Clarity // p.l

035

Thick golden beams of light pushed their way through the thin curtains, it's brightness spilling across Paul's formerly closed eyelids. Rubbing his eyes and moving to his back, one large hand reached out on instinct to warm a body that usually adjusted with his own. "Baby?" His sleep ridden voice was deep, gruff and confused. "El?" Louder this time he called out, body raising to sit up at attention, brown eyes catching on a note on the beside table.

Out causing trouble, be home soon. Love you!

Paul quickly figured out exactly what trouble she'd been getting herself into but then again it wasn't like Elise tried hard to hide it. After getting ready, Paul's truck pulled into the Uley's driveway his heightened hearing picking up on the sound of her voice in the backyard.

"Try again, you have to stay focused."

"I can't focus on my powers and fighting you off at the same time."

Quietly walking inside and peeking at the pair out the window, Paul watched Elise train with Sam. He was shirtless and regardless of the corrections he was making, it was clear that she was giving him a run for his money. "You have to learn how to. If a vampire is trying to attack you they won't wait the extra few moments for you to collect yourself, you have to always be in contact with your gifts so it's easier for you to bring them forth when necessary."

Taking in a deep breath, clearly focused in her teachings, Elise closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, their brilliant blue glowing. "Again."

With no hesitation, Sam threw a series of punches at her, all being blocked or dodged, his final hit being grabbed in Elise's hand, her fingers wrapped around his wrist with a strength he didn't realize she had. "What is your next move? You have the upper hand in this moment so decide your course of action."

"If you were a vampire this arm would already be off," Sam took said hand and put it behind his back as if it was missing, going defensive on the weaker side. "You don't have to keep going so easy on me. The whole time we've been training and you haven't hit me once."

"Easy on you?" Sam took a few steps towards her, body dripping in sweat, his hair was shorter than usual—most likely Emily's doing. "I'm testing your weaknesses, like multi-tasking and letting your emotions get in the way of your better judgement. Me teaching you will not help unless you get out of your head and just feel what's going on around you. In a fight you can have one opponent fighting you and another sneaking up behind you," Sam saw Paul leave from the window and make his way to their training space. Throwing a series of punches, Elise reacted, both blocking and returning jabs. "What do you feel around you as you fight me?"

"It's hot but the wind is blowing," Elise gritted through her teeth as she barely dodged a punch to the face.

"Keep going, everything else you can pick up on while also focusing on me."

Opening up her left side to dodge another punch, her blue eyes caught sight of a new car in the driveway, just as quickly she was back in her stance and fending off another attack. "Paul's here, must've pulled up a few minutes ago."

"Use all of your senses, pretend you can't see. What would you use next." Closing her eyes, it was like Elise was seeing with her ears. The shift of dirt on the ground and change in how the sun was beating on a particular part of her body she figured he was lunging for her. Moving out of the way, she could hear his feet misstep, changing sides led to new sounds. She heard birds chirping from afar but also noticed she didn't hear any other movement, Paul was most likely inside. Maybe he hadn't noticed her and Sam were here.

"Light on your feet, just because your opponent is sloppy doesn't mean you need to be. The less mistakes the better. You need to be completely in tune with the life around you while also focusing on the fight before you."

The louder Sam got the harder Elise focused on his teachings, her body felt as though it was humming. Sam's heartbeat thumped in her ears, his erratic breathing, the way his feet slipped over themselves every few hits. Using all of these advantages, Elise, eyes now opened captured the entirety of Sam's muscular arm between her two, nimbly stepping behind him and grabbing ahold of his other hand rendering him immobile and exposed. Kicking the back of his knees, Sam was belly down, Elise's knee digging into the soft spot on his spine. "You win, you win. Ellie, let me up."

Elise couldn't help herself though, she felt so powerful, pulling back on his arms more, stretching the tendons under his armpits and sides. "If you were the vampire in question, you'd be torn apart with just a tug."

"Ellie, this is just practice. I am not trying to hurt you. Snap out of it."

Retracting immediately it was like Elise regained control of her limbs, the hungry darkness that had previously clouded her vision was sinking back to wherever it had come from, skittering limbs still ebbing at the corners of her mind. "I don't know what just happened, Sam I am so sorry."

Glancing over at the shaking teenage girl, Sam sighed, stretching out his sore muscles and leaning to stand up. "Your powers aren't all rainbows and sunshine, Elise. They hold very dark temptations but you must hold onto that good. Don't let it control you."

"I won't let anyone down, Sam. I promise."

"Don't make any promises, you aren't sure what could happen down the line to make you break them."

Feeling determined, Elise's stance straightened up to address the man before her. "I have too much to lose to break the promises I make. I have every intention of keeping them, believe that."

"I believe in everything that involves you, Ellie. You don't even see how great you will be."

Sam wasn't a fate, he couldn't see into the future or know how others lives were going to play out before anyone else, but he trusted his gut. And it told him that as long as they stuck by her side, everything would be okay.

Breaking the moment, Paul called his imprint from the window, a folded piece of toast holding whatever Emily had made cupped in his hand like a prize. "Come eat, not sure how long until the other animals will come and devour it all."

"Same time tomorrow?"

Sam nods, one hand buried in the pocket of his cut off shorts. "You know where to find me."