23. Reasons

                                    

                                          


                          
I'm not a perfect person
                          
I never meant to do those things to you
                          
And so I have to say before I go
                          
That I just want you to know
                          
I've found a reason for me
                          
To change who I used to be
                          
A reason to start over new
                          
and the reason is you.
                          
- Hoobastank.
                          


                          


                          
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Heads Up:
                          


                          
Before we begin, I must apologize for one thing: This is 100% a transition chapter. I want more than anything to move forward and see more of the pregnancy issues, how Camila deals with going to school while having a noticeable baby bump, how Shawn handles his floundering reputation once word of his predicament comes out, how their relationship works in public, etc, etc. But I just can't leap there. There were all these tiny little things that needed to be addressed: lingering fears, doubts and emotional fallout, stupid Alejandro! Etc. So, please bear with me! 
                          


                          


                          
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Some time in the dead of night, a cat yowled outside of Hailee's bedroom window. Camila snuggled further into the warm comforter and pulled her pillow down over her head to try to muffle out the sound. "Haiz, your cat," she mumbled. 
                          


                          
There was no response, and after several minutes the wailing grew so loud it was almost as if it were screaming directly into her ear. With a frustrated growl, Camila flung the pillow across the room and reached over to smack Hailee awake so she could go deal with her stupid cat. But when her hand touched nothing but cold, empty sheets, she knew immediately that something wasn't right. Hailee loved her sleep, so there was no way she wouldn't be snoring along with Camila.
                          


                          
Frowning, Camila blinked open her eyes, expecting to see the shadowed shapes of Hailee's dresser, bedframe, and the chair in the corner, which was always covered with hastily discarded clothing. However, that wasn't what she saw at all. Instead, there was nothing. Nothing but darkness: thick, complete, and black. A darkness so vast and heavy it was like a living, breathing entity.
                          


                          
"Haiz?" Camila said into the void, her voice seeming to stick in the heavy air. There was still no answer, and Camila noticed for the first time the unnaturalness of the silence. "Haiz ..."
                          


                          
She swallowed against the panic rising in her throat, and the cat cried out once more: long, high, and insistent. And this time, Camila questioned her initial thought that it was a cat at all. There was something off with the pitch and length of the wails, and the sound made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.