Chapter 17 The Shift
1068 Words
The nurse’s office was quiet, the blinds drawn against the afternoon sun. Avane sat stiffly on the examination cot, arms folded tightly across her midsection, trying to block out the persistent ache in her lower back. Beside her, Elara tapped her foot, eyes flicking between Ava and the closed door.
When Nurse Kessler returned with her clipboard, her expression gave nothing away—neither soft nor harsh. Just clinical.
“Ava,” she said gently, “you’re pregnant.”
The words sank into the room like a stone dropped in still water. Ava stared at her, blinking slowly.
“I—what?”
“Roughly six weeks. You’re healthy. Everything looks stable, but the exhaustion, dizziness… those symptoms line up.”
Ava felt the walls tilt. Elara gasped beside her, covering her mouth. “Oh my God.”
Ava could only whisper, “That’s not possible.”
Nurse Kessler offered her a kind smile. “It is. And you have options. You don’t have to make any decisions today.”
“I—thank you,” Ava murmured, not really hearing anything after that. The nurse gave them privacy.
As soon as the door closed, Elara rounded on her. “Okay. What the hell, Ava?”
Ava pressed a hand to her forehead. “It was one time. After the gala.”
Elara stared at her, stunned. “With who?”
Ava hesitated. “Daxus.”
“Daxus? As in… the sponsor guy? The one who got you into Blackwood?”
Ava gave a weak nod. “I didn’t know he was the sponsor when I met him. He didn’t tell me his name at first. We just—connected. It was weird, Elara. Like something pulled us together.”
“And you slept with him?”
Ava rubbed her temples. “Yes. And then he left. No message. Nothing.”
Elara exhaled. “Wow.”
“I’ve been trying to forget it. I thought I could just bury it and move on.” Ava’s voice cracked. “Now I’m pregnant.”
Elara looked at her for a long moment. Then softened. “Okay. We’ll figure it out. But you have to talk to him.”
“I don’t even know how. I only know his first name. I don’t have a number, no email…”
Elara frowned. “Doesn’t the admissions office have records of your sponsor?”
Ava’s heart jumped. “Mr. Semial might.”
—
The administrative building was warmer than usual, sunlight filtering through the high glass windows. Semial was behind his desk, sorting through a thick stack of printed letters with meticulous focus.
When Ava stepped in, he glanced up and smiled faintly. “Miss Monroe. Twice in one week. That must be a record.”
Ava forced a smile. “Hi. I, um… I wanted to ask for contact information. For my scholarship sponsor.”
Semial stilled. His smile didn’t fade, but his eyes sharpened. “Daxus?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He studied her more closely now. His nostrils flared slightly—too subtle for most to notice.
“And why do you need to contact him?” he asked, voice still light.
Ava hesitated. “It’s… personal.”
Semial leaned back slowly, folding his hands. “I’m afraid I can’t give you that information. His identity is confidential for security reasons.”
“I understand,” she murmured.
“But,” he said, almost as an afterthought, “if it’s urgent… I might be able to help pass along a message.”
“No,” Ava said quickly. “It’s not that important.”
His head tilted slightly, reading more in her tone than she realized. “Of course.”
Ava turned and walked out, heart pounding.
As soon as the door clicked behind her, Semial reached for the landline on his desk. “Put me through to the estate.”
—
Semial’s car wound up the forest road until Blackwood Mansion loomed into view, regal and imposing as ever.
Inside, Beta Alec stood near the front entry, hands behind his back. When the vehicle stopped, Alec opened the door before the driver could.
Semial stepped out. “I need to speak to the King.”
Alec’s brows lifted. “Why?”
“It concerns a student. One of the sponsored ones.” He paused. “She came to me today asking for Daxus. I recognized the scent. She’s pregnant.”
Alec stilled, a shadow passing through his gaze.
“Wait here,” he said tightly.
—
Back at her dorm, Ava curled on her bed, knees drawn to her chest, the silence around her feeling impossibly loud. Elara had pulled the curtain shut and was now sitting cross-legged beside her.
“I could leave,” Ava whispered.
Elara blinked. “What?”
“I could transfer. My GPA is high. I could get another scholarship. Maybe even this semester.”
“Ava…”
“I’m not saying I will. I’m saying I could. Just… vanish. Pretend this never happened.”
Elara was quiet for a moment. Then, softly, “You’d be running from something that’s already part of you.”
“I haven’t decided if I’m keeping it.”
“That’s your choice,” Elara said, her voice thick. “But don’t make it because you’re scared.”
“I am scared,” Ava admitted.
“And you’re not alone,” Elara added. “No matter what you decide, I’ll be here.”
The tears came before Ava could stop them. Elara wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly. They stayed like that for a long while.
—
Later that evening, Ava sat at her desk, staring blankly at a biology textbook. Her vision blurred, the diagrams melting into meaninglessness. When Elara returned from the hall with a sandwich, Ava didn’t even look up.
“You didn’t go to your classes,” Elara noted gently.
“I couldn’t.”
Elara nodded. “Then I’m skipping tomorrow. We’re seeing the nurse again. You need someone there when you start making decisions.”
Ava looked at her, grateful and guilty all at once. “You don’t have to.”
“I know,” Elara replied. “But I want to.”
Ava reached across the table and took her hand. For the first time that day, her chest felt just a little lighter.
Still heavy—but not unbearable.
- Writer
