Life Through A Lense

Chapter One

"Life through a lens,

What a pretty little thing.

Life through a lens,

You can be most anything."

The lens shelters me. I am but a spectator of the Common Era. I take no part in what occurs around me. I have no spoken voice. My camera is my voice; my connection to reality.

My name is Keegan Wright; and I am no one."

Keegan Wright isn't someone you would label as typical. Her ideal after school location isn't the mall or some cafe, she'd rather be in the on her own with her camera as her only companion. Keegan views life through the lens of her camera. She's never been anywhere without it. In her eyes, the camera is her version of horcrux. Part of her lies within the object, or at least she believes it does.

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The world is a place of wonder during winter. When the sun sets over snow and the skies turn pink, that is my favorite time of the year. The way my camera catches the color amazes, mystifies, and befuddles me at the same time.

My photos from last year don't do the season justice. They are mediocre, and as a lover of the arts, they disgust me. I really need to step it up this year.

I shake my head at the photograph currently present on my screen. It had been taken during winter break last year while my family my parents and I were taking a vacation in Maine. The photo itself is magnificent, all of the key components are there: foreground, background, contrast, exposure, subject... That's where the problem lies.

The subject.

The subject in this case is not an it, but a he. He stood there, off centered, exactly where I prefer my subjects to be. His expression is that of someone going through a rough patch. He looked to be deep in thought, oblivious to the fact that a girl was taking a photo of him. Recently, I have been analyzing the photo in a way I never have before. I may even have it committed to memory.

A sigh escapes past my lips as I put the monitor to sleep. The apple emblem fades to black. I push my chair back from my desk and stand up. Lazily, I head towards my bedroom door, on the way there I grab my backpack and unhook my camera from the charger. I run my hand over the shutter button as I shuffle down the steps.

Jacob streams past me, nearly succeeding in knocking me over. For a five year old, he holds a lot of energy. I enter the kitchen and quickly glance at the clock. I breathe a sigh of relief. I have enough time to grab breakfast before going to school.

Haley, my step-mother, hands me a waffle bathed in powdered sugar. Haley and my father have been together for nearly a third of my life, they got married six years ago and had Jacob a year after that. Haley may be my step mother, but contrary to typical beliefs about step-mothers, she isn't all that bad. Unlike stepmothers such as the one in Cinderella, Haley isn't here just because my dad is a bit more fortunate in the wealth department than your average person. She actually loves him, and thats all I could really ask of her.

Haley smiles at me, "Did you sleep well?" she asks.

"Mmhmm," I reply as I take a bite out of my waffle. Haley is a great cook, much better than any of the chefs Dad hired when I was younger. Haley is against even the mere idea of someone else cooking for us. She'd rather do it herself, which is exactly what she does.

I glance at the clock again, either I leave now or I'm late. Opting for the prior, I rise from my seat, hug Haley, grab my things, and exit out the front door. The cool October air sends chills through the sleeves of my jacket. Winter is on its way and I'm already prepared to redeem myself with an abundant amount of photos that meet my new standards.

The brick building steadily becomes more visible over the horizon as I walk nearer.

A sense of forewarning, a premonition of sorts begins to churn in my head as I draw closer. Something big is going to happen today, I can feel it. I may not be a prophet, but I know this for a fact.

The grass crunches beneath my feet. The hum of steady conversations reach my ears. From the amount of students lounging around outside, I can tell the bell hasn't rung yet.

The feeling lurks in the back of my mind all day. Not once did it release me from its grip. Before long, the bell rings, signaling the end of the day, I gather my things and stand up. I stay near my desk. It would be suicide to attempt to push through the hoard of students eager to get home. The halls begin to clear up so I take my leave. My eyes roam over the yellow buses parked in front of the school. The last time I rode a bus was in sixth grade. In a strange way, I miss the awkward rides and hole-ridden seats.

I don't move, I just stand there, staring at the past with wandering eyes. Everything is calm and my world is silent. My peace is interrupted by someone bumping into me. The camera I always keep looped around my neck jerks forward, causing the strap to extend and swing the camera back into my chest. I stumble backwards and lose my footing.

I'm falling.

Then, I'm not. My arm is in the grip of a guy. My head is a foot off the ground. He had caught me. I look up at his face. Something about him strikes me familiar.

"Sorry about that," he says as he pulls me back up and releases my arm, "I didn't see you there." I can't blame him though, in a way, I'm like an apparition, only noticed by the teachers for my academic accomplishments.

"I'm Declan," he smiles and outstretches his hand. I glance at his hand and mentally slap myself, he's being formal.

"Keegan," I say as I take his hand in mine.

He continues smiling and glances over at the buses. I watch as his eyes grow wide and the smile drops. Following his gaze, I realize the buses are no longer there.

He lets out an exasperated sigh and returns his gaze to me.

"It was nice meeting you Keegan, but I have to go," he turns, takes a step towards the door, then spins to face me again.

"Do you by any chance know how to get to the elementary school?" he asks.

**(Author's Note Below)**

Okay, so I wrote this years ago and I'm just now posting it. I've been holding on to this one and thinking that I could write the entire book before beginning the posting process, but I know that if I do that this book will never be finished. So here's part one. Hopefully part two doesn't take too long to post. Hope you enjoyed!