Episode 2

That Sender

The Truth in Pieces

Sana sat on her bed, phone in hand, staring at the last message Jake had sent.

"Not yet. But soon. Just… don’t block me, okay?"

Her instincts told her this was dangerous. Who randomly messages a stranger with cryptic words and vague promises? And yet, something inside her—the part that craved adventure, the part that longed for something extraordinary—refused to end this conversation.

She took a deep breath and replied.

"Fine. But I want answers, Jake. No games."

A pause. Then:

"Fair enough."

"Start with this: How did you get my number?"

This time, the pause was longer. Sana imagined Jake, whoever he was, hesitating, deciding how much to reveal.

When his message finally came, it wasn’t what she expected.

"You won’t believe me."

Sana rolled her eyes.

"Try me."

A few seconds passed. Then another message came in.

"I found it in a book."

She blinked. A book?

"What book?" she typed quickly.

"One I wasn’t supposed to find. One that had your name written inside it."

A chill ran down her spine.

"What do you mean? What kind of book?"

Jake’s reply was almost immediate.

"A journal. But not just any journal. It had entries about you, Sana. About things you’ve done. Things you haven’t done yet."

Her breath hitched.

"Stop messing with me."

"I’m not."

Sana’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. She wanted to call him a liar, to tell him this was ridiculous. But something inside her—the same part that made her reply in the first place—whispered: What if he’s telling the truth?

She forced herself to stay calm.

"Where did you find it?"

Jake hesitated.

"In an old bookstore. It was hidden behind a shelf, covered in dust. When I opened it, the first thing I saw was your name."

Sana’s stomach twisted.

"That doesn’t make sense. How would my name be in some random journal?"

"That’s what I’m trying to figure out."

Silence stretched between them.

Sana closed her eyes, her heart pounding. If this was a joke, it was a well-crafted one. If it wasn’t…

She shuddered.

"Send me a picture of it."

A moment later, her phone buzzed. A single image appeared on the screen.

It was an old, worn-out notebook with a leather cover. The pages were yellowed, edges frayed. But what sent a shiver through her body was the first line written inside it.

Sana Ahmed.

Her full name. In neat, elegant handwriting.

She inhaled sharply.

"Jake… what else is written in there?"

There was a long pause before his next message came.

"Something about a choice you have to make. A life-changing one."

Sana’s hands trembled.

"What choice?"

"I don’t know yet. The entries are written in pieces. Some pages are missing."

She exhaled slowly, trying to process everything.

This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t just some harmless stranger texting her.

This was something else entirely.