Irredeemably Me

"You do find risks thrilling."

Camila woke to the day and she woke to a vampire that had fallen victim to the sun's paralysis on her body, her form slumped in the chair that could not even for a moment be deemed comfortable. Camila looked Lauren over for a moment, not quite believing that the vampire had fallen asleep on the chair simply because Camila had stated that she'd felt more comfortable when the vampire was there to ensure her safety.

It was a far cry from the girl she'd met in the speakeasy, the very girl that had ripped a man apart after he'd laid his hands on her. The same girl that had tore into her neck and drained her of her life, the same girl that snapped her neck without a second's thought.

And there she sat, her body drained of energy and her eyes to wake only once the sun had found its slumber.

The brunette slipped out of the bed and crouched down in front of Lauren, taking in just how peaceful a creature she appeared to be when her mind wasn't conjuring up any new atrocities she could inflict on those around her. If Camila allowed her mind to wander, it would think Lauren an angel. From her pale skin, to the small widow's peak to the inhuman beauty the girl possessed. A dark angel, yes, but an angel nonetheless. And yet, she made herself the devil. She made herself the cruelty Camila had tried with all her might to avoid in the world.

"Come on," Camila stood up, circling her arm around Lauren's waist and lifting with all the strength she had, drawing most of Lauren's weight onto her back and walking the vampire the short distance over to the bed.

She knew Lauren wouldn't wake, her body would never allow it with the sun still looming in the sky. She placed the vampire down on the bed carefully, lifting her feet up and removing her shoes right after before Camila perched herself on the bed beside Lauren. As she laid there, Camila could believe Lauren to be the dead creature she explained herself to be. The girl barely breathed and with skin as cold as ice, Camila had to take solace in the fact that every breath meant Lauren lived.

And that was another thing Camila found herself pondering on more and more, the fact that Lauren living was something she found solace in. Camila could visualise herself promising to end the vampire's life...and yet now...now she couldn't even fathom the idea. She couldn't place herself in a world where Lauren didn't exist.

Maybe it was because the vampire had shown her there was more to her than the beast she'd created within herself. Maybe it was because she'd spent a night with Lauren and the green-eyed girl had expressed that part of her cared, part of her felt something...part of her was worth redeeming and Camila didn't want to cut that redemption short, not until Lauren could show her it was possible.

Maybe that was it; maybe Camila simply wanted Lauren to have that chance.

And in all her pondering about Lauren, Camila found she thought less and less of Shawn. She felt his loss less and she wondered why. Because she'd loved the boy with all the love she thought she could muster for anyone and yet her thoughts no longer strayed to him. She thought of her mother often and she thought of Dinah a lot too but Shawn...Shawn remained locked away in a place in her mind she didn't venture to. Not when her mind was occupied by the very fact that one of the most dangerous creatures to exist...was hellbent on keeping her alive.

"I'm thinking you might love this," Camila pushed a strand of hair out of Lauren's face and let the warmth of her hand settle on Lauren's icy cheek. "My inner conflict would amuse the hell out of you."

She withdrew her hand slowly and got up from her seat, walking up to the window and securing the curtain to make sure not a single ray of sun would venture anywhere near the vampire and only then did she leave the room.

She was surprised to hear a TV playing downstairs and dishes banging around. She slowly made her way downstairs, not quite scared of Vero but she was...cautious. She knew Lauren and Lucy wouldn't bring her to someone they didn't trust to keep her safe, but she remembered Normani and how she'd been more than willing to sell Camila to the highest bidder had Lauren not stepped in.