Bad Things

Chapter 19

"Where's Brae?" Camila asks, running a hand through her hair.

"Um... her room." Lucy said.

Sighing, Camila makes her way toward Braelynn's room. "Luce, she's not here!" She calls out upon not seeing Braelynn.

"Try outside. She might be with Marley in the yard." Lucy called back.

Sighing, Camila makes her way out back and frowns when once again she doesn't see Braelynn.

Marley was lying on the grass, looking up at the sky and trying to make shapes out of the clouds.

Moving over to her, Camila lays on the floor beside her and smiles. "Hi."

Marley turned her head slightly. "Hi." She returned her gaze to the sky.

"What do you see?" The brown eyed mother asks softly.

"A blob." Marley mumbled.

Sighing, Camila wraps her arm around her daughter. "I've got you."

Marley sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair.

"You know, all these clouds look like blobs to me too." Camila tells her softly.

"Usually I can see shapes." Marley mumbled.

Kissing her daughter's forehead, Camila takes a deep breath. "Sometimes clouds just don't have shapes."

"I don't like it." Marley mumbled.

"I know." The brown eyed mother tells her. "Why don't you come inside and work on your songs? They're always really good."

Marley shook her head. "No..."

"Why not?" Camila asks, sitting up and looking at Marley.

"I don't have any inspiration." Marley mumbled.

Tilting her head to the side, Camila smiles softly. "I have some skill with writing."

"You can try if you want." Marley said with a shrug.

"Come write with me?" Camila asks her softly.

Sighing, Marley sat up and took Camila's hand to help her to her feet.

Marley sank into the chair across from Camila's desk and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Camila asks her softly.

"Nothing." Marley mumbled.

"You're not being yourself." The brown eyed mother says softly.

Marley frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're not the happy go lucky girl that you always were. Not since this school year started." Camila tells her softly.

Marley shrugged. "I don't know..."

Pulling out her guitar, Camila grabs a notebook and passes it to Marley. "Okay, just write what comes to mind."

Marley sighed and picked up with pen.

Smiling softly, Camila begins to gently strum the guitar just as lyrics appear in her head. "Follow what I sing." she tells Marley before beginning to softly sing.

"Loving you, I thought I couldn't get no higher. Your November rain could set night on fire, night on fire, but we could only burn so long. Counterfeit emotions only run skin deep. Know you're lying when you're lying next to me, next to me. How did we get so far gone? I should know by now, you should know by now, we should know by now." the brown eyed mother sings out, watching her daughter.