One More Time

Start of an Era

Sorry if this part gets a little preachy, but now, more than ever, I feel it appropriate to post this chapter. This was all written months ago, honestly, but I feel the compelling need to share this.

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"You know, I've never seen anyone take a selfie with an analog. It's so..."

"Daguerreotype?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. In the 'reset the clock' type way. Imagine if that was the first craze of photography history."

She looked down at her faithful camera. "I've used and maintained this thing for a decade, now. I have a room filled with mini-hallways like a galleria, for my original prints. I wasn't lying when I said I hadn't missed a day taking a photo."

"That's insane. In a beautiful way. Your dedication is inspiring."

"Easy, girl. You've already sucked up to me enough." Resisting the urge to pull the picture and shake it, she instead rested the camera on the pedestal, centering it on the royal blue pillow. "End of an era. I hope our new cameras are just as meaningful."

"I doubt it. It was simple. Unassuming. All you had to worry about was focus and exposure. Now, that's step one of forty."

"Not for me. Digital is your area. I think I'll still stick to analog and film for now. They have wonderful compromises for those, even today."

"You're so old school. What makes digital so uncomfortable to you?"

Max hummed as the two walked down the darkened halls of the gallery, checking her watch as she did so. "It's not that – I like the digital advantage – I use my phone's camera once in a while. It just feels more natural. Not just the picture taken itself, it's more than that."

"I think I get it. You actually feel like you're taking the pictures, rather than the camera doing all the work."

"I guess so. I like to call myself a human camera. I just want the most direct way to take a photo, as little in the way from my eyes to the subject."

"Huh. I guess that's why you're not a 'filter' type of girl."

"Sometimes, I am. That's where Chloe comes in, to retouch the image."

"Wow, you don't do anything new age. You're completely stuck in the retro zone."

"I post it online. I think that counts."

"Never change, Max. You are totally one of a kind."

"No matter how many changes I seem to go through, I've always been the same."

"Good for you. I'm glad you never met me before Blackwell. I was a little on the bitchy side."

As far as Max was concerned, it was a distant memory. "What changed you, Vic?" She was genuinely curious about the answer.

"Honestly? You." She toyed with her new earrings – a six month celebration present from her beloved – and tilted her head to the side, away from her friend. "You were the stuff of legend in Arcadia. We're the same age, and I came to Blackwell because I needed to see you for myself. Like, what made you so special? How do you see things? You either have to be an inspiring figure, or a tortured soul to take the photos you do."

"Maybe a little bit of both. Was I everything you hoped for?"

"You're everything I aspire to be. I didn't come to this school to make friends, and yet, you came to me, reaching out to someone you didn't even know. I couldn't even stalk you like I wanted to, and fake befriend you. I mean, I've always had Nathan to get me in the crowd, I didn't expect you to like me. Actually being the most popular girl's friend wasn't something I tried to do. It was a total connection."