"I'm going to what?" Kenna asked her mother.
"You're marrying Henry Valois," her mother replied calmly.
"But…he has twelve wives already!"
"You knew you were going to be a sister wife, Kenna."
"I didn't choose this life, mom! And he's almost 20years older than me!"
"That shouldn't matter."
"Yes it should, especially to you! You're my mother!"
"Exactly. I know what's best for you."
"No, it isn't! I know what's best for me!" Kenna screamed as she stormed out of her house and slammed the door.
She ran all the way into the woods behind her house, and didn't stop until she got to the treehouse she had built with Bash. Bash. God, she loved him so much. She climbed up the rope ladder, crawled into a corner, and started sobbing. She clutched her stomach and sobbed harder than she ever had before. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She was set to marry a man that wasn't the one she was in love with, that man had twelve wives and countless children already, and she was carrying the child of the man she did love. A child she would never get to raise with him.
Once people found out, she would be disgraced. Maybe she would even be kicked out, and she would never see Bash again. Oh God, how was she going to do this? She hugged herself and sobbed even louder.
"Babe?" she heard Bash ask as he was coming up the ladder. "Are you in here?"
She didn't answer, she just kept sobbing until she felt his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest.
"Baby, what's wrong? Talk to me," he said softly as he stroked her hair.
"I…my mom…Henry Valois."
"What? You aren't making any sense."
"I have to marry Henry Valois…"
"Who says?"
"My mother."
"Since when do you listen to her?"
"There's more…"
"What is it?"
"I…I'm pregnant, Bash."
"What?"
"I'm pregnant."
"With…with my baby?"
"Yes."
Bash hugged her tight to him, and didn't say anything for a while. He just held her and kissed her head.
"Marry me," he whispered.
"Bash…"
"No, don't fight it Kenna. You're having my baby; I'm not going to let you go. We are going to be a family."
"You know that's not how it works around here."
"So let's run away."
"Run away?"
"Yes. Tonight. We'll go wherever you want to go, and we'll get married and get jobs and have this baby and live happily ever after."
Kenna giggled for the first time that day. "Yes."
"Yes what?"
"Let's do it. Let's run away," she smiled.
"Go pack your bags, baby," he smiled back.
…
They went home, and waited until everyone was asleep to pack. Kenna packed as much as she could, and ran to meet Bash at the tree house.
"Ready?" he asked and smiled.
"I was born ready."