Chapter 4: Suspicions

It wasn't until Shaun heard her parents on the intercom that she became conscious. She quickly picked up the pregnancy tests and dashed to her room, which she found difficult to do, as she still felt light-headed.

"Shaun, we're home." Lauren hollered from downstairs.

Shaun went into the other bathroom she shared with her siblings and dumped the pregnancy tests in the trash can, then quickly washed up and went downstairs.

As she sat around the dining table, several thoughts about her baby went through her mind. Sure, she would keep it and provide for it as a wonderful mother would, but she knew that would not be possible in Lauren's reality. Carlos was gentler, but Lauren was constantly reminding him that Shaun was hers and he should let her be a mother to her, as she was not interfering in his and Liam's relationship.

Shaun still considered telling Bria what the result said. She kept dialling her number, but she just could not get herself to call her. Then again, who would believe her? It was just a few hours ago that she had unprotected sex. Even taking a Plan B would still be effective, so why did the tests show positive?

"Shaun?" her stepfather asked. She looked up to see that everyone around the table was staring at her.

"Are you listening?" he asked once more.

She nodded and sat up.

"As I was saying." he continued, "Kirk's wife is having a surprise party for him..."

Suddenly Shaun felt the urge to vomit. She immediately ran from the table to the guest bathroom. Lauren ran after her and held her hair as she vomited. When she was finished, Lauren guided her up to her room and helped her up onto her bed.

"I'm going to have to take you to the doctor, Shaun." Lauren told her, "I fear you may have an allergic reaction or stomach flu."

Shaun shook her head. "I'm fine, really." She told her mother, "I just keep remembering the taste of that nasty dip and that's what's making me sick."

Lauren sighed and nodded. "I'll give you one more day, but if I see that you're still sick, I'm dragging you to the emergency room," she told her daughter.

Shaun sighed and nodded.

7:01pm

Shaun, Liam, and Shianne were sitting on the living room floor helping Lauren to staple some documents for work when Shaun accidentally stapled her finger.

"Ouch!"

"It's just two little spots." Lauren said, examining the finger, "Just lick it and I'll get a Band-Aid later."

"Ew, mom." Shaun gagged, rolling her eyes, but she eventually licked it. The taste of blood suddenly awoken all her senses and for the first time since Sunday morning, she felt at ease and not as nauseous as before. She sucked on her finger, encouraging more blood. Shaun did not stop until she saw Shianne and Liam looking at her in disgust.

Shaun smiled, feeling embarrassed and quickly hid her finger but she still craved for blood and her finger had stopped bleeding.

Shaun walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer. "This is fucking crazy and gross," she whispered. There was blood that had leaked out from a meat parcel and stood frozen at the bottom of the freezer. Shaun got a dish and a knife and scraped the frozen blood into the dish. Then she placed it in the microwave.

Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would have had a craving for blood. She had always hated the smell as well as the sight.

After the blood was heated, Shaun took the warm blood out of the microwave, picked up a spoon and hurried to her room. She locked her door and crouched down on her mat to make herself more comfortable.

"I must be possessed," she said as she took up a spoonful of blood.

Though it was what she was craving, she could not get over the raw smell and she found it difficult to swallow so there was much leftover.

When Shaun was through with it, she went to the bathroom to wash out the residue so there would be no more suspicions. She had already made an ass of herself downstairs and did not want a repeat. Her parents were already giving her weird looks and if her siblings have never thought she was mad, that must have been going through their minds now.

As Shaun was about to throw away the napkin, she looked into the trashcan to see if any trash had to be taken out and discovered it was empty. She shrugged and was about to leave the bathroom when she stopped dead in her tracks.

"The pregnancy tests!" she shouted, gasping.