All That Glitters Is Silver

It was amazing how much you could miss in a single day.

When I arrived at school the next day, Lydia was still outraged that the winter formal had been canceled.

“Canceled!” She had screeched when I made the mistake of asking her about it. “My weeks of hard work were for nothing! Nothing! All because of what happened at the school and movie store. I hope someone finds that mountain lion and stabs it to death!” With a swing of her luscious red hair, Lydia huffed away, hell-bent on finding the ‘mountain lion’ herself.

Everything seemed different now that I knew the truth. Mountain lions weren’t terrorizing the town, werewolves were. I had almost corrected Lydia on her mountain lion rant but bit my tongue. I had promised Scott and Stiles that I wouldn’t tell anyone about our not-so-little secret. Who would believe me anyway?

After Stiles had dropped me off, I made my way to the drug store and bought five more pregnancy tests. I just had to be sure.

Five more positive tests later, I was more than sure. I was terrified.

There was no one to confide in besides Scott and Stiles and they weren’t my family or a girl. They wouldn’t understand how I felt. Besides the horrifying fact that in a few months time I would be a teen mom, I was going to be a teen mom with a freaky hybrid werewolf baby that my hunter family would probably kill. And that was only if I indeed survived the pregnancy.

I couldn’t talk to Allison. I promised Scott I wouldn’t reveal any of his secrets to her. Now that Scott and I were stuck in some secret triangle with Stiles, I was finding it hard to talk to Allison about anything.

My parents were so out of the realm of possibility of confiding in that I could almost laugh. What would they do to me? Not only had I slept with a man I had known only a couple weeks and gotten pregnant, but I slept with a werewolf. Not to mention he was a wanted fugitive. I didn’t think a simple grounding would help me see the error of my ways. Scott had told me about some hunter code—but, would that apply to me and whatever was growing inside me? I just didn’t know.

I didn’t even want to tell Derek. In all honesty, I never wanted to see him again. I knew it took two to tango, but somehow this was all his fault. I didn’t want him in my life and I shuttered to think how he’d react to something like this. Would he personally murder me and the child himself? I hardly knew Derek at all. Anything was plausible at this point.

I was just so confused. My life had seemed so simple only a month ago. Pack up and move, be a good student and daughter, and pack up a move again. So simple. Now, everything was spirally out of control so fast that I could barely get myself out of bed.

It wasn’t only the fact that someday soon I wouldn’t even be able to physically hide the pregnancy, it was the weight that I felt walking around. This made me just as bad as my parents. Hiding, lying, sneaking around. That was all us Argents did. I couldn’t believe it had taken so long for me to realize this. Allison appeared to be the only honest one left and I felt most guilty when I was around her.

Her bright smile, so carefree and innocent. I never wanted her to know our family secrets and lose that smile. But, I knew this was wrong of me to keep this from her. Allison deserved to know, this was her family too. I just couldn’t bring myself to burden her—at least not yet.

I sat in my last period, my mind on all of the drama in my life that no one in Beacon Hills knew. How could they be so oblivious? Mr. Ryan went on reading Wuthering Heights. Suddenly, I could care less for romance novels anymore. I didn’t want anything to do with their wretched lies. All they did was set you up for disappointment and teen pregnancy. Catherine was a selfish bitch who made everyone around her miserable. What had I seen in such trivial love story?

Lies. That’s what I had seen. Now that I could detect them, all I could hear and see were lies. The lies my parents told me, the lies Derek gave me, the lies Scott and Stiles used to feed to me. Everybody lied. And now I was lying too.

“Cassie.” Stiles’ voice whispered, “Psst. Cassie!” I had heard him the first dozen times but had been too lost in my internal rant.

“What?” I snapped, glaring up at Mr. Ryan for reading the stupid story aloud to the class. Classic love story my ass.

Stiles looked taken aback by my sudden anger. “Uh, we’re taking you straight to the vet after school. Just wanted to remind you.” He said cautiously.

Another great thing about being pregnant by a werewolf, you couldn’t even see a real human doctor. That just screamed healthy and normal.

“Awesome.” I muttered back, chewing agitatedly on my pencil.

“Alright, then.” Stiles leaned back in his chair next to me.

“Yep.” I sighed, staring at the clock. Thirty minutes left. I was going to stab my ears out if I had to listen to another whiny line by Heathcliff. I almost felt nauseas at the thought of hearing Mr. Ryan narrate for thirty more seconds, let alone minutes.

It took me a few seconds to realize that I was indeed nauseas. Morning sickness was kicking in again. I stood up abruptly and hurried out of the classroom, hearing Mr. Ryan call worriedly after me. I jogged across the hall to the three-stalled bathroom and spewed my lunch for a good fifteen seconds. By the time I was done, I was trembling and exhausted and didn’t want to return to English.

Instead, I pulled out my phone and texted Stiles to pick up my things and meet me in his jeep. Until the bell rang, I propped myself on the toilet seat, leaning into the white laminated steel stall wall and shut my eyes for a thirty minute nap.

The bell shook me awake. It hadn’t even felt like I’d shut my eyes for more than two seconds. I didn’t want to move, I felt so drained. It took my a few moments to realize I couldn’t move. My lids were so heavy; they didn’t want to stay open.

Something was wrong.

It took all my remaining energy to pull out my phone. I dialed Stiles’ number but before I could get it up to my ear, it slipped out of my grip. I felt my body go slack, slipping down the toilet. My head banged itself against the lid and everything went black.

The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital. The faint sound of machines pumping life into me bounced around my eardrums. I couldn’t see, but I could smell the hospital. I could hear the intercom coolly calling doctors to places. I could smell every putrid scent the janitors tried to cover up with gallons of bleach. I didn’t want these senses. I just wanted to be normal again.

I took a deep breath and pried my aching eyes open. The bright lights burned them and made me cry out.

In seconds, a doctor and a red-headed nurse were at my bedside, checking levels and blood pressure and doing ever other test imaginable. Blood was drawn, eyes were checked. It never seemed to stop.

My parents were there, so were Allison’s and Allison herself. They fretted over me, asking me how I felt every ten seconds. My answer was always the same: a short “I’m just tired.”

No matter how many times I said it, no one got the clue that I wanted them to leave so I could sleep.

My mother was gripping my hand tightly. She looked so stern even though I could tell she was worried. No one in this family was allowed to show fear. I understood why they were so hard now. Who could stay happy and carefree in a world where they hunted werewolves to keep people protected? It was wearing on me already and I had known only a day. I wasn’t cut out for this life, I was too weak.

As soon as the red-headed nurse came back in, my parents stood up waiting for the news.

“Hi, Cassie,” She smiled kindly, “My name is Jennifer. How are you feeling?”

“I’m just tired.” I told her quietly. She nodded knowingly.

“Alright, well, the results have come in.” Jennifer told my parents. “It’s inconclusive, but it appears to be mono.”

“Mono?” My father questioned, appearing to be offended by the word. “That’s impossible. My daughter hasn’t been slutting around town.” He growled.

I flinched. “The disease is a misnomer.” Jennifer corrected, “It was probably just a simple kiss that transferred it.”

I thought to myself that it was much more than a simple kiss that did this to me.

“She has pancytopenia, major fatigue, and vomiting.” The nurse went on, “All major symptoms of mono. But not all signs point to it.”

“So, you don’t know for sure what she has?” My mother asked incredulously. “You’ve ran every test, how can you not know?” She demanded fiercely.

“Mell,” My dad warned quietly, “They’re doing all they can.”

“Well, it’s not good enough.” My mother stood up abruptly. “Excuse me. I need to make a call.”

Before my dad could stop her, she whipped out her cell phone and stormed out of the room.

Jennifer placed her clipboard under her arm, “We’re going to start her on some treatment. It should help with the vomiting and fatigue. We’re going to discharge you tonight.” Jennifer placed something in my IV drip. “If nothing changes or your condition worsens, call Dr. Abidhail.” She smiled, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. I just stared at her, uncomfortable by her touch.

“Okay,” I answered.

“I’ll be right back, sweetheart,” My dad kissed my forehead before exiting the room after my mother.

I just wanted to go home and sleep in my own bed.

“I’ve always wanted to have kids.” Jennifer said suddenly, her smile was no longer sweet, it was unsettling and devious.

“I’m sorry?” I questioned. Her chuckle made my blood freeze.

“I’ll see you soon, Cassie,” The nurse gave me a cold and calculating look. The total reverse from the friendly demeanor she had been putting up. I frowned, feeling uneasy. Before I could ask her what the hell that meant, Allison burst into the room.

“Cassie!” She engulfed me in a hug. When I looked up, the nurse has slipped out of the room. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m just—”

“If you say tired, I will beat you.” Allison scolded, smiling lightly. It fell off her face almost immediately. “Cassie, what’s going on with you?”

“Mono apparently.” I told her. Allison frowned; her brown eyes searched mine for some truth.

“No, I mean, what is going on with you?” She whispered, her eyes tearing up. “This isn’t some illness, Cassie! You’ve been acting strange for weeks, ever since you arrived.”

I shook my head. “I’m just tired.”

“Stop it!” Allison stood up straight, “Just stop lying to me! I can take it when it’s my parents or Aunt Kate, but you?” She shook her head furiously, “You’re my best friend! I can’t take it from you.”

“I’m not lying.” Clearly I wasn’t fooling her. “Alli—”

“Just stop.” She looked so angry and hurt. She didn’t want to know what was wrong with me. “Mom, dad, Aunt Kate, Scott, Stiles, and now you. Why is everyone treating me like a child? Why can’t you stop lying?” Desperate tears began to fall from her sad eyes.

“We’re trying to protect you.” I told her stoically. “You don’t want to know, Alli.”

“Protect me from what?” She demanded, “Nothing can make me feel worse than I already do!”

“Trust me—” I tried desperately.

“Like you trust me?” Allison spat. “I’ve been trying not to take this personally, thinking that you would come clean when you were ready. But, I’m starting to think that will never happen.” She shook her head in disgust.

I couldn’t help myself; I couldn’t stand to keep it in any longer, to see Allison like this, to feel this awful about myself.

“Alli, I’m pregnant.”

The change in her facial expression was drastic. Almost comical. But, I didn’t laugh and neither did she.

She gasped, her face stuck in total shock.

“Cassie,” My mother suddenly appeared, interrupting whatever heartfelt moment Allison and I were about to have. “They’re going to discharge you now.” She smiled happily at me before glancing at Allison. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Allison forced a smile, shaking her head, “Nothing.” I had just made Allison a liar now, too. “I’m just happy Cassie’s going to be okay.”

But, I wasn’t. I was far from okay.