Taylor winced as she was unceremoniously wrenched from a dream. In it, she was enjoying a quiet afternoon with Drake, sunlight streaming through the windows of their pod. He absently stirred something cooking on the stove while she quietly nursed a baby shrouded in a cobalt blanket. There were no words exchanged as he suddenly walked out of the house, leaving her feeling cold and alone. Perhaps it was safer to say she had been woken from a nightmare.

Slowly she sat up, taking a long moment to gaze around at the emptiness of the room. There was a throbbing in her ear where she'd accidentally slept on her earring. In fact, she hadn't even changed out of the clothes she'd gone to school in yesterday. Everything was impossibly wrinkled. Wiping sleep from her eyes, she glanced over at the clock. It was shortly before five in the morning and the world was still dark. The aching in her bladder and a need for food drove her from the cozy cocoon of her bed.

Drake had left hours ago. Vaguely, she remembered him kissing her but that could easily have been a figment of her overactive imagination. Lately all she could do was dream of him: his hands on her body, his mouth teasing hers, and the way he always made her feel like she was the only woman in the room. Taylor knew she wouldn't forget their illicit tryst for as long as she lived. Not only because the memory was seared in her brain but because of the living reminder growing inside her. She was always so careful. Taylor was no virgin. There had been two other boys that she'd taken as bedfellows over the years and she'd never worried about something like this. She had been on birth control pills to regulate her cycle since she was thirteen…it seemed human contraceptives were no match for a powerful Atrian male. That was a problem for a different day…

Opening up the refrigerator door, she squinted against the harshness of the startlingly bright lights. Drake had interrupted her trip to the grocery store yesterday and the cupboards were pretty bare. She managed, after some digging, to come up with a yogurt and some blueberries that were on the edge of overripe. When she got to school she could get something more substantial but for now she had enough to sustain her. After fulfilling her most basic needs, Taylor padded upstairs to prepare for the day.

Tugging yesterday's clothes off, she stopped to stare at herself in the full length mirrors in her bathroom. Fingers skimmed down to her abdomen and she stopped cold. Was the baby even in her uterus? She could have a fetus growing in her spleen for all she knew! Drake had not been very forthcoming about the whole thing and now she was starting to worry. Had he not told her she was pregnant, she might not have known until something truly awful happened. Taylor wasn't stupid; of course she had noticed the immediate changes to her skin but she thought it was some kind of post-coital reaction or perhaps an Atrian way of showing affection (hey, a girl could dream!). Any way she looked at it, she was completely uninformed about what the hell was going to happen to her and that scared her most of all.

Taking several deep breaths, she rested her palms on the edge of the sink. The panic she felt had caused a ripple of blue to pulse through her body again, this time concentrated right around her rapidly beating heart. "Breathe, Taylor, just breathe…" She decided a shower would help. Turning the spray on full blast, she inhaled the steam that filled the room. She stepped beneath the scalding water, closed her eyes, and let it melt the tension away. Lathering her hair and body with her usual strawberry scented soap, she paused as she realized that her skin was glowing boldly under the water just like Sophia's had in the pool. That was one more thing to worry about considering that her PE requirement included half a semester of swimming. The sooner they got this figured out the better.

After thoroughly cleansing herself, she wrapped a towel around her hair and body and headed into the bedroom. Her closet was easily as large as an entire Atrian pod. Flicking through outfit after outfit, she finally settled on a pair of black leggings that covered her from the ankle up, a simple denim skirt and a teal button up shirt with a t-shirt beneath. With the addition of a chunky necklace and a matching set of earrings, she was confident that the only part of her showing was a sliver of ankle and her head. Her life might hang in the balance but she would be dammed if she didn't face it fashionably.

Shaking the excess water from her hair, she pinned the long blond tresses up in a simple twist. She didn't want to fuss today. As it was, she would be late if she didn't beat the usual traffic through Edendale. Plus she needed to finish her trig homework before third period. Thankfully, her study hall was first thing in the morning and it would give her ample time to complete the assignment before it was due.

Yawning, she drove the short distance to school and headed into the cafeteria. She stood in front of the selection board and with a few keystrokes she ordered herself a banana, a bagel, and a hot cup of coffee. She turned suddenly and found herself face to face with a very agitated Drake. Violently he slapped the coffee out of her hands. The cup bounced, and hot liquid spilled out all over the white tile floor. She stood there stunned with her mouth hanging open. It took half a second for her to recover and she huffed, "What the hell, Drake!"

It had been a dumbass move on his part. Everyone in the cafe was staring straight at them He had simply freaked out; there was no other way to describe the pounding fear that still raced within him at this very moment. "Come with me now." He grasped her wrist, tugging her down the corridor before ducking into an abandoned classroom.

Being half-dragged behind Drake was out of her control, but the second they stopped she wrenched her arm away. They stood facing each other in the science lab, her hands resting securely on her hips. "Are you crazy?" She hissed, "You're lucky there weren't any security guards around or they'd have taken you out for a stunt like that!" She pushed him further away from her. "What is your problem?!"

"My problem is you're trying to kill yourself!" He snapped, "Atrians are deathly allergic to caffeine, Taylor." His heart was still going a mile a minute. He'd been terrified when he realized that cup in her hand could spell major trouble. "You can't have coffee or chocolate or anything that has caffeine in it while the baby's blood is running in your veins. You could die." He couldn't bear it if she was harmed in any way.

"No chocolate?" Taylor whimpered, "Damn it!" She was almost more upset about this news than she was about being pregnant with Drake's child. "I wish you'd told me all this last night. I'm freaked out, Drake. I could've just accidentally offed myself trying to have breakfast." She flopped down at a desk, pouting. "Can I eat this bagel or not!?"

Drake had to steel himself against smirking at her. It would be highly inappropriate given the situation but she was just so damn cute sometimes. When they'd first met, he thought it was all an act. Yet the more he got to know her, the more he grew to understand that she was probably the most genuine person he'd ever known. Settling down beside her, he slid his hand over hers. He took the bagel from its wrapper, tore a bite out and chewed for a moment. He had never had a bagel before and his face told the whole story. "It seems fine. I don't know why you'd ever eat anything like that though. It's disgusting." He reached into his bag, pulling out a small parcel wrapped in a paper napkin. "Here, try this."

Taylor frowned at the bagel. It certainly wasn't as appetizing with a chunk taken out of it. Still, she couldn't accept his generosity. Closing his hand around the small package he offered, she shook her head. "I'm not going to eat your rations, Drake." There had been a school-wide seminar before the Atrian Seven joined the school. There were rules about everything including food; they were not to offer the Atrians anything to eat and they were not allowed to take anything from them for everyone's safety. It wasn't that she was worried she'd become ill, Drake would never do that to her. She just wanted to make sure that he got enough to sustain him. The government provided just enough food to keep their people satiated; she didn't want him to starve.

"I didn't say eat the whole thing, blondie." He couldn't help but smile now, "It's not my rations either. It's a traditional Atrian treat made with carob and some other stuff. Roman's mom makes it." He broke off a piece, gently bringing it to her mouth. It touched something primal in him the way she opened her lips to take the morsel he offered. "You like it?"

Chewing thoughtfully, she nodded, "It's delicious, thank you." It reminded her of caramel but the texture was crunchier and it smelled like coconut; she'd never had anything like it before. "Maybe his mom wants to give me the recipe? Food that won't kill me is definitely a top priority. Plus this is pretty sweet, which is great because apparently I can't have chocolate anymore." She opened up her notebook, making a couple of shorthand notes. "Did you talk to Roman about finding someone in the sector to help us?"

He shook his head sheepishly, "There's wasn't enough time last night. But I will…" Why the hell was he dragging his feet on this? He rested his hand along the back of her neck, stroking the sensitive flesh there. "We've got free time tonight in Edendale. You want to grab something to eat with me? That way I can make sure you won't bite the dust during dinner."

Taylor chewed the bottom of her lip, "Look, Drake, I would love to but I actually have a lot of things that need taking care of. Grocery shopping, laundry..." She licked her lips, "Plus I don't think it's the best idea for us to be seen together in public given the situation." She held his hand tighter, "You should come by the house to hang out. Then we'd have some privacy. Do you remember where I live?"

Drake realized how stupid it was to feel crushed when she rebuked his offer of an outing (which may or may not have been intended as a date). This was a small town and people talked. He nodded, "Yeah, I remember." Standing up, he toyed with a lock of her blond hair that had come loose, "You did a good job covering up. Thank you."

"I noticed today that when I shower, I glow…" Taylor said quietly, "And the blue light gets more intense when I'm feeling emotional. It's the worst when I'm pissed off."

"There's a lot more where that came from," Drake sighed. The bell rang and he set the remainder of the carob bar on her desk. "Finish that, okay? You need your strength." Leaning in, he kissed her cheek gently, "I'll see you in bio. Don't get into trouble."

Collecting her bag, she followed him into the hall, "I never get into trouble. You, on the other hand…" Taking another bite of the treat he'd offered, just to make him happy, she headed along to study hall. Without Zoe, she didn't have her usual best friend to fill the seat beside her. Instead she smiled as Sophia easily stepped in to fill the void. Taylor realized suddenly that she had the answer to all of her Atrian questions sitting right there. "Hey," She leaned in, "You want to ditch this stupid free period?" Sophia's face lit up. It didn't take very much convincing for the study hall proctor to let them go to the library under the guise of working on an independent study. The only independent study Taylor would be doing was finding out anything and everything there was to know about Atrian babies.

Sophia was the only Atrian that Taylor considered an actual friend. Teri hardly tolerated her. Roman was mega-intense about life in general and she was pretty sure that he disliked everything about her. Then there was Drake and she didn't know where they stood anymore. All that she could be sure of was that they'd definitely progressed past a platonic relationship. Throwing open the door to one of the library's small study rooms, she put her hands on her hips as she stared down the freshman listening to music in there. "Out," She demanded. Taylor ran this school and no one would dare say no. The boy hurried along and she gave him a winning smile, "Thank you!" Ushering Sophia into the room, she closed the door tightly before she settled in a rolling chair. "So…"

Shyly, Sophia sat down across from Taylor and slid her bag onto the table, "So…" She was unsure of exactly what to say. The girl in front of her was beautiful, charming, funny and kind. Sophia admittedly had a huge crush on her from the minute that Taylor bought her that lovely purple dress on the day of their first outing in Edendale. "What's up?" Human colloquialisms were strange but she was learning more and more each day.

"I'm curious about Atrians and their culture and…well, just everything," She bit her lip, "Ms. Benton started telling us about Atrian anatomy and I'm just fascinated." And terrified. Leaning in, she grabbed her notebook, "Like um, pregnancy for example. What's that like?"

"Pregnancy?" Sophia cleared her throat. "Oh, um, well…Atrians have intercourse the same way as humans do, from what I understand. Not that I would know…" Her face flushed red as she looked down at her hands, "Atrian males mate by…"

"Skip ahead a little bit, I've got that part covered." Taylor licked her lips. "How long do your people carry the baby for and…where is it exactly?"

This was all very strange, Sophia thought to herself. Still, she did her best to answer the question. "Um, well we have a womb like humans do and that's where the baby grows. I suppose in human time it would be about six months?" She cleared her throat, "My mother is something of a shaman in my community. She's helped bring many Atrian babies into the world. Why don't we ask Ms. Garcia if she'd allow you a pass into the sector so you could talk to her? I'm sure she'd be happy to help out with your independent study." And that would give her more of an opportunity to spend time with Taylor.

"That's perfect!" Taylor threw her arms around Sophia, hugging her tight, "Thank you so much." That would give her the chance not only to learn about Atrian pregnancies but she could probably sneak in some time with Drake. She had always wondered what his pod looked like. First things first, she had to finish her stupid homework. Glancing over at Sophia, she chewed her bottom lip, "I hate to ask but…do you think I can copy your trig homework just this once?"

Sophia would've walked to the ends of the earth for Taylor. Any excuse to spend more time with her was absolutely fine in Sophia's book. Continuing to blush, she took out the trig worksheet and handed it over. She smiled gently as she watched the blonde human quickly copy down the answers in her own neat scrawl. When the bell rang, she was sad to part ways. "If you have any other questions about Atrians, I'm always around."

Gathering up her bag, Taylor rested her hand momentarily on her shoulder, "Sophia, you are the best! I'll see you in trig!" Hurrying down the hallway, she stopped at her locker to grab her English book before speeding on to class. She was counting the minutes until biology, when she could sit in front of Drake and feel his presence. Plus, bio was the last period of the day and afterward they'd have some uninterrupted time together.

The day had dragged by but finally, she found herself in biology class. It took all the strength she could muster to pay attention to a lecture on Platyhelminthes. The entire class she could feel Drake's eyes on the back of her neck, her skin prickled in response. When the bell finally rang, she turned to him, "See you later?"

"Count on it, blondie." He had been worried about her all day. Thankfully, between Roman and Emery, he had eyes on her at all times. Hurrying up the steps of the bus, he slipped into his usual seat. Peering into the courtyard, he watched Taylor as she chatted with Lukas and Emery. He raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of Sophia's face as she waved excitedly out the window to the group, and Taylor waved back on the way to her car. After losing his mother on arrival day, he'd been practically raised by Nox and Maia. Sophia had always been a little sister to him. He knew that look on her face and it couldn't end well. "You've been hanging out with Taylor, huh?"

Sophia leaned back in her seat, "Yeah, she's really great. She's smart and funny…" She smiled wistfully, "I talked to Ms. Garcia about getting her a sector pass. She's interested in doing an independent study on Atrians and our reproductive cycles. Ms. Benton already signed on as her advisor and if my mom agrees, which she will, Taylor and I are going to be spending a lot more time together."

"That's…" Drake floundered for words. He didn't want her in the sector where the Trags could get ahold of her. Roman, on the other hand, seemed happy to hear the news. He interrupted Drake before he had a chance to dig himself into a hole, "I'll help you convince mom. It'll be good for more humans to see what life is like in the sector. Plus, I think it'll be good for mom to get her mind off things." Sophia hugged him tightly before moving further back into the bus to work on her English assignment before they got to Edendale.

"What the hell, Roman! I don't want Taylor in the sector where the Trags can get at her whenever they want," Drake lowered his voice, glaring accusatorily. He wasn't just pissed that his best friend seemed to think bringing the mother of his child into the sector was a great idea, but also because Taylor hadn't even consulted him about any of it. It was his job to ensure her safety; he was a warrior and protector. How could he do his job if she was undermining him at every turn? Gritting his teeth, he shook his head, "It's too dangerous."

Roman shook his head, "Like it or not, she's linked to you now. If you want this taken care of properly she's going to need help. My mother has assisted with almost every Atrian birth in the sector. She also knows a thing or two about herbs that could help this... situation. Don't worry about anything else. I'll handle the Trags, okay?"

Although Roman wouldn't say the word, the weight of his expression hit Drake straight in the gut. He turned, choking on anger. He shouldn't have felt this way but there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. When he spoke finally, his words were curt and punctuated, "Fine. Thanks." He hunkered down in his seat, glad that they were almost to the center of town and he could be blessedly released from this steel cage. He was at the door before the bus had even come to a complete stop. Finally free, Drake broke into a dead run as he followed the path to her house. Time was not on their side. All that he knew, as he walked up the steps, is that he needed Taylor in his arms right now. Everything else could wait…

Thanks for your reviews guys! If you want more chapters, keep them coming! I get more muse the more reviews I write! I again have to thank the wonderful JustVisiting80 who somehow manages to wade through editing my horrible grammar AND put out freaking AMAZING chapters in her fic at the same time. She gets a super amazing awesome gold star for the day! Please please please, read and review!