Hi gang! I am so excited to introduce, officially, Distractions!

As you know, if you read a bit of the author's notes, and some of the comments I made, this series is going to be an anthology (which if you don't know, means that essentially, the story isn't told in chronological order), so that means that I can write stories about Beau from all the way when he was a human, to all the way when he's like a thousand years old.

Now, the actual premise of this is really simple, it's essentially a 'what if?' where we ask the question of, what if Archie never saw Beau in his visions? What if, for whatever reason, Archie couldn't see Beau, in the same way he couldn't see the wolves?

What would Beau do, after everything is said and done with Victor, and the pack, and with his relationships with Charlie, and Jules, and whatnot? What would he do? Personally, I think that Beau would do the same thing Edythe (as he imagines) would do. And that would be to find distractions.

In this story, Beau is going to travel the world, exploring different cultures, exploring himself, and meeting interesting people.

Now, a couple of things to note. For one, I did make two pretty big changes to this universe that you'll need to know, and secondly, a little info about the number at the top of each chapter.

I have made a couple of changes to this universe, three to be specific, and you might need to know them, in order to not be confused when reading Distractions. I'll make it quick, swearsies.

1. At the top of the story is a set amount of time; in this case, 1 year, 1 month. It's to help keep track of where Beau is as a character since this is an anthology. The number represents how long it's been since Edythe left him. The farther along his timeline, the healthier he will seem.

2. In twilight, newborns are newborns for roughly last a year. But to give myself some more wiggle room, I'm going to change that. Newborns last typically 2 years in the Distractions universe.

3. Archie cannot see Beau in his visions. When he turned, his power became more pronounced, and like the wolves, Archie can't see him. That way Beau can do whatever he wants, without the Cullens coming and stopping his world tour.

Lastly, this is practice for me to get better at writing without the crutch of having a book to rely on, so some of it, or all of it is gonna be a bit rough haha. Just a heads up!

(P.S. The schedule for this is every ten days - the 10th, the 20th, and the 30th)

Happy reading! Have a great day gang!

1 Year, 9 Months

The rain was relentless over the Galloway Forest, its intensity only stronger with how late it was. The clock was edging toward two in the morning, and the storm seemed to conspire with the darkness to swallow everything whole. Each raindrop was like a cold reminder of the night's air of dread, drumming a relentless rhythm against the canopy of trees.

I couldn't feel the chill anymore, being what I am, but I was very aware of how uncomfortable the rain could be for every one human. I could remember how annoying it was… it was still annoying - the cold and wet. But they were out here in the storm anyway, braving the elements, desperately searching for a little boy who had been missing for way too long.

The forest was alive with movement. Police vans lined the edge of the trees, their floodlights cutting through the rain and fog like desperate fingers reaching into the abyss. Officers, clad in reflective vests that glinted under the artificial lights, hustled around, preparing for the search. Flashlights bobbed through the gloom, a chain of beacons in the murky darkness.

A burly redhead, his face set in a grim expression of determination, shouted commands into a megaphone. His voice, though strained, carried over the howling wind and pounding rain.

"Okay, people! Listen up—you know what's going on and what we're gonna be doing! We've got a missing kid, somewhere north of these woods!" The words were urgent, laden with an intensity that spoke of desperation and resolve. "It stretches for 300 miles! And he's been gone for over two days… he's not gonna make it much longer if we don't find him. So we're going in four groups, spread out, and call out! His name's Colin! Colin Dunburrow! Group A and B, you're going that way!" He pointed sharply behind him, towards the left. "Group C and D—head in the opposite direction. Get to it!"

I watched as the search teams fanned out into the forest, their voices calling out the boy's name. The darkness swallowed them quickly, but the light from their flashlights remained visible, like a string of hope threading through the night. Not that I would need that to see them if it came down to it.

While they began their search, I decided to see if I could find any information on where Colin had last been seen. From the snippets of conversation I overheard, it was clear that their plan was based on guesses. They knew he was somewhere in the forest, but beyond that, the vast expanse of 300 miles was a daunting challenge.

Pulling up the collar of my coat, I walked toward the vans, weaving through the few people who remained behind. Their role was to wait—either for a miraculous appearance or to provide immediate medical aid if needed. Among them, an older man was leaning against a four-wheeler, engaged in a quiet conversation with a woman who stood apart, her shoulders trembling with every sob that shook her frame.

She was unmistakably Colin's mother. Her sorrow was palpable, her tears mingling with the rain, an echo of her heartache that could be felt even without words. Her cries pierced through the storm, each word a haunting reminder of the pain and desperation she felt.

"You don't have to worry, Cassie; we've got almost a hundred people out here searching. Colin's gonna be fine," the older man's voice was a mixture of reassurance and exhaustion.

"He's been gone for two days!" Her voice snapped back, edged with frustration and fear. She was soaking wet, her arms crossed tightly, trying to shield herself from both the rain and the encroaching despair. "He could be…" Her voice faltered, and she shook her head, closing her eyes as if willing the cruel reality away.

I took a deep breath, letting my eyes sweep over the area. There was a sense of helplessness that clung to the woman, a profound sadness that seemed to hang in the air like the storm itself. Changing my course slightly, I walked over to the vans where a few coordinators were gathered around a large map. A red-headed woman was examining it, her expression weary but focused.

"Excuse me," I said softly as I approached her, my voice barely rising above the storm. "Could I borrow that?" I pointed to an unused umbrella that was holding down the map. "I think she might need it." I nodded towards the distraught mother.

The woman looked up, her eyes reflecting fatigue, but as she got a good look at me, surprise flickered across her face, followed by a deep flush that was so pronounced, that I could almost smell it despite the rain. "Oh, uh, of course," she stammered, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

I nodded my thanks and took the umbrella, its fabric rustling softly as I opened it. I made my way back to the grieving mother, the umbrella held above my head as I walked over.
I felt behind me the weight of curious stares from the remaining personnel. I was an outsider here, a stranger caught in their midst, my presence drawing attention in a way that was both familiar and uncomfortable. Being a vampire came with its own set of challenges, and being the center of attention was one of them. One of my least favorite to be honest… I wasn't all that used to being… attractive.

With difficulty, I ignored the little purring whisper from my angel. "You're incredibly attractive Beau."

"Hello," I said, trying to keep my voice gentle and comforting. Though I was accustomed to being observed, talking to people was a different kind of challenge. "I thought you might like to stay dry." I held the umbrella over her, offering a semblance of protection from the storm.

Cassie looked up, her face streaked with both rain and tears. For a moment, her gaze met mine, and a quiet gratitude filled her eyes.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice a fragile whisper against the backdrop of the storm.

I nodded, unable to find words that could truly offer comfort. Instead, I stood silently beside her, sharing the quiet solidarity of the moment. The storm raged on, but in that small, sheltered space, there was a fleeting sense of connection, a brief respite from the overwhelming sadness that hung over the night.

"I'm really sorry to bother you," I said, my voice as soft as I could manage after a moment. I tried to convey as much sympathy as possible through my eyes, though I wasn't sure how successful I was. "I know this really sucks," I continued, shrugging slightly, hoping the gesture would help communicate my genuine concern. "But I think I might be able to help out a little bit better than the others."

The older man beside her, who had been leaning against his four-wheeler with a weary air, looked at me with a mixture of skepticism and disdain. His face was lined with the kind of frustration that comes from dealing with grief. "And how might you do that, boy?" His tone was sharp, his eyes conveying that he saw me as a cruel fool for offering false hope.

I ignored him, focusing instead on Cassie, whose tear-streaked face looked up at me with a glimmer of hesitant hope. "I'm a hunter… from America, obviously," I said with a faint smile, hoping it might reassure her. "And I have a lot of experience with tracking. If you could just tell me where you last saw Colin, I think I might be able to find him."

Her eyes widened, a flicker of hope crossing her features before quickly being overshadowed by the older man's dismissive tone. "He's been missing for almost two days," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "And the rain would've swallowed up any of his tracks… if you want to help, go join the others." He pushed himself off the four-wheeler and placed a hand on her shoulder, his gesture one of patronizing comfort. "Don't listen to him, Cassie."

But Cassie shook her head fiercely, her resolve quickly hardening. "If there is even the tiniest hope that this man can find my Colin, then I'm going to take it, Scott." Her voice was fierce, and Scott's hand fell away as she turned back to me, her gaze pleading and desperate.

"Do you really think you can find my boy, sir?" she asked, her voice trembling with hope and fear.

I nodded, my own heart aching for her. "Just tell me where you saw him last."

"He was playing in the backyard," she said, her voice catching as she wiped tears from her cheeks. "My house sits on the edge of the woods, just down that way." She gestured toward the line of houses visible in the distance, a little less than a mile down the road. "I told him… I—I told him not to go into the woods… I did, he just…" Her voice faltered, and she hugged herself tighter, the anguish in her eyes a stark reminder of her mother's love and fear.

I wasn't sure how to comfort her. Talking to people, and trying to comfort them, was a skill I had yet to really master… I'd have to tack it on with everything else I sucked at. Jules had always been better at this than I was. The thought of her made me miss her a whole lot more, or literally anyone who could handle helping with… emotions.
And as if in answer to my unspoken wish, I felt a delicate touch on my arm.

Looking down, I saw a pale hand resting on me, the touch light yet comforting. My heart ached, remembering the gentle presence of my angel. "Like this," she whispered in my ear, her breath warm against my skin. A soft, cool kiss brushed my neck, and I felt a surge of reassurance and calm.

I placed my hand gently on Cassie's shoulder, drawing on my own strength and the quiet support of my ethereal companion. "It'll be okay," I murmured, trying to imbue my words with as much comfort as I could muster. "I'll find him." I carefully handed her the umbrella, which she took with trembling hands, her gratitude palpable even through her tears.

"I promise," I said, my voice firm but gentle, "I'll be back soon." With that, I turned and began walking away, my steps quickening as I moved out of the sight of the humans. I headed towards the houses she had indicated, the urgency of the search driving me forward.

"Thank you!" Cassie's voice called after me, a mix of desperation and hope that pierced through the storm.

The night pressed in around me, the rain a relentless curtain as I moved swiftly toward the edge of the woods. With every step, I felt the weight of Cassie's hope and the burden of her anguish. The forest loomed ahead, dark and impenetrable, but I was determined. I had a promise to keep, and the shadows of the night were not going to deter me from finding Colin. It's not like it could.

The search party had started this far because they assumed the child would have run to his favorite creek. That's apparently what Cassie had told them, and is the first place she and her husband looked when they realized that he'd gotten lost in the woods. They assumed that he couldn't make his way back and went further in, rather than out. So, they started from the closest point to that creek, which was smart, and hopefully right.

But if they weren't, then it would be just as good if I could search the rest of the forest for them. That way we could help the boy faster. After all, I knew what it was like getting lost in the woods, and it was not fun… Well, to be fair, I wasn't really coherent for the majority of it, but it still wasn't great.

Within minutes I'd gotten to the house, the only thing slowing me down being the few cars passing by on the street, forcing me to look like a human. I could smell Cassie's scent all over the closest one. It was a small building, with a nice brown fence and white walls, with what looked like a garden in the front. It would've been idyllic if not for the fact that the place had a high chance of flooding.

I hopped over the fence and ran into the back - it was nice as well, there was a small playground, and a few scattered, muddy toys littering the ground. The rain was gonna make tracking harder… and there was a whole two days head start the boy's scent had… and I still didn't quite know what I was doing.

"You do love. Breath. Remember what Cato taught you." My angel whispered in my ear.

"You mean after he stopped trying to kill me?" I muttered, feeling my lips quirk up, remembering my friend. She just laughed softly as I nodded, squatting down, my arms on my knees, and I closed my eyes. I trusted her… if she said I could do this, then I didn't doubt it. I inhaled, letting the many different aromas fill my senses.

Petrichor.

Plastic.

The humans searching the woods.

Hhm… I could smell… blood? It wasn't fresh.

I opened my eyes again and looked back at the tiny playground. It was wooden, and old, creaking and looking ready to collapse any second. I sprung to my feet, walking over to it, and letting my nostrils flare again.

There was a small trace of dried blood on the stairs leading up into it, just a little, and luckily it was stained into the wood so well that the constant downpour seemed to have left it there. I would bet anything that this was the kid's blood.

I leaned down, placing a hand on the railing unnecessarily for my balance, and I inhaled, letting my ever-present memory take it in. It was easier than I thought it would be.

"I told you Beau… you're good at this." She whispered to me, running a hand down my back. "Where's it leading you?" She asked, as though I already knew. But… Well, I did. The scent was leading me to the little gate that was guarding against the woods, and beyond. Collin obviously went through there when he first got lost; which was obvious. You didn't need to be a vampire to realize that.

But hopefully, it would keep going. "There," I muttered, answering my beautiful ghost.

"You better hurry then, he's probably cold, and hungry… Do you remember when I had to take care of you like that?" She asked with a laugh. I could feel her lips on my jaw.
I took another deep breath to calm my unbeating heart, and to take another once over of the boy's blood. Then I was off like a flash, mimicking the lighting overhead and leaping over the fence again, not bothering with using the gate. The scent was taking me to a surprisingly far distance. How far was this kid playing? What kind of eight-year-old would wanna walk this far?

I was easily about a mile out when I could tell the scent was fading, probably because the rain had washed it away at this distance. But something was taking its place.
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes… boar. The primary thing I'd been feeding on for the past couple of days.

But it was almost as faint as the boy's, meaning that they must have been in the area at around the same time… which could possibly mean that they ran into each other. Which then could mean that he got scared, and ran away… he could have gotten lost trying to get back to his house, then just started walking the wrong way thinking it was correct.

"Good work detective." My angel laughed, tapping my shoulder, making me turn to look at her, but she wasn't there. Instead, I could see on the ground a couple of yards away was a toy.

"You too," I said with a smile, getting a pleasant hum from her. I sped over to it. It was a toy car, a Hotwheels. I nodded approvingly, it was a good-looking car.

"He'll probably want that back." My angel whispered, hugging me from behind. I nodded, holding it up, and inhaling… I got nothing from it, just a bit of plastic and metal that didn't reach very far.

"Track the boar then love, if that won't work."

"I know love," I whispered back, rushing over to where the smell of the beast was strongest. It took me mere feet to get to a little underbrush hidden behind a gangly mess of bushes. Obviously where the thing had been sleeping, which is where Collin most likely stumbled upon it.

I leaned down, and took another big breath… and then I was off again, the scent was faint, but coupled together with what already gotten from Collin, I had a firm direction. East; the exact opposite of the creek that the hunting party was heading towards.

I ran about two, or three miles before the fragile smell was beginning to fade again. Which wasn't good, because this far out, and with nothing else to go on, I didn't really have any way to track them anymore. The boar or the boy.

Besides, even if I did, the boar could have just wandered off, leaving the kid alone, which would send me on a wild goose chase. That was if the boar had been the right choice to follow at all.

"Looks like you're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way, Beau." My angel whispered, hugging my arm to her chest. "Use your ears instead of your nose… call out for him. See if you can hear him calling back."

"Right," I muttered, lifting her hand to my lips and kissing her smooth knuckle.

"Collin!" I called out loudly, yelling into the night, and trying to get the sound past the pouring rain. "Colin! Where are you?!"

I started walking fast, going in what I had to assume was the best guess to where he was. "Collin!"

I kept my pace to a human's, needing to focus everything on listening. I walked about another mile out, calling for the boy, while my angel kept whispering encouragement.
"Louder Beau… you've got this. Keep yelling." She whispered.

"Collin!" I obeyed.

I ran further in, still keeping it a human pace, but making sure I had a little bit of speed. Because it looked and felt like the storm was getting worse, the lighting was striking in the near distance, and the rain felt heavy. Hopefully not so heavy as to hurt the boy, but with the darkness, the sounds, and the overall horrid rain, I was sure that he wasn't having any fun.

"Collin! Yell out to me buddy! Are you there?!" I hollered, cupping my hands around my mouth as if that was gonna do anything. "Collin! Where are you!"

I was just starting to lose hope that I'd been on the right trail when I heard the faintest, tiniest, almost so quiet that I wasn't sure it was real, whimper.

"Go," My angel whispered, pushing me to the sound. Of course, she didn't need to, I was already sprinting as fast as I could.

"Help," I heard quietly, coming from the bottom of a large tree, about another mile away. I would be surprised if he'd managed to catch any of my yelling from before, but thank god I could hear him. Thank god I was a vampire. I almost grinned at the irony. My angel in reality would be sordidly disagreeing with me that god would have made anyone into a monster.

"Guess you proved me wrong huh?" My angel whispered in my ear, laughing cheerily as I slowed down, getting closer to the barely conscious boy. He was lying in the mud, his clothes all torn up, and his eyes closed. Worst of all, it looked like his foot had taken a bit of a hit. I could hear the fracture of his broken bone shifting inside him.

Quickly, I kneeled next to him, covering his body with mine to shield him from the rain. "Hey, pal," I said grinning, lightly putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking him with basically no force. I didn't want to break the fragile human any more than he'd already been. "I know you're not ok, but are you ok?" I asked with relief, looking from him for a moment, to try and get a sense of what happened.

Though I didn't have to, because my angel had finally decided to appear, leaning against the tree we were next to, looking up at it with a grimace. "Look… there's broken branches all along it… it looks like he climbed it." She said, looking back down at me, frowning. "He probably fell out of it, and tried to catch himself on the branches, but just ended up breaking his leg Beau, be careful when you lift him." She said sternly.

I wanted to say 'Yes ma'am,' but I didn't want to freak the boy out by talking to ghosts, just in case he was coherent enough to hear me.

"Colin… Can you hear me?" I asked taking my coat off, and gently laying it on top of him. He didn't respond, but I could hear his heart beating just fine, and his breathing was good too. I took another second to listen… I couldn't hear anything else wrong with him, not like how his leg's femur would shift every time he moved.

"I think it'll be okay if you carry him, Beau… Just be careful." My angel said, kneeling down next to me and looking at the boy with warmth, and sympathy. "Please be careful." She whispered looking at me pleadingly. I had to force myself to look away from those beautiful eyes.

"I will," I whispered, nodding. I would never deny her anything, especially not something like this. As gently as I could, I picked Collin up, cradling him in my arms, before I turned and began running back where I came from, or well, towards his mom, waiting with the rest of the base camp. Though again, humanity it seems has stopped me from going as fast as I could. I really, really didn't want to make this any worse for the little guy, and going Mach three would very likely make this journey for him a bad one. And I didn't want to disappoint my angel by immediately going back on my word. I had to be careful with him.

Even with my self-restraint, the four, or five-mile hike didn't take very long. I saw the van's many lights shining in the distance rather quickly, by about the last mile. As soon as I was within distance, I called out, "Here! I've got him here!" I saw that only a few were able to hear me, but those few quickly scrambled up, yelling to the others that Colin had been found.

"Over here!" I yelled again, still running, only about thirty yards away now. That's when I saw Cassie, sprinting towards me, the umbrella forgotten in the mud as she thundered through the rain.

"Colin!" She yelled, tears streaking down her face, meeting me quickly, grabbing the boy out of my arms.

"Careful," I said quickly, and a tad forcibly. I didn't want her hurting him, and feeling even worse. "His leg's broken, but other than that, he's okay. Completely fine." I said, smiling, trying to sound reassuring, as she looked down at the child in her arms, hugging him to her chest and weeping.

Half a second later, Scott came bustling over with a medkit, and two paramedics. They gently pulled Cassie's arms back just enough so they could examine him, but otherwise let her hold onto him. As they did, she looked up at me, her face full of agonizing relief. "Thank you! Thank you so much." She said, reaching up towards me and grabbing me by the neck. Quickly, I leaned down, letting her move me, and accepting the hug as carefully as I could. "Thank you!" She repeated three more times before letting me go. I softly patted her on the back and stood straight, nodding with a smile.

"You're welcome," I muttered, stepping back from the rest of them.

"How did you find him?" Scott asked me as he pulled a kit for what looked like a splint.

Unfortunately for him, and his curiosity, I was already gone before any of them could look back at me. Disappearing like a ghost.

I ran all the way back to the little inn I'd been staying in, just as a place to hide away from the sun. I tried my best to wipe my shoes off on the doormat outside, but it was a useless gesture with it already being soaked. Smiling like a loon, I went inside, walking down the little hallway and into my room.

"You forgot your coat, love." My angel said with a grin just as big as mine, laying on the bed, with her legs crossed, and her arms behind her head. "They'll know you weren't an angel like all the others you've helped… you're getting sloppy Beau." She teased, as I stripped out of my shirt, letting the wet thing flop onto the bathroom floor.

I gave a shrug. "Well, I couldn't really ask for it back, could I? It's still raining, and he was freezing." I walked over to my bag, grabbed it, and pulled out a pair of fresh clothes. "Besides, you're the only angel here beautiful," I said, smiling at her, and making her laugh.

As I started to undress, she asked a simple question. "So… where are we going next?"