Chapter Six: Guilt

Mal made sure to lock her bedroom door behind her as she headed towards her bed. She fumbled through the rectangular brown package. She fought back tears, and she was unsure if she was crying from anxiety, frustration or both. She sat down as she managed to pull out the purple box.

Early Pregnancy Test, she managed to read. The instructions became increasingly difficult to read through her tears, and as her nerves caused her to shake the box. Unable to control her shaking hands she placed the paper on the bed. Able to detect pregnancy five days before missed period! She was supposed to get her period the previous week. At first she dismissed it, thinking it was only nerves and stress from the breakup. However, her fear was literally making her sick, and she needed to know now.

Pregnancy was a little different in Auradon. With so many magical creatures, spells, and magic, humans didn't always get pregnant the traditional way. When they did, they usually had unusual magical pregnancies, or knew they were pregnant as soon as it happened. In fact, the more Mal thought about it, the more she realized none of her friends from the Isle of the Lost were conceived the "traditional" way. When Mal had inquired her mother about her own conception, she had just mentioned something once about a magical spell, but was reassured that she as human. Was Ben conceived through magic? Mal wondered. His father was once a beast, after all. But, then again, his father was a human before magic turned him into a beast.

"Ben," Mal whispered as she let out a sigh. She needed him with her, she wanted his comfort and reassurance, and he should be here too. Mal became angry at herself and threw the box on the ground. Why am I so stupid? Mal felt pathetic and ashamed. For once, someone had loved her, truly loved her, and she pushed him away. Now she wanted him, she needed him, and it may be too late. Even if they were together, he was still the new king. What would this do to him? Everything he worked for? Surely his ability to rule would be questioned, perhaps he would even be taken off the thrown. Mal also knew, if she was pregnant, her intentions would be questioned. She would be blamed, and people would wonder if she was somehow doing this to gain control. Commentators, like Snow White, still brought up the fact that she almost stole the wand at Ben's coronation, even though that was over six months ago. Ben had assured her on multiple times that that would always linger in people's memory, however, so would the fact that the daughter of one of the most evil creatures in the realm's history chose good over evil.

Mal walked over and picked up the box from the floor, summoning enough courage to face whatever fate the box would tell her she had.

"Mal?" Evie's voice called from behind the locked door. Her voice startled Mal, causing her to drop the box. She quickly picked it up and shoved it in the top drawer of her dressed. Evie tumbled with the locked door. "Mal what's wrong?" Mal attempted to compose herself before letting Evie in.

"You look awful," Evie said noticing Mal's red face and puffy eyes. "What happened to you? Did you run into Audrey?" Quick, think of something.

"I've decided I want Ben back."

"You do?" Evie screeched. She picked Mal up and swirled her around. "I knew my plan would work." As soon as those words came out of her mouth Evie paused. Mal quickly loosened herself from Evie's grip.

"What plan?" Evie bit her lip and attempted to craft something clever to say. She'd been working on how she was going to tell Mal for the past week but had been unable to come up with anything convincing. She let out a deep sigh and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"You promise to remember how much you love me?" When Mal gave no response, Evie decided it was best to just disclose the entire plan with Audrey.

"How could you do that to me?" Mal shrieked. "How could he listen?"

"Look, Mal," Evie said trying to calm her friend down. "I didn't know what else to do. He didn't know what else to do. We didn't know what you wanted, you're just so, confusing, sometimes." A deep anger that Mal had never felt before began to bellow within her. She had never felt so betrayed. At least when her mother had used her as a pawn in her sick mission to gain control Mal knew she could not have expected different. But this, her own friend, telling her boyfriend to move on to another girl? Betraying her? How could she?

"If I'm so confusing then why don't you just leave?" Mal yelled as loud as she could. For the first time, Evie felt frightened by her friend. Mal marched up to her door. "You know what, you actually stay here, I'll leave." She stopped at her threshold, "I guess I couldn't have expected anything different from the daughter of the Evil Queen." She was too angry to exert energy slamming the door, and instead marched down her stone dormitory.

The physical hurt from Mal's words caused Evie to fall on the bed. She had been though dozens of breakups, and never had a good home life, but never, ever had she felt the sickening feeling of guilt and rage that began to build in her abdomen. This is her fault, Evie continued to tell herself. I will not feel guilty. As Evie's glance moved towards the floor and her eyes began to burn with tears she caught a glimpse of the photo sitting on Mal's nightstand: it was a picture of the two of them beneath the fireworks at Ben's graduation. As a tear fell, the guilt set in.

****As always, I WOULD SO GREATLY APPRECIATE REVIEWS! I've decided to post smaller chapters so that you get new stuff more quickly. Is that a good idea?***