Survival

Chapter 16 Baby

To Rsrdiall who figured out Vita's mystery. She's a fellow book club member and has been great support for this story. She wrote a wonderful story 'Consumed' which is like Bones meets Criminal Minds with a sexy twist. Alessandra and Dylan will have you on your toes trying to catch a serial killer and fighting their own chemistry. You should definitely check it out! 

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Cynthia had noticed a pattern in Vita’s sickness. It was a very familiar pattern that she had experienced herself about nine years ago. The girl couldn’t be a day over seventeen, but teens had been known to make less than stellar decisions these days. While Peyton and Holly were working on getting the generator up and running, Cynthia sat next to Vita who was flipping through a book on wildflowers.

“How are you feeling Vita?”

Vita’s eyes shot up from the page as she was pulled from the literary world. “Good, not nauseous anymore, thank god. I think those eggs were off. You know, free range can be kind of strange at times.”

Cynthia couldn’t tell if the girl was naive or a good liar. She took a breath and continued. “I think I might have an idea of what’s making you sick.”

“Oh?” Vita said, genuinely interested. Cynthia sighed. Poor girl, they sure didn’t teach health class like they used to when she was younger.

“I think you might be pregnant.”

Vita’s face went white as a sheet. She frowned as tears began to fill her eyes. “Shit.”

Cynthia placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and rubbed it soothingly. What were they going to do? This girl didn’t even seem like she’d live long enough to bring a child to term, let alone raise one.

“We’ll figure this out,” Cynthia said with far more ease than she felt.

Vita nodded, looking at her with the big wide eyes of a child. A child who would have her own offspring to deal with in nine months. Think, Cynthia urged herself. She could bring this girl back to an acceptable level of health. They could find some prenatal vitamins, raid homes for baby clothes, find a crib. It was fine. It had to be.

“Should I pee on a stick or something?” Vita asked.

“Yes, you need to take a pregnancy test so we can figure this out.” Cynthia wasn’t sure why she had jumped straight to the conclusion without looking for definitive proof. It was quite unlike her to do so.

Vita tried not to flip out and cry. A baby? She had been so responsible for her first sixteen years of life, a person her family could be proud of with acceptable grades, good friends and a level head on her shoulders. That was until her closest friend Mischa had started hanging out with Gunnar, a shady guy who always seemed to be too angry to function. Mischa was a social person. She loved to reach out to anyone she could find, expanding her social circle because as she put it, there were so many interesting people in the world who don’t get the time of day. Gunnar was one of her ‘interesting’ people.

They had been sitting in the cafeteria at school, just the two of them at the end of the table as the room buzzed with conversation. Mischa tossed her red hair out of her eyes and met Vita’s.

“You want to go to a party Gunnar invited you to? You know people say he’s in a gang right?” Vita asked. Common social knowledge seemed to be lost on her stubborn friend.

“Vita, you’re being paranoid. Gunnar’s just misunderstood.”

“Pretty sure he’s a gang member,” Vita said, but Mischa’s eyes had already wandered over to the doors where a scrawny, almost gangly kid was running his eyes over the crowds with a scowl on his face. Vita and others were visibly surprised to see him here as school common areas were typically places he avoided like the plague.

“I’ll be right back,” Mischa said as a small smile played on her lips.

Vita played with her salad and couldn’t help but watch Mischa and Gunnar interact. Sometimes she thought her friend was a tad eccentric. Gunnar’s face lit up when he saw her, probably because she smiled at him. She had heard for months from Danny, a guy she had liked since sophomore year, how Mischa’s smiles could make you feel like the only person in the room. When you were friends with Mischa, she also had the uncanny ability to make you feel like the only one not in it.

“Hi Gunnar,” she said flatly as he sat down across from her.

He looked at her for a moment with a blank expression. “Hi.”

“It’s Vita. We were in the same English class last semester.”

Gunnar nodded. “Right, Mischa’s friend.”

“Sure,” she said, accepting the fact that that would forever be her moniker.

“I’m trying to get Vita to come out tonight,” Mischa said, as if it were exciting news. Gunnar was about as thrilled as she was, the only thing they would probably ever have in commun.

“Really?” Gunnar said, “You party?” he asked he looked her up and down with a look of disbelief.

“Yeah, I party,” Vita replied defensively. If having the occasional cooler and glass of champagne with Mischa under the supervision of her parents could be considered partying.

Gunnar laughed to himself. “Okay. It’s at my buddy Rob’s place. I’ll give you his address.” He dictated it to Mischa, who took it down in her phone.”Are you going to eat all of those?” he asked, looking at her big plate of fries.

She laughed and pushed him the plate. “Guys have crazy appetites.”

“You have no idea,” Gunnar said as he shoved a handful of fries in his mouth.

“What’s Rob like?” She asked while Gunnar’s mouth was full. He looked at her with his brows knit together. “You know, someone Vita might like?”

Gunnar swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, he’s an alright guy. Pretty chill.”

“Does he go here?” Vita asked. Gunnar shook his head. “Where does he go to school then?”

“Oh he doesn’t really go anywhere. He’s done with school.”

Vita couldn’t get a read on whether that meant he had graduated or dropped out. Knowing Gunnar, she suspected the second option.

“An older guy, that’s fun Vita,” Mischa encouraged. She was just trying to talk her into this so she could spend a bit of time with Gunnar. That or she still felt bad about the Danny situation. “Is he cute?”

“Mischa,” he said in annoyance, taking another handful of fries. Mischa leaned up and whispered something in his ear that seemed to make him pause to think for a moment. He turned back to Vita. “He’s a good guy. He looks out for me.”

“See, he’s a great guy, responsible. You’ll like him for sure.”

“Okay, fine I’ll come,” Vita agreed bringing a smile to her friend’s face. 

Mischa couldn’t have been any more wrong about Rob and the situation. If only Vita could do it all over again, she would have never left her house that night.