Wonderfall

Silencenus

T/N (Translator's note): 

Hi, again! I just wanted to clarify a couple of things regarding this chapter so you don't get confused.

We're going to continue the narrative through Lauren's point of view, which means that it will start right after they left the lecture hall, and the events in this chapter will unfold before Camila saw Lauren with Chace at The Village.

So basically, the purpose of this chapter is to give you some context behind the reason why Lauren was at the restaurant with Chace.

Anyways, happy reading!

Lauren's POV

Silencenus (n.): the intense desire of silencing our own mind. 

It was said that Cambridge traditionally smelled like coffee, freshly baked croissants, and nature. But no one could smell the burnt leaves, brought in by the frosty wind, as good as in the fall. A soothing, mystical aura permeated the city, as if Mother Nature had influenced it. 

As Normani, Dinah, and I walked toward The Village, that scent invaded my nostrils, cutting through my lungs like razor blades. 

"Are you okay?" Normani asked after giving me some time, without making me engage in her conversation with Dinah—which I mentally thanked her for. 

"Couldn't be better," I said without casting her a glance. We stopped by the traffic light, waiting for it to change so we could cross the street. 

Looking at the red light twinkling on the other side of the road, I placed my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt. 

"Are you sure?" she insisted. "What Camila did was—"

"Professor Cabello," I corrected her humorlessly. "Camila's dead to me," I spoke, staring at the traffic light that took forever to turn green. 

"She is?" Normani frowned, a puzzled expression on her face. 

"Yes, in the sense that we shouldn't bring up the dead," Dinah elaborated, making me grateful for her sharp intellect. 

"Who's dead?" Normani's head snapped to the blonde.

"The dead," Dinah repeated as if it were obvious. 

"No, but seriously, who died?" my friend asked again. I couldn't believe she wasn't getting it. 

Dinah widened her eyes slightly, staring at Normani with astonishment. 

"Girl, she's telling you not to say another word about Camila. You know, because Camila's dead," she explained, air-quoting my statement with such a dry sense of truism that I almost let out a boisterous laugh had it not been for the numbing sensation that gripped my heart, withering it away.

Normani's mouth opened, a sense of realization dawning on her as we crossed the street. "Right. You say we shouldn't talk about Camila, but I bet you'll start blabbing on about her in less than five minutes."

Just hearing her name made my heart pound faster and sent chills down my spine—with every mention of Camila's name, I was one step closer to walking right into an emotional blizzard. 

My back turned to the entrance of The Village as I turned to stare at Normani and Dinah, my arms crossed over my chest to protect myself from the bitter cold that only I seemed to feel.

"I'm dead serious," I said in a deep yet calm tone. "I'm done talking about it. And I don't want to hear her name unless it's college-related."

Normani glanced at me with a look of regret in her eyes, but she nodded in agreement, and Dinah's expression confirmed she had understood. I smiled briefly at them before reaching for the doorknob and walking inside, without even snatching a glimpse of her usual spot.