Color [CAMREN] [COMPLETED]

Chapter 18

San Francisco, California, 5 Years Ago - Present

When Lauren opened her eyes, she was not on the street bleeding out. She wasn't in a hospital, nor was she staring at the ceiling of her apartment in Nevada. Instead, she found herself staring at leaves and flickers of sunshine that made their way through the foliage. She sat up and looked around. She was sitting under a giant tree surrounded by golden plains. Small hill carved out the edges of the landscape and in the distance, she could see snow-capped mountains. It was cool out, though definitely not fall weather. It seemed more like the perfect summer day. A nice breeze shook the limbs of the tree, creating a soft rustling noise. Lauren looked up at the sky. It was a brilliant blue with only a few clouds obstructing the sun so that it didn't become too hot or bright. She reached up and touched her head where she knew she had been shot. When she didn't feel any wound or hole where there should have been, she withdrew her hand quickly. She looked around and realized she was alone.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed into the distance. No one responded. She started walking towards the one man made structure she could see. It was a fence that extended over the hills and for how long it went on, she didn't know.

Lauren wandered through the field, watching the horizon carefully. She didn't quite understand where she was; this was certainly no place that she recognized. Her eyes scanned the surrounding area and she didn't pay attention to where she was walking. She tripped over a rock and fell. Surprisingly, there was no pain and she glanced down at her hands. There should've been some scratches, no matter how soft the ground was but there wasn't a single mark on her hand. She suddenly started to get a good feel of where she was.

Lauren breathed in the fresh air and smiled. All the confusion dissipated. She felt relieved of concerns, she didn't have to worry about the world she left, she didn't have to think about anything other than the fact that she was finally where she had wanted to be for years.

"I'm here!" She yelled as loud as she could and laughed, running through the tall golden grass. She found that she didn't get tired, that she was never short of breath. Her green eyes sparkled with delight.

"I'm here!" She called again. When no one answered, her smile slowly vanished. "Camz?" Her heart pounded uncomfortably. Odd, she thought, given that she shouldn't be feeling a heartbeat at all. But more than that, it plagued her that no one responded. If she was where she thought she was, then she should be here. Her eyes searched the area. Apart from the breeze moving the grass, she couldn't see anything moving. She really was alone.

The idea sunk in and stuck. Lauren felt tears spring to her eyes at how unfair it was. She was finally where she wanted to be and the most important person wasn't there to be with her. Was this how it was? Was this hell? Lauren looked around frantically, hoping, praying she was wrong. As she turned back towards the tree, something caught her eye. She saw a figure just coming up the top of the hill to her left. The figure made her way down and Lauren's breath stopped. She froze, not daring to believe until the girl stood just a few feet away.

"Hi." Camila whispered. Lauren looked her up and down. She was wearing a yellow sundress and yellow flats. A red sequin bow sparkled in her hair. She was every bit what Lauren remembered and dreamed of.

"Hi." Lauren replied. In a second, she closed the gap and pulled Camila into a tight embrace. She was there, she was real.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you." Lauren said. Camila's arms encircled her and this time, she could feel her touch. It wasn't a dream.

"I've missed you too." Camila replied. Lauren held her at arms length, taking in the beauty that was Camila.

"You're everything I could've imagined." Lauren said. Camila laughed and brushed her hair back. Lauren didn't know how to act. They had been apart so long that she began to forget how to act normally in front of her love. Camila on the other hand, didn't.