“Oh my… holy shit…” gasps Kelly, cupping her hands over her mouth. “Are you… are you sure it’s her, Brian?” she asks, more out of shock at reality than actual disbelief.
“Of course I’m sure,” he insists. “It’s her. I’d know her a mile away.”
We watch silently, eyes glued to the screen, as Julia and Beth chat for a moment. We strain our ears, trying to make it out, but the camera is simply posted too high. However, after a couple minutes of this, we see Julia point behind her. Beth nods, brushing her brunette hair off her forehead and bouncing a tight ponytail, and the pair walk out of the foyer, away from the view of the camera.
“No! Wait… wait… which room are they in now?” says Brian nervously, his eyes moving quickly over the screen for the correct button to click on. Squatting down over the touch pad mouse, Brian skips between the views of the house, which end up counting up at no less than 27 cameras. At one point, we move to a view of a long hallway, simply designed with nothing more than an elaborate side table with a vase on the side, just as Julia and Beth walk out of view. Cursing, Brian toggles a few more times until we come to stop on the living room, with its large fireplace, wall-length windows, and large cushy couches, just as Julia and Beth make their way in.
Indicating with an extended arm toward the couch, Julia smiles and takes a seat in an armchair while Beth nods appreciatively, sitting on the bench and setting a purse down on the coffee table. They continue chatting for a few more moments.
“Why is she just welcoming her in?” asks Gina quietly. “And… and how did she know she was coming? Did she… she…”
“Why can’t we hear anything?” interjects Kelly frantically.
“Damn it, I can’t hear a thing they’re saying, I…” continues Brian, his eyes catching on something. “Wait! She said this was top of the line, right? There’s a volume control here.” Moving quickly, Gina clicks and drags on the dial, allowing the camera’s microphone in the living room to pick up more sound. There’s more crackling feedback, but after a moment it settles, allowing us to hear the conversation.
“I appreciate you being able to come over on such short notice, Ms. Gardner,” says Julia pleasantly.
“C’mon, Julia, I’m not THAT much older than you,” says Beth kindly. “Just call me Beth.”
“Okay. Beth. I’d like that. Besides, we should try and be friends, right?”
“Oh, I don’t know if you’re going to want to call me that soon,” says Beth playfully. “Ask any of my other training clients and they’ll say they don’t like me very much after a workout.”
Julia laughs good-naturedly; perhaps almost more so than she normally would for hearing something funny. As if she’s acting. “Fair enough. But I guess that’s good, right? I want to make varsity on the track team next year, and since my parents and I have been talking about hiring a personal trainer to help me get ready here, since we have all equipment , this was… well, it was perfect!”
“Well, I’m glad I was given your number by the center. They’d said your parents had called ahead of time, just dropping off the info that you wanted the best trainer they had who was willing to travel, so…”
“So they sent you,” she smiles. “It was awesome the way it worked out, you know? I hope the drive wasn’t too crazy.”
“Not bad at all. A few minutes shorter for me than the drive to the fitness center, honestly, so it worked out great,” adds Beth.
“That’s fantastic,” answers Julia, smiling somewhat falsely.
Is it possible that everything has finally come to fruition? Beth seems to be playing along with this perfectly, not a word overacted or gesture overdone. Something about seeing her on the camera fills me with hope. Our freedom might be within our grasp.
As my eyes scan over the camera angle, I notice something odd. I’m not sure why it’s so troubling to me. An oddly box-shaped corner poking out from under the coffee table near Julia’s feet. Something about it feels about as much out of place as Julia’s overly sweet tones.
“So, would you like to set up a workout schedule? Something pretty regular so we can get you on a good regime?” asks Beth nicely, crossing an extremely toned right leg over her knee, placing her clasped hands on top politely.
“Sounds good to me,” smiles back Julia, leaning over under the table. “I keep my calendar on a device that’s kind of old, so you’re probably going to laugh at me.”
“Oh, nonsense,” chuckles Beth. “Believe me, I’ve seen it all at the center; I train people in their seventies over there, and they swear by keeping dates on little notepads they just leave in their jackets.”
“Well, even so…” begins Julia, lifting a small silver briefcase up from under the table and putting it in her lap. “This is still pretty different.” Snapping the lid open and rummaging around inside, Julia lifts the portable matter reduction device out of its case, mechanism already turned on and primed, the lights blinking rapidly.
“That… that…” gasps Beth, mumbling, her eyes widening. She quickly uncrosses her leg, standing up and taking a step back. “That’s one of those… those…”
“Where are you going, Beth?” asks Julia calmly, raising her hands and pointing the device’s reticle squarely at Brian’s sister. “We have so much to discuss, you know.”
“Oh my G-” mutters Beth, frozen in place, as the green lights flash brighter. Her muscles contracting, Beth’s legs seem to go flimsy and she flops back onto the couch, and barely a moment later we’re watching a sight none of us have ever actually witnessed. Beth’s body seems to be contracting into itself, with what looks like small heat waves emanating out from her sides as the woman curls up and plops onto the couch cushion in a matter of seconds at a size so small we can barely make her out with the camera. We hear a tiny voice screaming loud and clear, though.
Raising her head to the camera, Julia looks us squarely in the eye.
She smiles.