Her Probation / Paul Lahote

TWENTY EIGHT

The sound of his truck sparking to life had never sounded louder against the penetrable silence. Fern fumbled with the hem of her top feeling oddly nervous, as she glanced down at the navy blue coloured material with a frown. How did a conversation such as this begin?

"How do you feel about knowing everything?" Paul asked, putting the car in drive and turning out of the high school car park. His arm extended forward to fiddle with the heater settings to warm up the truck for her. His heightened body temperature meant the function was very rarely used and spluttered before pushing warm air out of its vents.

"I don't know," She inhaled, "Everything? I'm still confused about this imprint thing and how I have been told a tribal secret. All the while, the kids at school know jackshït about it. I had to avoid Finn today because—" Fern paused, realising the words that were about to fall from her lips and changed the direction of her response, "—because I feel guilty that I've been told this secret." She let out a huff and leant back into the seat, resting her elbow against the window pane and pushed her hand through her sweaty hair. Despite feeling that going to school that day was a good idea, for the reason being that it allowed her to gather her thoughts, she still didn't feel like her emotions and thoughts on the matter had settled. Perhaps this talk could help?

"Well, I can start off with the imprint thing, if you like?" Paul suggested, glancing at her reaction, which was a silent nod. He paused and waited for her to look at him, indicating her attention was on him. "Imprints are basically the person who a shape shifter is destined to be with and is decided by our ancestors...or a higher force of some sort."

"Like God?" Fern wondered. Paul shrugged, his eyes shifting from the familiar road to Fern's curious hazel eyes.

"Sort of, while imprints can be seen as rewards, we also believe they are chosen by our ancestors to make us stronger. Another belief is that the chosen individual and the shape shifter have the best chance to reproduce to create the next generation of shape shifters." Fern's brow cocked as she turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"What does that mean? I may have been chosen based on my...eggs?" She asked. He turned to her with amusement, feeling a sensation swirl in his stomach. Paul had envisioned this conversation for years, and through all the scenarios he could come up with, her responses didn't fail to exceed each one.

"Maybe? Honestly, we don't know the exact reason why is happens but once you see how the bond brings two people together...you don't question it. A lot of the boys have felt it, but before that they looked up to Sam and Emily's relationship. Even though they had a rough start the way that they look at each other, the way they are subconsciously in sync with one another..." He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "It's quite spectacular." Paul glanced at her quickly. Fern believed his statement. She had only seen Sam and Emily's relationship when Sue took her there for a quiet dinner a month ago and they looked very loved up.

"So, if this thing didn't happen to you, would you have given me a second look?" Fern wondered in curiosity. She wished that the question hadn't been playing on her mind like it was, but the suggestion was difficult to bypass. Had Paul not been a shape shifter or had she not been the 'chosen' partner for him, would he ever had been this close to her? Paul's silent pause was deafening.

"I can't answer that honestly, but if you weren't my imprint I wouldn't have pursued you" He replied. Fern turned to him with a lifted brow, while she felt the need to hide her warm cheeks.