Shards of Blue Glass

Congratulations, Collings

It all starts when I check Twitter as soon as I load into the van.

    As a follower of the Paranormeon Crew accounts, everything the guys post or fans post appears on my screen. Since the episode of Zak proposing to me airing two days ago, Twitter has been blowing up my phone.

    I scroll through the Tweets, smiling to myself when I see things like Congratulations! or I'm super envious of you right now! ;p or Hope you post wedding pictures soon!!!

    Then, I come to a Tweet on my own Twitter page that stops my blood flow. Congratulations, Collings. Another one for the record books. Where do you want your next scar to be? I look up and around, horror shooting through me. 

Then, as I look at the message more, my brain kicks up. It's in a code. An anagram of Morse code. No one else will be able to read this except for you, it seems to say. It's true. The lines and dots are in Morse code, then they have to be deciphered using an anagram. I can only read it because I was the one who came up with that idea.

But I only told one person about the code, and now he’s dead.

    I look at the Tweet more, then check the person who sent it's profile page. Nothing pops up. I try again, and the same message pops up. Infuriated, I stare at the message, written in a code only I can read. If only I could hack into the person's account.

    None of my friends know how to hack, and I don't want to ask Mark or Jae if they could try to find out who this person is. That will only lead to questions, and I don't want to tell them all about the scars on my back, and the stories behind them.

    So I sit there, burning, and stare at my phone as if willing the person who sent the Tweet to appear from the screen. Something does appear on the screen, then, though it's not a Tweet.

    It's a text from Zak, who sits in the passenger seat like normal. What's going on back there? I can feel your fear and anger, Saira. 

I blink at the message, then reply, Are you reading my mind again? A few seconds' pause, then his text appears on my screen.

    I'm an empath, Saira. I can sense and feel the emotions of others. 

Well, great. I glare at my screen, anger flashing through me. Thanks for sharing that selective info, Zak, I text back. 

I can sense his annoyance with me, then his text appears on my screen. What's going on, Saira? You're snippier than usual.

    I consider not sharing the Tweet with Zak, but then an image of four dead bodies-the last time I withheld information from someone-flashes through my mind. I take a screenshot of the Tweet, then send it to Zak.

Explanation, please. I smile at his text, and text back, It's a code that I created. I only shared it with one person, who is now dead. It reads "Congratulations, Collings. Another one for the record books. Where do you want your next scar to be?" I can't access the account, and none of you can hack. 

I wait a few moments, then Zak texts back, Well, that puts a damper on my plans.

    What plans? I text back, my curiosity spiking up. I hear Zak chuckle, and Alex turns around in his chair to look at me, his brown eyes sparkling like his bald head. 

"What?" I ask, looking over at him. He smiles and asks,"What are you two love birds laughing about? I know some newly engaged people think life is funny, but seriously?" I laugh and poke Alex in the forehead. This seems to confuse my friend even more, because he blinks at me and turns back around in his seat.

    "Weirdos," I hear Mark mutter. His blond hair is up in a Mohawk today. All four of us laugh, and Mark turns on the radio while Jae, who has brown hair and brown eyes that make him look like a lost puppy, and Alex start chatting. I turn back to my phone, and see a text on the screen. 

Are you trying to get me in trouble? 

I giggle, and text back, Maybe... :p. 

Zak sends back a smiley face.

    I laugh, then my mind turns back to the Tweet. I open an app on my phone, and, sweating, I deal two cards. Immediately, an answering card of an ace of hearts is laid down. I gasp, and turn my phone off. What that deal means, on this specific app... No, it can't be true. It just can't.

    Because if it is, then that means that one person is still alive. Someone who shouldn't be. Who died fourteen years ago. Who I watched burn in my old house. The only person who knew about my code.

    My father.