4 months 2 weeks pregnant:

Chapter 7:

"This move sucks I'm going to bed," Sadie groaned before shuffling to her bedroom and leaving Carter and Zia alone on the couch.

The three of them had decided to watch "The Ring" together on one of Carter's days off from work. Sadie had sat on the middle of the couch and with her gone she left an open space. Zia pretended to not notice Carter inching closer to her and focused her attention on the movie.

They reached the scene where the phone rang and Zia felt herself tensing. She cursed herself for being afraid but tried to hide it from Carter who was smirking at her.

"If you want we can watch something else."

Zia frowned at him, "I'm fine!"

They continued watching the movie and by the end of it Zia was sitting pressed up against Carter. The credits rolled and Zia looked at Carter to see him smiling mischievously.

"What? I wasn't scared!"

Carter reached his hand up and brushed a few strands of lose hair from her face. She froze at the intimate act. They both stared into each other's eyes, losing themselves.

"Then why are you squeezing my hand?" Carter smirked at her breaking her from the trance.

Zia immediately released the hand she didn't realize she was squeezing and scooted away from him.

Brrrrrriiiiiinngg

The phone rang suddenly which was odd since it was about 1 AM in the morning. Zia wondered who could possibly be calling. Especially since only Carter's work and the landlady were the only people who had their number.

Brrrrrriiiiiinngg

"Should I get it?" Carter asked calmly.

"No, I'll answer." Zia walked over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

There was silence on the other end.

"Hello, anyone there?" Zia was thoroughly freaked out after another few moments of silence and hung up the phone. "They probably had the wrong number," she laughed nervously to Carter.

Carter frowned, "It's a bit creepy don't you think? We just finished watching the ring and the phone rings but no one answers." Zia glared at him, he was trying to make her scared.

"Well I'm going to bed. Whoever called probably just had the wrong number."

Zia walked towards her and Sadie's room when all of a sudden Brrrrrriiiiiinngg. She froze, there was no way that movie was real.

"Are you going to pick it up?" Carter looked at her worriedly.

Zia walked back to the phone and put it up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Seven days."

Zia's heart raced and she dropped the phone. Perhaps their DVD was cursed and they were doomed to die in a series of tragic event in 7 days! She began to formulate a plan based on the plot of the movie, all she had to do was make a copy of the DVD and make someone else watch it. Then she'd be safe.

"We have to burn a copy of the DVD!" Zia screamed at Carter who was staring at her, "Why aren't you moving? We don't have much time!"

Zia ran to the TV and grabbed the DVD after she realized Carter wasn't going to do anything, he was probably frozen with fear. She knew she would have to protect them all. A duplication spell allowed her to create a second copy of the DVD.

"Now we just have to send it to someone…" Zia contemplated the people in the area. It wasn't fair to send them a DVD of death but it was the only way to free them from the curse.

"Zia," Carter said but Zia ignored him. She had to think of a person, she thought of sending it to Riley, their landlady, but she had been really nice to them. Then there was-

"Zia!"

"What? Can't you see I'm thinking! I'm trying to save our lives."

"Calm down, it's just a joke," Zia looked at his half face. He was trying not to laugh.

"A joke?"

"Yeah, we just wanted to scare you a little. Sadie was the one who called, she used magic to disguise her voice. Funny wasn't it? You should've seen your face," Carter couldn't hold back his laughter.

Zia wanted to drown Carter right at that moment. After months of puking and having to pee all the time he had the nerve to play a prank on her? Then she felt tears running down her face, sadness replacing anger.

"Woah, why are you crying?" Carter came next to her and hugged her.

Zia punched him hard on his chest and began to cry more from the pain of her knuckles on his hard muscles.

"I'm sorry Zia, it was just a joke," Carter tried to hug her again and this time Zia let him.

"My hormone levels are fluctuating like crazy. I want to cry and murder you at the same time," Over the past few weeks she had experienced rapid mood changes. Nephthys had told her that it was the mood swings that were common during this part of pregnancy. And her mood swings were crazy just the other day Zia had almost choked Sadie to death after Sadie had eaten the last pickle before erupting into hysterical laughter and then crying herself to sleep.

Suddenly Zia felt a sharp pain in her stomach. It felt like something was poking her insides.

"Ow, something is punching my stomach," Zia groaned as she kneeled on the ground clutching her stomach. Carter stayed right by her side and rubbed her back.

"Should I take you to the hospital?" Carter looked panicked.

Sadie ran into the room, "Oh no. Carter killed her with his dumb prank."

"It was your idea!" Carter screamed at his sister, "And she says something is punching her in the stomach."

"You mean the baby is kicking?" Sadie rolled her eyes at them, "The baby is kicking. You guys seriously need to calm down."

Zia touched her stomach and sure enough she felt a tiny force kicking her. She smiled and felt more tears flow down her cheeks. The baby's kicks made her feel truly connected to the tiny life growing inside of her.

"I guess little Cleo is angry at her daddy's prank," Zia whispered. She rubbed her stomach as the baby continued to kick.

"Can I feel?" Carter asked her.

Zia nodded and brought Carter's hand to where the baby was kicking on her round stomach. She smiled as she watched his eyes twinkle and a big grin spread on his face.

"This is amazing."

Sadie knelt down next to them and put her hand on Zia's belly. "It's aliiiive!" she yelled as she pretended to faint.

Zia rolled her eyes at her and continued to rub her stomach. The feeling of a deep unconditional love ran through her, there was definitely no way anyone was taking her baby.