midnight | paul lahote

chapter 5 | the ties that bind us

Margery looked across to her grandmother, jaw-dropping at the news. "I'm a what?!" She exclaimed, confused.

"You're a witch, dear, and an exceptional one if you're anything like myself or your mother." The old woman nodded, smiling softly at her granddaughter, "you're from a long line of native magic-users." 

"Mom was a witch too?" Margery repeated, "wait, I'm a witch, that's why mom sent me here with you."

"Yes, but your mother chose to live with your father, he's a human, and so her magic was revoked, you could say. The coven cannot chance humans knowing. It could be detrimental to us." Gran said, confirming Margery's phrase, "your mother sensed your magic becoming too powerful for you to be safe in the city. You need to harness your abilities, and I am the best learner you could have."

Margery took in this information, then glanced at Paul, then back to her Gran, "so, what about these visions? I keep seeing stuff. First, when I looked at Paul, I could see stuff, like glimpses of different scenes. And, with Emily, I touched her hand and I could see how she got her scar." 

"You have the Sight, dear. It's a powerful ability, no doubt about it. But with Paul, dear, that's a little different. It's not uncommon for a witch to have a soulmate, although I haven't heard of one having a wolf for a soulmate. I'll admit that it is a little peculiar. Anywho, you two are destined to be together, whether that's a platonic or romantic relationship." The old woman spoke soft and gentle, knowing this would be a lot to take in for Margery.

Margery looked to Paul, "Sam and Emily, they're still together after what he did. Are they soulmates, or is it just a witch thing?"

"Well, werewolves have a similar bond, but it's called imprinting. Sam imprinted on Emily, so that means he's there for her until the end of time. Whether she needs a friend, a brother, a lover, he's there for anything she needs." Paul explained, rubbing at the back of his neck as he leaned back against the couch.

"Right, and soulmates are a little different for witches because your soulmate can affect your abilities and their strength. Rejection from a soulmate, although it is extremely uncommon, can cause magic abilities to weaken to the point of them vanishing." Gran filled in for her.

"What kind of stuff could I do? Could I hurt people?" Margery asked, worried as she looked down at her hands. 

"Only if you're untrained. Without proper training, your abilities will be controlled by your emotions and I'm sure you could see how that could be dangerous." Her Gran replied, reaching across to take hold of the girl's trembling hands.

Margery heaved a sigh, feeling tears well in her eyes, but refusing to let any stream down her cheeks. She gently pulled her hands away from Gran's grasp, rubbing quickly at her eyes to get rid of the tears. "I'm going to bed," she announced, saying a quick bye to Paul and goodnight to her Gran before disappearing upstairs.

Paul conversed with Gran for a few more moments, getting a stern warning that the old lady didn't care what either of their cultures dictated, if Margery wound up broken-hearted, Gran would make quick work of the wolf. Paul knew that Gran was more than capable and took this warning to heart. 

* * * * *

Upstairs, Margery could hear her Gran and Paul conversing, she could hear the old woman threaten the boy and couldn't help the chuckle that came out. She changed into a t-shirt and pyjama shorts, climbing into her sheets and grabbing the knitting project she'd placed on her nightstand. It was a pair of socks for Charlie Swan's daughter, Bella. Gran had told her that Bella had just arrived from Arizona, and had been in a terrible accident recently, and Margery guessed that the girl would find Forks to be rather cold after just getting the cast off her leg.

She hadn't met the girl yet, but Margery had a soft spot for her already, knowing what it was like to suddenly move to a new place by herself. The socks were being made from hand-dyed yarn in deep purple. 

After some time had passed and the sun had set, leaving Margery nearly in darkness, aside from the lamp on her nightstand, she finally put down the needles and work, finding the second sock was nearly finished. She reached and flicked the light off, burrowing into the sheets and falling asleep rather quickly. 

She was awoken only after a few hours of restless sleep, jolting with a rush to sit in her bed. She heaved deep breaths, tears in her eyes. The image of the redhead with sharp teeth had come up in her head while she was asleep, and had startled her awake. She pushed back against her headboard, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. She wiped away the small rivers on her cheeks, sniffling. 

Glancing out the window, she noticed she had a beautiful view of the moon. It was only a half-moon tonight, but it still encouraged Margery to get out of bed and pull on a cardigan to go outside. Along her way, she slipped on some socks from her drawer she'd knit, a pair of fuzzy pink ones.

Margery found herself on the back porch, pulling her cardigan around her as she stared up into the sky, admiring the moon and the stars. Here in La Push, it was much easier to see the stars, with less pollution in the air. Her head turned to the woods, where she heard a cracking of twigs. Somehow, she could sense who it was, and called out, "I know you're there, you can stop hiding." 

A large wolf emerged from the tree-line, slowly sauntering towards Margery. The girl wasn't scared, although she was a little surprised that he was willing to show himself in this way so soon. She held her breath, going to sit on the bottom step of the back stairs. "Paul?" She questioned, wanting confirmation that she wasn't just talking to a wild animal.

The wolf nodded, its dark brown eyes staring back at her. 

"So. . . we're soulmates." She stated, looking down at her hands in her lap. She was cracking her knuckles.

The wolf nodded again, this time, though, Margery swore she could feel a warmth settling over her, soothing the nerves she had.

"You can't really talk as a wolf, can you?" She asked, gaining a shake of his head.

"Right." She muttered, wanting to learn more but knowing he couldn't speak this way, "Could you change?" 

The wolf shook its head.

Margery furrowed her brows, then thought of something, "What if I just ask yes or no questions?"

The wolf hesitated before nodding, then seated itself beside her on the ground. 

She mulled over what she wanted to know first, finally asking, "does it hurt?"

A nod.

"Is it bad?"

A shake of its head indicated no.

"We don't have to define our relationship yet, do we? I don't know if I'm ready for anything yet, really." She inquired, earning another shake of its head. 

"You're not disappointed, are you?" 

Another head shake, this one emphasized.

Margery accepted this, leaning back against the stairs behind her as she looked up at the stars again. "I forgot how beautiful the stars were." She murmured, trying to remember which constellations she knew. 

The wolf shuffled around, placing its head in her lap, rubbing its ear along her bare thigh where he shorts had ridden up. She absent-mindedly smoothed her hand over its head, pulling back when she realized what she was doing could be downright disrespectful. "Sorry," she said, pulling her hands down by her sides, "I didn't think."

The wolf only nudged at her hand, looking up at her. She peered down at him, faintly aware of the horrible angle he'd be seeing her from, then to her hand, getting the message and returning to smoothing the fur along the top of the wolf's head.

"Man, my dad is going to flip when he finds out I have a soulmate." She joked, hearing what sounded like a barked laugh coming from Paul.

"I could get used to this," she uttered under her breath, not knowing Paul could still hear her loud and clear.