Worthless (Camren)

"Camila, Miss."

Lauren's slightly prolonged silence made Camila panic, she leapt out of the car and onto her knees, face contorting in pain as she landed in front of Lauren's feet. "Please, I'm sorry, I'm so grateful you saved me, I'm sorry you had to waste money on something as useless as me. Please, I don't know how to repay you, I..."

"No," Lauren cut her off and the other girl fell silent immediately.

Lauren crouched down making Camila shrink further to the ground in an effort to lower herself beneath Lauren's level, just as every slave was taught to do when in the presence of their master.

"Camila, please try to look at me," Lauren said. Camila's eyes shot up immediately. "Thank you", Lauren said calmly. "I want you to listen to me, please." Camila nodded, her eyes wide with fear.

"You don't have to repay me, I bought you because I had to...I wanted to help you and I will, if you let me. I know you're scared and you don't know me so you don't have any reason to trust me, but I still want to tell you, that I won't hurt you. I'd like you to sit back down in the trunk for now and take the blanket, because it's cold out here, but I won't be mad if you really don't want it."

Camila looked bewildered as Lauren held out the blanket once more, but then gingerly reached out for it with one hand. Lauren could see her hand shaking and wasn't sure whether it was from the cold or from fear.

Lauren frowned as the other girl tried to lift her arms far enough to wrap the blanket around herself and failed, hissing in pain. SHe walked around her to take a look at her back. SHe gasped at the angry red welts that were scattered all over her back. How had she not seen them before?

SHe quickly wrapped the blanket around Camila's shoulders. This would just be another note on the long list of things that had to be treated. SHe closed her eyes in dread as she realized something.

"Normani?" Lauren called to the front of the car, startling the slave girl.

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I make a phone call before we leave?"

"It's fine, go ahead!" Normani called back.

"Would you get up and sit with me?" SHe asked Camila gently. Camila was on her feet before Lauren had even finished the question. Lauren guided her to sit on the edge of the trunk's platform with her feet dangling down before sitting down next to her, leaving about a foot between them, so as not to crowd Camila.

"I have to call my dad", Lauren explained, unlocking her cell phone screen. The other girl nodded, her gaze lowered again, this time to the blanket. Camila was running her fingers over a small section at the edge of the blanket in wonder, as if she couldn't believe she was allowed to touch something so soft.

Lauren took a deep breath before hitting the dial button and holding the phone to her ear.

"Hello?", a slightly gruff voice answered from the other end. The volume setting on her phone wasn't set very high, but Lauren was sure that Camila would be able to hear almost everything.

"Dad,... hi!" Lauren's voice almost broke, she was so relieved to hear her father's voice.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Mike asked sounding instantly concerned. "Are you hurt?"

"No, no don't worry, I'm okay. I just..."

"Spit it out Lauren, you're scaring me, tell me what's wrong."

"I bought a slave. I had to! They were gonna kill her!" Lauren blurted out.

A sigh from the other end and a light rustling noise told Lauren that her father had taken her cap off to massage her scalp. "I just knew this would happen, I knew the moment you told me you were going to the market with Normani."

"What? How?" Lauren was frowning in confusion, still waiting for an outburst that wouldn't come.

Mike sighed again "You're just like your mother, that's how, baby. Is he or she hurt?"

Lauren looked over to Camila and tried to list all her injuries in her head. SHe couldn't remember all of them and probably didn't even know about many more.

"SHe's really hurt", she whispered.

"Bring her home, kiddo, I'll call the doctor and ask her if she can come by and look at her later, alright?"

Lauren sobbed in relief "Thank you, dad."

"Now you listen to me, Lauren, you sound really upset, I don't want you driving like this. Normani has a license, right?" Lauren made an affirming sound. "Okay good, you let her drive you and that kid here and I'll take her home from here, alright?"

"Yeah," Lauren nodded, wiping at his cheeks, "I will, we'll be home in 10 minutes or so."

"Good, I'll see you then. Take care."

"I love you, dad."

"You too, baby!"