Maneuvering Landmines (Converted Camren)

1/14

This is what Lauren remembered of the day she first met Camila:

It was the day after Christmas.

She was sitting in the kitchen with her mother, eating a leftover Christmas cookie in the shape of a bell. She was keeping her mother company while her mother cleaned up the kitchen after lunch. Her dad was at work. Her big sister, Taylor, was upstairs doing God knows what. Taylor was twelve and enjoyed reminding Lauren of that fact, especially when Taylor was using it as an excuse for why Lauren couldn't be around her. Her mother had just started the dishwashing cycle when the phone rang and her mother answered it.

Lauren watched her mother's face which twisted into an expression that Lauren had never before seen. Lauren's mother sat down into a chair at a table and listened quietly on the phone, barely saying a word.

Once she was off the phone, her mother addressed her.

"Go upstairs, get changed and tell your sister we're leaving."

Lauren didn't ask any questions. Back then, she loved her Daddy, but her mother was her hero. Her mother was prettier than any Barbie doll she had and could fix almost anything. When her mother told her to do something in that tone, Lauren just did it. Most of the time, her mother listened to everything her father said, and her father tended to get his way, even if it was in opposition to what her mother wanted. But when her mother got a certain look on her face, or said something a certain way, no one, not even her father said anything to oppose it.

And so that day, Lauren slid out of her chair, ran out of the kitchen-- skidding a little on socked feet and ran up the stairs to tell her sister it was time to go. Lauren could tell her sister wanted to protest because the current war between Taylor and their parents was over Taylor's insistence that twelve was plenty old enough to stay at home by herself for a few hours, but their parents disagreed. Lauren wanted to point out their parents had a point. Just last month Taylor nearly burnt the house down cooking a hash brown.

"Mom says we're leaving now."

It said something about being sisters that Taylor could see from the look on Lauren's face that it really was time to leave, because her protests died in her throat and she just made sure Lauren was appropriately dressed for the weather before she took her little sister by the hand and led Lauren downstairs to their awaiting mother. Taylor was frequently dismissive, but Lauren could count on her to be a good older sister when it really mattered.

They drove to the police station where Lauren laid eyes on Camila Cabello for the first time and it would be one of those memories that would remain especially vivid for Lauren, despite their young ages at the time.

They were both four years old, though Lauren pointed out that she'd been four much longer than Camila had. (Camila, eight days, Lauren, eight months).

Camila was quietly crying and hiding behind a police officer's leg when the Jaureguis were introduced to her.

Clara Jauregui crouched down, reached for Camila and hugged her close. Camila was small for being four and fit snugly in Clara arms. Camila didn't squirm or try to get away, but her crying got louder.

"I don't know you," Camila said, voice quavering.

"I was your daddy's friend," Clara murmured, trying to comfort her. "Don't be afraid."

Lauren approached them and petted Camila's hair, wanting to comfort the other girl as best she could. Something about seeing Camila cry just hurt. Seeing Camila cry made Lauren feel sad and Lauren just wanted to make Camila feel better so she could stop crying. As far as Lauren knew, people only cried when they were sad.