Nine Month Sickness

[XiaoLu]

As a high school student, all you wanted to be was normal. You just wanted to fit into the crowd. You did the things that all normal students did, you snuck out of the house, parties, argued with your parents about homework, thought about college, thought about your career. Yet that one time, that single mistake changed everything.

It was only once, you tell yourself, and that it can't be.

It's impossible...

The question puzzles you as fear, anxiety, consternation wells up inside of you. How can someone who's just a child themselves, raise another child. How could they have the emotional and physical capacity to do so? You're stuck, and you don't know what to do. You're terrified of telling your parents, and even more scared to face it by yourself. You're alone, and you don't know what else to do.

Everyone here has a different story, a different background, and a different lesson. Everyone here still has so much to learn, so much to gain, and so much to change. If you're willing to change yourself, learn new life lessons, and live amongst other young mothers to be, you've come to the right place.

Welcome to the Safe House. Here, young mother's to be live together and provide support for each other as well as knowledge. Here you can seek refuge, away from prying eyes, and the stigma that surrounds teen pregnancy. You will be given a large room with the capacity for you and another, be it your child's father, or another mother, as well as room for four children.

Here at Safe House, you will work as a team to get through life, some will be in charge of cleaning, others in charge of cooking, and so forth.

There are only a few simple rules here:

A mother and father to be are not to be in the same bed, but they may have the same room.

There will be no judging.

While there is no dress code, we will not have you running about naked.

No drug use.

No sexual activity.

You will have to pay the bills, which comes to about $150 every month.

You must come back before 10 PM.

 

[XiaoLu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]TianYi~[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She sat at the table, listening quietly as her brother, Rafe, and her parents chittered quietly in Chinese and English. They had just finished a meal and now they had settled down for some ice cream. Politely excusing herself, the teen headed up stairs to refresh herself for a little bit and look over some homework for tomorrow. Hearing another chair scrape the floor, she could hear louder footsteps. Paying her cousin, Rafe, no mind, she entered her room with the intentions of opening the light. However, a hand wrapped itself around her mouth, stifling the scream that was about to rupture from her throat. "Shh." It was Rafe. In a swift motion, her cousin shut the door, and her room was engulfed with darkness. In her confusion, she could feel Rafe's hand lighten on her mouth, and then he was on her, forcing his mouth onto hers. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Frozen in fear, she stood there, her arms trying to shove him off of her. She could feel Rafe groping her, and then, her top was yanked off. In her struggle, her fist made contact with her wall, creating a loud banging echo. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Tears stung her eyes as her cousin did things that were largely unimaginable to her innocent mind, and Tian struggled harder, knocking everything she possibly could to the floor. Her hands connected with her lamp, and she knocked it off her desk, and the glass shattered, causing shards to splinter everywhere, but it also caused the alarm and attention of below that she needed. Through her fear, she could hear Rafe letting out a string of cursing that even a seasoned sailor would have winced at. Quick and agile footsteps ran up the stairs, and to her delighted ears, she could tell it was Luhan, her older brother. She never could have believed how relieved she would become at the sight of her brother slamming the door open. She could hear the feral growl that escaped her gentle brother's lips, and then Rafe was torn off of her. In his frenzy, Tian could see that her brother had grabbed his best fencing sabre, and proceeded with stabbing and whacking her cousin with the pommel and bell of the blade. With a swift kick, he shoved his blade out of the way, and then began punching Rafe as their cousin fought back, landing a few good hits here and there. Tian had sat there in the corner, bewildered, her petite frame shaking and trembling, and clutching at her remaining sources of modesty. "Call 911!" His brother had screamed, a wild light that Tian had never seen before sparkled in his usually warm hazel eyes. He had thrown his phone to her, and with clumsy fingers, she had managed to dial in the number. A woman had picked up on the second ring, and asked her what was wrong. With a thick tongue, a trembling voice, she managed to choke out what had happened, and then Rafe had been arrested. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She awoke, her hands gripping her pillows as a wave of nausea lurched through her like a wave. She tore through her covers, her feet barely having enough time to get her to the bathroom without tripping before she tipped all of the remaining contents of her stomach into the toilet. After she had finished vomiting, her body relaxed on the cold tiled floor, shaking from fatigue. Just as her head rested down on the rim of the toilet and her eyes drifted shut, her hands flew back to her mouth, and she lurched up violently, chest heaving. Head half in the toilet bowl, she continued throwing up, yet there nothing left in her to chuck, she was just throwing up a mixture of acidic stomach acids and watery fluids. Tears flew down Tian's pallid green tinged face as her arms hugged the toilet. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The teen could feel her brother kneel beside her, as she pulled her sweat soaked hair out of her face and helped her up as she finished puking her guts out. "Here." He said, handing her a glass of water before proceeding to flush the vial contents from the bathroom. As Tian finished gulping the refreshing water, she could see Luhan's fists tighten and she knew he was thinking of Rafe. "Are you alright now?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]With a quick nod, Tian set down the glass, "Yeah, thanks." Her eyes had begun drifting shut as her body registered it's earlier awakening. "I think I'm going back to sleep." Murmured the younger girl, as she swayed with exhaustion. Her brother's steady arms guided her back to her comforting bed and she passed out instantly, snoring. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]LuHan~[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Luhan had woken up to the sound of someone puking that morning, and he had run over to his sister's bathroom to find her throwing every possible content in her stomach into the toilet bowl. It infuriated him so much to see his baby sister going through so much pain through the actions of his cousin, Rafe. Just the thought of his name was enough to make Luhan want to kill him. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The sound of more puking had brought the boy back from his fantasies, and he kneeled beside Tian, pulling her hair back from her sweaty face. He could hear her crying, and her small body heaved between vomiting with suppressed tears and sobs. His sister's face had turned a deathly shade of white, yet her undertones, which normally would have been pink, had become a sea sck green. Handing her a glass of water as his sister finished, he could definitely make out the slight bump underneath her sleeping gown, though it was still easy to hide at this point. Guiding his sibling, who had fallen asleep on her feet, back to bed, a small smile spread on his face, seeing her passed out and gently snoring. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Their parents had already gone out for work. He could still clearly recall the day Tian had called him up after school. She had been sick all week, and could barely drag herself out of bed, so their parents had let her stay at home. He had answered, his voice expressing his concern. "Are you alright, mei?" She has proceeded to ask him to run to the grocery store to pick up some tests, and the blood had drained from his face. Luhan had been freakishly close to breaking into prision to murder Rafe with his own arms, but he did as he was told, and watched as his sister fell apart at the tiny positive signs. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She had stayed in her room for the rest of the week, barely coming out to eat, and when she had, her eyes had been purry and red, the rest of her heart shaped face had been bloated from crying, dark circles rimming her eyes. It had pained Luhan beyond belief, hearing his sister throwing up for hours when he couldn't do anything but feebly offer some water and hold up her hair as she finished. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Bringing himself back to the present, he began whisking some eggs to scramble them in the frying pan. Much to his relief, Tian had recovered her appetite after getting over her initial shock, and had begun eating with a renewed appetite. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Their parents definitely did not react with the same supporting stance that Luhan had taken. Their family was largely religious and could not have their reputation ruined. When Tian had made the decision to the Safe House, they had covered her saying that she and Luhan were traveling to China to visit family and were staying there to study for a year as transfer students. Her parents had also said that they would be bringing back a baby cousin, whose parents had passed away tragically. [/BCOLOR]

@Grace Tesla @Adira @Sashakiki @Kirisuna

((Your characters may start anywhere, it doesn't have to be at the Safe House just yet. Sorry about the length, I kind of got a bit carried away.))

 

[Adira]

"I. DON'T. CARE!!!!" The tiny blonde screamed at her father from the back seat. "Ralph PULL OVER!" Her mother screamed as the middle aged man huffed in annoyance and did as he was told. It didn't take long for Lydia to kick open the door and lean over the edge of the car before letting the remains of a chicken salad and water pour from her mouth. The blonde's ponytail fell over her head and Lydia felt the tears being pulled down her cheeks by gravity. She sniffled and tried to keep the tears back. She felt a light hand on her shoulder and she looked up just to she her sympathic mom holding out a napkin and a bottle of water. She sniffled again and took the napkin gratefully. Wiping her eyes and mouth she threw the napkin on the ground and sat back up. Closing her baby blue eyes and breathing in before exhaling and nodding to her parents. "Okay.. proceed"

The car pulled off the side of the road and weaved smoothly back into traffic. Lydia held her hands over her stomach and tried to breath in and out. Ever since she had found out she was pregnant car rides made her sick. Actually, a lot made her sick. "Those.. assholes" She muttered under her breath. Lydia was never one to swear but the sweet little girl's perfect planned life was now put on hold because of one man's sick twisted desires. They had used her, taken her virginity, taken everything she had. They took her life.. and gave her another one. Looking down at her stomach she began to think of the small life growing inside of her. She wasn't sure about anything about this child in her.. but it didn't matter. While the small life inside of her hadn't been made from love.. it was loved. If only in secrets and hushed songs. Lydia would rock herself to sleep every night since she had found out. Singing sweetly to her unborn child and imagining it's sweet little face. Deep in thought about how her petite figure would look with an extra 50 some pounds added to her she barley even noticed when the car pulled to a soft halt outside a nice looking house. "Well Deia, we're here" Her mother cooed softly from the front seat.

Getting out and allowing her parents to help her bring her luggage into the house she met the owner and a few girls before being lead to her room. It was a single room, a small bed with a floral and cheery comforter. The colors and swirls made Lydia sick to even look at and so she turned away and instead began directing her dad where to hang her clothing. Her mother and aunt had gone shopping for Lydia for the upcoming months, so the clothes were hung in the order of.. months until her due date. After chatting and crying and hugging her parents for a few hours she knew they had to be getting back. They agreed to send her the 150 every month for her bills but encouraged Lydia to find some source of income in case of emergencies. She agreed and rubbed the back of her neck. "But who would wanna hire a pregnant girl.." She whispered to herself after they had left. Lydia sat on her bed and held her knees tight to her chest for what seemed like forever. After shaking her pity filled thoughts she flipped open a book and began skimming the page with her watery eyes.

 

[Blood Lightning]

(Alrighty then, I'll just start off on the early days of the pregnancy, like the announcement and whatnot. Like, I'll start off in the past until its Safe House time ^^ can't really announce a pregnancy when its already obvious lol)

Am I pregnant?
On a Wednesday Morning, sixteen-year-old Angela Kang came down with Morning Sickness. She didn't go to school that morning and her parents didn't know what happened. Luckily they weren't super-religious or anything. Because that would just straight-up suck. Plus, compared to other Asian Parents, Angela's parents were pretty lenient. Being controlling with six kids can be tough. Yup, Angie was the fourth of six siblings, two older brothers, one older sister, one younger sister and one younger brother. She was the middle daughter, which didn't make her feel so bad. But morning sickness? Maybe Food Poisoning. Oh well, she should probably ask her big sister, Tracy, who works in the Medical Field, for a Pregnancy Test. While she was in bed, her Mother made her some soup. She felt a little better as the morning sickness went away with time. But she sure hated the feeling. Was she pregnant? God, if she was, her parents were gonna kill her...Because if she was, she couldn't hide it forever. After all, she saw Tracy get pregnant...Twice. But it was okay because she was an adult and married. Both times it looked painful to go through, but at least she has someone who can give her advice, considering that her Sister was also a Midwife. And what would she tell Spencer?

I'm pregnant...Crap
When her Sister came over to check on her, Angie was nervous. "Here, I brought you the pregnancy test like you asked." Tracy said, handing her little sister the pregnancy test. Hisashi was on shore leave, so he was over talking to Mom and Dad, Bryan was down there too, probably bragging about how he made SWAT. Then Brandon and Sarah were probably just in their rooms doing their Homework, with Sarah just starting High School and Brandon getting close to finishing Middle School. Nervously, Angie took the Pregnancy Test...and it came back Positive. "Crap...Now everyone's gonna think I'm a whore..." she started crying in the bathroom, prompting Tracy to step in. She looked at the Positive Pregnancy Test and went wide-eyed. The older woman then kneeled down and went to comfort her little sister. "Shhhh, its okay..." She cooed her little sister and did her best to console her after the new revelation that they have to deal with. Shortly after, she quietly texted her other siblings so they can all have a sit-down and talk without their parents interfering.

Mom, Dad...I'm pregnant...
That night, Angela and her siblings Hisashi, Tracy, Bryan, Sarah and Brandon all gathered in her room. "Guys, there's something I have to tell you. I'll tell Mom and Dad too, but I'm kinda worried." She expressed her fear and the fact that she was scared of telling their parents about the pregnancy, but figured that it was better that she tells them now rather then saying something after there's a bulge in her belly. "Its okay, you can tell us anything." Hisashi smiled, encouraging her. Tracy was by her side, attempting to boost her confidence. "Okay..." she sighed. "I'm pregnant." Brandon's first response was to look down, while Sarah just got up and gave her a hug. "Our Family just got bigger..." All her siblings stood up. "Yeah, Sarah's right." Hisashi smiled. "We're all here for you." Bryan folded his arms, smiling at his Younger Sister. Brandon finally looked up. "Its okay, I still love you. Actually, its kinda fun being an Uncle." Brandon gave a nervous smile, remembering how both Hisashi and Tracy were both married, and Hisashi was a Father of three, while Tracy was a Mother of two. So yeah, the Family just got bigger. After a group hug, Angela was surprised at the reaction of her siblings, because she thought that they were gonna berate her and scrutinize her for getting pregnant at sixteen. She was already regretting having sex with Spencer on Homecoming night. As the Kang siblings all walked downstairs, their parents were waiting for them. "Mom, Dad...Angela's got something to tell you." Sarah held her Sister's Arm and said it in a fairly enthusiastic matter, forgetting that they lived in an Asian House...Not to mention, Angela was already nervous enough as it was. "Yes, Angela?" Their Mother stared at her blankly. "Its okay, we're all here for you." Bryan placed a hand on her shoulder. She was being showered with support by her siblings, which was already a giant surprise since there's no guarantee that her parents will have the same reaction. Angela sighed. "...I'm pregnant." Her Mother went wide-eyed, her expression saying that it was disgraceful. Her Father stood up and walked up to her, looked at her angrily as her big brothers watched. To everyone's shock, their Father slapped Angela across the face before shouting in Korean, but translating it, he was spewing about how she was a disgrace and bringing shame upon the Family. Tracy held her close as she burst into tears, while Bryan and Hisashi took a stand, with Bryan pushing their Father back, showing that he did not take kindly to what he saw happen to Angela, especially since he is now a Cop. "How could you, Dad? She's your Daughter! It was an honest mistake. Why can't you be more accepting? Why do you have to expect so much from her!?" Bryan was going off at their Father, who just shook his head...

I'm keeping the Baby!
Ms. Kang didn't take it well either. "Tracy, you are to take Angela to Planned Parenthood tomorrow after school. If you want to be a part of this family, then you'd better do as I say!" Basically, Ms. Kang was telling Angela 'Either you have an abortion or I'm gonna disown you.' Angela went wide-eyed and looked scared, before regaining her confidence and firing back, shocking both Sarah and Brandon. "No. I'm keeping the baby. Its my child! My choice!" She said fiercely. "Are you talking back to me?" Her Mother asked. "Yeah, I guess I am. Its my child, my choice, not yours or anyone else's." Angela fired back. Her Mother walked up to her, but before she could do anything, Tracy got in between them while both Hisashi and Bryan were having words with their Father while Brandon and Sarah just stood there, watching awkwardly. "I'm not taking Angela to the Clinic, whether you like it or not! She's right. Its her baby and that's her choice to make, not yours." Tracy was taking a stand for her little sister and defending her choice to keep the baby. "If you can't accept her over this, Dad...Then I don't wanna talk to you or Mom anymore. And stay away from my kids. I don't want you brainwashing them about Angela. And until you can come to terms with Angela's pregnancy, don't even come to my house." Hisashi wiped away some tears, basically disowning his Mother and Father right then and there while being very bluntly honest with them. Bryan just shook his head and didn't say anything more. Their Father looked in disbelief as his two eldest sons just disowned him and his wife. They both quickly hugged their siblings goodbye, saying that they're the only ones that can visit anytime before leaving. Tracy sighed, about to do the same thing as her Brothers. "Fine, then I don't even want to look at that child." Ms. Kang said bluntly about Angela's unborn child. Angela could only burst into tears more or less after her Mother said that. Both Brandon and Sarah looked shocked when they heard their own Mother of all people, say that. They both quietly went upstairs, but not before giving Tracy and Angela goodbye hugs, because they couldn't take any more of the fighting. "If you can't accept Angela's child...Then I don't want you in my life, Mom." Tracy stood up for Angela, shocking her Mother. "Same goes for you, Dad. I want both of you AWAY from my kids and my Family. Until you can accept Angela, stay the hell away from me." Tracy said coldly. Before leaving, taking Angela with her after she was done packing. While they were in the car, Tracy decided to tell Angela about the Safe House. "This pregnancy is gonna be tough, so I'm gonna be away from home for a little while so I can take care of you. There's a Place that you can stay for a while until Mom and Dad decide to loosen up. I'll stay there with you so you don't have to be by yourself. And I'll pay your Rent for you, because I don't wanna make you work when you're pregnant." Tracy explained, showing how much she cares about her little sister.

 

[Sashakiki]

Kelly glanced out the window as they drove. She could feel the awkward silence growing in the car, mixed with the tension of the day. She closed her eyes and glanced over at Matt who was sleeping. Kelly smiled slightly, She had learned over the years that Matt could fall asleep anywhere at any time. She moved her hand over to his and held it softly. The previous night all her friends had had a going away party for her, not that they knew the real reason she was going. She had spent the night laughing and reminiscing with her oldest friends, and of course spending the time with Matt so people would really think they weren't going to see each other for a year. All she had done last night was lie.

She closed her eyes and thought about what had really happened to get her in this situation. It had been her last night in London, and she and her friends had decided to end it with a bang. They had gone to a house party of one her friends friends and stayed the better part of the night, or in Kelly's case, the entire night. She had been drinking and dancing when some guy had tapped her on the shoulder. This guy was gorgeous, and suddenly Kelly seemed to forget that she had a very lovable boyfriend back home. By the end of the night, they ended up in bed together and before she could even catch his name, they were back at the airport. She had begun feeling sick about two weeks afterwards and had panicked. She slept with Matt as soon as she could and after another two weeks, said she was pregnant. Her parents had been shocked, her dad hadn't spoken directly to her since she announced it while her mom had been a little more calm about it. Her parents had decided that rather then soil the name of the family and cause Kelly to be publicly humiliated, they could send her away.

Kelly sighed and opened her eyes. She placed her hand on her stomach. Everyone thought she was only a month pregnant when in reality she was 6 weeks. She knew that she couldn't get away with it for long but maybe, maybe she could. She glanced out the window once again and saw that they were arriving. She poked Matt to wake it up and he yawned before leaning over and kissing her cheek. She smiled softly and opened the door once the car was parked. Her parents and Matt got her stuff as she walked in. Her room was nice, it had everything she really needed after all. She glanced at the other bed and winced, she knew that Matt wouldn't be staying with her, only coming on weekends when he could. She sat on the bed as they brought everything in, they didn't organize it, since Kelly wanted to do that herself. As the last thing was brought in her parents left to give them a moment. She went over and laid her head on his chest "I love you" She whispered and he nodded and whispered back "I love you too". She nodded and sighed, giving him one last squeeze before letting go. He gave her a small kiss on the lips this time before leaving. She glanced around at all her stuff and got to work on organizing.

 

[XiaoLu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]TianYi~[/BCOLOR]


Blinking her eyes open, she could smell her brother cooking something downstairs. Her stomach rumbled in hunger. Glancing at her clock, which now read ten o'clock in the morning, the teen rolled out of bed, making sure to do it slowly, as the sudden movements always brought on waves of nausea. With her fuzzy totoro slippers in tow, Tian shuffled into the bathroom, arms loaded with some clothing. Turning on the tap water, she waited for the water to warm up before flipping on the shower. Stepping in, Tian could feel the warmth of the water relaxing her stressed body. Massaging the shampoo into her hair, Tian's thoughts drifted to the beginning of everything.

Tian had shaken at the sight of the positive signs written on each test she had taken. In her anger, she had thrown them all out, burying them at the bottom of the trashcan before running up to her room and closing the shutter and crawled into her bed. She could hear Luhan knocking on her door with dinner, yet she refused to open the door. It was impossible. No one got pregnant the first time. Tian had been in denial. It wasn't fair, she didn't have a say in it. She had wanted any of it, it had been forced upon it, all because of her perverted and lust loving cousin. Everyone would think she was a whore when in truth, she had no say in this at all.

Switching the water off, Tian dried herself off before slipping on a pair of comfortable yoga pants and a t-shirt. She could see as she looked down, that she had definitely gotten bigger, and her abdomen was definitely slightly visible through the loose t-shirt she wore. She remembered going to school, and the wind had blown, causing her shirt to stick her to body and showing off the slight bump, causing rumors to fly around the school. The teen had pushed it off, saying that she had just gotten "fluffy" and gained a bit of a muffin top over the winter. As much as she wanted to hate the creature inside her, she could bring herself to. It hadn't been the child's fault, yet, she was still wrestling over her thoughts. Abortion had been out of the question, yet, Tian didn't want to raise a child that she wouldn't be able to look eye to eye with, much less support the child financially. Her parents had offered to help out, since this wasn't at all her fault, but it would be wrong to live off of her parents hard earned money. Her brother too, had offered to support both her and her child, yet he was going to be a college student soon, and then he would start a family of his own, get married and such, and she would hate to become a burden. Yet, a tiny part of her being would almost always resent the baby. It had caused her to lose hope for the future, give up her current life, and give up her future dreams and careers. There was no way she would be able to keep up with a life growing inside her and attend piano concerts. No judge would want to watch her, and her body wouldn't be able to keep up.

Sighing, she moved quickly, rummaging through her drawers, pulling out clothing and necessities. She had told her parents that she wanted to live at the Safe House until after the baby had been delivered to clear her brain from the mess, but hopefully meet someone else in the same situation. Luhan, always the supportive and protective older brother, had refused to let her go alone, and so they would be going together. He had assured her that the bills would be covered by him, despite her protesting that she would work. His exact words to her had been, 'Focus on school first. I can put college off for a year. The counselor at UPenn understood my situation and said they would still accept me next year. Education comes first, let me worry about the money.'

"Morning," She greeted walking down the stairs with her suitcase.

[BCOLOR=transparent]LuHan~[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]

[/BCOLOR]

((Couldn't resist putting the lovely gif of Luhan there XD))

Running forward, he took the bag from his sister's arms. "You shouldn't be carrying that! Hurry up and eat, then we'll leave." He scolded, being the true worry wart he was. Their parents had been too upset, and so they had left for a little while, leaving Luhan to drive them both to the Safe House.

As his younger sister finished up, Luhan waited for her to take a seat, as he closely studied her growing figure. It was the bizarrest thing, watching her grow up so quickly. He had always thought it would be him to start a family first, yet, his sister had beat him to it. Good thing Rafe was locked away in Prison. He had sent countless prayers to anything holy just to give Rafe future trouble finding jobs.

"Let's go then." He smiled as his sister sat in the back. The drive wouldn't last longer than half an hour.

"We're here." Chuckling, he shook Tian awake, it was a miracle really, how quickly she could fall asleep at this point. "You're drooling." He teased, and he took out their bags before entering the large building.

A woman gave them a quick tour of the building and then to their room. For now he would share a room with Tian until otherwise said. Each room was spaciously decorated, each furnished with a bathroom, a closet, and two bed's. You could add your own decor later, and it was almost like a little room you rented out. The dining hall overlooked the garden in the back, and had a large table, easily seating over fifteen people. Each meal would take place at seven in the morning, twelve in the afternoon, and six at night. The only rule was everyone had to be at home at ten. Each teen would be assigned a job, some cooking, others cleaning.

 

[Adira]

Lydia had just awoken from a nap when she had heard some new arrivals getting a tour around the huge house and she smiled softly as she leaned against her doorway and looked curiously at the new comers. Realizing that staring was rude and well rather creepy she turned her head and pulled her ponytail tighter and twirled the loose hanging strands around a finger making them lay in soft curls framing her face. Wiping her fingers under her eyes to wash away the smudged eyeliner and mascara from her prior nap time. She looked over the girl and noticed she didn't look much bigger than Lydia herself. The girl was a little shorter than herself and she looked friendly, just a little worn. Lydia could relate. It was the boy standing next to her that caught Lydia's eye. She hadn't known guys could stay in the house. She figured he must be the girl's boyfriend, the way he looked at her with total love.. well it made Lydia jealous. Why couldn't she have that..? Turning her head slightly to fix the old t-shirt she was wearing that bore the name "Harvard" in a faded black font. Deciding there was no time like the presence to make a friend here, God knows she'd need one, she decided to walk over to the two and introduce herself. Not sure what she planned on saying Lydia stood behind them and softly piped up with a "Hello. Do you need any help?"

 

[XiaoLu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]TianYi~[/BCOLOR]

Listening to the lady as she spoke, Tian fidgeted with the brochure she was given happy with the fact that Luhan stood beside her, offering her the support that she truly needed, not the empty words of her family. It made her feel terrible inside, knowing what her brother had given up to come with her, he could have been fencing, afterall, he had managed to get a half year fencing scholarship to UPENN, and he certainly could have been studying at one of the best colleges in America and partying away, but he had stayed with her.

From her line of sight, Tian's hazel eyes caught sight of a girl, maybe a few years older than her, and her belly seemed to show that they were about the same time along. "Hello. Do you need any help?" Beside her, Tian could feel Luhan shift beside her, and she knew the load was starting to get heavy.

"I'll go and put our things down and check out the surroundings." The raven haired girl had always found Luhan's shyness around girls cute. It was ironic really, he was someone who could intimidate any sabre fencer and beat any opponent if he really put his mind to it, yet he could hardly even make polite conversation with the opposite gender.

Smiling, she nodded, "If you run into any trouble, just text me then." Tian gestured to her phone. Luhan chuckled.

"That's my line." He joked, before leaning down, kissing his younger sister on the forehead before bidding goodbye to the other girl. To be honest, Tian loved her brother's little displays of affection, especially when their parents had been colder. Waving goodbye to her brother, she turned her attention back to the girl.

"Hello." Tian greeted the other girl, noting her appearance. "I'm TianYi, pleasure to meet you." She seemed nice enough, "What's your name?"

[BCOLOR=transparent]LuHan~[/BCOLOR]

With their luggage in tow, Luhan bid goodbye to the other girl. She seemed sweet, so Luhan left Tian to talk to her while he figured out their rooms. Finding the correct door, he opened it, dumping his bag onto the bed beside the closet, knowing his younger sister would definitely want to sleep beside the window. A small smile drifted to his face when he remembered the days when they were still children and he and Tian would argue about who got the bed beside the window when they stayed at hotels. Setting Tian's things beside her new bed, Luhan didn't bother to set it up, knowing she might be upset.

The living space was clean and spacious, decorated with a crib in the back. He would have to find a real job soon if he wanted to pay their rent, Tian's appointments, and supplies. It didn't matter too much to him that he had to give up so much to come here to support her, as long as she was happy. His parents had taught him that family mattered more than money, family was always there. If only he could find some tournaments to enter. If he managed to place into the top five of each sabre tournament he entered, he would be able to earn a couple hundred dollars, and if he found a good job, he would manage to pay all their bills with money left to spare for Tian.

Setting down on his bed, he flipped open his laptop and began making calls and filling out applications for job opportunities.

 

[Adira]

Lydia's eyes widened as the boy kissed the girl softly and bid her a hasty farewell. He seemed rather shy, which made Lydia feel a little better about her shyness. She gave a little wave with the tips of her fingers as the boy wandered off down the halls. She shifted her weight from her right foot to her left and nervously held her right arm. The girl smiled and introduced herself and Lydia's head tilted to the left with a curiosity about her name. "Oh what a lovely name. So unique and pretty." She said with a kind smile. "I'm Lydia and the pleasure is all mine." She said with a little nod. She fixed the now tight shirt to her growing figure and looked awkwardly around. "To be honest you're the first girl I've met since being here.. granted it's only been a few hours.." She said with a shy chuckle as she tucked a loose strand behind her ear. TianYi seemed very sweet and it was easy for Lydia to speak to her than she had originally thought.

 

[Blood Lightning]

30 Weeks Later...(Present Day)
Although there was much talk about the Safe House, Angela was a little reluctant to go at first, fearing that it'd interfere with her schoolwork. But now that didn't even matter. Left and right, she was bullied, scrutinized and berated by her peers for the simple fact that she was carrying another life inside of her. Well, maybe at her age its not very acceptable because she isn't married yet. Not to mention she wasn't old enough to get married. Well, she could with Parental Consent, but not like her parents would approve. Not to mention they didn't even like the Father of her child, which she thought was bullshit because everyone else did. Sadly he was in Juvie for assault, but he still cared a great deal for her and the baby, and that was enough to satisfy Bryan, Hisashi and Tracy, as he is most of afraid of them in comparison to Brandon and Sarah, since they were much younger. It didn't exactly help that she had one Brother in the Navy SEALs and the other one was a Cop, then Tracy was just straight-up intimidating if someone messes with her little sisters and especially her children. No wonder Spencer was intimidating by them. For all she knew, Bryan could have been the one to arrest him, but she wasn't mad because he was just doing his Job if he was the one that did. Luckily for her, he was scheduled for Probation exactly four weeks before her due date.

Oh well, now Angela can carry the pregnancy in peace and under the care of her older sister without being scrutinized and bullied. For school, she opted to go to Summer School to make up the Credits she had lost for the Semester due to withdrawing from School due to her pregnancy. It was really hard to study when you need to go use the bathroom about every thirty minutes and your classmates consistently asking to touch the belly or even touch without asking. Not to mention frequent visits to the Nurse's Office if there was Morning Sickness. A lot of the female students have been calling her names like 'slut', 'whore', etc. Most of it was hurtful. And it wasn't entirely her fault either.

As she arrived at the Safe-House with Tracy. Due to all the malicious verbal attacks from her peers and parents, Angela was feeling really insecure about her pregnancy. She looked down at her now swollen belly with a very sad look, holding onto it. "What's wrong?" Tracy put a hand on her shoulder. "Its just...I'm really sad that Mom and Dad aren't really accepting of the baby." Angela replied. She was still really depressed about that. Since the day Angela told her parents that she was pregnant, Hisashi hasn't stopped by the house and neither has Bryan. Then Brandon and Sarah have been avoiding Mom and Dad unless it was Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, but no more small talk. Brandon used Sports and Homework as an Excuse, while Sarah used Homework and Volunteer Hours as well as spending time with friends to stay out of the house. Both parents were well aware that all their kids were mad at them. Sooner or later, they'd have to get over themselves and accept Angela. "I'll go ahead and carry the bags. So don't worry about it." Tracy offered, not wanting to strain her sister's body with heavy lifting.

Angela just grabbed her purse and straightened out her Dress and Cardigan. As she held onto her back and rested her hand on top of her stomach, she began walking towards the Safe House's Front Door while Tracy grabbed the bags from the Car. And followed close behind. Upon entering, they saw that it was a little empty. The owner or whoever may be giving a tour, so she decided to just sit down on a bench and wait. Tracy was concerned for Angela's emotional well-being and especially blaming her parents for being so malevolent towards their daughter. Tracy was cutting her work hours quite a bit to care for Angela and went out of her way to ensure that her little sister was healthy during her pregnancy just as she was. Tracy placed a hand on her sister's belly and tried to console her and help her cope with all the sadness that she's been dealing with. Pregnancy was supposed to be a time to celebrate, not . "Its okay, I'm still here. And I always will. I'm also happy to finally have another niece." Angela rested her head on her sister's shoulder. Tracy was happy to be caring for her, but she was going to have a lot of words with Spencer when he gets out of Juvie...

 

[Sashakiki]

Once Kelly had gotten most of her room in order she decided to go for a walk around. It was pretty quiet around here, but she was sure there were others, there had to be, right? She took a deep breath and walked down the hall. She could hear two girls talking in another room but she decided that she should go see if there were any other girls she could talk to. The hall it self felt welcoming, colored a light blue with a white heading. She made a few turns before ending up at the front. There she saw another girl who looked much farther ahead and someone she assumed to be the girls sister. "Hey, are you staying here too? I'm Kelly" She said with a smile. She figured the owner was doing another tour or something so she probably had awhile to chat with this girl. She was hoping she would be able to make at least a couple friends here, since it would make it easier if everyone was on the same playing field. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and waited for a response.

 

[XiaoLu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]TianYi~[/BCOLOR]

Tian smiled, watching the girl who had introduced herself as Lydia's eyes widened. "That's not my boyfriend, he's my older brother." It was true that they didn't quite resemble each other, and the previous resemblance had disappeared after Luhan had begun dying his hair a variegated amount of shades. "Thank you, it means Sky in Chinese." Letting out a soft laugh, "It does seem a little lonely here." For the past half hour that she had been here, it did seem awfully lonely. "How long have you been here?" Lydia seemed nice, and she was definitely pretty, and the more Tian talked to her, the more appreciative she had grown of the girl. The teen could hear other girls entering the building, yet she was a little too fatigued to care, yet ever since she had been assaulted, she never let down her guard in front of anyone, and anyone who snuck up on her terrified her.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, "Where's your room? Are you here by yourself?" Tian didn't want to bombard the girl with too many questions.


[BCOLOR=transparent]

[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]LuHan~[/BCOLOR]

Standing up, Luhan stretched, his back cracking slightly. He had managed to book an interview for tomorrow as a waiter for a fancy restaurant nearby. Though it paid minimum wage, he would manage to earn enough money if he worked about ten hours a day. With his savings and then that amount, it would provide enough for some luxuries as well, but it would also let him save up a couple hundred dollars if an emergency called, god forbid it.

Deciding he would go and find his sister and say hello to her friend, he made his way from their room down a hallway. He could hear more people had arrived and were chittering amongst themselves. "Hello, I'm Luhan, it's a pleasure to meet you." He held his hand out to shake Lydia's. "I hope my sister hasn't asked you too many questions." He joked, running a hand through his currently brown hair.

 

[Blood Lightning]

Angela was very far along in her pregnancy compared to the other girls. She ran her fingers through her hair before cradling her belly. She did feel her child kick the palm of her hand and she tried to smile, but it didn't exactly work. Luckily Tracy was still around for her, otherwise she wouldn't know what to do and argue with Mom and Dad every day and night about the baby. Not to mention Sarah and Brandon were probably going to fight with Mom and Dad if they tried to even make Angela do anything against her will, Sarah especially. Her Siblings have been very protective of her ever since she got pregnant, which surprises her because she's never seen any of them get aggressive before, besides Hisashi and Bryan since they're Job Fields are particularly dangerous ones.

Suddenly, the pair was approached by another girl, presumingly another resident of the Safe House, introduced herself as Kelly. Angela didn't smile, but did try her best to show that she was happy to see another friendly face. "Yeah, I'm probably gonna be staying here for a little while. At least until my parents can be more accepting of my baby. Which I doubt will be happening anytime soon." Angela sighed. "Oh, my name's Angela by the way. Nice to meet you, Kelly." She ran her fingers down her hair before standing up, because she felt her legs falling asleep. Probably because she was sitting down for too long.

"Oh and I'm Tracy. I'm her sister and midwife. As weird as that may sound." That was very convenient, her sister being her Healthcare Provider during pregnancy, so Angela was pretty lucky.

 

[Sashakiki]

Kelly nodded "That's a nice name and yeah, my parents aren't exactly happy about this either, but i'm actually here so i don't 'soil the family name' but i'll be going back once i have and then give up the baby." She said with a small shrug. She wasn't that upset about having to give up the baby, she would be able to have a real life and the baby would have a good life too.

Kelly turned to the other women that had spoken "Oh, that's cool, it must be nice to have a family member help you through all this" She said with a small smile. Both her parents worked in big corporations so she was being treated by the best of best, but those people were always fake and cold. They didn't really care about her, just about her money.

 

[alexianFireflies]

Sage
Sage was sitting in her room, going over advertisements in the newspaper. Her parents were currently sending money, so that they could pay each month for the safe house, but she knew it was wearing on them and she was desperately trying to find a job to be able to pay for her and her sister so that their parents could stop having to send money. Sage flipped a page in the job section, sighing and reading about an advertisement for an assistant, reading the requirements and shaking her head. God. She didn't have the requirements for most of these jobs, really...and she might never have them at this rate. Why would anyone hire her anyway? She wasn't good for much these days...
Sighing, Sage abandoned her search, having found nothing she could really do. She got to her feet and left her room to wander the house. Would people really hire a pregnant girl anyway? Would anyone want to hire a teenager who was three months pregnant? No one, that was who. Shaking her head slightly, Sage shut the door behind her and began to wander, wondering where her sister was. In all the time that Sage had been here, she hadn't really talked to anyone except her sister. It had been three whole months, and yet...well, Sage didn't want to form attachments here. She wanted to forget everything...but she couldn't. She could still remember, as vividly as if it were yesterday, the first signs that she was pregnant...the first few days of morning sickness, the memories of that night coming back to her a few days later, her dismissing them initially but beginning to worry as time went on and the morning sickness had arrived. The multiple pregnancy tests, every single one pink or a plus or a check or whatever they showed to tell you that yes, you were indeed pregnant. Throwing them all away only to have her parents find them, their worried faces coming back fresh in her mind as they discussed what on earth they were going to do, because no, of course it wasn't her fault, but the shame of having a child out of wedlock....especially in this town? It simply wouldn't do! So they'd sent her away, her and her sister.
Wandering through the house, Sage found a small group of a few girls, and she approached them after a moment. Sure, she didn't want to form attachments to anyone here because she wanted to forget this entire ordeal, but she did want to talk to other people a bit, and be friendly. It was how she was--she was quiet, and she was an introvert, but everywhere she went she tried to be nice. Going three months without talking to people was torture. Approaching Kelly and the others, Sage waved. "Um, hi. I'm Sage."

Dawn
Dawn was still sitting in her room, bored out of her mind and still thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Lately she'd been fixated on the pregnancy; what if something happened when the babies came? She knew bad things could happen, things that could hurt the mother, and she didn't want any of that to happen to her sister--but what if it did? What would happen, would anyone be able to help? What if Sage didn't survive this pregnancy? Dawn couldn't imagine a life without her sister.
Shaking her head and rubbing her shoulders, Dawn got to her feet and tried to focus on something else, walking through the house aimlessly and struggling to make her mind think of happier things. She didn't watch where she was going.​

 

[Adira]

Lydia's eyes widened with embarassment as her cheeks flushed red. "O-Oh I'm sorry it just seems like you two.. " She started to say before clamping her mouth shut and stuttering. "Er. You two just seem very close is all." She said with a apologetic smile. Looking for any excuse to get away from her flaming red cheeks Lydia answered the girls question. "I've been here for about 5 hours now.. My parents dropped me off this morning." She said with a small sad smile. She missed her old life terribly and part of her wondered if she should keep the baby or not. Shaking away the thoughts she answered the girl's next question, "Oh my room is right down the hall. Second door on the right. And yes I'm here by myself" She said politely. When the boy from before who she now knew was her brother came up to the two girls. Lydia giggled softly at the boy's comment on his sister. "Oh no of course not, she's wonderful. I'm Lydia, pleasure to meet you" she said with a sweet smile to him.

 

[XiaoLu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]TianYi~[/BCOLOR]

She smiled, "Luhan and I don't really look like siblings. We don't share too many features, so you're not the first one to think of us as girlfriend and boyfriend." Tian smiled, her voice understanding as she tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ears. Listening, Tian nodded. She wanted to go forth and comfort the girl with a hug when she saw how upset she was. It must have been hard, staying here without the emotional and physical support of a loved one. Losing to the internal debate within herself, Tian moved forward, slightly hesitantly and hugged Lydia. "It must be hard to stay here by yourself." Tian knew that without her brother, she would have fallen apart before the ordeal even started.

Letting out a slightly excited squeal, "That's our room!" It was nice being able to know someone and the support it would bring to all of them. Turning the conversation over, "How far along are you?" Tian started off with a basic question, unsure if this was a touchy subject or not.





[BCOLOR=transparent]

[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]LuHan~[/BCOLOR]

It was nice really, to see his sister so animatedly talking again. It had been a long time since he had heard her talk like that. "That's good to hear... You can't believe how many people have been scared off by Tian's questions." He chuckled, giving a playful nudge to his sister's small frame as she puffed out her cheeks in protest and affectionately glared at him.

Listening to Tian and Lydia's conversation continued. "If you ever need anything, our room is right next door, so don't be afraid to ask." Luhan offered. It would be hard for Lydia to stay here alone without friends and support from others. "Why don't you come in and talk? It's tiring to stand."

 

[Blood Lightning]

When Kelly said that she was going to give up her baby, it made Angela feel very protective about her own. She didn't voice her thought on that though, since it was Kelly's choice, but hoped that the girl would reconsider. However, Kelly was right about her being fortunate on having a Family Member, namely her Older Sister, to be helping and caring for her throughout her pregnancy. Surely Tracy herself wasn't happier to be caring for her anyway. "Yeah, I actually have fun taking care of my little sister." Tracy smiled, causing Angela to look a little flustered, then sighed. "Yeah, I just wish I didn't have to look like a whale."

Tracy frowned before placing her hand on her sister's belly. "Awwww, don't say that. You're still beautiful." Angela wasn't very confident on that, but it was the thought that counted. Another girl would join them soon enough. "I'm Tracy, nice to meet you." Tracy introduced herself to Sage as she gave a welcoming smile. "And I'm Angela. Nice to meet you too." Angela tried to smile, at least for Sage to feel welcome.

 

[alexianFireflies]

Sage
Sage smiled at Angela and Tracy, trying to be cheerful and friendly. "It's nice to meet both of you." She'd overheard the last few words, and shyly she said, "Um, not to be weird, but I think you're very pretty," addressing Angela. Flushing slightly as she realized belatedly that saying so was a bit awkward when they'd just met, Sage quickly added, "S-so you're sisters? That's nice, that your sister is here for you. My sister's here too--Dawn. She's fourteen though, she's not like Tracy, she's just here because she has anxiety over what happened and--uh--never mind. I, um, I know she's around here somewhere. Uh. How old are you two?" Sage inwardly wanted to repeatedly smack her head into a wall. She was trying so hard to be friendly and she was being so, so incredibly awkward. This was always the way it went with her--she met knew people, and then she got nervous, and then she started babbling, and then she said a bunch of awkward things and she scared people off. Trying to calm herself down, Sage crossed her arms over her baby bump and hugged herself a bit.​

 

[Sashakiki]

Kelly turned to the girl who had just arrived."Hi, I'm Kelly and i'm 17" She said with a small smile, this girl looked somewhat nervous and scared. "So how far along are you guys? I'm only 4 weeks along" She asked to the both of them. They both looked farther ahead of her which was kinda cool, it helped her see where she would be by that time. When they were talking about how they both shared siblings she looked down, she didn't have any siblings, her parents had tried but they hadn't been successful.