tw
if any part of this chapter makes you uncomfortable/upset, feel free to skip it :)

It doesn't take long for me to realise that the piercing screams aren't a twisted part of my dream. I wake with a start and climb out of bed, ignoring the dizziness at getting up too fast, and rush out of the room. No one's awake yet, except for whoever is screaming, and it feels as though the whole house is dead. It's cold and dark and the screams grow louder as I fly up the stairs.

My mind is rushing to the worst case scenarios. Is someone attacking the mansion? Is Maeve being tortured? Has Posie gone missing? Has Chelsea been hurt? All of them fly through my thoughts so quickly I can barely hold onto one before my brain conjures the next one.

I get to the top of the staircase and pause when I almost run into Blake. He looks just as confused and concerned as I feel as he glances to the door that the screaming is coming from.

"Do you know what happened?" I ask him as he runs his hands through his bedraggled hair.

"I have no clue," he says, just as another cry echoes along the long corridor. "Come on."

The two of us rush to the door, which we find is locked. I knock against the wood while Blake jiggles at the doorknob, frantically trying to get it open. The woman screams again and my heart drops.

"Danielle?" I ask loudly. "Danielle are you okay?"

She lets out another gut-wrenching cry. "Adam. Get Adam," she sobs.

Blake and I exchange a look.

"Go get him," I say.

"But what about-"

"I've got it," I tell him, leaving no room for arguments. "Go."

He sprints off, running back down the stairs, and I turn back to the door. "Danielle, please let me in."

There's silence for a moment, I can only hear the sounds of her constant crying that somehow brings frightened tears to my own eyes, before Zavier is running down the corridor.

"Aurora?" he asks.

"Danielle's in there," I say breathlessly. "Something's wrong."

He reaches over me and knocks on the door. "Danielle, it's me. Open the door."

There's another moment of nothing, before I hear the click of the lock and Zavier and I rush in.

Blood is the first thing my eyes land on. So much of it, smudged across the white tiles of the bathroom.

Danielle is the second. She's on the floor, legs covered in blood with her head in her hands as she sobs her heart out.

Zavier recovers far quicker than I do, not minding the blood as he crouches down beside her. He doesn't have to say anything but place a comforting hand on her shoulder, before she looks up at him with a tear-stained face. My heart shatters for her.

"I lost him," is all she says.

I notice that the others are crowded around the door, devastation and confusion all over their faces, but I can't tear my eyes away from the scene. I watch helplessly as Zavier tries to comfort Danielle, but all she can say in response is 'I lost him', over and over while tears drip from her face. Jayden then moves into the room, crouching with them, and something tells me he knows what's happening more than anyone else here.

There's commotion from behind me as Adam finally appears, gently pushing past me to see what's happening.

"No," he breathes when his pained eyes land on the blood. He rushes into the room, collapsing beside Danielle, and the two of them grab hold of one another as if they plan to never let go.

Zavier glances to where we're stood at the door. He stands up and steps over, grabbing hold of it. "I'm sorry guys, but please just go back to bed."

And the door closes, leaving the rest of us to look at one another in shock and sadness while Danielle's cries go on through the night.

*****

We can't go back to bed.

Instead, Enoch suggests that we all go into a living room. Him and Blake are bringing flames to life in the fireplace. Chelsea and Colby are sprawled across one sofa, watching them do it with blank faces while Posie sleeps in Chelsea's arms. Maeve and I are on the one opposite, Maeve's head on my shoulder while I stare off into the distance, seeing blood all over white tiles.

No one says a word.

No one needs to.

We all know what we saw and we all have an idea of what happened, but none of us wants to be the one to say the words. Saying it will make it more real, and I think we just need a few more minutes in denial.

Enoch and Blake finish up with the fire and the soft crackles of the flames are soothing to listen to. Enoch takes a set beside Chelsea while Blake plonks himself next to me and, although we don't say anything and he barely acknowledges my existence, there's something comforting about his presence. Which is strange.

We're sat in there for who-knows long when the door quietly creaks open. We all turn our heads to watch Jayden enter the room, the glow of the fire casting shadows across his exhausted features, and he collapses into the armchair.

"Good morning," he says. There's a chorus of mutters across the room, but no one's heart is in it.

Jayden shifts his position, leaning forward and resting his arms on his legs. "Zavier's gone to the hospital with Danielle and Adam."

"Is she okay?" Maeve asks, her head lifting from my shoulder.

"Maeve," Blake says tiredly.

"Physically, she's fine," Jayden tells us, and everyone relaxes a bit. But I know he's not finished. "She told me I can tell you what happened, as long as you respect Danielle and Adam and don't talk about it when they're around."

Everyone nods sadly, mumbling 'yeah' and 'of course'.

Jayden sighs. "Danielle had a miscarriage."

I had guessed as much, but it doesn't make my heart break any less for her.

"She was about twelve weeks into the pregnancy," he continues. "It was only me who knew, and Adam obviously, because she needed to go to a doctor's appointment and I was the only one who could take her. And..." he pauses for a moment, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "She found out it was a boy last week."

I bite back the tears, tucking my tongue in my cheek to stop my chin quivering.

'I lost him'.

She lost her baby boy.

And she's been pregnant for twelve weeks? The whole time I've been here and none of us had a clue. But, thinking about it, while the rest of us have been drinking, going on dangerous raids and to nightclubs, she's been staying here. Staying safe. I didn't even see her have a drop of alcohol when we were gathered in the entertainment room earlier.

She was doing everything she could to keep her baby alive.

"I didn't think it would happen again," Blake says, and I look at him, stunned.

"Again?" I ask quietly, my voice cracking with the word.

Jayden nods sadly. "This is her and Adam's fourth pregnancy they've lost, but they've never made it far enough to even find out the sex before. They were going to tell you all about it soon, before her bump would start to get more prominent. This one has hit them especially hard."

Four miscarriages. Plus everything she went through with her mother. This woman is even stronger than I already thought she was.

"Will she be coming back?" Enoch asks.

"Of course she will," Jayden says. "It'll take some time for them to heal, but we all know how strong Danielle is. She'll be her usual self in no time. And as for Adam... it might take him a bit longer. But with Dani at his side, he'll be okay, too."

Everyone is silent as we process the information and, in my case, focus on holding back the tears. I can't think why it's effecting me so much, except for the fact that Danielle has been nothing but loving to me and she deserves that kind of happiness. She deserves a family with the person she loves, but something in the universe just isn't letting that happen. It's no wonder she has so much adoration for Posie. I think back to what Chelsea said, about how Danielle stepped up and helped her through the pregnancy and when she went into labour. Danielle wants a child of her own and Posie is the next best thing. I watch as Chelsea looks down sadly at Posie's gentle face and presses the lightest of kisses to her button nose, possibly having the same thoughts.

Some tears do fall down my cheeks before I can stop them. I sniff, catching the attention of Blake beside me. "Stop that," he whispers lowly so that no one can hear him, not even Maeve. "It's not your kid that died."

I roll my eyes, looking at the fire and forbidding any more tears to fall. But just when I've completely had enough of Blake, I feel a large, warm hand clasp mine.

I look back at him in shock as his thumb brushes over my knuckles in a way that feels far too comforting. Then he mouths 'sorry' with a frown, and I wonder if I'm looking at the same person.

He doesn't let go of my hand.

"Anyway," Jayden says, standing to his feet. "I know this is upsetting. I'm upset too. But everything will be okay and Zavier said that you all should probably try and get some sleep. There won't be any raids for the next few days but... yeah."

He nods once before leaving the room, but none of us make a move to follow after him. I don't think there's a chance of me falling into a comfortable sleep tonight, and obviously everyone is having the same thoughts.

"We could all sleep in here tonight?" Enoch offers. "Like a sleepover."

"I'd like that," Maeve says, keeping her head on my shoulder. I rest mine atop hers. Blake still has my hand in his and I don't think he even realises it. I want to rip mine away from his while simultaneously hold onto it forever, and I don't like how that internal conflict feels.

"We'll just have to hope Posie sleeps through the night," Chelsea says.

Colby glances at her. "We can take turns with her."

It's an easy agreement made very quickly. Blake finally lets go of my hand and we grab a bunch of blankets and pillows and gravitate towards anywhere in the room that appears comfortable to sleep in.

"Want to share the sofa?" Maeve asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"You flirt," I tease.

"Come on, you know you want to."

Everyone smiles tiredly, exhausted and sad but glad we're able to break some of the tension. We all get comfortable in front of the fire, and one by one, everyone starts drifting off.