Beyond The Crash

CHAPTER 17 | [WELCOME BACK <PT II>]

On their way to their next class, Lilley noticed that Nicky was awfully quiet, which was unusual as he would converse with her about literally anything. Although he was still smiling, he had a different demeanour.
It's like a smile is just forever plastered on his face, she thought. But this one feels different.

She sighed but immediately flinched as she heard another sound of a camera. She glanced behind her, but it was just a few students lounging about in the hallway. No one was with a camera of even paying them any attention as it seemed. She sighed yet again.

I'm being way too paranoid... and stressed, she glanced at Nicky. He looked deep in thought, and his smile was halfway gone now. Despite that, Lilley was still amazed how he always smiled and had so much energy. She looked down at their path as she played with her fingers. Unadmittedly, she may have envied that.

*●|●*

That is it. I've had enough! Lilley mumbled to herself, her eyes glazing with fury and her arms crossed together. At first, she thought it was a mistake that she was hallucinating, but the fact that it had happened multiple times while in school, she was fed up.

She figured it had to either one of three things. First, she was still imagining things. Second, someone from the school was actually secretly taking pictures of her. Third, the school has a system that makes a camera sound.
Likely not the third, she thought. But it doesn't hurt to confirm.

She remembered Mrs. Julia words, that she can come to her whenever she needed anything. At least something within those lines. She's not one to complain to the school about every little discomfort but after what happened to her last time... the similarity to this... she just had to do it. She hoped, though, that she won't come off too paranoid over nothing. That was why before she met with Stella to go home together, she went to see Mrs. Julia.

"What can I do for you today, Miss Anderson?" Julia asked behind her desk, legs crossed and eyes tired. Julia had a feeling she was here to ask or complain about something the school she didn't get, which was understandable as the FWA (Future Wise Academy) system was different from other schools around. Though it was surprising she came this early when it's been barely a week, she got admitted.

Lilley could feel her heartbeat rise up to her ears. This time, she had no connection to what happened. She breathed in slowly, then exhaled. Now, she was a bit calm and not second-guessing going to Mrs. Julia, she everything explained calmly.

"I could be just hallucinating everything and wasting both our times, but I just can't shake off the feeling of hearing a camera, and it's really unsettling. I don't know if it's just one person or if it's a group or if it's just a system in this school. I would just like some clarification because I'm so confused." She concluded.

There was a brief silence between them before Julia spoke. "I think I know what you're talking about," she said as she massaged her temples, her eyes scanning her table as if looking for something. When it looked like she couldn't find it, she stared at Lilley again. "I'm sorry you felt uneasy about this, and I understand your concern, but it's nothing you should worry about," she smiled small as Lilley tilted her head, confused.

"The photography club is currently undergoing training. You could say they're in their workshop era. It happens every year. They take pictures of their surroundings according to the assignment but never of people without their permission. They've been told to stop that," Julia explained. "You may have just heard them at work."

Lilley slowly nodded, trying her best to digest the newfound information.
"Students who hear it normally misinterpret it, but I am amazed by your keen hearing skills. It usually takes a week or so before people notice," Julia paused, her eyes watching Lilley's unsure ones.
"But that doesn't mean your complaint is irrelevant. I'll take care of it. They've caused you so much distress,"