Zach POV
Cammie opened the envelope. She pulled out a series of polaroid pictures and froze. The colour drained from her face.
'What is it?' I asked, putting my beer on the side.
'Cammie?' Bex asked from the other side of the room, 'What's wrong?'
Cammie tilted her head up, the tears were prominent in her face.
All the girls stopped and looked at Cammie concerned.
I looked back at Cam, her whole body shaking.
'Cam…'
'I need some air' Cam threw the photos onto the counter and rushed out of the room. The girls all looked at each other concerned.
'What was that all about?' Grant asked. Several of the girls glared at him.
'What are they?' Jonas asked. Bex and I moved closer to the photos. I turned them over and Bex gasped. I looked at them, my heart instantly breaking. This was how Cammie got the scars. They were snapshots of Cam tied to a chair, covered in bruises and cuts, blood pooling at her feet.
'That's what happened to her' Bex muttered, her voice barely a whisper.
'Who did this?' I asked, venom in my voice.
'We don't know' Bex shook her head. Tears forming in her eyes. 'We were looking for her family and then one night, Cam just vanished...two months later, she just appeared! In Rome...she was covered in cuts and bruises like none of us had ever seen before!' Bex's voice cracked, tears falling
'Did she tell you what happened?' Jonas asked.
'She doesn't tell anyone' Macey interjected 'She just…' Her gaze drifted to outside. Cam was walking around the edge of the pool, looking down at her feet, her hands wrapped tightly around her. Lost in her own thoughts.
.
It was starting to get dark but Cammie had still not come back in. She was now sitting at the edge of the pool staring out into nothing.
'You can go out there if you want' Bex slithered up next to me 'She won't bite'
'Is she okay out there?' I asked
'She's just thinking things over' Bex turned her gaze to Cammie outside 'She just needs time'
'How long ago did it happen?'
'Just over a year and a half ago. We came back to the States straight away. Tina and the others stayed behind to chase any leads they could'
'So she hasn't told you anything at all?'
'Nope. She doesn't have too' She shook her head and then turned to me again 'Her nightmares speak for her'
My heart broke again as I stared out at Cam.
'Take this' Bex handed me a blanket and walked away.
.
Cam POV
I sat at the edge of the pool, staring into nothing. I played with my necklace, trying to block out the screams that were spiraling around my head.
'Hey' I jumped as Zach came from behind. 'I thought you might want this' he held up a blanket.
'Thanks' I took it and wrapped it around me. I expected Zach to go away. What I didn't expect was for him to sit down next to me.
'I'm sorry' he began 'For saying you're bad at interrogations...I didn't know'
'It's fine' I waved it away. We sat in comfortable silence for a while. It was nice. Comfortable. But I could feel him looking at me but also trying not to look at me.
'I'm fine' I told him
'Somehow I don't believe that' He had a smile tugging on his lips. I playfully rolled my eyes and looked away, twiddling with my necklace.
'I woke up in a convent. In the mountains. The nun said I was talking gibberish' I don't know why I said that, it's the first time I've actually said that out loud to anyone.
'Do you remember how you got there?' He asked, his voice soft and calming. I shook my head.
'I only remember waking up' I shook off the blanket, suddenly feeling hot. I stood up and began to walk around the edge of the pool again, my feet tethering on the edge of the pool. One wrong move and splash! Zach remained where he was, laying back on the grass, watching me.
'Red or blue?' He asked
'What?' I nearly slipped, his question throwing me off.
'Red or blue?' He repeated, raising an eyebrow.
'Red'
'Chocolate or Vanilla?'
'Cookie dough' I smiled
'That wasn't an option' Zach smirked
'I made it one!' I laughed, continuing to walk around.
'Books then films or films then books'
'Books! All the time!' I held my hands out like it was the most obvious answer in the world. Zach's smirk widened, even more and a knot in my stomach grew more.
'Okay, final question…' He began. I was now directly in front of Zach after completing a whole lap of the pool. His smirk turned mischievous.
'Sink or swim?'
'Wha-' Before I could finish my sentence, he kicked me lightly, but it was enough to push me into the water with a splash.
I resurfaced to see Zach laughing.
'Can't. Swim' I gasped out before diving back under the water
.
Zach POV
'Can't. Swim' Cam gasped before disappearing back under the water. My laughter died and panic set in. Cam still hadn't resurfaced.
'Shit' I pulled off my top and dived into the water after Cam. She was no longer flailing around but was kind of still. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pushed her up to the surface.
When we broke the water, we both gasped for air.
'Are you okay?' My eyes searched hers. Why did I push her in?
Her fearful expression instantly transformed into a smirk.
'Got ya' She said. Before I could react, she pushed my head, dunking me under the water for a few seconds.
'What was that for?' I asked once I resurfaced.
'You pushed me in!' She splashed me. I splashed her back. She squealed. We began to have a splashing match in the water and also began to wrestle.
Cam's laugh was infectious and all I wanted to do was hear more of it.
When she went to splash me again, I grabbed her left wrist and pulled her into me.
Cam planted her right hand on my shoulder to steady herself. My other hand instinctively went to her waist, holding her in place.
We didn't say anything, just stayed there floating catching our breath.
'I know what you did with the questions' Cam said, I raised an eyebrow.
'I don't know what you mean' I said innocently
'It was to take my mind off of...' She gave a quick smile 'Thank you'
'Anytime'
We continued to look at each other for a moment. Cam bit her lip and my gaze flickered down for a split second before looking back at her.
Cam turned to look to the side, back towards the house then looked back at me.
'I'm getting cold' She said. 'We should probably get out'
She pushed against my shoulder lightly.
'You go ahead. I'll be out in a sec' I let her go. Cam gave me another small smile before swimming to the edge of the pool. She pushed herself up, grabbed the blanket and disappeared back to the house.
Author's note: Hello everyone! Slightly short chapter this time but jam-packed with Zammie! What do you think is going to happen next? Are these photos a clue from Cam's family or a warning from the enemy? See you guys soon! xxx
Archer5210: Thank you! Yes, yes I am evil. I hope you liked the Zammie in this chapter! xxx
MaggieMG: Yes! They're on the same side, but how long will it last, especially with feelings possibly being involved. xxx
Guest: Thank you! xxx
BugheadHastings: Thank you! You were correct about the photos! Bex's reaction broke my heart & then the girls knowing Cam just needed time to herself. Poor Cammie. What did you think of Zach's reaction? xxx
DarkLilyDevil: Ahh! I'm so sorry! Cliffhangers are my favourite thing! xxx
Covertoperative456: Love that the message was all in capitals! Some parts of your theories could possibly be correct but they might not be, I don't want to spoil anything but I love the theories! Zammie definitely in this chapter! I hope you liked it! Thank you so much as always! xxx
Emo03590: Thank you! Yeah, sorry about the cliffhanger, they're kind of my favourite thing to do. Lol xxx
AllyCarterFan101: Zach and Cammie are perfect for each other, they are matched in skill, attitudes & they think on very similar wavelengths. Judging by those polaroids, she was definitely captured. No worries, ask as many questions as you like! xxx
Abbyskates: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you're enjoying this story! xxx
gymnast1150: I'm so glad you reviewed in time too! Always puts a smile on my face :). They will definitely have some ups and downs when it comes to trusting each other. It'll be a rollercoaster of tension, cuteness & being a spy. Cammie & Zach's little exchange was cute. Him saying 'So...sports major?' and her response of 'midterms were killer' harking back to their first conversation to me just sums up their relationship and how closely they've been paying attention to each other. None of the girls are taking the guy's jabs lightly & I love their response, I mean, they weren't the ones tied up. Catherine will appear at some point, but not in the way you might expect... YES! What did you think of the little nugget of Zammie in this chapter? Nothing over the top, more subtle & friendly but also something more...Let me know what you think xxx
