ELIXA

CHAPTER 9

Leaving space to fill itself had not worked before. But she dared it anyway. She had learned it from Mrs Liz, in the Founder of Founder foster home when she was still little. The trick was a way to keep the mind from wandering and hoping to catch sleep on the way. Why that seems to be working out for others, Kristen was not used to it. The more she tried to keep her mental focus, the more she dives into numerous thoughts. Just like the thoughts that lingered in her mind at the moment. Turns out the strange screen she had seen two days ago was nothing but some video game. Discovering that was not easy, and when she did, she hadn’t bothered again. Yet, here she was, unable to sleep.

She turned on the light and sat up. The wall opposite had different pictures of people that had gone missing for the past few years. She had tried to draw a link but that was harder than she had thought. It’s been three years now. Three years of searching and finding nothing. The news was saying nothing and not even the Firstborns had clues on the causes of these disappearances. Each time the person goes missing and she tried to find out what had happened, it was always blank, as if these people never existed before. There was no medical history, no social media account, no friends, or family. For one who doesn’t know better, she would have sworn that these people never existed.

Twenty-three people. Kristen stood from the bed and went to the rack to get herself wine and a glass cup. It was twenty-four now if she adds the thief from Allen streets. What really bothers her today was why these Rodian hasn’t said anything. Since he was the leader of the Firstborns, the least he could have done was to make sure that the boy was secured. Someone as powerful as the news had said should be kept in check before he joins the dark side. And that would be a waste, if not a huge disadvantage on their side.

Kristen turned away from the photos only to notice that her laptop was oddly sitting on her bed. She couldn’t remember bringing it home. Having worked tooth and nail in the tower, she had finished her day’s work and had kept the laptop in her workplace. But how had it gotten here?

She dropped the wine and flipped the lid of the laptop, and without letting thoughts dwell in her mind, she pushed the power button. Until the familiar blue screen flared did she realise that her heart was racing and that she had been holding her breath. However, the presence of the blue screen meant that what she had seen in her place of work must have been a coincidence. Perhaps someone in the Firstborn had used her computer to play a video game and had forgotten to log off.

A gentle wind came rushing into her room and she had to drop the glass cup to shut the window. There was no vehicle in the streets and the night was as quiet as ever, the perfect comfort to rest her head. Turning back to the room, she was about to flip back the lid of the laptop when the screen suddenly went blank only to come back again with the same red screen she had seen in her office.

WELCOME TO PHANTOM. PLEASE LOG IN

Kristen immediately emptied the content in the cup and sat on the bed. This was not happening. Was she dreaming or was this actually happening? Or has someone hacked into her account and was using it to monitor her? She breathed in and without thinking, she typed her password into the space provided. The words on the screen changed only for the word, THANK YOU. NOW PLACE YOUR HANDS ON THE SCREEN, to appear.

Kristen’s heart skipped as she flipped back the laptop and dropped it immediately on the table. It was as if the computer was a parasite which she needed to get rid of before they could infect her. This has to be a joke. There must be a mistake somewhere.

Picking her cell phone, she dials the number which came naturally without effort. It rang three times or so before the sleeping voice of a Cazlin said.

“Hello?”

“Hi Caz, did anyone came to my bench while I was always on holiday?”

“Oh, Kris, don’t tell me you woke me up just to ask me that. We can discuss it tomorrow. My children and I have gone to sleep and we don’t want any disturbance.”

“Please, Caz. This is not funny.”

Silence passed between them and Kristen could only hear the whining of the bad as Caz sat up from the bed, probably reading the urgency in her voice.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Something strange, Caz. I think someone my account is being bugged.”

“What makes you say that?” 

“It’s a long story, Caz. I can’t sleep and I don’t know what this is. I am so confused” Kristen said, raking her head. Her eyes were heating now and it was only a matter of time before the tears comes running down the side of her cheeks.

“Hey, calm down.” Caz said, “Can it wait till tomorrow,”

“I don’t know, Caz,” Kristen tugged down the lace and the curtain came down. She made sure the backdoor was shut and the windows too. If someone was indeed watching her, then she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction they needed. They need to try harder to extract information from her if information was what they seek.

“Okay, how about I come over to your place?” 

“That would be great, but…” Kris shifted her eyes to the wall clock. It was 3. ooam. “It is not too late? I mean, with the Garrison and all.”

“You forget I am a Firstborn.” Caz chuckled and hung up even before Kris could protest.

Kris dropped the phone and returned to the bed. She had turned on every light and was hugging herself now, keeping away from the laptop which still sits on the table. The only time she had been this scared was the night her parents had died. It was a car accident and one caused by a drunk driver. She had been afraid because she was the only one that had crawled out of the vehicle early enough before the car had exploded. And for two to three hours before the ambulance had arrived,  she had watched her parents burn to ashes. The tower had taken her into their wings ever since, and like the rest of the orphans here, she was forced to learn to read and write, since she had no powers.

It took an hour after for a car to roar into her compound and without waiting Caz jumped out and was knocking on her door the next minute.

“What’s wrong Kris. You sounded as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

“This is more than a ghost,” Kris said as she shut the door behind him. She directed him to her bedroom and pointed to the laptop sitting on the table.

“Twice I have tried to log in, and twice this has appeared on my screen,” She flipped the computer open.

The red screen that had instructed her to put her hands on the screen was still there, pulsing with crimson lights as though they had a heart.

“Phantom” Caz sounded surprised. “How manage?”

“You can ask me that again,” Kris hissed and returned to her bed, “my guess is that someone might have tampered with my account while I was away on holiday. The question now is who.”

“I don’t think anyone would have risked it. Not after Rodian’s warnings. No, I don’t think.”

“Do you mean that the hacker is in the tower?”

“I mean that a Firstborn cannot do this. And since the Firstborn dominates the tower, then yes. The hacker might be coming from somewhere or someplace. Did you remember sharing your information with a friend or somebody, either by error or omission?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t have bothered you. But you know me, Caz. I don’t have any friends within or outside the tower. But for you are the closest, aside from Ruth. And Ruth does not come close to my stuff.”

“Hmm,” Caz bit his fingers thoughtfully. “How about we create a fake account and try out every instruction on the screen.”

“No, no way?” Kris shook her head, “The hacker could still use my IP address. If we are going to do that, then we would need a new laptop.”

“A new laptop it is then.” Caz nodded and turned off the screen, “Whoever is behind this must be good. But he just met his match.”

“Caz, this is not a game.”

“Of course, it is a game,” Caz laughed, “Are you not seeing the disclaimer? DARE TO PLAY”

Kris hissed and rested her back on the wall. The uneasiness she had felt earlier on had faded away, and thanks to Cazlin, she would have spent the rest of the night, wondering if her life was going to end at the moment.

“Are your children still sleeping?” Kris laughed.

“Of course not, I brought them with me. Should I call them?”

“Sure,” 

“Alright, curiosity? Sleep? Anger. Kris wants to see you.”

Kristen laughed and closed her eyes. Having Caz beside her had a magic of its own. It always leaves her wondering if she would ever get a chance to tell him how she feels, to hold him and melt in his arms without thought for tomorrow, or some random hacker that was forcing her head to turn grey.