Page 1 of Camera Stays On

Prologue

Asher

Age Fourteen

“I’M GOING TO do it,” Sawyer declared.

“You’re not going to do it,” Gavin shot back.

I turned my attention from the window in the movie theater lobby, watching for cars.

“What?” I asked.

Gavin elbowed Sawyer, jostling the video camera in his hand. “He says he’s gonna kiss Purdy tonight. I say he’s full of shit.”

“Am not.” Sawyer, my little brother, lifted his plastic Frankenstein mask from his face and brushed his hair out of his eyes, rolling them. “I really am. Just watch—I’m gonna give her a hickey.”

“And what, you’re gonna record it all?” Gavin snickered.

I turned away from them, the very thought making me sick. I slid my red devil’s mask back over my face to hide my displeasure.

That had been my plan.

Not the hickey part, but I wanted my first kiss to be tonight, on Halloween, with her.

“She’s gotta show first.” Carly, a girl dressed like a ballerina, rolled her eyes. “Looks like her mom got too drunk to drive her.”

“Shut up, Carly,” I muttered, and then the roar of a run-down Chevy truck shook the walls as it came barreling through the parking lot. It stopped at the curb, and a pretty girl with long, curly dark brown hair climbed out. The man at the wheel was bobbing, a forty-ounce bottle in one hand. She said something to him, and he stared at her for a moment before swinging his arm out, striking her face. Pushing off the window, I sprinted toward the door, shoving it open. But she’d already backed away from the truck, and it was long gone, heading out of the parking lot.

“You okay?” I asked, reaching for her wrist. She nodded and swallowed deeply, rolling her shoulders as we walked inside. Purdy went ahead of us, not wanting to discuss what had just happened, and was met with everyone huddled in a group, leering at her.

“P-P-Purdy’s here!” Carly shouted. “What is she wearing?” The girls in our group tittered. I took a step toward Purdy, but Sawyer was faster. He tossed his arm around her shoulder and dragged her into the pack, like she was already his.

“I like her costume. Suck it, losers.” He stuck his tongue out and turned the camera to face them.

I clenched my jaw and stepped back. My irritation at his possessiveness itched my skin, but being angry at my brother was nothing new. Instead, I focused on Purdy.

Her costume was a blue nightgown that went to her feet. Green slime covered her front, and she had powder on her face, with lines of red running across her forehead and cheeks.

“You’re Regan! From The Exorcist!” I exclaimed. Purdy’s face brightened instantly, and she nodded excitedly.

“Ee-yuh-yeah!” Her tongue fought against her, but Purdy was able to get her words out. She blushed, but when no one laughed at her, she relaxed. Purdy had a stutter, which only made her more beautiful in my eyes. She had no idea just how crazy I was for her.

Sawyer either, actually.

Purdy wasn’t her real name. When she moved in next door, her mom introduced her as Andi Marin, but Sawyer took one look at her from the porch and said to our dad, “She sure is purdy,” and the nickname stuck, as no one disagreed.

She sure was purdy.

Purdy and her mom moved from California when she was eight. Not sure why they wanted to move to lower Michigan, but I was glad they did. Even on that first day, it was clear they weren’t close. She yelled at Purdy for every little thing, and Purdy always looked so beaten down and close to tears. They never really seemed like other mother-daughter pairs I’d seen, but more like… sisters.

“Come on, let’s go get our tickets and popcorn.” Sawyer kept his arm around her, directing her to the counter where we all got in line.

“Hey, no masks. And you can’t take that camera inside.” The manager wagged his finger at us and stared directly at Sawyer. We took our masks off and stuffed them into our hoodies. Sawyer begrudgingly took out the battery pack from his camera and handed it to the man.

“Happy?” Sawyer glared at him. It didn’t matter if he had the battery. Sawyer had another one in his bag. He never left home without his camera gear.

“Who was that guy who dropped you off, Purdy?” I asked.