Chapter 1: That made them look up

TO: FrancesAnderson@Andersons&Peters.com

FROM: [e-mail]

SUBJECT: Tummy bug. Send help

Hey Mom

Everything is going alright. I hope you are enjoying Paris and eating all the croissants the place has. Kira and Lacy send their regards and asks if you’d bring me back a Frenchman. They are currently reading as I type, to insure that I ask you this.

I wanted to ask for some advice Mom. At the moment I am suffering from a horrible tummy bug that has been making me vomit every morning for like a week now. Any advice because I’m missing class because of this stupid thing.

I miss you a lot and wish to have you here. Need that chicken soup of yours

Love you lots

Hayley

PS: Send the photos as soon as you can.

Hailstorm’s POV

I groaned, leaning my weak body on the tiled wall next to the toilet. Kira leaned over me, her one hand over her nose and the other flushing the content of my stomach down the drain.

“Are you okay Hailstorm?” she asked, placing the flushing hand on my shoulder.

“What the hell is going on with me” I groaned, feeling myself going green once again.

“We’d all like to know that” Lacy said as she entered the bathroom, holding a plate of leftover snacks in her hand, “Why were you eating marshmallows on toast?”

I was about to respond but then I got a second bout. Kira grabbed for my hair, trying not to throw up herself as she held my darkened curls in her small manicured fingers. When I finished I looked over at Lacy, Kira wiping my mouth with a napkin. A week ago, I still slapped her hand away from me but now I was over being fussy. Kira was the mother of our group and one should become used to her wanting to take care of us.

“I felt like it”

“This is probably why your stomach is all messed up. Your weird ass meals” Lacy was the complete opposite thought. She was more like the crazy aunt that bought you crop tops for Christmas and alcohol for Easter.

“It’s just marshmallow on toast Lace” I sighed, getting ready to stand up.

“Yesterday you came over to my house eating like three bananas”

“Bananas are a normal thing to eat!”

“Hailstorm, you hate fruit” Kira mentioned.

“Well, I wanted some yesterday” I shrugged, taking hold of my toothbrush.

In the corner of my eye I saw Kira look over at the small calendar I kept next to the sink and internally groaned.

“You haven’t crossed off when your next period is” she noted, her eyebrows knitting together.

“That’s because I haven’t had it” I mumbled with a mouth filled with toothpaste.

I saw my two best friends look over at one another, Kira’s face the definition of worry and for the first time ever, Lacy also looked a bit stressed.

“Are you late?”

“Yeah, but just like three, four weeks. You guys want some ice cream? I am craving some ice cream right now”

“It’s eight in the morning”

“We’re students Killer. I think ice cream for breakfast is a brilliant idea” I said eagerly, heading to the bathroom door but she grabbed my wrist.

“Hailstorm” Kira said, her voice soft and a bit serious.

“What?”

“You’re late, you have cravings and you’re throwing up in the mornings”

“So?” I said, my heart starting to beat faster.

“Aren’t you possibly pregnant?” Lacy asked, biting her lip.

“No” I scoffed, not helping but to snicker, “Sorry to disappoint you two, but guys aren’t really that interested in me. I swear there is dust down there from how long I’ve been without-“

“What about that weekend?” Lacy said suddenly.

At that moment it felt as if my blood turned to ice.

“No, no, no” I fumbled over the words, “He- he-“

“Did you use protection?” Kira asked, her motherly voice coming through completely now.

“I told him to and he said, he said…”

“What he say Hayley?” Lacy said, having never used my name except when things were really serious. She had given us our nicknames (hers being just Lace because Kira and I were pretty uncreative) and never not used them.

“Not to worry about it” I groaned, my heart dropping to my stomach.

“Hayley!” Kira said, her eyes going wide.

“I’m not pregnant! I can’t be”

“You slept with some random without protection”

“He probably did use protection” I tried, my heart thundering, “I know I’m not”

My friends looked over at me, both of them containing overly worried expressions on their faces.

“It won’t hurt to check right?” Lacy finally said.

___________________________________________________________________

TO: [e-mail], [e-mail] FROM: [e-mail]

SUBJECT: Humans

________________________________________________________________________

I absolutely am not pleased with the human kind at the moment. Adjoining with a massive hangover I woke up with the worst smell on earth this morning. Some human girl had puked on the bed and had disappeared without a trace. Like I was nothing to her!? Which I probably am and I am happy we didn’t have to do the whole awkward – so we slept together thing – but still, at least clean up your vomit. My goodness. Seriously, it’s just plain rude.

And okay, you guys probably want to know why there was a random girl in my bed. Plain and simple – we were both drunk and she seemed cute. You know, the type of girls that need a saviour sometimes. Her saviour just helped her from not losing ANOTHER game of beer pong. She was the worst player I have ever seen. But at least she was quite hot. Didn’t dress too trashy and she had these bright blue eyes that well, you guys know how I am with blue eyes.

But anyway, are you guys still coming through next week?

_____________________________________________________________________

RESPONSE TO <Humans> FROM: [e-mail]

Hey Chief

Firstly, congrats on the score. Secondly, you’re an idiot. Human girl. Like why? You deserve the puke.

Yeah, we coming through on Sunday. You can show us what was so appealing about these “blue eyed” beauties. Can get Mason some?

Chris

_________________________________________________________________________

Hailstorm’s POV

It had been a mistake to hook up with some random at a fraternity. But the bigger mistake (if that was even possible) is taking Lacy along with me to buy the stupid pregnancy test. Lacy was one thing and that thing was LOUD. Like – everything she did somehow caught someone’s attention.

But it wasn’t like she wanted it. It was just the way she was. She didn’t think before acting and well, her looks would catch any guy’s attention. Lacy wasn’t perfectly beautiful but that made her features so catching. Blonde hair, cat-like eyes and the kind of innocent slutty look any guy would fall for.

Combining with a personality that would cause the library to light on fire, Lacy was something else. But getting to me going to buy that stupid test.

Lacy came in and without thinking bombarded herself to the counter, asking (she actually asked) where the pregnancy tests were. Not even in a whisper. As if she was asking where the candy aisle was.

Kira just sighed, shaking her head as we followed behind our determined friend and the shop assistant. He pointed to the tests before scurrying off.

“Okay mm, what about the pink one?” Lacy said, taking hold of one of the boxes.

“Whatever” I said, holding onto my stomach, hoping that I actually would just waste 7 dollars and not the alternative.

“It’s going to be okay Hailstorm” Kira said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, we’re here for you” Lacy smiled, holding up the box.

“Let’s just go pay” I grumbled, “But thanks guys” I exchanged a light smile with my friends as we headed to the counter. I handed Lacy the money, knowing that she wouldn’t care about buying the product.

“Want to go test it now?” she said as we left the store.

“Sooner the better” I said, looking over at the bathrooms that were connected to the small convenient store we had entered.

“You can do this Hailstorm!”

“Yeah, it’s just peeing”

“Lace!?” Kira gasped, looking at my one friend with complete shock. I burst out laughing, shaking my head as I entered the stupid bathroom.

XXX

Liam’s POV

“Want to get some crisps before we head off?” Mason asked, stopping the car by the convenience store.

“Do you ever stop eating?” I chuckled, but still got out of the Jeep, “Get some – I’m going to go to the bathroom”

“Do you ever stop peeing?” Chris chuckled. I chuckled, waving the two off before heading to the bathroom. The place was quite small and like any public bathroom – gross.

Having two stalls, one occupied and the dirtiest floors in the world I contemplated keeping it in until I got to somewhere cleaner. Like the woods.

“Lace? Is that you?” a girl voice filtered through the closed door, it sounding kind of familiar but not enough to leave an impression, “Killer? This is really, really bad” I heard the door unlatch and a girl appeared, holding onto a pregnancy test.

O shit…

Her eyes widened, her cheeks going bright red. Her lips lightly parted but no noise came out. She stood there, gaping at me and just as some noise decided to be uttered from her lips, the door flew open, two girls appearing.

“What does it say?” the blonde one asked, not noticing me. She moved over to the girl, peering down at the test. The girl however, just kept staring at me.

“O shit…” the blonde girl said, taking the pregnancy test and moving to the other girl who seemed to notice her friend seemingly frozen staring at me.

“Lace” the other girl said, taking hold of blondie’s arm. Lace looked over at us, her eyebrows furrowing.

“You” the word was breathed from the girl’s mouth, her hands lightly shaking.

“Hailstorm, who is this?”

Hailstorm? Who calls a girl Hailstorm!?

‘He… he…”

“He’s the baby daddy isn’t he?” Lace said, folding her arms and staring at me.

Baby daddy!?

“I’m not” I said, glaring at the three girls.

“Hailstorm – is this the guy?” Lace asked, the girl nodding. Lace turned back to me, “Congrats mister – you’re a dad”

“Bit more sensitive maybe Lace?” the other girl said.

“Doesn’t matter how sensitive you guys are – I am not the father” I said, sounding harsher than I would have wanted to.

“You are” her voice came out timid, she looking like a scared puppy.

“I’m not” I repeated, moving to the door.

“Hey! You can’t just-“ the other girl started, showing more fire than one would imagine a girl wearing a button down with a cardigan would.

“Just what? Listen here – I can’t be the dad. Believe what you want but maybe your friend is just a-“

“Don’t you dare” the blonde snapped, glaring at me.

“It can only be you” the girl mumbled, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. Her blue eyes were faded, seemingly portraying the fear and sadness she felt.

“It’s not me!” I snapped, taking hold of the door handle. Without a second glance at the group of girls, I was out of there. Mason and Chris were already waiting for me, Mason munching on a bag of crisps and Chris typing hastily on his phone.

“Let’s go” I said, closing the car door.

“What took you so long?” Mason asked, his eyebrows scrunching together.

“Just drive” I snapped, watching as my friend’s eyes widened. He luckily didn’t say anything, shrugging and starting the car.

“Dude, I saw the hottest girl when we were in the shops” Chris said, starting to babble about some random girl I couldn’t care less about. The only thing going on in my brain at the moment was the fact that this girl might be pregnant. Okay she was – but pregnant with my child.

It wasn’t possible. She was a human for goodness sakes. As far as I knew, humans couldn’t conceive my kind. I was in the safe and clear on that side.

Yet, I couldn’t help but feel the nagging thought in my brain.

She had seemed pretty sure about herself. And didn’t seem like the type to just hook up with someone. Goodness knows how much convincing it had taken me just to get her to hook up with me. And even in the bedroom, at one stage she had hesitated. But the minute I got off the bed, she had dragged me back.

NO! I wasn’t the dad. Humans can’t conceive my kind. It’s in every book I’ve ever read. It’s the facts.

It was probably some other guy’s baby and I was just conveniently there when she had discovered the bad news.