Annie:
I bit my lip, gazing at the cereal in front of me. I was in denial, I had decided. I had made no attempt to find out for sure that if I was pregnant, nor had I told Cal of my suspicions. He didn't need to know. Yet.
And there was no point in getting his hopes up; he wanted a baby and he had made no effort to hide it, but me...I wasn't sure.
"Are you alright?"
I looked around, slightly alarmed and came face to face with Radleigh, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Yes," I replied breathlessly, blinking back my surprise. I hadn't spoken to Radleigh since we had left him at the wake. Not that we had been speaking that much before. He sat down next to me, still frowning.
"Are you sick?" he asked. Shit, shit, shit.
"No," I said, a little too quickly. Radleigh nodded before getting back up and leaving the room. What the hell had that been all about? I sighed, leaning back in my seat, running my fingers through my hair. What the hell was I going to do? I wanted to curl up in a corner somewhere and cry until I had no more tears.
The fact remained the same; I didn't want a child.
I must've sat there for another ten minutes, just thinking it all through. And I probably would've stayed there if it hadn't been for Georgie coming in, mumbling something under her breath. She stopped when she saw me, her facing forcing itself into a pained smile. I didn't want her to smile; it was too normal. None of this was normal. Nothing about this stupid situation was normal. I felt completely out of my depth here. This was where I stopped functioning.
"You okay, pet?" she asked, turning on the cooker. Normally, I would have had a rant about people giving me pet names but I really wasn't in the mood. I didn't want to do anything, other than finding that corner.
"I'm fine," I choked, the words catching in my throat. Why the hell did this have to be so hard? Georgie looked up when I said it, her eyes narrowed. When she took a step towards me, I flinched involuntarily and instantly cursed myself.
"Annie?" she whispered. I shook, the spoon in my hand clattering to the floor as I lost all of my senses. I tried to speak but all that came out were tiny, shuddering breaths as tears fell down my cheeks. I tried to wipe them away as soon as they spilled, but the next lot followed too quickly and my face was suddenly sodden with salty water. I felt Georgie's arms wrap around me and I sobbed into her sleeves, not caring about the fact that she was seeing me crumbling.
"What's the matter?" she breathed into my hair. I shook my head, trying to desperately hang onto the fact that I could do this alone. But the truth seemed to be standing there in front of me; I couldn't. I couldn't do this on my own. But more importantly, I didn't need to.
"Georgie," I whimpered, pulling away from her and wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my jumper. "I think...I think I might be pregnant." The words came out quiet and strained and another bubble of fear rose up inside me.
Georgie stiffened momentarily and for one terrifying, I had visions of her just walking out and leaving me sitting there. But she just hugged me closer again, letting me cry in peace. Now that I had said it out loud, it seemed more definite, as if all of this was really happening. Nevertheless, it didn't stop me from feeling scared. It didn't stop that huge chasm of fear trying to consume me.
"You need to be sure," she mumbled into my hair. I bowed my head out of her grasp, wiping my eyes. I knew that already. I knew that I needed to be sure. But I didn't want to. In this care, ignorance was most certainly bliss. Knowing for sure would probably make or break me.
"Okay."
Georgie helped me to my feet and took my hand, gently leading me out of the kitchen. I followed, still in a state of shock from my own admission of defeat. I let her pull me towards her and Macca's bedroom, closing the door behind us. She sat me down on the bed and bustled into the bathroom, humming something under her breath. I looked around, trying to breathe evenly. Their room was painted cream, with a brown bedspread and wooden furniture. I was guessing that this was how Macca had decided it would be, before he had met Georgie; it didn't look as though it had met the feminine touch yet.
"Right," she said, coming back into the bedroom with a box in her hands. "All you need to do is-"
"I know," I muttered abruptly, taking her by surprise. Hurt flashed across her kind eyes and I felt guilty for being so sudden. "I've, erm, I've done one before. 'Bout a year a go."
Georgie nodded and passed me the pregnancy testing kit. I didn't like to ask why she had one ready prepared in her bathroom, so I said nothing, instead, just walking into the bathroom and sliding the lock on the door. I sat down on the toilet, the lid firmly down. Could I do this? Could I seriously go through with it? I bit my lip and read the instructions, even though I could have probably recited them off by heart after the last time.
Sitting in this small cramped bathroom reminded me of the only other time I had found myself so scared that I wanted to give up. Back then, there had been no understanding partner or nice sister- in- law to help me. I had been completely on my own, the thought of carrying Rollo's child absolutely killing me inside. I had cried when the results had turned out negative, out of pure relief.
I took a deep breath and slid the test out of the box. Well, it was now or never, I supposed.
Cal:
I watched as Jase played with Max on the carpet, trying to distract him long enough to get him dressed. It made me smile. Ade was paying absolutely no attention to them; he was more concerned with the match on the television. Zane looked like he was about to fall asleep on the couch, until Ade prodded him with his foot.
"Go to bed if you're that tired," he said, turning back to the T.V.
"I'm comfy here," Zane groaned, rolling over, his back to Ade. Ade rolled his eyes.
"You're annoying me."
"I'm sleeping; how the hell can I be annoying you?"
You're breathing; how's that for an answer?
Jesus, you're grumpy. Anyone ever told you that?
Nobody that mattered.
I swore I heard Zane growl at being told that he didn't matter but he made no attempt to move. Instead, he closed his eyes, a smile on his face and began to snore softly. Well, I say softly, but he steadily grew louder, until you could no longer hear the roar of the crowd over him. Max giggled on the floor while Jase shook his head at the pair of them. By now, Ade looked like the vein in his forehead was about to pop.
"Shut up!" he bellowed, leaping from his seat and glaring at Zane, who lazily opened one eye to look at him. Then he gave him the briefest of smiles before closing them again, wriggling to get comfortable.
Ade looked as though he was in two minds over what to do. On one hand, he could probably do some pretty serious damage to Zane, on the other, he was his mate, so he couldn't actually do anything to physically harm him.
"Outside," he snarled, still scowling at Zane, "Now." As if he had known it was coming, Zane swung his legs around and stood up, his face cocky. Ade walked out and Zane looked at us all, sticking his tongue out. Then he left.
Moments later, Jase and I could see them out of the window, Ade shouting at an indifferent Zane. That just made him angrier and, because he couldn't hit him, he just got louder and louder. I chanced a look at their thoughts, wondering what the hell they could possibly argue about now.
...and you're just trying to piss me off now, Zane, Ade moaned, sounding tired.
Well, I wouldn't try if you didn't make it so easy, Zane retorted, crossing his arms across his chest and grinning like a maniac. Ade faltered in his tirade, looking away from Zane's face.
Please, he murmured gruffly, why can't you just see it from my point of view? Zane seemed to laugh in his face, walking around like he was drunk, his head thrown back.
Your point of view? That's all I've been seeing for the past few weeks, Ade! You know, if you don't like it, I might as well just go find someone else that does because I'm fucking done with this! I had never heard Zane lose his temper before but he seemed like he was getting pretty pissed off about it. He turned towards the forest and Ade shouted something that none of us could hear from inside, but it made Zane whip around, his face questioning. He took a tentative step forwards, his eyebrows raised.
Are you...Are you being serious? He asked, reaching the ground in front of Ade, who nodded slowly. Zane gave him a small smile and was about to open his mouth when he saw me and Jase gawking at the window. Instead of thinking or saying anything, he tapped Ade on the shoulder and pointed in our direction. Ade whipped around and stuck his middle finger up at us both. We ducked away, laughing. Max looked up at us, confused, which made me laugh even more.
I slumped down on the seat, still absolutely killing myself. If Annie had been here, she probably would have berated me for ruining the romantic moment, and then popped her head up to see if they had gone back to finishing it.
Actually, thinking of Annie, I hadn't seen her since I had woken up, when she had still been sleeping. Now to mention it, I had hardly seen Annie over the past three days; between patrolling around the town and trying to stop Zane and Ade from killing each other, we hadn't really spoken apart from at night, when Annie was so shattered that it was all that she could do not to fall asleep before undressing herself. I was beginning to worry about her; her nightmares were becoming more and more recurrent, and she always looked paler than she normally did.
I got up, with every intention of going to find her. I walked towards the door and out into the hallway, only for her to hurtle right into me. I began laughed but stopped suddenly when I saw the look on her face.
Annie's face was tearstained, with more making their way down her flushed cheeks. Her chest was rising and falling with the ferociousness of her sobs. I made to wrap my arms around her but she elbowed me in the chest, sending my wolf into pure shock. I let them fall by my sides as I watched her run up the stairs, the door of the bedroom slamming shut. I stood there, stunned, looking from the stairs to the corridor she had come from.
Georgie was shuffling towards me, her face pale. When she realised that I wasn't moving, she made a sharp turn into the kitchen. I felt confused, hurt that Annie had pushed me away when she was evidently upset about something.
And instead of sharing her upset, I found myself getting angry. I stormed over to the front door and pulled it open, walking out into the mild day. Zane and Ade were still talking, but more quietly now. I took no notice of them and stalked right past, towards the woods. I needed to get it out of my system before I talked to her, otherwise it was just going to become another brawling match.
And neither of us wanted that.
I hoped.
Annie:
I hadn't meant to hit him that hard. I suppose, if I was being honest, even a small shove would have been too hard. But when he had tried to hug me, I had lost it. I didn't want him near me. I didn't want him close to me after...
I had literally left Georgie standing in the middle of her bedroom. I had come out of the bathroom, shaking, before thrusting the test into her hands and running out. She probably hadn't needed to look at them after the state I had been in.
So that was it. I was pregnant. There was actually a baby growing inside me. Shit. How the hell had that happened? No, I knew how it had happened but...fuck!
I curled up in a ball on the bed, the sheets tight in my fists. I felt as though I had no more tears left to cry, all of them used up when that little word pregnant had flashed up on the tiny little screen. What was I going to do? I wasn't about to pretend that I wanted this. I wasn't about to announce it to the whole world like it was all part of some big plan. I wasn't ready to be a mother.
I wished that there was a rewind button on my life, and I could just press it and go back, to before any of this shit impacted on my life.
But I couldn't.
There was knock on the door and I was in two minds whether to grant them entrance. But curiosity got the better of me. Just as long as it wasn't Cal, I would be fine; the moment he came in, he would know exactly what was wrong and I wouldn't have time to think it all through.
"What?" I called out pathetically, covering the pillow with my head. The door creaked open and the sound of footsteps filled my ears.
"Annie?" It was Radleigh, his voice choked up. I removed myself from the confines of my bed to look at him. His face was pale and he looked like he was about to throw up. His hair looked like he had been running his fingers through it non-stop. He bit his lip nervously. What had happened? I had never, ever seen my brother act this way. I took his hand and stared him the eyes, forgetting my own misery and taking on his.
"What's wrong?" I breathed. He shook his head, tears spilling over onto his freckled cheeks. I wrapped my arms around his trembling body, enveloping him in a hug. This was what I wanted someone to do to me. I wanted someone to tell me that it was all going to be alright.
Radleigh:
I knew. Fuck it, I knew. I couldn't tell her though, not yet. She had her arms around me, hugging me like a mother would do. Shit, I was going to kill Cal. I didn't care if he was my friend; this was all his fault.
I hated that I was crying. I hated that my sister had seen me crying. Why did this have to be so complicated? I wish he hadn't told me. I wished to God that he hadn't told me what was going to happen. Now I was just going to have to watch all of it happen and there was fuck all I could do about it.
She pulled away from me, her eyes shining. My eyes darted down to her stomach, which was covered by one of Cal's old jumpers. She jumped back, her eyes wide. Her breathing quickened as she realised what was going through my head.
My breathing stopped as I realised that I was right.
"I don't know what to do," she murmured shakily, resting her head against my chest. It was my turn to hug her. My twin sister. My terrified twin sister.
My terrified, pregnant, twin sister.
Cal:
I was still furious, but more with myself than Annie. I had doubled back about ten minutes into the forest because I knew that I was being childish. I should've been with her. I should've been comforting her, even if she was angry with me. Although, why she was angry was a complete mystery to me.
When I re-emerged from the trees (and once I had found my clothes) Zane and Ade had vanished somewhere, no doubt together. I sighed, walking across the gravel. My wolf was growling and snapping at me, pissed that I had walked away from his distressed mate. Well, he should have chosen one that didn't live her life PMS-ing. I gasped as pain shot through my side; someone was touchy today.
I opened the front door, careful not to slam it in case Max had gone to sleep. I felt Annie's fear the moment I placed a foot on the stairs and it physically hurt me. It was so strong that I literally thought that I was going to fall over.
Annie?
There was no reply.
I carried up the rest of the stairs, my heart thumping. The last time I had felt this worried, I had found out that Annie was in heat. Christ, I hoped that she wasn't again; I'd never hear the end of it.
I reached the door and hesitated before opening it. Radleigh and Annie were sitting hugging on the bed. She was crying into his shoulder, bitter tears that came hot and fast. When they heard me, she looked up, her eyes wide. Then, she collapsed on the bed, her sobs stopping as she stared at the ceiling. Radleigh got to his feet, his jaw clenched and his body rigid. If he was going to hit me, I was just going to let him because the only thing I could think about right now was Annie.
Instead, he just walked past me, slamming the door after him. I sat down on the end of the bed, watching her. Her chest rose with each of her breaths, which had calmed down substantially since she had stopped crying. The smell of talcum powder hung in the air, sweet and innocent in my nose. Her hand fell across her stomach and she frowned.
"Anne?" I breathed. She made no movement.
"I don't know why I'm surprised," she muttered indifferently. "Why would anything be beginning to work out?"
What the hell was she talking about?
"Annie, I don't-"
She snorted, sitting up slowly. She looked me straight in the eye, blinking once. Her eyelashes clung together with tears, and her cheeks were flushed. She looked like she was struggling to say something.
"Cal, I...I don't know how..." She trailed off, looking away from my face. Then she swallowed. "I just...I just...hormones, you know? This coming out of heat thing's really taken it out of me."
Relief washed over me as I realised it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I hugged her tightly and slowly, very slowly, her body relaxed and moulded to mine.
I'm sorry, she thought sadly.
I was too glad that she was okay, that I didn't think to ask her what for.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Right....let me tell you about the struggle I had putting this chapter up... first...I finished this chapter at about half five...which was an hour ago...all okay...then, I tried to put it on Wattpad....my internet needed upgrading...after THREE years on the same bloody version, it was decided, just as I was about to upload that yes, I needed to update -_- typical, huh? Only, my wee laptop just isn't macho enough for Windows 9 Beta...Yes, I got rejected by an internet provider...so...if you're reading this, thank Windows 8....
Which brings me to this...If no-one votes or comments, you lot aren't getting another chapter -_- because that was flaming ridiculous...and I put loads of effort into trying to get this uploaded...so...make of that what you will
Right, on a cheerier note....What do you think Radleigh's found out? And what did Ade say to Zane, hmm? And what about Annie not telling Cal about the mini-me? And I thought I would just randomly throw in Radleigh's POV....because he's ace...and under used :(.....
so...fan, vote and comment....please...
and go and read Psycho_Scribbler96....she supported me through my internet fiasco...Sorry, still in absolute disbelief that I got rejected by the internet...I feel like laughing...or crying...
And no...I did not proof-read this...why? Because I'm that *makes tiny space with thumb and index finger* close to losing it.... -_-
thanks for reading
x