Chapter 12
Luce's P.O.V.
When I wake up the water has stopped running, surprise. Slowly I try to sit up in the tub, and with some help from the edges I manage to get myself to sit up with my back against the cold wall. It's not that my body is sore, it's my mind that is. I can't describe it, but it's like someone have poured ice cubes over my head, and I need more time than necessary to control my body. "What happened?" I manage to think and I realize that I have no idea how long I've been out, it could very well be a day or more. The need to find out how long I were out makes me push myself out of the tub. When I stand on the cold, dirty bathroom floor I have to take a moment to breathe and let my brain catch up with what my body has done. Then I take a towel, that hangs next to me, and wraps it around me. After some unstable steps out of the bathroom my mind starts to catch up and I regain more and more control by each step I take.
I walk over to the bed and falls onto it. when I turn towards the nightstand, to see what time it is, I see Cam's iPhone laying there, the one I took from him. I feel a little bad for it, but I think I need it more than him right now. I take it and turn on the display. The digital clock shows that the time is 09.36 a.m. I were out for 12 hours! I swipe my finger to the right on the display, and the phone is unlocked. That's why I took it with me, I had seen that Cam didn't use a password. I am more than tempted to look at his pictures, but the more moralistic part of me tells me that I shouldn't do that, after all isn't it enough that I stole his phone? But another part of me says that there's a chance that there's some pictures there that may help me to understand what's going on, and maybe then I can understand how the visions I had yesterday were possible. Like that I decide to look, and as I click on the picture icon I get a little bit nervous over what I will find. Maybe the truth isn't what I want it to be? But after yesterday, I have a feeling that the truth won't surprise me that much.
I scroll up to the very beginning of the over 10 000 pictures. When I see the date on the first picture I realize that Cam must have switched phone at least twice since, and just transferred some pictures, because the first picture is taken about 18 years ago. I instantly recognize the motive on the picture, it's Sword&Cross. It's looks exactly like it did when I and Daniel were there. Even in the picture the feeling of horror and hopelessness shines through. "He must have gone there." I realize when I move on to the other pictures and see that the following 20 are on different places inside Sword&Cross. Then another thought hits me, if he has gone there for over 18 years ago, how is it possible that he still looks like he's not a day over 19 at least. Though the thought awakens my curiosity I don't pay too much attention to it but scroll on. There's nothing interesting at the following 200 pictures, just some more on Sword&Cross and some party-pictures. But then I see a very interesting picture, it's my old self, but with short hair. , smiles towards the camera and besides her stands another girl, a girl with glasses. "Penn" That simple word formulates in my mind, and I know that it's the name of the girl but I have no idea who she was. But a sad feeling comes over me, and then I know that she meant something to me, she must have been my friend.
The following pictures are some of my old self but also some other non-interesting pictures. I manage to get to 6 567 before I see another most interesting picture. This one is of me (with longer hair), Daniel, Cam, Roland, Arriane and two other girls I haven't seen before. One has golden hair and a big smile on her lips, she's quite beautiful, and the other one has pink hair, a piercing on the left side of her nose and blue, intense eyes. Non of their names appears in my mind, but just as with the picture of Penn a sad feeling comes over me. Not wanting to deal with it I scroll on. Nothing interesting appears, not until the very last picture. The picture is of me, the me I am now. It's taken from afar and I stand outside of campus. I look at the date and see that it's taken just two weeks ago. I'm not as scared as I should be by the proof of that a stranger (But not anymore apparently) has followed me, and that I not know for how long. I'm more curious of why Cam has followed me, and why he hasn't made any attempts to contact me. "What are they all hiding from me?" I whisper to the picture.