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

chapter 11

Lauren stands at the edge of the clearing, feeling her stomach drop as she takes in the sight in front of her. Camila has her back against a tree stump, leaning forwards as she's desperately trying to pry an animal trap from around her ankle.

"Oh my god," Lauren breathes, hurrying forward and kneeling next to the girl. Camila doesn't bother to acknowledge her presence, she just continues to try and pull the two pieces of sharp metal apart.

"I've got it," the younger girl hisses between gritted teeth, wincing in pain. There's blood covering her leg and it's smeared all over her hands from her failed attempts to free herself. Lauren shudders at the sight.

"Don't you dare," Lauren mutters, shaking her head. "I'm not letting you be stubborn. Not right now."

"But—,"

"ARIANA!" Lauren cries out, echoing through the woods. Camila's eyes widen and she grabs Lauren's arm, forgetting about the blood on her hands.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the younger girl hisses.

"Helping you," Lauren tugs her arm out of the girl's grip and brings her light closer to the trap, trying to figure out how to free the girl's ankle.

I'm at the edge of the woods. What's going on?

"Get Dinah!" Lauren yells as loud as she can, hoping the girl can hear her. Luckily, she does, because Lauren hears a gasp and heavy footsteps running off in the opposite direction.

"Fucking idiots," Camila mutters under her breath, squirming and struggling to free herself from the metal device. Lauren winces, realizing she's only making it worse.

"You need to sit still," Lauren warns her, reaching out and pushing Camila's shoulders back.

If there's one thing to know about Camila, it's that she doesn't cry when she's sad. If she's sad, she sleeps. The only time anyone will ever catch a tear falling from the smaller girl's eye is when she's frustrated.

Which is why as soon as Lauren presses her against the tree and demands that she sit still, the smaller girl can't hold her tears back for any longer.

"I-It hurts," Camila whispers, giving in and slumping back against the tree. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to hold back her tears but failing. Lauren is shocked. This is the first time she's ever seen the brown eyed girl show any weakness.

"I know," Lauren nods, taking Camila's hand and squeezing it. She does her best to ignore the fact that both of their hands are now covered in blood. "I'm going to try and get it open, okay?"

Camila nods slowly, squeezing her eyes shut. "Don't fuck it up."

Lauren takes that as the girl's way of saying that she trusts her. Taking a deep breath, she sheds her heavy letterman jacket and gently drapes it over Camila's shoulders to keep her warm. Then, she begins searching the surrounding area for anything that could possibly be helpful.

The first thing she notices is Camila's backpack laying a few feet away from them. She quickly retrieves it, digging through it to try and find something useful. A certain block of wood catches her eye.

"Stay still," Lauren warns the girl. Camila bites her lip, nodding softly and watching as Lauren moves forward. Carefully, she wedges the long wooden rectangle into the trap next to Camila's foot.

"Okay, now when I say go, I need you to pull you foot out," Lauren turns back and studies the girl's expression. "You can't hesitate, otherwise it'll hurt even worse."

"Hurry," Camila nods, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren places both of her hands on the wooden rod and pushes down with all of her strength. Slowly, the trap beings to open. Lauren presses all of her weight onto the block, biting her lip in concentration.