Expectations When Expecting

Book 1, Chapter 4

Painting the roses was surprisingly therapeutic. Her mind entered a serene moment for the first time since she'd learned of her pregnancy as she traced along the insides of the roses, lining the insides with red paint, and blowing on it to dry it. She worked quickly and efficiently, only startling when Grim would occasionally set a rose on fire.

"Gahh! The stupid rose's on fire!"

"Oh SH-"

"Put it out! Put it out!"

Yuu found herself snickering alongside Ace while she worked.

"Wow. You're even less competent than I thought." Cater sighed, sinking to the floor as he'd extinguished the rose.

"Yo, maybe you should just leave the roses white! They look perfectly pretty 'n stuff to me." Ace remarked, rubbing at his hands as he attempted to remove the paint from his hands.

"It's a matter of tradition. You can't have an unbirthday party without the roses being red." Cater recited. "And you can't play croquet without seven-colored flamingos as mallets and a hedgehog for a ball. Oh, but of course, the roses need to be white when the garden flowers put on their spring concert. That's absolutely crucial."

"What kind of rules are those?"Yuu groaned, dizzy with the words Cater had said.

"Yeah! Like my henchman said, all your rules are completely insane!" Grim stated, sitting as he pouted.

"I never said they were crazy. I just asked what kind they were." Yuu rebutted, making Grim look at her, betrayed.

"Henchman! You're supposed to agree with me!"

"Riddle is all about tradition. Probably more than previous housewardens, T-B-H." Cater informed. "I'll admit that he's, well... a bit extra."

"Yeah, no kidding. I sure don't have time for this nonsense." Ace stood, fed up with the work. "Is Riddle here? I gotta talk to him."

"Yeah, probably. But are you sure that's wise?" Cater asked, side-eyeing his fellow ginger. "Did you even bring an apology tart to replace the one you ate?"

Yuu paused, visibly confused, looking to see both Ace and Deuce with expressions similar to her own.

"Uh, no...? I came here first thing in the morning!"

"Ah ah ah... That could be a problem." Cater gave an awkward laugh. "Have you forgotten rule 53? 'Stolen items must be replaced.' If you're not in compliance, I can't let you in." He said, swiftly pulling out his pen.

"Are you serious?!" Ace asked, bewildered at the sudden display of aggression from the upperclassman.

"All dorm residents must obey the rules. If I let you slide, it would be off with my head next!" Cater mused, moving forward, his eyes trained on the group. "I hate to say it, Ace, but I'm gonna need you to leave before Riddle spots you. Thanx." His smile dropped and the air seemed to become colder.

Yuu felt the dread pool into her stomach and she took a step back.The phrase, I can't let him hurt my baby. Raced in her mind, she clutched her stomach pritectively.

Her eyes remained on Cater before she was rustled from her trance-like fear. She noticed the familiar head of Ace.

"I... think this guy is for real. You guys, do something!" He cowered, practically shaking as he kept behind her.

"Why should WE do anything?" Deuce said, unwilling.

"C'mon, please! I can't use magic! Hurry, he's—" Ace was cut off as a blast of emerald flew past his and Yuu's face. She saw the emerald glow return to the wand, a clear sign of another spell. Yuu felt the panic engulf her, lodging itself in her throat and scrambling her thoughts. Yuu began shaking violently, eyes like those of a cornered cat.

Her mind raced as she tried to scramble backward, nearly knocking Ace over. "Yuu? What're you doing?" He asked, his voice sounding as if he were underwater. Yuu barely registered the fight between her group and Cater, keeping her eyes on him before realizing that he was coming for her. DANGER! Her instincts screamed for her to move away. Cater launched another spell in her direction, leaving no room to dodge.

"No!" She screamed as she braced for impact. It never came. Instead, she felt the familiar chill of the ghost from the cave burst forward, exuding a bright light. Yuu opened her eyes, seeing a barrier-like structure around her. She couldn't feel or hear anything, the entity keeping her inside seemed to have detached her from her body as she felt that she was floating.

Yuu's eyes flitted around, seeing Grim fly to her side, standing in front of her protectively, yet completely unsure of what he was saying to her. Yuu closed her eyes for a moment, and she seemed to have been released from whatever had protected her. She finally began to register things. The group was just outside the Heartslabyul dorm line, the boys had several bruises and their uniforms were dirty. Yuu looked down, noticing scuff marks as if she'd also been thrown out.

Disoriented and shaking, Yuu looked down to see Grim curled around her ankles. Deuce was shaking her, trying to get her to react. When she did, her tone was muted, sounding strange in her ears.

And Yuu released a breath. "What... What happened? Where am I?" She placed a hand on her belly, a wave of panic suddenly surging forward. Please be alive... Please be alive...

"I don't know. You kinda just broke down." Ace stated. The look in his eyes was hard to read.

"No. I just need to know if any of his spells hit me." She stated, eyes wild. "What did he do?"

"You kinda started glowing for no reason, and his spell just bounced offa ya. It was weird." Grim said, noting his minion's distress, and placed his head against her stomach, ear up. He looked up at her, giving a nod, allowing her to release a breath she didn't know she was holding. Good. The baby's alive.

"Thank you all... for helping me." She said, finally relaxing.

"Yeah ,yeah. Anyway, Was that guy for real?!" Ace said, quickly dismissing the topic to change it.

Deuce, seeming to understand the uncomfortable topic, followed Ace's lead. "Yeah! We hit him over and over, but he just kept coming. Maybe he was using some kind of illusion magic?

"So lemme get this straight: we walked in there, totally tartless, but this dude still made us do that whole song and dance before throwing us out?" Ace complained, putting on the most dramatic tone. "He just wanted to make us paint his stupid roses!"

Yuu snorted. "That's classic trickery. It happens a lot in my family." She recalled the time her uncle had gotten her to help with his garden and collecting the eggs.

"Heh. We sure look like a bunch of chumps." Grim added, the mood shifting from heavy and sullen to more lighthearted. Yuu was grateful.

"I guess we'll just have to get an apology tart and come back. Maybe after class, we can-" Deuce froze, eyes widening. "Oh no!" He yelped, pulling out his pocket-watch. Yuu leaned over, her own eyes widening.

"Oh no! Seven-forty-five in the morning! Shoot!" She yelped, collecting the light tote bag.

"We already missed the first bell! We're gonna be late for class!" Deuce cried.

"I don't wanna get a blemish on the first day of my glorious Night Raven education! Shake a leg, chumps! To the classroom, pronto!" Grim hissed, running ahead.

"Hey, so what class are you guys in, anyway? You're freshmen too, right?" Ace asked, following the runners. Yuu winced slightly. Never thought I'd have to go back. She thought.

"The headmage said we're in Class 1-A!" Grim called.

"Hey, that's the same one I'm in. We got Potionology for first period." Deuce remarked.

"Oh ho, yeah! That sounds awesome!" Grim cried, speeding through the hall of mirrors in the direction of the school building.

"M-maybe I don't need magic for that?" Ace worried. Yuu nodded. "Let's hope. You're not the only magicless student here."