Catalyst

Chapter 5

Quinn shouldn't have been hungry, but ate her fill and then some of pancakes and bacon, mostly to avoid Santana's eyes. Santana had been looking at her suspiciously ever since she'd shaken her head when she first looked at her. Mrs. Pierce made sure they were well-situated before going downstairs, snagging something that looked suspiciously like a bong as she went. Brittany and her little sister and brother, Friedrich and Hare respectively, ate most of what she didn't. Santana picked at her single pancake and shoved at her hash browns, eating about half. Santana had always been a small eater but it was becoming more apparent that she was actively avoiding eating. Coach Sylvester did have them weighed every three days but a pancake wouldn't kill her.

"S'no' good?" Friedrich asked Santana, most of her eggs in her mouth. Missing her two front teeth from falling off the jungle gym last week, she had a pronounced lisp, even without the food. Her big blue eyes were very innocent so Santana shook her head and ate another bite. Satisfied, the seven-year-old turned back to her meal, although it was mostly swiped clean. The eleven-year-old boy's however, was practically flooded with syrup. He seemed to delight in pretending to drown his food, complete with sound effects before eating it. Brittany was almost as bad, talking to it in high-pitched voices.

After breakfast, Brittany normally took Hare to his peewee baseball practice and Friedrich to her soccer practice before going for a run. In order for her to stay on Cheerios and motocross, she took her siblings everywhere they needed since putting her in the kitchen or the laundry room to do other chores was a disaster waiting to happen. Today, Quinn rode with them home. Her car still wasn't there, so she let herself in. She changed into pajamas and then took the little plastic bag out. She untied it, laid the plastic strips on her desk, and stared. Less than fifty dollars, and her whole life was ruined. Finn's life, too; she hadn't even thought about him, not since she'd first done the deed and when Google told her she was pregnant.

She closed her eyes and said, softly, under her breath, "Shit." They'd had chances of getting out, and now they were ruined. No one had a baby in Lima and got out, not unless they were shipped off somewhere, to another little town, or had a shotgun wedding to someone in the military. Even when you gave the baby up, it followed you, branding you with stretch marks and an empty heart, destined to live and die in Lima.

School was less than productive, after the revelation. She just kept thinking about the little embryo inside her. It hadn't ruined her, that wasn't its fault that she wasn't smart enough to not be drunk around a bunch of guys, mainly Puck. Quinn touched her stomach, sometimes, but there wasn't much to feel. That didn't stop her dreams, though.

The first one was that Saturday. She'd gone to sleep early, after prayers. She appeared in her room, but she knew she was asleep, so she didn't panic, just moved to the bathroom, letting the dream do as it would. Quinn pulled her shirt off and looked down at her abs, hard and defined. Slowly, so slowly, the lines disappeared and her stomach began to distend into this huge balloon before the rest of her did as well. She was floating, head bumping against the ceiling.

She floated along, seemingly invisible, through the walls and out onto the street. She had just started to recognize the neighborhood when she appeared inside of Rachel's bedroom. The brunette was asleep, clinging to a knitted blanket, black with bright gold and icy blue stars in the fabric. There was something weird about her though, that Quinn couldn't define. Her mouth was a little plump, her lashes looked paler. She kept looking, just with her eyes, and just when she'd thought she'd found it, in the junction of her thighs, hidden by flannel pajamas, she was suddenly awake again, staring at the ceiling.

Still, at least during school, she could keep busy. With all honors classes, her homework load was ridiculous. Luckily, Finn was struggling in his normal classes and two honors leaving Quinn alone for the most part. He only really noticed when someone pointed out that they hadn't been seen together in a while. She was just starting to wish she'd picked someone slightly more observant before the party, but now she was fine with it. She'd end up ruining his life soon enough.