Fission

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Camila Gomez

"Mia, hold up." The twelve-year-old girl called as she walked her bike along the tracks. Camila turned quickly to see her friend coming toward her and smiled. Camila put a hand up to block the sun from her eyes before waving.

"Hurry, come on Jamie. I only have a few hours before I have to go home." Camila called out. The young girl then turned around, skipping alongside the railroad track. Her black kinky hair bounced as she hummed to herself.

"Did you ask if I could stay the night?" Jamie called out. Camila shrugged as she kept her back to the girl.

"I will later. My mom and I had a fight." Camila sighed deeply thinking back to the words her mother had screamed at her earlier that day.

"You two are always fighting," Jamie replied. Camila wanted to ignore the statement as she walked forwards. The young girl tried to focus on the sights before her. Camila could also hear Jamie's bike tires on the gravel behind her as she walked forward.

"I know. She wants me to do better in school. She says I am smart and that I need to apply myself and stop being lazy." Camila continued to talk as she walked forward. Her words trailed off as she paused when she didn't hear the sound of crunching rocks anymore.

"Hey look, I think there is something here under the rails." Jamie got off her bike and bent down to take a closer look at the shiny object. Meanwhile, Camila kept walking, oblivious to the fact her friend had stopped and was now bent down on the tracks. It was such a beautiful fall day. The afternoon sun was bright and the weather was clear and warm Camila closed her eyes as she looked upward to soak in the sun. A few minutes later, Camila turned, squinting in Jamie's direction due to the sunlight in her eyes. To her horror, Jamie was in the path of the oncoming train. Camila did her best to yell out to her friend, but it was in vain. The train struck her friend, sending her bike flying in the air. The bike landed along the tree line with its wheel bent but still spinning. Camila watched the bike tire spin and spin as she stood speechless as the train barreled past her.

Suddenly with a jolt, Camila woke up in her hotel room bed. The twenty-nine-year-old gasped for air as the nightmare startled her awake. It was a nightmare she had often. Most days she could push the memoirs of that day to the back of her mind, but some nights the horror of that day replayed over and over. Camila felt guilt about the death of her best friend, even though it wasn't her fault. They were kids playing and the train did not make a sound when it approached them. Even though everyone told her numerous times that the accident was not her fault, Camila still felt guilty. If only she would have walked slower and stopped to see what her friend was doing, then maybe her friend would still be alive.

The two girls often were seen out and about in the neighborhood playing and riding their bikes. They were thick as thieves up until Jamie's death. The neighborhood was a safe and close net community, so Camila's mother didn't mind her daughter going to meet her friend. The two girls met in elementary school but were separated when Camila was sent to a private school for her remaining school years. This was often the result of the mother and daughters' arguments. It was due to the fact Camila wanted to go back to public school with her friends and pursue music, while her mother wanted her to study business and fashion, so she could learn the family trait. The girls never did grow apart and kept their friendship even though Camila was sent to another school. Jamie's death was even more heartbreaking for Camila and she had trouble forming friendships after that. No one could replace the bond of the best friend she had with Jamie.

After the death of the girl, Camila and her family moved to a more high-class part of Oklahoma. This was around the time her parents were excelling in their careers and the move did not benefit Camila at all. It stunted her time in grieving which resulted in her being more closed off to herself. The Gomez family had many storefront clothing businesses that slowly turned into a nationwide chain called Crown Fad. The mix between Latin and African heritage created high-class urban outerwear. Urban Fashion is edgy and reflects lifestyle, attitudes, and individuality. Urban wear was easier to branch out in unlike mainstream fashion. Her mother soon became famous for her styles and fashion trends, while her father managed the business end of things. Her four older siblings all had roles in the business as well. Tristian Jr helped their father Tristian out in the accounting aspect of things while Lenis and Heather helped their mother Loretta with the style and fabric side. Leviticus was more of the photographer and model of the family. He also recruited other models to work with Crown Fad. All in the family had a role part to play in pushing their empire forward, all but Camila that was. Camila wanted to make her own way in life. She wanted to pursue her own passion, which was music. Her father didn't mind the fact his youngest daughter wanted to branch out, but her mother was dead set on Camila joining the others in contributing to the business. Eventually, Camila and her mother came to an agreement. Camila could study both music and business in college. If Camila would not be selected for any major orchestra in the next few years, she had to put music aside and find a place within the family business.