Songs to listen to while reading:
2002 by Anne-Marie
Mirrors by Justin Timberlake

Voices. Soft voices. A rustling of skirts. The splash of dripping water.

These were the sounds that first reached my ears as my mind slowly returned to the land of consciousness.

I opened my eyes and glanced around. I was in a room, a darkened room. The curtains were drawn. The windows were shut. Auntie Steph was sitting on a chair near my head, dipping a flannel into a bowl of water.

A cough rose up in my throat and then another and another. My body racked in agony and my head throbbed with pain.

"Hayley?" Auntie Steph whispered, placing a hand on my hot, sticky forehead. "Hayley, dear, are you alright?"

I swallowed and opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come.

"It's okay," she assured me gently. "You don't have to say anything. Just rest for now. I'll go get you a glass of water." And with that, Auntie Steph quickly stood up and floated elegantly out of the room.

I screwed my eyes shut tightly, trying to remember what had happened to me. I could barely think through the pain numbing my brain, though, and I soon gave up. With a sigh, I let my body go limp against the bedsheets.

Suddenly, it hit me like a tidal wave: the collapsing boat, the dock ... Willy. Tears sprung to my eyes as I recalled the awful events.

Why hadn't I been able to save him?

I decided to push through my discomfort and get out of bed. I needed to see someone, anyone, that I could talk too, and Auntie Steph couldn't be included in that category. I might let something slip out. I might accidentally tell her what I'd been up too behind the scenes.

With a groan, I pushed myself into a sitting position. Everything danced monetarily before my eyes. Once the wave of nausea had settled down, I heaved a deep breath and swung my legs to the floor.

With tottering steps, I made my way to the door and softly opened it. I could hear voices coming from downstairs.

Slowly, I made my way to the top of the steps, but hesitated when I heard Auntie Steph's voice inquire, "How many?"

"We've pulled the last of the bodies from the wreckage," an unfamiliar male voice answered. "We've estimated that there were about fifteen people killed, however, we haven't quite finished cleaning up the mess. There might be more bodies. Who knows?"

Oh my god.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I sank to the floor, trying to take in what I'd just heard.

"All the numbers from 68 to 83 are dead," the man continued. "It's such a tragedy, our worst loss yet."

I heard Auntie Steph gasp as I buried my face into my drawn-up knees. How was this even happening?

"T-thank you officer," she stuttered.

"Are you alright ma'am?"

"Yes. Yes I'm fine. Thank you."

"Well, good day to you."

I heard the front door open and close. Footsteps sounded up the winding stair-case. Auntie Steph appeared, bearing my cup of water. She paused when she saw me.

I glanced up at her. I knew I looked disgusting. My hair was a matted mess. My face was tear-streaked and blotchy. I had various cuts and bruises everywhere. My clothes stunk. My hair stunk. I stunk.

"I'm ... so ... sorry," I sobbed. "I - I wanted to save him, I really did. But I couldn't. I'm sorry!"

"Oh, Hayley!" Auntie Steph hurried up to me and wrapped her arms around my frame. "It's not your fault, okay? You were under the control of the Author. You couldn't have done anything even if you had tried. You mustn't blame yourself."

"B-but he was right there, hanging from the jetty," I cried. "I - I could've reached down ... just a little farther ... and gotten him. But I didn't try hard enough and now he's dead because of me!"

Auntie Steph held me as I cried, uncontrollably into her shoulder, my tears staining her blouse.

After a few minutes, I lifted my head up and whispered, "Auntie Steph ... y-you're number 86. W-what if you ... ?"

"Hush now, child," Auntie Steph hurriedly interrupted me. "Now is no time to worry about me. I've had my fill of life. I don't mind if I die. B-but you - you deserve another chance ... a chance far, far away from here."

I stared at her, confused. "W-what?"

"I - I've never told you this, Hayley, but - but I believe you're old enough now to know the truth," Auntie Steph's voice trembled as she spoke.

"It's about Mum?" It was more of a statement rather than a question.

Auntie Steph glanced soberly at me and nodded. "Yes."

"Do you know what happened to her?"

"I do. I was there when she died."

My eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"It was never something I liked talking about ... not even to the police. Your mother and I were extremely close. I, too, felt like her death had been my fault. I hadn't been able to save her."

I ducked my head, biting my lip as she went on.

"It was just a normal day. There was no warning of impending danger. There was no signs of anything out of the ordinary ... but then it happened. Your parents and I were riding back to their ranch via wagon. It was getting dark very fast, so it was difficult to see much through the dusk that was falling. We had just attended a town council meeting and your mother was talking very adamantly about a few subjects she felt very strongly on. All of a sudden, with no warning, the horse pulling our wagon reared up. Your father tried to calm it down, but to no avail. It broke into a run, upsetting the wagon when it took off sharply around a corner. The whole thing capsized, trapping your mother beneath it. Your father was thrown a couple metres away and lay, unconscious, on the ground. The wagon was too heavy for me to push over, so there I was, watching helplessly as your mother began slipping away. She tried to tell me that it was alright, that it wasn't my fault. I wouldn't believe her. Then she made me promise to always take care of you, no matter what the cost.

"But then she said something that I didn't understand. She mentioned something about her life's work and how it was associated to some merchant's scroll."

I clapped a hand over my mouth, trying to stifle a gasp. What Auntie Steph did not know was that I knew EXACTLY what that meant.

"Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about but I knew it was important so I remembered what she was telling me. I - I held her hand while she drew her last breath. By the time help came, she was dead and your father died a few hours later, due to major head injuries.

"It's taken me a long time to get over it and the reason why I never told you was because I thought you'd never forgive me for what I'd done. So I stayed quiet, I kept you in the dark. But I shouldn't have done that, and I'm truly sorry," Auntie Steph's voice started to break.

I leaned forwards and hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Auntie Steph. It's okay. I'm not cross with you."

Auntie Steph's shoulders shook with sobs and we cried together.

Abruptly, I pulled away from her and my eyes narrowed. "Wait ... did you say that you were all heading back from a meeting when the accident happened?"

Auntie Steph nodded and wiped her nose. "Yes. Why?"

"So ... that means the Author WASN'T writing the book at the time?"

Auntie Steph's face froze in horror and amazement. "Noooo," she stated. "He wasn't."

I put my hands to my forehead and groaned. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! And you never thought to mention that fact to anyone? Even to the police?"

"Oh the police must've figured it out someway or another," she said. "B-but they never spoke of it to me."

"Isn't anyone finding this just a little bit suspicious?" I questioned.

Auntie Steph frowned. "I - I don't know ..." her voice trailed off.

"You've got to be kidding me! What even caused the horse to spook? An invader?"

"Invaders weren't anywhere near the ranch at the time," she replied. "That was classified as human territory before you were evicted."

"Holy crap! Then WHO was responsible if THEY weren't? Are you telling me that SOMEONE might've spooked that horse on purpose? And if so, that means there's a blooming murderer out there somewhere! Someone who killed my parents!"

"Okay, calm down!" Auntie Steph snapped, her stern demeanour resurfacing. "Obviously it was a mistake to tell you what happened. Now you're stressing out. This could cause you to have a relapse! Now, come on and get back to bed." She held out a hand, intent on guiding me back to my room.

"No!" I yelled, pushing her arm away from me. "No! I'm going to the police and I'm not gonna rest until that KILLER is found!"

"Hayley!" Auntie Steph screeched after me as I stomped down the stairs. "Hayley! Come back here!"

"Can't you see?" I shot back. "I can't live like this anymore! I can't continue to live cowering in the dark, surrounded by lies, deceit and fear. It's not gonna happen. I don't care what happens next, I just need to find answers, answers that'll help piece together what's really going on here!"

Auntie Steph kept on yelling at me, but I couldn't care less. I marched down the stairs and out the front door, slamming it behind me. I walked briskly towards the front gate and turned my face towards the other end of town.

A sudden thought struck me, making me freeze in my tracks. What if it was not only just the Author killing everyone off, but some sort of evil serial killer? One who might be living in our very midst? One I might see every day?

A shudder ran down my spine as I resumed my fast-paced walk.

If no one was going to uncover the truth, then I was.

Gif: Hayley sits on the steps listening to Auntie Steph's narrative.

A/N: I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of my readers!!! Thx for reading my story, it means the world. I feel so excited about how many reads this book has gotten, nearly 700? I'm squealing with delight!!! Tysm for that!!!!  Thank you for ur continual support, I really appreciate it. So do any of u's like how the mystery is developing? Do u think Auntie Steph was telling the truth? Do u think Hayley is right about the supposed "serial" killer? And if so, is she right to seek help from the police? Hope u enjoyed & pls don't forgot to comment & vote if u did! Love ya's all & hope u enjoy the rest of your week!!! 😁❤️❤️

(btw I'm sorry for the boring filler chapter)

Word Count: 1,882