This one kind of got away from me. It's longer than both of the other chapters combined. That's mostly because there wasn't a lot of Camsten. Sorry there's a lot of case plot. I didn't want to have the wandering aimlessly, but got a little carried away.
Camille drained her third glass of wine. She could feel the alcohol sloshing her thoughts around. Linus hadn't sent her a text in a while. It was hard to say whether that was a good or a bad sign. Hopefully, Cameron got more to the point than Kirsten did. It had been an hour already, yet Camille had learned nothing. Kirsten's extreme attention to detail and non-existent awareness of time made her a long winded and, quite frankly, boring storyteller.
"I have to go use the little scientist's room," Camille joked as she got off of the couch.
Kirsten frowned. "That's the third time since we started drinking. I haven't had to pee once. You should think about seeing a doctor."
Camille made a face, but tried to play it off. "Made the mistake of breaking the seal. Now I can't stop going. It sucks, but what else can I do?"
"That's not a real thing!" Kirsten called after her roommate as she hustled down the hallway.
Camille ran into the bathroom and locked the door. She flipped down the toilet seat lid and sat on it. There were no message notifications on her phone screen. Camille swore under her breath and reread Linus' texts from an hour ago.
Dude, he's stress baking. It smells so good.
I almost feel guilty profiting off of his pain. ALMOST.
He's listening to the most miserable collection of songs ever. This one just keeps repeating 'I don't love you but I always will.'
It's time. Keep me posted.
Camille had sent him over there when she realized that Kirsten wasn't upset about Liam. At first it had seemed like that was what was going on. When all of Kirsten's stories were about Cameron and his feelings, Camille figured maybe he was the root of her roommate's crisis. If something had happened between them, then he needed Linus. Plus, there was a low likelihood that Camille would get the whole story from Kirsten. She wasn't nosey exactly, just unnaturally curious.
Or something.
Camille's fingers typed out a quick text to update Linus. For good measure she flushed the toilet and washed her hands. When she returned to the living room she noticed that Kirsten had swapped their wine glasses for water ones. There was also a bag of pretzel sticks out. Kirsten grabbed a handful of them.
"So, as you know, the Nora Marin case was really hard on me..."
Kirsten secretly enjoyed the pre-stitch run down. The checklist was soothing for her. It let her know that all of the equipment was running smoothly. Also, it helped Cameron slip into his role as her lifeline. There was a confidence in his voice that only appeared during stitches. He reached the end of the list then initiated the stitch neurosync.
The floating feeling in her stomach told Kirsten it had worked. She adjusted to how her body moved in another person's consciousness. It always felt equal parts weightless and too heavy. Sometimes it took a great effort to move two steps. Other times she stumbled forward without much thought.
Her keen eyes scanned the surroundings. It was a tiny room with two twin beds in it. There was a piece of cork on one wall that held photos, movie ticket stubs, and pieces of comic book artwork. Clothes and books were strewn along one side, while the other was relatively clean. A few notebooks and textbooks were in neat piles on the floor. Kirsten figured she was in a dorm room. The framed photos on the cleaner side of the room led her to believe it was Nora's.
"What do you see, Ace?" Cameron's voice interrupted her investigation.
"Did she have a roommate? We should talk to her," Kirsten said into her commlink.
A sniffling noise from the corner caught her attention. Nora Marin sat with her knees under her chin in the corner of the room. Flashes of two girls kept popping up. The dark-haired one was Nora. Sometimes she seemed so full of life, happily laughing with a redhead. Sometimes she was yelling viciously at the same redhead. The little moments continued as the crying Nora relived them. She looked at a framed photo in her hand. It was of two little girls dressed up like superheroes. Kirsten's chest ached. There was a strange pressure in her lungs, making it hard for her to breathe.
"You okay, Goose? Your vitals are a little wonky," Cameron asked.
Kirsten shook her head to clear it. "I'm fine. She's just really emotional."
The dorm dissolved into some sort of government building. Two young girls, a brunette and a redhead, were all dolled up. They were with a man in a suit and a woman in a white dress. The man and woman exchanged rings. The redhead grabbed the brunette's hand and squeezed it. "It worked. Now we're officially sisters," she whispered.
Kirsten examined the girls closely. "Can you look up her family? I think her step-sister might be her roommate."
It took a moment for Cameron to respond. "Good call, Stretch. Nora's file says her dad remarried when she was ten. Her step-sister's name is Meaghan. She's listed as a freshman at the same college as Nora."
"They were really close," Kirsten told him sadly. She could feel how much the girls cared for each other. There had been some sort of shift in their relationship, but she couldn't figure out what it was.
The memory changed rapidly. A digital clock claimed it was one in the morning. Nora sat at her desk. She was in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Her phone lit up with a phone call from Meaghan. Kirsten couldn't hear it, but it must've been important. Nora collected her wallet, keys, and a small bottle, then ran out the door. She didn't even change out of her pajamas.
"Something happened. I don't know what it is though," Kirsten reported.
Nora waded through the bodies at a loud party. She was still in the sweatpants and t-shirt. Once she made it to the stairs, she vaulted up them. The memory moved to a bedroom. A blonde girl sat with a half-asleep Meaghan. They both wore matching teal shirts with Greek letters on them. Nora knelt beside them. She pushed Meaghan's red hair behind her ear.
Kirsten put a hand to her earpiece. "Meaghan is in Upsilon Epsilon. I think I'm at a frat party."
"Oh, M." Nora turned to the blonde. "What happened, Carly?"
Carly, the blonde, sniffled. "I don't know. She was fine until she wasn't. She just started breaking out into hives. I got her up here immediately and called you. Nicki found some Benadryl in the bathroom and we gave it to her. I didn't even know she had any allergies. "
"You did the right thing. Thank you," Nora told her.
Carly gave her a watery smile. "She's my sister. It's my duty."
A strange look crossed Nora's face then vanished. Her expression became carefully blank. The only tell that she was upset was the way she held her hands. Her fingers were linked so tightly together that the knuckles were white. Something white hot burned in Kirsten's stomach.
"What was she drinking?" Nora asked.
Carly held up a red, plastic cup. "This was hers. It was just rum and Coke, the same thing she always has. I don't know what would've set her off."
"Sixty seconds, Pork Chop," Cameron announced. "Anything going on?"
Kirsten moved closer to the girls. "Meaghan had an allergic reaction to something. Nora's hair is longer than it was when she died. This isn't that recent."
Nora grabbed Meaghan's hand. Her step-sister shifted in her sleep.
"Hey Wonder Woman. Here to save the day?" Meaghan asked blearily.
Nora smiled at her, slightly teary-eyed. "Heard you had some Kryptonite."
Meaghan blinked slowly. She looked like she was going to fall asleep again. Nora and Carly picked Meaghan up so Nora could drive her home.
Cameron's voice sounded strangely loud in Kirsten's ear. "You gotta make the bounce."
Kirsten didn't think there was anything else she could get from the stitch. She typed her exit passcode. As she snapped out of Nora's mind, the ache came back. It burned at her, tangy and bitter like touching her tongue to a penny. Ayo was at the her side to take her pulse. She smiled at Kirsten before she took her wrist. A gentle warmth melted at the edges of her heart. It wasn't enough to dull the feeling, but it definitely lessened the pain.
If Kirsten had to guess, she'd say that her residual emotion this time was loneliness. It wasn't one she had ever felt before. She definitely didn't like the way it made her chest hurt. Camille took some more of the pain away when she brought over a towel and draped it over her friend's shoulders.
The strangest part was that Cameron made it worse. He handed over Kirsten's phone and informed her that she had missed a call from Liam. The gesture also came with a reminder about silencing her phone before stitching. The interaction made the cavern behind her sternum seem even deeper than before. Usually he was the one who talked her through emotions. Kirsten's reaction left her feeling unsettled.
Kirsten went over the highlights of the stitch. There hadn't been all that much to learn. They would have to interview Nora's family and friends. If that didn't pan out, there was always hacking into her personal accounts. Meaghan was a great starting point though.
"I think Camille should work with me today," Kirsten told Maggie.
Cameron blinked rapidly, clearly caught off guard. "Why?"
"I want to talk to Meaghan. If she's in a sorority she'll probably be at the house or with her sisters. They'll be more likely to talk to Camille."
Cameron opened his mouth to counter that, but Camille beat him to talking. "I'd love to go out in the field."
Maggie looked between the two women thoughtfully. "I think that's a smart idea. Cameron, you can go talk with the RA and Nora's neighbors. It's possible she confided with someone in her dorm. Make sure you try to talk with the girl that found her."
"Who's going with him?" Kirsten asked.
Linus raised his hand. "I'll go." He held up his hand for a high five. Cameron unenthusiastically returned it.
Maggie nodded once. "Yeah, that'll work."
Kirsten turned toward the locker room. She needed to change before they went to the college. Her sense of style wasn't very fashionable, but she knew the catsuit would draw strange looks. Footsteps sounded behind her.
"Here to make sure I fit in?" Kirsten teased. She expected Camille to be at her side, but it was Cameron who walked up instead. The pain in her chest amplified. "Did I forget something?"
Cameron shook his head. "I just wanted to check in. You said Nora was really emotional."
Kirsten was usually upfront with Cameron about her residual emotions. She wasn't sure how he would take this one though. It felt like spending some time with Camille would help immensely. Kirsten told herself that if she wasn't feeling better by then, that she would talk with Cameron.
"I'm feeling okay right now. How about we meet up on campus once we're done? We can have a little lunch meeting and go over everything we learned."
That seemed to mollify Cameron somewhat. He wished her good luck. Kirsten felt like she needed to do something, but she wasn't sure what. As he turned to leave, she grabbed his sleeve to stop him.
"It's going to feel weird being out in the field without you," she confessed.
It was the wrong thing to say. Cameron's smile was small, but seemed genuine. It should've made her happy. Something about it shredded Kirsten's heart though.
Camille darted off course as they walked through the heart of the campus. Kirsten wasn't sure where her roommate was hustling to, but she followed anyway. Camille's destination appeared to be a smoothie shop.
"We're supposed to be meeting the guys for lunch," Kirsten called after her.
Camille increased her speed. She ran in the door and ordered a large mango smoothie before Kirsten could stop her.
"Seriously, Camille?"
Camille shrugged and handed her credit card over to the cashier. "I had to pretend that I was allergic to one of my favorite foods, then watch you all eat it. I earned this."
They had just left the sorority house. It had been kind of a bust. Camille had sufficiently won the girls over, but they didn't have much information. They had readily accepted Kirsten and Camille into their fold. Luckily, Nora had been a computer science major so it was easy to pretend they were her TA's. They could pass for teaching assistants, and it was a connection no one would question. With the investigation surrounding Nora's death and the number of reporters on campus, Camille hadn't been sure it would work. A few details from Kirsten's stitch also helped.
When they arrived at the sorority house, Meaghan had been with several of her sisters. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. She only stayed around long enough for Kirsten and Camille to offer their condolences. The others tried to comfort Camille and Kirsten as best they could. Carly was noticeably absent, so Kirsten made a mental note to catch up with her later. When the chapter president had offered the Stitchers a snack, Camille jumped on it. Her mouth watered at the pieces of mango nestled between sliced strawberries and pineapple chunks in a large bowl. Camille pointed out the mangoes excitedly. One of the girls asked if she was allergic. Before Camille could tell them how much she loved the fruit, Kirsten had jumped in and told them that that her roommate was very allergic.
If looks could kill, Camille's would've done so then resurrected Kirsten just to kill her again.
The strategy had worked though. Several of the girls told them about their own allergies including Meaghan's. One of her sisters revealed that she was allergic to penicillin, which made zero sense. There was no reason why she should accidentally take some sort of antibiotic at a party. Kirsten wondered if both girls were being targeted for some reason. It could be school related or something to do with their parents. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to stage Nora's 'accident.' While they were at the house, Kirsten had managed to download all of Meaghan's texts in the hopes that they could help. They also talked with Fisher. He had agreed to let Kirsten accompany him to talk with Nora's parents. Now it was time to see what the boys had learned.
Finally someone handed Camille her smoothie. She thanked the smoothie shop boy and told him he was an angel. Kirsten marveled at how fast her roommate was downing her drink.
Camille hummed a sigh of relief. "Okay, now we can go find the boys. I told them we'd be at the student union soon."
It was a nice day out. The sun was peeking out from the clouds, keeping it warm, not boiling. Several students had brought out towels or blankets to hang out on the quad. A pickup football game had drawn a small crowd. Cameron and Linus were standing off to the side, listening to a girl playing an acoustic guitar.
Linus spotted them first. He waved then nudged Cameron. As Kirsten and Camille walked over, Linus made a big production of looking for something in his pockets.
"I forgot my phone." Linus said in an overly bright voice. "Can I have the keys?"
Cameron rolled his eyes at him. "Gee, I wonder how that could've happened." He handed over his car keys. "Let me guess, you need Camille to help you look?"
Camille snickered. She shrugged before grabbing Linus' hand. "Be back in twenty," she called over her shoulder.
Cameron groaned as he watched them walk away. "I'm glad they're happy and all, but seriously?"
Kirsten took out her phone and set a timer on it for fifteen minutes. She would give them a five minute warning to get back. If not, she could end up sitting there for hours without noticing. She showed the display to Cameron.
"We'll just hold them to it."
They shared a brief smile before the phone started to shake in Kirsten's hand. Cameron's face fell. He turned back toward the musician. Kirsten looked at her phone. Liam's face stared back at her. She swiped her finger across the screen and mouthed an apology at Cameron. "Hey, what's up?"
"I didn't realize you'd be at school today," Liam said instead of a greeting.
Kirsten searched the crowd. "Yeah. We're doing research today. Camille and Linus are getting something from the car, then we're going to have lunch." She finally found Liam and waved. "What're you doing here?"
Liam sauntered over to where she stood. "I had an appointment with one of the professors. Well, it was more of a job interview. I figured if you want to stay here, I should try to find a job." Liam hung up the phone because he was a few feet from Kirsten. "Have you had lunch yet?"
Kirsten tried to smile. It was sweet of him, but she had so much stuff to go over with her coworkers. "Well, we were going to have kind of a work lunch. I'd invite you otherwise."
Liam looked over Kirsten's shoulder at Cameron. "Hey Cam, you don't mind me stealing her away for a lunch, do you?"
Kirsten turned so she was facing both guys. "We could all have lunch and not talk about work," she suggested.
It was hard to tell whose expression was more annoyed. "I think we can limp along without you. Camille can catch you up later." Cameron pressed his lips together. "Have fun at lunch. I'm gonna go find the lovebirds."
Cameron blew past Kirsten. That dormant ache in her chest was back. She gripped the front of her collar tightly. There was some sort of gulf growing between her and Cameron. He kept pulling back. That was what was bringing on these moments of lonliness.
Liam shook his head. "I don't envy him. Can't be easy to work with a couple and the practically engaged woman you're in love with. Not that I blame him, you're very easy to fall in love with."
It took several heartbeats for Kirsten to process what her boyfriend had said. "What do you mean 'woman he's in love with.' Cameron isn't in love with me. He would've told me. He tells me everything."
Liam turned toward Kirsten in amazement. "You really didn't know."
The sounds of the quad roared around her. Little memories started flickering in Kirsten's mind. Looking at them through this lens made everything abundantly clear. No wonder he had been trying to withdraw from her. He was trying to protect himself.
"I feel like such a jerk," Kirsten groaned. She scrubbed her hands over her face.
Liam slung his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get you some food. It'll make you feel better."
Kirsten thought food would just intensify the pit in her stomach. She didn't have the heart to tell Liam that the only thing that would help was talking with her partner.
If only she could figure out what to say.
Thank you again for reading and for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews! I really appreciate each and every one of them. Special thanks to Jem 4ever for suggesting I do the stitch. I hope it lived up!
A few notes: The song Linus is talking about is "Poison Wine" by The Civil Wars. It's gorgeous and hauntingly beautiful, but extremely sad. My little sister has a penicillin allergy. It's familiar to me and fit what I needed (an allergy you wouldn't think to tell people about, hard to accidentally ingest, and doesn't cause breathing problems usually).
I swear they'll break up eventually. Kirsten is going to talk to Cameron about his feelings for her next chapter though.
