Keepers of Time

8. Snapshots

Chapter 8-Snapshots

Gabriel didn’t only have one sole mission for this trip.  He had two.  He was a benevolent dictator when it came to gathering us all up the next morning – like sheep, while he was our shepherd - for our Paris outing of the day.  He even had an itinerary that he had worked on the night before.  Who does that?  Oh, that’s right.  Him.

Being here I thought that we would all go our separate ways and explore the city on our own with whomever we wanted, but that was not the case here.  Sure, some of the Keepers and their novices went off on their own after getting Gabe’s approval.  What I found even more comical was that they actually asked him!  I would have thought they’d just go off without him knowing and have to answer to him later, but no – they actually asked.  He had more respect from them than I thought.  It was more than I could say for myself.

By the end of the morning there were only six of us left out of our group of nineteen.  There was Beth who was idly snapping candid shots of us with her camera.  She had already caught me in a not so attractive pose.  I also saw her snap a photo of Kimberly and Lucas; a smile on both of their faces as if there was nowhere else they’d rather be.  Nole was quiet – keeping to himself as he walked besides Beth.  His eyes roamed to his surroundings and finally settled on Beth, a smile forming on his lips as she took a picture of a couple ahead of us.  She sighed dreamily and trotted on, snapping pictures of anything and everything.  We were merely a canvas to her artistic eye as she found beauty all around her, even if I couldn’t understand it.

Walking along the banks of the Seine River we came across many of the bridges that had been erected around the 1700’s.  There was so much history laid into the stones we walked under, each having their own story and place on record.  Our group stopped on the Pont de la Concorde Bridge and we looked out at the city before us.  On one side of the bridge I saw the faraway landmark that Paris was widely known for, the Eiffel Tower.  The overcast sky made the Eiffel Tower look farther than it actually was, covering it with a light mist as the clouds rolled in from the North. 

Looking down the Seine River, I saw decorative lights hanging casually along the bridge.  They were golden brown with vines twining in the center of each light.  Christmas was approaching and I counted in my head how far away it was until the festivities arrived.  If I was correct it was only three weeks away as this was the first week of the month.  It amazed me how easily I lost track of time when my sole purpose in life was protecting time from evil.

“Ha!  Got you!”  I heard Beth squeal as Gabriel stepped forward and seized her hand playfully.

“You got me unprepared!  Aren’t you supposed to tell us to say cheese before you take a picture?”  He asked in mock outraged.  I laughed at how carefree this day has been for all of us.

“Nope.”  She said popping the ‘p’.  “That’s why they are called candid shots.  I’m making something and it has to be as real as possible.  No fake smiles or fake poses.  Natural.”

“But you didn’t do that to Kimberly and Lucas.”  Gabriel said, crossing his hands over his chest.  “I don’t think it’s fair at all.”

“Hey,” Kimberly said, smiling.  “Don’t bring us into this.  Maybe, you should have been more guarded like we were.”  Looking at her I caught her eye and offered a small smile, but she quickly averted her eyes.

It had been like that all morning, and I had no idea what I had done to have vexed her so.  Every time I’d catch her gaze she’d quickly avert her eyes or pull on a blank stare and turn her attention to Lucas, which he openly accepted.  It angered me how she was acting towards me, and I didn’t know why.  I wasn’t the kind to worry about what people thought.  So why did I care about what she thought of me?