Never Let Me Go (Camren/Norminah)

Prologue: Fading Light

"Sit."

He tipped an approving nod down at the Siberian husky, looping her leash around the nearby supportive beam and securing it in place. Approaching the entrance, he knocked only once, holding his breath and waiting until the rusty, polished wood door swung open.

"Hello." The man on the other side was elderly and withered, one hand held an empty champagne flute, the other a small screwdriver. "It's awfully late, can I help you?"

"Um..." The boy exhaled softly. "I'm sorry to disturb you, I just... are you the owner of this place?"

"I am, yes." The man opened the door further and stepped back. "Would you like to come inside? It's quite cold out here."

"Oh, sure." He nodded, taking a number of timid steps inside and looking around. The interior of the building fit well with the outside. Neatly furnished and smelling strongly of home cooking.

"So what can I do for you?" The man asked, setting the glass down on a small table a few feet away. It made a soft clicking sound with the surface before sliding away from the edge.

"I... actually was here tonight. I just wanted to take a second and thank you for letting us use this place." The boy thread his fingers through his hair, moving it out of his eyes. He could hear the dog padding around outside, making small growling noises as she occupied herself with the snow.

"Oh, well that's mighty sweet of you." The older man replied with a polite nod. "The name's Brady."

"Daniel." The boy reached out and accepted the offered handshake, reciprocating firmly.

"Daniel." Brady's features transformed into a smile. "So how do you know the girls?"

"I'm actually Camila's brother." Dan explained, straightening up and sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Older brother. I came down with the rest of the family to surprise her."

"Ah, I thought I recognized your name." Brady nodded, twirling the screwdriver around in his fingers and heading to the other side of the room. "That's interesting, how the two of you look nothing alike. Camila's spoken quite highly of you."

"Genetics are a weird thing." Dan shrugged. "And I'm not sure if I deserve much praise." He then looked down at the ground as the man summoned a large photo frame and propped it up on the ground. "What is it you're doing there?"

"My wife has taken up photography recently, and she actually just took this particular photo of the city." The man tipped the empty frame against the wall and moved to show Dan a large rectangular picture of the new York skyline from the lake's perspective. "It's actually the same frame as that one there, with the twin towers."

Turning to look back at the wall, Dan noticed that there already existed a photo of the skyline, shot from the exact same spot and gazing up at the now fallen World Trade Centre. "Oh, yeah it does look the same."

"I figured I would hang it up in the room as a little surprise. She's always wanted to see one of her pieces hanging here, so what better time than in the New Year, right?"

"Absolutely." Daniel nodded. "I think that's a wonderful surprise. Did you need a hand?"

"I'd love some help." Brady smiled back. "There are four screws with hooks that need to go into the wall. Could you use this to finish off the last one while I put the picture in it's frame?"

"Of course." The boy took the tool and headed towards the blank space on the wall. A small gold coloured hook sat on the table nearby, and he quickly inserted it into the drywall and secured it with the screwdriver. "So why did you choose to put up a picture that looks so similar to one you already have here?" He asked, glancing at the man over his shoulder.