X Marks the Spot

Epilogue

Mum 14:09

I'm so sorry our flight got delayed sweetie. We'll be back asap. Promise! Xxx

Mourning the loss of her only friend alone was not Lauren's idea of a perfect sixteenth birthday, but in a way, it was a blessing. She hadn't mentioned Joel to her parents once due to them taking a trip and didn't plan on doing so, so she was glad to have time alone with her thoughts. 

The snow had finally thawed, and Joel was all the media would be talking about until X took another victim. Before his body was found and he was only classed as a missing person, both his mother and the police had believed he had run away for attention. The media started what could only be described as a debate and speculated many theories as to what had happened to him. They'd found his house a complete mess, and some people believed he'd smashed it up - again for attention. Others believed he'd managed to defend himself against his attacker. All Lauren could do was hope his mother was right; she preferred the thought of Joel homeless than Joel dead. And she knew she should have stayed with him that day. 

The police were still at a loss, even more so now than before: Joel was the first non-white victim of X. His body had appeared at the gates of Shelley Community High School barely a week after his disappearance, with the 'X' marked on his arm. Lauren wasn't surprised in the slightest, but she was upset. Even though she'd only known him for a few days, she couldn't help but dwell on the time they'd had together and the jokes they'd shared. 

She glanced at the laptop on the other end of her bed. She knew it would be wrong to open it; that had been Joel's personal property, but she just wanted a small piece of him, a reminder, to hang on to. 

She opened it, switched it on and was surprised to see two available accounts to log on to; one named 'Joel' and one named 'Lauren'. She clicked on the icon above her name, curious, and was glad to see it wasn't password protected. 

The screen was blank, except for a shortcut to a document that Lauren hurriedly opened. She began to read.

Dear Lauren,

If you're reading this, I'm probably dead, or missing. Either way, something bad's happened and there was nothing either of us could do about it. 

I'm not sure when you'll get this (or if you ever will) but if you do, I wanted you to know that the last few days have actually meant something because of you. Hell, they were probably my actual last days, but I'd rather not think about that. Point is, you made them special because I've never really met anyone like you. I know we only knew each other - well, not very long, depending on when you're reading this. But I could still trust you, and that counted for a LOT. And I'm grateful for that, even though I never even asked you what your last name was. 

I know I might not have a way with words like you do, but under the circumstances I think this is good enough. I didn't want to share anything with the world, even though the entire country's probably going to know my name and how I died. But you do want to share things with the world, and you should, because you're special. God, that sounds so cliché, right? But you'll just have to trust me. 

You have a spark, Lauren. If you can make the world listen, you'll engulf them in you're flames, and you're the kind of fire that doesn't burn out. Ever. 

That was pretty poetic for me. But I probably spelled something wrong. I wish I could have had time to consider a career in English (or any career, really) almost half as much as I wish we'd had more time together. So consider it, Lauren. You have all the time in the world.

Joel

P.S. If you do ever become a famous writer, I think I at least earned a dedication. So don't forget me. 

Lauren closed the laptop. She didn't want to see those words anymore. She didn't understand how someone she barely knew could make her feel so strongly about the events of the past - how long had it been since they met? Around a week? Maybe two?

She sat down at her desk and prepared to begin typing at her typewriter. After a moment's consideration, she pushed it aside, put the laptop in its place, and opened a new document.

Time to set the world alight.