Page 28 of Moonlit Hideaway
“It takes some skill to figure out the concept your teacher is going for, and then we give her the answer she wants,” Sierra said, showing Emma the two interpretations.
“Awesome. You’re so cool. Can we play guitar after I finish?” Emma asked as she wrapped up her homework sheet.
“Maybe not tonight. I got robbed, and I’m just kind of bummed out—being here so far from my mom and my friends.”
“Why don’t you just call your mom?” Emma asked. “You can use my phone. It’s no big deal.”
“I can’t risk being traced. The last thing I need is a swarm of paparazzi and nosy reporters camping out here. It would turn Moonlit Harbor upside down, and I… I just can’t be responsible for that.”
Emma’s brow furrowed in thought, a spark of understanding flickering in her eyes. “That sounds really tough. I mean, being cut off from everyone just because you’re famous. It must get lonely.”
“Yeah, it gets lonely. But right now, it’s safer this way—for everyone.”
“Oh, then I know of a way you can chat with your mom without anyone finding out you’re here,” Emma said, her eyes lighting up. “We can set up a VPN on my laptop. It’ll hide your location.”
“A VPN?”
“Yeah, a Virtual Private Network,” Emma explained, opening her laptop again. “It lets you connect to the internet through aserver not in your location. So, you could be here but appear as if you’re somewhere else.
“This can make it look like I’m in, say, California or something?”
“Exactly. And for talking, we can use ‘Echo Chat’ to dial your mom’s phone number. It’ll relay it to the cellular network through a voice-over IP server.”
“And no one can trace where I’m coming from?” Sierra wondered how fast things had changed since she was in high school, which wasn’t that long ago. “I was going to pick up a burner phone.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Emma said. “They might be able to trace you by the SIM card hitting the cellular towers. With ‘Echo Chat,’ we go through the VPN, and it’s all encrypted and safe.”
“My mother won’t be able to trace backward?”
“Only to the Voice Over IP server, but our IP address is hidden with the VPN and encryption. Always remember to turn it on, or use this browser that has it on by default.”
“Okay, then, let’s create an account for me.”
“Woohoo!” Emma downloaded the ‘Echo Chat’ app and set up an account for Sierra. “I’m sure you don’t want to use your real name, so how about Mom Jeans?”
“Very funny.” Sierra snickered at the running joke about the clothes she’d bought from the thrift shop. “I might need to go back there and get an entire new wardrobe.”
“Everyone at school thinks it’s Dexter and Dick who stole your stuff,” Emma said. “They can’t keep their mouths shut and were flashing cash.”
“Did you tell the sheriff?”
“Well, I thought you or Dad should.” Emma’s fingers were configuring Sierra’s Echo Chat account. “How about an avatar of a pair of jeans with curly hair and a big smile?”
“Wait, how are you doing this?” Sierra watched in amazement as a smiley face with curly brown hair appeared wearing a baggy pair of jeans.
“AI is so cool. What’s your mom’s phone number?”
Sierra gave it to her and watched in amazement as little jiggly lines danced over the Mom Jeans avatar. “I haven’t talked to my mom since…”
“Hello?” her mom’s voice sounded skeptical, as if she suspected a spam call.
“Mom, it’s me,” Sierra said quickly. “I’m safe, and I miss you.”
“Oh, darling, what’s this? I didn’t recognize the phone number.”
“You can’t because it’s not mine,” Sierra said. “And don’t mention my name, please. I need to lay low until you-know-who is you-know-what.”
Emma, being any regular teenager, didn’t know to retreat. Instead, she was bouncing with excitement over how she’d helped her.
