The Last Note - Chapter 8

I gasped. I was not able to understand anything. This letter! I read it a hundred times; each time, leaving me more confused. The password to our locker; I’m sure only we five knew it.

It was like an open challenge. So my doubts were not wrong, Rachelle didn’t commit suicide. Who was this person? How did he know all these? Does he know where she is?

There was no address, the red envelope that’s all.

 From where do I start? All I could think of was going back to India. I decided to leave that night itself.

I couldn’t think of anything possible. Who was this person? We had no clue. We had no enemies and I don’t think even Rachelle had one. I was scared to leave for the apartment.

I reached the apartment late that night, and …

There was a red envelope waiting for me at the doorstep. The same red envelope, that brought me here.

“Hi Jessica,

You were quick enough than I expected. Congrats, for getting the first level right. You guessed right by the way. You are too sweet to have enemies.

Jessica, do you remember being hit in that secret room? Well, that’s not a hallucination and those papers in that box, Remember?

Now don’t go for the usual drama; police, media, investigation…No…No…It will do no good, only harm!

Now that you have started, you only got to end it.

So, your next level is ready!

All the best…This time it may be hard.

Yours Lovingly,

XYZ”

I was not wrong; I had been hit that night. Those papers in the box…wait…maybe that’s was the next clue. I hurried to that secret room and started searching all over. This time I found the box. One by one I started going through each paper note, it was all useless papers; I threw the box away. What was I supposed to find now? I checked the table drawer as the last hope; Nothing!

What’s next!

I went around the apartment for a clue but all in vain. I headed towards Rachelle’s room next. Her memories flooded my mind. Her study table had lots of books and something that appeared to be a rough work. It was titled; ‘The lost one’.

I started reading it. As each chapter progressed; my heart pounded. It was all about us, our college life; Rachelle’s missing, we reaching India, her funeral…and me reading it.

That chapter ended there. I was terrified and I couldn’t move. I was too scared to even turn back.

I opened my eyes to the bright sunlight in the room. I don’t remember when I fell asleep. Those papers were still in my hand and I was on Rachelle’s bed. It was not a nightmare; it was real, in my hands.

The door bell was sounded and I went to answer it. There was no one there. What I saw next was the red envelope lying on the door mat.

To Be Continued...