Two weeks later
Lauren's POV
"Mommy, are we going to the studio again?" I hear Lila ask me as I'm driving. She's started to call me mommy now and it's kinda weird but I'm not complaining. It feels nice.
I look in the rear view mirror to see Lila looking up at me from her booster seat. "Yeah baby. It'll be fun. Today is just a short meeting and afterwards we'll go for ice cream."
I've gotten myself a car so that I can be a proper parent to these girls and not have to ask Ally or Camila for theirs. Now that I have mine I drive to the studio with just Lila and myself and I can take Dani to and from school when I need to and not when it's most convenient for the others. I've also decided that it's best if I just take Lila with me to work. I don't want her in a daycare or with nannies, I just want her with me, her mom. It's just until she starts Pre-K next year and then I'll be driving her and Dani to school in the mornings and picking them up in the afternoons.
Right now we're on our way to the studio, Dinah is in the back with Lila keeping her entertained with a coloring book. All the other girls are in Ally's car because they are going to pick up food while we wait for them at the studio. We dropped off Dani a couple minutes ago so it's still rather early. She's joined Student Council, scholar bowl , and the world affairs club. It's all thanks to her new friend Alex. Since they're both gifted, Alex got her to join all these clubs to use their intelligence and get involved. Sure, Dani gets home later than usual, but she's happy and that's what matters.
I pull up to the studio and park my car. Dinah unbuckles Lila's booster seat in the back and carries her out of the car and into the studio. We sit on the couch and talk to the producers while we wait for the girls to come so that our meeting can begin.
~
I get up off of my bed and put on my shoes. Lila and I had been watching a movie. The little one hasn't taken a nap today at all so she's already fallen asleep. It's 6:00 in the afternoon, meaning that it's time to go pick up Dani. So I tell the girls to keep an eye of Lila while I'm gone, Dinah, of course, jumps at the opportunity and runs into my room to lay down next to her.
I get into my car and drive off to Dani's school. On my drive there all I can think about is how quiet Dani has been these past few weeks. She's been acting strange. But I don't want to overthink any of it either because it's probably her way of adjusting to a new lifestyle and having so much to do. She's even asked me if she can take karate or self defense or if I could enroll her in a free-running academy. She gave me those three options that she wanted and I've just been wondering why she is suddenly interested in doing all these things. I don't think it's a great idea to put her in yet another activity but she really wants it. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to enroll her so that she can go on weekends but I just really want to spend time with her.
I arrive at the school and pull up to the curb where Dani and Alex are sitting, waiting for me. Today's Friday which means Alex is staying over. Dani and Alex take turns sleeping over at one another's houses. This week it's Alex's turn to stay over at our house.
"Hey Lauren." Alex greats me, getting in the car after Dani.
"Hi Alex. How're you doing?" I ask her.
"Great! We won our tournament today and, boy, you should've seen Dani! She busted out her math AND history skills since Kevin wasn't here today. She usually does the history portion of the tournaments but when they told her that she would have to do the math portion...damn. It was awesome!" Alex bounces up and down in excitement.
"Oh. Dani never told me you guys had a tournament today." I say, hurt. I turn around to look at Dani but she's just staring out the window, lost in thought. I look over at Alex but she just shrugs. So I just turn around and begin to make my way home. The whole ride there is full of conversation between Alex and I.
When we get home the girls go to the kitchen to eat dinner and greet the Ally, Normani, and Camila who are in the living room. Camila comes over to me after the girls say hi to her. She grabs my waist and pulls me into her. I bury my face in the crook of her neck. "You seem tense. Is it Dani again?" She asks. I reluctantly nod my head. "This can't keep going on. We're going to talk to her after she finishes eating." Camila says firmly. I can feel her muscles tensing from stress. Camila has been working out really hard and has gotten quite some muscle in this past month. She says she's doing it because she wants it to protect us, but I just think she just wants to impress me, which she has.
We sit down and wait for the girls to finish eating. Ally and Normani take Alex and talk to her while we take Dani up to her room for a talk. Dani's quiet the whole way up to her room.
When we reach the inside of her black and white themed bedroom, Dani immediately plops down on her stomach into her bed, embracing her pillows and covering her face with one. "What do you guys want?" She groans. Camila frowns next to me.
"Excuse me?" Camila says, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow.
"Yeah excuse you. I'm sorry for whatever I did or if I hurt your feelings. It won't happen again, I promise. That's what you wanted to hear, right? Now can you get out?" Dani says, standing up and looking at us straight in the face. I'm taken aback by her sudden change of mood.
"Look. I have no idea what is going on with you but you need to drop the attitude NOW." I say firmly with a hint of anger in my voice. Dani groans and sits down on her bed, placing her face in her hands.
"You have no say in this anymore. What's wrong?" Camila's stern voice is directed at the little, angry girl.
"What does it matter to you?" She says angrily standing up again. She walks up to us and very slowly and furiously says, "GET. OUT." Before shoving us through the doorway. Camila grabs her arm quickly to stop her. "OWWWW! WHAT THE FUCK?! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Dani screams out in pain. Camila looks up at me confused.
"I didn't even grab her that roughly." She says. I look down at Dani who looks like she's just seen a ghost.
"Danielle, roll up your sleeve, now." I order.
"No, what the hell. Leave me alone." She says.
"STOP CURSING DANIELLE! ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVE NOW BEFORE I DO IT MYSELF!" I yell in frustration and plain annoyance. Dani stares at me for a moment and then slowly begins to roll up her sleeve. Slowly but surely a bunch of dark bruises start to appear all along Dani's arms along with, what looks like, self-inflicted cuts.
"Oh no." I breathe out. By now all the girls, including Alex, where here watching intently at the scene that was unfolding in front of them.
"Who did this to you?" Camila asks fuming in so much anger that you could practically see the smoke coming out of her ears.
"No one." Dani responds.
"FOR FUCKS SAKE! WHO DID THIS TO YOU DANIELLE?!" Camila asks once again. But Dani just stays quite.
"Crystal Robinson. She's the biggest bully in the school who has been targeting Dani for weeks." Alex speaks up.
"IS THIS TRUE?!" Camila yells.
"Yes." Dani murmurs. Camila immediately storms down the stairs. We all stand there confused. "Where is she going?" I ask the girls but they all shrug. Outside the house I can hear Camila's car start and then screeching tires. I freeze up.
"Where is she going?!" Dani panics. "She can't tell! I'll get beat up even more! Lauren, stop her. Please."
"I don't know. But baby, I'm pretty sure she's doing the right thing."
~
In the morning I wake up to hear screaming downstairs. I immediately run down the flight of stairs and into the living room where Alex, Dani, and Camila where standing yelling at each other.
"WHY'D YOU DO THAT?! SHE'S GOING TO MURDER ME!" Dani cries out, literal tears streaming down her face.
"Don't worry baby, she can't get you anymore, I promise." Camila says, pulling Dani into her and giving her a tight hug. At this point Dani is just sobbing while Camila calms her down. Alex is just standing there not knowing what to do.
Eventually Dani calms down and lets go of Camila, revealing a huge black-eye and a bruised up face. She must have been putting on make-up to cover it. Camila doesn't ask Dani about her eye she just tells Dani and Alex to go upstairs to get dressed. They obey and do as they're told, leaving just me and Mila in the living room.
"What happened? Why didn't you come home last night?" I ask, noticing that she's still in her clothes from last night.
"I went to the police station and reported this girl. They called the principal and the girl's parents. Apparently she was on her final strike and so now she's going to a juvenile detention center for a couple months until her parents relocate their home to another state so they can put her through a military camp to straighten up her act. She's not coming back. I'm glad this was her final strike because the police said that she has caused several kids to attempt suicide, but, thankfully, they failed and are still living. Dani could've been one of them, and I really don't want that for my kid."
I grab her waist and pull her up against me before smashing my lips against hers and kissing her passionately. "Thank you." I say, gratefully.
"No problem, my love." She says with that goofy smile of hers sitting on her face.
"I love you." I look deeply into her eyes.
"I love you too."
~
For the next couple months we all focus on recovery as a family. Dani is getting help for everything she's going through and goes to weekly therapy. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and minor PTSD from her kidnapping and spending time in that house along with seeing things she shouldn't have seen. I enrolled her in free-running which has made her really happy with herself and body image. Her and Lila have are now happy and healthy. Life at home has been peaceful. Everyone has been happy. My parents and siblings have also sought out therapy for the whole family to express our feelings that we've been holding in since my disappearance.
Camila and I have never been closer than we are now. Our relationship is strong and doesn't look like it's going anywhere ever. She's mine and I'm hers. And, according to Lila and Dani, we are now Mom/Mommy and Mama. We're even looking for a place to move into together as a family but we want to wait a little longer before we take that step. For now we are just focused on staying healthy both physically and mentally. Life has never been better.
I have even come to forgive myself COMPLETELY for what happened to Evie, her family, and Leah. I've began to slowly patch up the deepest wounds in my mind. If I don't do that, I'm not really recovering with a huge weight on my shoulders. I have learned to let go. What matters now is remembering the good times I had with all those people I have lost.
Have faith in the future, you'll make it if you dare to dream big. Even if that dream is saving yourself. You'll make it. Our souls speak from across the miles, intertwined, you and I.
THE END
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Author's Note
I know I said I'd probably only do one author's note but I'm going to need to break that rule. I just need to tell you guys to make sure to comment and tell me what you think. I know this is a short, quick chapter but that is because there is an epilogue. So make sure to stick around for that and then after that, the book is done.
Also, feel free to go to my twitter and tweet me ideas or your thoughts on my book. I do polls asking for opinions on what I should do next in the book, no one really answers, but I will still continue to post polls for you guys to vote as well as questions for you guys to answer. So make sure you go do that and I'll see you later. I hope y'all are excited for the epilogue, there will be so much going on, I can't wait til you guys can see it.
Twitter: DemiLovatic5H