Proud and gleeful to have scored a date with Sandra, Thomas strutted down the road to his patrol car. He swept his gaze around the neighborhood, seeing his surroundings through rose-tinted glasses. He noticed little things like the flower buds among a bunch of weeds, the low hum of the bees... and a familiar mop of black hair sticking out of the shrubbery near Sandra's house.

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Having an inkling about who it might be, his lips pressed into a thin line. His bubble of good mood burst as he altered course and broke into a jog towards the figure. The light airiness of his steps shifted to a pounding rhythm.

Questions raced in his mind as he prepared to grill that boy - yes, he was quite sure it was him. Thomas gritted his teeth. Tamm wouldn't be happy with this if it was what he suspected.

As he neared, the black-haired figure startled. Before he or she could run off, Thomas clapped a hand on the person’s shoulder. The person turned on his haunches - to reveal a stunned Shawn holding a digital camera. His eyes were wide open like a deer in the headlights. A mixture of guilt and fear flashed in his expression.

“Shawn? What are you doing here? No extra classes today?” Thomas asked, keeping his tone light but with a sharp edge.

The teen quickly recovered from his initial shock and got up from his crouched position. He dusted his jeans off and gave a plaintive shrug. “Nothing much. Just happened to be around the area.”

It was an obvious lie. Thomas kept his calm, although his voice carried a touch of sarcasm. “So you happened to be around here with a camera?”

“Yeah, why not.”

“And you decided to kneel down behind bushes?”

Shawn nodded. “Tying my shoelaces. Not exactly a crime, is it?”

“No,” Thomas scoffed. “If that’s the case then, I can take a look at that camera.”

Thomas stretched a hand out and beckoned Shawn to hand over the device. The teen scowled at him and after a moment’s hesitation, slapped the camera into his waiting hand.

“Thank you, Shawn.” Thomas grinned.

From the corner of his eye, he watched his nephew sulk and scuff his sneakers on the ground. Something was definitely up.

He flicked the dial on the camera and the screen switched from a moving frame to a still picture of Sandra’s house. A chill ran down his back. He hit the back button. More stills of Sandra as she exited the house. Some stills even had him in it.

His jaw clenched. He turned his gaze back to Shawn, anger lacing his tone. “Are you stalking Sandra? Is that what this is?”

Shocked, Shawn threw his hands up in surrender. “No, no. This is not what it seems, Uncle Thomas. I swear.”

Thomas held the camera in one hand and lifted it up pointedly. “Explain what this is then.”

Shawn cupped his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat. “Valerie put me up to it. She only wanted a picture of Sandra today.”

When Thomas raised an eyebrow in disbelief, Shawn hurried to add. “I got off some extra shots just in case I didn’t get what she wanted.”

“What does Valerie want with the pictures?”

“I don’t know.”

Thomas fixed the teen in a stern glare. Under his scrutiny, Shawn shrunk, his lanky build curling up on itself.

“Really, I don’t, Uncle Thomas,” Shawn pleaded, a ring of truth to his words.

Thomas could tell from the tone and expression that his nephew wasn’t lying. That didn’t stop him from affixing Shawn with an intense stare that unnerved the young teen. He let Shawn stew in discomfort for a few more seconds before asking, “Is this the first time Valerie has asked you to do this?”

Shawn bit his lips before answering quietly, “Second. The first time was a few days back.”

Giving a curt nod, Thomas folded his arm across his chest. He lowered the camera to chest level and stared down at the still of Sandra re-entering her house. He had no idea of what use this photo was to Valerie but he didn’t like this on several levels. Starting from the fact that Valerie seemed fixated on Sandra - in a bad way, and that she had enough of a hold on Shawn that he was helping her with it. Not to mention his disappointment with his nephew for not knowing right from wrong. And he wasn’t going to let that slip.

He puffed out his chest, putting on a stern front as he chided his nephew. “I have to tell you, Shawn. I’m disappointed in you. You should know better than to stalk someone’s home and take pictures of them without permission. How could you not know right from wrong? I mean-”

“Who are you to tell me what I can or can’t do?!” Shawn retorted, his hands balled into fists at his side. Eyes ablaze, he glowered at his uncle with renewed energy.

Taken aback, Thomas was at a loss for words. His lips parted but before he could get anything out, Shawn pressed on.

“You’re not my father, Uncle Thomas.” Shawn pointed an accusing finger at him. “Even my mum has no say in what I do, much less the likes of you.”

Snarling, the teen's voice rose an octave. “So don’t you get all high on the moral ground with me.”

“Wait Shawn-” Thomas started, his free hand reaching out to his nephew.

Shawn jerked away from him and spun on his heels, running down the road to where his bike was parked. Thomas watched in stunned silence as the teen cycled away. With camera in hand, he stood there, dumbfounded.

What had just happened?