All This Time

Chapter 4 Part 2

The backlash was immense. Lauren practically had to live in isolation. It was all over the news that a woman had been shot three times in the chest with no explanation as to how she survived. It was followed up that a young man had survived several rounds of being tasered as well as six gunshot wounds to the back but still managed to stumble out of the police station. The backlash was such that even in towns that had less than two hundred people in them Lauren couldn't shake the feeling that she was being stared at. She had to resort to stealing what she needed because she couldn't get a job and ran out of money.

She and Harry found each other again a few months later. Lauren had made it up into Canada and was trying to remain as anonymous as possible. She ran into him just outside of the church where she'd been sneaking in and sleeping in the attic. They stuck together for quite a while as they moved around from town to town to avoid being spotted. He was a good con artist and got them what they needed to survive.

Camila never left Lauren's mind. It was the first thing she asked Harry about when she saw him. He told her that he had done what the letter asked but he never found out the detailed aftermath. He had stayed for a couple of days to make sure Camila would be alright. The brunette's parents had come after she'd called them; they thought she was delusional until Harry proved to them that she was telling the truth. He left while they were still there so Camila wouldn't have to be alone.

Whenever she got the chance, Lauren would find an internet café and scour the web to check the heat on their trail. She also punched Camila's name into Google every single time. After a few months she found a little critic's piece in the NYU student paper about Julliard's spring musical and then a few months later there was a tiny piece on a theater-oriented website with Camila's name mentioned as performing in a minor role for an off-Broadway show. The reviews got a little longer and Camila's name showed up a little more as appearing in small off-Broadway roles and in leads in the Julliard productions. Suddenly, about a year and a half after Lauren left, Camila's name stopped appearing. There was nothing. It was like Camila fell off the face of the Earth.

...

September 2014

Miami, Florida

Lauren stepped off the bus and gripped her backpack strap. Her eyes darted around the bus station, looking for any sign of anyone that might even look at her strangely. She walked the streets of Miami, it was all surprisingly familiar. She hadn't forgotten how to get where she needed to go. She and Harry had split up again after they got back to the states, wishing each other the best of luck. Harry was going to head back to New York City because he said he'd found that he kind of liked it. Lauren promised to try and find him if she went back there in her pursuit of Camila.

The green eyed girl decided to start at Camila's roots in order to find her. It took forever to find a payphone, she had to walk three blocks from the bus station in order to find one. She stepped into the booth and flipped through the phonebook until she found what she was looking for. Lauren dug a quarter out of her pocket, dropped it in, and dialed. It took three rings.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Cabello? Alejandro?" Lauren asked as she swallowed hard.

"Yes? Who is this?"

"It...it's Lauren Jauregui."

"Lauren! Sweetie, how are you!"

"I...I'm fine. Listen...I was wondering if you could help me out. I wanted to get in touch with Camila."

"Are you in Miami, honey? The phone had a Miami area code."

"Yeah."

"Come by the house, sweetheart. We still live in the same place. Do you remember where it is?"