Hunted

Consequences

*Aura's POV*

I wish I had never agreed to come on this trip. It was supposed to be fun, but it was nothing but drama. Rose dropped a bombshell on Samantha and me the other day, and I just don't know where to go from here. I mean doing pot and even trying ecstasy is one thing, but snorting pills? That's too far in my opinion. And the fact that she hid it from us makes it even worse. She won't even talk to Rose and every time Sam or I try to talk to her about it she clams up and just sits there so I stopped trying. I want to help Lacey, but I've got my own stuff going on right now. I haven't said anything yet, but I'm late. Late as in, no period late. As in, oh shit I might be pregnant late. With all the drama, I didn't realize that it hadn't come and now it's over three weeks late. I thought at first I was throwing up because I was getting the flu or something but it never went away. I get sick a lot in the mornings and whenever I smell certain foods. I'm terrified at the thought of being pregnant, but there's only one way to know for sure and that's to take a test. With that in mind, I hopped in the shower and quickly got dressed afterwards, hoping to be done and out the house before anyone else wakes up. I crept downstairs as quietly as possible and made my way to the kitchen to turn off the alarm. I wrote a note saying I was heading into town for food and left. I took Chester's Tahoe, since the only other car was Dimitri's and I didn't think he or Rose would be too happy if I took theirs.

Since there were hardly ever any cops around, I drove way over the speed limit and made it to town in record time. Just to back up my story if anyone was awake when I got back, I bought a few groceries then headed to the drug store. I walked in and headed to the family planning aisle. I didn't really know what to buy, so I just picked out the two cheapest ones I saw and walked to the check-out. I placed the boxes on the counter and waited while the cashier took forever to ring them up. "Are these for you?" she asked, her eyebrows raised in disdain. "Uh..no..they're not..they're for my friend." I lied. She didn't look like she believed me but thankfully didn't say anything else. I shoved the bag down inside my purse and left, in a rush to get back. I really hope they're still asleep, I thought to myself as I pressed the pedal to the floor and sped down the street.  

I pulled up and saw Chester standing on the porch. Uh oh, I thought, as I parked and opened the door. "What were you thinking Aura?" Chester asked, his arms crossed. "I left a note on the counter. I just went into town for a few groceries is all. Everyone was sleeping and I didn't want to wait, so I just went by myself. I don't really think it's that big a deal." I said in defense. "Not that big a deal?!" he yelled. "Anything could have happened to you Aura. Don't you see? It's not okay to just run off on your own, no matter what the reason." I sat down on the steps and started crying. I don't understand why he's so upset with me. He instantly calmed down and put his arms around me. " Look, I'm sorry I got mad. I was just worried about you. Please don't do that again." I wiped my eyes and replied, "I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't think it was that big a deal but I guess I was wrong. I promise I won't do that again... Are you still mad at me?" In response, he leaned down and kissed me. "I could never stay mad at you Aura. I love you." Woah, I thought, did he just say I love you? What do I do? I mean, I like him for sure, but do I love him? "You don't have to say it back. I just, want you to know how I feel. I know we just started dating, but that doesn't mean anything. I love you." Even though I wasn't sure how I really felt, I couldn't just not say anything so I said "I love you too." He leaned in and kissed me with more passion than I knew was possible. I could learn to like this, I thought, as I lost myself in him.

No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't procrastinate any longer. I had to know whether or not I was pregnant. I waited until everyone else was busy downstairs eating or whatever it was they were doing and locked myself in the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the terrified girl in the reflection. Sighing, I opened the first box and took out the instructions. Once I finished reading them, I took out the test and ripped it open. God, I don't want to do this, I thought as I used the test and sat it on the counter. The three minutes it took before I could look at the results were agony. When the time finally came, I stood up and shakily grabbed the test. Turning it around, I saw the last thing I ever wanted to see. A plus sign, meaning positive. "Oh shit.." I mumbled and slid onto the floor, my back against the tub. What am I gonna do? "How am I gonna tell..." I started to say but was silenced by the realization that it might not have been Chester's. The events of the night we tried ecstasy flooded my mind, and the most important thing I remembered was that neither Chester or Oliver did anything to prevent this. What the hell was I thinking? How could I have let this happen? Thoughts swirled through my head until I couldn't think straight. Maybe the test was wrong, I thought, a glimmer of hope rising in my chest. I stood up and opened the second box. Three more minutes later, and I knew without a doubt that I was pregnant. A knock on the door interrupted my panicked pacing. "Aura? You in there?" I heard Lacey ask. "Shit.." I mumbled as I stood up and threw the box and everything else in my purse and opened the door. "Hey, what's up?" I asked, hoping my face didn't give anything away. "Not much. I just, wanted to know if I could talk to you for a sec." she responded. "Sure, everything okay?" She shrugged her shoulders then walked towards her room. I didn't say anything, but followed her and once inside shut the door. "What's wrong? " I asked. She shook her head and plopped down on the bed. "I don't know how this went so wrong. I didn't mean for any of this to happen and I don't know how to fix it." she cried. Shocked, I sat down beside her and put my arm around her shoulder. "Look hunn, no one ever means for something like that to happen. It just kind of does. But you can't keep shutting us out. All we want to do is help but we can't unless you let us." I said, my voice cracking on the last words. "I'm so sorry Aura. I didn't mean to hurt any of you." she replied with tears in her eyes. "I know you didn't. But I know you can beat this. We just gotta figure out why you started doing this in the first place." I said, getting a little perturbed. I had a lot on my mind, and Lacey just wasn't helping right now. I didn't say anything though cause I don't want to make her worse. "Thank you for listening...and for not judging me." she said while wiping her eyes. "Anytime...and I mean that okay? I gotta talk to Sam about something though so I'll see you later." I replied and left. I decided to tell her first, since she was the only one other than the guys who was involved in what happened that night. I really hope she doesn't hate me, I thought as I went to break the news.

*Samantha's POV*

     "You're what?!" I hissed. "I'm pregnant..." Aura repeated, staring at the floor. "Have you told Chester?" She looked up, the answer written all over her face. "No I haven't told him. You're the only one that knows." I can't believe this. " Why haven't you?" I demanded. "Because..well, I don't know if it's his.." her words trailing off. "Don't know if it's..." I started to say but stopped when I knew where she was going with this. "You mean to say, you don't know whether it's Chester's..or.. Oliver's, right?" She nodded yes. Anger rose up in me, and I had to fight the urge to strangle her. How could she do this to me? "Say something, please." she begged but I just couldn't. I turned around and walked off without saying a word.

I walked into the living room where Oliver was watching some horror movie on TV. He looked up when he saw me, a smile on his face. "I need to talk to you..now." I said through gritted teeth. He jumped up and ran to where I was. "What's wrong Sam? Did something happen?" he asked, eyes filled with concern. "I just talked to Aura..she's pregnant. Tell me you were smart enough to use a condom or at the very least pull out." I demanded. "No, I didn't. I'm so sorry. But, it might not be mine.  I mean, I'm sure she's been with Chester more than just that night, right?" I rolled my eyes and replied, "It doesn't matter Oliver. Don't you get it? That baby COULD be yours, and then where would that leave us?" "Sam.." he started to reply but I cut him off. "Don't Sam me. You know it's true. If this baby is yours, then that's the end of us. I just can't deal with this right now." I said and ran off.

"Sam...where are you? Sam!" I could hear someone calling from  downstairs. I didn't reply, but pushed further into my hiding place. I had found my way to the attic and didn't have any desire to leave. It was quiet up here, with nothing but boxes and dust. I sat up and opened the box closest to me, just to have something to do. It was mostly filled with old junk. Broken toys, old books, stuff like that. The next box was the same, except for a small photo hidden inside one of the books. It was old and faded but I could tell it was a family portrait. Looking closer, I could just make out Lacey, no more than 3 or 4, and her parents. A boy of maybe 8 was standing beside her, his arm around her shoulder, which  I found rather strange, seeing as how she's an only child. I have to remember to ask her about that, I thought as I placed the photo back in the book and closed the box. I still wasn't ready to deal with all the drama downstairs, so I leaned back against the wall, closed my eyes, and drifted off.

*Oliver's POV*

     "What am I gonna do?" I mumbled as I frantically searched for Sam. I yelled her name several times but got no response. I checked her room, the bathroom, anywhere I could think to look but I couldn't find her anywhere. Eventually, I gave up and tried to find Aura instead. I found her in the kitchen, staring blankly out the window. "Hey.." I said, not sure whether she wanted to talk right now. "I guess you know huh?" she replied, tears filling her eyes. "Yeah..Sam told me. She's freaking out you know." "SHE'S freaking out?! How do you think I feel huh? I mean, I"M the one who's pregnant, not her." Sighing, I sat down across from her. "I know Aura. I'm scared too. There's a chance this could be mine, and I don't know what to think. I mean, I've always wanted a kid, but not like this. Do you plan on keeping it?" I asked. She looked at me, anger in her eyes. "Of course I'm keeping the baby. How could you ask me that?" I shrugged and replied, "I didn't know, I'm sorry. Are you gonna go to the doctor soon?" She shook her head no. "I'm not gonna go yet. I just want to spend the rest of our vacation here, and then deal with it all when I get back home, ya know?" "Yeah, I get it. If this baby is mine, I'll take care of them. I'm not gonna abandon you." I said. "I was hoping you'd say that, but let's not jump the gun. It's only half a chance it's yours." was her reply. "I know that. I just, thought you should know." I really hope this baby isn't mine, I thought as I leaned over and hugged her.

 I was laying on my bed listening to music when Sam walked in. "Where were you?" I asked, hurt in my voice. "I was just..I needed time alone. It's a lot to take in, and I can't stand the thought of losing you."  She laid on the bed,  put her head on my chest and started crying. "Shh..it's gonna be okay." I whispered while rubbing her back. "No matter what happens, I'm not going anywhere I promise." Eventually, her tears stopped and she looked up at me. "I'm sorry I got so mad. I just didn't know what to do. I've had some time to think though, and I've decided that no matter which way this goes, I'm not gonna let this come between us. We all messed up, and now we just have to deal with the consequences." I was so scared that I was gonna lose her, so her words meant more to me than she knew. She is my everything, and I'm not gonna let anyone or anything take her away from me.