Forgotten Photography: The Case Of Maddison Valentine

Chapter Two

Evergreen woke up bright and early, her clock reading five forty-five in the morning, the sun barely crowning the landscape as she yawned and stretched. She quickly made her way for a shower and got dressed, watching the sun come up from her window. It had apparently rained the night before, still a little cloudy. She opened it just a little, allowing the cool breeze to roll in, bringing the fresh smell of moisture from outside with it. She took a deep breath, and enjoyed the sight as the sun finally broke its way up at around six o'clock. She gathered her photography equipment and headed downstairs, her mother having left for work already. She went outside and with pep in her step, made her way to Officer Tom Elliot's Office. She enjoyed the sound of pine needles under her feet, twigs also snapping underneath her feet as she made her way down the street, taking each side street and alleyway she could to get to the edge of the town. Just nestled outside was a cabin that was transformed into a guard station and office for the old Ranger.

Sitting outside was Tom, on a rocking chair, polishing his shotgun. He looked at peace, he loved the antique with all his might. It was outdated but it still worked perfectly, probably because of the care he took of it. Tom was her father's best friend on the force, a couple of training buddies. Everyone thought Tom was a bit old to be a just-starting cop on the force, but her dad didn't think twice of it. He even stood up for his buddy against any bullies who might otherwise give Tom a hard time. When he saw Evergreen, he stood and grinned, waving.

"Evergreen! Kid! It's been a while, ya turd!" Yelled the Ranger, making Evergreen laugh.

"I know, I know! I've just been taking photos, you know the drill!" She grinned as he gave her a great big 'ol hug. She thought he was going to squeeze the air right out of her.

"Can't....Breathe....Tom...."She barely wheezed out as he let go.

"Haha, sorry kid." He rubbed his five o'clock shadow in embarrassment. "How's Bella, your mama? She doing alright?"

"Yeah, she is doing great. Said you two have a date tomorrow?" Evergreen grinned at him as he blushed, clearing his throat.

"Ah, yeah. I hope she is as excited as I am!" He beamed. For a slightly older fellow he sure acted like a sixteen year old boy when it came to Evergreen's mom. They had been dating for a couple years, but every date seemed like their first with how excited they were to see each other. He took good care of Evergreen and her mom, and Evergreen was happy that even after her father passed, her mother didn't have to be lonely. It helped that Tom's wife was also on the Search-And-Rescue team that went missing with her dad, her mom wasn't alone in her loss.

"Hey, can I ask you a favor? I need to go feed the dogs at the shelter. Any chance you could give me a hand?" Tom stood up and slid the shotgun behind his back after attaching the strap.

"Absolutely! I'd love to! Lead the way!" Evergreen beamed and followed her soon-to-be, or rather, might-as-well-be step-father to the shelter. She tried to match his steps but he was pretty tall and it made matching up difficult. It was only a few blocks away through some hiking trails, and Evergreen could hear the dogs as they neared closer, barking and howling, definitely ready for their next meal.

"I'm glad this is situated outside of town! I would have so many noise complaints by now!" Joked Tom, unlocking the door and turning on the fluorescent lighting of the old brick building. The hum of electricity filled the air, just barely drowned out by the sounds of excited dogs. As they walked through and started filling food bowls, one dog stood out to Evergreen. The dog was very calm, sitting on his bed, tail wagging, as he waited patiently for his food. As the fence slid open, he trotted up and started giving Evergreen as many kisses as he could to say thank you for the food.

"He really seems to like ya, his name is Hades, if you wanted to know." The stocky bully breed barked at the mention of his name, tail still wagging as he ate the food set down in front of him. He didn't scarf it like the other dogs, but ate casually, until his bowl was empty. Then he polished off his water and sat on Evergreen's lap, who sat to watch him.

"He's so sweet, what a good dog, who could give him away?" Evergreen pet his head, smiling gently.

"I don't know, actually I found him not far from here. He looked in good shape, I just was never able to find his owner. Strange. Sometimes life is like that, though." Tom shrugged, also petting Hades. "Say, would you like to adopt him? He needs a good home, and honestly he is too precious to stay locked in here. I'll even deal with the paperwork for you, I know your mom won't mind. A girl needs a big, strong friend in this day and age."

Evergreen's eyes lit up at the mention of adopting the dog. "Absolutely! Yes!" Without wasting a second, Tom disappeared, and reappeared with a folder.

"Here is all his paperwork. He's had his shots, he is also fixed, as you can tell." Tom handed Evergreen the file, who smiled in delight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" Evergreen hugged Hades tightly, whose tail just wagged harder. Tom attached his matching leash to his collar, handing it to Evergreen, who gently set Hades down and stood up.

"Here, let me take you out to the field so you and your new friend can play. Here is his ball, he is very good at fetching." Evergreen followed Tom outside, and her and Hades played for hours, the dog happily running this way and that, bringing the ball back every time he retrieved it. They spent so much time playing, that by the time they were done and Hades was yet again eating, the sun had started to go down.

"Oh dear, it's getting dark. When Hades is done eating, you two need to head on home. Last thing I need is for you to be so close to the woods at night." Tom shuffled anxiously, staring at the horizon.

"It isn't that bad, I'll be okay. We aren't that far from town." Evergreen sighed, looking at Tom.

"I'm still not going to risk it, I don't need you disappearing. I won't lose another person." Tom started to choke up, making Evergreen's eyebrows furrow. She gently touched his arm just as Hades finished his food.

"No, no. Please don't cry, I understand. I'll take the safe way home, with all the streetlights as well, just in case it gets just a bit too dark before we reach home." Tom thanked Evergreen, giving her a bear hug and sending her on her way, watching them until he couldn't see them anymore.

Evergreen felt herself become a bit more paranoid the second she was out of Tom's sight, the sun slowly drifting lower and lower, causing her to quicken her pace. She felt the need to look behind her, just for a second, and caught a familiar sight.

The silhouette.

Evergreen lost her footing, and fell, Hades immediately running up to her to make sure she was okay. She had scraped her knee pretty badly, but she couldn't take her eyes off the woman. She started to feel nauseous and immediately knew she needed to get home as the streetlights came on. It wasn't dark yet, but she wasn't going to test anything now. She got up and brushed herself off, looking back up to see the silhouette was gone. Had she just imagined it? She even injured herself in the process like an idiot, cursing at herself she hobbled her way home quickly, making it to the door, but the pit in her stomach would not go away now. She brought Hades inside, her mother was already in bed, asleep.

She locked the door behind her and quietly made her way up the stairs. It was a slow and careful ascension, but she didn't want to make the cuts to her knee bleed too badly on the way up.

No need to stain the carpet. She thought to herself.

She made it to her private bathroom, unhooking Hades' leash after she closed her bedroom door. He hopped up on her bed and curled up, clearly exhausted from the day. She cleaned and dressed her wound, and made her way to her bed. Even as she turned out the light to sleep, she felt as if she was being watched.

Ridiculous, she thought, I must be delirious. I need to sleep.

As she finally became settled, it still felt like hours before she finally fell asleep. When she did, she was whisked away into a whirlwind of a dream.