Preventive • Paul Lahote •

Chapter Six

AN: Sorry for the long wait, here is a long chapter to hopefully make up for it.

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"Mom, I'm home!"

Maddison yelled as she took off her boots and placed them in an awkward position by the front door. Not hearing a reply, she walked into the kitchen threw her satchel from school onto the kitchen table.

"Mom?"

The house continued to remain silent, much to Maddison's dismay. As she walked through the kitchen threshold and into the living room, she expected to see her still grieving mother on the sofa. However, as she approached the old couch, she realized that her mother was not in the place that she had been when she left, or the rest of the week for that matter.

"Well... She did say she was doing something later today," Maddison mumbled to herself as she gave up on the search and went to her bed room.

The brunette tossed herself onto her small bed and instantly wrapped the gray duvet around herself. She knew that she had school work that she needed to do, but instead she buried her face into the mattress and let out a soft scream before just idly lying on the bed for who knows how long. All that she could think about was the soft curve of Paul's lips as he came across her and her friends today. The small smile was quickly replaced by a frown, but she had not missed its presence. His tanned skin still looked flawless as ever and she could swear that every day his muscles became more defined and alluring. It was no secret that her Paul used to be a womanizer and was able to get all of the girls that he wanted, and seeing his new physique, there was no doubt in her mind that his playboy actions were still occurring and probably more frequent. Yet, she couldn't help but be like all of his victims and find herself dreaming of what it would be like to look into those deep brown eyes and see not only admiration, but love, and lust, and pride, and all of the other things that she longed for.

That is why she screamed.

Not because she was frustrated with his interference in her life, once again, but because she secretly savored any glimpse of him that she could get. She was mad at him, but she hated herself for not being able to fully despise him, after all this time.

As she lied on her bed, she heard the soft groaning of her front door opening, the tell-tell sound of the third wooden board from the entrance groaning under someone's weight, and the gentle click as the lights were turned on. Maddison sat up in her bed, unaware of the time, and faced the door. She knew that it wouldn't be an intruder to kill, steal, or harm her on the Rez, but she also didn't know why someone would be in her house, unless it was her mother.

"Mom?"

Maddison's curious and tired voice rang out through the house, and the person halted. It seemed as if the air in the home became icy cold, and the atmosphere thick with something that Maddison could not decipher. If she were superstitions, she imagined this feeling was like what one feels when encountering a vengeful spirit, the air just seemed so... hostile.

"Mom, is that you?"

Maddison sat up from the bed, dropping the comfort of her blanket from around her, and began making her way towards the living room. Her steps were slow and cautious, the suffocating feeling of something being wrong lingering in the air. She moved quietly, avoiding the boards that she knew would creak or groan under her weight.

As she peered into the living room, she could see the front door; The white door wide open, as well as the small screen door. Had it not been for the creaking of the floorboards that she was certain she heard, she would assume that it was just the wind. However, she knew she heard the floorboards creak, and it would be impossible for the wind to blow open the screen door.