Time's Daughter (3 page)

“
Hi, Aeon.” Her lips lifted into a
smile, I assumed because I was one of her favorite students. Then
she saw the cameraman behind me. Her expression quickly faded. “Oh.
He can’t go into the darkroom with you.”

I continued past her to the cabinet that held the
thirty-five millimeter single-lens reflex cameras. I shook a tube
of film at her. “I still have a roll to shoot before I even have to
worry about the darkroom.”

“
Well, this just
stinks
,” she
said with heavy emphasis on the adjective. “I was counting on you
to show the new addition the ropes.”

“
New addition?” I tried to feign
uninformed interest while opening the back of the camera and my
tube of film.

She set the negatives down on the light table behind
me. “They sent me a note that I was getting another student in
sixth period. I’d already scheduled a make-up session for the twins
today. Knowing them, it’s going to take all class period. I won’t
be able to give him the run through.”

I remained mute as I threaded my film into the
camera because I feared her news meant the new guy was going to be
joining my photography class. If that were the case then I didn’t
want to be the one to give him the “run through”. The clicking of
the shutter on my camera to advance the film broke the silence and
spurred her into action.

“
Is there
any
way I can
convince you to shoot up until class starts then come back to help
out? You can take him out with you to finish your shoot. I’ll even
give you extra credit,” she said.

I restrained a smile because I doubted I’d need
extra credit in her class but I wasn’t going to be arrogant enough
to say so.

“
How about a free day?” she pressed
when that wasn’t incentive enough.

Her desperation finally drew the half smile from me.
I wanted to remain a favorite of hers. “It’s a deal.”

Mrs. Lozano exhaled a relieved breath. “Thank you,
Aeon.”

I gestured to the clock and tossed my bag down near
my usual seat. “I better go while there’s still some time.”

Camera in hand I pushed through the photography
classroom door. I ignored that the videographer was following me as
I burst through the back door into the sunlight. It was a beautiful
day. Perhaps too beautiful for the subject matter I was hoping to
capture.

Dilapidated, derelict and decrepit were the three
D’s I’d named in my theme for this quarter’s project. I’d already
shot everything that fit the bill on school grounds. I checked my
watch, gauging how far I could make it before I’d have to turn
around.

Wheezing was audible from behind me after
progressing a half-mile. Apparently the smallish hand-held camera
the film crew gave their designated guy was too much for him to
handle while walking a short distance. Or perhaps it was my rapid
pace. It was true that I walked far faster now that I was heading
away from campus but it wasn’t as if I’d been running.

I tucked the tidbit of knowledge away for future
use. A rusted out El Camino snared my focus. It was perfect for my
project. I set to work capturing the best angle.

Fifteen minutes, three locations and ten photos
later, I headed back toward school. The sixth period bell rang in
the distance. The fact that no one was outside meant it was the
second bell—the one that signified class had begun. I swore quietly
and broke into a run.

Camera guy was practically having an asthma attack
by the time we stomped onto the pavement behind the building. I
felt mildly bad that I’d forced the exercise on him but then
recalled I was supposed to be acting normal. It wasn’t my fault if
they picked a guy who couldn’t keep up with me, especially
considering I could barely run myself.

But…I could probably use it to my advantage
some
time in the next six months.

CHAPTER TWO

I peered through the glass window in the
photography studio door. Everyone else was already working on
developing film, cutting negatives or checking out cameras. Mrs.
Lozano stood off to the left side speaking to the new kid. The
twins and his cameraman hovered near. The girls had identical
expressions of adoration. If the new kid noticed their interest I
couldn’t tell because his back was to me.

Mrs. Lozano spotted me at the door. She relaxed her
shoulders in relief and reached out a wrinkled finger toward me. By
contrast my shoulders stiffened.

All four of them turned for a look at what she’d
gestured. I dropped my attention to the floor, flushing hot.

Why had I agreed to help?
I was shy! Extra
credit was a poor excuse when this was one of my best classes and a
“free day” was technically against school policy.

The cameraman’s wheezing cough beside me reminded me
that my hesitance was being recorded. I swallowed my trepidation,
turned the knob and feigned confidence I didn’t possess.

“
Aeon will show you where everything
is,” Mrs. Lozano said when I’d closed the distance to her. “This is
Alex. Alex meet Aeon.” She turned to the twins, sighing slightly.
“All right, ladies, let’s talk about depth of field.
Again
.”

I walked ahead of the new kid, rattling information
in a nervous ramble. “The cameras are over here in this cabinet. We
are supposed to bring our own film, but if you forget, there’s a
can of expired rolls here. It’s a crapshoot if they’ll develop so
you’ll want to remember to bring your own. Go ahead and grab one.
I’ve got to finish up this roll outside before I can develop. I’ll
give you a minute to get ready.”

I left him behind and headed to my usual seat.
Rustling for lip balm gave me an excuse to ignore everyone. The
telltale clunking of the lens shutting came from the spot I’d left
the new kid. A few more clunks meant he was probably ready. I
stashed the tube of lip stuff and stood.

No sooner had I gotten to my feet did a shutter
click again. My attention shot up, finding a camera set against the
new kid’s eye, pointed directly at me. He clicked it again. I
blushed hot but said nothing as I hurried away.

The documentary cameramen jockeyed for position in
the cramped corridor of the art wing. I assumed that meant the kid
had followed me.

Back out into the sun I walked without looking back.
No, not with the danger of being
photographed
. This time I
took a different direction away from school grounds. There was an
old asylum a half-mile south. My hopes were high for eerie scenes
of disrepair in a place like that.

The new kid fell into step beside me despite my
rapid pace. I walked onto the cross street in front of the
school.

“
We’re allowed to leave school
grounds?”

I hadn’t heard his voice until that moment and I
wished I still hadn’t. It had a deep almost purring quality to
it.

“
I dunno,” I said before crossing
the busy intersection. I weaved in between the cars waiting at the
red light because they’d be waiting a while.

He kept pace with me, chuckling in response as he
did. Even his laugh was lovely to listen to. “Where are we
going?”

“
An old insane asylum,” I
said.

“
Nice.” He broke the silence after a
mere two seconds of peace. “Is it old because there’s a new one or
there are no more insane people?”

“
There are always insane
people.”

“
The city could have shipped them
south,” he said almost in amusement.

My speed increased across the overgrown parking lot
in hopes of losing him. “I’d feign lunacy if that were the
case.”

He neared my shoulder, easily keeping pace despite
my speed. “Did you know the word lunacy comes from the sixteenth
century and was actually a kind of insanity that was attributed to
the changes of the moon?”

I halted, scanning the space for interesting
imagery. There were a few good shots for my project.

“
Yes,” I said as I lifted the
viewfinder to my eye and framed a shot of the ivy that had taken
over the building’s facade.

“
So you want to be shipped
south?”

He too had stopped. A little too close in my
opinion. I gave breathy snicker that was a combination of amusement
and nervousness.
I would love to be shipped south.

“
What’s wrong with Junction
Hill?”

“
It’s cold,” I said. The shutter
click punctuated my answer.

“
Does it get colder than
this?”

I pinned him with a perplexed look. The camera was
lowered slightly in front of me. I instantly regretted it because
it framed him a little too nicely.

The slate-blue eyes that peered over it had me
enthralled. He was caught somewhere between boyish good looks and
captivating masculinity. The smooth, straight skin stretched over a
seeming lack of cheekbones might have been part of why he looked
boyish. But the straight Nordic nose, medium width dusky pink lips
and squared chin put him closer into grown man category.

It couldn’t have been longer than a second that I’d
gazed at him but it felt like a lifetime. I shook myself mentally.
“You’re in for a surprise if you think
this
is cold.” Time
to finish up the shoot. I faced the building again.

“
Damn
. It’s
freezing
.”

Obviously he wasn’t from the North. I considered
asking where he’d come from but figured he’d tell me if he wanted
me to know. Instead I concentrated on getting the photographs I
needed for my project. His camera shutter opened and closed as
though he too had decided to snap a couple of photos. Maybe he’d be
occupied enough by the camera that he’d give me some peace.

“
You don’t talk much,” he
said.

“
My thoughts are best expressed
through interpretive dance.”

The new kid was blessedly quiet for several moments.
Had my dry response finally shut him up?

“
Seriously?”

“
No,” I said.

“
Oh.” It was an almost glum
response.

I was probably coming off as rude instead of shy. My
cheeks warmed a little. Maybe it was time to share. “I’m too
introverted to dance in public.”

“
You had me going for a minute
there.” He chuckled softly. “I was trying to picture you in a swan
outfit.”

“
That’s ballet.”

He lifted one shoulder in a negligent shrug. “I hear
the word dance and I think chicks in tutus. Is your project about
crazy people?”

That had been a quick topic change. But it was
better than discussing me in a tutu. I shook my head. “My project
is on things that are dilapidated, derelict and/or decrepit.”

Again he laughed. “Good words.”

He was quiet while I took two more photos, walked
around the building and began looking for a way inside. But the
conversation took on an accusatory vein when he spoke again. “Do
you have a hatred for the human race or only for me?”

I faced him, surprise drawing my features wide. His
eyes, intense and a little narrow immediately enthralled me. I took
a stealthy breath. “What makes you think I hate anyone?”

He settled back onto his heels as though he’d
expected a fight and hadn’t gotten one. Though his downturned lips
didn’t ease. “I’ve been trying to start up a conversation for ten
minutes but you won’t budge.”

“
So because I’m not a motor mouth
that means I hate humankind?”

“
Usually girls won’t shut
up.”

I didn’t know why but his comments were beginning to
offend me. “Maybe you hang out with different girls.”

“
Or maybe
you’re
the
different one.”

“
Thanks.” I glanced down at my
watch. After another quick photo of a dumpster between weeds as
tall as trees, I started back for school.

“
Aeon.”

I glanced over my shoulder without fully turning or
stopping. His camera was once again to his eye. The familiar
clunking sound meant he’d snapped another shot of me. No doubt a
score of wrinkles formed around my rapidly narrowing eyes. He’d
obviously laid in wait for
that
expression too because the
clicking of the shutter echoed in the parking lot again.

I hopped forward, in a hurry to be away from someone
who took
photographs
of me.

He was quickly on my heels. “That’s a cool name by
the way. It’s Latin for ‘time eternal’ right?”

He was the first person who had ever known what my
name meant. Most people asked me about the movie with Charlize
Theron. He probably read a lot. Maybe his looks weren’t all that he
had.

“
Yes,” I said, slowing and looking
at him.

There was a condescending twist of his lips. “I take
it most people have no clue what your name means?”

Reluctantly I nodded for him, relaxing slightly now
that I knew that smirk wasn’t meant for me. “They assume it’s from
that cartoon and movie.”

“
What cartoon and movie?”

“
The one with Charlize
Theron?”

His head cocked to the left. “Who is Charlize
Theron?”

“
Have you been living under a rock
for the last ten years?”

“
No, I just don’t particularly like
movies.” His tone had soured. Now I was the one doing the
offending.

I shook my head in disbelief and started moving
again. “There was a stylized cartoon on MTV back in the early
nineties called Aeon Flux. They did a live-action remake of it a
few years ago.”

“
Was she as mute as you?”