The Legend of the Eight: The Charmed (Book 4)

24: & All of the Ghouls Come Out to Play

TWENTY-FOUR: & ALL OF THE GHOULS COME OUT TO PLAY
OCTOBER 31
CHLOE LAWSON

"PREGNANT AND AFRAID" WAS THE latest headline on WoMWeekly's tabloid which was delivered to Damon's apartment early Saturday morning. Accompanying the headline was a picture of Wil Diamond holding three pregnancy tests in the pharmacy, taken through the glass of the storefront window. The image took up almost the entire front cover and in the corner was a smaller picture of Wil and Oliver from the same night. His hand was on her arm and they were smiling at each other like they were happy. Even though she knew the truth, Chloe almost believed it.

What the tabloid failed to report was that those tests were not for the princess and instead for Chloe. But it did get one thing right. Chloe Lawson was, indeed, pregnant and afraid.

Terrified, actually.

She was eighteen years old—old enough to vote in the Mortal World but not nearly old enough to raise a child. She wasn't with the baby's father and she probably never would be. Xavier wasn't the kind of guy that settled down long enough for a relationship let alone would he raise a child with someone. And Chloe wasn't going to beg him to. She hadn't graduated yet. Hadn't gone to college. Hadn't fallen in love. She couldn't have a baby. She wasn't ready.

"Whatcha reading?" Wil threw herself onto the couch beside Chloe, holding a bowl of chocolate-caramel popcorn that she just had delivered along with other bags of groceries. It was amazing the perks that accompanied royalty.

"It's about you, actually," Chloe said, showing Wil the cover. Her emerald eyes snapped right to the headline and then she snorted and laughed.

"If I had a dime for every time WoMWeekly posted a bogus story about me, I'd have..." She stopped to count in her head. "...At least seven dimes." She tossed the magazine across the room and it landed by the slate fireplace, slapping against the hardwood floor.

"Forget it. It's bogus."

"I know it's bogus," said Chloe, stealing a bite of popcorn. "I thought you'd care though. Everyone in the Realm reads this. And there's a very clear picture of you buying pregnancy tests with your boyfriend."

"Yeah, except the tests were for you and that boyfriend broke up with me beside diarrhea medicine," Wil corrected casually. "Besides, everyone will realize they were all rumors in a few months. You, on the other hand, can't keep this a secret forever. When are you going to tell Xavier?"

"Um, I thought we talked about this," said Chloe, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm not telling him. Xavier's not dad material. He's not even boyfriend material."

"Weird," Wil said and the word dripped with sarcasm. "If only someone warned you about him before he shoved his slimy tongue down your throat."

Chloe glared. "Can't we move past the whole I'm an idiot and I make stupid decisions thing? I get it. I messed up."

"No," chortled Wil. "You fucked up. I mean, you really, really shit the bed with this one. Messed up is right about here—" She reached and held her hand about six inches above the ground. Then she stretched to reach well above her head. "—And then this is what you did."

Honestly, Chloe hadn't given it much thought. The second she saw those two pink lines appear on the test, she knew would her life would become. A mother at a young age—and a single one at that. Nothing else crossed her mind. How could it? Her mother was in a similar situation—not quite so young but just as alone—and she did it. Chloe could too, right?