The day started as any other day had in my so-called life. I got up, showered, got dressed, ate
breakfast, and as always, grapped my camera before heading out the door. The morning air
was refreshing and light and I found myself breathing deeper, enjoying it while it lasted. By 10 am
the hair would be thick with humidty, a typical summer day in Kansas.
"Hmmm, summer." I hummed to myself and let a smile take it's place on my lips. The beginning of
summer meant the end of my high school career. Closing my eyes, I let my myself wander the
street blind. My thoughts drifted to what my life would become when I finally left the nothing-of-a-
town for good.
First I would be off to college, I had recently recieved my letter of acceptance to the Art Institute of
Denver, Colorado. While I wouldn't be escaping the hot, mucky summers or blistering, cold winters,
I'd be away from here where nothing would ever happen for me. I opened my eyes when I heard the
slight rumble of a car coming my way and stepped up onto the nearby curb. I watched as the car
passed me without slowing down or even acknowledge I was there.
That was another problem with living in a nowhere, nothing town, you couldn't really become
anybody. Sure you could be the homecoming queen or star athlete to be remembered by but
the only people to know who you were were limited to ones who lived here. No one else
would care what you did here anywhere else in the world, and that was just something I
couldn't do. I wanted everyone to know who I was, to see my photos and say "Wow, that
girl has really made something of herself." And I wouldn't give up until I was there.
I traced a finger down my neckstrap until it reached the camera it clung to. Gripping it with one hand
and using the other to quickly release the lens cap, I then pulled it to my face and looked at the
world through the viewfinder. I loved the way I could capture any usual, ordianary setting and
make it seem like a whole other world. All you had to do was manipulate what you saw into
what you wanted to see. I loved to document my entire day with pictures. There wasn't ever
a time when my camera wasn't with me. If it wasn't on my neck, it was in my backpack. But
always with me.
As I was gazing through my lens and snapping pictures here and there, I began to get an eerie
sense that I was being watched. Being paranoid, I dropped the camera back down so it once
again hung by the strap and laid against my chest. I scanned my surroundings, but when I didn't
see anything out of the ordinary I picked my camera back up and shot a few more photographs
before I made it to school. When I finally arrived, I was running a bit late so I didn't have time to
review my pictures as I usually do before class started. I sighed and decided that it would just
have to wait until I went to lunch.
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When the bell finally rang for lunch hour, I quickly grabbed my bag and was the first out the door.
I couldn't wait to review the pictures I had taken this morning. On my way I met up with my best
friend Whitney and together we journeyed to the cafeteria. At seeing what was on the lunch menu
I opted out of eating lunch today and decided I'd rather spend it showing Whitney my new set of
pictures. Besides myself, Whitney was the best a critiquing my work. If flipping through every
one of my photos everyday bothered her, she never showed it. As far as I knew, she was also my
biggest fan. SInce I began, what started out as a hobby, photography her gifts for Christmas and
her birthday had consisted of something she had picked from my many piles of photographs.
Some where of us, or ones just of her, or of things she loved most.
"So, what do you have for me today Cassie?" she asked with excitement growing on her slightly
round, but beautiful face.
"Oh, well I didn't get as many I wanted this morning but I think I got some pretty good ones of the
sunrise." I grabbed my camera out of my bag and handed it to her. I'm pretty sure she was the
only person to ever touch my camera. Anyone else would probably lose an appendage if they
ever dared. As she looked through them little "oohs" and "awws" and "I LOVE this ones" escaped
from her mouth while I picked through the newest Shutterbug Magazine.
I heard her stop on one for a while and finally she asked;
"So, whose the hottie in this one? And why haven't I heard about him yet?"
I looked up from the article I was reading and looked at her with a dumb founded look. Hottie? I
hadn't seen so much as a squirrel this morning let alone any hot guys. So with curiosity I peered
over her shoulder and stared down at the small LCD screen. I couldn't believe it. There he was,
in the picture I had taken of the sun just peeking over the hills that sat just on the edge of town.
I swallowed hard remembering that feeling I had had on the to school that morning. Like I was
being watched, and it sent a chill down my spine and I shivered.
Still looking at the picture I said quietly, almost whispering, " Because I swear when I took that
photo, there wasn't anyone there.'
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