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TWENTY-THREE
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Blurred Lines TWENTY-FOUR
Note: This is a past-day event, (continuation of odd-numbered time-span: 2,4,6, etc.)I lay awake all night thinking about Isabella. Every terrible minute that a call can bring. Bad news. Or perhaps she wasn’t being serious? Did she just say that because she was discouraged?Early the next morning I called her. No answer. It's Saturday, she might still be sleeping. I call the home phone. Her mother answered. "Isabella isn't up yet.""Can aunty call her for me?""She's sleeping, Erick.""Please."I am waiting. Minutes pass by, as I continued to listen to the faint sounds of the speaking tube. If there was something...what would her mother do? Finally, there is the sound of someone arriving."Izzy?""Erick?""Are you OK?""Yes.""Thank goodness!"At the breakfast table, Gregory asks if I feel like going to the mountain. "We each get a horse at the stables," he suggests.“That would be nice,” I said. "I feel like getting away from this place for a little while."We dress comfortably, ask
Blurred Lines TWENTY-FIVE
Note: This is a present-day event, (continuation of odd-numbered time-span: 1,3,5, etc.)My father will go off his rocker if he finds out how many times I've been called out of class. It's Wednesday and I'm already on my way to see Inspector Kumar and her crony, Sergeant McCallister. This time not to the almost empty classroom, but to Doc Pienaar's office.The Butcher.Is he back again? I wonder. I don't know if I will be able to face him. Not after what I found out about him last night. Nasty man. In my mind I see his head glowing under a single light bulb in a dark room, like in a typical interrogation scene from a Hollywood movie. Shadows which monstrously disfigured his face. A sadistic pull around his mouth."Just wait here a moment, they will be done in a minute", said Dale when I entered the reception area. I wonder if he has figured out that he was the victim of social engineering. Probably not. I also wouldn't be surprised if those passwords from him and Doc are still pinned
Blurred Lines TWENTY-SIX
Note: This is a past-day event, (continuation of even-numbered chapters time span: 2,4,6, etc.)"Did you know that a famous hacker lived near here?" asked Gregory one day as he walked back from rugby practice with me."What?" I said trying to put on my tracksuit top in the process."Yep, here in this area. His hacker nick was Kokey. He taught himself electronics and computer programming from books he found in the library. And when he was fifteen, he built his first computer himself for just $170. He managed to guess other guys' Telkom Beltel passwords and was able to get on the net at their expense. That's how he got to know hackers in other countries. Later he also did blue-boxing.""What is that?" I ask"You still remember Capt'n Crunch?""Yes?""Now with blue boxing, you also send tones through the phone. Kokey managed to make free phone calls by exploiting Telkom's toll-free numbers. And he has places like the government, CSIR, weather bureau, Pick 'n Pay, Olivetti and Standard Ba
Blurred Lines TWENTY-SEVEN
Note: This is a present-day event, (continuation of odd-numbered time-span: 1,3,5, etc.)Isabella calls early Wednesday morning. I wish the whole time while ay was talking sat she would finish. I have other things to worry about now than the silly things that happen at her school. I must tell her what happened here. No. I still have to sort myself out."Izzy, I have to go now," I stopped her mid-sentence."Student Council meeting." Strange how the lies come so easily now.I'm sitting in my room. Just look at the wall across from me like it holds the answer to the mess I've gotten myself into.The police then found nothing in the stormwater pipes. Not that I know of. If there was anything, the story would already be circulating in the dorm corridors.A knock at the door. Cedric."Cedrick, I can't right now.""Just give me a moment." He is stuck in the door."Come in," I sighed."There are lots of rumours going around." He takes a deep breath. His face looks serious. "I don't know what
Blurred Lines TWENTY-EIGHTH
Note: This is a past-day event, (continuation of odd-numbered time-span: 1,3,5, etc.)Autumn turns into winter. The trees are stripped bare and in the morning the mountain is a black stone giant that hugs the school.It's Saturday night. Blackwood kicked ass with the rugby and there is reason to celebrate. Residence barbecue. There is a crazy electric atmosphere at the school. Loud music blares through the hostels all afternoon.The dormitory father has heard that there are some guys planning to smuggle in liquor and the Student Council is supposed to be on high alert.The chefs are planning a feast. Doc's instruction. Long-covered tables stand under the trees. Snacks, soft drinks and fruit juices. A bar where a bartender mixes mocktails.I call Isabella. "Are you going out tonight?""Will see what Clarissa-they say. Maybe we'll chill tonight at the one with DVDs."The conversation is the same as pretty much any other we've had before."Love you, Erick," she finally said."Same."I br
Blurred Lines TWENTY-NINE
Note: This is a present-day event, (continuation of odd-numbered time-span: 1,3,5, etc.)"I see I was right then," said the man there in front of the computer."Even if you no longer have your laptop, you would still continue with your hacking."He turned in the chair and looked up. Straight to me.It's not Doc. It's Sergeant McCallister. He looks tired. "I've been watching you all evening. I wonder what the inspector is going to say now? She thought you had a big enough scare. Said I was going to waste my time. But look now."I swallow, my throat is dry. The pack of ream paper in my hands willy-nilly slip out between my fingers."What is all this stuff?" asked Sergeant McCallister.There is no way out. No sweet talk will help. I have to tell him about Doc."There's something..." The words struggled to get over my dry tongue."Speak louder, Erick, I can't hear you!"I just want to start over when Sergeant McCallister reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. It didn't rin
Blurred Lines THIRTY
Note: This is a past-day event, (continuation of even-numbered time-span: 2,4,6, etc.)The mother of all challenges, is what Gregory calls it.Hack the website of an online shopping group. Without any help. Get personal information of buyers, addresses, names, phone numbers, email addresses. Credit card numbers deserve extra kudos."No, I’m not doing it," I say. "We're going too far now, Gregory.""Are you scared?""No, it's just...I can't.""Can't? Or won't?" His attitude defiantly. Typical Daniel liked when he came up with a new extreme sport."Okay, won’t," I tell myself it's the right thing to do. I should have stopped earlier. "What if I get caught?""I taught you what to do. No one will know. You're not going to do anything with the info. White hat, remember.?""I don't know. It's too dangerous.""What could be so dangerous? You hack the site, poke around in a few scripts, and see if you can get to a mainframe. A database. That's all.""No." Definitely."So, what you're really t
Blurred Lines THIRTY-ONE
Note: This is a present-day event, (continuation of odd-numbered time-span: 1,3, etc.)"Come along," said Sergeant McCallister."Where to?""The local precinct. The community service centre."I frown."The police station, Erick.""Are you arresting me?""No. You must come and make a statement." Sergeant McCallister was right, it was going to be a long day.A little while later I get into the back of the police car. The classes are changing. Curious eyes stare at me. They can think about what they want.The asphalt road on which we stop in front of the police station is crumbling against the curb. A fence about four meters high spans the building. Every few steps there is a lamppost that would illuminate the fence in the dark. On the pale winter grass in front of the sandstone building with the green are two flagpoles. On the left hangs the national flag, on the right the police flag.The police offices are clean, but the furniture is old. In the office where we sit, there is a single
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