mute ➺ camren

Chapter Two

(Camila)

"Mama, que esta pasando?" A small and fragile Camila questioned her mother, who was currently cradling her new born baby girl in her arms as another woman tried to pry the baby from her, and a tall man held back Camila's father. Who are these people? Camila asked herself, terrified of the situation. Both her mother and father were in tears, Sinuhe was screaming trying to protect her child.
"No te mueven, Karla. Quedate ahi." Camila's father instructed her not to move.
"Papa what is going on?" Camila began to cry, sobbing as she stood in the corner, unable to move.
"It will be okay, querida." He attempted to reassure her.
"Papa I'm scared." Camila spoke again, her sobs starting to overcome her body and her legs gave way underneath her.
"No! Hijas de puta!" Sinuhe cried as her baby was finally taken from her.
"Where are they taking Sofia? What are you doing with my sister?" Camila raised her voice at the strange people in her house. She had learned to speak English quite fluently at school, as she was brought up speaking Spanish, which was the general way of life in Cuba.
"No! Karla, querida, please take care of your sister. Stay with her. She needs you." Sinuhe managed to speak a sentence before breaking down into tears once again, falling into Camila's lap.
"Donde esta la otra chica?" The tall guy spoke after the woman came back, Camila's baby sister no longer in her arms.
"Where's my sister? Where did you take her?" Camila began to panic, lifting herself up off of the floor and heading to the two strangers.
"Devuelveme mi hermana!" Camila shouted at the people.
"Karla no!" Alejandro shouted from the other side of the room. Before Camila could even turn her head to look at her father, she was being pushed out of the room, and out of her home.

**TEN YEAR LEAP**

"Where are we going Kaki?" Sofia asked her sister quietly, remembering her instruction to not speak English to Camila.
"A new house, remember?" Camila also spoke with a lowered voice.
"Are we in a different country?" She asked.
"Yes. We're in America. Like the women from our old house, remember? They taught you English." Camila explained to her little sister. Sofia was only 5 years old, and although being well spoken and bilingual at this age, she often forgot things.
"Oh yeah..I remember." Sofia nodded to herself.
"Why are you only gonna talk Spanish?" She asked Camila.
"Because then I can confuse everyone, it'll be funny, right?" Camila encouraged Sofi. She giggled and nodded.
"Will I get new friends here Kaki?" Sofi asked in a small voice after a few minutes had passed.
"Of course you will, neña. Who wouldn't want to be friends with the butterfly queen?" Camila asked, lifting her sister's chin and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She giggled and nodded to her older sister, feeling better in herself now.
"Girls, get your things together, we're here!" A chirpy, young woman called back to Camila and Sofia. Camila gave Sofi a look, which prompted Sofi to translate what the woman had just said to them into Spanish. Camila was determined not to make any friends in this place, and so if she could get away with only understanding Spanish, she was set for the next two years.

*****

The girls carried one small bag each, and each had a back pack. Coming from a home with nothing, to a house with even less, left them with barely anything to live with. They barely had enough clothes to last them a week. But they had been promised by someone of authority that they would be given more clothes either from other children at the new house, or bought from shops with the pocket money they would also receive. Personally, Camila couldn't wait to get new clothes. She had been wearing the same outfits for 4 years, growing only in height so her clothes still fit her body size. She rarely wore anything other than shorts and tank tops anyway, the Cuban heat unbearable if you were to wear anything else. As humid as Miami was though, it still grew a little colder in the winter, and Camila felt the change already, and knew she'd need to get suitable clothes, soon.

"Hello! You must be Sofia and Karla-"
"Camila. Me llamo Camila." Camila spoke up, despising the sound of her real first name.
"Sorry? I uh..it says Karla on all the forms I.." The short, blonde haired girl stumbled over her words at the sudden and unexpected confrontation.
"No it is Karla, but she doesn't like it, so call her by her middle name." Sofia stepped in and explained to the girl.
"Okay..Sofia, right?" She asked the younger girl just to be sure.
"Sofia or Sofi, I don't mind." She gave her the option, unlike Camila.
"And Camilla..?" The short girl asked. Camila rolled her eyes at the mispronunciation of her name. This never happened back in Cuba, she thought to herself.
"You say it like 'Cameela'." Sofi was quick to jump in once again, saving her sister from having to justify herself.
"Right, Cameela. Camila, yeah?" The older girl asked Camila, once again making sure. Camila shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay..so girls, I'm going to take your bags and.." The girl began, but noticed them only carrying one bag each. "And um, set them aside for the meantime while we sort the last of the paper work out and give you a tour of the house, does that sound okay? I'm Ally, by the way." The shorter girl, Ally, asked the girls. Sofia smiled and nodded enthusiastically, leaving Camila with a more than fake confused expression on her face.
"Ally se llevara nuestras maletas y terminar su trabajo y nos dara un recorrido por la casa." Sofi unnecessarily translated what Ally had told them to Camila, remembering that she had to stick with Camila's Spanish only plan.
"What did you say just then?" Ally was smiling at Sofia, impressed with her speech.
"I told my sister what you said." Sofi explained simply.
"Oh..why?" Ally asked her, confused. Sofi gave Ally a sort of 'duh' look before she replied.
"She only talks Spanish."