26 The code

Riley smiled sheepishly upon recalling those fond memories. He habitually picked up a stone and tossed it on the surface of the pond. The stone leaped a few times before landing on the other end of the pond. Since that day, he had mastered the basics of how to achieve a perfect ripple effect. All thanks to Sara.

Thinking about her, he was determined to find the reason behind her disappearance years ago. Not only that, he would find out the reason why she chose to distance herself from him. An invisible light bulb lit up above his head. And a meticulous smirk appeared on his handsome face.

Thinking of his plan, he hurried back to his car and decided to return to his private manor instead of returning to the Holly Oak Villa.

---

Blue Bells Villa

Sara's eyes fell on something she has never discovered earlier. On the wall behind the bookshelf, there was a painting. Since it was behind the bookshelf, she had to remove it. The shelf was quite heavy and took a toll on Sara to move it out of the way. After exhausting a lot of her strength, she finally moved the bookshelf out of the way.

The whole painting came into view. Sara was stunned. It was the exact abstract painting from the puzzle earlier. She removed the painting from the wall. There was creak on the wall. Sara squinted. The surprising fact was that it was not just a creak. It looked like a square opening. But, Sara was clueless on how to open the creak without damaging the wall. She scratched her head and looked around in hopes of finding some clues. She sighed in exasperation.

How did the painting appear here? It was supposed to be in the library. When did all these happen? Who could have done all these? What could it be?

Several questions were revolving inside Sara's head. While thinking, she took a few steps back only to trip over something. She fell back on the bed. Thank goodness, that she did not hit her head on the divan.

She sat up grumpily on the bed and looked down to see what she tripped on. A rod-like structure extending from under the side drawer! What was that?!

Sara got down from the bed and squatted down next to it. She tried to pull it out, but it did not budge an inch. She sighed impatiently. What the hell?! She tried to move it in other ways when she heard a nasty sound. She looked up and saw the creak on the wall moving a bit. She moved the rod over to the right and the creak opened bigger. She moved it again and the creak revealed a dark interior. She could not see anything. Sh*t! she had actually left her phone in her bedroom. She was not eager to leave, but she could not see anything. It frustrated her. But, her anxiety was also killing her from inside. Hence, she dropped the idea of retrieving her phone from her room and instead shoved her hands inside the hidden space. She felt the interior was cold and not too deep. Then, she touched something hard and cold. She swiftly pulled it out.

A diary!

Sara was stunned as she looked at the old diary. Before she could open it, a piece of paper flew out of it and landed softly on the floor. She picked it up and unfolded it. It was a letter from her Mom. The neat handwriting belonged to her Mom. It was dated 12 November, 20**. It was from written just five days before that fateful and tragic night. Sara sighed as she felt the tears welled up in her eyes.

It said:

To my dearest baby girl,

First of all, let me tell you that your Mom loves you with all her heart. When you will read this, you will be sixteen already. I am really proud of you. You have been the bravest daughter in history. You know that, right? You have never questioned us about our work and have always silently helped us. Indeed, you always have been curious. Thanks for coming into our lives. I am sorry if I have ever hurt you unknowingly. The question that always bugged you was the secret existence of the lab. You always wanted to know about its whereabouts.

Today, Mom will tell you. This will be your best birthday gift ever, I promise and Baby knows that, right? I and your Dad have planned everything for you in advance. I don't have much to say. Just remember, your Mom will be there for you always. Never lose hope or courage. You are strong. You are a fighter, baby. Baby knows that we love you, right? That's true. Now, do as I say. I will write a code down here. Given your high IQ, I know you will crack it easily. Mom knows the best for you, baby! I love you and always will.

Lots of love,

Your Mom.

…

Sara felt her tears run down her cheeks. She felt devastated. But remembering her Mom's words gave her courage. She clutched the paper tightly. Under the signed letter was the code.

…

Baby, your journey begins here. I know my Baby is the best! You can crack the code, my dear.

The code:

Turn around

Look at what you see

In her face

The mirror of your dreams

Make-believe

I am everywhere

Given in the light

Written on the pages is

The answer to a never-ending story…

…

Sara scratched her head. If she remembered correctly, it was a song from the '80s. Why did her Mom opt for using this as the code? Her Mom used to hum the tune when she was very happy or when she tried to coax Sara when she was angry. Was she hinting her something about the lab every time she sang it?

Sara sighed with exasperation. Indeed, she wanted to find the lab. One thing she knew for sure. The lab was in the Villa itself. But, she had never found out about its whereabouts.