The Uncanny Accuracy of Fate

Chapter 22

Cami's lying on the floor shaking, a newly received text message open on her phone where it lies in front of her.

The first thing I do is swipe the phone, determined to find the source of her panic. What I see makes me feel sick to my stomach. There's a text from an unknown number reading "Don't think I've forgotten about you. You're mine, princess." Putting the phone down, I slowly reach out towards Cami's trembling body.

"Cam? Can you tell me who that text is from?" She doesn't answer, but I'm not entirely sure she's heard me either, as hard as she's trying to keep herself together. I glance at the text again, and then a wave of realization hits me, hard.

"Cami? Is it from Jared?" At the sound of his name, Cami falls into a million pieces, crying loud enough to bring Andrew, Sam, and Jasmine running from the living room. I didn't think this was possible, but their presence makes her panic even more. Jasmine and I come to an understanding at the same time, and she turns, putting her hands on Andrew's shoulders.

"You need to leave. You can't be in here." He starts to protest, but then Jasmine whisks him out into the hallway and I can hear her talking in a low voice. I'm still trying to calm Cami down, but she's frantically pulling away from any touch beyond a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her breathing's at a rate that's making me worried she's going to pass out, and I don't have to take her pulse to know that her heart's beating out of her chest. I feel Sam kneel down beside me and take my hand.

"Pressure's good."

"What?" I'm so focused on Cami's panicked eyes that I don't hear her.

"For panic attacks. Do you have a bunch of blankets?" I nod, trying to find the words to tell her where they are, but only incoherent sentences come out. "Go grab them, Pip. I've got her." I stand up, running to the linen closet, and grab a handful of comforters and knitted afghans from my great-aunt. Jasmine grabs my arm as I run by her. Andrew's nowhere to be found, and I assume he's gone home.

"Is she safe here? Do we need to move her to my apartment?"

"No-no I think it's okay. She's-I'll explain later." Jasmine follows me back into my room, taking a couple of the blankets out of my arms. Sam is still crouched on the floor by Cami, drawing circles on her shoulder while she talks to her quietly. Looking up as we come in with blankets, Sam nods.

"Hey Cami, we're gonna put some blankets on you. I think it'll calm you down, but tell me if you want us to stop." Cam's still shaking, and is now clutching her chest as her breath comes in and out in short, ragged gasps. I lie down and scoot closer so my face is only a couple of inches away from hers, though I'm careful not to touch her. I slowly and carefully take her hand as Sam and Jasmine start laying blankets on her. By the time she's covered in 5, if she's still shaking we can't tell.

Over the next ten minutes, I watch Cami's breathing return to normal, though tears continue to roll down her cheeks. Worried about moving her to the bed, I gently lift up her head and torso and move over so she's lying in my lap. After another ten minutes of stroking her hair while Jasmine quietly sings jazz, she's passed out cold, not even twitching when Sam's phone goes off with a text from her agent and she panics to silence it.

"Shit, she's out." Jasmine notes.

"Panic attacks wreak havoc on your nervous system. Especially one this serious. She's probably exhausted." I glance at Sam, wondering why she knows this much about panic attacks, but Jasmine asks before I get a chance to.

"My little sister had really severe anxiety when she was little. I did a lot of research, learned the best ways to deal with them. But-Pippa? Do you know what triggered this?" I take a deep breath, leaning over to grab Cami's phone where it's lying on the floor. Unlocking it, I hand it to my friends to read the text message.