Important News.

3 AM

Guys. Yura sent a text in the four friends’ WhatsApp group.

For god’s sake Yura it’s 3 in the morning! Augustus texts back.

It’s important! Yura texts dramatically. Augustus squints his eyes as he’s blinded by the brightness of his phone. Syimmi’s name pops up and she begins typing.

The last time Yura said something was important it actually was just the fact that he found out Harry Potter was just a fictional character, Syimmi texts.

Nothing’s fictional about Harry Potter. Augustus texts as he grins behind his phone screen.

Harry Walker is dead. Yura texts abruptly. Syimmi who was about to reply to Augustus’s text about Harry Potter was shocked by this piece of information.

What? How? When? How do you know? Syimmi texts. Augustus waits for Yura to reply to Syimmi’s text as she had taken the words right out of his mouth (or fingers in this case).

His mom texted me. Yura tells them. She says they’ll be holding the funeral in 2 days. You guys up for it?

Why aren’t you guys asleep? It’s 3 am. Nicole, another friend of theirs texts.

I’m up for it. Syimmi texts.

Ditto. Texts Augustus.

Up for what? Nicole asks.

…

The four friends show up two days later at Harry’s funeral. It’s a gloomy one, just like any other funeral.

“How did he die?” Nicole whispers to Syimmi.

“Suicide, I heard,” Yura, who overheard Nicole’s question, answered.

“Why though?” Syimmi asks Yura.

“Yvonne broke up with him, I heard,” Augustus answers instead. “Slit his wrist and drowned himself in the bathtub, the poor lad.”

“How do we girls know nothing about Harry while you both know almost everything?” Syimmi asks, raising her eyebrows.

“His parents,” Yura answers. “Told us everything. Besides, we weren’t exactly friends with Harry Walker no, weren’t we? In fact, didn’t he hate us for some apparent reason?” The four friends are silenced by this and Yura regrets bringing up the fact that Harry had hated them.

After the funeral, as the four friends get ready to leave, a teenage girl walks up to them, asking, “Are you four the foursome?”

Augustus turns her way and asks, “Who’s asking?”

The girl hands him a folded piece of paper and says, “I’m Harry’s younger sister. You four probably don’t know me. Harry asked me to hand this to the four of you the night before he died. Good luck.” And with that, the girl leaves and all eyes are on Augustus.

“What’s in the note?” Syimmi asks. Augustus turns to them and unfolds it without a word.

LZ CFODI

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yura asks, looking over Augustus’s shoulder.

“That’s probably what Harry wants us to do,” Nicole says. “To find out what that means.”

The four friends stare amongst themselves.

To be continued in: Harry’s Code.