After (Parallel Series, Book 4)
Page 35
“They won’t. I’m much too clever for them.”
Giddy that she’d admitted so much, I just nodded.
“I’m starving,” she said. “I’m going to have lunch.”
“I have to go to the library and do some homework.”
“See ya.”
Once she was out of sight I counted to sixty, then I played back our recording, pressing my phone to my ear to listen. Our voices were crystal clear, even the conversation I’d overheard earlier.
“Yes,” I whispered, thrilled that I’d gotten what I needed.
Chapter 81
Morgan
“That’s unbelievable,” Dad said after he’d listened to the recording I’d made. Mom just shook her head.
“What should we do now?” I asked, glad I wasn’t on my own.
Dad looked at Mom. “What do you think? Should I call that attorney we talked about?”
“Probably. He ought to be able to get Morgan immunity if she hands over this information.”
That’s how I ended up sitting across the table from Agents Murray and Atkinson with an attorney by my side. The FBI had agreed not to press any charges against me for failing to report the impending hack if I gave them the information they needed to know who was responsible for it.
I’d made it clear that I didn’t know who the hacker was, but that I knew the person who did know. Evidently that was enough for them, and now we sat together as I played the recording of Hannah confessing her part. When it was done, both agents smiled.
“Looks like you’re in the clear, Morgan,” Atkinson said.
Overwhelming relief flowed over me, and tears pushed into my eyes. I kept them at bay, but I couldn’t keep a wide smile from blossoming on my mouth.
“Do you need anything else from my client?” my attorney asked.
“No, she’s free to go.”
I nearly leapt from my chair before rushing out into the waiting area to let Mom and Dad know how it went.
“I’m glad that’s done,” I said as I hugged them both.
“What have you learned?” Dad asked.
“Let’s see,” I said with a smile as I held up my hand and began counting off on my fingers. “One, don’t be involved with a group that might do shady things. Two, if I know something illegal’s going to happen, don’t keep it to myself. Three, talk to you guys sooner. And, four, if I want to promote my point of view, don’t let other people dictate the rules.” Raising my eyebrows, I looked at Dad.
“Yeah,” he said. “I think that about covers it.”
Mom drew me into another hug while Dad talked to our attorney, then the three of us drove home.
“Am I still grounded?” I asked from the backseat.
“For now, yes,” Dad said.
I hoped they would change their minds soon, but in the meantime I’d accept my punishment. When we got home I called Billy to tell him the latest.
“So the FBI is done with you?” he asked.
“Yes, thank goodness.”
“I hope Hannah knows I’m not going to have anything to do with her group now.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I think she’ll figure that out pretty soon. Of course I don’t know if she’ll have a group after the FBI talks to her.” I paused. “I kind of feel sorry for her. I mean, she’s going to be in big trouble.”
“Yeah, but it’s her own fault. You warned her how many times?”
As true as that was, I still felt sorry for her.
“My parents are having a barbecue on Saturday,” Billy said. “They wanted me to invite you and your family.”
“I’ll tell them. Then even if I’m grounded I’ll be able to see you.”
“Exactly.”
At dinner that night I told Mom and Dad about the invitation and they agreed that it would be nice to get to know Billy’s new family.
“We have to go,” Zac said, his face serious. “I have some new card tricks I need to show Billy.”
“Well, that settles it,” Dad said. “We’re going.”
We all laughed, and I looked at the faces of my family and felt a new appreciation for them. Through all of my mistakes—and I was sure I would make more of them—my family had stood by me. Even Billy had never wavered in his support of me, even when I didn’t listen to his advice. I knew I was a very lucky girl to have such good people in my life, and now, as I listened to the conversation at the table, I smiled, at peace with myself and with my life.
Epilogue
Morgan
After intense pressure from the FBI, Hannah gave up the name of the hacker and he was sentenced to several years in prison. Hannah, however, was able to get off with a hefty fine and a whole lot of hours of community service. She was also forced to give up We Can Choose.
For the next two rounds of weigh-ins, so many kids refused to participate that Holly’s HLO announced that they were stopping the pilot program. Even though she claimed it was due to lack of funding, I believed it was due to lack of cooperation by the very people whose data she needed to gather.
I finished out the school year at Brightwood High School without any more run-ins with Hansen, then I was able to return to Fox Run for my Junior year.
Billy and I did several more youtube videos—not associated with any group—where we gave more details about his world and talked about our concerns regarding where our world seemed to be headed. The videos became quite popular and we were invited to be interviewed by several talk shows. After a lot of thought we agreed to do a few of them, and slowly it seemed that the public was starting to come around to our point of view. With all of the publicity, Billy and I became minor celebrities, which neither one of us liked.
The government also took notice of our story, and after asking us to show them the location of the hut, they tore it down and filled in the tunnel. I guess they didn’t want to take a chance that anyone else would try to cross from one universe to another. Days after they finished their demolition Billy and I hiked to the hut’s location and saw that all traces of the tunnel were gone. I was glad, but I could see that Billy’s feelings were mixed. He later told me that he mostly felt relief to know that he was in my world to stay.
The new food regulations started at our school and across the country, and even though many people were unhappy with the new rules, it didn’t seem likely that they would be changing anytime soon. Not as long as the people in power wanted the government to have more control over our lives.
Though it took Billy a little while to get used to having parents who were actually involved in his life, he was very happy with his family, and I was thrilled for him. Billy and I got together as often as we could, and we planned on going to college together once we graduated.
Billy never again regretted coming to my world, and even though I’d been through horrific things in his world, in the end I was glad I’d had that experience. I knew if I had the opportunity to change things I would make the same choices I’d made before. The things I’d learned were too valuable to give up, and I wouldn’t want to lose all the priceless knowledge I’d gained. I’d discovered how important my family is to me, and how lucky I am to have the family I have. I’d also come to appreciate the power of being able to chose for myself, and I knew I’d do all within my power to make sure I never lost that precious gift.
My world—even with all its flaws—was the place I wanted to be, and I would be forever grateful that I’d made it home, and that once I’d gotten here, perhaps I’d even made a difference.
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Books by Christine Kersey
Park City Firefighter Romance
Rescue My Heart
Hearts On Fire
Emerald Falls Romance Series
Crushing On You: Travis and Gabriella (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book One)
Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two)
Searching for Love
Falling for You (Searching for Love, Book One)
Finding Reese (Searching for Love, Book Two)
Surrender My Heart (Searching for Love, Book Three)
Bring Me Home (Searching for Love, Book Four)
Lily’s Story
He Loves Me Not (Lily’s Story, Book 1)
Don’t Look Back (Lily’s Story, Book 2)
Love At Last (Lily’s Story, Book 3)
Life Imperfect (Lily’s Story, Book 4)
Parallel Trilogy
Gone (Parallel Series, Book 1)
Imprisoned (Parallel Series, Book 2)
Hunted (Parallel Series, Book 3)
After (Parallel Series, Book 4)
The Other Morgan (Parallel Series, Book 5)
Over You Series
Over You
Second Chances (sequel to Over You)
Witness Series
Witness (Witness, Book 1)
Retribution (Witness, Book 2)
Standalone Books
Suspicions
No Way Out
Box Sets
Parallel Trilogy
Lily’s Story
Searching for Love bundle
About the Author
Christine has always loved to read, but enjoys writing suspenseful novels as well. She has her own eReader and is not embarrassed to admit that she is a book hoarder. One of Christine's favorite activities is to go camping with her family and read, read, read while enjoying the beauty of nature.
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ChristineKerseyAuthor
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