Next chapter, I own nothing, and so on.
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I couldn't look at him, but I could feel his eyes on me. When I did glance at him, I saw he had paled, a look of pure shock on his face. The silence seemed to last for hours. I couldn't stand it, I tried with all my willpower not to let them, but the tears soon sprung to my eyes and one or two made their way down my cheeks. I didn't want to cry, I felt weak and helpless when I cried, I hated it, but my brother held me close to him and allowed me to sob for as long as I needed to. It was as if floodgates had been opened, I thought I would never cease my weeping, but eventually a sense of calm descended upon me. Riff Raff carried me to my bed and I curled up under the covers with him watching over me. My breath was coming in uneven starts when I finally broke our silence.
"I'm sorry" He smiled benignly at me, still in a state of shock.
"You've nothing to be sorry for." His expression then reflected suppressed anger. "I should have been more careful with you, but then I did, I mean, I thought."
"You did all you could, I know," I paused and flinched as I allowed the memory of Frank back to the front of my mind. "But he didn't." Riff Raff looked as if it pained him simply to hear that. He kissed the top of my head, then gently pulled back the covers and planted a soft kiss on my abdomen.
"I love you." With that, he left me to drift into sleep.
My brother had fallen asleep at the foot of my bed. I watched him for a few seconds after I awoke early the next morning, but I was soon distracted once again by nausea. I sighed and ran to the bathroom to once again pay homage to the porcelain gods. By the time I had finished, Riff Raff had woken up and gotten dressed. I emerged, pale, shivering and weakened. I could tell that he was unsure of how to react, so I simply hugged him and he offered to do my chores for the day. I declined, I was nauseous, not an invalid. From what little education mother had given us, I had worked out that the child would be due in around five months, so I assumed that I could work for at least another four and a half. I had always had good coping skills, but then again, I also had no idea of what would happen between then and now. My mind was awash with a thousand thoughts, but one came to the forefront.
"What am I going to tell mother?"
"The truth?" I glared at him.
"What? That the son of the two people she respects most in the world raped me, and now I'm pregnant, but 'hey mum! That's not all of it! I've been screwing my brother, your son, behind your back, so I'm quite probably my own baby's aunt?' That's going to go down well isn't it? Why don't I just BEG the master to have our whole family exiled?" I pulled my apron tight around my waist and shoved past him. "Excuse me, I have to go to work." I slammed the door behind me as I stormed out of our quarters.
Frank's parents admired the dedication and energy with which I completed all of my tasks that day. I was working out all of my anger at myself. How could I have said such things to my brother? He hadn't done anything wrong; it was as if I had lost my mind. Admittedly I was more than justified in my current state of mental turmoil, but taking it out on my brother simply demonstrated my obvious lack of control. I desperately wanted to apologise to him but our paths did not cross once in the whole day whilst my feelings of guilt grew by the minute.
I arrived home shortly before nightfall. I walked into the living room to find my mother perched on the edge of an armchair. She looked exhausted, her voice strained. "Magenta dear, can I talk to you?" I really wasn't in the mood for this.
"Can it wait? I am so very tired."
"I'd rather speak to you now."
I rolled my eyes. "I'll still be here tomorrow."
"Don't take that tone with me, young lady!"
"Fine, I'm sorry, what do you want to say?"
"I want to know what's bothering you, you haven't been yourself for days, what's gotten into you?" If only she knew.
"Nothing, please, just leave me." I turned to walk away from her but she grabbed my wrist.
"Don't you dare walk away, I asked you a question!"
"And I answered it, now let go of me!"
"Don't raise your voice to me, my girl, you're not too old for a slap!" I glared at her
"Is that supposed to scare me?" I was really asking for it, but I didn't care. She struck me hard across the left cheek. I wrenched my arm from her grasp and staggered backwards.
"I didn't bring you up to be so insolent. You're MY daughter, Magenta, I expect a little respect from you." I said nothing, just hung my head. She practically spat the next words. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"
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I couldn't look at him, but I could feel his eyes on me. When I did glance at him, I saw he had paled, a look of pure shock on his face. The silence seemed to last for hours. I couldn't stand it, I tried with all my willpower not to let them, but the tears soon sprung to my eyes and one or two made their way down my cheeks. I didn't want to cry, I felt weak and helpless when I cried, I hated it, but my brother held me close to him and allowed me to sob for as long as I needed to. It was as if floodgates had been opened, I thought I would never cease my weeping, but eventually a sense of calm descended upon me. Riff Raff carried me to my bed and I curled up under the covers with him watching over me. My breath was coming in uneven starts when I finally broke our silence.
"I'm sorry" He smiled benignly at me, still in a state of shock.
"You've nothing to be sorry for." His expression then reflected suppressed anger. "I should have been more careful with you, but then I did, I mean, I thought."
"You did all you could, I know," I paused and flinched as I allowed the memory of Frank back to the front of my mind. "But he didn't." Riff Raff looked as if it pained him simply to hear that. He kissed the top of my head, then gently pulled back the covers and planted a soft kiss on my abdomen.
"I love you." With that, he left me to drift into sleep.
My brother had fallen asleep at the foot of my bed. I watched him for a few seconds after I awoke early the next morning, but I was soon distracted once again by nausea. I sighed and ran to the bathroom to once again pay homage to the porcelain gods. By the time I had finished, Riff Raff had woken up and gotten dressed. I emerged, pale, shivering and weakened. I could tell that he was unsure of how to react, so I simply hugged him and he offered to do my chores for the day. I declined, I was nauseous, not an invalid. From what little education mother had given us, I had worked out that the child would be due in around five months, so I assumed that I could work for at least another four and a half. I had always had good coping skills, but then again, I also had no idea of what would happen between then and now. My mind was awash with a thousand thoughts, but one came to the forefront.
"What am I going to tell mother?"
"The truth?" I glared at him.
"What? That the son of the two people she respects most in the world raped me, and now I'm pregnant, but 'hey mum! That's not all of it! I've been screwing my brother, your son, behind your back, so I'm quite probably my own baby's aunt?' That's going to go down well isn't it? Why don't I just BEG the master to have our whole family exiled?" I pulled my apron tight around my waist and shoved past him. "Excuse me, I have to go to work." I slammed the door behind me as I stormed out of our quarters.
Frank's parents admired the dedication and energy with which I completed all of my tasks that day. I was working out all of my anger at myself. How could I have said such things to my brother? He hadn't done anything wrong; it was as if I had lost my mind. Admittedly I was more than justified in my current state of mental turmoil, but taking it out on my brother simply demonstrated my obvious lack of control. I desperately wanted to apologise to him but our paths did not cross once in the whole day whilst my feelings of guilt grew by the minute.
I arrived home shortly before nightfall. I walked into the living room to find my mother perched on the edge of an armchair. She looked exhausted, her voice strained. "Magenta dear, can I talk to you?" I really wasn't in the mood for this.
"Can it wait? I am so very tired."
"I'd rather speak to you now."
I rolled my eyes. "I'll still be here tomorrow."
"Don't take that tone with me, young lady!"
"Fine, I'm sorry, what do you want to say?"
"I want to know what's bothering you, you haven't been yourself for days, what's gotten into you?" If only she knew.
"Nothing, please, just leave me." I turned to walk away from her but she grabbed my wrist.
"Don't you dare walk away, I asked you a question!"
"And I answered it, now let go of me!"
"Don't raise your voice to me, my girl, you're not too old for a slap!" I glared at her
"Is that supposed to scare me?" I was really asking for it, but I didn't care. She struck me hard across the left cheek. I wrenched my arm from her grasp and staggered backwards.
"I didn't bring you up to be so insolent. You're MY daughter, Magenta, I expect a little respect from you." I said nothing, just hung my head. She practically spat the next words. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"