I had been waiting to write this chapter, and the next few. I have finally reached this.
roezhaaa, find out if your theory was right.
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Lauren groaned, as she woke up. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling as she remembered what had happened in the prior hours. She stretched on her bed, before sitting up. She almost screamed when she saw Camila standing at her desk chair, reading a book.
Camila looked up. She gave Lauren a smile and placed the book down.
"How are you feeling?" Camila asked, her eyes on Lauren.
Lauren shrugged. "I could be better."
Camila nodded her head. She stared at Lauren, who stared back.
"There is something you need to know," Camila said, standing up.
-
"It was October, 1655 when I got really sick. My mother prayed that I would be okay. Medicine was scarce. She wished for me to get better, but many people had already died. There was no hope, when a vampire walked into my home and told my mother that she could save me, but told her that she may never see me again. My mother wanted me to live my life, so she said yes," Normani told the other vampires.
"Did you ever see your mother again?" Ally asked, a small frown on her face.
"Once I was in control of my urges, I went to visit my family one last time, to say goodbye."
"Who was the vampire?" Shawn asked, sitting forward.
"Her name was Demetria Lovato. She helped me control myself before letting go my own way."
"Where is she now?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide with wonder. Shawn leaned over and kissed her temple.
"She is living with her mate. I don't know who it is, but I've seen her in passing, but she'd always be alone," Normani answered.
Lauren stormed into the living room, freezing when she saw the group of people sitting there. Her eyes went to Dinah and Normani.
"Camila is my mate," Lauren said, a frown on her face.
Dinah nodded her head. "Yes."
Lauren ran her hand through her hair. She sighed. "How is this fair?"
"What?"
"I'm human. I age. Camila is my mate. If I don't change, she'll watch me grow old and die," Lauren told them, glaring at the ground.
"You don't have to change," Camila said, her voice a whisper.
"It's not fair to you. You've waited over four hundred years for me," Lauren said, her eyes on Camila.
Dinah watched Camila turn to her. "It's not the first time I lost my mate."
"What are you talking about?" Ally asked, frowning.
"Have you guys heard of the Mate's Blessing?" Camila asked, waiting until she saw the head shakes, "Sometimes, if a vampire's mate dies, they can be reborn."
"So if Lauren dies of old age, she'll come back?" Hailee questioned, looking to the human in the room.
Camila shook her head, as she looked to Lauren. "The mate has to be human, and the way they died have to supernatural based."
"You lost your mate, supernaturally based?"
Camila nodded her head.
"Lauren, you've been reborn multiple times, and each time, Austin has killed you."
-
"You kidnapped me to keep me locked up," Brad whined, as he watched Austin look over his plans.
"Will you shut up?" Austin asked, glaring at the reflection.
Brad held his hands up. "I'm just asking."
"I should have just taken Lucy, she would have been easier to control," Austin muttered, glaring at the other vampire. "We have weeks."
"A week for what?"
"To kill Lauren again."
-
"You've been reborn at least ten times. And each time, Austin has been the reason you died."
"The best friend you killed when you change," Lucy whispered, her eyes shifting from a frozen, pale Lauren, to a sad, still Camila.
"The first Lauren. You had another name back then, but it was you. You've all been different, but you always had green eyes," Camila whispered, looking at Lauren.
"How did we not know of this? We've been with you for years," Harry interjected for the first time, a frown on his face.
"I'm good at keeping secrets. You guys were dealing with your own problems, controlling your thirst, looking for your mates. I didn't bother you and you didn't bother me. You guys have met the other versions of Lauren, you just didn't know it was her. As I said, they all looked different."
The six other vampires sat in silence as they tried to process that.
Lauren got Camila's attention. "What has he done to me?"
"The first time, he cut you and left me to feed off you. The second time, we stood at a cliffside and he held you. When I tried to get to you, he slit your throat and let you fall off it. The third time, he drank all your blood. The fourth time," Camila stopped, staring at the ground.
"Don't do this! Please," Camila begged, looking at a tied up "Lauren" and Austin.
Lauren was drenched in gasoline, her eyes closed.
"Please," Camila whispered.
"As long as she's alive, she'll always have your heart," Austin said, turning the match on and dropping it.
Camila tried to run to save Lauren, but Austin grabbed her and held her.
"The fourth time he held me back while I watched you burn," Camila whispered, a devastated look on her face.
Lauren looked like she was going to be sick.
"I can stop," Camila whispered, only looking at Lauren.
The human shook her head. "No, I need to hear this."
"He drained you the fifth and sixth time, saying you tasted so sweet. The seventh time, the seventh time he made me kill you again."
Camila felt his breath on his face. He looked into her eyes. "You want blood."
Camila's eyes dilated. "I want blood."
"Not just any blood, you want her blood."
"I want her blood," Camila whispered back, her eyes turning to Lauren.
"Make it hurt."
"I'll make it hurt."
Camila walked to Lauren and stood in front of her. The human looked scared. Camila leaned forward and kiss Lauren's neck. When the other girl relaxed, Camila went in for the bite.
Lauren froze, while Camila drained her. It didn't hurt, but then she gasped, when Camila used her vampire strength to drive her hand into Lauren's abdominal.
"You died in my arms. The seventh time, the seventh time, she, the seventh time he snapped your neck when you told me you loved me."
"I-" Lauren shook her head, leaving the house. She walked out to the backyard. Camila followed her. She saw Lauren sit on the steps.
"Lauren?"
"I'm sorry, it's hard hearing that I've died multiple times," Lauren whispered, staring at the ground.
"I know," Camila responded, sitting next to Lauren.
They sat in silence for a few seconds. "What was the eight time?"
Camila stared at the ground.
"You have five minutes before she runs out of breath," Austin said, grinning.
"Damn it, why can't you just leave us alone?" Camila snapped, glaring at her sire.
Austin's smile was wiped off his face. "Because I love you, and if you love someone, you fight for them. And I'll fight your mate every time."
"It's not fair, she's not a vampire, this isn't fair!"
Austin stared at Camila for a second, before looking down. "You have four minutes."
"Austin, don't do this, please!"
"Time is ticking Camila. She's going to die."
"He didn't outright kill me?"
"He buried you, he killed you. I found your body minutes after your heart stopped. It had been too late."
"He's obsessed with you, that's why he keeps doing it. His sire messed him up, giving him a twisted look on love," Lauren whispered. "What's the ninth?"
"He poisoned you and I had to watch you die slowly, and painfully."
"I dream about these things sometimes," Lauren told her, looking up at Camila. "I remember waking up like I was drowning. I couldn't breath. I think I remember these."
"I tried to protect you. I thought if I didn't talk to you like I did the others, maybe he'd leave you alone. But he always went after you, and you kept having asthma attacks because I would reject the mating call."
"But you stopped?"
"Because staying away wasn't helping you or me. It was hurting us."
"I don't want to be a vampire," Lauren told her, wrapping her arms aorund herself.
"I know. And it's okay. All of us are going to do what we can to make sure you live a long life."
"If I do, then you'll be alone forever," Lauren said.
"I know."
"I wish you never told me."
-
"Lauren" giggled as she wrapped her arms around Camila. The older girl kissed her lips. "I love you."
"And I love you. Our stars have aligned."
"This is not normal," Lauren told her love.
"Since when did we do normal?"
"Do you believe in fate?"
"I believe that we are destined to be together. If we lost each other, we would find each other again," Camila said, a grin on her face.
"I only want you. I want no one else."
"And I only want you."
Lauren kept her arms around Camila. "This is the best feeling."
Camila pushed herself against Lauren and closed her eyes. "It is."
Lauren closed her own eyes and followed Camila to sleep.
-
"We have about two weeks before Austin does anything," Camila told the group of vampires and Lauren.
"Two week? How do you know?"
Camila looked at Lauren as she answered. "With the exception of the first time, Lauren always dies on June 26, the day before her seventeenth birthday."
"I'm sixteen," Lauren whispered, her face turning green, "my birthday is in two weeks."
"Lauren?"
The girl in question shot up and ran to the closest trashcan, throwing up.
Normani shot up and ran to her daughter, running her hand on the girl's back.
Camila turned to the others. "Austin has a plan, he always does. We have to be ready for anything."
-
"What are you thinking?" Normani asked Dinah, who had been watching Lauren sleep.
"Fate. Why we came here of all places. Why did we come here at this time, just to get mixed up in all this. If we had moved to another place, Lauren wouldn't be in danger. Do you think this is our fault?"
Normani wrapped her arms around Dinah. "No, this is Austin's fault. He is the one who wants to hurt Lauren. He is the one who kills her every time."
"Do you think he had anything to do with Lauren's birth parent's deaths?"
"I don't know. We don't know what caused the crash. But right now, we have to worry about Lauren and keeping her safe. We have to find a way to stop Austin."
"He has Brad on his side."
"And Lauren has Camila, she has Lucy, Shawn, Hailee, Troy, Harry, Ally. She has us. Austin isn't going to win this time."
"It's happened before. And Lauren has never survived it."
Normani gently pushed Dinah against teh wall and looked into her eyes. "The difference between all the other times and this one, is that you and I are here to protect Lauren. Camila told someone about what happened. All those other times, she kept it a secret, and it always backfired. This time we are ready. This time Camila isn't alone."
"We're going to beat him," Dinah whispered, a smile appearing on her face.
"We are going to beat him. And we are going to make him pay. Because Lauren is our daughter, and no one hurts her."
"No one hurts our baby girl."
-
A Week Later
"Everyone now knows," Austin commented, grinning.
"Why don't you ever give up?" Camila asked, shaking in anger.
Austin laughed. "You know, I can do the unexpected and kill Lauren now, when no one is ready."
"Why don't you?" Camila asked, glaring.
The older vampire shrugged. "I don't want to break tradition."
Camila scoffed. "You're disgusting."
Austin grinned. "And you're really mean. I want to play a little game right now."
Camila frowned, and before she knew it, Austin has her pressed against a tree, his hand around her throat.
"I'm still older. I can still compel you," he whispered, laughing when Camila struggled against him. He looked into her eyes. "You're going to tell Lauren the truth about who made her forget about Brad. And you're going to tell her what really happened to her parents."
Austin released Camila and watched her.
"I'm going to tell Lauren who made her forget about Brad and the truth about her parents."
Austin grinned, as Camila disappeared.
"This is going to be fun."
-
This chapter was going to be short, because everything assigned to this chapter had been written, but then I continued writing and passed the 2k mark, which made me happy.
So Lauren is going to find out about her mothers compelling her.
And about her parents, any theories about that?
Seven more chapters for this story.
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What You Know Ages:
Lauren Jauregui: June 27, 1994 - Present (16)
Brad Simpson: July 28, 1956 - June 18, 1974 (17/36)
Lucy Vives: January 11, 1979 - January 27, 1995 (15/16)
Shawn Mendes: August 8, 1864 - September 21, 1883 (19/127)
Camila Cabello: March 3, 1534 - March 2, 1551 (16/460)
Dinah Jane Hansen: June 22, 1686 - April 27, 1705 (18/306)
Hailee Steinfeld: December 11, 1958 - August 23, 1976 (17/34)
Austin Mahone: April 14, 1385 - September 30, 1404 (19/606)
Troy Ogletree: May 9, 1717 - April 25, 1737 (19/274)
Ally Brooke: July 7, 1883 - November 2, 1899 (16/111)
Harry Styles: February 1, 1881 - November 2, 1899 (18/111)
Normani Kordei: May 31, 1686 - April 26, 1705 (17/338)