Gwendolyn

I was awoken to the sound of chit-chat and footsteps outside of our hut that we'd built terribly back in the day, but it was a roof over our heads. 

I sat up and yawned.  It was still dark outside.  Genesis and Coro woke up as well.  The talking was coming from a large group of people.  The most dominant was female.  There were voices of all ages and sizes.  The voices stopped when there was a knock on the door. 

Coro got out of his bed and went to open it.  I could recognize the face on the other side of the door anywhere. 

Diana Farley. 

She looked different from the photos in the papers.  Her hair was longer, and her stomach was more bloated.

Those rumors were true.  She was with child.  But she still fought for her cause. 

"Hello, we are sorry to disturb you at this late hour," Farley said.  I knew she went by Farley; I could honor her with that at least.

"You're the Scarlet Guard," I piped in, Farley, who was in the front of everyone, looked away from Coro and looked at me.

"Yes, that we are, we-"

"I am not joining you," I cut her off, cutting to the chase. 

Farley is taken aback.  Coro gives me a hard glance over his shoulder.  His light blue eyes making me shiver.  Genesis looks at me with her hazel eyes, she was my mother figure, taking me under her wing even though we are only 9 days apart in age. 

She rubbed my arm with her good hand, reminding me of my fatal mistake.  Of my power that is too powerful for me to handle. 

"Can we have a moment to speak, please?" Coro says calmly, Farley nods and shuts the door. 

Coro sits down on his bed; we are all in our circle that has been our conversations for years now.

"Well?" Genesis says the first thing of the night. 

"They are standing outside our door, they found us,"

I contain my breath from quickening.  Stay calm. 

They exchange dialogue but I can't hear it, all I can hear is my heart beating too fast for me to hear. 

My heart screamed no, telling me to not surrender to the Guard, I couldn't I've been alone for this long. 

Coro opens the door, says things I can't hear, but one thing I make out.

"We'll join you,"

My eyes widen.  If I go, I know I will hurt someone, or worse.  Genesis and Coro lift me up, making me walk towards my fear.  I can't surrender to the fear, I will run away. 

That's what I did, I busted through the crowd of people and ran in the moonlight.  People ran after me, screaming and yelling for me to come, but I kept running.  

I look back to see people catch up to me.  I stop dead, giving myself an idea.  I stomp a foot on the ground, making the ground ice, most slip and fall from running, but some skate towards me.  

I can run on the ice, so I do.  But I can hear Farley say something.

"Shade, grab her,"

I bolt even faster.  I keep running as does the sheet of ice below me.

I can hear running steps behind me, but I can't run any faster.

Strong hands are wrapped around me and I scream.  

"I don't want to go! Don't make me please!"

A man grabbed me and lifted me up, I slapped him and kicked him, begging to put me down. 

"Please don't take me, I don't want please!"

Like a flash, I was gone, not knowing where I'd go.

Evangeline

Maven carried me bridal style through the halls, I had to bury my face into his chest while I screamed in pain.  

Mare looked uncomfortable, as did I.  

It's been only 30 minutes since Cal stabbed me with the needle, but it felt like ages. 

The pain was in my lower stomach and back.  It came and went in waves, Maven told me to time them, I just told him when it had started and ended, by telling I mean screaming. 

He told me they were about 2 minutes long, 5 minutes apart.  He said that it was active labor.  This was really happening.  

My water broke when Maven and Mare stared at me, confused.  I think that was the sign to them I was having a child. 

Maven was doing a quick jog to the nurses' ward, if anyone was awake.  Mare followed, trying to keep up.  Maven was never this kind to me before, carrying me to the ward, brining me there in a mad dash.

I couldn't talk through the tense pain, my nails dig into Maven's skin as the pain came, drawing his silver blood.  

Once we get to the nurse's ward, he kicks the door open with his foot. 

"Nurses! We need nurses!" He practically yells it over my labored breaths. 

He finds the closest bed and sets me down on it softly.  He dashes around the room and bursts through doors to find nurses.  Mare stays by me; she can see the fear in my eyes.  "It's going to be fine, Evangeline, in through the nose out through the mouth."

I do as she says until the pain returns, I know it will, it won't go away until my child is in the world.  My breathing gets heavier as the pain hits in my lower back.  I clench the bedsheets as the pain floods back, the tightening of my muscles makes my entire body tense up and all I could do was scream.  

Nurses flooded the room, half of them looked sleepy, it was almost 1 A.M so I don't blame them.  I can see the red flushes on their skin, I can bet they didn't expect to help me deliver a child today. 

I had been in the same clothes for weeks, the same gray tee and jeans.  My old jeans were removed, I didn't look at them, but I could smell the blood that had pooled out of me. 

"We need healers!" 

Thank God for Maven, I never thought I'd say that in my head, but he was saving me at this point, and my child.  They are family after all. 

***

I had been pushing for what felt like days, when Mare told me it was just 2 hours.  I was just about done with this, but I wasn't tired, I knew I needed to keep going.  

I didn't know much about labor, but apparently the nurses and Mare told me some things.  That once they see the head, I'll be close to finishing.  They also said that pushing usually only lasts for a short amount of time, I don't think 2 hours falls into that category.

Every time the pain came in, I'd push.  Mare and Maven were on my right.  Nurses at the end of the bed.  Mare rubbed my right shoulder to calm me, it worked a little bit.  Maven fiddled with his hands.  

The pain became more barrable each time, but the pain was still terrible.  But each time I channeled it into a push. 

"I see the head," One of the several nurses said.  I sighed a small sigh of relief when I had the time too.  Maven couldn't help but smile, the first time I had seen a smile on his face in a long time. 

When the pain returned in the same time interval as the rest.  But this push naturally came.  My face was tense, a small scream came out.  

The small scream grew, making the room echo of my cry of pain.  My voice was sore from screaming.  

The entire room fell silent.  My breathing was heavy, but the pain I'd felt for hours slowly deceased. 

The silence ended when a baby's cries rang in the room.  Everyone's faces grew bright when the sound rang, including mine.

"It's a girl," 

hi, here is the cringiest thing on planet earth, like, I think this wins the award of Cringiest Thing of 2020, it's that bad.  But anyway, thank you for 730 views, I don't deserve that much love!  Thank you so much! 

Hannah

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