Ever After

Chapter One

Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is another idea I had for a story :D I wasn't planning on posting it before I had a few more chapters written, but my awesome friend, amazing writer and amazing photo editor, runawaysmile made me a cover for this and I was excited to put it up :P All credit for the beautiful cover, goes to runawaysmile.

I really hope you guys like this! Leave a comment with your opinion on it and whether or not you think it's worth continuing! Vote if you like it!

Enjoy! xx

Chapter One

The rain was pattering on the roof as my mum and I sat curled up on the couch, a blanket covering our legs, Criminal Minds on the television.

    It was a typical routine on a boring, slow Tuesday night.

     I noted that something was odd today. My mother was unnaturally quiet.

    She wasn’t yelling profanity at the screen and she didn’t utter a single noise when they showed the mutilated body the murderer had left behind for the authorities. I knew for sure, that something was wrong when she didn’t react at all when the criminal kidnapped a child.

   I turned to look at her and noticed that her she wasn’t even looking at the screen at the moment. Her eyes were gazing in that direction, but they were not focused at all. I looked down and I saw that she was wrapping the corner of the blanket around and around her pointer finger, like she sometimes did with the end of her shirt; this was a clear sign of her being agitated and nervous. It was her tell whenever we played cards.

     The show moved on to commercials and I looked at her again, the blanket was still wound tightly around her finger, the popcorn bowl on her lap completely untouched.

    “Mum, what’s wrong?” I finally asked, not able to take anymore.

     She blinked ant turned towards me, startled. “Nothing’s wrong,” she replied, giving me a bright smile that did not quite reach her eyes and did nothing to reassure me. 

    This worried me further, and I turned to face her directly and looked right into her eyes.

    “Mum, you haven’t said a word since we started watching and your popcorn’s completely untouched. You usually scarf it down during the first ten minutes and then you try to steal mine.”

    She sighed and glanced down at the bowl on her lap heaped with popcorn.

    “You know me too well,” she said, leaning over and placing the bowl on the wooden coffee table. “Even when you were a kid, either you’re way too intuitive or I’m an open book.” She looked at me now and gave me a soft smile.

    “Okay mum, honestly, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me with all this… talking to me all motherly thing.” She sighed once again; she bit her lip and glanced away from me towards the television screen.

    “Mum..?” I pressured her hesitantly, and she looked back at me, her brown eyes, identical to my own, staring straight at me.

    “Tay,” she said hesitantly, the blanket wrapped around her finger so tightly it must be cutting off the circulation to her finger. “I’m pregnant,” she mumbled as a jingle for baby diapers started on the television.

    I stared at her, waiting for her to burst out laughing and tell me that she was joking. But her dark eyes looked right into mine, steady, unwavering.

    I let a smile creep on my face. “Very funny mum.”

    She shook her head, “Tay, I am being a hundred percent serious.”