A few days pass and the height of Camila’s investigation continues. While searching for clues, she finds herself not getting enough sleep and unable to function in the shop properly. Tae took notice of her and grew weary, he knew this was something she took very seriously, but she needed to care for herself as well. Most days lately she has been holed up in her room, in front of her laptop doing some sort of research on the two shady customers that visited them not too long ago. Lucky, lying on her desk, watched her rapidly type up their names in thousands of search sites and get nowhere. He would occasionally rub up against her from time to time as if he was reassuring her. Tae could run the shop for the most part alone, but sometimes it grew to be overwhelming. Toward the end of the day, he would sometimes close earlier than usual if the day was filled with never-ending purchases. Today was one of those days, where the ding from the register was soon causing him a headache. Flipping over the sign to close, he slowly made his way up to Camila, who was furiously typing.
Tae: “Are you done being a gremlin yet?”
Camila: “I have found nothing….NOTHING…I mean, I have searched everywhere and these two are nowhere to be found…like not even a death thingy online.”
Tae: “You mean obituary?”
Camila: “Yeah that thing…I refuse to believe they were born yesterday or maybe they were from some sort of entity, but how would that be possible?”
Tae: “Camila, you have been doing this for a week straight, you’re going to drive yourself mad…”
Lucky chirped as if agreeing and rubbed against Camila’s hand. With this Camila slammed her head onto her laptop and Tae approached her gently, rubbing her shoulders.
Tae: “Camila, maybe we need to close the shop for a bit of a staycation. You have been…not focusing too well and you’re going to burn yourself out. I thin-”
Camila shot up and turned to Tae, staring at him with her dark circles and intensity. Tae almost felt himself shiver with the way she was looking at him.
Camila: “We are not closing the shop! Don’t speak such nonsense. This is the most important time of the year for us!”
Tae: “Well then, we shall keep it open then. But you’re in your investigator mode right now…so I have my hands tied here. Maybe we could…”
Camila: “No! Absolutely not! I do not trust anyone in this town and the reasoning for you should be obvious!”
Tae: “Not all the people in this silly town are bad Camila…it is normal for most shops to have seasonals running the registers. This would give me time to catch up on our paperwork and such…”
Camila: “I REFUSE!”
Camila slammed her fist on her desk, furious now. Camila hated how the people of this town never understood her or judged her for what she recalled from that day when she was little. When she would tell people it, she would get stares and snickers. This constant feeling of being treated like a jester frustrated her. She felt a lump in her throat as if she was about to cry, but she refused. With this she gets up and goes to the bathroom, slamming the door when she does. Tae knew around this time of year that Camila felt immense guilt and fear whether she wanted to admit it or not. He did not mean to strike a nerve, he just wanted her to be more open to new things and to trust more often than to retreat into her shell. Tae soon found himself outside the bathroom door, not opening it as to give her space, and slid his back down against the door, waiting for Camila to talk when she was ready. Soon to follow was their fluffy companion Lucky, who rubbed against Tae’s legs and also awaited by his side for Camila.
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A few minutes passed and Tae knew he needed to confront her about how she was feeling and attempted to do so very gently.
Tae: “Camila…listen I know this time of year is rough for you. It makes me wonder if this investigation phase of yours is to simply avoid these memories you have.”
The silence seemed to confirm Tae’s suspicion or so he thought it did. He continued with his theory in hopes he could get an answer from her.
Tae: “Camila…I…I worry about you sometimes because you sometimes shut me out. You never let me help you and I know you want to seem strong, but I know deep down you’re blaming yourself for something that was not your fault. I know you have told me bits and pieces of your past…but please let me help you.”
Camila, sitting on their cold tile floor with her head buried in her knees, was unsure of what to say. Was she only trying to occupy herself to avoid her continuous flashes from the past? Or was she genuinely onto something that could lead to her past and instead, this was making her worse? The feeling of heaviness spread all over her body and she was unsure whether or not to talk about how she was feeling. Tae felt defeated and slowly began to lift himself off of their floor when suddenly, what felt like a squeak, echoed loudly in his brain.
Camila: “I…I don’t know what to feel anymore. I feel so powerless just like that day and I don’t want to anymore. I feel so weak…I hate how every year I get this reminder that I have no one…”
Tae slowly slid back down to the floor and slumped against the door.
Tae: “I’m here though and I will always be here to listen Cam.”
Camila: “But I don’t want to overwhelm you or make it seem like you will think differently of me.”
Tae: “Why would I think that? You are strong right now by just telling me what’s going on. You never usually do this and I know this is hard for you.”
Camila: “I have always done things alone, even after what happened that day…I was still always alone. I felt like I was to blame because I was weak. I couldn’t save anyone and I was the reason for all these people dying. I am still not sure why I was spared…but I just wish I could’ve done way more than I did.”
Tae: “Cam, what could you have done? You were a child who witnessed something incredibly traumatic and you reacted how you should’ve. I understand you feel responsible, but please remind yourself it isn’t your fault.”
Lucky meowed in response rubbing against the door and Tae began to pet him.
Tae could hear the sound of silent sobbing and wanted to approach it with sincerity, but how? After some thought, he figured humor would do the trick and put Camila at some ease.
Tae: “You allergic to the bathroom floor or something? I hear that is quite shitty if you are.”
Camila: “What is with us lately and shit? Literal shit and emotional shit?” Camila giggled.
Tae: “I’m not sure, all I know is both are pretty gross if you ask me.”
Both of them laugh with one another, the stress leaving both of them simultaneously as they try to understand one another on a deeper level. As they both settle down, Tae soon gets back to the subject at hand that began it all.
Tae: “So…can we hire some people to help us out a bit?”
Camila: “....maybe…let me think about it.”
Tae: “Can I take that as a possible yes for now?”
Camila: “As I said, a possible maybe…”
Tae: “Okay, I will follow your lead on this Cam.”
As the two remained outside the door for a bit, Tae took comfort in Camila opening up to her. He felt like he truly understood her in that moment, even if it was brief. That was something he consistently admired about Camila, he continued to learn new things about her which made the chase for her all that more exciting to him. He still felt now wasn’t the time to admit his feelings to her, but felt it was getting closer to that time. With his mind preoccupied, he did not seem to notice that Lucky disappeared from the scene.
Lucky found himself slipping out of the shop through the spot where he hid his journal. As he sneaks underneath the cracked wooden paneling and pushes through some hidden crevices, he finds himself outside. Wandering through the streets of Salem, mission-bound, he set out on an unknown journey. Lucky knew his once mundane, cozy lifestyle would soon come to an end with his most recent discoveries. His plan involved more than just himself, however…many hidden secrets that were once buried will soon come to light and change the lives of a few in a very significant way.
Why was it finally time to take action and what does he hope to achieve by doing so?