A Family Affair (Hunter Street)

Chapter Fourteen -- A Detail Unseen

THE RED LIGHT on the camera shone directly into Jasmyn's eyes as Jennie sat down next to her in the secret room. The camera sat on the desk in front of them, facing the chairs and the bookcase that turned into a door, though that was propped open with a random book so no one else could see them filming this video. Though, Jasmyn would have been grateful if anyone would walk into the room because she really didn't want to do this Q and A challenge right now. She wanted to actually figure out what the code meant.

"Hey, guys!" Jennie said, waving to the camera in front of them. Her smile was so energetic and bright that Jasmyn was blinded for a moment, wondering where this personality came from. Sure, Jennie was happy and bright and full of jokes, but this was a totally different version of her that she put on for her fans. "Today, I have my friend, the one and only Jasmyn, with me. She's from the forest, but she's spending the holidays here with the Hunters and me. Isn't that great, Jasmyn?"

For just a second there, Jasmyn nearly told her that it wasn't great, that she wanted to be home in the forest. But she didn't know where that came from. It just bubbled up in her throat and chest, nearly stealing her breath. However, she forced a smile on her face and said, "Yeah. I've been having a lot of fun here with you and everyone else."

Jennie turned her attention back to the camera and went through her little introduction speech that she did in each video, talking just a little bit about the treasure hunt but more about her mission to document every second of her life. Jasmyn made sure that she kept the smile on her face while Jennie talked because she didn't want to seem angry or something else. 

This was one of the first videos that Jasmyn had been in alone without the other girls. Anika seemed to be a natural at being on camera, probably because she was always so bright and happy. Well, as happy as one could be when their younger sister wouldn't talk to her or spend time with her. But she didn't show that on camera. The videos that Anika were in were usually the ones that got the highest views because her and Jennie would basically crack jokes until they were laughing too hard to even talk. 

"Okay, Jasmyn," Jennie said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "My first question is: how did you meet the Hunters?"

Soon enough, Jasmyn figured out why it was so easy to be in front of the camera. Her and Jennie were already friends, so it was pretty easy to just chat with her and ignore the camera in front of them. She went into detail about how she met the Hunters and Jennie and how much she loved them. Jasmyn even threw in a small monologue about the museum that Erik and Kate worked so hard to provide for the public, telling the camera that the museum was going to open back up after the New Year. 

However, Jasmyn's easy answers quickly started getting harder with her, especially when Jennie switched gears a little bit. She started asking questions about Sal to Jasmyn. At first, Jennie asked Jasmyn about a strange memory she had with one of the Hunters, and Jasmyn answered her, telling her about the time Sal had to dress up in a beekeeper's outfit in the forest, though Jasmyn couldn't exactly remember why. And this was where Jennie picked up in her questions about Sal, making Jasmyn more and more uncomfortable.

"What were you and Sal talking about before he told me to take my vlog series down?" Jennie asked her, a small grin appearing on her face. Jasmyn's face grew a little warm, but she didn't dare look away from Jennie or else she would know something else was up. "And did you see him after he left?"

Jasmyn desperately wanted to follow Sal when he was here the other day, but she knew everyone would have wondered why she was following him. But she obviously couldn't have told that to Jennie. No way would she ever reveal that to the world, let alone the Hunters. So, she shook her head and smiled at Jennie. She wouldn't tell her the whole truth about what went down with her and Sal.