𓇢‎ 𓆸‎‎

‘she’s    probably  so  cold.’  a  quiet  mutter  barely  audible  to  his  human  ears,  another  person  unable  to  sleep  because  of  the  night’s  events.  he  was  about  to  speak  when  paulina  spoke  again,  defensiveness  coloring  her  voice  blue.  “you  don’t  have  to  defend  yourself;  tonight  was  a  lot.  i’m  surprised  more  people  aren’t  taking  walks  right  now.”  he  smiled  at  her  gently,  trying  to  reassure  her  that  she  didn’t  have  to  defend  her  coping  mechanism.  “you  know…  if  it’s  any  comfort,  it’d  be  a  good  thing  if  she  was  cold  right  now,  it  means  her  body  is  still  fighting  and  so  is  she.  and  i  think  she  is,  us  forks  folk  are  built  to  tough  it  out.”

it  caught  her  off  guard  —  the  gentleness  of  his  approach,  a  calming  demeanor  almost  washing  over  the  night  in  some  momentary  turning  of  its  tragic  tide.  she  stilled,  then,  halting  her  approach  and  instead,  leaning  against  a  pillar,  attempting  to  garner  the  more  sane  aspects  of  her  brain,  hand  moving  to  pinch  at  the  bridge  of  her  nose.  "  my  apologies  —  i  didn't  see  you  there.  "  hardly  one  for  admitting  her  pitfalls,  taking  space  was  a  skill  that'd  only  come  after  years  of  fine  tuning,  but  with  augustos,  it  felt  necessary.  he  wasn't  deserving  of  the  pau  whose  conduct  was  nearly  as  cold  as  her  blood. "  yeah,  "  paulina  nodded,  allowing  herself  to  find  fortitude  in  his  faith.  the  levity  alone  was  enough  to  punch  out  a  laugh,  something  soft,  only  for  herself,  really.  these  caretakers  and  their  calming  words  continues  to  remain  a  mystery  to  her  —  she  thinks,  then,  of  her  aunt,  a  midwife  with  a  voice  smooth  as  butter,  a  similar  timbre  to  the  man  who  stood  before  her.  "  i'm  assuming  this  is  part  of  your  medical  school  training,  then  ?  talking  sense  into  people  ?  giving  them  hope  ?  "

it was instant, the knowing — not a thought, not even a suspicion, but a sharp and gut-deep certainty that something awful had taken root. not just a girl gone quiet, not just someone who forgot to say goodbye. this was absence with teeth. callum felt it coil in his chest like smoke, heavy and foreboding. she was gone. dead, or worse — something he didn’t even have the language for yet, only the wary scaffolding of belief he'd been building around his hollow places for years. so he did the only thing that made sense: he went to the woods. not because he thought he could solve it. he wasn’t that naive. but maybe there would be something waiting for him out there — a sign, a wrongness, a glimpse of something the others were too afraid or too blind to notice. he was halfway between the noise and nothing when he saw her — someone else, not far, close enough to see the pale shape of her but not close enough to read the expression. he didn’t speak. but when her voice broke through the hush like the snap of a brittle bone, he figured standing there in silence was worse. "didn't say ya did." he replied, his boots finding their rhythm in the soft earth as he moved toward her. "doesn't sound like it's doing you much good."

each  step  forward  prompted  her  own  to  retreat,  the  rhythmic  crunch  of  loose  gravel  punctuating  short  phrases  exchanged  between.  paulina  felt  cornered,  even  despite  the  abilities  that  have  allowed  her  kind  to  evade  such  feelings  of  intimidation.  even  so,  humanity  was  never  a  weakness,  never  once  had  she  seen  it  as  such,  not  even  in  a  foot  race.  but  his,  this  stranger,  someone  she'd  only  seen  in  passing,  his  mortality  smells  distinctly  other,  as  if  she  could  sniff  out  the  soot,  the  dirt  caked  beneath  well-worn  leather,  “  you  can  go,  then.  ”  she  insisted,  voice  unwavering,  her  movements  almost  serpentine,  the  intentional  weave  between  obstacles  to  place  barriers  between  the  two.  “  unless  you've  taken  it  upon  yourself  to  conduct  night  patrols.  ”  jaw  clenched,  eyes  wavering  between  the  other  and  flickering  street  lamps.  “  i  can  assure  you,  though,  i'm  fine.  ”

nothing  like  someone  going  missing  to  set  the  world  on  fire.     if  there's  anything  worthwhile  about  forks,  it's  that  the  town's  close-knit  enough  to  care  about  their  own.  it's  something  juliette  reluctantly  admires.  easy  enough  to  play  the  role  of  fellow  concerned  citizen  even  if  just  for  a  night.  a  girl  goes  missing  and  here  she  is,  the  opposite  of  afraid,  wanting  to  whet  her  appetite  with  the  sheer  excitement  of  whatever's  to  come.  she's  always  loved  a  mystery.  what  she  hadn't  expected  was  another  silhouette  to  be  out  tonight.  “  is  that  what  they  knock  into  you  when  you  join  silvan  ?  to  jump  at  shadows  and  keep  excuses  on  the  tip  of  your  tongue  ?  i  wouldn't  have  judged  you  even  if  you  had  that  girl's  blood  all  over  your  mouth.  ”  closer  she  edges,  serpent  swaying  through  branches  to  whisper  in  eve's  ear.  “  you're  lucky  i'm  the  one  who  stumbled  here.  you're  sounding  like  a  guilty  party  without  even  trying.  ”

allegiances  remained  a  fickle  thing,  some  futile  marker,  rather  than  these  elaborate  distinctions  that  mark  clear  lines  within  forks.  shared  virtues  may  come  into  play,  yes,  but  to  paulina,  it  acted  as  nothing  more  than  this  veil  of  security  —  something  that,  now,  could  possibly  buckle  under  the  strain  of  what  has  conspired  tonight.  “  not  shadows,  you.  ”  paulina  wasn't  admitting  to  fear,  rather  simplifying  what  was  known,  how  juliette  seemed  to  conveniently  approach  when  she'd  been  knocked  off  kilter.  she  straightened  up,  her  posture  rigid  at  the  mention  of  hannah,  brutal  possibilities  vividly  inching  behind  her  eyes,  though  pau  didn't  dare  comment.  “  and  what,  then  ?  do  i  owe  you  my  gratitude  ?  i'm  not  interested  in  whatever  form  of  repayment  you  have  in  mind.  ” 

''oh- no, no, i wasn't thinking you did. i just needed to get some air and- oh, its you...'' alissa stopped in her tracks as soon as she realized who it was; paulina. for some unknown reason, the other woman seemed to avoid her like the plague and alissa had noticed time and time again. '' i'm- i'm sorry, didn't mean to bother you. '' being at adds with somebody was unusual for her, she was used to the opposite; making friends and making sure those friendships became family for her, so the whole situation with paulina was one she didn't know how to navigate.

pau  should've  known  forks  was  different  the  moment  she'd  stepped  into  town  —  upon  first  glance,  immediately  meeting  eyes  with  bright  tones  that  stood  proudly  amongst  pacific  northwest  greyness.  it  wasn't  that  alone  that  took  her  aback,  though  that  sure  factored  into  it,  but  rather,  the  familiarity  of  dimpled  cheeks  and  brown  doe  eyes.  paulina  didn't  know  that  forks  came  with  ghosts  alongside  its  other  entities,  but  as  far  as  she  knew,  alissa  towner  was  nothing  but  flesh  and  blood  —  that  warm,  bright  red,  the  same  that  rushed  throughout  her  own  the  last  time  a  face  like  that  remained  a  constant  within  her  life.  “  you're  okay.  ”  aware  tensions  were  on  high,  she  didn't  want  to  leave,  the  fear  of  another  disappearance  prodding  at  her  skull.  “  are  you  ?  okay,  i  mean  ?  it's  not  safe  to  be  out  by  yourself.  not  tonight.  ”

SEX EDUCATION (2019—) Season 3 Episode 8

DIRTY DANCING: HAVANA NIGHTS (2004)

Don't Let Them See Me Like This, Jasmine Gibson

THE LOST BOYS 1987 — dir. Joel Schumacher

A Letter to Three Wives (1949) dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz

ADRIA ARJONA as MADISON FIGUEROA MASTERS HIT MAN ‧ 2023

FROY GUTIERREZ AS JAMIE HENSON Cruel Summer (2021) dir. Bert V. Royal

JACKIE (2016) dir. Pablo Larrain

(courtesy of noknowshame)