Lost & Found

I Know We Only Met

Lauren's POV

    As soon as I left Starbucks, I felt as if a wave of relief washed over me. For the first time in forever, I feel like I can do something about my own life and have no regrets. A lot of people, mostly former friends, will say I'm a dreamer and nothing but. Lisa didn't. She might actually believe me. She might actually believe in me.

    Road activity was minimal considering it was midday. A few bicyclists and dog walkers passed  me every so often. Whenever one waved politely, I smiled back. It was strange to be here right now and not have to worry about Chloe and her group of high-heeled, clown-faced Kardashian wannabes. I keep half-expecting some snarky remark or for her to make an appearance, but she never does.

    I paused at a crosswalk and considered my options. Going to school would be pointless now and going home is definitely not an option. Now what?

    “Excuse me?”

    I turned slowly, not expecting anyone to talk to me. I came face to face with a girl, slightly taller than me, with pale skin and green eyes. Her brown hair was down and could use a brush. Absentmindedly, she fiddled with the edge of her flannel.

   “Can I help you?” I asked, curiously. I felt like I should know her, but I couldn't come up with a name.

   “Uh, yeah, actually,” the girl stuttered. Her voice was low and raspy and so familiar. She paused and cleared her throat. “Um, my name is Danielle Cimorelli, but everyone just calls me Dani.”

    “I'm Lauren,” I replied. There was a long, awkward pause where the two of us just stared at each other. “Um, you know, I should probably get go-"

    “Have you ever heard of the band Cimorelli?” Dani blurted, her words all coming out in an almost incomprehensible blur.

    “Who?”

    “They were a band from YouTube,” she explained. “Long story short, they all pretty much disappeared. I know this sounds crazy but I think we might be two of them.”

    Wow. Okay, that is not what I thought I'd be hearing today. I gave a light, half-hearted laugh. “Yeah, you're right. That does sound crazy. But that's impossible.”

    I turned away again, preparing to cross the street when Dani tugged at my shoulder.

   “Please! I swear I can prove it to you somehow…”

    Dani let her voice drift off, confirming my idea that she had no idea what she was doing. I breathed out a now frustrated sigh. I'll give her one thing: she is nothing if not persistent. And maybe a little delusional.

   “Seriously, how would you even begin to do that?” I asked her skeptically. “I know they were all sisters, but you would somehow need to test my DNA and compare it to a lost girl from three years ago. Besides, what are the chances that I'm even a close match compared to the seven plus billion other people in the world? She could be dead for all we know. Heck, they could all be dead!”

    “No!” Dani shouted over me, suddenly shaking. She took a deep breath to steady herself but it didn’t look like it helped much. With her fists clenched at her sides, she continued quieter, “I can't tell you how I know, but I just know they're not dead. They're out there somewhere. I know we just met, but I need to find them and I think you can help me.”

    Quickly, she added, “If I'm wrong, I promise I'll leave you alone.”

    I huffed and ran a hand through my hair, considering. This was starting to get ridiculous. I have to admit, though, if by some miracle she's right about all of this, it would be really cool to say I was part of a band. If not, she'll just leave me alone and we can both pretend that this never happened. Either way is a win, right?

    I looked at the girl in front of me. She was biting her lip and clenching her fists with white-knuckled force. When she saw me staring, she quickly put her hands behind her back, sheepishly looking to the side.

    “You know what, why not?” I told her and I watched her face almost immediately light up. I could tell that she was practically jumping for joy on the inside. I rolled my eyes, which suddenly felt like second nature in this situation.

    Only slightly stunned, I pushed the feeling aside and moved to get around Dani. As I passed her, I said, “Remember, I'm only helping you find them. I'm not saying you're right. We are not sisters.”

    If that deflated Dani's mood, she didn't let it show. A goofy grin stayed upon her face as she turned and walked away. Heading back the way I came, I blinked several times to try and process what just happened. What did I just get myself into?