"The sun is out you have to go back to school!".Margaret said as she opened the curtains to her daughter's bedroom window,the cool air filled the room and the sun's glow illuminated every part of the room giving the furnitures a golden glow.
Camille's room is beautiful in every sense and what every girl of her age would probably brag about,the room is painted white and has a pink Queen sized bed,a beautiful dresser and lush pink curtains.
Under the sheets Camile raised her head up but quickly buried it her pillow when she hears more shouts from her mother.
Nobody would ever get it, Camile thought. They all expected her to be in good shape but her mental health happend to be in shambles, and guess what? everyone still expected her to magically go to college and study.
"Mom I'm depressed ok " Camile says almost in tears, when she finally came out from under the sheets.
Margret goes around to the other side of her bed and continued to open the other windows.Camile couldn't believe this woman.
"You have always gotten everything you wanted,you have no reason to be depressed"Margaret said, but paused for a moment at the door to think." Tell me why you are depressed" Margaret asked calmly. From where Camile lay she knew her mom was trying her best not to snap at her for being weak.
"Either you tell me why you are depressed or you pack your bags, because I want you out of this house and back in your dorm by tomorrow!" Margaret said before she stormed out of the room.
Camile knew her mom would never comprehend the fact that she was dealing with a bad break up so telling her about it wasn't even an option,but she was hurting ok and she was hurting badly because at nineteen the only boy she had ever loved left her like it was nothing —like she meant nothing to him, and all this was to go be with some girl he just met.
Camile knew no one would understand so she got up quickly and ran into her bathroom thinking of what reason she would give her mom.The bathroom is also beautiful just like every part of the house, it has black tiles a nice bathtub,it smelled like daisies and some wild flowers.On the far end of the wall is a stack of colourful towels neatly arranged in a shelf.Next to it on the shelf is Camille's skincare regimen that she has used since she was sixteen.
Camile brushed her teeth and took a long bath making sure to wash her platinum blond hair thoroughly.
After taking her bath Camile put on the biggest a sweat shirt she had and some shorts and went back into the room to look at herself in her full length mirror,Camile couldn't help but admire herself she might be going through a breakup but she still looked gorgeous. She has always had a fair skin with a slim body,big round boobs and a big butt all the girls she knew envied her.
********
Margret was in the living room when Camile found her, Camile and her mom had the same features blond hair, blue eyes, porcelain skin and loved living on the edge. Camille's younger sisters are also in the living room but none of them noticed her as she walked by,only her mom gave her a stern look.God please let her let me stay for another week Camile prayed in her heart as she sat down next to her mother."Mom I would love to stay here for another week I promise it won't affect my grades in any way Camile said.Magraret couldn't believe her ears.
"no"Margret said, "I want you back in school by tomorrow morning".
And that was it,Camile thought she would have to go back where she could possibly die a thousand times from watching Kyle be with someone else— perfect just perfect.
Camile walked back to her room and began to pack her bags when she remembered her phone,she went over to her night stand and picked up her phone,with her phone in her hands she sat on the edge of the bed and started going through it,there are three missed calls from Rachel her best friend and bunch of messages from her other friends checking up on her because apparently her breakup with Kyle was a bit scandalous.
As Camile finished replying to the last pity message from her friends who she wished would just shut the fuck up. She knew they were just trying to be caring but that in turn only made her feel more miserable,so she dropped her phone and turned around and surprisingly saw her immediate younger sister Lily in her room looking at her curiously.
At sixteen Lily was almost the same height as her sister Camile who was five feet eight inches tall,they looked similar only that Lily had dirty blond hair
"what can I do for you " Camile asked
"Mom said I should come check up on you" Lily said and leans forward closer to her sister "she also wants me to check up on if you're packing your bags or not, Lily whispers and almost laughs.
" I know why you're sad Camile"Lily continues "I happen to follow Kyle on Instagram, I know you're sad because he has a new girlfriend —every one knows even Mom knows, I told her"Lily finishes
It took Camile all of her will power not to scream and tear out someone's hair.
"why the fuck are you following Kyle?"Camile asked trying her possible best not to look crazy.
"And why the HELL did you think it was ok to go tell everyone?"Camile asked again not giving Lily a chance to answer the first question.
"It just happened ok everyone was talking about why you came back home in the middle of the semester and it mistakenly came out of my mouth,I'm sorry if that was inappropriate on my side"Lily said. But deep down Camile knew that Lily was just a simple bitch and didn't care about anyone but herself. And from the look on Lily's face they all probably laughed to death about it.
"Get out" Camille's said
"Ok" Lily said almost laughing.Lily moves towards the door but stops halfway there. "You can go on a boating trip to clear your mind,I heard that being around water helps people have serenity and clear thoughts". Lily got no reply from Camile so she dropped the ticket to a boating trip on her dresser and left.
In the morning Camile called a taxi and made her way back to her dorm. the ride there seemed endless, the wind touching her face through the open windows did little to calm her down so instead she looked out of the widow to see if there was anything of interest you know like a flying chicken or something.
Finally the car came to a hault outside her dorm it is a nice beautiful building it has ten floors in total not much but Camile loved everything about it, going back In was going to bring back a lot of memories of how she and Kyle used to love and care for each other in there but she doesn't show much emotions as the goes inside the building.
In the elevator Camile pressed eight floor when she got there she opened her door with her keys.
The moment she opened the door a damp smell hit her nose but Camile payed no mind to it as she hadn't been around for close to three weeks,she also didn't make any arrangements for any one to come around to clean so there.…she would have to do the cleaning herself.
Her apartment is also nice and cosy,it's a one bedroom apartment with wooden floors it also has full length windows that gave a moderate view of the area where she lives.there is a L shaped sofa in the living room and a flat screen tv on the wall in the middle of the living room there is a fancy round glass table and on top of it, is a Chess board.
When she got the apartment she didn't think much of it, only that it was close to her college and it had a healthy student community around it.
Looking around Camile couldn't help but have a flash back to the time she and Kyle had come to the apartment after officially getting the keys.
Camile remembers it like it was yesterday
She was in the apartment with Kyle
He was standing in the far corner watching her with his gray eyes—like he normally does,he ran his hands through his black hair before going into the kitchen to check the water pressure for the hundredth time, Camile had never told him but she liked it when he touched his black hair.
Not really knowing what to do Camile went into the rooms admiring everywhere especially the kitchen where she got stainless appliances even the fridge is stainless the bedroom is also nice,tho it's not as spacious as her room at home but it was ok she could fit a dresser next to the bed if she arranged the furniture properly,the bathroom has a sizeable bathtub.
Camile is happy she actually got a place where she could live privately,holding the keys she scaned the apartment with her eyes to make sure everything is ok before the furniture people arrive, while she was at it, his familiar musk scent enveloped her before she felt Kyle's six foot frame behind her,he huged her from behind holding her close to him and started sniffing her neck"i'm so happy that you love this place..what do you think about the place"Kyle asked."i think it's ok.. I mean it's not bad with a couple of furnitures it could even be cozy" but before she could say another word Kyle turned her around and put his lips on hers,it feels so good like it normally does he continued to kiss her passionately while grabbing her butt.camile couldn't help but wrap her arms around his shoulders and her fingers also found its way into his hair as Kyle moved them to the closest wall and deepened the kiss,they kissed each other passionately he touched her everywhere she could literally feel his touch all over her body.When he touched her,her body wasn't hers anymore it was his —to do with as he pleased.
Camile couldn't bring herself to think about him anymore,they had such a good thing going for them but now it's over, she would have to walk past him in public and act like she didn't know him if that's not depressing she didn't know what else it was.
She pulled away from such thoughts about him immediately as she entered her room,it's painted white she has a yellow moderately sized bed a white dresser and floral yellow and white curtains the floor is also wooden.
It's so quiet,Camile wished she had Rachel as her roommate, that would have made things a tad bit easier because she would have had someone to talk to right now.
It's still morning so she unpacked her belongings from her heavily rammed suitcase thanks to Lily, she didn't feel good enough or patient enough to fold her clothes neatly.
As she unpacked, the ticket Lily gave her dropped to the floor Camile picked it up and went over to her study table to read it for the first time. Apparently it's a boating trip,where a bunch of depressed young people come together and talk about why they are depressed and get counseling and then for the main event everyone gets on a boat at night to do some meditation exercise and have a tour of the famous Gadani lake.You get a free t-shirt for coming—how interesting,for a second Camile believed that Lily might actually be a nice person that cared about her so she made a mental note to call Lily and thank her for her generosity.
As Camile put all the contents of her suitcase into her closet she starts feeling hungry so she orders UberEATS, it arrives in fifteen minutes Camile hums as she microwaves the pasta and chicken after that she eats it in bed while watching her favorite Netflix series.
In the evening Camile ran a bath and lighted her favorite scented candles before soaking herself in the rich lather,the cool water is soothing it made her feel light and a bit relaxed as she scrubed her body with a sponge, Camile found herself reminiscing about the good times she has had here in her apartment and wondered in her head if she should get professional help from a therapist maybe she would feel more alive after that but Camile dismisses that thought and continues to soak in the water. The perfume from the scented candles fills the bathroom and calms her. After feeling clean enough Camile pulled herself out of the tub,and walked into her room with a towel that she uses to dry herself before putting on her pyjamas and going to bed.
***************
As Camile approached the beach she heard a loud noise more like a roar,as she came closer she saw the source of the noise— the sea. Waves crashed all over the place and she felt a little dizzy just looking at it it ,maybe this was a bad idea Camile thought, but she was already there at the boating trip event so there is no going back. she gave her ticket to the ticket collector
at the entrance and walked into the venue.
The arena ( describe what the arena of the boating trip looks like here)
Camile wore her favorite black cargo pants with a white long sleeved top and matched it with black shoes,she also wore a cross bag over her outfit.
On her arrival Camile saw that every one was being ushered into a hall for the therapy session to begin so she joined them and took a seat. The coordinators divided them in to groups and each group was asked to take their seats and make a circle— there were 10 groups in total.
After that a therapist was assigned to each group.The therapist in Camille's group is a red haired stout woman with dimples and gray eyes, probably in her forties,when she arrived she joined the circle and sat down elegantly on the seat that was provided for her.
"hello everyone I'm Melanie"she said
Hello everyone chorused.
"I would love everyone present, to introduce themselves in an orderly manner,starting from you" Melanie said politely as she pointed to the girl on her right.Everyone did as she said and introduced themselves ,after that Melanie proceeded to talk about mental health issues,causes of mental health issues and how it affects our day to day life.One thing the therapist kept hitting on was the importance of loving yourself more than anyone else and being selfish enough to choose yourself and your happiness over anyone and anything in every situation,she also taught them simple techniques that promote selflove and self acceptance she rounded it off by asking everyone to share with the group one thing that may be weighing them down or something that they wanted to get off thier chest. One by one each person shared what made them sad or unhappy with the group,for some it was the death of a loved one for others it was the inability to reach certain heights or certain goals that they set for themselves for people like Camile it was the betrayal of someone they loved dearly—either way each and every one of them had something that hurt them. After listening to what each person had to say the therapist gave everyone a packet, inside it was a little aluminum plate,a paper,and a lighter.she asked them to write down what they shared with the group and hold on to it till they got on the boat and with that she ended the therapy session.
The other groups around them also ended their therapy sessions as well and refreshments were served for everyone while they waited for the boats to arrive.
where Camile is sitting scrolling through her phone there are two girls that are about her age one is a brunette and the other one is blonde they are both talking about some dress that another girl in their friend group had the audacity to buy when they were the first to talk about it.
Camie was uninterested in what they were saying so she looked around to see what else was happening around her, she saw a guy staring at her he had bald hair and a full beard this made her a bit uncomfortable so she got up and made her way to the exit on her way out one of the event ushers stopped her, a tall girl with raven black hair.
"excuse me miss"the usher said.
Camile looked her and the usher proceeded to give her a white t-shirt.
"the boats will be here any minute from now if you go out you might miss it"
"I'm not going to miss it" Camile said Knowing fully well that she would miss it if she left the venue now.
"There is a part of the lake that glows at night if you stay through the event you could see it" the usher continued obviously trying to convince her to remain in her hall.
"alright I'll stay" and it better be worth my time Camille thought as she went back to her seat.
Within a few minutes the first boat arrived followed by the others,but it's not what Camile imagined it would look like.
The boat is a rectangular flat slab of wood in front of the boat there is a steering bar conected to a lever that goes all the way down and disapears under the boat,it also has a floral canopy. On the sides of the boat there are railings to protect the people in the boat from falling off,the seats are lined up against the railing.There is an engine behind but its quiet.it looks like a special boat.
Each group from the hall enters a boat with their therapist,there are ten boats in total.
Its already evening when they start sailing the boats.
The sky above is turning from sunset yellow to dark purple and the waves are more quiet now but this doesn't stop the breeze from blowing back and forth, Camile enjoyed the way the wind moved her hair away from her face it made her feel at peace and serene.
Everywhere is quite now save for the silent chats from the chatter boxes of the group,out here on the lake is nothing but an endless body of water with nothing else in sight. On the boats the therapist in each group got up and asked them to bring out the paper where they wrote about who and what hurt them, and asked them to light it up with the lighters they were given and put it on the little plates that came with the lighter.
Camile brought her paper out and looked at it,it had one single word on it Kyle. Camile knew deep down that she would never accept him back even if he came begging, he humiliated her and that's something no one could ever forget and that was it—its over for good.
She lit up the paper and let it burn.
Camile followed the therapist instruction and let the emotions go as the paper burned,she threw the ashes into the clear water as the therapist instructed and felt genuinely happy for the first time in weeks. The boat kept moving and the tour guide of each boat took over from where the therapist stopped and began telling them about the history of the Gadani lake.And how the lake glows at a particular time at night the people of the remote town believe that it's the mermaids signaling thier arrival . Camile couldn't wait to see what a glowing lake looked like,at exactly 8pm the boats made a circle and there are about ten of them so you know it's one big circle and then they all saw it — the water glowing.
At first it started as little veins of aquamarine light but then the veins got bigger spreading all over, as far as the eyes could see. the water bubbled as if announcing the presence of someone special,the waves began to crash around the boats rocking it a little.the glow was now harmonious with the waves like there was a giant bulb under illuminating everything under water,even the fishes were visible for all to see.Everyone is in awe as they took hundreds of pictures and video taped the glowing water—Its beautiful.Something you don't see everyday.
"Does it glow this way all through the night".one of the girls on the boat asked.
"Yes it does but only on this part of the lake".the tour guide said.
It continued to glow that way as all the boats headed back to shore. Camile is happy she came for this event she can't believe how lucky she is to experience something like this,she had the whole glowing water thing on video she couldn't wait to share it on Instagram.
The lights inside the boats are dim and it's a bit chilly out there on the lake, Camile couldn't resist the urge any more she turned around gently on her seat,and put her hand inside the glowing water and felt the pulsing current. She played with the water a little before patting her hand dry on her cargo pants. It started raining lightly as they journeyed back with thunder and lightning echoing a cross the sky, at first no one payed much attention to it but then it turned in to a whole storm with waves and everything,all the boats are also being moved about by the waves.
The boat Camile is on began to rock from side to side before a huge wave covered one side of the boat . The driver continued to steer the bar in front to steady the boat but it's of no use as the waves continued to trash the boat—everyone is screaming now, there are waves everwhere and everyone is soaked to the bones from all the water entering the boat even their purses and bags are soaked , suddenly a huge wave from under capsizes the boat that Camile is on. Everyone on the boat is thrown violently into the glowing bubbly water. The driver of the boat shouts orders for everybody to cling to the capsided boat but no one can hear him through the sounds of thunder that echoes through the sky. Camile tried to swim over to a nearby boat like the others around her were doing but she was covered by a huge wave and she lost all consciousness from the impact.
In the same moment she is swept away quickly from the group by a stong current and it pulls her towards a rocky channel where she gets stuck between two rocks.The water isn't glowing here so it's pitch black ,thanks to the rocks Camile is no longer at the mercy of the current She is unconscious and her slightly bleeding head rests on one of the rocks ,it's midnight now.Then something inexplicable happend the water around Camile started to glow and bubble simultaneously and
a mysterious figure emerged from the glowing water picked up Camile and swarm to shore.