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1.4

A Lost Cause...

The next day, Cameron woke up to the sound of her alarm. She didn't want to go to school, but the girl knew she had no choice. Cam finished getting ready and looked around for the flannel that meant everything to her.

"Ugh, I must've forgotten his flannel at Julie's!" She scolded herself. The blue-eyed teen decided that she'd rather be late to school, then to not have his flannel with her. When she had it, Cameron felt like he was with her at all times. She grabbed her bag and walked to the studio next door.

"Julie, it's Cam! Sorry to barge in, I'm just looking for my flannel!" She shouted out, looking around the entrance of the place she was in last night. In the room, a toilet flushed and a little boy appeared. He offered her a smile and began to talk,

"Here, let me help." Cameron only smiled at the boy.

"You must be Carlos... well, I'm Cameron." She introduced. His smile only grew at the fact that she already knew who he was.

"Yea, I am! It's nice to meet you... so, what's so special about this flannel anyway?" He asked.

"It was my brothers." Carlos looked down and sighed. He slowly brought his head back up and met her gaze.

"Julie told me a little about you... I'm so sorry. I know what it's like, I lost my mom around a year ago." Cameron completely relaxed her tensed up body.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry... Julie never told me."

"It's okay... so, if your brother passed away before you were born, do you know anything about him?" Carlos questioned curiously.

"I only know about the things my parents used to tell me, from when I was little. When I started growing up, they kind of stopped talking about him. I couldn't even tell you what he looks like beyond the age of three." The kid felt bad for the girl in front of him. It made him appreciate the fact that he had pictures of him with his mom, Carlos felt glad that he got to know her and that his dad would always talk about her.

"My mom always loved taking pictures, she would always laugh if we didn't want to take any, but she'd make us anyway," Carlos said, smiling at the memory. Cameron also smiled and felt like besides Julie and his dad, he didn't have anyone to talk to about this. At least, not anybody who could understand him in a different way.

"Tell me more about your mom," Cameron said making his smile only grow. They continued to look for the flannel, while he shared as many stories with her as possible.

"She used to be in a band! Well, she was in multiple. My mom was extremely talented."

"Wow! Do you play music too?" Her question made the boy laugh to himself.

"No, I play baseball! I didn't get any talent in that department. It was all given to Julie. I remember singing songs with them, even though I wasn't any good. My dad would just watch with this big smile on his face." He answered. Cameron laughed slightly, picturing their family.

She could almost feel the love they had for one another. He had parents who enjoyed spending time with their kids and didn't argue every day. He had a sibling he could talk to and hang out with, whenever he wanted. He had a family.

"Your mom sounds amazing... actually, your whole family sounds amazing." Carlos paused, there was something in the way she said those words, that made him feel sad for her. No matter where they both looked, the red button-down was nowhere to be found.

"Yea, she was. I mean, I love my family and I'm glad we're close. I'm sorry, I can't find your shirt...." he paused thinking about where it could have gone. His eyes widened remembering the ghosts who live in the studio. He thought of one in particular, who always had a flannel on him. "Maybe one of the ghosts took it!" He suggested.

Cameron raised her eyebrows and her mouth opened up a little. She wasn't a skeptical person, the girl was quite gullible and believed in things most people didn't. When it came to ghosts, on the other hand, she didn't know how to react or how to feel, because in her head, if they were real... why hasn't her brother come to visit her yet?

"Uh, yea. Maybe! Thanks anyway... I'll see you around little dude." If he thought ghosts existed, then it wasn't her place to tell him otherwise. She waved goodbye to Carlos and walked out of the Molina studio. The brunette looked up at the clouds and thought about what to do next. She decided to skip school and take a walk on the beach instead.