A/N: Warning this chapter ontains mentions of rape

Chapter Seven

The Truth

Esmerelda came out of her trance and stood up, putting the chair that had fallen upright but not sitting on it, she kneeled by Ethel's bedside instead grabbing her hand.

"Ethie" Esmerelda said as she saw Ethel's back move as she cried. "Can you turn around for just a minute?" the girl asked her sister who slowly turned around, still refusing to make eye contact though.

Esmerelda felt her mouth go dry and she realised now it had come to it she had no idea how to ask Ethel if her theory was true but she had to know one way or another, not knowing would kill her more.

"I need to ask..." Esmerelda said also looking at the floor wondering how she should even begin to word this horrible theory.

"Ask what?" Ethel said staring at her wooden floor like she had never seen it before.

"Well….you must only be a few weeks gone…" Esmerelda commented. If she was more she would of known by now. "And well….you have been acting weird since you were attacked and I know the mugging story was a lie because he didn't take anything, not even that expensive necklace grandma got you, you have being acting odd since the attack and I didn't understand why, I know you got beaten up which would of scared you but not to that extent, it is like all the life had drained out of you" Esmerelda explained to Ethel wanting to tell her exactly why she thought what she did before going straight into it.

"I am not stupid and I know you, I know when you are holding something back and I have been going over everything in my head for weeks trying to figure out your secret but nothing quite made sense, nothing would traumatise you so much but it is only now when you told me you are …...expecting" Esmerelda said not wanting to tie her sister to the word pregnant yet. "That I realised the truth" Esmerelda went on, rambling on almost as if she was Mildred Hubble. Esmerelda really was not the type to ramble, that was more her sisters trait.

"I don't understand Esmie, you haven't asked me anything" Ethel replied logically as she listened to her sister not understanding where she was going with this.

Esmerelda had really thought she would never be more scared than when she gave away her powers, it was the most terrifying thing she had ever done, but that was nothing compared to this fear she had now, she had no idea how she would hold herself together when Ethel told her if this was true. She took deep breathes trying to calm herself down. She might be wrong after all.

"Ethie….did anything else happen during the attack? I mean it just seems odd someone will decide to randomly beat you and I now know the mugging story is a lie so….was there something you are not telling me?" Esmerelda asked Ethel.

"Like what?" Ethel asked playing dumb, she had already given up her pregnancy secret but her other one was much much worse and she was not going to tell if she could help it.

"Were you…." Esmerelda said mentally slapping herself 'Just ask her Esmie it is just a word' she told herself. She opened her mouth to ask Ethel but nothing came out so she thought about it instead hoping their telepathy would come into play here.

Ethel could sense what Esmerelda was asking her, their telepathy was working right now and she knew exactly what Esmerelda was thinking and Ethel closed her eyes knowing she was caught before she opened then again.

For the first time since Esmerelda had entered Ethel's room, Ethel let her blue eyes drift up to meet Esmie's hazel ones. She didn't say anything just looked at Esmerelda for a few moments as she confirmed in her mind what she was asking her was true, if she was asking her if she had been raped then she was correct.

With Ethel looking at her Esmerelda had the confirmation she needed. She could tell, even before she read Ethel's mind, that she was telling her that her assumption was correct and with that confirmation Esmerelda felt herself break.

Her hands became clammy, her stomach dropped, her heart felt like someone had ripped it out and she felt like she was about to throw up. Someone had hurt her baby sister, her Ethie….and in the worst possible way. She swallowed that feeling of sickness, not wanting Ethel to see her lose control and looked away from the eye contact, turning away and letting her face drop and a tear fall, knowing she was about to absolutely lose it.

"Esmie…." Ethie said and Esmerelda wiped her eye and turned back to look at Ethel.

"I am fine" Esmerelda lied her voice shaking slightly and Ethel let the tears she had been holding in fall now. She knew Esmerelda and she was not fine at all, she was struggling to contain herself right now.

Ethel started to sob again then, now her secret was out she didn't have to hold it in anymore, she could finally let her tears out. Esmerelda heard her sister crying and took some deep breaths telling herself to stay together for now, Ethel needed her.

"Ethie…." Esmerelda said doing an amazing job at keeping her tears in even if she was shattered inside. Ethel grabbed hold of her sister's blouse sleeves and pulled her towards her as she heard her nickname just crying. Much more than she had being doing before. Much more than she had indeed ever cried, she didn't have to be strong now. She sobbed on her sister and the older girl wrapped her arms around her stroking her hair.

"I ..d..d..d.. ..'t ...know …..h..h. ….t….to...te...ll...y... " Ethel sobbed out confirming with her words for the first time that it was true.

"I…..I….wa….wa…...was….g…..g...goin…...goin…..g ...t…..to….p….pre….tend….it...did...dn't...happpen….but then….I" Ethel sobbed as she glanced at her stomach to tell Esmie she was not planning on ever telling her, she was planning on trying to put it behind her but then she had suspected she was pregnant.

"I am sorry Ethie" Esmerelda told her sister in such a quiet voice, much different from her normal tone that Ethel just cried more. She knew her sister was absolutely destroyed by this even if she was trying to hide it.

"I…...I….d...didn't...know….if….y...you ...would ...believe me" Ethel admitted then, her rapist had told her no-one would believe her, in fact he had seemed to know a lot about her and knew her family did not care for her very much.

"Don't ever think that...of course I do..." Esmie told Ethel holding her sister much tighter than she normally did. Ethel burrowed into her to scared to pull away.

"You are not mad?" Ethel asked her managing not to stutter this time.

"Why would I be ….t….it isn't your fault..." Esmie replied and Ethel sighed as she cried before something came to her, something she was worried about.

"I can't do it!" Ethel practically shouted out as she grabbed hold of Esmerelda more. "I can't have a baby, I don't know how to look after a baby and I have no money, and I am scared of giving birth to it as I hate pain and what if it hates me and what are mum and dad going to say, I won't have anywhere to live!" Ethel shouted the volume of her voice gradually growing as she panicked more and more.

"Ethie calm down" Esmerelda told her knowing in her position working herself up into a state could not be a good thing.

"But I can't Esmie! I don't want to be pregnant, I am to young to have a baby and I don't know what to do" Ethel replied not calming down, in fact she was panicking more.

"Ethel breathe!" Esmerelda shouted worried about her sister. Ethel breathed gently starting to calm down a little. She looked at Esmie then with tears streaming down her face before speaking much calmer.

"What do I do Esmie…." Ethel asked her, touching her head clearly overwhelmed by this.

"Well you have three options, keep it, put it up for adoption or ..." Esmerelda said trailing off.

"Have an abortion?" Ethel finished for her and Esmerelda just nodded sadly in response to that. Even if her sister was thirteen she still didn't like the thought of that, and she was not sure if Ethel would be able to cope with that.

"Well I can't do the last one, it is cruel and I can't bring myself to do it" Ethel said out loud and Esmerelda forced a smile looking at her gently before speaking.

"You don't have to decide right now, why don't you try to sleep for a bit and calm down a little?" Esmerelda suggested because she knew Ethel had not being sleeping well, and Esmerelda also wanted an excuse so she could run off before she started bawling.

"I can't….I keep having nightmares" Ethel admitted biting her lip.

"I will cast a spell so you won't have any" Esmerelda said helping Ethel to lie down and waving her hand over her, her forehead glowed blue for a few seconds which meant Ethel would have no dreams or nightmares. Ethel must have been tired because she started to drift off.

"Don't tell anyone" Ethel said sleepily.

"What about Sybil?" Esmerelda asked Ethel who nodded sleepily.

"Just Sybil, no-one else ...not Miss Cackle or Miss Har..." with that Ethel fell asleep in the middle of her sentence and Esmerelda quickly kissed her head and then walked out the room closing her door behind her, in absolute shock and walking around in a zombie like state.

"Hey Esmerelda" the girl heard someone say but they sounded very far away from here and not like they were in the same building.

"Erm Esmerelda?" the person said waving their hand in front of her face. She looked at them blankly. It was Mildred, Maud and Enid and although she recognised them she suddenly could not recall who they were, or where she was, all she could think about was Ethel.

"Miss Drill was looking for you she said something about a split potion" Maud told the girl who looked at her unfocused. Maud looked at her two friends both giving her the same look, something was wrong with Esmerelda. She made no response to them, almost as if she didn't hear them. She heard what they said but the words made no sense, they must as well have been speaking Chinese.

Esmerelda continued down the corridor then in her zombie like trance thinking of nothing but her bedroom where she was planning on going.

If only she had known Ethel's condition was already the talk of the school.