CHAPTER TEN:
EYES OF MY ENEMY

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

PAUL SWORE HIS HEART almost stopped beating when he arrived at school the next morning to find Maggie at her locker reading a book about vampires. It wasn't that he didn't expect her to be curious, especially after everything that had happened, but the realisation that she was so close to finding out what he was... well, truth be told, it scared the absolute shit out of him. In one way, he never wanted to tell her about anything. He liked oblivious Maggie. In another, however, he decided that he'd rather it be him than a dumb mythology book that wasn't even accurate anyways. Or worse, a confrontation with the very creature that had claimed her mother's life. He didn't know what he would do if she became another Delilah Sullivan or Carson Burns.

Paul let out a sigh as she flipped to the next page eagerly, running a hand down the side of his tired face. It was way too early for this.

"Hey."

Maggie looked up from her book in a daze, surprised to find Paul standing opposite her. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink with dark circles underneath his eyes, and yet he smirked down at her with his usual energy as she smiled shyly. "Oh, good morning, Paul."

"Morning," he replied before tugging at the collar of his shirt in annoyance, heat radiating through the fabric. Across from him, Maggie was tucked into a thick knitted sweater and she was still shivering from the wind blowing through the door every time someone opened it. She eyed his exposed arms with a frown and wondered how he hadn't managed to catch frostbite on the way there. "What are you reading?"

The question seemed to catch her off guard. Before he had a chance to read the book's name (or so she thought) she quickly closed it and hid it inside her locker. "Just a book my sister suggested."

Her heart skipped a beat. Liar.

He nodded slowly, staring at her now shut locker door with a clenched jaw. Maggie muttered his name softly, frowning uneasily, before he met her eyes again and the look faded away. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later. We could go to the beach."

"You want to hang out?" she repeated, unsure if she heard him right. "With me?"

"Yeah," he grinned with pride as her cheeks flushed red. He had made her blush. "If you want to."

"O-okay," she stuttered, the words dying on her tongue as she tried to get them out. She winced, silently cursing to herself as his amusement only grew more obvious. "I'd like that."

He nodded, beginning to retreat down the hallway. "See you after school then."

Maggie watched him leave with a giddy smile on her lips. Even when he was out of sight, she stared down the hallway, unsure if what had just happened was real. Paul wanted to hang out with her. He wanted to know Maggie Sullivan. It made her insides feel warm in a way she hadn't experienced in a long time. But of course, that feeling was squashed when Hayden arrived and in tow she brought along a rowdy Quil, Embry and Jacob.

"What's got you so happy?" Hayden raised a curious brow at the girl when she finally noticed the look on her face, her question also drawing the boys' attention to Maggie's rosy cheeks.

"No one," she muttered, defensive at first and thinking later. Her word choice, while an attempt to dodge Hayden's question, only served to pique her interest.

"I never asked if it was a person," she smirked, leaning in to Quil's side as he 'oohed' teasingly. "So who are they?"

Maggie sighed hesitantly, glancing around them to check if anyone was listening. When she was sure nobody was, she looked back at Hayden, ignoring the trio of boys confusedly watching from next to them. "Paul wants to hang out later."

"Really?" Hayden gasped, though her excitement for her friend was quickly drowned out by the disbelief of Quil and his friends.

"Paul?" Jacob scowled, almost sounding disgusted — actually, no, there was no almost about it. "As in Paul Lahote?"

"Yeah," Maggie stumbled, frowning nervously when he scoffed. "What's the problem?"

Tense silence ensued. Hayden and Quil exchanged a wary glance as the latter wandered up beside Hayden, while Embry nudged Jacob warningly as he shook his head at Maggie. "Are you seriously going to 'hang out' with Paul Lahote? When you know who else he hangs around with? How stupid can you be, Maggie?"

Suddenly, Maggie felt very foolish. Her rosy blush was no longer from butterflies. On the contrary, red hot shame burned beneath her skin as Jacob looked at her like a naïve child. Gripping her textbooks to her chest like they were some sort of shield to protect her heart, Maggie averted her gaze to the floor.

"I'm going to class," she muttered, hearing Jacob scoff again before she pushed him aside. His skin felt like fire, burning with rage.

The last thing she heard was Hayden's annoyed voice before she rounded the corner and lost sight of them. Part of her wanted to go back there and give Jacob Black a piece of her mind. It wasn't his business what she did with her life. She wasn't some baby that everyone needed to fuss over, and she wasn't his friend either. He didn't get to have an opinion about her, and yet his thoughts stuck like glue to the weakest parts of her.

Was she being stupid agreeing to meet Paul? That was the million dollar question. Rumours weren't always true, Maggie knew that personally. Even that morning, people still looked at her and whispered 'Carson' under their breath. She didn't think Paul was the bad guy everyone made him out to be, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was making a big mistake as she entered her first class for the day with Jacob Black's angry face still mocking her thoughts.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

THE SCHOOL DAY WAS over and done with sooner than Maggie wanted it to be. As the bell rang above her head, she heaved a heavy sigh, taking her time packing up her things and leaving the room. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about what Jacob said, and yet Paul's smile was there too, asking her to trust him.

Zeke and Dakota were waiting beside their car when Maggie exited the main building into the parking lot. Just a few spots down was Paul. He was leaning against his truck talking to Jared, who made his way over to his own car when Paul spotted Maggie. The girl in question hesitated for a moment, glancing between Paul and her siblings before making her decision.

"Take these," she said as she approached Zeke, pressing the keys into the palm of his hand despite his confused frown.

"Why?" Dakota asked as she shared a wary glance with her twin. "What are you doing?"

Maggie looked over her shoulder at Paul. For once, he seemed nervous, doubtful almost. His grin was long gone as he lingered awkwardly. Their eyes met and he lifted his hand in a wave, a signal she returned shyly before turning back to Zeke and Dakota.

"I get it now," Zeke was smirking, tossing the keys between his hands as he glanced between his baby sister and the boy staring at the back of her head. "You've got a date."

"No," she immediately protested, but Zeke and Dakota had seen and heard enough.

"You better get going," her sister cooed. "You wouldn't want to keep your boyfriend waiting."

"Oh my god," Maggie muttered, cheeks bright red. She refused to look up from the pavement as the twins laughed. "Okay, I'm leaving now. I'll see you at home."

The two called out their 'goodbyes' as Maggie turned to make her way over to Paul. However, before she was able to leave completely, Zeke was latching onto her wrist and turning her around to face him.

"What's wrong?" she frowned.

"Just," he hesitated. "Stay safe, yeah?" Maggie went to protest before he quickly interrupted her. "I know you can take care of yourself, but it's my job as your brother to worry. So be safe."

"Okay," she murmured. "I promise."

He nodded, releasing her wrist and taking a step back. Once Maggie had reached Paul's side, he spun around and hopped behind the wheel of the car, Dakota already waiting in the passenger seat. Zeke's phone was buzzing incessantly in the pocket of his jeans but he ignored the calls and texts as he started up the bug and reversed out of the parking lot.

"Someone clearly wants to talk to you," Dakota pointed out after several minutes of listening to his phone blow up. "You gonna answer it?"

He shook his head immediately, swallowing thickly at just the thought. "They can wait."

She raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway, turning to look out the window as rain slowly began to fall in sheets. She could tell he didn't want to talk about it and normally she'd do the opposite of what Maggie would do and she'd annoy him until he cracked, but something seemed different this time. They were silent for a while, the radio playing music low in the background, before Dakota was asking the one question that had lingered on both of their minds since they departed from school.

"You think she's gonna be alright?" she murmured.

Zeke hesitated, but from the corner of her eye, Dakota saw him nod. "It's Maggie."

And then they were silent again.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

IN A FORCE OF habit, Maggie and Paul ended up at the beach. It was busier than it usually was despite the rain that came and went. There were a few families littered around, groups of school kids on their way home just like them. Rather than sitting in the damp sand dunes like she would have if Paul hadn't been there, Maggie decided that she wanted to keep moving. And so she kicked off her shoes, tying the laces together before hanging them in the crook of her elbow and jogging down to the water with her jeans rolled up her calves. Paul shook his head before following her, letting out a hiss as ice cold water tumbled over his feet.

"You did this on purpose," he grumbled when Maggie cackled to the right of him, just out of reach of the roaring waves.

"Maybe, maybe not," she shrugged before gesturing further down the beach. "Come on."

They walked in silence for a while. Paul kept shooting her less-than-subtle stares of fondness as her hair whipped around her face in the wind. She was clearly struggling to control it as it got caught up in her eyes and her mouth, leaving her blind-sighted and spluttering like a mess in front of a cute boy, of all people. Paul chuckled and didn't think as he reached out to help her. Maggie's vision cleared as he pushed her hair behind her ears, obviously not thinking about the implications of his actions as his hot fingertips grazed across the planes of her cheekbones.

"You're such a clutz," he muttered in amusement before catching her wide eyes and pausing. "Sorry, did I overstep?"

She quickly shook her head. "No, you're good." He was more than good but Maggie wasn't about to say that. She'd embarrassed herself more than enough times around Paul Lahote. It was a wonder he didn't think she was a total loony. "So, why did you want to spend time with me?"

There it was. The million dollar question. But in true Maggie Sullivan fashion, she was so awkward about it that it hurt.

Paul just shrugged, raising an eyebrow as she turned to look anywhere but him. "Am I meant to have a reason?"

"No, of course not—" she cut herself off with a sigh when Paul laughed again. "Nevermind. I don't know what I'm saying."

He simply waved her off before changing the topic. Maggie was happy to take the distraction, chatting away animatedly while Paul listened with a smile. She didn't notice the way his expression shifted in thought, the truth behind the lie. For despite what he said, there was a reason, and it all came down to that book about vampires in her bag. 

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

A/N: Just you guys wait to see what I've got in store for Zeke and Dakota. Everything about their scene in this chapter was calculated and while it might seem irrelevant at the moment, I promise that it's importance to Maggie's plot and the plot in general is going to make sense soon. It's not long until Maggie learns the truth ;)