The smell of freshly baked cookies drifted through the dorm as Kaitlin pushed open the door. The apartment had been decorated with fairy lights and tinsel and a tiny silver Christmas tree glimmered in one corner.
Amelia stepped forwards with a tray of the cookies balanced on one hand and said, ‘Ta-da! I bear festive treats to celebrate the return of the prodigal room-mate.’
Kaitlin grinned. ‘Crazy.’
‘It’s not been the same without you, babe. Although I did enjoy being able to take a shower whenever I wanted.’ Her grin faded. ‘So, you’re back?’
‘Yep.’
‘For good?’
‘For good. Just got the all-clear from the dean’s office. Need to tidy up one final thing and then I’ll never have to think about Flight 702 again. Hello to the future.’
Amelia set the cookies down. ‘OK, give me a yell when you’re done. I have wine. Lots of wine.’ She slipped on her headphones and lounged on her bed.
Kaitlin jumped on her own bed and pulled out her laptop. One last thing: shut down the Flight 702 hotline. No more conspiracy theorists, no more attention-seekers. Finally.
But when she tapped in her password and the mailbox popped up, she saw one unplayed message waiting there. She stared at it, feeling the unease rise, remembering when her life had been haunted by mystery and when all she’d had was a desperate hope.
Her finger hovered over the key and then she smiled to herself and closed the laptop. She didn’t need to listen to it now. She didn’t need to listen to it ever again if she didn’t want.
She’d got her life back.
‘OK,’ she called, waving so Amelia would see her. ‘Let’s get moving. We’ve got a lot to catch up on and I’m in the mood for the best night of my life.’