The Artist, The Canvas and The Subject

Chapter 10

No matter how loud she was crying or screaming, nothing could have deafened the sound of a gunshot echoing through the alleyway an instant later.

//

When Camila was younger one of her favourite memories was the time her parents took a whole week off work just to celebrate her birthday - every day bringing a new adventure till the weekend of her actual birthday. On one particular day she remembers being up high in a mountain, walking between her parents as she was in complete awe of all the fog that surrounded them - the early morning air carrying the clouds closer to her, and she was immediately convinced they had entered a magical kingdom.

To Camila, every rustling of the leaves was a creature keeping close watch over them, every bird singing was trying to communicate with her, and the sound of a stream of water running nearby was where all the animals would gather to wish each other good morning and share their breakfast. She would brush a gentle hand across every tree in her path in hopes that their story would be revealed through the touch, and when it wasn't she knew that some stories needed to be kept a secret for a reason - maybe she just wasn't ready to hear them. She couldn't keep the smile off her face regardless of how much her lungs burned and her little legs ached. Her gaze was forever wandering, and she knew nothing would ever fill her lungs as much as the smell of the forest on that mountain would.

And she was right. The smell of pine and morning dew dripping off the leaves was replaced with the smell of a neglected dumpster and wet concrete. The sunlight streaming through the clouds in straight beams that created rainbows when reflected off water were replaced with the dull and flickering street light at the end of the alley way. The peace instilled in her when she brushed a gentle hand across the trunk of a tree was replaced with the panic coursing through her body as she moved her hand to touch the warm silk oozing out of her chest.

"Camz, I- I need to call the ambulance an-and help me press." Lauren's voice was frantic and brought Camila back to the present instantly. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs, something was wrong with her lungs. She was trying desperately to remember something her parents had spoken about that could help her. She was shot, which meant she was losing blood. She felt cold - she was shaking, and she could hear her heart rate beating rapidly in every part of her body. She was trying to breathe but she was sure no oxygen was getting into her body because she felt like she was suffocating.

"Laur- " Camila tried to get Lauren's attention but the older girl had rushed to where Ryan threw the bag before he took off running. Lauren rushed back to her side and was on the phone while attempting to press down tightly on the wound on the right side of Camila's chest. She couldn't hear anything Lauren was saying, she could barely hear herself and because she felt no pain, she knew exactly what was happening to her.

"Lauren!" It took all her strength to yell and she immediately started coughing as her body rejected the exertion. Lauren was hovering over her and Camila could see her unsteady breathing, the way her make up was now smudged, how her hair was in complete disarray with pieces sticking to her forehead and others running wild in opposite direction, blood smeared across her cheek, and teary eyes darting frantically, waiting for Camila to speak.

"I - I'm in sh-shock. I can't br-breathe." Camila managed to stutter out before her body began to convulse into a fit of coughs, causing her to groan and throw her head back.

"Camz just - hang on a little longer okay? Please? The ambulance will be here soon and-and they will help. Please." Lauren begged, attempting to control the sobs escaping her as she periodically looked at the end of the alleyway in hopes of seeing any sign of those flashing lights.