The False Fame

Eden Wheeler sat by the window sill, her hair flipping by the cold breeze. The thought of the biggest promotion of her life for her "Nobel" prize-winning book “Me Through The Dark” stretched the smile on her very face as she spent seconds thinking about it, but at the same time a thought deep inside still agitated her. Soon enough, the slamming of the door made her attentive, she eyed towards the door as she saw her friend walk in.

“I can’t!” Eden could see her getting annoyed.

“What can’t you Ava?” Asked Eden.

“I can’t pretend to be your so-called friend anymore, you did something extremely terrible which you are going to regret very badly and this time I am not going to support you, It's been two years, and you got that book for a reason, Ed, you got that book from your grandfather it was written by him!"

"You need a break Ava, come on, let’s take a walk, come on."

Eden reached Ava's hand, but she thrust it aside.

"NOW, NOW! you cannot treat me like a dog and give me orders Eden Wheeler, grow up! respect the dead and the living. I don't need your help nor our little chats ever again! WE are over!"

Ava went stomping through the floor and slammed the door behind her.

Eden felt isolated and deserted while tears rolled down to her chin.

Ava had been the only true friend Eden had except all the fans around the world. The thought in the corner had come alive and destroyed everything she had. She felt like she was a murderer, her life was over. Ava was right she did regret it and very badly, she lost a friend.

Eden walked over to the original copy of the book sitting on the dusty desk flipping its pages as the wind flew across the room. She sat by the book on her chair watched it for minutes then took hold of her phone to message Ava.

*Ava you know how I am, don’t you? you know me very well and you even know that even if you push me to reveal the truth I will not, because I am scared something worse will happen. Please answer soon*

Eden got Ava’s answer soon as she requested-Ava had blocked her. Eden lost hope of ever meeting her again and felt sadness and anger coming to her. She shut the book and walked over to her bookshelf as pushed the book between two fat books covering the space when she saw a rusty parchment on the top of the shelf, she lay hold of it and pulled it. She realized it was an envelope with her name on it and with the date of 30th September 1997, and with big bold words written by a quill, in the middle was written- ‘The will of Vesper Wheeler’, she opened up the envelope and read:

Dear granddaughter,

I am leaving you a book written by me during my life. This book will explain all the dark times I went through and the adventures. You will get this book at the age of 20 by your mother. I hope you will understand the importance of life after reading this book and I also hope you don’t use it in the wrong way.

With love,

Vesper Wheeler.

She checked the envelope once more and took out a black and white photo of a man in royal clothes and long white hair tied in a pony. She recognized the photo was of her grandfather and she was looking at him for the first time in her life, she sat there staring at him.

Eden’s mother had never given her this letter. After a while, She secured the envelope and slid it into her vintage brown slim bag and ran down the stairs, put on her coat, and pushed the wooden door out of the way as she entered the busy road with honking vehicles roaming around.

She had just entered a lane when she saw a lady in a jet-black cloak, long blonde hair, and a black umbrella the lady stood there alone with her umbrella giving shade from the sun shafts. Eden ran towards her recognizing that it was her mom and stood there face to face with her mother. Eden realized she had bought the will with her.

“Mom, why didn’t you give me this in the past 22 years? I had no idea that he faced all this! All I knew was that the book was written by him!”

Eden took the will and the picture out of her bag and revealed it to her mother.

“Where did you get this? Give that to me right now Eden!”

“Why didn’t you want to show this to me?”

“I said to give that to – “

“You haven’t answered my question yet!”

“Give it to—”

“ANSWER me, mom!”

“Fine! I was happy for the money you were sending us and I didn’t want you to realize you were doing anything wrong, I didn’t give you these because it would say that he has suffered all this and I knew you would never do anything like publishing it as you would be in deep emotion for that topic”

“And you were making me learn that I was wrong all this time!”

“because I know you very well that if you decide something you never leave it”

“I am going to my editor’s office to cancel my name and put his or- or take the book down!”

“You cannot do that you’ll rot in jail for the rest of your life!”

“At least I will tell the truth!”

She pushed her mother on the shoulder and started walking down the street on the way to her editor’s office when her phone vibrated. She pulled out her phone and checked the notification- her editor had sent a link. As she went through the link, she found that Ava had posted the recording of the fight they had before. Ava Had revealed the true identity of Eden. Eden hurried back to her house hearing the recording cautiously. She sat down on the dusty, peach flooring and stuck her back to the door as she cried and tears rolled down in heaps. She extracted the will from her bag and studied the handwriting as tears fell on the parchment and the ink spread out over the rest of the parchment.

Some days later she was apprehended for the concealment she had created as she realized chasing fame ended her on filling up her own deeds…