Godparents (Camren)

2.

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L

Camila, the secretary, and I surely must've set some kind of record as we raced towards the room Sky would be in.

I had begun to get very nervous as we neared the room. I mean, I was now Sky's legal guardian. I was responsible for her from now on. I wondered if I could even handle that sort of responsibility, I could hardly look after myself. I was a twenty-six year old failing artist, I had no business in raising a child.

And then I realized, I wouldn't be alone. Camila and I would be doing this together.

How would that even work? I don't know anything about Camila, besides the fact that she's undeniably attractive and unfortunately clumsy.

How had she been named the other godparent? Was she one of Normani's friends?

My thoughts were interrupted as I nearly ran into Camila, much like she had done minutes earlier. Reaching out quickly to stop myself, I grabbed onto the first solid thing my hands came into contact with.

I heard Camila's breath hitch as I realized that I had my hands on each side of her hips. I froze for a second before quickly pulling away.

"Uh-sorry," I quickly stutter out. I hadn't known this woman for more than a half of an hour and had already touched her in a very inappropriate way.

I avoided Camila's gaze as she said nothing. From the corner of my eye, I could see her cheeks flush with red.

The secretary then cleared her throat and motioned for Camila and I to come into the room that we had come to a stop just outside of. This effectively broke our trance and we both stepped cautiously into the room, unsure of what we might see.

From a distance, it appeared that Sky was just sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed under an unusually white blanket. As we got closer, it became apparent that what I had thought was a blanket was really white bandages covering her body from her feet to midway up her torso. As my eyes kept moving to asses the damage, I noticed that her arms and face were covered in a thick coat of black ash and her hair was a disheveled and knotty mess around her head. Her eyes were shut tightly, as if she were in pain.

"I have to get back to my desk, this read button here is to call the doctor. Please make sure to call when she wakes up."

I vaguely remember nodding my head as she left the room.

Camila and I were silent for a long while as we took in the reality of the situation. It hit me with all the force of a train that this was real. Dinah and Normani were gone.

I broke the silence as I pulled up a chair beside the bed, "Oh Sky..."

Camila just watched as I reached for Sky's hand, holding it tightly inside both of mine, as if it would somehow comfort her in her sleep.

"What are we going to do?" I directed my question and the brunette who had barely managed to come into the room.

She swallowed hard at my question, her eyes still trained on Skylar. She looked like she was on the verge of tears and to tell you the truth, I was having a hard time fighting my own.

All of a sudden, she bolted out the door we had come in, nearly smacking her face into the frame.

I sighed deeply as I turned my attention back to Skylar. So it was going to be just she and I after all.

"We'll be okay." I spoke to her as I leaned down to kiss her forehead, attempting to smooth some of her hair, "I promise."

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C

A child? A real life fucking child? How could Normani possibly think I was fit to raise a child? I was practically still a child myself and she knew that. I had just turned nineteen a few months ago.

Let's not forget to mention the fact that she wanted me to raise this kid with a woman I didn't even know. Lauren would probably be better off on her own with Skylar.

I don't know why I ran out of the room, honestly, I'm sure I could've just explained to Lauren that I was just about to finish my first year at Florida International University and that I couldn't help her with Skylar because I can't even make Ramen noodles without burning them.

I had just reached my car when I started to feel guilty for the way that I left. Maybe Lauren felt just as unprepared as I did. It wasn't fair for me to leave her on her own like that.

But, there's no way I could help her. Like I said, I was a child myself.

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L

It was two weeks after I had received the phone call when Skylar was finally released from the hospital. There had been no sign of Camila since the first day.

In a way, I was kind of mad at her, leaving me alone in a situation I certainly was underprepared for. At the same time, though, I couldn't blame her for wanting to run. It was scary. I wish I knew how she was connected to Normani, though.

I carefully slowed the car to a stop in the parking space closest to the entrance into my apartment. I made sure to make as little noise as possible to not disturb the sleeping girl sprawled across my backseat.

Over the last two weeks, Skylar and I had gotten exceptionally close. With Dinah being my best friend, I had been there from the moment Sky was born and had seen her several days a week ever since.

Skylar had many questions about her parents and what had happened to them and I had to break the unbearably hard news to her. We cried together as I held her, but I told her that she and I could make it through the situation.

So far, we were doing okay.

Sure, it would have been much easier if I had Camila's help, but I couldn't blame her for the decision she made.

I opened the back door of my car quietly and carefully lifted the small girl out and held her in my arms. I paid special attention to avoid the areas on her legs where the worst of the burns were still healing. The detectives had told me that when the firemen found her, her legs were pinned under a burning beam that had fallen from the ceiling. The thought of that scene made me shudder all over again.

As I made my way over to the door of the apartment, I watched it open. A distressed looking woman with long and wavy dark hair was hurrying out of the building. She looked up as she nearly ran into me, not bothering to make an attempt to hold the door open.

Her chocolate brown eyes locked onto mine,
"Lauren! I'm so glad I found you," Camila spoke, quickly grabbing me and pulling me inside.

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So there's chapter two!

Do you guys like the direction that the story is heading in?

Thank you for reading!
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