrangement he had in mind.

"I know that she's hurting," he had whispered as the sun began to rise above the horizon, his eyes focused on his cousin. "He hasn't stopped thinking about her for a second since then, and I feel that I might fall apart. I see it over and over again, watch her heart break, and I should hate him for it. But I know he's hurting too, maybe even more."

"She needs to see him again," Marina concludes without a second thought. "Serenity is strong, but there are limitations that even she won't be able to bear. Staying away from him and denying fate is one of those instances."

As much as he wanted to repudiate, Laythe couldn't argue. His mother knew from experience that imprinting is a covenant of forever. "A few days apart won't hurt them," he decided, his eyes finding those of his parent. "In the meantime, Serenity can spend time with Jacob."

"And where will you be?" Marina questioned.

"Convincing Paul that he is making the biggest mistake of his life," Laythe replied.

It came as no surprise when Jacob agreed with Laythe's suggestion — his brother had been malignant when making the decision to refuse Serenity's kindness. He, personally, would never have the ability to do such a thing, and was grateful for that alone. But now he would be able to make her smile for the hours to come, and he desperately hoped that it would be enough of a distraction from her reality. Sure enough, at the moment in which he had stepped into the Reagan home, Serenity limped  to him with her face alight in spirit.

"You're here!" She claimed, almost in disbelief as he held her. "Who knew that a night away could make me miss you?"

"I missed you the moment you got out of the truck," Jacob held her impossibly tighter, and lifted her from the floor to express his emotions. "I promise, today is going to be the best."

And now the pair rest in a booth of the Forks Diner, giggling as Jacob recalls the first time he met Laythe. Serenity had nearly forgotten the previous night, and it had only been minutes since they arrived at their first destination of the day. The blonde retrieves a fry from her glass plate, and chews on it as his story continues.

"There's nothing greater in the world than cliff diving in the summer, especially when Laythe is there. He had never done it before, but it's considered a tradition, so he was pressured into the process."

"The next time you go, I should join," Serenity suggests, a smile falling onto her pale lips. "I only have the occasional chance to leave home." Though she wants nothing more than to tell Jacob that she felt lonely when staying within the boundaries of her aunt's property, Serenity knows that Marina is only taking precaution. This carefulness keeps her safe — with such a condition as the one she possesses, her unsupervised adventure through the town leaves possible room for autonomous failure.

Marina, in a predicament of disconcertment upon Serenity's arrival, had researched for hours in an attempt to understand the stakes of Serenity's future. But Niemann-Pick would hold no mercy for the soul of anyone, and certainly not for the girl who deserved nothing less than a perfect life. In nearly all patient cases, the disease openly affected and progressively encouraged cell malfunction in the body, eventually becoming fatal. Her body's inability to transport cholesterol would lead to abnormal accumulations in various tissues, including the brain — thus resulting in memory loss, forgetfulness, seizures, speech inabilities, and life-threatening complications. But, to her relief, Serenity had yet to experience the symptoms.

At least to her knowledge.

"It's actually a dangerous sport," Jacob clicks his tongue, "so I deny your participation in the activity for your protection. But I can always take you to swim at La Push, the lower elevation is more careful."

She nods at his words, chuckling at his constant ensure of her wellbeing. "I can trust you to always look out for me."

"Always," he flashes a boyish grin, his eyes glowing with a settlement that she rarely saw within him. This moment is content, filled with security and softness, and being with her makes his life seem effortless. At other times, he feels forced in every action, including bowing to Sam in their inescapable positions. But here, staring at her from underneath the faint light of the booth and gaging her innocent laughter, he's free from the responsibilities and authorities of the outside world. Here, he's just Jacob, and she's just Serenity, and they're eating burgers like normal teenagers and pretending that life isn't a board game that cheats and robs each individual of dreams and happiness. In this safe space, they can avoid the nightmares every night that never cease to haunt their endless days, and worry fills every second that they're parted from their loved ones. They're just alive.

"You know, I've been curious about the girl you're in love with — Bella, right?" Serenity sips at her lemon water, noticing the way in which his countenance alters in the matter of a moment. "Why don't you ever talk about her?"

Jacob shifts in his position, biting his bottom lip and mindlessly tapping his fingers against the wooden surface. "The situation is a bit inconvenient, actually. With any other person, it's an uncomfortable topic, but with you . . . I can be open about it."

Serenity silently listens as he begins, taking in every detail as if it were her own love story.

"The feeling comes and goes," he starts in an effort to explain his sentiments. "When I'm with Bella, there's this warmth that always radiates off her, and it's different than anything I've known before. I'm drawn to her. Sometimes I contemplate if I'm in love with her, or in love with the idea of her. But I don't think I'll ever know because she's falling for someone else."

His expression is one of mourning; perhaps Jacob, she realizes, has already accepted the loss of the girl that emits sunlight on his foggy days, and it struck with the aftermath of grief. "Is she happy?" Serenity asks, leaning forward to hold his hands.

"He left her last year," Jacob shakes his head, his features pinched in pain, "and she turned to me. I spent every second with her for six months Serenity, but it still wasn't enough to change her mind when he came back. I don't think there could be any kind of happiness left in her from the way he can so easily manipulate her mind."

Her hands are on either side of his face now, lifting his chin so that her emerald eyes can find his honey ones, filling with hurt and unshed tears. "Then you fight for her, Jacob. Don't let go of that warmth because you deserve that, and she deserves it too."

Serenity speaks from her gold-gilded heart, rubbing the pads of her thumbs over his cheeks and relaxing when he places his hands over hers. Her best friend is one of gentleness and purity, and seeing him fall apart before her very eyes is nearly unbearable. But she knows of this feeling — the one when another nears and the surrounding atmosphere crumbles into something entirely different. The ground falls at the presence, the wind stops in the trees, and the earth stops turning for the moment that everything else in life leads up to. The sun shines brighter, the clouds fade away, and yet the only thing worth staring at is the very person that the moon had rumored of.

But her moment, the one that Jacob said would never conclude, was over far too soon. And, unfortunately, she had already believed that fact that she would never again be able to cherish it.

Cherish his golden eyes, his jawline, his cheekbones, his lips, and the way he stood so gently under the moonlight, almost as if he was waiting for her. And oh, how she wished that she would be significant enough for him to be there for her, and only for her. But even the butterfly at Emily's cottage that day was not intentionally in her company, nor was it patiently waiting for her soft touch.

Because, like the effervescent butterfly that she held so dearly to her heart, Paul would never again see Serenity.

And she hopes in this moment, for the benefit of her healing heart, that the very fact is true.

❝ i rewrote this chapter so many
times because i wanted it to be perfect
and i actually like it?? even tho it's short ❞