Late Night Caller (Camren)

1.

12:15 A.M.
—
The large Miami house was quiet for the most part, the only real sounds filling the home being the sound of the grandfather clock that was sat by the corner of her bed and the sound of her child's soft snores bouncing off the walls in a controlled manner. Lauren laid beside the small girl, her eyes closed as sleep threatened to take over, although there was one thing that was stopping her.

It was an every night occurrence. At exactly 12:20 A.M. her phone would begin to ring, the unknown number making its way onto her screen in bright white numbers. The sound of her ringer would fill the quiet space, nearly waking up the two year old every time. It has been happening for months and Lauren was just about ready to put an end to it. She didn't know who was calling in the late hours of the night but she didn't know how much she could take. She had never actually answered the calls, but tonight?

She would.

Taking a second to compose herself, Lauren allowed her green eyes to shift to the small child that lay beside her. Her daughter, Harmony, had a rough life but Lauren loved her child more than life itself. Sure, her baby had been diagnosed with Autism a few months ago, but the struggles were worth it, because in Lauren's eyes?
Her babygirl was perfect, no matter what the doctors said.
Running her hands through short brown hair, Lauren was almost taken aback once the sound of her ringer but she was quick to silence her phone the second her child began to stir.
She wasn't about to let some stranger wake her daughter up.
Taking a deep breath, Lauren allowed herself to slide the little call icon to the left to finally see who this mystery person was that was taking it upon themselves to disrupt her nights for nearly six months now.

"Jauregui speaking."
Lauren spoke quietly, careful not to wake up get sleeping child.

"I know who you are Lauren."
The voice spoke, a hint of amusement laced within. The voice definitely belonged to a woman, the rasp in her voice only leaving the mother with questions.

"And who are you?"
Lauren questioned, her body slowly sitting up as confusion etched her features. How did this woman know her name and why the hell was she calling her so early in the morning.

"That's not for you to know right now, just know that I know more about you than you think Lauren..."

"Excuse me?"

"Why do you look so flustered, Lauren? There is nothing to be worried about."
The words of the mystery woman left Lauren both extremely cautious and confused. Not giving the action a second thought, the Latina was ending the call and gently coaxing the small toddler from her sleep.
She couldn't help but feel like their lives were in danger.

"Hi baby...let's get up, yeah? We're going to go and visit grandma for the night."
Lauren didn't waste time in picking up  her child before she was hastily making her way out of the house, her daughter gripping onto her T-shirt while Lauren scanned the premises. Lauren couldn't help but feel like both of their lives were in danger, and she knew she needed to get out of there.

"M-mama.."
The small child whimpered only to be shushed by her mother.

Lauren wasted no time with putting her child in the car. Once Harmony was all set inside of the car, Lauren made a quick run to get into the drivers seat.
She needed to get out of there!

1:26 A.M.

Lauren's nerves were getting the best of her by the time she pulled into her mother's driveway, the simple family home filling Lauren with a sense of protection.
Grabbing her daughter, Lauren was soon knocking on the door at a quickened pace.