Reversal (Camren/Norminah)

Chapter 43: Damage Control

XLIII.

"I lied to you back in Miami that night. You took my virginity."

There was an expected moment of slack in the wind, and I used it to bring the knife in my left hand up, and plunge it deep into the right side of Lauren's chest. The blade was covered in blinding white electricity, the last tangible evidence that I had of my mutation. Lauren coughed, reeling backwards and pushing the blade both out of her torso and out of my hand. Clutching her chest, she stumbled backwards and let the field around us dissipate. Small white sparks started to sparkle across her body, and I knew right away that the current within her was being rejected.

"That's enough." Normani appeared in the middle of the room, holding her hand out to me. "Good work Camila."

"Thanks." I took the offering, struggling to my feet and looking down to where Lauren was breathing hard. The wound on her chest was already starting to improve, as her body worked to heal the damage like it as nothing but a small scrape.

Before I could turn around, I was bombarded by people, most of them recognizable members of my team. They began congratulating me, crowding around and asking me one question after another. I did my best to answer, while watching out of the corner of my eye, Normani give me one last smile before herding Shawn and Dinah back out into the halls.

As those around me began to disperse, still chattering away, I jumped a little when a set of arms wrapped around my waist. Lauren's front was pressed firm to my back, her lips finding the curve of my neck like an X on a treasure map. Suddenly, we were the only two people left in the room.

"I'm sorry about that." I mumbled, shifting around in her arms. My shoulders lifted when I saw her. The girl's outfit had taken a greater beating than my own, her shirt ripped in a large shoulder to waist pattern and nearly falling off. The wound on her chest was nearly sealed up, the only evidence from the avulsion was the blood that stained her sun-kissed ivory skin. "Are you okay?"

"Were you serious?" Lauren pressed her hips against me. "About what you said back there?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. "I hope you're okay with that."

"So back when I asked you, you just said yes because..."

"Well if I said no, what would you have done?" I snaked my arms around her neck. "And be honest."

"I probably would have stopped." Lauren ran her hands up my sides. "That night... I remember feeling amazing that night, and for all the wrong reasons. Like I was doing something terrible to you."

"What? Why?"

Green eyes dropped to the floor. "I don't know Camz. You seemed like you were so pristine and untouched, and I was sorta... ruining you. I just wanted some kind of affirmation that it was all justified." Her voice trailed off. "When you said no, I told myself that I should have been pressing you further on it, but I didn't want to."

I laughed. "Why not?"

"You know why not." Lauren tucked me closer, her hands starting to press even tighter against my sides before trailing down to my waist. "I didn't want to because I wanted to sleep with you so badly. I thought you said you've had serious relationships before?"

"Relationship." I corrected, bringing my left arm up to tilt her chin and meet her eyes. "And it wasn't serious enough to the point where we slept together. He was a jackass who decided to bang a bottle blonde cheerleader... stuff like that."

"How charming." Lauren wrapped her arms around to my back. "To be honest, it kind of makes me happy to know about it now."

"What, the cheating loser, or the fact that the first time I had sex was with you?"