LI.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Dinah, get up!" I burst into Normani's room the following morning without as much as a knock. "Come on, get up get up get up!"
"Mph." Dinah was buried under a mountain of covers, her head resting in her arms. Kicking off my boots, I leapt up on the bed and wriggled my body between her and Normani, shaking her shoulders.
"Get up DJ, we're gonna have some fun today." I chirped, climbing up and sitting on her body. Normani had rolled over groaning, and was in the midst of grabbing a pillow and slapping it over her ear.
"Give me ten more minutes, I'm still sleeping." Dinah grumbled, covering her eyes with her hands. "What time is it?"
"I don't know but I checked, and the sun isn't up yet so we still have tons of it." I grinned, shaking her body. "Come on, no more minutes. I'm going to teach you everything I know today."
"Good luck Dinah." Normani grumbled. "Have fun learning how to make that stupid fish face with your lips and eat your body weight in bananas."
"That is not everything I know." I pointed at her, despite her back facing me. "Now let's go. Get up!"
"Mila, I doubt the sun is even up yet. Go away and I'll find you later."
"No!" I whined, shaking her hard. "We're going now."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Do you want me to start yelling at you in Spanish?" I warned, leaning in close to her ear and letting go of a low whistle. "Remember? The way my mom used to when we had those sleepovers and completely snoozed through our alarms?"
"I'm up." Dinah brought her arms out and thrust me off of her before rolling off the bed and to her feet. I fell back, pulling a small breathless sound from Normani as I released a triumphant laugh. After taking a few minutes in the bathroom to make herself look like a million bucks, Dinah re-emerged in a black v-neck and sweatpants, her blonde hair knotted up in a messy bun and eyes tired.
We were walking down the hall shoulder to shoulder a some time later. I had yanked my blades out of the downstairs wall and now the weapon sat right where it belonged in the holster around my hips. Dinah had an odd looking box in her hand and no matter how many times I asked her about it, she refused to give me an answer until we were safely in a training hall.
"So." Dinah stretched her arms out, opening and closing her fists. "What are we going to start with first? You want to see me make a bonfire?"
"You can do that?"
"I can try."
"Hold on, don't move!" I spun around and dashed out of the room, blowing down the hall and shouldering a storage room door open to grab a number of specific items worthy to my cause. I returned to see Dinah sitting crosslegged, on the ground before her was a pile of white hot coals.
"What did you get?" She asked, looking up and moving her hand so it hovered just over the heat.
"S'mores." I dumped the contents of my arms to the ground, the extent of which included a box of graham crackers, half a bag of marshmallows, and a bar of milk chocolate. I sat down on the others side of the coals, ripping the bag open and spearing a few white puffs on the end of a tall roasting fork.
"Oh Camila." Dinah sighed. "You're so quirky."
"I'm also hungry." I grinned, using my free hand to break a piece of chocolate off the bar and stack it on the cracker. "Crank the heat up a little bit."
With a nod, the blonde brought her hand up over the embers, and it above them sparked a mid sized fire, flickering up into the air. I shimmied backwards, holding the stick right above the flame and waiting for it to singe it's way through. Once properly roasted, I poked at the golden brown desert, sliding it into the cracker.
"You better learn how to control this properly." I told her, taking a nibble. "Fire can be dangerous if it gets out of hand."
Sitting crosslegged on the ground, Dinah held her hands up over the flame. "Fire is anything you want it to be. A flame can be life, it can be death, it can be security or it can be destruction. It can tear people apart, or tie them together. Fire in itself is an element with a greater number of interpretations than a single person could ever conjure. And just because I can create it doesn't mean I'm any better or worse because of it; everyone has fire inside of them, just look at you."
I glanced up. "Since when are you so wise?"
"Since Normani."
"I should've known." Sighing, I watched the light brown in her eyes flicker with the fire. "I'm glad you've found someone who makes you so happy."
"You know that one of these days we're going to have to go after the thing that makes you happy, right?" The girl asked, getting up on her feet and taking a few steps backwards. She stood in the centre of the room while I continued to snack at my breakfast.
"Go after who now?"
"Not funny." Dinah picked up the long box that was now sitting on the ground. It was at least twice as long as her arm, with a lid that was obviously removable. "I know you miss her, we all do."
"I don't" I muttered, stuffing the rest of the s'more into my mouth and chewing profusely. "So show me what's inside there."
I watched in awe as with the flick of her wrist, she opened the box and lifted from within a whip, a long string of smaller blades all attached to a thick, elastified wire. Moving the handle, I watched Dinah maneuver the weapon around her body, and shivered as it slammed against the ground in a hair-raising screech of metal on metal.
"Jesus." I breathed, standing up with my s'more cupped in both hands as if I was protecting it before myself. "That's insane. It's meant to slice someone in half?"
"Nope." Dinah smirked. "It's meant to be covered in fire and burn really slowly while it shreds."
I could feel a shiver inch from the base of my spine up to my neck and cover my shoulders. "That's terrifying." I told her. "Do you actually plan to use that thing on people?"
"I don't know, but even if I don't, it's still intimidating up the ass." Dinah shrugged. "So what was it you wanted to actually accomplish during this session? Did you want to do a little one-on-one? If not, Ally's teaching me how to make fireworks and I'm getting pretty good." The blonde was bubbling with enthusiasm that I just couldn't seem to match despite the number of empty calories now swimming through my veins.
I stood silent for a moment, admiring the small layers of razor sharp metal on her weapon gleamed in the poor light. "None of that."
"No?" Dinah lifted a palm, and within it went off a small burst of colourful fire. "Darn."
"Show me how much fire you can create, and come at me with it." I continued, polishing off my breakfast in a final swift bite. "But don't let it get out of hand."
Dinah faced me, her arms by her sides and eyes focused. Meanwhile, I had undone a few inches of bandage around my left arm, ready to defend myself if need be. Around the blonde girl, smoke was starting to waft off the ground. It quickly turned into a young flame, which grew to at least four times its size as Dinah inhaled. I started to circle her, watching as the fire crept towards me along the ground.
Then as if I had in some way stepped on a tripwire, fire seared in my direction. Small clusters of heat, pockets almost, coming at me with insane speed and precision. I ducked down, letting the first hit the wall above me before dashing forward in a very comical manner to avoid the second. The walls began to heat up, and before I knew it I was facing Dinah head on.
"It's like... I can feel it in my blood." She spoke to me, smoke billowing out around us both and making it hard to breathe. "Something that was never meant to be in my body, something as foreign as fire... yet it somehow..."
"It belongs." I finished for her, letting electricity sneak down my arm and culminate in my hand. "It's always belonged, we just haven't seen it until now."
Dinah nodded, and around us rose a wall of fire that just barely brushed the ceiling of the room. I took a small step back, looking around and lifting my chin to the sight. In Dinah's flame, not only was there a bright orange-red colour, but others as well. There was blue, purple, green, even specks of black and white dashed in with the swirling flames. I opened my mouth to compliment the light show, but a searing pain in my wrists stopped me from getting as much as a word out.
"Fuck!" I doubled over, knees crashing against the ground and trying to defy physics by grab both wrists in my hands. Dinah was on her way over, falling to the ground at my side in concern.
"What's going on?" She let the fiery wall fall down around us, leaving thick smoke in its wake. "Are you okay?"
"My wrists." I choked out, fingers trembling.
"The wounds?"
"No." I coughed, straightening my spine and tearing off the bandage that covered the healing wounds on my left wrist. The skin underneath was a bright red, the locked triangle symbol glowing beneath it's scar. Dinah took my hand in hers, the smoke around us billowing away and leaving only cold air in its wake.
Suddenly, a breathless Ally came rushing towards the doorway, stopping and knocking on the frame. "Dinah, Camila! You guys have to come with me and see this!"
"See what?" We both turned around at the same time, the pain now ebbing away. "Is something wrong?"
No, not wrong. Just weird." Ally gestured with a curved palm. "Let's go, come on!"
Following quickly, Dinah and I were led down the hall and towards my bedroom, tumbling inside to see that Shawn and Normani were already gathered around the bed. I looked around wildly for signs of distress, but was only met with confused, blank gazes.
"What's going on?" I asked, moving over to Shawn.
"Um..." He scratched idly at the back of his neck. "There's something smoking in your desk drawer."
Turning around, I jumped back a little when a small puff of white smoke was expelled from the desk, floating up into the air and vanishing like a the remnants of a cigarette drag. Normani was inching closer, her right hand coated in a light blue glove of ice, as a means of protection as she pulled the drawer open and waved away the smoky air. "Camila, what on earth do you keep in this drawer?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "Back at home it's full of magazine clippings and makeup. Which basically translates to a tube of lipgloss and a bunch of how to articles on getting abs without exercising or giving up my diet coke addiction. "
Normani lifted her icy hand out of the drawer, the coating completely protecting her from any kind of injury. Lauren's necklace dangled from her fingertips, the chain a bright red and glowing as if it had been placed in an oven for too long.
"What the..." I took a tentative step forward. "Why does it look like that?"
"Did someone bake it?" Shawn questioned, tilting his head to the side. "Or put it in a fire pit or something?"
"No Shawn, nobody baked Camila's necklace." Normani shot him a playful look, then held out the necklace to Dinah. "Take it, see if you can turn it back to normal."
The blonde nodded, holding out her hands and letting Normani drop the jewelry there. I bit my lip hard, worried that it would burn her before remembering her mysterious mutation. Cupping her hands around the chain, the smoke billowed out between her fingertips before tapering off and fading away into the air.
"You did it..." I breathed, swatting away the polluted air and turning to Ally. "Do you think that means something? Is Lauren in danger?"
"I don't know." Ally shook her head, looking at the charm as Dinah moved her hands away and held it up. "But I'm thankful that it wasn't around your neck, or we would have a serious problem right about now."
"Camila, has this thing ever acted up before?" Normani asked, sitting down next to Shawn on the edge of the bed. Or is the the first time you're seen it react to something?"
I thought for a moment. "Dinah, remember when we were at that art gallery for your Mom, and we lost track of Lauren on the upper level?"
"Right, I remember that. We were Indie and Short Round."
Shawn released a sharp laugh, grinning at me before I shot him an annoyed look. "When we were looking for her, I could feel heat at my throat, and it was right where the necklace was."
All ears were arched towards me as I described the burning sensation that both Lauren and I had experienced many, many times over the course of knowing each other. In order, I began by explaining how it had started when she had fallen sick during the winter prom, then got visibly worse the longer we were together.
"So basically what you're saying is that every time you and Lauren had a heartfelt conversation, some kind of heat spread where those two triangles are?" Normani clarified, lifting an eyebrow. "And it was the same on both of you?"
"I guess, yeah." I climbed up on the bed crossed my legs. "I asked her about it when we were on our way over here, and she genuinely didn't seem to know why it was happening. Also I was told that fledglings don't fall sick very often, so that must have had something to do with it."
"That's right, they don't." Ally sat down at the desk and crossed one leg over the other. "We're born immune to most common sicknesses and bacteria, it's not hard to see when you take a look at our internals."
"Maybe it's some kind of power amplification." Shawn suggested from the foot of the bed. "Or like... I don't know, whenever it happens the two of you get crazier about each other."
"But it's burning now." I countered, gesturing to the charm in Dinah's hand. "And she hates me."
"She doesn't hate you." Ally shook her head. "I think she may just be confused. It happens to all of us at one point or another."
Shrugging, I kept my eyes locked down on the necklace that Dinah still held as the others conversed about different scenarios. Normani proposed that it had something to do with Lauren's mutation while Dinah hypothesized that it had everything to do with emotion. Shawn, who hadn't spoken for some time put in his two cents when they had reached a standstill.
"I'm worried." He announced, sitting up a little straighter and looking at me. "What if it means that she might be in trouble. Or worse."
"You're always worried about her." I smiled softly. "I feel like you fuss over her more than I do."
Shawn sighed. "Mila, I'm serious. Back when we found you and I ran off to see if I could catch up to Lauren, I... did. I managed to track her down."
"You did?"
The boy nodded.
"So you saw her?" I frowned, sitting forward. "Why did you tell us before?"
"I don't know." He looked down, instantly turning nervous. "I guess... she wasn't really in the best place at the time, and I didn't want anyone else going after her."
Normani stood up. "Shawn, we could have found her, and brought her back." She scolded, her tone raising a number of decibels. "And we wouldn't even be in this mess right now!"
"Mani, she didn't want to come back." He retaliated. "And even if we managed to drag her back here, do you really think it wouldn't be a mess right now? Lauren left for a reason. It was what she wanted to do, it was what she thought was right, and I wasn't going to be the one to stop her!"
"I thought you guys were friends." Normani glared at him. "We could have saved so much stress for her, and us Shawn."
"Stop." I held a hand up, glancing at Normani. "Shawn, why are you worried?"
"Because she was hurt." The boy looked back at me. "Really badly. Burn scars, torn skin, fatigue... and she didn't have anyone there to help her recover the way you did."
I leaned back against the pillows, closing my eyes. They began to bicker again, Ally and Dinah joining in to create a chorus of opinions where some were definitively louder than the others.
"We could have helped her recover the way Camila did!"
"Do you really think she would have let us even get near her? You remember chasing that girl through the forest and pinning her down with a net?"
"But she would be here, where she's safe rather than at that horrible place probably being tortured to death!"
"Why the hell would you say that? Lauren can hold her own!"
"Enough!" I sat up abruptly, running my hand through my hair and pulling it away from my face. "Everyone just shut the hell up!"
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to me as I pressed my thumb and index finger to the bridge of my nose, battling away the soon-to-arrive headache. Taking a few seconds to relish in the lack of noise, I looked up and scanned everyone's curious expression. "We're going to find her." I announced, taking a deep breath. "All of us."
"All of us?" Normani sat down on the bed again. "Like everyone?"
"No, not everyone." I shook my head. "The six of us. You four, myself, and Jason. It'll be a smaller scaled mission, we'll have just enough manpower to sneak in unannounced and find Lauren."
The others looked at each other for a few seconds before releasing a string of agreeing murmurs. "I'm in." Dinah stood up, looking at Normani who was nodding as well. Ally had a determined look on her face, and was smiling at me as if could see the thoughts in my head. Shawn, who had originally been the one to bring up the idea, was now looking down at his fingers.
"Shawn?" I questioned, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. "Are you down?"
"Yeah." He scratched at the back of his neck again. "But only on one condition."
"What's that?" Dinah asked, poking him in the side of the head playfully.
"We're not bringing Jason."
The room was quiet for the second time that morning, all the eyes now drifting to Shawn and his beautiful jawline. "Why aren't we bringing Jason?" Ally asked, frowning. "I like him, he's cute and nerdy. Kinda like you but with blue eyes."
"Not funny." He shot her a warning glance. "I just don't want to bring him, okay?"
"Is it because you like him?" Dinah's eyes grew wide as she broke into a grin that the cheshire cat would have been proud of. "Are you trying to make sure he stays safe? Shawn, that's so cute!"
"No, that's not it!" The boy glared at her, closing his fists. "Shut up!"
"He's so in love." Normani gushed at Dinah's side. "That's so cute Shawn, is that why you've been so irritable over the last few days?"
"No!" Shawn shifted his gaze, narrowing his eyes.
"Then why don't you want to bring him?" The girl tilted her head to the side as if her question was purely innocent.
"I just don't." He got up, running his hands through his hair and heading to the door. "It doesn't matter why... Camila? Is that okay?"
"If you don't want to bring Jason, we won't bring Jason." I nodded. "Now that I think about it more, it's probably for the best. He's still a young fighter without much field training. I don't want to risk his safety."
"I ship it." Dinah tossed her hands up happily.
"You're a good boyfriend Shawn." Normani added. My blood began to boil as the smug smile on both girl's faces drove Shawn right out the door and down the hall. I jumped off the bed, following his lead and stopping underneath the doorframe.
"Enough you two." I said sharply, turning and addressing them over my shoulder. "In this room, Ally is the only one who has any right to use homosexuality as a means of bullying, and she's also the only one who had enough decency to realize just how cruel it really is." The shorter brunette was curled up on the desk chair, looking at the ground with her arms folded over her chest. She seemed more unimpressed than she did proud.
I turned without listening to their reply, leaving Ally to scold them and hurrying after my best friend. He had made his way back to his own room, the unmarked door now closed. I knocked a few times, receiving silence before slowly pushing my way into the room. Shawn was lying on the bed with one arm draped over his stomach and the other supporting his head, the tight navy t-shirt that had previously been tight on his body was now thrown against the far wall and crumpled to the ground.
"Hey." I crept inside. "I'm sorry about them."
"Don't be." He rubbed his eyes, indicating raw fatigue while keeping his gaze up on the ceiling. "I'm glad that we're going to do this. We need to find her."
"Shawn?" I leaned back on my hands, looking up at him. "Oh wow."
"What?" The boy arched up by propping his elbows on the bed, glancing at me. His body had visibly changed, the slender, light muscled form I remembered from late nights on the Miami rooftops had turned to a much larger, powerful frame. As he moved, every muscle in his shoulders and arms shifted, and there were a perfect line of six abdominal muscles tight against his stomach.
"My god, you look amazing." I breathed, shuffling backwards as he sat up confused, lifting an arm and running his fingers through his hair. The bicep muscle swelled as he did so, and my eyes were automatically drawn to it. "I totally forgot how beautiful men can be."
"Thanks." Shawn shrugged, looking down. "I've kinda been working extra hard recently. I don't really have much compared to you guys, I guess I'm just trying to make up for it."
"Well you have." I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder, feeling the ripple of muscle beneath my palm. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Are you going to call me gay?" He asked, glancing back at me wearily. "Because I'm fucking tired of people making assumptions based on what they want to see."
"That's not what I was going to say." I shook my head. "I was just curious as to why you're so invested in Lauren."
Straightening up, the boy twisted himself around so we were facing each other. "I don't know." He replied. "I've been trying to figure that out for the longest time now, I think it's because she's... kinda the person I wish I could be."
I lifted both eyebrows in confusion. "You think of her as a role model?"
"Not so much a role model... more like... I don't know." The boy shrugged. "I've never really been crazy about myself, so I guess she's just the person I wish I was. Strong, calm, protective, insightful..."
Leaning forward again, I rested my elbows on my knees and looked down at my fingers. "Shawn you're all those things." I assured him, looking up with a soft smile. "All those things and more. You're not Lauren, and I'm glad that's the case."
There was a moment of silence before he placed a hand on my knee. "I know how much you miss her Camila." He murmured. "I've known you since we were tiny, and I can see it clear in your eyes."
I felt tears begin to rush forward.
"We're not going to lose this battle." He continued, voice soft and comforting. "I don't care what it takes, we're going to make sure that Silent Hill goes back to being a fictional world of demons and skin melting monsters, and we're going to make sure that Lauren comes home safely."
"You don't know that." I straightened up and leaned against his shoulder. "The thing about Lauren, not the thing about Silent Hill."
"I do know that." He rested his cheek against the top of my head. "You know... ever since Austin, I've been scared to death of what the future held for you. I was afraid that you would end up falling in love with some big headed, douchebag guy who didn't deserve you, and I would have to sit on the sidelines and feel the little bits of myself die every single day you were with him."
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to not break out in a sob.
"Then Lauren came along, and made everything okay. She was the person I was waiting for you to find. Someone who recognized how strong, and how brave you were. Someone who never even took a moment to look at another girl because they didn't need to." He pressed his lips to the top of my head. "Someone who made you happy. Genuinely happy. It wasn't about popularity, or rumours, or peer pressure, or any of that. It's always been about love."
"I'm so tired." I admitted with a silent nod, tears now gliding down my cheeks. "Sometimes I just wish that none of this had ever happened. That things could go back to normal."
"Look at us." He used the hand that wasn't laced with mine to reach up and brush away the wetness on my cheeks. "Nothing is ever going to be normal again."
"I know." Tucking myself against his chest, the boy pulled me against him and let me cry, letting out everything that hadn't been put into silent words on a page. The smooth warmth of his skin was both familiar and comforting.
"Your mom would be proud of you." He murmured after a few seconds of thick silence. "She could be proud that you're fighting for what's right. And of how brave, and how strong you've become."
"You think so?" I looked up, peeling away from him for only a moment.
"I know so." Shawn nodded, his own brown eyes glassy. "I know she's keeping an eye on you, watching you grow and become just as incredible as she was." He then took my hand, turning my wrist up and brushing his fingers over the ugly wound. "I know you think that Lauren was trying to hurt you when she did this." He mumbled, moving it closer to him. "But Camila, if you look at this symbol a certain way, it almost... looks like a butterfly."
Wiping away the tears that had clouded my vision, I brought both wrists up and turned my head, frowning. The oval shaped wound that intruded in the interlocking point resembled the body, while the triangles acted as the two wings. He was right.
"Oh my god." I muttered, taking a deep breath in. "Do you think she knew what she was doing?"
"No idea." The boy shrugged. "You never know with that girl."
"Thank you." I reached up and brushed my hand against his cheek. "You always know what to..."
Time began to slow down as I pressed my hand against the boy's sharp jawline and tilted his chin towards me. Eyes flitting down to his lips, I furrowed my brow. "Hey... have you always been this beautiful?"
Shawn was quiet, his breath stalled in his lungs. I drew my lips near with no intention of stopping, only to discover that he had different plans.
"No." He interrupted, shifting backwards. I stopped where I was, eyes slipping closed and hands pressed hard against his chest.
"You don't want to kiss me?"
"That's not it." I felt a hand press against my cheek. "I'm not the right person. You don't belong with me, and we both know it Camila." He shook his head, a soft smile spreading over his lips.
Placing my hand over his, our fingers laced together "You're a good guy." I met his eyes, the brown matching mine perfectly. "And there aren't many of those left nowadays."
"I know." Shawn smiled cheekily, showing his perfectly straight teeth. "Now come on, we have lot of things to do before we leave."
***
By the end of the following day, everyone had prepared for our journey outwards. Alone in my bedroom, I looked from one black t-shirt to the other, trying to recall which had been washed recently.
"Camila." A knock at the door sounded before it swung open, and in the doorway stood Shawn. He wore a standard battle-ready black outfit and had his crossbow attached to hip while a long container of arrows was strapped parallel to his upper leg. Additionally, both of Lauren's weapons were tucked against his other side like a sword, the iron bars clasped together and ready for use. "Everyone is ready, we're waiting for you out in the main chamber."
I nodded, turning around and grabbing the shirt on the left, pulling it over my head. I tucked one side into my leggings, slid my feet into their trusty boots and lifted Lauren's black jacket off the desk chair. "Alright." I turned to him, slinging it over my shoulder. "I'm ready."
"Almost ready." Shawn corrected, traversing the length of the room and stopping at the bedside table to lift Lauren's necklace in his palm. "You're going to need this."
The silver was still warm when I took it from him, letting the charm dangle in the air. "You really like her, don't you?" I asked, glancing up at him. "Even if I say no, you're still going to make me wear it."
"Yeah." Shawn nodded, taking it back as I lifted the hair off my neck and let him secure the clasp. Tying the dark mop into a messy ponytail, I tucked the triangles into my shirt, letting it them sit against my chest once more.
"I don't need her to love me anymore." I said quietly, lifting my blade off the bed and sliding it in place against my outer thigh. "I don't even need her to like me anymore; all I need to know is that she's breathing." Taking a look in the mirror, I released a deep inhale at the familiarity of the silver chain against my skin. "Whether I end up fighting with her, or against her, I will destroy that place and everyone responsible for it. If I have to destroy Lauren in the process..."
Shawn met my eyes in the mirror.
"Then I will." I finished, closing my fists and flashing back to the gruesome images of the children being mistreated. "I'm not letting something like that exist in this world."
"I know." The boy took a step back, opening the door. "Either way, nothing is going to be the same once this is over."
I was about to retrieve the jacket from where I had dropped it, until he stopped me. "You won't need that Mila." He smirked. "The girls have a little surprise for you."
Curious, I made my way down the hall with Shawn close by, emerging in the main chamber to a sight for sore eyes. All three girls looked more than battle ready, each wearing black, unzipped jackets with high collars and long sleeves.
"What's this? All three of you guys look like you've been snapping your fingers by the water cooler." I grinned, planting my hands on my hips.
"They're just light jackets, all waterproof and loose fitting." Ally smiled back from where she was seated casually on a woven pillar of tree roots that had broken through the ground "They're light enough so that they won't slow you down, but they also keep the poisonous gasses from prolonged contact with your skin, especially your neck." She hopped down, pointing to the other side of the room. "Shawn, yours is over there on the table, Camila, yours is right here."
"You're going to love it." Dinah added from where she stood shoulder to shoulder with Normani, leaning against the wall. I could just see the handle of her whip peeking out from where it was belted against her hip.
Ally then turned to me, holding out a folded bundle of black fabric. I took it from her with thanks, letting it unfold and holding the jacket up to examine. It was decorated with a white dual triangle symbol which sat directly in the centre back and extended a few inches both up and down. The decoration was hard to miss, and looked like it had been expertly painted on by some kind of master craftsman. The jacket itself also happened to be easily split apart by velcro at the left arm, which was handy considering my circumstances.
"You guys..." I murmured, looking to the others and undoing the zipper before flipping it over my shoulder and turning up the collar. I found the fabric to be smooth and satisfying, and I closed the fist of my left hand to let a cluster of matching blue-white electricity sparkle to life in my palm. The energy blew the jacket's hem around my body, granting me an air of confidence."This is amazing. Why don't the rest of you have special designs?"
"You're the head of this operation now." Normani stepped forward. "When we're out there, we're all set to follow your instruction Camila. Not only do you need to stand out, but you need to be recognized as a leader."
Ally moved to stand next on Normani's left, while Dinah assumed a position by her right. Equipping himself, Shawn joined the line. With the new outfits, they all looked battle ready, different variations of arm guards, small packs and various blades lining their bodies. Taking a deep breath in, I accepted the mouth cover, earpiece and fingerless gloves that Ally handed over and fitted them both to my face. "Leader or not, we're working together." I told them, gripping the handle of my blade and ensuring that it was tight against my hip. "Clear?"
I received four nods before scaling the exit hatch to an outside where the sun was long gone, as were the cheerful spring temperatures. Turning on my earpiece and scanning the area for signs of company, I then addressed the others. "Normani, I want you up at the front for directions. Whichever way to get there is fastest is the way we're taking."
"No problem." The girl nodded, jogging over to my side.
"The other three follow her." I added, stepping back. "I want to move behind you all so I know where you are at all times."
There was no protest, and no questioning of my methods as Dinah, Ally and Shawn began to follow Normani, moving silently across the forest. The wind was vicious, picking up and gusting in definitive intervals while changing directions as if mother nature couldn't make up her mind. As we moved, Normani would explain our path, pointing out specific landmarks and means of returning home if ever we were to get separated. When we passed the site where Lauren had taken off, the memory brought back only determination.
Lauren. I said silently as the fog thickened. I've been telling you for months now that you're not alone, so don't think you're going to get away from me that easily. The familiar pavement came into view, and my mind fleeted back to her very first mirage in Miami.
This is where she appears in the dark of night.
Damn right. I muttered, still making no vocal sound. And I've appeared here to bring her home.
***
A/N: GO GET HER. FOR FUCKS SAKE.