Page 30 of Unmasked Prophecy

“How long have you had this man in your life?” Mera asks, moving to put a clip in my hair.

“Only a couple of months.”

“And you had to just service him whenever he wanted?”

Her face scrunches with rage, and I don’t blame her.

I scoff. “No. That would be a sin. Only when I was fertile.”

Her mouth drops open, and she falls silent. I know how awful this sounds, and to be honest, I have already accepted the world I come from is terrifying to other people. Hell, it’s terrifying to me, but I’ve learnt to somehow accept that I can’t change it. At least, I couldn’t before.

Maybe now, I can.

“Did it happen before you left?”

I nod, confused. “It did. Why?”

Mera is silent for a long moment, the curling iron stilling in her hand as she seems to be thinking. I watch her, waiting for what she’ll say next. When she finally speaks, her voice is careful.

“Nia, do you think you could be pregnant?”

The room goes quiet. Her question hangs in the air and I feel my heart stop. It’s a possibility that I hadn’t allowed myselfto consider, something too big and terrifying to even let into my mind. With everything that has happened, I never once considered that I could actually be carrying a child.

I open my mouth, but no words come out.

“Nia, honey, breathe.”

I shoot out of the chair, my hair whipping around my shoulders as I turn to her, my eyes wide. “No.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Mera says quickly. “I’m just thinking out loud, that’s all. It’s only because you’re sick.”

“I just thought it was everything catching up with me.”

Mera sets down the curling iron, her eyes locking onto mine. “We’ll find out for sure, okay? If you are, we’ll figure it out. You’re not alone in this. You have me. You have the club.”

The words are a comfort, but they’re not enough to stop the fear from spreading through my chest like wildfire. The thought of being pregnant, of bringing a child into this world, of them getting their hands on that child... It’s too much.

“I can’t do it, Mera,” I say, my voice trembling. “Not right now. This can’t be happening.”

“Hey,” she says, putting her hands on my shoulders. “Let’s not panic until we know for sure, yeah? I’ll get a test.”

I can’t.

I can’t do this.

“Just...I can’t do this right now. Can we just wait until I have Lily out? I just...please. I can’t do this.”

Her eyes get soft. “Whatever you want. Just know it will all be okay, no matter what. We’re not going anywhere.”

“Please don’t tell anyone, not until we know for sure.”

Mera nods. “I won’t say a word.”

She pulls me in for a hug, and I stare blankly at the wall.

Things just went from bad to worse.

Deep down, I don’t need a test to know the answer.

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