Epilogue

Six Months Later...

It had been an incredibly rough time in the days, weeks and months that followed those terrible events. Sophie had been glad for the support of her siblings. Everyone else tried to get her to come out with them to get out and do things, but she remained steadfast on staying in her room. Her parents had secured a room in a hotel that was being paid for as emergency accommodation while their original house was rebuilt since the apartment they were in got demolished. For her, it was perfect. She got given her own room and her own space away from everyone else. She used that time to delve into her own head and communicate with her siblings, learning more about the two she was only just learning existed and spending time with Katie to an extent that they never could in the real world. Katie was even able to help her make it feel real, using her own sensory memories to add those sensations in every adventure they had. It felt like VR with everything set on Ultra and she would never have left had she any choice.

Fortunately, Katie and the other siblings were there to let Sophie know when it was time to resurface and face the world again. Usually when it was time to eat or when someone was knocking on the door. They got better at hiding their communication as they went on.

And then one day, just after Katie's funeral, Ali had come to see her. She'd wanted to give Sophie her space with everything going on. It had also bought her time to make sense of something she'd been holding onto since the day of their confrontation with Harry Prescott. When she'd run his pockets, she hadn't found any weapons. True to his word, he'd been unarmed. But she had found a USB stick that she'd run several virus and data protection filters on before exposing it to her system. Once she'd done that, she finally got around to opening files. And the first one had told her exactly what they were up against. Even if the triangular logo in the corner had been forged, the icon of a human eye seeming to stare right into their souls, the text on it left no room for doubt. Everything about this was screaming that it was legitimate. Harry had been right. They'd had no idea what they were up against.

But that didn't mean they couldn't let the world know. Sophie had the idea to have Ali create a burner e-mail account and attach every single file on the memory stick to an e-mail, along with another document detailing all that had happened to them. It began with the morning of their kidnapping attempt and went all the way through to that final moment at the hospital. The moment Sophie's life had truly changed forever. The moment the most precious person to her had been taken from her. And then she let Katie briefly take control to write the covering letter.

'To the new chairman of the Pan Estates project-

Dear Chairman,

My name is Katie Phan. You are no doubt still adjusting to your new role. A role that has- according to media representation- become mired in scandal over the illegal activities of your late predecessor, Harry Prescott II. You are probably busy right now with your investigation uncovering the sheer scope of how far the corruption is rooted in this project. A task that, if you will excuse me for saying it, will be near impossible for you. As it would for many. But I feel I can make your job considerably easier. I am in possession of a series of documents detailing the illegal, treasonous and conspiratorial dealings of Mr Prescott.

I offer all of this to you, plus a copy of my own story. My own part in these events and how my family was targeted. I have entitled this document Mirrored Life. You may want to pay particular attention to chapters twelve through fourteen. Names have been changed to preserve anonymity, but the events are exactly as it happened. It should also be noted that the friends who are mentioned in this document are also some of the bravest and most caring individuals I have ever had the privilege to know. Since their stories are in tandem with my own for this, I am having to entrust their parts in all of this to your care too. If this message seems a bit sombre- and dare I say even maudlin- I hope you will excuse me.

This is, after all, the story of how I died.'

As soon as Katie handed back control, Sophie hit the Send button. She didn't read what had been written. She didn't leave any time for doubts or regrets. She just did it, trusting instinct rather than reason. And just as she sat back, the pressure of their discovery and it's implications leaving her mind having been placed in someone else's hands, she felt something shift in the air. She didn't know what it was until she looked over at Ali and felt a hand come to rest on the side of her face.

Hours later, the sun had gone down. Sophie retrieved her phone off the nightstand, plugged her earphones into it and scrolled through her contacts before selecting the one she wanted. It rang for a good few seconds before someone picked up.

"Sophie?" Her mother's voice came through sounding incredibly tired. "What you want? It's quarter past the midnight!"

"I know." Sophie told her, keeping her voice hushed. "I just- Look, we've had a lot happen in the last few months and I just thought you might want some good news. I'm seeing someone." There was a brief pause before Sophie had to stifle a laugh as she heard the sound of her mother smacking her dad awake.

"Wake up! Wake up! Finally, we have hope of a grandchild!" With that, she turned her attention back to the phone. "Is he handsome? Does he have a big-"

"How much do they earn?" Her dad's voice cut straight across her mother's and again Sophie had to stifle a laugh as she looked down at Ali's sleeping form next to her, gently running her fingers through the other girl's silky blonde hair.

"She's beautiful."

End!

Author's Note: Here it is. The last chapter and Epilogue of Mirrored Life. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, be sure to stick around for the sequel that will be coming soon. In the meantime, I will be going on holiday as of next weekend with all being well so there won't be anything new for the following week. Still, I have many things in the works. I have some Young Max and Chloe stories, some AU stories and even a comedy oneshot I'm thinking of. I'm still mulling ideas over so hopefully the holiday will give me time to solidify a plan for that one. Thanks to everyone who's supported me over the course of this story. It's your support that makes these stories worth telling.