Worthless (Camren)

"Show me your hands"

Lauren didn't let her soak for too long, since she didn't want to irritate the wounds on Camila's back, but she did give her a few minutes to enjoy the bath and relax.

Camila seemed absolutely fascinated by the fabric of her sweatpants and occupied herself by running her fingers over it while Lauren carefully disinfected and redressed the cuts on her back.
SHe could see the old scar tissue on Camila's back much clearer now that the ointment from the previous day had been washed off.

It was as though there were multiple scar layers. Lauren could make out individual letters that must have been cut into Camila's skin with a blade, but they were obscured by other scars that looked as though they were probably caused by a whip as well.

6 owners, Lauren recalled the trader saying, she figured there were probably more. Traders often lied about the amount of previous owners if the slave was in a good enough shape to make a higher profit by re-selling them. SHe would ask Camila about her owners eventually, but now was not the time.

"Should we try and brush your hair?" Lauren asked, when the wounds were all covered in bandages.

"Yes please, Lauren." Camila seemed a lot less nervous than she had been at breakfast. Lauren helped her into the sweatshirt she had picked for Camila to wear that day before fetching a new comb from the supply closet in the hallway.

She knew she'd have to brush Camila's curls for her, since lifting her arms above her head was still painful for Camila due to the wounds on her back.

"Let me know if I'm hurting you at all, okay?" She said before she started working the comb through Camila's untamed curls carefully. Camila didn't make a sound though.

The knots in her hair gave much easier than Lauren had expected and soon she was running the comb through untangled curls with ease. Lauren smiled to herself, those curls were going to look great soon, now that Camila would have access to some proper hair care products, she made a mental note to get shampoo for her hair type soon

Now all that's left are your bangs, it looks like someone tried to cut them off with a knife or something." Lauren said absentmindedly looking at Camila's face.

"I'm sorry, Lauren." Camila said, looking at her feet.

It occurred to Lauren, that Camila wasn't so much calling her by her name as she was using her name as a title to address her by. She sighed.

"That's not your fault. Would you like to have them trimmed though?" Lauren  asked.

"Yes. Very much, Lauren." Camila nodded eagerly.

"Alright", Lauren pulled a pair of scissors from the cabinet, pulled her comb out of the case and then handed both to Camila. "Do you know how to use them?" SHe asked.

Camila was looking at the scissors uncertainly. "I know how, Miss, but I haven't had the opportunity to get an haircut for myself since my hair started growing like this." She admitted.

Lauren  wasn't sure what to make of this. "So... you need help with this?"

"No!" Camila gasped instantly, clutching the scissors to her chest. Her eyes went wide. "I'm sorry, Miss, I meant I can handle it... I think."

"Okay", Lauren said, holding up her hands to show that she was going to let Camila give it a try. "Go ahead." SHe added, guiding Camila to the mirror.

SHe should have seen it coming, she knew she should have. The instant Camila took the scissors to her front head Lauren knew she was going to fail, but the cut was made before she could stop the other boy.

Camila stared at herself in the mirror. A little part of the bangs were cut off oddly.

Lauren was next to her in a flash, gently taking the scissors from her hand. It was only a tiny cut, but the discouragement she saw on Camila's face told her that this had been a really bad idea.