Time Bomb~ LMJ

PART 5

"How can you sit so close to me? After everything I've done?" Lauren asked "I did more than just kill people. I enjoyed it! I found the way a person's eyes would go still during their last final seconds mesmerizing! I spit on my parents bodies! I lit a bus on fire and watched all the people in it burn alive. And I killed a whole bunch of middle school students so I could rob a bank!"

Normani held in tears as Lauren burst into another set of laughter. She does not even recognize this Lauren. She wonders if Lauren is just acting like this because she doesn't want to be sad anymore.

"Lauren I have something to show you"

"The only thing I want to see is the lethal injection table they put my sister on"

That set Normani off.

"You want to see that?" Normani asked

Lauren nodded her head still smiling, "Yes I really do"

"Lauren Camila's dead" Normani said in a cruel tone " She's gone, Camila's not coming back. I know you still can't believe that but she's gone. I know you feel empty but this isn't going to work. If you don't let me help you you're going to rot here"

"I want to rot here!" Lauren yelled angry tears brightening her eyes "I don't want to spend another year without my sister! I don't want to celebrate a birthday without her!"

"And you want your children to spend the rest of their life without knowing their mother? With them only only that their mom is a criminal. A bad guy. You know you're more than that to them. Especially Ocean"

"I don't care," Lauren sniffed "I want my sister"

"Ocean looks like her" Normani said before standing to retrieve her folder, "I got more pictures of her if you want to see them. You just have to stop crying"

Normani smiled when Lauren wiped her eyes and pulled her hair out of her face, "I don't want to see them. It's just going to make me sad"

"You're going to see her tomorrow" Normani mentioned "Remember?"

"She's not even going to remember me"

"Yes she will Lauren. You're her mom. She's going to love you" Normani said "If you really feel like you can't do the visit tomorrow, just tell the faculty there that you don't to touch her okay?"

"Okay" Lauren said

"Please don't give up on me"

LAUREN

Lauren watched from another table as Normani interacted with her children during lunch. Lauren's just eating cereal, she told Normani she wasn't hungry.

Audree and Ava don't really look like Normani but they sound just like her. Watching them giggle and sit on Normani's lap made Lauren think how much they need her. Ocean is going to need Lauren just like that, and Lauren's not sure she's ready for that. But Lauren will never forgive herself if she starts running again while her two children might really need her.

"Hello" a cute voice said shyly to Lauren breaking her out of her thoughts

Lauren looks to her left to see one of Normani's girls staring up at her. Normani is distracted with the other child and does not notice.

"Um hi....I think you should go back to your Mommy hmmm?"

"She's busy. My Mommy is a busy body" the child said as she put her tubble wear with her lunch in it on the table. The four year old sat down right next to Lauren.