Page 13 of The Dark Elf's Secret Baby
I stare at the signature line and finally make my decision.
9
Layla
Ilay in bed for a moment, trying to get my bearings. Last night, I managed to successfully avoid questions from my aunt and uncle and get through dinner without being interrogated about my whereabouts.
Hopefully I can figure out what to do at some point. I breathe in and out slowly but the scent of the musty air seems to trigger something in me because I’m suddenly feeling nauseated.
Ugh! I try breathing through my mouth instead. Sometimes the dust in the air around here can kick up colds or other minor illnesses. I just need to power through the morning so I can get to work.
When I stand up though, my nausea gets worse, immediately. I rush out of my room and down the hall to the bathroom, bending over the toilet and releasing everything from my stomach into the basin.
I sit up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and feel slightly better, but not great. The commotion must have roused my aunt because she knocks on the door and calls in, asking if I’m alright.
“Hurry up in there little bunny, we’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on!” Uncle Jethro adds.
“I’m fine!” I yell through the door. “Just the dust getting to me this morning. Go on ahead without me. I’ll catch up!”
I hear Uncle Jethro shuffling around outside the door and I imagine he’s looking at Aunt Leandra and shrugging. “You heard her,” he mutters. “Let’s go.”
“Oh hush, Jethro,” Leandra replies. “Go on then, you leave. I’m just going to check on her.”
There’s more shuffling noises and the door opens, Aunt Leandra coming inside, followed by Amara. I groan internally. Of course Amara is sticking her nose in my business without reason. I’mfine.
Everyone is just making an unnecessary fuss. My aunt comes and puts a hand to my forehead, checking me for fever.
“You don’t feel warm,” she says, touching the back of my neck for good measure. “I wonder if you picked up a stomach bug. Sometimes the water in the water barrel can make me queasy if they haven’t cleaned it properly the day before,” she says, continuing to fuss.
Amara shoots me a look, narrowing her eyes. I know what she’s thinking. I knew I didn’t entirely convince her I wasn’t sneaking around with a boy, but I had hoped I had at least thrown her off the scent.
But it’s not possible. There’s nothing wrong with me but the nausea. I’m just bothered by the dust in the air. That’s all.
When she doesn’t find anything immediately wrong with me, Aunt Leandra waves Amara off and tells her that they need to go to work.
“I’m going to send a healer to the house to check on you,” my aunt says. “You’re in no shape to go to work today. I’ll get Amara to cover for you,” she adds.
Amara gives me a pointed look as she grabs her cloak. “I’ll make sure you don’t get in trouble,” she says. “But I hope you feel better soon.”
I ignore the look and say goodbye to them, trying to wait for my stomach to settle. Once it does, I rise and head back to my bedroom to lie down, feeling inexplicably tired.
The nausea is gone and I’m half convinced it was all in my head but all that side-eyeing Amara gave me earlier is making me nervous.
I couldn’t be pregnant. Could I? What if I am? What will I do? Am I going to tell Kerym?
Before I can start panicking, the healer knocks on the front door.
Nicola is only a few years older than me and she got an apprenticeship with our retired healer. She lives a much easier life than most of us.
Being a healer wouldn’t be so bad if you weren’t surrounded by sick people. At least it wouldn’t be as hard work as mining.
“Hello Layla!” she calls, entering the house. She heads straight for my room, knocking as she pushes the door open.
“Hey,” I sit up, the room spinning for a moment. “Sorry about this. I’m fine. I think it’s just the dust.”
“No worries,” Nicola smiles. “You relax. I’m just going to check you over a bit.” She starts by checking my forehead and shakes her head. “No fever,” she says. “Have you had any other symptoms?”
“Just the nausea. And I’m a bit tired.”