Sparks

Chapter 32

A blanket is wrapped around my shoulders. I'm not particularly cold, but I'm certainly still a bit frightened from earlier. Jacob and Carrie are first going through the footage on my barrette camera.

Jacob bites his lip as he surveys the images on a smaller screen only he can see that's on the console itself. "Alright, I think I've isolated the bits we're interested in." A picture appears on the big screen. However, it isn't what I am expecting.

"That's not the bit with Sparky. That's when -"

"Yes, when you were installing the camera. I'm going to make sure you did it properly." I yawn loudly.

"Do you think you can do that after we watch the interesting bits? I'm about to fall asleep."

"You can sleep on the couch here, but sure, that makes sense." He pulls up another picture and this time, it's the sunset-lit alley.

I watch sleepily as the camera moves with my past movements. It's almost mesmerizing and I slowly grow closer to sleep. First I'm sitting upright, then I'm leaning against the back, and now I'm laying with my head on the arm of the couch.

The camera moves slowly forward, stopping and starting and every once in a while panning left and right as I looked around.

Then I see it.

The figure that was Sparky, leaning against a wall.

I survey the silhouette with a tired, analytical air. I haven't any fear now, I haven't any reason to fear. It's just a video, and it's not even a particularly bad memory. Just an odd one. The memory of being startled is not enough to startle me again, especially with my current level of exhaustion.

The camera stops moving and a light moves slowly closer to the figure. Carrie tsks.

"That is your idea of subtle? I'm almost impressed." I giggle a bit, but don't respond.

The light grows close enough that I can see colors and shapes in the video and then stops. There's the standard gray hoodie, the jeans that are tighter than I remember. Not quite skinny jeans, but definitely its size. And I don't know how I mistook the breasts for fat, they are very obviously breasts. If what I know about Sparky is correct, and what I assume about it is also correct, then it probably hasn't an ounce of fat anywhere in its body.

I yawn again. Wow, the exhaustion is really starting to warp my trains of thought.

The video continues. It turns to look at me and the camera jumps, revealing that the flashlight beam has leaped to its face. Carrie barks a laugh.

"Wow, it's like you're trying to get it to notice you." I snort.

"You and me -" I yawn again. "We all both know that isn't true."

"Wow, you're really tired," interjects Jacob. "Do you need to, like, go to bed or something?" I wave my hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Long's you're okay with me falling asleep here, then I'll be fine."

"Whatever you say."

I look back at the camera. Jacob's paused it on a perfect frame of Sparky's face being lit up by the flashlight. Its expression is neutral.

"If you hit play for a few seconds, you'll see it grin at me. But you gotta go fast, because I ran right after that."

"Noted." He hits play and pauses right at the first hint of a smile. Then, he unpauses and pauses it again to reveal more of it very quickly.

"Ya know, if that smile was on near anyone else," I yawn again, "I'd say it was real pretty."

"Since when do you talk like that?" Jacob laughs.