the truth about tomorrow ➸ camren

three

"Miss Camila..?"

"Miss Camila?

"She's not gonna wake up that way," Normani mumbled, turning over and sending a pillow flying in the younger girl's direction. Camila woke with a start, groaning when the pillow collided with her face.

"What...?" she squinted in the dim light of the room. The hallway was brightly lit, and the door was open just a crack, which allowed her to see the man standing in front of her.

"It's time to get up," the man rolled a small pole over to her bed. "I just have to take your vitals," he explained. "Standard procedure."

"Every morning," Normani mumbled, turning over in her bed and holding her pillow over her head.

Camila sat up, running a hand through her messy hair. She was still pretty disoriented, and it took her a few moments to realize where she was. When she hadn't woken up in the quiet comfort of her own bedroom, she quickly was hit with the reality of her situation. This was home now.

Waking up at home was like starting your day along with everyone else. Waking up in a place like this felt different. It was as if everyone else had been living, and she had just missed out on everything. She could hear the other patients moving around in their rooms, and the hustle and bustle of the nurses up and down the hallways. Plus, she wasn't used to waking up this early.

"I need your arm," the man nodded once. Camila yawned, pulling up her sleeve and letting her arm rest beside her as he wrapped the blood pressure sleeve above her elbow.

"Don't go back to bed, Miss Hamilton," he chuckled, looking over at the dark skinned girl in the bed beside hers. Normani groaned something inaudible and rolled over.

"All done," he smiled, pulling the Velcro off of her arm. Camila nodded groggily, shaking out her arm slightly. She glanced at the wall behind her bed, wondering if the source of the screaming the night before was okay.

After taking Normani's blood pressure, the man flicked their light on and left the room. Both the girls groaned at the sudden invasion of brightness. Normani immediately burrowed under the covers once more, but Camila wiped her eyes and stood up.

A rush of dizziness washed over her, and she quickly grabbed the edge of her nightstand to steady herself. After taking a few deep breaths, her vision fizzled back to normal and she slowly made her way over to the dresser.

As Camila carefully selected her clothes for the day, Normani rolled over and narrowed her eyes, studying the girl.

"You're getting dressed?"

Camila looked down at the clothes in her hands and then back at the older girl. "Yeah.... Is that bad?" she asked timidly. Normani just chuckled and laid back down.

Shrugging it off, Camila disappeared into the bathroom. After getting dressed into a pair of jeans and a button up shirt, the small girl brushed out her hair and washed her face.

Once she exited the bathroom, Normani was already gone. Camila poked her head out into the hallway in confusion, which caught the attention of one of the nurses.

"Breakfast," Ally chuckled, pointing in the direction of the cafeteria. Camila nodded softly, thanking the smaller girl before hurrying down the hallway. She skidded to a stop when she realized she forgot shoes, jogging back to her bedroom and slipping on her gray vans before heading to the cafeteria.

The moment she pushed through the large doors, she immediately felt overdressed. Almost everyone else in the room, with the exception of staff, were still in their pajamas. That must've been why Normani was so confused when she got dressed. With a heavy sigh, Camila made her way over to the line.