TWO YEARS AGO
LAUREN
The moon was full as it crept over my sleeping, stagnant body. It tangled in my hair like Camila's fingers did at night when she knew I couldn't sleep. Lucy laid beside me, after what seemed like hours of us arguing over who should sleep on the floor. We decided neither of us should.
I awoke to a dog barking loudly into the night. Grumbling and wincing in soreness from the day's earlier events, I turned over to find Lucy gone. A note was left in her place instead.
"This was never a good idea. You should have never been seen with me. Take care of yourself, and don't let them find you. I hope you make it out of this alive".
Sitting up in the quilted bed, I instantly turned to look out the blinds in hopes of seeing Lucy standing there like this was some big prank, or the least bit gave me a chance to chase her down. Instead I saw nothing but empty streets and that stupid barking dog across the way. Lucy nowhere in sight.
Picking up my phone, I noticed the frantic messages from Camila.
3:46 am "Where are you?!"
3:57 am "This isn't funny anymore, Lauren."
4:12 am "I can't keep doing this. You can't keep pushing me away."
4:16 am "I love you. Please come home."
Ignoring the messages—for now—I turned my phone off after seeing it was a little past five in the morning. The slowly rising sun and chirping birds indicated the same thing.
Rubbing my eyes, I decided I may as well get up. Do I search for Lucy? Do I go home to Camila? Realizing I didn't have the answer to anything just yet, I opened the door to the living room and stopped just inside the door frame.
"Well, look who finally decided to join us!"
The hairs on my arms raised a mile high when I heard Denny's voice. I looked up to see my aunt Carol and Lucy tied to chairs with their mouths gagged and covered in duct tape. They were both crying and muffling words I couldn't quite understand. Lincoln was standing over Aunt Carol, a gun pointed at her head. Denny twirled a small device around in his hand while leaning against the fire place, and for some reason that made me incredibly nervous.
"You really think you can outrun us, Jauregui? We've had you on our radar since you were born." Denny slowly removed himself from the wall to walk over towards Lucy, bending down inches from her petrified, bruised face. "And now that you've killed our leader..." he continued, "you've got an entire army out to get you."
I instinctively made a step forward out of the room, both my aunt and Lucy writhing against their restraints.
"Ah, ah, not so fast." Denny held up the device he was holding in his hand, twirling it around like it was some kind of trophy. "I wouldn't make another move if I were you."
Lucy shook her head as if telling me not to move, tears streaming down her face. Looking to her and then to Aunt Carol, I knew I had to act. As soon as I even had the thought to dart out of the room, a volt of electricity shocked my veins. Hot, blue heat burned my insides, my body inevitably falling to the hard ground below.
"Hot damn, it worked!" Denny and Lincoln shared a high five as I looked at them through shaking eyes. "Whew, she wasn't kidding! This little thing really does the trick."
After a few seconds to catch my breath, I rolled over onto my back in pain. Hearing the cries and pleads from my family member and friend a short distance away, my ears muffled them to faint whispers.
