Under the exit lights《camren》

"this game of chess means war"

Camila woke up late the next morning.

She still felt tired, but it was already 10 am so she decided she should probably get up. She rolled over to check on Lauren, and she froze. 

Lauren's eyes were wide open, her pupils adjusting to the little light flowing through the open window. She stared up at the roof, a confused expression on her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her blanket was pulled tight around her. 

Camila found herself unable to move. She watched as wheels seemed to turn in Lauren's head, as if she were trying to figure some unsolvable puzzle.

"Lo..." Camila whispered gently.

Lauren froze, her expression completely clearing up as she registered the voice she had thought she would never hear again. Slowly, her head turned and found the big, deep brown eyes.

"C-Camz...?" Lauren stuttered, not noticing the apparent nickname ad her eyes growing wider. "Camila?" It was suddenly becoming more and more real to her. Honestly, Lauren thought she was either dreaming or hallucinating. "You're actually here?"

Camila stared at the green eyes she had wanted to see for so long, getting lost in them as she knew she always would. Camila didn't know what to say, so she nodded; but she still kept her distance. Lauren was dazed and confused, she didn't want to take advantage of that.

Lauren lunged at her.

Her arms encircled Camila in a bone-crushing hug as she snuggled her nose into the younger girl's neck. Camila was so shocked she was momentarily unresponsive. She never thought this would be the girl's reaction, it just seemed too good to be true. Gaining her senses, she quickly wrapped her arms around the thin girl's neck and squeezed her gently. Camila felt tears come to her eyes as Lauren buried her face into her neck and cried. She cried long and hard until it all drained out of her.

"Camz, I'm... I'm so sorry..." she breathed into Camila's neck, finding an intense comfort she desperately needed.

"No, I'm sorry, Lauren. I'm sorry that I let this happen. I should have stopped it, but-"

"No. Camila, please stop. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. Not really..." Lauren released her grip from the brown eyed girl's neck and stared directly into her eyes. Camila would be lying if she said she still felt a little intimidated by the intensity of them. But she loved it, these were the eyes she loved. "Camz, we are going to kill whoever is behind this. No one messes with any of us and gets away with this."

"Us?" Camila asked, her eyebrow raised as a small smile played on her lips. Lauren rolled her eyes.

"Yes." she stated, sitting up straight and wincing at the pain in her spine. "Us."

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Ariana was scared.

She had nowhere to go so she had stayed under the radar the day before, silently asking Mama Hamilton if she could stay in one of the empty rooms and hiding out there for the night. She didn't know what was going to happen when morning came, but she just hoped she would make it out alive. She figured Shawn would be there to protect her, but to what extent? She had been the one there from the start, and she could have warned them, but she thought she was doing the right thing.

Who thinks what their family tells you is right... is wrong?

All she could rely on was wolf boy, and that still didn't give Ariana very good odds. She peered out of her bedroom door, seeing nobody was up yet. She thought about leaving, but where would she go? This was the safest place from the other casters that would for sure be out for her blood. She was trapped in a box she couldn't escape from.