Chapter 8 (part 1): Kidnapped

It was a sunny Saturday. Camila was still sleeping like a snorlax, Lauren already up early feeling conscious about the presentation. She and Zayn have practiced multiple times already but there was this nagging fear inside her that she'll mess up. She wants everything to be perfect. She was out on the balcony sipping a cup of coffee. It was 8am. The traffic has died down a bit. The sun shone brightly. Many thoughts swam in her mind. What if everything won't go as planned? What if she hates the song? What if—

*DING DONG*

Lauren cringes as she hears the doorbell ring. She hurriedly but quietly made her way to the door only to find Zayn leaning against the doorway. He eyes her up and down. "Why aren't you ready yet?"

Lauren looks down at her body. She's still in her pajamas and tank top and pink fluffy bunny slippers. She face palms herself, completely forgetting that she needed to change. "Fuck. Sorry. I just worried so much that I forgot to get ready." She looked at Zayn apologetically. "Be right back. Make yourself at home." She closes the door behind him and dashed towards her room.

She opened the door slowly to avoid any possible creaking from it. Sprawled across the bed was the petite body of Camila, mouth open a bit and drool evident at the corner of her mouth. Lauren carefully walked to the closet and began dressing herself. She was currently wearing dark ripped jeans, a lose red flannel, and a pair of doc martens. She grabbed a small bag and placed the things she needed for the program later.

She walked out of the closet and saw the figure on the bed move a little. She froze on the spot, hoping Camila wouldn't see her. What is she, a t-Rex? She released the breath she didn't know she has been holding when Camila didn't move. She carefully made her way out of the room and saw Zayn munching on an apple. He threw the core away and wiped his hands.

"You got everything packed?"

"Yeah. We should go."

They made their way to the auditorium which was absolute chaos. Students were doing things here and there. Some set up the lights and curtains while some arranged the props. There was gonna be a little program later that afternoon. The performing arts class and Lauren's art class were the only ones to perform that afternoon. Students were allowed to watch, but Camila knew nothing about this.

Lauren and Zayn made their way backstage to hopefully practice a little bit. They went through a door which led to a decent sized room where the students' desired instruments were placed in preparation for the program. The room was empty, which is good news. They made a round or two of practice and Lauren held the last note a bit longer.

"What if she won't like it?" Lauren blurted out.

"Pardon?"

Lauren sighed. "What if she won't like it?" She hung her head down, embarrassed and feeling discouraged. Zayn scurried to her side. "Are you kidding me? Camila adores you Lauren! More than she adores pizza." He said trying to lighten her mood up. This elicited a chuckle from the green eyed girl. "Well if she adores me more than pizza, then I should be pretty special to her." she concluded cockily. "Damn right you are. Now come on, let's help setup."

~~~~~~~

"How's everyone doing today?"

The auditorium was full to Lauren's surprise. She didn't know this amount of people would show up. She was by the entrance going backstage, leaning against the doorway. She made her calls to make sure the guys were ready. It was 6:30pm, the sky was already dark. Everything was ready and the MC was very hyper and active when greeting the crowd.

"Are y'all ready for tonight?!" Ally, who was their guest MC/teacher shouted to the crowd. A loud chorus of yeahs echoed around the room which made Ally smile.

"For our first segment, the performance arts class under Mr. Roberts and Ms. Drein will perform an original theatrical dance based on the popular story, Romeo and Juliet."

The crowd elicited screams and yeahs. They seem to be excited. Lauren thought early adults in college always go partying at Saturdays. She almost forgot that she's in one of the best universities in the state. I guess students here have second thoughts on partying all the time.

"Without further adieu, we present to you: Romeo and Juliet - in Dance!"

Loud claps and woos erupted from the crowd. When the big red curtain was being pulled on both sides, everyone grew quiet. The stage was big. On the far back lies the school's orchestra, everyone sporting dark suits and masks along with their instruments. The conductor stood stiff and tall. The props were very realistic. The spotlights shut off and a gloomy red glow bloomed behind the orchestra. The conductor faced the orchestra and waved his stick. Beautiful music filled the whole auditorium and out came Romeo.

~~~~~~~

"That honestly brought me to tears." Ally wiped a stray tear under her right eye. She sniffles and composed herself and put on her signature smile.

"For our next segment, we have the arts class under Mr. Philips. Please come on stage please."

Mr. Philips appeared from backstage sporting a leather jacket and dark jeans.

"Is everyone ready to jam out?!" He screamed into the microphone, making crowd hype up. "The songs you're gonna be listening to are original compositions by our talented students. Without further adieu, let's start!"

~~~~~~~

Dear Camz,

I've gone out early to fetch some groceries for us. I'll be back in an hour or so. Love you, I hope you had a good night's rest. -LMJ <3

Camila placed the note back on the bedside table. She did her morning routine and changed into some casual yet comfortable clothes. She went up the study with a cup of coffee in hand, she took out her copy of 'A Tale Of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens. She continued reading where she left off.

It has already been three hours since she read the note Lauren left her and the green eyed girl hasn't returned yet. This made Camila worry. Lauren wasn't the type to be late or overestimate time. She decided to wait ten minutes more. She keeps tapping her for and checking the wall clock. Already nine minutes had passed and still no Lauren. Okay that's one minute advance but we're talking about Lauren here! She's rarely late. She dashed off downstairs and wore the shoes Lauren gave to her as a gift. Doc Martens, of course. As she tightened the last shoe, her phone rings from her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's Zayn. We've got a problem."

Camila's pulse heightened at the statement. Problem?

"W-what are you talking about?"

"It's Lauren. She's not here!" Shuffling could be heard on the other line. Camila feels herself get dizzy, vision going blurry, palms are sweaty.

"Hey! Are you still there?!" Zayn's distressed voice brought her out of her panic attack.

"I uhh yeah I'm still here. I'll meet you guys at school, yeah?" She didn't wait for Zayn to respond. She ends the call, got her keys, and dashed out of the flat. She was about to get in the elevator when she feels something cover her entire head and strong masculine arms lift her off the ground. She screamed the best as she could for help but a hand covers her mouth. She tried to squirm free but the stranger's grip on her was strong. She kept squirming and squirming. She bit the hand covering her mouth, eliciting a cry of pain from the guy. The voice sounded familiar but she couldn't wrap her head around it, too many thoughts running through her head. She cried out again but a strip of cloth was wrapped around her mouth, making her unable to say anything. She just kept screaming and squirming until all the energy is drained from her body. Her head ached and she felt her body go limp and her eyelids shut. Before she fell unconscious, she heard a phone ring and it was supposedly picked up by one of the guys abducting her.

"Hello. Yeah we've got her. We're on our way." That familiar voice spoke up again. She eventually fell unconscious, her body limping over.

~~~~~~~

"We there yet?" A familiar voice appeared out of nowhere. Camila opened her heavy eyes and she tried to reach to her forehead and rub the ache out but she couldn't move her arms. Her eyes grew wide when she remembers what happened a while ago. She opened her mouth to scream but she feels a cloth wrapped securely around there. She glanced at her surroundings. She was in a van, it seems. There were five guys in the truck with her. Two up front and two beside her, faces hidden behind classic robber masks. The guy riding shotgun met her eyes through the mirror in front. He turned around, alarmed.

"Cover her eyes." A familiar British accent erupted from the guy up front. The guys beside her held her tight and wrapped a blindfold around her eyes while she was squirming.

"Is this really necessary?" A guy in a British accent asked. "The boss said so." Another British accent. All of them were familiar. The van came to a stop, strong arms held her in place. "We're here. Let's go, we might miss the cue." She was holstered onto broad shoulders and was being carried out of the van and into their venue.

A/N:

The spam of votes I just got from 'In Love With My Best Friend' is amazing XD. Who could've kidnapped Camz though? ^^^

I would appreciate if you leave comments because it really motivates me, just like any other author does. Voting and reading the whole chapter helps get the stories more attention. Love u guys mwwwwah!