I'm glad y'all enjoyed the last chapter.
Anyways, I was going to have this chapter up in about 12 hours, but I don't think I'll have much time to give this my attention. I'm in my final two weeks of school before I pretty much become a college graduate. So I have to make sure I don't fail. And I have a presentation in school, and if you knew me in real life, you'd know I'm actually a really shy person.
Keep your hearts close.
Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse (Obviously).
-
Lauren woke up with a sharp pain on her head. Ignoring the pain, she looked around but it was dark. She could feel the floor moving. It sounded like a car. Lauren tried to use her hands, but they were tied together.
"Mama?"
Nothing. She could hear loud music. She let her head rest against the bottom of wherever she was. She felt the need to use the restroom. Whimpering, she squeezed her legs together, trying to hold it in. She could feel tears well up in her eyes, as she felt the pressure in her stomach.
She closed her eyes, as she tried to remember what had happened before she blacked out.
She remembered being in the park with her family. She remembered Camila talking to a woman.
She gasped, when she remembered a man pulling her away. She remmebered Camila running after them and Lauren struggling to stay back. The guy placed her in the car. Lauren screamed and cried. The guy kept a grip on Lauren while another man drove the car.
The guy kept shouting for Lauren to shut up but Lauren continued to cry. Lauren then felt a sharp pain in her head and everything went black.
Lauren whimpered, as she started to cry. She wanted her mothers. She wanted her sisters. She wanted Leo. She wanted Nala. She wanted to go home.
-
"They took my daughter," Dinah snapped at the police office in front of her.
He wrote down whatever Dinah and Ally told him.
"P-please find my sister," Normani whispered, hugging Nala.
Ally hugged the girl, knowing she was scared for her other sister.
Camila was sitting on one of the chairs, silent. She was staring at the ground. She hadn't uttered a word since losing Lauren.
"We have an Amber Alert out and the officers are looking for her. We'll do everything we can to find your daughter," the officer said, looking at Dinah and Ally. He turned to Normani. "We're going do our best to bring your sister home."
Normani nodded her head. "Please."
"There is nothing else you can do," the officer said, looking at the two pair of parents.
Dinah sighed, not sure what to do. She turned to Ally, silently asking her what to do.
-
The trunk of the car was popped open. Lauren blinked as she was able to see more than just darkness. She looked up at the guy who took her stared at her. He reached in and took Lauren out.
He groaned. "You seriously couldn't wait two more seconds?"
Lauren whimpered, as the guy carried her into the house and just dropped her to the ground. Lauren gasped as she hit the ground.
"We did what you wanted," the guy said, looking at a woman and another man in front of her.
"We didn't say you could hurt her," the man said, glaring at the man.
The woman walked to Lauren and helped her up. She untied the little girl. "Did the man hurt you?"
Lauren slowly nodded her head.
Her kidnapper shook his head. "Just give me the money."
The other man reached into his pocket and took out the money and gave it to the kidnapper. Once he left, the couple turned to Lauren.
"Do you know who we are?"
Lauren shook her head, pain her head and knees from her landing.
"Those bitches," the man whispered, shaking his head in anger.
"Lauren, we're your real parents. That's Daddy, and I'm Mami."
Lauren frowned, not sure how to respond.
'Daddy' smiled. "We're finally going to be a family."
-
Ally was curled up at Dinah's side. "I should have watched her better."
Dinah ran her hand through her wife's head. "Mike wasn't the one who took her. We didn't know that guy was going to take her. We always thought Mike or Clara would be the ones to do something."
"I want my little girl back," Ally whispered, her tears slipping down her face.
"I know. We should check on the girls. Camila is worrying me. She hasn't said anything since losing Lauren," Dinah whispered, looking down at Ally.
Ally sat up. "My god, Camila. You should have seen her. She tried to chase the car."
Dinah stood up. She offered her hand to Ally. "Let's go check on our girls."
Ally and Dinah entered Camila's bedroom. Camila wasn't in her bed.
"Camila," Dinah whispered, looking around. The closet door was opened, so both went to it. Looking inside, they saw Camila curled up in the corner. She had tears streaming down her face.
"Oh Mila," Ally whispered, moving to sit next to her daughter.
Camila shook her head.
"Talk to us sweetie," Dinah whispered, crouching down in front of her child.
"Lolo's gone," Camila whispered, rubbing her eyes.
"We're gonna get her back," Dinah told her.
"It's my fault," Camila cried, shaking her head.
Dinah and Ally looked at each other, before turning to Camila. "It's not your fault."
Camila cried into Ally's arms, repeating the words; "My fault."
Ally rocked the girl. She turned to Dinah. "Check on Normani."
Dinah stood up and rushed to her eldest's daughter's room. It was empty. She checked the closet and also found it empty.
Worried about her, she rushed to Lauren's room where her heart broke.
Normani was curled up on Lauren's bed, hugging Nala. Her body shook from her sobs.
"Mommy, it hurts," Normani cried, shaking her head.
Dinah walked to the bed and sat down. She rubbed her daughter's back. "I know baby. It hurts me too."
"I want her back."
Dinah bit her lip to stop from crying. "We'll get her back. We will."
-
The girl wouldn't stop crying. It was night and Mike and Clara wanted to sleep, but Lauren just would not stop crying. And worst of all, the dumb girl wouldn't talk. She'd just move her hands around not saying anything.
"Mike, we should have gotten one of the other two. This one is broken."
Mike sighed, looking at the girl in front of her.
"I want to sleep," Clara said, frowning.
Mike crouched down in front of Lauren, who whimpered. "What do you want?"
Lauren moved her hands around, breathing heavily.
"Talk damn it!"
Lauren's eyes widened, as she saw him raise his hand. Lauren felt a sharp pain on her cheek. She felt new tears in her eyes. She tried to not make any noise.
"Much better," Clara said, picking the girl up.
They walked to their bedroom. Clara walked to the chest where she placed Lauren. The little girl curled up. Clara closed the chest, grabbing the lock.
"Can't have her sneaking off at night," Clara said, locking the box, trapping Lauren inside.
Lauren cried out, as she hit the top.
Mike kicked the box. "Shut up!"
Lauren stopped, not moving.
"Now we can sleep," Mike told his wife, kissing her cheek.
Clara pulled her husband towards the bed, their lips pressed against each other.
-
It was dark. It was so dark. And she could hear Clara screaming at Michael. Michael was making weird noises.
Lauren whimpered, as she closed her eyes. Her cheek was in pain, and she needed to pee again. She was scared to hit the wall, after Michael's kick.
Lauren covered her mouth to stop her crying as she felt her body relieve itself, her pants getting wet.
It was just like the closet.
-
"I want Lauren!"
Dinah stared at the girl in front of her. She was trying to get Camila to go to school, it had been two day since Lauren's kidnapping. The cops had found nothing, but they were still searching. They had searched the Jauregui home, and nothing.
Dinah slept with Normani on Lauren's bed, as she didn't want to sleep anywhere else, and Ally would sleep with Camila on the closet floor.
But Camila and Normani still had to go to school.
Normani was easier to convince than Camila, who was dealing with the guilt of losing Lauren.
"I want Lauren too," Dinah whispered, reaching for Camila.
The little girl walked into Dinah's arms and cried. The mother rubbed her back.
"Do you want to take Nala to school?"
"Nala?"
"Lauren never goes anywhere without Nala, she'll come back."
Camila nodded her head. "Please."
Normani offered Camila the stuffed lion. Camila hugged it tightly.
"Lolo," Camila whispered, looking at the lion.
Camila let out a sob, shaking her head. "I want my Lolo."
Dinah hugged Camila, her eyes closed. "I know baby, I know."
"I want her back."
-
Anna crouched down in front of Camila. "Just let me know if you need something, okay?"
Camila nodded, staring out into space.
Anna sighed, knowing about what had happened with Lauren. She looked at the broken girl in front of her. Camila barely reacted to any female presence. She just sat there, hugging Nala, staring at the ground. It made Anna want to cry, seeing the quick one-eighty of the girl.
"Mila, where's Lauren?" Lucy asked, looking around the room. It was Tuesday, and Lauren was always there on Tuesdays.
Camila let out a sob, as she shook her head.
Lucy frowned. "Mila?"
Camila started to cry. She sat there, crying, hugging Nala.
Anna turned to Austin. "Go to Normani's classroom and get her."
Austin nodded and ran out the room. Anna rubbed Camila's back while the girl sobbed. It didn't take too long for Normani and Austin to enter the room. The older girl rushed to Camila and hugged her.
"It's hurts," Camila cried, grabbing Normani's shirt.
"I know," Normani whispered, closing her own eyes.
"Ms. Anna, what happened?" Lucy asked, tears in her eyes. "Where's Lauren?"
Anna didn't know what to say. She had never been in that spot before. What was she supposed to tell five year olds?
"Ms. Anna, where is Lauren?"
Anna looked at the many faces looking at her. "Something happened. A few days ago, she was taken," she said, her voice soft, her eyes on Camila, who let out another sob when she heard that.
"Where was she taken?" Hailee asked, frowning.
"Can we get her back?" Alexa questioned.
"Who took her?" Keana inquired, looking confused.
"We don't know. But the police are working to find Lauren," Anna told them.
Lucy walked to Camila. Normani pulled away and wiped her eyes. Camila was still crying, but she looked at Lucy.
The other girl just hugged Camila, breaking another dam.
Ariana and Alexa joined in the hug. Followed by Keana and Austin. Hailee gave Normani a hug, who seemed to be trying to hold her tears in.
Anna didn't start class that day. She just let the kids try to make Camila and Normani feel better. There was nothing else she could do.
-
Lauren sat on the ground. She stared at the plate in front of her.
"Mami, I'll give you the food if you say that," Clara said, signaling for the food.
Lauren looked up at the woman. She was hungry. She wanted the food. But she just couldn't talk. Nothing would come out. She could feel tears well up in her eyes.
"Just say my name," Clara snapped, glaring at the girl.
Lauren whimpered, her eyes on the food.
Clara grabbed the plate and launched it across the room. Lauren flinched when the plate hit the wall.
"You are so stupid," Clara snapped, glaring at the girl. "This is why we gave you away. We knew you'd be such an idiot."
Lauren's eyes shifted downward.
That word again. Stupid.
Lauren was getting angry. She was getting angry with herself.
Why couldn't she say anything? Why couldn't she just do what the woman wanted?
Lauren's stomach growled, as she looked at the floor across the room.
"You better not touch that," Clara said, glaring at Lauren, who looked at her, "go to bed."
Lauren felt her tears slip down her face as she went to the room and climbed into her 'bed'. She whimpered when she felt the soggy bottom touch her.
Lauren closed her eyes, wishing she was home.
She just wanted to go home.
-
The next chapter won't be out in the morning like other times. It may be tomorrow or some time after.