Carly POV-
The two little red lines, two tiny little red lines that seem to emit an awfully large sound, an ear-piercing shriek, echoing, reverberating, pounding in my ears, those little lines glare at me, practically screaming at me.
Oh, my God. My Uncle is going to absolutely kill me, well, that is, he will kill me right after my Aunt has finished berating me to within an inch of my life, all while throwing Gina's perfection in my face, then he would definitely kill me dead.
I bury my face in my hands fighting desperately against the tears that were threatening to break free and fall down my cheeks. Gasping for breath as questions run through my mind in a blur, How am I going to explain this to my family? How could I let this happen? What am I going to do?
I have no idea how long I just sat there, perched on that toilet, holding in my sobs and trying to regulate my breathing, this was not the time or the place for a panic attack, I couldn't let myself succumb to the overwhelming urge to faint, to collapse into a pile of goo on the floor, I just couldn't.
I am suddenly pulled from my panic by the school bells' shrill notification that lunch was coming to an end. I jumped up as quickly as I could and left the cubicle in a hurry, checking my reflection in the mirror and throwing some cold water onto my face to wash away the few treacherous tears that had managed to escape. Hope blossomed in my chest as I thought of James, he would be waiting for me, he would talk me off the ledge, he was good at that, he would know exactly what to say to calm my frayed nerves, to help me steel myself enough that I could handle my family's wrath.
I take a couple of steps out of the girls toilets, confident in my destination though still reeling from the results on the stick now carefully wrapped in toilet paper and clutched in my hand which is hidden in deep in my coat pocket and I walk straight into a crush of bodies, nobody paid me any mind thankfully. I was friendly with most of my year group, but I have to admit that I had a knack for being invisible when I needed to be, I was able to blend into the crowd and smoothly make my way to my homeroom without drawing any attention to myself which was an ability I was immensely grateful for at this moment.
I see James as soon as round the corner into the hall where my homeroom is situated, he is standing with his back pressed to the wall, one leg raised with his foot planted on the wall behind him, he is waiting right outside the door for me, he greets people as they walk by, returning the 'Hi's' and 'S'up J's' that are sent his way by those passing, but I can see he is looking around with an almost indiscernible air of concern, that is right up until the moment he spots me making my way towards him and I see his shoulders sag, it was like he knew I needed him right now, like he sensed my distress and only seeing me could ease his worry. I stop dead when our eyes lock, knowing he knows something is wrong without having to utter a sound, I am still a fair distance from the door to homeroom but with his height he sees me easily through the crush of bodies, he has always been able to find me in the thickest of crowds, like I have a beacon that only he can see. He takes long confident strides until he reaches me where I had stopped, the sight of him taking my breath away as it always does and his eyes hold me in place filling me with a sense of rightness, a sense of belonging. Then, without words, he wraps his arms around my shoulders and leads me away from my homeroom and into a deserted classroom a couple of doors down, closing the door behind us without saying a single word.
Once we are safely locked into the empty classroom, he turns to me and arches an eyebrow. We didn't need words to decipher each others moods, we could read each other so well, our body language was always enough, one glance and I could tell if he was having a bad day, or a funny 5 minutes, I knew if he needed to step away from the crowds or if he needed to lose himself in them, and he was able to do that same for me, he knew instinctively when I needed him to hold me, when I needed to be left to brood, when I needed to be pushed to talk, we just knew each other so well we could read everything, there were no secrets between us, everything was out in the open.
With a single glance I knew he was silently asking me where I had been, we had after all agreed to meet for lunch, as we always do, but that pesky test that was still weighing heavily on my mind and in my pocket had taken every other thought from my mind temporarily. Still neither of us had uttered a sound, but I had no doubt in my mind James would know what to do, so without words I reach into my pocket, withdraw the unfolding drama and hold out the offending stick, the stick that has already upended my world, wrapped in tissue paper, and turned it to show him the little window that contained the evidence of my doom.
JamesPOV-
Now that Carly and I are truly together, officially, as a couple and I have never been more settled and content, happiness practically radiates from my pores these days. We had decided to wait until my graduation, we never meant to lose control, I had it all planned out, after the graduation ceremony we were going to have dinner with my parents at our favourite little restaurant in town, then I was going to take Carly out to watch the sunset over the forest, followed by whatever she wanted to do. But we slipped, our desires overtook us. Being with her had been amazing, I hadn't done it before, but I can't imagine it would have been as good as it was with anyone else. Only with Carly could I share such chemistry.
I plan to stay local for my first year of college and we will see what happens after that. I know Carly wants to get away from her aunt and uncle and I already have permission from Dale to leave the coven for a while. So I will wait, I will follow her wherever she wants to go and I will tell her my secret when she turns of age and pray to the gods that she accepts me fully. I can't imagine she wouldn't accept my truth, but it has happened in the past, a witch confessing their truth to a human always comes with risks, I trust our love and am confident Carly though perhaps hurt she didn't always know, will accept my truth and build a life with me, but the worry is still there, always, as we get closer to her turning 18.
I had been waiting for Carly all lunch. When she didn't show in the cafeteria I had started to worry, but not wanting to seem overly possessive I had waited, when there were only 15 minutes left of break I had sensed her distress and made my way to where she was. She had been in the bathroom all this time, so instead of waiting right there like a stalker, I had made my way to her homeroom to wait for her. I knew she needed me, but I didn't want to give myself away. I wanted her to come to me, to acknowledge our bond and seek me out, so I played it cool and I waited at a safe distance. When she had come around the corner the first thing I noticed was that her aura had dimmed, the gold was almost bronze in colour. I hadn't seen her aura this affected by something in a long time, not since Dale had put a stop to the physical abuse at her home. Fear clenched its fist around my heart, but I stifled that, I didn't need her sensing my distress, she had enough of her own. Without speaking I took her to an empty classroom and waited for her to make the next move. Whatever was on her mind, I needed her to come to me, I would not pull it out of her. She had always been honest and open with me and this time was no different.
Carly holds out a bundle of tissue and I know that whatever it contains is the reason for her distress, her aura is pulsing and there is a slight shimmer close to her heart that tells me whatever it is, it is causing her great distress, usually her aura stays solid, flickering extra colours to depict her mood, but I try not to use my vision too often with her so as not to arouse suspicion.
Leaning forward slightly my heart stops for a second as I comprehend what she is showing me, the stick can only be one thing, there is nothing else in the world quite like that. She's pregnant. I don't need to see the result or understand the reading, just the simple fact that she is sharing this with me tells me all I need to know. Love and joy bloom in my chest as I stride forward and wrap my arms around her.
Love threatens to burst from my chest as I take in the sight before me. Carly is standing there, presenting me with the greatest gift of all, life. She can't possibly know what this means to me.
"I'm so sorry Carly, it's my fault," I whisper into her hair. I need to contain my joy and be supportive of her. She is struggling with this news and I want her to be happy for us. I don't want to force my happiness on her, this will be her decision at the end of the day. But inside I am already thinking, already coming up with ideas that will make this work. I would love to have children with her, but not yet, we are too young, she doesn't know everything and I can't tell her, even with this news the council will never allow it yet.
She pulls away from me, out of my arms and the look on her face gives me pause. I am not sure how to decipher the expression. She stays silent, gathering her thoughts, so I don't speak again either, I want her to have the space she needs to come to grips with this.
"They will kill me," she whispers, the first words she speaks almost a whole minute after I let her go, "Kill me, James, like, literally dead." My anger rises at the thought of my love dead, I won't let that happen, it can't.
"I'll think of something Carly, please, love, I love you, and I love this baby, we'll run away together, I, um," my mind races as I try to think of what we can do, "Wait! I've got it… We can run away, I got accepted into other schools, Dale would let me leave the state for a time, I would have to come back eventually, but that would be after college, that is years away," I know this can work, I'm sure of it, even though I can see the doubt in Carly's eyes. "Listen, the college, they offered me a full scholarship, with room and board,"