Vesper // Paul Lahote

Chapter 7: Nightmares

Dad had only ever been upset with me a handful of times. The first time being when Bella and I got caught in the riptide with Jacob as children. The second time when I snuck out of the house at nine in the middle of the night because I wanted to haunt fairies in the wood. The third time being when I went to my first high school party and accidently ate three weed brownies. In my defense, they looked and tasted just like normal brownies. But now, now Dad was angry once more.

The paramedic was checking my blood pressure for the thrid time in five minutes, and Dad was pacing back and forth in front of me. He was angry, but I think he was more worried than anything. After all, I just saw my first dead body, and I responded by passing out in Dr Cullen's arms. Granted, Waylon's body had been mauled, so my reaction was justified.

The paramedic removed the blood pressure cuff from my arm, and the older woman helped me stand up. The world spun for a second, and Dad helped me climbed down from the back of the ambulence. As soon as I was standing, the paramedic shut the door closed and the ambulences took off.

"Olivia Harper Swan," Dad said, his voice booming. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look up. "What were you thinking?!"

I flinched at his loud voice, and ripped my chin from his pinched fingers. "I-I was scared, okay!" I yelled, tears threatening to fall from my eyes once more. "I-I was worried that it was someone I knew." Like Paul. "No one was telling me who it was, so I had to look for myself."

Dad's face softened, but his chocolate eyes were still hard and held the kindling flames of anger. "Olivia," his voice was still hard, but it shook slighly. "You're grounded for a week."

"But Dad—!"

"Olivia!" he yelled. He rarely yelled. "You delibertly disobeyed me, and if Dr Cullen hadn't been there to catch you, you would have smacked your head against the ambulence. You could have died, Olivia!"

My eyes widened and I stilled. Dad wasn't just angry, he was terrified. I had scared him shitless. Lunging forward, I threw my arms around him and buried my face into his chest. "I'm sorry, Dad."

Dad wasted no time in wrapping his arms around me and kissing the top of my head. He said nothing, he just held me. I wasn't sure how long we stood in the parking lot, just holding one another, but it was long enough for the mist to stop falling, and for the parking lot to start clearing out.

Dad pulled away and cleared his throat. "One week of no cellphone and after school, I exepct you to come right home. You can still go to work and go to practice and volleyball games, but no hanging out with friends."

I nodded. "I understand, Dad."

Wrapping a hand around me, Dad guided me into the police station. We headed into his office and I sat down across from him. The receptionist entered the room a few minutes later with two mugs of tea. She handed one to me, and one to Dad. A heavy silence enveloped the room, and I took small sips of my tea.

Waylon's dead face came to mind and I shivered. I had never seen a dead body before, and Waylon had been mauled. There had been so much blood, and his throat...it had been ripped out. It was like something out of a horror movie. Glancing down, my eyes landed on the dried splotches of blood that marred her jeans. I had dead man's blood on me. God, all I wanted to do was shower and burn my jeans.

Adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, and the mug shook in my hands. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to take a deep breath. I had been so scared...I had been so scared that the body hidden behind the sheet had belonged to Paul. It didn't make sense. I had only spoken to him three times in my life. The first time had been when he had saved me from those bullies on the beach when we had been children. The second time a week ago when we ran into each other after Jared had kicked a soccer ball at me head. And the third and final time a few days ago at the barbeque. There was absolutely no reason for me to be acting at this way. It made no sense.