Camila
So my captor and I's civil relationship wasn't long lasting. Not since I've opened this big mouth of mine. I do regret it. Honestly I'm not sure why I called out to Shawn. Maybe a part of me wanted to let him know that I was alive and then maybe that'd be a relief for my parents.
I hope they're not worrying about me too much. That would be the last thing I'd want to happen. When I was younger my mother always told me not to be a bad girl, that I should listen to whatever comes out of her and my father's mouth because she said they know what's best, I believed her. I still do.
I remember that one time I was playing hide and seek with Sofi and apparently it was a game I was very skilled at since nobody found me, not even the guards. When I went out of hiding my mother she was angry, she yelled and slapped me in the face. I didn't understand, I was just playing why was that bad?
She yelled and she yelled until she broke down crying in front of me. We were both crying. 'It's your fault! He's getting sicker...' she said. I didn't see father for a while, I used to always see him when I woke up because then we'd go fishing. It was like our thing. A few days later I found out from Sofi that he needed to rest. Later I found out he was worried about me being gone and it stressed him out.
'It's all your fault! He's getting sicker.'
I could never forget the look on her face, her voice laced with so much disgust. It would never go away not even to this day."
"No, Camila! This is all your fucking fault!"
This time it was Lauren's face and voice that was stuck in my head. It's been days and the memory is still there, fresh and alive as ever. I can guarantee you though that somehow, this hurt more than my mother's.
Lauren had been the first person to show me care since Sofi, it may not be that big of a deal to her. Although it mattered to me. All my life since I was 10 years old I'd become a closed off robot, I didn't know anything but to nod my head and please others.
I wanted to be a photographer, my sister had picked up a hobby on it before and when she died I got obsessed with the idea of doing the things she used to. I told my parents about this, they weren't happy.
'Don't be silly mija," my mother shook her head incredulously as if the idea was the worst thing she's ever heard to come out of my mouth. Who knows, maybe to them it was. "You will do no such thing! You will learn about business and takeover our company in the future."
I know nothing about their company. Except that it produces and sells advanced technology that would be beneficial to the whole world like the newly released high tech binoculars. Our company is like a home for various technologists and scientists. My father looks in to their every move and he has a high demand in their products.
I do know that technology was made to make our lives easier and it's very beneficial but The Cabellotech releases too much in a year and people get too exited to throw their money once it's released. Haven't they gotten too dependent on these gadgets?
How many of us are willing to put down our phones and live life? The world is beautiful. Those people are lucky they get the chance to but I can't, I'm practically locked up most of the time at home. I wish people don't take their freedom for granted. Look up from your phones while your parents would still be around when you do...
My whole life my parents had been AWOL. Physically there, mentally? I bet you the only time I'd be able to get out any reaction from them is when I'd do something wrong. But still they're my parents, and I love and respect them.
My parents trust me, they trust me to follow the life plan they've constructed the moment I was out of the womb.
Lauren, she doesn't trust me. 'We can't trust her' it stung.
The raven haired girl could barely look at me. She hasn't spoken directly at me since she flipped out 4 days ago. Dinah was the one keeping an eye out for me now. Also, the cuffs and blindfold are back and it's worse that the last time.
When I eat only one of my hands is set free to help me with doing so. Not even my legs would be untied. They definitely didn't trust me. The blonde isn't all bad though, she makes small talk every now and then. Slipping 2-3 insults about my parents in the process.
When I take baths Dinah would be in the bathroom with me, but with closed curtains of course. Now I wish I hadn't called out to Shawn. I miss having my hands set free and being able to see. Most importantly I miss Lauren.
I haven't got the chance to see her since the last time she spoke – well yelled – at me. I'd hear her voice if Dinah would forget to close the door, but it wasn't enough. I still wanted to get to know her, why is she the way she is? What did my parents do to her?
"Dinah, how's Lucy?" I asked sheepishly. She was on the way of tying my feet when I did so, she looked up for the moment as if debating whether to tell me or not.
"Seriously? I'm just asking."
"Well you did get her shot, twice." I winced, I didn't need to be reminded of that. Now I felt more miserable than ever. The girl had been nothing less than considerate to me and this is how I pay her back? Putting her life in danger not once but twice.
"She woke up last night, she'll be out later."
Relief washed over me knowing that she'd be fine, not now but still. I'd never want to be the cause of anyone's pain ever. Chewing on my bottom lip, I asked her hesitantly. "Could I see her then?"
"What makes you think Lauren would allow that?" She narrowed her eyes at me. She went on and continued to tie my feet then moved to cuff my hands on the headboard.
"Look I just want to apologize, please Dinah. I feel terrible and I was raised to be a well-mannered daughter, I don't want that to go to waste."
"You forgot to announce the part where you're extremely robotic," she joked lightheartedly and I don't know if it was meant to be offending but it didn't. Instead I smiled. "Sofia wasn't like that"
My smile dropped at her last words. Sofia? I looked up at her and she noticed the lack of noise coming from me. She just then seemed to notice her slip.
"Did you know my sister?"
"What? N...no of course not!" Really? But why did she look like a deer caught in headlights? I'm not stupid and I don't shrug things off easily.
"Don't lie to me Dinah, she was my sister.." I pressed.
She made a move to stand up and I sighed knowing she wont answer my question honestly, not now anyway.
"Look I have to go, I'll do what I can so you could talk to Lucy without Lauren kicking my ass."
--
Getting confined in a room was getting really boring. If someone were to ask me what I did on my free time it would be this. The fact that I'm wasting my time doing nothing at all while I could be doing something productive like reading or actually helping them out is beyond me.
If they could just explain then maybe I could talk to my parents and then they'll sort things out without this ending in bloodshed. But that was like asking for famine and poverty to not exist anymore which was impossible.
My head snapped up to the direction of the door where I heard it click. Then footsteps.
"Dinah, did you find a way so I could talk to her?"
"Yes, she did."
I smiled, it wasn't Dinah's voice that I heard but Lucy's. Her voice sounded hoarser but that's probably because she hasn't talked much since she went on surgery. Dinah said so anyway.
"Dinah leave us, I'll call you if anything happens"
"Are you sure? Lauren will flip"
"Well Lauren won't flip if you won't tell her" I heard a sigh followed by the door closing.
"Wow, Lauren seemed to gone hard on you"
I felt her lean in for a moment, her hands finding their way back to my head where she was fumbling with the cloth. And finally! It was off.
I squinted at the glaring brightness above us. Just as I thought I could take it, the light felt like it was piercing my eyeballs. Next she pulled out a small key from her pocket then rolled her wheelchair closer to the bed before leaning over really slow to set my left hand free.
"Thanks," I muttered once she was successful.
"No worries, so talk?" She leaned back in her wheelchair and looked at me expectantly.
I sighed, I've probably rehearsed this in my head a couple of times but right now the words were just jumbled in my head. I looked at her as she rose her eyebrow waiting for me to say something.
I took in her state, she looked a lot paler than her usual sun kissed skin, her lips chapped, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Also she was on a wheelchair. Great.
"Lucy, I am so so sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, not twice — not ever and I feel so bad. You can be angry with me I just want you to know that I really regret what I did back there and if I could go back I definitely wouldn't have done it."
This whole time I was looking anywhere but her. I was too embarrassed to. What happened to her happened because of me. However when I looked up she looked rather amused with me, and I didn't understand.
"God you look as if you've just done the work of satan," she laughed for a while then grimaced holding her hand over the area where she was shot. "Ok, no laughing. Noted."
"It is the work of satan! If not, worse!"
"What's worse than satan?" She asked.
"I...I don't know.." I really don't know what I was saying but I was just desperate for her to forgive me. Then maybe she'd be okay with me meaning Lauren would see that we were getting along, so she'd forgive me too. The plan sounds like it'd take a long shot since from the many stories Dinah had told me that she's so hard headed but it's worth a shot. Not a gunshot...
"Oh I know! I know!" Her face lit up animatedly just like in one of those children tv shows where a lightbulb would pop up beside their head.
"Your parents, they are worse than satan."
That didn't offend me, it just made me curious. These people who have shared the same feelings of hatred towards my parents, what did they do?
"Lucy...what did my parents do to you? Why do you dislike them so much?"
The Latina in front of me looked down, her shoulders slumped. She looked up and smiled weakly, this is the first time I've seen her sad. It was so unlike her. Lauren, Dinah, and Lucy...they had this confidence in them. But now Lucy was crumbling and I could see it. It'd be the same for the rest of them if I had asked, maybe they'd react differently but still.
"Well I won't tell you the whole story, it all connects to everyone else's in the group and it would be unfair for me to tell you without their consent." I nodded in understanding but a certain line went in circles in my head, it all connects to everyone else's? How?
"My girlfriend – well not my girlfriend anymore," she laughed but it was forced, she looked to be in much more pain than I've seen her earlier. "She...she doesn't..."
She was struggling with her words and emotions, tears brimming her eyes. Just before it would make it's way to cascade down her pale face she looked up and blinked them away.
"Sorry, I haven't talked about her for years." She apologized, her smile not reaching her eyes and I almost regret asking her but I needed to understand.
"No, don't be...I understand." Because I do understand, I haven't talked about Sofi for years since she died. My parents refused to bring her up and I'm pretty sure their so called friends forgot about her already. In our family portraits at home, you would only see three figures with forced smiling faces.
I bet I was the only one to notice there was one more missing.
"She's not dead, but she..uh...she doesn't remember me.." I put my hand out and placed it on top of hers giving it a gentle squeeze.
"She was a volunteer in your parents' company. She was 15, the youngest volunteer there was in there ever, always been the brainy one" the way she talked about her so animatedly, how her entire face lit up. It told me that she wasn't quite over the girl.
"She was assigned in the lab with one of the scientists. They were working on something...very exclusive. Only your parents and them knew about it."
"Then, something went wrong. Your parents were there, they needed to see if it worked. She stopped them because it could be dangerous but your bitch of a mother, offense given, pushed her out of the way. She hit her head really bad. The scientist with her immediately brought her to the hospital but she doesn't remember anything but the events that happened after she woke up."
"She doesn't remember me..."
"What's her name?"
She looked at me for a moment before turning to face the starry night through the large glass windows. She took a deep breath before looking at me once again, her eyes now twinkling like the balls of plasma scattered around the sky. She looked so happy, so content, so...in love.
"Vero, her name is Vero."
•••
The girls rented a house at coachella yet none of them decided to bless us with an ot5 selfie. I'm disappointed.
Buttt at least DNA went together. Camila was with her squad. And Lauren went with Lucy ayeee my main.
(I don't ship Laucy but I love their friendship)
ALSO SHAY WITH CAMILA AND SHAY WITH ALLY AND NORMANI BYE.
In the next chapters I'll try to explain why the rest of the group is the way they are, Lauren would be the last because hers would explain everything.
Have a good day ahead of you!