The Secret Manuscript (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Six

"What do you mean?" she asked with a perplexed look on her face. 

"You know the manuscript I was reading?" 

"Yeah." 

"I told you I wrote it, but I didn't actually write it. The truth is... that manuscript is not an ordinary manuscript, it's very special. The pages are filled with remarkably accurate details of my life, and sometimes I can use that information in ways that will benefit me." 

"What are you saying?" Vanessa asked in disbelief. 

"Here, let me show you."  

Ben crouched low, removed his backpack and took out the manuscript. He flipped through the dog-eared pages until he found the spot. "Read this," he said as he shoved the manuscript in her hands. 

Vanessa read the text with a furrowed brow. The prose described an event similar to the meeting that took place between her and Ben, but it was slightly different. When she was done, she handed it back to Ben. 

"Vanessa, this is how I knew all those details about you. I wasn't in your earth and ocean science class, nor was I in your English class. In fact, I don't even go to this school. The reason why I didn't look familiar to you was because you've never seen me before in your life." 

Not sure what to make of Ben's story, she remained silent and processed the information she had just heard. 

"Before you go and judge me, and call me a bad person, please let me at least explain where I was coming from. You see, it just so happened I was reading this text moments before I saw you. Then you walked by in your green coat and something compelled me to call out your name. I couldn't resist the temptation to use what I had just read to try to get your number. It was stupid and I shouldn't have done it, but I did. I'm sure you can understand how someone with an impulsive and weak character such as mine could do such a thing, right?" 

"Ben, if what you're saying is true, as unlikely as it sounds, you manipulated me." 

"Well, sort of. I manipulated the situation, you just happened to be in it. After all, it's not like I influenced your thoughts or anything. I didn't even know you would agree to go out with me." 

"Let's agree that it was a little sneaky and leave it at that. I'm not upset with what you did." 

"One more thing I should mention is that I may have altered our destinies and inadvertently sent us down a course where we don't belong. There may be some unforeseen consequences to my actions. That may be why our date didn't go so smoothly. I think it was the universe's way of self-correcting the situation." 

"Oh don't be so silly. I don't think it was the universe's fault you spilled a drink on me. You were probably just really nervous. People spill drinks all the time, it doesn't mean the world or universe is out to get them." 

"Either way, I'm really sorry about what happened, and I appreciate you being so cool about it." 

"And Ben, if the universe was working so hard to keep us apart, why did it bring us together again?" 

"I don't know. There are a lot of really strange things that have happened to me lately. I think it has something to do with this manuscript." 

"Tell me more about this manuscript. Where did it come from?" 

"The origins and the author of it are unknown, but I found it in a secret room hidden behind a trap door in my fireplace. It was guarded in a vault-like room with a big steel door, which required a ten-digit passcode, that just so happened to be a number that was written on a piece of paper that was given to me by a nurse in the hospital when my apartment burnt down."