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"Hayley! Hayley, wake up!"

Teyla's voice aroused me from the dark land of blissfulness.

"What?" I grunted groggily. "What do you want?"

"Hayley! C'mon! If Mum sees you like this, she'll wanna know why."

"Um ... I'm sorry?" I opened my eyes a crack, and then suddenly gasped and sat up bolt right. I was still in the same position I'd been in when I'd fallen asleep the night before: slumped over my desk with papers and pencils scattered across the desktop in front of me.

"Crap!" I groaned just as I jumped up and accidentally tipped over my chair. I grabbed all the notes and stuffed them in my desk drawer.

"You know, I don't see what the point of doing that was," Teyla pointed out. "I saw them anyway. Where were you last night?"

I gulped and slowly turned around to face her. "You - you saw me come in?"

"No, but I heard you. And I was the one who got up early this morning to wipe up all that water you left behind so Mum wouldn't get suspicious," Teyla tossed a dirty dishcloth at my face. I scrunched up my nose in disgust and flicked it onto the floor.

"Uh ... thanks?"

"Was that a rhetorical question or something?" Teyla demanded, crossing her arms. "C'mon, Hayley, 'fess up! What's going on?"

I sighed and raised my hands in defeat. "Alright! Fine, I'll tell you. You just have to promise me you won't tell a soul, not even Wesley or Daniel."

Teyla frowned, confused. "B-but why? Surely it's not that bad ..."

"They laughed at me," I snapped back. "They won't believe me. In fact, if I keep going on about it, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up asking Auntie Steph if I wouldn't be better off in a mental institution."

"Wow. I guess it is serious then," Teyla sighed and pressed her fingers to her temple. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

I hesitated before reaching down and withdrawing the notes from my desk drawer. "This is what." I slapped them down into her hands. "I'm finding a way out of this book ... but unfortunately no one else seems very keen on it."

Teyla shook her head disbelievingly. "Geez and no wonder. Okay, let's sit down and have a sensible discussion about all of this. You can tell me the ups and downs of the whole thing, alright? I promise I won't tell anyone."

I nodded, relieved that I could finally unburden myself to someone. "Okay. Let's do that."

Teyla double-checked to make sure Auntie Steph was still asleep before closing the bedroom door and settling herself on my bed. I snuggled up against the headboard, my knees drawn up to my chin and my arms wrapped around them. There, I poured out the entire story: from Daniel, Wesley and I finding the code and going to Mr Wang's, to me taking out the invader and returning home with the next piece to the puzzle.

Teyla didn't say anything the entire time, she just sat there and stared at me, wide-eyed. When I'd finally finished, all she could do was let out a loud huff. Reaching over, she slapped me on the leg.

"Oi, what was that for?" I cried out, cradling my sore leg and glaring at her.

"Seems that you're made out of tougher stuff than even I realised, Hayley," she returned soberly. "You didn't have the Author writing the story to be able to be the heroine. You did it on your own. That's impressive. And taking out an invader? I'm just so glad I wasn't there, geez." She shuddered.

I just chuckled. "It's okay, Teyla, the worst is probably over."

Teyla just glanced at me, a serious expression plastered on her face. "I doubt it. If you really think your mother was killed because she was trying to find a way out of here, what do you think's gonna happen to you? You're no different from her, Hayley, in fact, you're really similar. You're both reckless, determined, head-strong. I don't think you realise just how much danger you're in. That invader was possibly trying to stop you from leaving the ranch with that little scroll. If any of the other invaders find him, they're gonna sniff out what's happened and they won't stop until they know who was there. Anyways, I know this sounds stupid and dumb, but I don't care what anyone else has to say about it. I'm with you."

I just stared, astonished at her. "D-did you just make a speech?"

Teyla rolled her eyes. "I'm not always silly and light-hearted, you know, as hard as that is to believe."

I smiled. "Tell me about it. But, seriously, thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Teyla just shot me a very sly grin in return. "I know right? Seeing as I am your best friend after all."

I opened my mouth to protest, but ended up laughing instead. "Right."

"Are you trying to brush off what I just said?" Teyla questioned, annoyed. "Hayley, you don't think! You just do the first stupid, whimsical thing that pops into your brain! What if something was to happen to you? How would I forgive myself?"

"Teyla," I reached forward and grabbed both of her arms. "It's okay. I'm okay. No one's gonna find out, alright? If Mum died trying to protect something, then I'm determined to make sure her death wasn't in vain. What if she was trying to leave behind clues for ME, Teyla, for US? So we could get out of here? That's what I'm gonna find out. B-but in order for me to find out what this next code says, I'm gonna need your help."

Teyla raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah," I confirmed.

Ten minutes later, I was bundled up in Teyla's woolly jacket and scarf and heading down the road towards Mr Wang's. Together, we'd conjured up a plan, which included Teyla keeping Auntie Steph in bed for as long as possible, at least, until I came back. It was all going to be under the pretence of asking her for forgiveness after scaring her yesterday. Teyla was to make her breakfast in bed and keep her occupied while I went to visit Mr Wang. I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to know what this damn code meant!

As I trudged down the road winding it's way out of the town of Precipitous, I walked past the homes of both Daniel and Wesley. I bit my lip as guilt started to nag at me. I wasn't being very nice to Daniel at the present and I was really annoyed at Wesley because he'd stood up to me. But that wasn't fair on them, was it? I should just go over and knock on their doors and ask them to come over to my place later and we could all be friends again. Surely they'd say yes.

I paused, in the middle of the street, longing but reluctant.

There was this insistent little voice speaking at the back of my mind. If you do that, you'll have to tell them about last night and you know how they'll react. What if they dob you in to Auntie Steph? What if you get grounded and watched around the clock? Even worse, what if the codes and notes you've collected get taken away from you?

I shook my head as I turned away and kept on walking down the deserted path.

Ever since the Author had accidentally left the book open that fateful day, almost everyone was too scared to leave their houses. They were afraid that they'd be punished further if he was to catch them anywhere else. They had a reason to be afraid, though. A lot of their numbers were high up on the list. They had a lot at stake.

Of course, I was scared too, but I knew I couldn't possibly be killed until everyone else was ... unless, of course, he somehow found out ...

I shuddered to think of the results, mentally replaying the conversation Teyla and I had had over in my mind. What if Teyla was right? What if that invader was trying to stop me from leaving that night, not only because he wanted to have fun, but also to keep me from obtaining the clue that was hidden in there? What if some other invaders found him and realised that I'd been there?

Stop it, Hayley! I berated myself. You're just gonna make this situation worse if you keep on procrastinating about it. It's silly. It's nothing. So don't worry about it.

But everything else was screaming otherwise.

I arrived at Mr Wang's and knocked on the door, the capsule clasped tightly in my gloved hand. No one answered so I knocked again, louder. Finally, after a few moments of waiting, I impatiently pushed open the door and peered inside.

"Hello?" I called out. "Mr Wang? You here?"

I heard some shuffling sounds coming from the kitchen down the end of the hallway. "W-what? Who is it?"

"It's ... er ... it's Hayley. I came over yesterday to ask you about the code, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah. I remember. Okay. Come in."

I nodded and stepped inside, the warmth of the house flooding my cold body.

I hurried down the hallway and into the kitchen to see Mr Wang seated at a small table, a coffee cup in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

He glared at me as he set the newspaper down. "You're lucky I didn't kill you or something," he grunted. "I thought you were a mugger."

I had to stifle a chuckle at this. "Would a mugger bother to knock on the front door before breaking in?"

Mr Wang frowned at my sarcasm. He lifted his cup to his lips and gulped down the last of his coffee. "S'pose not," he returned. "So ... what do you want this time? Coming to apologise, are we?"

I hesitated. "Okay, look, I'm sorry about my outburst. It was uncalled for. I - I was just angry that no one was listening to me. You were all making fun of me."

Mr Wang's features softened as he stared at me. "Alright. I guess we did contribute. I'm sorry about that."

I nodded and heaved a deep breath. "Well, turns out I'm not so silly after all. I figured out what the code meant and it led me back to my parents' old ranch."

"What?" Mr Wang looked dumb-founded.

"Yes, it did. I found the next clue. It was hidden in a chest underneath my Mum's bed. Here," I opened my hand to reveal the golden capsule. "This is what I've found. But this code's written in Chinese too. I need you to figure it out for me ... please."

Mr Wang sighed and nervously ran his fingers through his greying hair as he stood up. "Look. The kind of Chinese that these codes are written in it, well ... it's hard to translate. It's a very old version of the language, which is called Archaic. Not many people know how to read it. I even have difficulty figuring it out."

"So you're saying you won't do it?" I inquired incredulously.

"No," Mr Wang shook his head. "I'll do it. But, I just want you to be careful. Your parents' ranch isn't a safe place for us characters to go to anymore. This - this whole thing might be getting a little too serious. Don't you think you should just let this go?"

"And let everyone die as a result?" I snapped back. "Yeah. Right. No."

Mr Wang groaned and rolled his eyes. "Why are you so annoying?"

"And why are you so ... annoying-er?"

Mr Wang just raised his eyebrows. "Annoying-er? That's the worst comeback I've ever heard in my life."

"Just translate the damn thing already," I said, shoving the capsule at him.

"Fine. Come with me," Mr Wang took the capsule and brushed past me, heading for his living room.

I followed him, bubbling with excitement.

"Sit on the couch if you want," Mr Wang offered, flinging a hand carelessly in the air. "I won't take too long."

"Can't I come with you?" I questioned.

"No, it's less distracting if I work alone," he replied.

I shrugged. "Fair enough."

I watched as Mr Wang disappeared through that mysterious office door of his before settling myself on one of the sofas scattered around the lounge. Brightly knitted blankets were draped over the top of the couches and a few small cushions graced the armrests. A large fireplace was situated in front of them while some bookshelves crested the wall behind. Long floor-length windows provided a spec view of the back gardens, which were in full bloom.

It was a pretty cosy place to sit and wait ... I was just way too full of anticipation to do so.

I tapped my feet impatiently on the ground, then got up and walked around the room several times, trying to amuse myself with the books lining the shelves. Nothing worked to ease my anxious mind.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Mr Wang pulled open the door and called for me to come in. I nearly sprinted across the room, bustling inside and pouncing eagerly upon the notes.

"I have no idea how you figured out what the first clue meant, but this one's even harder," Mr Wang commented. "I'm at loss for words."

I picked up the note-paper containing the translation to the code. My fingers were trembling, in fact, my entire body was shaking all over.

"Well, go on then, read the bloody thing," Mr Wang ordered. "Don't just stand there looking like a dumb-ass."

I shot him a mock glare. "Me? A dumb-ass? Never."

"Always," he countered with a small smile.

I shook my head as I turned my gaze back towards the note. Releasing a pent-up breath, I softly spoke the words:

    It's time to uncover the reason,
    We've been kept here all these years.
    It's time to find out,
    Why the point of all these tears.
    It's time to fight back,
    Against the oppression that binds us.
    Look to the horizon and there you'll find it.

"Time to fight back," I repeated to myself.

"See what I mean?" Mr Wang interrupted the moment. "It doesn't mean anything! It's just a damn poem! I think someone's just set this up for kicks or something. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the invaders' doing, to be honest."

I jerked my head up and stared at him. "You really think that?"

"I don't know what to think," Mr Wang huffed as he turned away. "You want some coffee before you go?"

I shook my head. "No. I'd better get back before Auntie Steph realises I'm missing."

"Wait ..." Mr Wang whipped around abruptly. "She doesn't know you're here?"

    "If you don't believe me, do you think she will?" I asked pointedly.

"Yeah, you've got a point there. But she really should know what you're doing. It's not right to keep her in the dark."

"Isn't that what all adults say?" I scoffed. "Relax. I can take care of myself."

I gathered up the notes sprawled across Mr Wang's desk and stacked them into a pile. As I did so, I caught a glimpse of a yellowing piece of folded paper, partially hidden underneath a few heavy textbooks that were lying nearby.

I quickly glanced over my shoulder to see Mr Wang's retreating figure. I whirled back around and snatched up the paper, hurriedly unfolding it.

My eyes widened and I had to stifle a surprised gasp.

The paper contained a list of Chinese symbols, each with it's English translation!

I looked around warily as I stuffed the paper, along with my other notes, inside my pocket.

Mr Wang won't miss it, I'm sure, I tried to convince myself as I walked out of the room.

Later, as I left Mr Wang's house and started down the road towards town, I couldn't help but feel a tad guilty. I had stolen from him! After all he had done for me, I repaid his kindness by stealing from him!

But then ... he had seemed super reluctant to continue deciphering the codes for me. He might refuse to do it anymore, or even worse, turn me into Auntie Steph. I needed a backup plan and that plan was, from now on, figuring out the codes, if there were more to come, by myself.

I couldn't take another chance. I couldn't let Auntie Steph find out. Otherwise, everything I was doing would be for nothing.

As I slipped down one of the village alleyways and made my way to the back yard of our house, I murmured absent-mindedly to myself, "It's time to fight back."

Suddenly, I knew what I had to do. As crazy as it sounded, I needed to return ... to the ranch.

A/N: I hope you readers enjoyed this and if so please do comment and vote, I'd love it so much! It makes my day! Thank you so much for reading.

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