Life Points Onwards[Re-Writing]

Chapter 15

Straightening out the note, I started to read the letter again. Before I started on the second paragraph, I got a text from an unknown number.

My Messages:

[Unknown] Hey Megan.

[Megan] Who is this?

[Unknown] You don't need to know.

[Megan] You can't just text me like this.

[Unknown] I have a right to do so.

[Megan] What do you want?

[Unknown] Check this out.

[Unknown] Attachment: 1 Image

Great. Another video, is what I first thought. But once I opened the video, my blood boiled. It was the video of my brother punching the poor boy who had been killed that day. Furious, I typed quickly into the bar.

[Megan] How did you get this? Who are you?

[Unknown] Surprised, aren't you? But don't worry. I'll reveal my face... soon.

[Megan] Tell me who you are!

[Unknown] This number is unavailable from your network system.

[Megan] Stop!

[Unknown] This number is unavailable from your network system.

Frustrated, I slammed my phone down hard enough for it to break. Who was this person? And how did she have this video? Unable to do anything, I contacted an old friend. Ring, ring!

~~~

"You want me to do what? It's been ages since I did that!" Jennie barked. I sighed dramatically so she could change her mind. After all, we were on Facetime. "Forget it."

"Come on, Jennie. Someone's blackmailing me and I have to know who it is." I wailed. This caught her attention. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Blackmailing you? Why?" She asked incredulously. I sighed again and told her the whole story of the unknown number and the videos.

"And that's basically it. But that video was from more than three years ago, Jennie. How could they have acquired that?" I said fearfully. Jennie shook her head, her braids dancing side to side.

"I don't know, Meg. Either they were there or they bought or found it somewhere." Jennie said hesitantly. "I really don't know. It could work in so many ways."

"So?" I asked hopefully.

"So, what?" Jennie shrugged.

"Can you track down @anonymousgirlee for me?" I asked eagerly.

"Fine. For a price." She pointed out. Of course. There was always a price. It wasn't very hard, though. It was just a favor.

"And that is...?" I slowly asked. She had a serious face, but it soon broke out into a grin.

"Send me a Starbucks gift card. It better be a high price or else I'll come back to you." Jennie playfully threatened. I rolled my eyes but obliged. She nodded with satisfaction.

"Good. Any more problems?" She looked at me with doleful eyes. I bit my lip and spoke up once again.

"Well, there is one more thing. Can.... you do some research on my mother and Janice? They've been acting pretty suspicious lately." I hesitantly said. Jennie nodded with understanding.

"I will. I have to go, so text me if you need anything." She gave me a thumbs up and ended the call.

Great. Now all I had to wait for was the results.

Jennie had been a hacker until a few years ago, so she was able to find information of all kinds. Although a hacker was not exactly an educational job, her occupation came in handy many times. My mother didn't approve of Jennie, so I was forced to keep our relationship a secret. As you may have already guessed, Jennie was not the same age as I. She was a couple years older than me, and she was a cousin. My mother's older brother was her step-father, and I found Jennie easy to be around. My mother doesn't have a good relationship with her brother, so of course I can't contact Jennie unless I call her or text her.

We were very close until I entered eighth grade, because I ended up having honors classes and it was hard to find time. We would occasionally talk, but not for long periods of time such as we had done today.

According to my mother, Jennie was a failure because she had dropped out of school and moved out of her home. But I knew that if she wasn't smart, she could never hack because hacking involved different languages and math. After all, everyone could be a good person and fulfill their dream in their own way.

~~~

When I fell asleep, I found myself in another dream, but it was different this time. More light in my mind.

Splish! Splash! The waves danced in front of my eyes. In front of me, there was a huge waterfall raining down beautiful assortments of flowers and colors. The bright flashes blinded me from time to time. I felt someone tap me, and I turned around to see who I loved most.

"Megan." My name softly came out of his mouth, and I jumped up to hug him. I felt his warmth, and it made me feel safe.

"You're here," I whispered.

"I'm here." He clutched me. "But I want to tell you something." I looked up at him with a question in my eyes.

"What is it?"

"I want you to follow your heart, Megan. It doesn't matter what Janice or mom tells you, because it'll be your life. You control and lead it. You are the remote to your life. I know mom told you to go to South Korea and pursue your dreams there, and if you really want to, go for it. I know you have the passion and talent. You're my golden star, and you'll always be the brightest in my life. So make me proud, Megan." He answered, and smiled at me before vanishing into thin air.

I tried to wish him back, but he wasn't there anymore.