mute ➺ camren

Chapter One

(Lauren)

Where are you taking them? What's happening? Lauren asked herself frantically as her younger brother and sister were fastened into a car.
Why won't you tell me where they're going? She questioned further. A woman who stood at the trunk of the car, loading two bags into it, spoke up.
"Lauren, dear, go back inside and play with the other kids." She instructed. Lauren frowned and took a step forward, pulling open the door of the car and leaning in to see her siblings. She felt tears brimming in her eyes as she spoke to her brother and sister, who were both looking at her with confused expressions.
"Where are dey taking us?" Chris spoke in a baby-talk type mumble. "I want to stay wiff you Lolo." Chris' bottom lip started to quiver as he spoke, and the tears fell down Lauren's face.
"I know. I want to come with you but they don't want me." Lauren sighed shakily.
"Lauren honey, move away from the car now." The same woman loading the trunk spoke again. Lauren shot her a scowl before turning back to her siblings.
"Stay Lolo, stay." Chris cried, his eyes watering massively now. By this point, Taylor began to fuss in her car seat, kicking her legs about and whining.
"I love you." Lauren croaked.
"No stay! Stay!" Chris cried louder, causing the woman to pull Lauren away from the car, closing the door behind her, dragging her from the only family she had left.

**TEN YEAR LEAP**

Lauren laid back on her bed, knees bent up, her earphones shoved in her ears as usual, and her black journal resting on her thighs. She held a pen in her hand, but kept it still, unable to form a sentence. She drummed her fingers against the paper of the notebook, hoping a phrase, or even a single word would just appear on it, giving her a start. It was never this hard. She could usually write for ages, endless strings of words spilling from the pen, spiraling themselves into a formation on the page. Today was different. It felt different. There were no words to describe her feelings. She closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against the head board of her double bed. What's wrong with you? Just write a fricking word. She sighed. Her head tilted over to her bedside table, eyes focusing on the clock sat on top of it. Great. Time for dinner.

She stopped her music and removed her earphones, setting them beside her, along with the blank journal and her pen. She swung her legs round to the edge of the bed and stood up, heading over to the end of the room. Kneeling down, she lifted the trap door and rested it against the lowered ceiling, sat herself on the edge and let her feet rest on the step a few down, before reaching up and pulling the trap door closed behind her. She carried on down the set of stairs to the second floor, then another to the first floor, and another to the ground floor, with plenty of other children headed that way too, most of them giving her an odd glance, others completely oblivious to her presence.

*****

"I don't know, she just never talks." Lauren overheard someone say over the racket of conversation in the dining room. She knew they were talking about her. She suddenly became even more self conscious than she already was. Eating with everyone else was horrible. She always received stares, or giggles, and people always made a comment to one another. No one would ever dare confront her.

She had a daring look about her; raven colored hair which reached her lower back in length, falling down past her shoulders in a series of natural loose waves. Sharp, emerald green eyes, always outlined with a thin line of jet black eyeliner, making them pop even more so. Her lips were full, and a pale pink color when not stained a dark red or purple. She had more than a few ear piercings, as well as a nose stud, and always, without a doubt, wore a cross around her neck. The other kids were not only a lot younger than her, but also terrified of her. Lauren knew this from the reactions she received whenever she happened to make eye contact with anyone. She never threatened them in any way at all, she had never even spoken to them, but she guessed that was the reason why they avoided her.