Chapter 6

I couldn't cope with what I just saw but I realised it had to be a coincidence. Grace had just told me she doesn't know who told the people who are looking for me are, or even why they felt the need, but the information was so vague that it was near enough impossible to track us over here. The message was spray painted on and could mean anything. It could be a bunch of young teens trying to be funny. It might not even be meant for me. Chances are, it wasn't and it was just a massive coincidence but it hit home. What if they were here, coming for me? I couldn't put Zed at risk just for being with me. I wasn't that harsh. Zed was already under risk constantly because of what his family was doing, and he couldn't be under more risk now he's with me. I would willingly hand myself in if Zed would be safe. Before Grace had even made it to the counter I decided I wouldn't tell her but I would mention it to Zed. He would tell me to tell Grace but I couldn't put her under stress, not when she was pregnant.

Was it a bad time to mention how broody I was and how much I wanted my own child (despite not wanting my own baby yet – if that makes sense?) so when Grace has her baby I would be so willing to babysit or even take their baby off their hand for a few hours. Not only that; Zed was incredible with children to the point it was attractive. Zed's cousins weren't all older; I think only Grace's family and four other cousins were older, the rest were younger and range from sixteen to a few months. I remember once, one of Zed's Uncles had visited with his Soulfinder and seven kids, three of which were under the age of six, and Zed was playing with them all, pretending to be an airplane and I just watched him in admiration. He was incredibly hot.

'Whoa, let's done tone those thoughts of my cousin please,' Grace said and I jumped in my seat. She climbed in, pulling her baggy shirt over her bump before handing me the food.

'Sorry – you were miles away,' She said.

'I was just thinking,'

'Oh, I know,' Grace joked, waiting for me to put my seatbelt on again. 'Congratulations on finally doing the...'

'Please stop,' I mumbled awkwardly.

'I was congratulating you! We can get awkward if you want,' Grace joked.

'No,'

'Just be safe. We can't have two babies in the next year,' Grace finally started the engine before driving out of the box and into the main road again where the van had said the graffiti words only minutes before.

'Did you decide to have a baby so young?'I asked her and she paused before shaking her head.

'No, she was an accident,' She told me.

'She?'

'I'm totally confident it's a girl, but Jack seems to think it's a boy.'

'Right – how did it even happen? You don't seem the type of person who would risk something like this happening?'

'I wasn't. I was always on the contraceptive pill since I was fourteen. I was not doing anything back then but my lady things were so irregular and I was so ill whenever I had them that I used to throw up and pass out and my abdomen would swell to stupid sizes and I used to get a high temperature that the doctors reluctantly put me on it. It was only an adolescent form of the pill because it wasn't for contraceptive. However, after I met Jack I went back and told them to change it to the adult version so... you know. I weaned myself of the adolescent pill and the adult one seemed fine, nothing happened for two years until a few months ago when I stopped the pill after a month like I normally do and nothing. Waited a few days and still no bleeding. Went back on the pill when I was meant to and got half way and came down incredibly ill after taking the tablet and Jack just wanted me to do a pregnancy test just in case because it was more obvious to him than to me – missed period and sickness at half eight at night. I protested, but did it anyway and it came back positive. Aborting the baby never even crossed our minds; it was inevitable to happen at some point. He believed that if God made it happen this way it's meant to be. I'm atheist as shit and just think the pill failed,' Grace explained.

'When is she due?'

'End of February,' Grace said, grinning.

'How is this going to work with you in university?'

'I have already sorted it; I'm going to leave after exams are done in January and stay off until the end of the school year and just go in for three lectures a week and the exams. I've also got sixteen months full maternal leave from the Government, and Jack's got eleven months full paternal leave so we can both spend a lot of time with the baby,'

I smiled slightly, realising how excited she was. However, February could not seem further away if it tried.

'So you have three weeks until your first semester and lecture – what are you going to do in the time?'

'I guess just try and get everything sorted out. Go clothes shopping, meet up with my old friends in London,' I shrugged. I hadn't even got past today and she was asking me for my diary for the next three weeks.

'I have a spa trip for two from Jack's parents for "the baby" and I have no one to go with. Apparently, it's a girl thing. Completely paid for, with fluffy robes and cucumber and face masks – want to come with?' Grace asked.

'Have you been to a spa before?'

'I was dragged along with Jack's sisters once and it was an interesting experience to say at least. They both thought it would be funny to tell the lady that I wanted a fertility spa treatment and they were horrified when it was that week I conceived,' Grace joked and my jaw dropped.

'Don't do that to me,' I asked her and she laughed, driving back down the roads to my house.

'I can always take you back there if you don't like university life,' Grace happily joked and I hit her arm as she laughed. She pulled up in front of the house, which now had to the SOLD STC sign taken down and next to the shed around the side of the house and the door been closed. The boys in the time that we were gone had put the lights on and the home had started to seem like – well – home. Grace done all the little bits in the car before taking the two bags of take out chicken from me, getting out the side of the car with the drinks and the rest of the items including napkins and ketchup pots.

We walked down the slope to the front of the house and Zed was already at the door, holding it open for us.

'Karla was right, you do smell food from a mile away,' Grace joked as she walked in, elbowing him slightly as he grinned and nodded. I handed him the rest of the bits and hovered in the conservatory. Zed frowned at me for a second before putting down the items on the sofa, before coming out with me and closing the door. He immediately held his arms out and I walked into him, leaning against him.

'Sorry,' I whispered.

'Why are you apologising?' Zed whispered softly, holding me tightly as he ran his hand up and down my spine.

'I've been acting like this is all about me,' I mumbled.

'I don't care, you matter completely to me. I'm perfectly content if you're around. This is a bigger transition for you than it is for me,' Zed said softly.

'All of your brothers are in Colorado. I made you move away from your family,' I whispered.

'None of this would have happened if I didn't harass you two years ago, so really I made you move away from your family. Look, Sky, we can go back and visit whenever we have a week off or whenever they want to come over to us. It doesn't matter where we are in location to them, they are still our family and we will still see them. The bonus of this is we get to stay with each other and there are no parents to linger around awkwardly,' Zed whispered. 'You're just incredibly tired, Sky, that's why you're this upset,'

'I know,'

'Look, why don't we have KFC, tell Grace and Jack to bugger off and go to bed? We'll sort tomorrow out when it comes,' Zed told me, gently rocking me side to side and I nodded.

'You can't just tell them to bugger off after all they've done, though,' I whispered and with me in one arm, Zed opened the door.

'Grace, after KFC can you bugger off so we can sleep,' Zed bluntly asked his cousin and I was shocked; I would never say that to my family. I guess I was never really close with my cousins. They never liked me because of the fact I was adopted.

'Hell yeah, we're going bedtimes too,' Grace called back and Zed just gave me a look as I hugged him. I would have collapsed instantly if it wasn't for him. I wouldn't have been able to make it this far, that's for sure.

'Come on, baby, you need to eat. I know full well you haven't been eating well for the last three weeks, and that was before Xav had a moan at me about it,' Zed said softly.

'He noticed?' I mumbled.

'Of course he noticed, he noticed when you stood on a Lego block, he'll notice when you don't eat for three weeks.' Zed joked and I frowned. God damn his family and their gifts. I frowned at both Jack and Grace – I knew Jack could manipulate weather and Grace could hear telepathy but Zed only ever told me that hearing telepathy was a side thing to her. I wondered what her other gift was. I didn't know her well enough to just ask.

'Chicken is going cold, you two, get it together,' Jack jokingly called, walking past Grace touching her bump and kissing the crown of her head in a loving way as she smiled back, dishing up our take away onto plates.

That night both of us were in our new King-sized bed, laying next to each other in our versions of pyjamas; Zed in just his boxers and myself in an oversized shirt and underwear. I lay on my side, on his shoulder like I normally do as he had one hand on top of my arm that was on his chest, and the other lifting my shirt up slightly to rest on the curve of my hip.

'I saw something on the side of a van,' I whispered to him.

'What did it say?'

'It said "we know you are here, we're coming to get you," but it's probably just coincidence.' I said and Zed tightened his grip on my waist.

'Did you mention it to Grace?'

'It was too much of a coincidence Zed. How would they know that I would wait in the car in that exact car park space at that time? KFC was a last minute choice. It wasn't meant for me, but I still panicked,' I whispered.

'I guess so. I just have to keep you safe,' Zed said.

'I need to keep you safe too,' I mumbled back and he nodded.

'If we stick together we should be alright,'

'What are we doing tomorrow? I asked him and he sighed slightly.

'Jack said something about going to the bank to set up our student accounts properly and we probably need to go home shopping and clothes shopping. There's the England equivalent to Wal-Mart a five minute drive away for food, but to get everything else we would probably have to go into Reading town centre.' Zed said and I nodded. 'Look, Sky, stop worrying about everything and get some sleep. You look tired,'

'I can't sleep,' I told him and he sighed slightly.

'Your scaring me Sky, you need to relax and calm down slightly.' Zed whispered, rolling me over so I was on the bed and he was leaning over the top of me. 'You can't keep on like this,' He gently kissed my forehead but I could see his normal gold shine now was tinted with the charcoal marl of concern.

'I'm fine,'

'Don't lie, Sky,'

I sighed before rubbing my eyes and Zed settled down beside me.

'I love you Sky,' Zed whispered as I closed my eyes and mumbled a reply into his chest but I was already too asleep to speak.