Page 44 of Protector

“Maria, I can’t do this, I don’t want to, I, I can’t.” I start to panic again.

“Bonnie, we need to know.”

“What about Puck? We need to tell him.”

“Puck doesn’t need to know right this second. Let’s just find out if you are, and then we can tell him, okay?”

I nod, because she’s right. Either way, Puck needs to know, but at least this way we’ll know what we’re telling him.

“Come on, I’ll come with you,” Maria whispers, holding out her hand to grab mine.

I tentatively take it, and she walks me to the bathroom.

Explaining slowly what I have to do, she passes me the tests, and after waiting an extremely long time to gather the courage to pee on the sticks, I do.

But I don’t dare look at them once they’re on the bathroom sink.

This can’t be my life.

I’m already trapped here. I can’t trap a baby too.

I can’t even look after myself.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

Me and Puck were going to get out. The world was ours, till Neverland.

“Bonnie,” Maria says quietly, but I just shake my head.

“I can’t look. You’ll have to do it, Maria. I can’t.” I rush back over to my bed, clutching the journal and holding it close.

Taking a deep breath, I hear Maria lift the plastic, and my heart falls out of my chest.

Because the silence is too loud. The heavy dose of sympathy waving off Maria and onto me, even though I’m not facing her, is strong.

“Bonnie.”

“No,” I whisper back, my palms growing clammy, my skin prickling all over.

“Bonnie,” Maria says again, and that’s when I feel her hands grasp my arms, and I sink into her.

“Maria, I can’t be pregnant. I can’t.”

She holds me whilst I cry and cry, my sobs so loud I wouldn't be surprised if the whole mansion could hear.

My hand rests against my stomach, and the urge to throw up rises up to my throat. Oh God, there’s a baby in there? My whole body shakes as I try to come to terms with what’s happening.

“Maria, what am I going to do? I can’t be pregnant.”

But before Maria can answer, before she even opens her mouth, a loud, evil laugh booms from the hallway at the open door to my bedroom.

Maria didn’t shut it in her rush to bring me the tests.

Carlo stands on the other side, fat and ugly and even more evil than I’ve ever seen him before, and my face pales.

How can he know before I’ve even told Puck? This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go.

“You know,” Carlo starts when neither of us makes a move. “I never actually saw this coming.”

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