green ➸ camren

eighteen

"Ouch."

In that very moment, Lauren felt her heart practically stop. She looked down at Camila's hands and gasped when she saw the crimson substance smeared all over her palms.

"Oh my god," Lauren shook her head, suddenly patting down Camila's arms and frantically searching the girl to see if she had been hurt. The brown eyed girl remained frozen, staring down at her hands.

"Are you hurt?" Lauren grabbed Camila's shoulders, trying to draw some sort of reaction out of the girl. Everything was moving in slow motion and she felt sick to her stomach. Camila blinked.

"It's not hers."

Lauren froze, flinching when she felt a small hand tug at her sleeve. She whipped her head around, looking down at the little boy who had pushed his way back through the barrier. She recognized him as the child that Camila had been carrying.

"She tried'ta help the bad guy. That's why her fingers are red," he nodded, holding up his hands to try and explain it to Lauren.

"We really need you guys to clear the area," a masculine voice appeared from behind them, causing both Lauren and Camila to jump. The green eyed girl instinctively grabbed Camila's hand, trying her best to ignore the way she felt the smaller girl tense up under her touch.

As the crowd began to disperse, the reality of what had just happened hit Lauren. She turned back to Camila, studying the small girl up and down. The smaller girl couldn't seem to peel her eyes away from her own hands, and Lauren grimaced when she realized the blood was now staining hers as well.

Without thinking twice, the green eyed girl shed her jacket and cleaned off her own hands before grabbing Camila's and doing the same. The smaller girl just watched her, her eyes wide.

Lauren didn't have time to think about what exactly was going on. All she knew was that she had to get Camila out of there. She grabbed the smaller girl's hand, pulling her through the crowd. Thankfully, Camila trailed behind her, slowly looking around at all the people surrounding them.

The drive home was silent. Lauren forced herself to keep her eyes on the road. She knew if she said a word that she'd get emotional, and then she'd be in no state to drive.

Camila followed Lauren into the house, standing quietly in the foyer. Lauren bit her lip, running a hand through her hair. She didn't know what to do.

"I'll get you something to drink," Lauren managed to stutter out, turning and hurrying into the kitchen. She quickly filled a cup with water, turning around and gasping when Camila appeared only a few feet away from her.

"I, uh, here," Lauren said softly, handing the cup to the smaller girl. Camila took it, studying it for a few moments. Lauren wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. Especially after Camila's hands started shaking so badly that the cup slipped out of her grip and came crashing to the floor.

The smaller girl didn't even flinch, she just slowly stared down at the water that was now pooling around her feet.

"It's okay," Lauren blurted out, bending down and grabbing the cup. She grabbed a dish towel and began wiping up the water. Her heart was beating so fast against her chest that she genuinely wondered if that was what a heart attack felt like.

"Stupid."

Lauren froze when Camila's voice broke the silence between them. She was hallucinating. She had to be. Her grip on the rag tightened and she stood up, looking at the smaller girl worriedly.

"Stupid," Camila mumbled again, her hands curling into fists. This was all too familiar to Lauren.

"Fuck," Lauren cursed under her breath, shaking her head. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" she threw the dish rag to the ground, bringing her hands up to her head and pacing back and forth. What was she supposed to do? What was even going on?