"Nothing," Emmy said.
Her dad grunted. "You've never been a great liar."
Emmy sighed.
"Let's just get some food in you." Her mom escorted her over to the counter. "Then while you're eating, you can tell me everything."
That was her mom's way—comfort food and then communication. Not that Emmy had any intention of communicating beyond grunts.
"Okay," Emmy whispered.
After she leaned against the counter, her mom pulled a plate of stuffed peppers from the refrigerator. The woman stuck them in the microwave. Immediately, the smell of cooked beef filled the air. Something about the smells and the warmth of the kitchen made Emmy feel like a child again. Suddenly, her legs became weak as she longed to retreat to her bedroom and cry.
Likely noticing her trembling, her mom ran her hand down Emmy's arm. Despite the fact that Emmy was an adult who'd always valued her independence, she melted against the woman and let out a heartbroken sob. Emmy couldn't believe what was happening. She had a stalker, and now there were werewolves, and…and…
Oh God.
No matter how many times she thought about werewolves, the truth was still hard to swallow. Luckily, her mom held her closer, comforting her by running her fingers through her hair. During that moment, Emmy longed to be calmed and loved. And more than anything, she wanted those stuffed peppers in the microwave. After all, a full belly always helped warm her heart.
"I'm hungry, Mom," she whispered as the microwave beeped.
Her mom patted her arm and handed her a fork. "Of course you are."
The woman pulled the plate of stuffed peppers out of the microwave. Emmy took the plate and shoved a bite of food in her mouth. The tangy mixture of ground beef, rice, and cheese was just what she needed. She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, hoping that the food would fill the cracks in her heart like cement. A moment went by. No such luck. Oh well, the food was still good anyway.
After her mom watched her eat for a moment, she said, "Tell me what's going on."
"Like I said, it's nothing." Emmy spoke with her cheeks full of stuffed peppers.
Her mom's eyes narrowed in a frightening way that only an authoritative parent could manage. "Emmy."
"Really, nothing's wrong." She wrinkled her nose.
"Emmy Ellison, you tell me the truth this instant," her mom said.
To this, Emmy said nothing.
"You have to the count of five," her mom said. "One."
Emmy wondered what would happen when the woman got to five. Would the earth explode? Would she be sucked into an alternate dimension by some sort of hellish super power?
"Two." Her mom narrowed her eyes.
Emmy chewed her bottom lip but didn't speak.
"Three."
Okay, nervous sweat was forming on her forehead now.
"Four." Her mom's eyebrow twitched.
Emmy took a step back, half expecting fireballs to burst from her mom's nostrils when she reached the last number.
"Five," her mom said.
Silence.
"What now?" Emmy stared at her parent, shocked that the gates to hell hadn't appeared right in the middle of the kitchen.
Her mom wrung her hands. "You know what, I don't know."
Her dad let out a bark of laughter from the dining room. If the situation had been different, Emmy might have laughed, too. But she couldn't. She placed her fork down on her plate and took a deep breath.
"For heaven's sake, please tell me." Her mom sounded desperate. "I'm worried about you."
Emmy could see the concern in her mom's eyes, and guilt came crashing over her. No, it more than came crashing over her. Guilt tackled her to the ground, beat her senseless, and then threw her into the oven to be baked until she turned to ash. She groaned, cracking under the pressure. Though she couldn't tell her mom about the werewolves, there was still news she had to share. Big news.
In shame, Emmy hung her head and said, "I'm pregnant."
Her mom craned her neck, eyes wide with disbelief. "What was that?"
"I'm pregnant." She tried to swallow her pain.
"But you aren't married," her mom said dumbly.
"I know," she said.
Her dad marched into the kitchen with his mustache twitching. His eyes bulged out of his head and his fists were clenched at his sides. She realized that werewolves should have been the least of her worries. After all, it looked as though her dad just might kill her. She backed up until her rear end hit the counter, wondering if she was going to be incinerated due to the heat of her dad's glare.
"What did I just hear?" her dad asked quietly. Too quietly.
"I'm pregnant," she repeated.
"What?" Her dad threw up his hands.
"Calm down, Doug," her mom said, startling Emmy.