Behind the Screen

Alex barely slept. The question kept spinning in his mind: who was really behind GamerEthan23?

When morning came, Alex watched Ethan's routine with new eyes. Ethan packed his gym bag, checked his phone, and headed for the door.

"Early class?" Alex asked casually.

"Yeah," Ethan answered. "Then gym. Won't be back until dinner."

As soon as Ethan left, Alex grabbed his laptop. He had to solve this puzzle.

He logged into Emily's account and scrolled through last night's texts. They seemed so personal, so real. Could someone be claiming to be Ethan online?

Alex's phone buzzed with a text from Jasmine: "Updates???"

He texted back: "Something weird is happening. Come over NOW."

When Jasmine arrived, Alex described everything.

"So you're saying," Jasmine said slowly, "that while Ethan was asleep in his bed, someone using his account was having a heart-to-heart with Emily until 3 AM?"

"Exactly!" Alex paced the small room. "Either Ethan is the world's best fake-sleeper, or someone else has access to his account."

Jasmine flopped onto Alex's bed. "Maybe he shares his secret with someone? A friend back home?"

"Or Liam," Alex offered, frowning. "They've been friends forever."

"There's only one way to find out." Jasmine pointed to the laptop. "Emily needs to ask some questions only the real Ethan would know."

Alex nodded and opened the laptop. No new messages yet. He chose to make the first move:

Emily_ArtGamer: Morning! Sleep well?

The answer came almost immediately:

GamerEthan23: Like a rock! You?

Alex traded a look with Jasmine. Ethan had said he was going to class, not that he'd be online.

Emily_ArtGamer: Not really. Too busy thinking about our talk.

GamerEthan23: Same. I don't usually open up like that to people I just met.

Emily_ArtGamer: Why did you?

GamerEthan23: Something about you seems familiar. Like we've met before.

Alex's heart beat. This was getting scary.

"Ask him something specific," Jasmine whispered.

Emily_ArtGamer: Hey, weird question—what color are the walls in your dorm room?

There was a pause before the answer came:

GamerEthan23: Uh, white? Standard boring room walls. Why?

Alex let out a breath. That was right.

"Try something else," Jasmine suggested.

Emily_ArtGamer: Just curious! Another question—what game were you playing on your portable device yesterday?

The reply took longer this time:

GamerEthan23: I wasn't playing anything small yesterday. Been too busy with tasks.

Alex's eyes widened. That wasn't true. He'd seen Ethan playing Dragon's Quest Legends when he came back from class.

"Got him," Alex whispered.

Jasmine leaned closer to the screen. "Now we know it's not Ethan. But who is it?"

"Let me try something else," Alex said.

Emily_ArtGamer: Do you have a roommate?

GamerEthan23: Yeah. Nice guy named Alex. Kind of messy, but cool. He's an art major.

Alex's stomach flipped. This person knew information about him.

"Definitely someone who knows Ethan," Jasmine whispered.

Emily_ArtGamer: Sounds like a great roommate! Speaking of roommates, has yours ever mentioned someone named Liam?

The longest pause yet followed. Finally:

GamerEthan23: Why are you asking all these strange questions? Everything okay?

"They're avoiding the question," Jasmine pointed out.

Alex typed quickly:

Emily_ArtGamer: Sorry! Just trying to get to know you better. Let's talk about something else. You mentioned game design last night—what kind of games do you want to create?

This seemed to work. The talk flowed again as "Ethan" described elaborate fantasy worlds and game mechanics. Alex took mental notes—this might be helpful information about the real Ethan later.

After about an hour, Jasmine had to leave for class. "Be careful," she warned. "This just got a lot more complicated."

Left alone, Alex kept chatting with the mystery person. They talked about music, movies, and books—all things Alex could check with the real Ethan later.

By afternoon, Alex had an idea. The person knew too much about Ethan to be a stranger, but didn't know enough to be Ethan himself. It had to be someone close to him.

Around 5 PM, the real Ethan texted Alex: "Grabbing dinner with Liam. Back by 7."

Alex's suspicion grew. He wrote a new message to GamerEthan23:

Emily_ArtGamer: What are you up to tonight?

GamerEthan23: Just hanging out in my room. Might play some games later.

That confirmed it. While the real Ethan was out with Liam, someone else was trying to be him online. But if Liam was with Ethan, who was behind the screen?

Alex's head spun with options. A friend from home? An ex? Someone with access to Ethan's password?

He chose to try one more test:

Emily_ArtGamer: Hey, would you want to meet up sometime? Maybe get coffee?

The answer took several minutes:

GamerEthan23: I'd like that, but I'm super busy with tests right now. Maybe in a couple weeks?

Alex frowned. That sounds like an excuse.

Emily_ArtGamer: No problem. Just thought it might be fun to meet in person.

GamerEthan23: Definitely! Just not right now. But we can keep talking here?

"Gotcha," Alex whispered to himself.

At 7 PM sharp, the door opened and Ethan walked in, looking tired but happy.

"Good dinner?" Alex asked, quickly closing his PC.

"Yeah," Ethan said. "Liam's worried about his biology exam, so we studied while we ate."

Alex watched Ethan carefully. "Sounds useful. Hey, random question—have you been on that gaming site today?"

Ethan looked surprised. "No time. Been in class or with Liam all day. Why?"

"Just wondering," Alex said lightly. "Thinking of joining myself."

Ethan smiled. "You should! It's a great group." He pulled out his phone and frowned at the screen. "That's weird."

"What?" Alex asked, heart racing.

"Someone's been using my account today," Ethan said, scrolling through texts. "Looks like they've been chatting with someone named Emily."

Alex's blood went cold. "Maybe you forgot to log out somewhere?"

Ethan shook his head. "I only use it on my phone and laptop." He kept reading, his expression changing from confusion to interest. "Whoever this Emily is, she seems cool. Into all the same games as me."

Alex swallowed hard. "What are you going to do?"

"Message her, I guess," Ethan said with a shrug. "Explain someone else was using my account and apologize."

Alex nodded weakly. This was a disaster. "Good idea."

That night, Alex lay awake, watching Ethan type on his phone. After what felt like hours, Ethan put his phone down and turned off his light.

"Night, Alex," he said.

"Night," Alex answered, waiting for Ethan's breathing to become deep and even before opening his laptop.

When he logged into Emily's account, a new message was waiting:

GamerEthan23: Hey Emily, this is the real Ethan. Someone's been using my account without permission. Just wanted to apologize for any misunderstanding. That said, I read our talks and you seem really cool. Would love to keep talking if you're up for it.

Alex looked at the message, heart hammering in his chest. The real Ethan wanted to talk to Emily. This was no longer just a silly game—it was becoming something real.

With shaky fingers, Alex typed: Emily_ArtGamer: No worries! I'd like that too.

He sent the message, then closed his PC. Across the room, Ethan's phone lit up with a message. Alex watched as Ethan, who he thought was asleep, reached for his phone and smiled in the blue glow of the screen.

The fake profile that was meant to be a harmless prank had just become a dangerous game between three people: Alex, Emily, and Ethan.

And someone else—the unknown person who had been pretending to be Ethan—was still out there, with access to Ethan's account.

Alex pulled his covers over his head. What had he gotten himself into?