Girls, Corrupted - Chapter 10
Neve and Albus sat together in the warm summer sun, close together. Neve was nervous - she'd been wanting to bring something up with Albus, but hadn't, because she didn't know what would happen, how he would react. She had replayed this scene over and over again in her head, and every possible outcome had ended tragically. Albus leaving, hating her, and never returning.
"Albus... I need to tell you something," Neve said hesitantly, her stomach tightening and a lump forming in her throat. She swallowed hard, yet it didn't go away.
"What is it?" he asked, looking into her sky-blue eyes.
"You know when we, um, did it? Well I was thinking that maybe the protection broke, because I've been getting morning sickness for the past few days, and-" Neve stuttered.
"Wait... you think you're pregnant?" Albus asked, shocked. Neve couldn't tell whether he was elated or outraged.
"Well, it's possible... quite likely, to be honest," Neve said, her nerves rising.
"I - I don't know what to say..." Albus muttered, his expression unreadable.
"Me neither," Neve murmured meekly.
"I... I have to go for a walk, clear my head," Albus said, rising.
"I'll come with you-"
"No, I want to go alone," Albus said, staring at the ground sullenly. Neve sat down quietly as Albus walked away. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away. A stream of salty tears followed it, and she sobbed pathetically, burying her face in her robes. She was too young for this. Years too young.
Kyra sat on the mossy ground of the forbidden forest. She didn't know how long she'd been in there. She'd been eating fruits and berries from the many trees in the forest. She'd been with Emma.
"You've changed so much," Emma laughed. Her silky hair reached her thighs, whereas Kyra's was cut as short as you would see on a boy. However, their faces were exact replicas of each other, their short, stubby noses, plump, thick lips.
"A girl needs a little change in her life," Kyra replied with a small shrug.
"So... how is Hogwarts?" Emma asked quietly. The girls had dreamed of being at Hogwarts together, but they both knew Emma wouldn't make it there, even if they never voiced it.
"It's great. It would be so much better with you, though," Kyra said, smiling more than she had in a long time. Kyra stood up. Her small hand reached out, and passed right through Emma's. She gave a small whimper. Emma frowned, looking down.
"I have to be with you," Kyra said, beginning to cry.
"But I'm dead... the only way to be with me would be to..." Emma faltered.
"I know. I'm willing to do that. My friends - if you could call them that - they barely take notice of me. I'm certain they hate me. Any, anyways, I'd trade any friend for you, Emma," Kyra reasoned.
"I'd love that too," Emma said, a ghostly tear falling down her pale, pasty face.
"I'll find a knife. Slit my throat," Kyra said, and began to march out of the forest.
"Ky, wait! Are you sure you want to do this?" Emma asked.
"Yes. I'm sure," Kyra said with a determined look.
Abbi sat in her dorm room, holding the ring she'd found. She inspected it closely, wondering who it had previously belonged to. It was gold, with a jet black stone set into it.
After pondering upon it for some time, she decided that lounging around would not make her current situation better. She picked up her glass of water and decided to visit the house elves. Abbi ran down flights of stairs whilst keeping a lookout for Professor Thomas, thank God he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Dangles the house elf greeted Abbi as she entered the steaming kitchen, offering her a taste of a range of new delicacies she had been making up, however Abbi refused. Dangles had been working at Hogwarts for the last 15 years, which meant if her mother was a witch, then Dangles would have known her.
"Ooh, what's that?" Dangles asked, pointing to Abbi's left hand, the hand that the ring was on.
"You recognise it?" Abbi inquired.
"Of course, Professor Thomas wears something a little like that, I think." She replied, sounding very happy, which all of the other house elves never seemed to be.
"What? I found it in a bathroom somewhere on a higher floor, I'm trying to find out who it belonged to." Abbi replied, this new information was vital, however how could she face him again? After all he had done to her, she had to go back. She was going to go back.
Neve approached Albus. She had followed him when he went for a walk, and found him crouched next to a tree.
"Albus?" she said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Neve..." he said, not looking at her. There was a strange tone in his voice that she'd never heard before.
"I-I'm sorry," she said meekly, withdrawing her hand. He turned around and took her hand gently.
"What for?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know... thinking I'm pregnant..." she said, looking down at her shoes.
"You don't have to apologise for that. I overreacted." Albus said.
"You didn't overreact! You thought you were told you might be a father at 17, that would shock anyone," Neve said understandingly.
Albus sighed. "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know, Al. I really don't."
"Well neither do I, now stop following me and leave me alone." Albus shouted at her, he picked himself up and marcheds was in the opposite direction. Neve wouldn't cry this time, she couldn't, she was stronger that this. She stood planted to the ground, her fists were balled up and her robes blew in the wind.
Albus was now a black figure in the distance, the night was growing and Neve didn't know where to turn to. Abbi had been distant lately, Kyra was probably with Lorna Drake, her new best friend, Albus was being, well, Albus. Friendless, alone and vulnerable, she set off into the sunset, shivering and dragging her feet across the mossy terrain. Where had he gone? What was she putting herself through? Why? Because she still loved him.