Emma is a sport major, who’s also the captain of the girls soccer team, which means she’s frequently not home. And that suits me just fine, I can come and go as I please. The astrology club is a useful cover for the nights when she is home, since I tend to do camera work three nights a week just to keep my cash flow steady, the occasional afternoon shoots crop up too—but I just tell her I have class.
“Oh, by the way…” She stands and grabs a box of chocolates. “These are yours.”
“For me? Thank you.” I take the fancy red box with the black ribbon. “What’re they for?”
Emma watches my face carefully. “I don’t know. They were left at the front desk for you, apparently.”
Our accommodation is a large building, with shared all-girl dorms and a reception at the main entrance that’s manned twenty-four seven, which is great when you’re having parcels delivered, but not so great if you want to bring a guy back. We have our own bedrooms, but shared living space, bathroom and kitchenette.
“They’re not from you? There’s no note...” A shiver runs down my spine, and once again I’m conscious of how I should be scared. I should be suspicious. That would be normal behaviour, instead I’m curious. Someone had left me roses last week, there was no note with those either. And a teddy the week before that.
She shakes her head. “Do you have a boyfriend you’re not telling me about?”
Rolling my eyes, I push the lid off the chocolates. They’re expensive, from a luxury boutique near the university campus. “When do I have the time for a boyfriend?”
“Maybe you have a secret admirer?” she pushes, waiting for answers I don’t have as I pop a praline into my mouth, the heat melting it as I flick my tongue over the moulded heart shape. A small part of me enjoyed the gifts, the attention from an unknown paramour. And I know how twisted that is.
“Maybe.” I shrug and wander over to the window, peering out into the night as if I expect to see someone waiting in the courtyard below.
Emma sighs softly. “Be careful, Becca, it’s a little creepy.”
I hate the name Rebecca, or Becca. It always made me feel so old-fashioned, like I was being chained down by my name. I liked Ruby, I wanted to be Ruby all of the time. Maybe one day I’ll change it, I muse as I read the inside of the box for the descriptions of the fillings.
“Are you listening, Bec?” shesays again, her voice gentle as if I’m a frightened animal who’s about to bolt. “You need to pay more attention to those around you.”
Sometimes I wonder if I give off a ‘damaged’ aura, do people think I’m broken? Is that why they tread around me lightly? Why Carter wouldn’t have dinner with me? They act as though I’mnothing more than dandelion seeds floating on the breeze, that they were trying to capture in between their clammy hands without ruining them.
I wasn’t made of porcelain, I wouldn’t crack under the weight of her friendship. The way she was always cautious of me is what made me lie, it’s what allowed me to push the boundaries of our relationship. Nodding, I choose the next chocolate, ignoring her concern.
Someone, somewhere, was watching me.
Chapter Three
Carter
Click.
Click.
Click.
Another perfect picture, another tremble of excitement spreading through my body. I liked to watch people. To capture everyday fleeting moments in totally ordinary places. Click. That’s why I loved coming to this coffee shop, it was near the college campus and had an intimate atmosphere. It wasn’t because of her, I tell myself, even though I can taste the lie.
I look back at the screen on the camera, recognizing a familiar face in my shot. Zooming in, I realise it’s Ruby. She looks almost ethereal, with the light streaming in behind her as she stands outside the coffee shop window with some friends. I wonder what it would be like to know her during the day, when she was just a normal girl?
“I thought it was you,” a soft voice murmurs as she suddenly stands before me.
“Oh, ah. I didn’t notice you there,” I mumble, my hands beginning to get clammy as I lower my camera into my lap.
She frowns, but it’s gone in an instant, replaced with a cheery, friendly expression I’ve never seen on her before. And I thought I had seen all of the faces she made, I mean, I’ve seen every inch of her body, I’ve seen her in intimate situations...and yet she still has more to uncover. Interesting.
“Can I join you?” She makes a motion to sit in the armchair opposite me, her cool blue eyes glued to my face. I was the only person who knew about the other side of her, the dark side. Here she looked wholesome, like a normal twenty-something year old, studying, dating, making friends. She didn’t seem like a vixen who made love to a camera on a regular basis. Her duality fascinates me, and covertly, I press down the shutter button once again, coughing to cover the click, hoping to have captured a clear candid shot.
“I was just leaving, to be honest,” I explain, leaning forward to put my camera back in its bag. If I stayed...I’d ask her to pose for me. I’d take pictures that I had no right taking, and it still wouldn’t be enough. I’d want all of her.
“Oh.” She raises a brow at the full cup of steaming coffee on the table before me.
“Are you coming to the studio this evening?” I try to keep my tone casual as I stand, pulling my jacket on.
“Yeah, I’ll be there around eight.”
“Was there a theme for tonight’s show—just so I can
