Praying to the Moon

Chapter Eight- The Hidden Camera

I placed the camera behind books on my desk. It was small enough to be hidden but big enough to capture the entire bedroom. It was recording 24/7 and every night I could review footage from my parents house. I felt like I had just wasted a large sum of money on something that would record an empty room for four weeks but I wanted to be safe. This felt like it might help me work out what was going on before I returned home next month.

Later that afternoon James drove me to the airport. He was back to his gentleman stage and refused to let me open my own doors or carry my own suitcase. It was nice to have things feel sort of back to normal but it also felt like a game. Like he was playing a series of characters in a play to impress me. I decided I was being mean and that I should appreciate that he was trying. After all, it was going to be four weeks before I next saw him. I knew I would miss him during that time and be mad at myself for not appreciating his efforts.

"Thanks babe for all your help. I'm going to miss you so much."
I grabbed James' free hand as we walked towards my gate at the airport.
"I'm going to miss you too. Just think, by the time you're home I will be a fully qualified lawyer."
"I know, I'm so excited for you."
We stood in front of the gate entrance and shared one last kiss for the month. It was the most passionate and genuine kiss we had shared since the start. We said goodbye and I left to fly home. I would be back here before I knew it.

The turbulence was strong during the flight and I forgot to take medication to help with nausea from the flight. I spent the first ten minutes after landing at the airport vomiting in the bathrooms. It was a nasty lesson to learn after a shitty few weeks of events. Hopefully it would be the last bad thing to happen though, after all, bad things happen in threes.

I ordered an Uber and excitedly anticipated my arrival home. I wondered what my parents would say when I turned up. Would Luca, my little brother, be excited to see me? I hadn't been home for nearly a year, It was long overdue that I visited. It was nice to drive past all the familiar shops and streets. I would drive past people who I recognised and there was not a single feeling of hostility. I felt like this town held my people. Which was funny because when I was in high school I couldn't wait to leave, now that I've left I can't wait to return. It always seemed to be the way with me, wanting what I didn't have and not appreciating what I did have.

The Uber pulled outside my family home, the night sky had appeared and my friend the moon was already in town. I thanked the driver and gathered my bags, I wondered if anyone had noticed me yet. I passed the basketball hoop in the driveway that Luca and I would spend hours playing with while I was still at home. I was never very good but seeing Luca light up when he won always made every second worth it. I couldn't wait to see him.

I walked up to the front door which had been painted white since I left. It looked different and out of place, I didn't want anything to change. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. I could hear footsteps inside as I anticipated the opening of the door.

"Lily!"
Luca had been the one to open the door. He bolted straight through to give me a big hug. I was nearly crying, I didn't realise how long I had been away. He had grown so much, he was almost taller than me. His light brown hair now a darker shade, he looked so much older.
"Luca, I've missed you so much. I came home to surprise you."
"Luca, who's at the door?"
My dad came marching around the corner, emerging at the front door.
"Lily? What are you doing here? Elizabeth, Lily's here!"
My dad called my mum as he pulled me in for a hug. My dad and I didn't always get along but distance made us more appreciative of each other.
"Oh Lily, what a surprise."
My mum walked towards me, arms open wide. I ran into her hug as if I was a child once again. She smelt like home.
"I thought I'd surprise you guys. I'm home on break, felt like it had been a while."
"Well this is definitely a surprise."

My dad and Luca carried my bags for me to my childhood bedroom. Everything looked the same as it did before I left. My single bed was untouched, I last slept here before I even knew James. I wondered how my life would be the next time I visited, would I still be with James? Would some random group of girls still be after me? Life was so unpredictable and far from perfect. There's something comforting about our childhood, the lack of responsibility and atmosphere of innocence. My duvet reminded me of those days, the days when I was excited about the future and being an adult.

"So how'd you get here?"
My mum carried two ice teas, handing me one and keeping the other for herself.
"A plane and then an Uber."
"I see, it's not like you to visit? I don't mean that in a bad way but you're normally busy at uni."
I took a sip of the tea, it tasted strongly of citrus. It made my eyes water.
"Yeah I just really missed home."
I didn't feel ready to tell her about everything yet, after all I had only just gotten home. I was feeling nauseas again, I wondered if it was all in my head.
"We missed you. How long are you going to be here for?"
"Four weeks."
"Ah, So a while then. That'll be nice. Maybe we can have a proper chat in the morning as well."
"Yeah I'd really like that."
Mum stood up and started leaving my bedroom.
"I'll leave you to unpack and get some sleep. Sleep well baby."
"Thanks mum, you too."

The bites on my legs were itchy again and the skin surrounding them were burning. Specks of blood from where I had scratched them drew the attention of gazes. Not only did I feel like a mess, but I looked like one too. I had a hot shower, something which I discovered only infuriates the itching. My ankles were swollen from travelling and I was so tired. I hopped into bed with my laptop, I thought I'd check the footage from my bedroom before I went to sleep. The beginning of the recording captures me setting up the camera and checking to see if it's visible from anywhere in the room. Hours upon hours of an empty room are then shown. I fast forwarded as far as I could and not a single person entered my room. I closed the laptop and went to sleep thinking about all the money I had thrown away on a camera because of my paranoia. It was so typical of me to let my thoughts get the better of me.