Turmoil

The Camera Full of Liars

"Shh, she's sleeping, "

Lorraine sits up, and I snap. The picture is perfect, her face a smudge of confusion, her hair tousled in the way only a girls hair can be. When she sees the camera, she shrieks and dives under the covers of her sleeping bag. Lorraine is so pretty, I have no clue why she hides under the covers. Even just out of bed, her face is the perfect candidate for my camera.

I snap another picture as she goes. Atlanta, beside me, laughs and crawls towards Lorraine. She grabs Lorraine's sleeping bag, pulling it off over her head, and then she begins to tickle her. The tent is full of giggles and a tumble of arms and legs. The pictures keep coming.

I like taking pictures. I like the camera and I like the way people look under its lens. I try to capture people when they're not posing,  when they're not being huge liars but are still liars just a little bit.

I think that sort of all people are liars, cause we show different faces in different situations, and I guess in a way, that's lying too. Actors are people who make money from lying. But while all people are liars, some are less of a liar than others.

Later on, after finishing off our stolen supplies for breakfast, we meet Donna in the clearing which the first meeting was held. I guess it's like a home base or something, you know where we go to talk. There are already other peeps there. The forest looks different in the morning, and Atlanta has no trouble finding the way, even without a map.

"You're all alive I see, " Donna greets us " pity, that means I need to buy more marshmallows for tonight, "

Everybody ignores the 'pity you're alive part'. We're too hyped up about the marshmallows. I look at Atlanta, and she grins at me, and her eyes are like marshmallows, and my eyes are like, yeah, and then she's like, told you this was a good idea, and I'm like, yeah.

But when Donna explains what our task is, I change my mind about this being a good idea. Fifteen minutes later, we're in a bog, following a red string. I can't help how ridiculous this is, Atlanta is still barefoot, and we're all caked in something. I wonder if there are snakes, cause dying from poisoning isn't really my thing. At least I have my camera, and the lighting is too good. Its weight is reassuring against my chest.

We have to go through the bog and collect all the puzzle pieces, the first team to get back and make the puzzle gets three stars/ points. The red string is our breadcrumbs, and if we step away too far from the path, we may sorta drown. So yeah, that's not that much of a good idea.

The idea of stars is stupid too. It's like first grade all over again, and hey if you're good, you get three stars, then two, then one. And if you suck you get none. Stars got you things. Like pots and whatever. Maybe, we wouldn't need to eat sushi after all.

Lorraine and Atlanta are in serious war mode. They are like Greek Goddesses or something. Lorraine is at the front of the line, looking for evidence of the crime, and Atlanta is the one who had the guts to step off the bog and actually like, get it.

I make it my job to catch Atlanta by the waist, whenever she swerves too far off the path. I didn't really talk to her much since yesterday, but when she woke up this morning, all princess and Atlanta like, and smiled at me, I couldn't be mad anymore. I mean, whatever if she made out with some dude. She was Atlanta, and she did that kind of shit.

It meant absolutely nothing.

Tim brings up the rear, not saying much, but he's the one minding the puzzle pieces.

"How many Tim? " Lorraine asks, for the hundredth time that day. I don't know what she expects to hear every time she asks the same question. The number hasn't gone up in a while. All she gets in reply is mumbling. Tim is counting the pieces.

"Twenty four, " he announces, then stuffs the puzzles into his pocket. He's so careful with them like they're his car or something. Tim is one queer dude. " one left, "

"Found it, " Atlanta sings, and we all turn to look where she's pointing at.

There a couple, of meters of the path, hidden in the shrubs, is the last puzzle piece. Lorraine's forehead wrinkles.

"I think it may be too far off the path, Atlanta, " she says

"It is, " Tim says. I can see that he has been counting in his head. If Tim says something like that like if Tim says something at all, he's sure of it. Uh-oh.

I should have moved faster. I know Atlanta is going to step off the path, and yet when my arms go out to go around her, she's already gone, out of my reach.

"Atlanta, please get back here, " Lorraine says, and she's watching everything anxiously. She looks at Atlanta as if she's a beloved pet, that went too near to the river.

"Atlanta you fool, " I hiss at her " get back here, "

She stops and turns around to face me, a smile tugging at her lips. Her hair is soaked through with sunshine, and her white shorts are splashed with dirt. My fingers press down on the camera button. Even during moments like these, I can't help myself. The pictures are my drug.

"Relax Phoenix, " she laughs " it's perfectly safe, they wouldn't have put it out this far if it wasn't, "

Then she turns around and continues on, cats steps dancing on the bog.

"She's going to fall in before she reaches the piece, " Tim says. I can see it in his eyes. He's already calculated the furthest place she can reach before sinking in. Like, did the dude take classes on bogs or something? I push my questions for Tim aside because I'm focused on my best friend, who's going to die. My breath hitches a little bit. I'm worried.

"Get back here, you fucking idiot, " I yell. I'm trying not to panic. If Tim thinks it's not safe, it probably isn't.

"Phoenix, don't curse, " Lorraine chides me, but her eyes are glued onto my best friend.

"You're going to die, " I tell Atlanta but she keeps on moving, feet prancing over the bog. She doesn't even turn back. The puzzle piece is three meters away from her.

"I'm not going to die, " she calls back.

"Yes, you are, "

"I haven't died yet, "

And then, the bog opens up beneath her, and Atlanta gets sucked in.