Chapter 1:

Chapter One- That girl who knows Fear

Las Brujas De Medianoche Season 1


School was hard. It wasn't necessarily the subjects that she hated, but rather, the students. Dealing with large crowds of students in a city already infamous for its overpopulation was daunting. Camelia faced this problem every day and each time she walked through the school doors, her insecurities bubbled to the surface.

What was she wearing?

When will she lose weight?

Why is she so quiet?

Everyone thought that about her. Or at least it felt that way. She was always hyper-sensitive about the opinion of others. Every mean-spirited word targeted at Camelia struck her like a knife. She was sure she could hear the snickers whenever she was near, even if their mouths didn't move an inch.

Camilla left her house that Monday morning with the prayer that everything would work out. A prayer that the laughs would finally stop.

She rode the bus from her bed-stuy neighborhood to Brooklyn tech high school. The prestigious school was a complete contrast to the shabby neighborhood she spent her entire life in. Camelia's mom felt that her daughter struck gold by landing such a coveted spot.

Camelia, on the other hand, searched for a way out. She'd much rather attend a more low profile school where the students didn't pick her apart at the seams.

' OK, Cam. You can do this. Today's a new day. Abigail probably isn't even thinking about you right now.'

The girl steeled her nerves as she walked through the front entrance. A bustling crowd of students coming from every direction immediately flooded her vision. Camelia was usually intimidated by large crowds of people, but sometimes it was better to get lost in the crowd. There was a comforting sense of anonymity in the morning crush.

She sighed with relief once she made it to her classroom. Within the safe confines of the room, she was just another nameless face.

This was the life of Camelia Pureza.

A girl who was only noticed when she most desired not to be.

She listlessly jotted down the ramblings of her teacher until it was time for her next class. It wasn't any material she hadn't already known. The summer learning program her mom dragged her to had more than paid off. It was that over-preparedness that let her scroll through her phone for the entire period. Once the bell rang, Camelia bolted out of the room straight to her locker. She was just about to set aside her notebook when the image of her locker caused her to pause.

A sheet of paper with the words "This is what happens to snitches" was taped to the locker. Below the words was a photoshopped image of Camelia covered in trash.

Camilla frantically yanked off the paper and crumpled it up into a ball. She battled against the urge to burst into tears. She couldn't afford to draw even more attention to herself. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

" Is everything OK? I saw a group of girls standing around your locker earlier, but I didn't expect them to do anything like this. I should have investigated when I had the chance."

Camilla couldn't help but blush when she noticed that it was Lily Cortes who helped her. She'd always admired the girl from Afar but never dared to approach her.

"I… I'm fine. It's just a stupid prank. That's all."

" If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here. "Pranks" like this are never funny." Lily left the scene with those final words.

' God this is just awful. Now she knows I'm getting bullied! This couldn't be any more humiliating.' Camelia thought. Trying to go through life unnoticed did little good when you had people pushing you into the spotlight. She focused on that little incident throughout all her classes until it was time for lunch.

Camelia used to spend her lunchtime sitting alone, but thankfully, she had another misfit to keep her company. Even if said company was a bit eccentric.

" Hey, Cammy. I know you don't keep up with the news because you're a total space cadet or whatever, but you need to hear this! This neighborhood is becoming perfect material for my new article. There's groups of girls going missing every week and some of them even turn up dead! The crazy part is that the bodies looked completely fine. No wounds, no signs of poisoning, nada. The police are completely clueless as usual, but I'm doing my own investigation."

" Don't you think something like that is a little dark for a school newspaper, Mari?" Camelia asked.

" Think again chica. Most of the girls were high schoolers just like us. The school owes it to us to keep us in the loop. I'm thinkin' I can get a new lead if my article gets enough traction."

" A new lead? You'd have to have a lead in the first place for there to be a new one. Being a school journalist doesn't make you a professional detective. It's best to leave this kind of stuff to the police. I definitely don't want you involved in another crime scene."

"Oh God, can we please drop that situation? I almost got a criminal record because of that crap!"

" All the more reason you shouldn't get too involved. Leave the dangerous stuff to the pros." Camelia replied.

Mariana looked at Camelia like she had just been slapped in the face.

" I can't become a pro journalist by playing it safe! I have to take chances to get anywhere. There are so many stories waiting to be told. Journalists have to strike the iron while it's hot. Anyway, enough about me. Are Abigail and her mindless drones still giving you problems?"

There was a long pause between the girls. She debated with herself if she should bring up the events of earlier that day.

"I…"

Camilla Wouldn't finish her sentence. Her voice was trapped in her throat. On the other side of the cafeteria window was a demon creature that made her blood run cold.