phoenix academy for extraordinary girls (camren/norminah) ➸ unfinished fic

chapter 2

Camila wakes up bright and early the next morning to the sound of snoring. Light invades her eyes and she blinks a few times, looking around her to figure out where she is.

Ariana is asleep on the floor next to her, one of her hands still resting on the bed. The smaller girl has made a habit of falling off of the bed at night, which is why she banished herself to the top bunk with railings.

The laptop in front of her is still open, but dead. The two girls had fallen asleep after the second Nicholas Sparks movie they watched. (Not Camila's choice.)

The small girl rolls over to check her phone, groaning when she realizes they only have half an hour until the initiation ceremony starts. She quickly reaches off the bed to shake Ariana awake, who jolts up with wide eyes.

"Get ready," Camila yawns, rolling onto her back.

Ariana hops up to her feet as if she didn't just sleep a full eight hours. 'The early bird gets the worm' is practically her best friend's motto in life. Camila envies that about her.

Can I borrow your green sweater?

Camila sits up and wipes her eyes, watching as the brown eyed girl searches through their shared closet. "Yeah, sure, whatever," she mumbles, grabbing the first hoodie she can find and disappearing into the bathroom.

Wait, no. That's too tacky. What about the red cardigan? You know, the one with the buttons?

"Sure," Camila replies through the door as she sheds her clothing and steps into the shower. Just as the hot water hits her back, her friend's voice reappears in her head.

(Perks of having a telepathic friend – you can't escape them.)

Don't you own any pastels? I mean, this button up is cute and all, but it doesn't go with anything. It's too dark... and if I wear my white jeans I'll look completely s—

"What about your pink sweater with the stripes?" Camila calls from inside the shower, her voice echoing throughout the small dorm. She hears Ariana gasp from the other side of the door and rolls her eyes humorously.

You're a genius! Okay, what about my hair, though? I want to wear my necklace with the triangles, but if I wear my hair down you won't even be able to see it.

"Don't you mean my necklace?" Camila calls as she works her shampoo through her hair. Quick showers have become her thing since she began staying up later.

Your necklace, my necklace, what's the difference? The real problem here is what I'm going to do with my hair.

"Ari, it's a ton of little kids, they're not going to judge you for how you look," Camila flips her head upside down and works her fingers through the tangles in her hair.

You never know. Dinah says that sometimes there's kids our age in the c—fuck!

Camila giggles to herself when she realizes that her friend has stubbed her toe on the corner of the dresser once again.

"And you're really going to believe Dinah?" the brown eyed girl calls as she rinses the last of the shampoo out of her wavy brown hair. She hears Ariana's footsteps pause as she contemplates this.

I don't know. That doesn't matter, Camila. My hair!

Camila sighs and shakes her head, stepping out of the shower and flipping her hair up into a towel. If she hadn't known any better, she would have assumed that the olive skinned girl in the other room was incredibly self centered. Luckily, Camila has known Ariana for long enough to know that it's actually the complete opposite.