All Of Me | Camren

prologue

This book, originally written by me, is unfinished due to struggles with inspiration and scene-bridging. However, it was taken over by VanillaVampire22 and is now on their profile.

A crack in the concrete allows a small, white flower to bloom, a touch of nature amidst the concrete forest. It has survived a great deal to root itself there and grow to the size it is now, thriving through the hottest days and one or two downpours which threatened to flood the lot. If it were seen, it might have been admired by the thing that ultimately brought about its demise. Alas, the flower is crushed under the sole of Camila Cabello's merciless boot. She's on her way to the Fifth Harmony tour bus, and she does not look happy.

Inside the bus, four other girls with ages straying no more than four years from her own sit crouched around a phone. On the screen, a friendly face holds a concentrated frown.

"She's been forgetting everything, a lot more than usual." Normani, a dark-skinned girl with long black hair, offers.

"Yeah, and she randomly disappears during the night, sometimes even during the day." Ally, the oldest of the group, adds.

Dinah takes her turn sharing her concerns about her older friend with their mentor-turned-friend, Demi Lovato, while Lauren sits silently to the side, spinning her ring around her finger in thought. She's been the one most affected by Camila's changes. She's been the one receiving the disgusted looks, the yelling, the slaps, the occasional bruises. She and Camila have always been close, right since the first day on X-Factor. There were always spouts of anger from the shorter girl, but never as severe or as frequent as they have been these past few months.

"Where are you guys stationed?" The woman on the phone questions, flipping through some papers off-screen.

"We're in Texas today, then Miami tomorrow and for two weeks' break." Ally answers.

"Good," Demi nods, "It'll probably help if you can get her to spend time with her family, we all know how much they mean to her. Oh, and just... try not to pry. It'll make things easier if you don't try to force any answers out of her now. Especially if she's on something like you suspect."

"Thanks, Demi."

The video call is ended seconds before the subject of their worries bursts through the doorway, making each girl jump in shock. Camila regards them all with her lips curled into a snarl and a cold glare in her eyes on her way to the bunks before disappearing behind her curtain.

Lauren lets out a long breath of relief, turning her attention back to her silver ring. She never thought she'd be afraid of Camila, of all people. The small girl used to be so soft, so childlike and innocent, in a sense. Now... well, it's like she's a completely different person. There are moments of her previous self shining through, but whatever happened to her, whatever drug she's taking, has changed her tremendously.

Lauren continues to ponder this even as the others move on to debate which movie they should watch. They ask for her opinion, but she simply shakes her head, tells them to enjoy whatever they choose, and tiptoes through to the back of the bus for a nap, being extra careful not to disturb her fellow bandmate.

In her bunk, Camila presses the heel of her hand against her forehead, looking up at the ceiling with tears threatening to break her waterline.

The call to Demi had not been arbitrary. There had been another incident, this one even harsher than the others. Lauren can still hear the almost animalistic scream that had ripped from the girl, and feel the nails digging into her upper arms, the stinging of her cheek, the concentrated pulsing of her eye that had remained until the other girls had returned from a trip into town, until Ally had handed her two small pills and a glass of water. Camila didn't come back until late that night, after the rest of them had fallen asleep.

———
A/n: here we go, a brand new beginning. Since this used to be a pilot chapter and is now a prologue, it's shorter than the other chapters. Still, it's a start to the new and improved version of this book! If you've read the original version, you'll know that this is pretty similar to that, but trust me when I say you won't be bored waiting for me to catch up to wherever you left off. Pretty soon, things are going to be changing in ways that'll lead to a whole new (and hopefully more realistic) storyline. That being said, the premise of the story is going to be similar, so if you've already read this, please be wary of spoiling it for first time readers.

Okay, that's it from me. I hope you all have had/will have a good day today and tomorrow. Thank you for all of your support!