by M. J. Haag
Once inside, I could hear laughing interrupted by bouts of gagging.
“That doesn't sound good,” Cassie said, stripping off her jacket. I did the same and followed her down the hall where we found Drav in the bathroom with Mya. Mya knelt in front of the toilet, and Drav hovered over her with an anxious expression on his face.
“Drav, why don't you go get Mya a glass of water? When she's done throwing up, she'll be ready to rinse her mouth.”
Drav quickly left, and Cassie looked at Mya.
“Laughing and throwing up is a new one,” Cassie said.
“Contagious. That's fucking hilarious. Why didn't I think of that?” Mya said.
“I'm glad you enjoyed it. Those people are getting ridiculous.”
Mya wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and straightened away from the toilet to flush.
“They were ridiculous the moment they got here,” she said.
“Think you're done?” Cassie asked.
“For now. The headache took me by surprise. Kicked my ass right into the bathroom. I tried a little bit of chocolate, but it was so bad that it didn't even work. Instead, I just wasted what I ate.”
Cassie patted Mya's back and helped her to her feet. I retreated into the hallway to let Drav in with the cup of water. We all waited as Mya rinsed, spit, and started to brush her teeth. I debated leaving, but what else was there to do? I figured Mya would kick me out if she got tired of the audience.
Drav fidgeted for a moment then walked off toward the kitchen before Mya finished. I heard the back door open and close.
“He's not doing so well, is he?” I asked.
“They don't like when we get sick,” Mya said after spitting.
“They don't like things they can't fix,” Cassie said.
“Yeah, I've noticed that.”
After Mya finished up in the bathroom, we moved to the living room. Out of all the houses I've been in, hers had the most seating. Probably because there were constantly people coming to complain about one thing or another.
“How are things going with Shax?” Mya asked.
I shrugged lightly, and she wrinkled her nose.
“Really? I thought for sure that with a bun in the oven, he'd be all over you.”
I looked at Cassie with surprise.
“Sorry. I had to tell her. With the food shortage and Shax’s hesitancy to leave you, I knew he needed help getting you supplies.”
So, that explained the two guys who were with him the other night.
“Don’t worry. I get your reasons for not wanting to tell people,” Mya said. “The humans are assholes, and the fey would be completely obsessed with you.”
“Shax already is,” I admitted. “With my belly, anyway. Every time I eat, he wants to hold me just so he can feel the baby kick. It was kind of nice at first but, now, not so much.”
“Getting tired of being pawed at, huh?” Mya asked.
“After being not touched for almost two months, I don't mind the touching. It's the one thing that is still nice. It's just hard having all the touching and no real feelings to go with it.”
“None?” Mya asked.
“Oh, Shax is in love with the baby,” I said. “I just really want to be liked for me. You know?”
Mya sat away from the couch suddenly and made a small noise between a hiccup and a burp. Cassie immediately grabbed the small, lined garbage can that was tucked to the side. Mya waved it away and took a few deep breaths.
“We have to figure this out, Cassie,” Mya said. “I am so tired of throwing up. And the headaches. And the body aches. I'm just so tired of not feeling well.”
“Do you really have grey spots?” I asked.
Mya lifted her shirt and showed me several grey patches on her side.
“Cassie and I think I'm turning into one of the fey because of my time in the caves. The fey have these crystals there that are magic.” She shook her head. “Not even kidding a little. It's crazy. There’s a whole world down there that we didn't know existed. Anyway, I touched one of the crystals, and I think it did something. During my time in the cave, I got really sick. Headaches. A fever. Throwing up. When I came back to the surface, it got better. Now it's starting up again. I don't know why.”
“But no fever this time,” Cassie said to me. “I honestly do not think she's contagious, or I wouldn't have brought you and the baby over here.”
“I'm sorry you're throwing up so much,” I said sincerely. “I remember during my first trimester I felt like shit all the time. I was kissing that toilet every damn morning and sometimes in the afternoon.”
Cassie suddenly stood.
“I'll be right back.”
Without even grabbing her jacket, she raced out the door.
“Think she left the stove on?” Mya asked with a chuckle.
“She did make me breakfast this morning. I don't know where she keeps finding bacon, but I think I might love her.”
Mya laughed.
“When the fey put their minds to something, they can find just about anything. Mom's got a ton of eggs. If you start craving bacon and eggs, you now know who to go to.”
“Thanks,” I said.
She leaned her head back and studied me for a moment.
“So, you like him? Shax?”
“I do. A lot. All of these fey are amazing, and I'm so glad Cassie said yes to letting me come live here. But Shax stands out above the rest. I don't know what it is about him. It's a certain something. An intensity. A softness. It sounds weird and conflicting, but he's got it all.”
“You sound like you've got it bad.”
I sighed heavily.
“I think I do, and it sucks that it’s so complicated. Our lives are complicated enough, without throwing this shit into the mix.”
Mya chuckled again.
“Too true. So, what are you going to do?”
“I don't know. I know if I came on to him, he'd probably say yes. But I want to make sure he's saying yes for the right reasons. Because of me. Not because Hannah's not giving in or because I'm pregnant, or worse, because I’m there and convenient.”
The back door opened suddenly, and I gave Mya a worried look. She shook her head slightly and turned to look over her shoulder at the fey walking in. Drav was mid-conversation with two others which I recognized from the day before.
“We must destroy the hearts,” Thallirin said. “It is too dangerous.”
“What's going on?” Mya asked.
“The hounds clawed through half of a car last night,” Drav said.
“It would have been the whole car if I hadn't taken the hearts out and led the hounds away for a few hours,” Thallirin said.
“You took them out? That's too dangerous. You should have stayed inside,” Mya said, scolding the fearsome fey without a flinch.
“It's too much of a risk. They cannot be allowed in here. We would lose all the females, including you.” Thallirin gave Drav a pointed look.
“You cannot destroy the hearts without Molev. You know the conditions.”
“We can destroy the hearts,” Merdon said. “And we both understand they will not count toward our total. We are okay with that.”
“I am not,” Drav said.
“Neither am I,” Mya added. “You guys are working hard.” She looked at Drav. “This is ridiculous. I understand what Molev was trying to do, but why can't they just destroy the hearts and we say it happened. Does Molev not trust us, now?”
“This is not about us.” Drav came over and gently ran a hand over Mya’s hair. “You do not need to worry about this. You only need to worry about feeling better.” He tilted his head and looked at her. “Do you feel better?”
“A little.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Not really.” He frowned, the worried look coming back into his eyes.
“You need to eat,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Do not start on me. I know I need to eat. I don't feel we
ll.”
Drav grunted and glanced at the other two fey.
“Do you want us to find you some new chocolate?” Merdon asked Mya.
“You guys are so sweet. Thank you, but no. I don't think chocolate is cutting it right now. I’d rather you both go and rest. You deserve it.”
The front door opened and Cassie came in, her eyes lit with a weird kind of excitement.
“Mya, can I borrow you for a minute in the bathroom?” she asked.
Without waiting for Mya, she made a beeline straight for the bathroom.
Mya frowned and got up. I hesitated, and Mya waved for me to follow. Drav moved to do the same, but she stopped him.
“I have two girls with me. I will be perfectly fine. No need for you to follow.”
The three of us closed ourselves in the bathroom, and Mya looked at me with a small grin.
“The hovering gets a little old.”
I could imagine it did.
We both looked at Cassie, wondering what was up. The good doctor shocked the hell out of me by pulling a pregnancy test out from under her shirt.
“Pee on this,” she said to Mya.
Mya's face went pale.
“What? Are you serious?”
Cassie nodded.
Mya went silent for several moments before reaching out and taking the package. We both watched her open it with trembling fingers then I turned around. So did Cassie.
“You know this is going to change everything if it comes back positive,” Mya said from behind us.
“I know.”
My stomach felt a little sick for Mya. A baby in this world was scary. I knew that first hand. Yet, she had Drav. No one would touch Mya.
I listened to Mya pee while Cassie impatiently fidgeted.
“Hurry up,” Cassie said.
“Work on your bedside manner,” Mya shot back.
Cassie grinned.
“All done,” Mya said.
We turned around; and while Mya washed her hands, all three of us stared at the test she’d set on the counter.
“How long are we supposed to wait?” I asked. I hadn't taken a home pregnancy test. I'd gone to the doctor.
“A minute or two,” Cassie said.
But even as she spoke, the lines started to appear. Two of them, as plain as day.
“Holy shit,” Mya breathed.
“I second that,” Cassie said.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Mya met my gaze.
“I’m kind of freaked out. Okay, a lot freaked out. But in a good way. I'm not afraid. Well, maybe a little but not for the obvious reasons. I don't even know what I'm feeling, honestly.”
“I understand,” I said. “I think it's pretty normal.”
A knock sounded on the bathroom door.
“Mya?” Drav’s voice echoed deeply. “Are you okay?”
She went past us and opened the door. They stared at each other for a long moment, and my heart kind of melted.
“I'm pregnant,” she said without preamble.
Drav’s face went through a multitude of emotions. Confusion. Surprise. Finally, complete elation.
He made a growling noise and picked her up.
“I told you I don't like it when you growl in my face,” she said, laughing. He completely ignored her words and carried her down the hall.
Cassie grinned at me.
“I think that's one happy fey.”
We walked out to the living room where Drav was hugging Mya tightly and pacing around with her like he couldn't put her down. He looked at Thallirin and Merdon.
“She is pregnant,” he said forcefully. “We made a baby.”
The two fey made a similar growling noise, which I took as some kind of manly satisfaction, and left.
I chuckled and took that as my cue, too.
“I think I'm going to walk back home,” I said to Cassie.
“I think I'm going to stay a few minutes just in case Drav has any questions once the excitement wears off.”
I glanced at the happy couple. Mya was grinning at Drav as he continued to hug and kiss her.
“I have a feeling that may take a while.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I PUT the book down with a sigh. Distracting myself with someone else's fictional woes wasn’t working anymore. After reading for hours, I was too restless to keep trying. It was too quiet in the house, and there was too much noise in my head. My thoughts kept going back to the same thing. Shax wanted Hannah. Why not me? Why wasn't I important enough? Why was everything about the baby?
I tossed the book aside and went to look out the window again. It was easy to see in the pre-dusk light that news about Mya’s pregnancy was spreading. Fey walked past in small groups, talking. That on its own didn’t make me think they were talking about Mya. It was the big belly gestures that tipped me off.
Other than the excited fey, I didn't see many people out and about. Since Cassie scared them away with Mya’s sickness, I wasn’t too surprised. But I knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Not with the sun setting.
Turning away from the window, I went to the kitchen. I'd already fixed myself something simple for lunch and knew I needed to do the same for dinner. Nothing looked that appetizing, though, which made me feel guilty. I had food. All of it should have looked appetizing, no matter what crap was going on in my head.
A knock on the door distracted me from my thoughts, and I closed the fridge to answer it. Garrett stood outside with a box in his arms.
“Interested in some food?” he asked.
“Always.” I opened the door wider so he could come in.
“I saw Shax heading out this morning with the other fey, headed for Tenacity. I thought maybe you'd want some company tonight.”
“Tenacity?”
“Yep. That's what the current residents are calling it.”
“I guess it fits. Kind of cool. And, yes, I wouldn't mind the company at all. I didn't realize how quiet it was around here.”
He smiled and put the box of food on the table.
“Isn’t Carol going to be upset that you brought more stuff to me?”
“Nah. Harry and Carol saw what I was bringing over.” Garrett took the lid off the box, and I looked down at a mix of baby supplies.
“Um…”
“Don't worry, I heard the news about Mya on my way in and played it off like this is for Mya.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. There's some people food in there, too. I hid it under the formula.”
“I’m surprised someone didn’t ask for that. Milk isn’t easy to come by anymore.”
“Given what I left them, I think they know not to ask for more. So, what are you hungry for?”
I picked a just-add-meat boxed dinner.
“This sounds good. And we have some meat in the freezer to go with it.”
While he started dinner, I sat at the table and quizzed him about the world outside.
“Is it still hard to leave here?”
“Not too bad.”
“I saw a girl on the wall this morning. She’s the one with the bow and arrow.”
“A girl? That's cool.”
“Yeah. Cassie said her name’s Brenna. I haven’t met her yet, but she looked pretty badass up there, shooting off arrow after arrow.”
“I bet.”
“So what did you hear about Tenacity?” I asked.
“Not much. Just that the fey were going there to relieve some of the other fey who’ve been working nonstop. I heard they're close to finishing the wall.”
“Yeah, that's what Mya said, too. I don’t think it’s close enough, though. People were out in front of Mya’s house again today, protesting. I don't know why they think the fey should get them food when they're not willing to go out for themselves. Or why they think the fey aren't entitled to some of the food that they bring back in.”
“The mood is definitely shifting. I usually give out a can or two when I come back in to keep t
he peace.”
“I wonder how long that'll work,” I said.
“Who knows.”
“I heard something interesting today,” I said. “Besides the whole Mya's pregnant thing.”
“Oh?”
“The hellhounds almost got through the wall last night. One of those two fey who had the hearts led the hounds away for a few hours. That's the only thing that kept the death-dogs from getting in.”
Garrett turned to look at me.
“Are you serious?”
I nodded.
“Shit.”
“Yeah. This wall isn't as safe as we'd like it to be.”
“I don't understand how they could get that close to it.”
I shrugged. “The lights cast upward. Maybe there were shadows on the ground that were enough for them to move closer.”
“Maybe. I hope the fey take that into account and aim more lights toward the ground.”
I hoped so, too.
“What do you think about this Mya pregnancy thing?” he asked.
“Not sure what you mean.”
“Well, it seems like that's all the fey are talking about. They're excited. Not a single resentful expression from the lot of them.”
“And?”
“And maybe you telling them that you’re pregnant would be a good thing.”
“Ah. I think it might be safer to wait until the survivors are gone.”
He turned off the stove, and I set the table.
“I haven’t had a meal like this in a long time,” he said. “I hope Tenacity is set up as nice as Tolerance. I like living in a house.”
“Why leave?” I asked. “You’re not like the rest of the Whiteman survivors. I think Mya and Drav would want you here.”
He smiled and carried the pot to the table.
“What about you?” he asked. “What are you going to do once the troublemakers are gone? Once things are quiet again?”
“I'm not sure. Probably start getting ready for the baby, I guess.” After pouring us both a glass of milk, I sat and held up my plate.
“I do want to help with that if you’ll let me,” he said as he served me.
“I could use all the help I can get.” I played with the food on my plate and debated how much I should tell him. I decided to be honest so he’d know why I wanted him to stay.
