june 27th | camren

two

When Camila asks Ally if they can drive down to Miami at the beginning of June, Ally doesn't reply at first. Something unreadable flashes behind her eyes, and she gives Camila a long look, but that's it, and Camila knows not to push the subject.

Despite her original intentions of leaving Ally as soon as she knew enough about vampire culture to survive on her own, she found that she actually likes Ally's company when she's not being bossed around or being yelled at for being irresponsible about something. (One time Camila had accidentally left a bloody handprint on the back of Ally's car and the police had connected them to the murders of three people. Ally had come home covered in blood that night, with a new set of car keys, and to this day Camila hasn't been able to get the disappointed tone in Ally's voice out of her mind.)

Camila doesn't bring the topic up again, but she's not exactly surprised when Ally wakes her up one day to tell her that they're leaving for Miami in two hours.

&

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Camila looks up from where she's trying to wrap Lauren's birthday present in a way that won't make it seem like it was done by a ten-year old. "No, I know where to go."

"You know that's not what I meant," Ally says. She sits down on the couch, and gestures at the present. "Here, let me do it."

Camila doesn't reply, but she shoves the half-wrapped package across the table, and folds her arms over her chest. "I don't see why I can't go on my own. Everything went fine last time. I don't need you to chaperon me."

"Fine." Ally cuts out a new piece of wrapping paper and places the present—a photo album filled with pictures from Lauren's favorite photographer—in the middle with such precision that Camila almost rolls her eyes. She doesn't, though, because Ally is making sure she doesn't have to give Lauren a badly wrapped present, and also because Ally could probably kill her.

When the present is done, Ally leans back into the couch. "You know I'm only looking out for you, right? You're still young, and I don't want to see you get hurt, one way or the other."

"I'm twenty," Camila says, mildly annoyed that even as a vampire there are still things she can't do. Things that seem so easy when Ally does them. "I'm perfectly capable to take care of myself."

"Believe me when I say that twenty is still very young." Ally presses two fingers against each of her temples, rubbing them in small circles like she has a headache. "Just make sure you don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Whatever." Camila grabs her gift and puts it in a plastic bag for protection. She's been looking forward to this day for an entire year, and she's not about to let it be ruined because Ally suddenly feels like being overprotective.

&

Camila is still five blocks away from Lauren's house when she first hears the music, her heart sinking into her stomach at the realization that it's most likely coming from Lauren's sound system. It doesn't take long before she reaches Lauren's street, and her conjectures are confirmed by the red party cups scattered all over the place, and the large LED-light sign that says 21! that's flickering pathetically in the front yard.

Judging by the cars lining up until around the block and the endless sea of voices coming from inside the house, there must be at least a couple dozen people attending Lauren's party, and Camila briefly wonders how much of a mess it would make if she murdered them all.

(She doesn't want Lauren to spend her twenty-first birthday at the police station being interrogated about the mass murder that took place at her house, though, so she doesn't actually consider it.)