Pandora V.S. Phoenix

I stared at the black screen in front of me, as I let out a deep sigh. My laptop was not working, again. I pressed random buttons on my laptop repeatedly, rolling my eyes in frustration. It was the third time this month my laptop refused to turn on. Although I had pleaded with my parents to get me a new one so I could stop using this old piece of junk, they refused every time. I huffed in dejection waiting for the screen to come to life, while impatiently eyeing the long to-do list next to me – I had to complete my online homework by 6pm, and time was definitely not on my side.

All of a sudden, the laptop whirred to life and lines of zeroes and ones greeted me. What in the world was going on? It was as if I was part of a sci-fi movie – error codes and warnings flashed along the screen. I managed to catch a glimpse of one of the warnings, “Phoenix” was all it said. Phoenix? A million thoughts raced in my mind, as I continued to stare at the screen in bewilderment. A sudden realisation hit me like a lightning bolt, my laptop was getting hacked.

All the colour drained from my face upon thinking about all the private information I had stored in secret folders. It would be utterly disastrous if all of that information got leaked out. Not only would my life be ruined, all my plans would too! I scrambled to get my laptop back, pressing random buttons in a frenzy. It was too late. The laptop finally unlocked, but my once cluttered desktop now had no folders, except for one. The title also read “Phoenix”, and I warily clicked on it. A word document opened, and there was only one sentence, “A phoenix will always rise from the ashes.” Shivers creeped down my spine, how much does this phoenix person know?

I will not lose, not after all that I have done. I smirked, suddenly realising that the hacker would not be able to understand any of the documents they stole. I encrypted them all in a secret language that only I would be able to understand. Hundreds of documents exposing almost all the kids in school. All my life, they have mercilessly bullied me for being an immigrant, for being different. Now, I have incriminating evidence of how they have broken rules, bullied transfer students and much more, and I will expose each and every one of them. “Whoever this hacker thinks they are, they better watch out.” I muttered under my breath. Now that my laptop was hacked, my parents will surely buy me a new one. “With a new laptop, I would be able to work more efficiently, hacking into many more social media accounts and exposing many more people.” I said aloud, cracking my knuckles menacingly.

*

With the clanking and clattering of the printer in the background, I could barely catch what Pandora was saying through a video I was streaming from her laptop’s webcam. I chuckled softly, shaking my head. “Oh, Pandora, you’ll never defeat me for I came to rid the world of the evil and misery you unleashed all those years ago” I uttered as I filed the incriminating documents away neatly, where they will never see the light of day ever again.

*

I ran my fingers over my brand new keyboard, sighing with satisfaction. However, the moment I turned it on, the same thing happened again. The same lines of zeroes and ones, error codes and warning signs, but there was something different – an emblem of a phoenix was smack right in the middle of the screen. Phoenix, again. Out of a sudden, something clicked in my mind. “PHOENIX,” I exclaimed, “I guess that old bird really is immortal, following me all the way to this modern era. Does no one get off my back for what I did all those eons ago, I’m a changed person.” I remained motionless when a single feather, a brilliant scarlet dotted with gold, landed on my lap. I looked up at a shadowy bird-like figure soaring away in the sky and smirked. “Game on, old bird.”

References:

Photo – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/568579521678918811/

Ashley Ng

2 Loyalty