The temptation to go back to her hut and sleep was strong for Haley, but after shutting her eyes on Maurice's shoulder for a few minutes, she told herself she was filled with enough strength to follow a group of apes out the village, still ignoring the fact that the orangutan was watching over her like a mother hawk, terrified that she'd get herself killed after he saw her wobble to her feet. Honestly, Haley wasn't sure if she decided to go with them because she wanted to help the humans fix the dam or because she didn't want to be in the village when Koba returned from his hunt – being tired enough to snap at Grey was one thing, but afterwards, when her actions truly sank in, terror swelled in her heart, trembling at how Koba might react. She knew it took a lot for him to lash out at her, but after the trouble at the riverbank as well, she knew he'd not just be on edge, he'd definitely explode, so she pretty much pleaded for Caesar to allow her to go with. She had to force her overwhelming relief not to show when he reluctantly agree, him hiding the fact that he was afraid to have her and the rest of his family around the humans after the incident with Carver.
With one final jump, Haley leapt through the edge of the trees and crashed against a floor of pebbles by the riverbank, her thick-skinned, bare feet unbothered by the sharp impact after all the damage they have gone through, but still sensitive enough to feel the ground shake as the old orangutan crashed next to her.
She watched with apprehension as the humans and the other council members emerged from the woods and made their way to the dam, only a few chosen apes following behind the horses. Apparently, after Ellie helped Cornelia with "human medicine," Caesar allowed them to stay for one more day to fix the dam, granting his people's help to quicken to process, but Haley immediately felt a nervous knot growing in her stomach when she had seen Blue Eyes storming from the tree house, him not even bothering to glance her way when she called after him. And then, when Caesar only asked the minimum apes to follow him, she knew he wasn't too confident about the decision either, the worry flickering in his gold-flecked eyes and the deepening frown on his brow only increasing her concern. Despite her being the one with a lack of sleep, Caesar looked almost older from his exhaustion. Nevertheless, after giving Maurice a reassuring look for the uncountable time that day when she saw he was still watching her, she simply followed the others to the warehouse and stiffly climbed inside. The farther she went through the hatch, the more she could feel an unexplained nausea eating at her, and when she finally took the last step and moved aside for the others, she felt as if she was going to throw up.
Only when Malcolm unwittingly grabbed her attention moments later did she realize why she was so uncomfortable with the idea of returning there, her torn eyes following him atop the platform as he bowed down and picked the familiar notebook from the floor in the corner. She watched, her mouth painfully dry, as he paged through the book, but then, having felt her gaze burning into him, the man's eyes flickered to her and compelled her to stiffen before quickly looking away, cursing herself for being so careless with her stare. Lowering her head, she thought about what she realized: she was uneasy about going back there because she knew something about the place made her feel so much more human, her mind wired to the machines around her like a second nature; her mind was genetically programmed to be drawn to her surroundings since generation after generation of her family have worked with computers and mathematics. Her father, a pilot, was a natural with any type of technology, and her mother became a military strategist after spending years learning mathematical equations and patterns – maybe that was why she could understand the notes, she thought, but quickly dismissed the idea with a shake of her head. Nonetheless, her denial went pointless by the fact that Ellie and her husband exchanged looks after she saw the odd exchange between him and Haley.
"Haley?" Ellie called and apologized to the ape she was instructing with a task before leaving him to move over to the wild girl, a private nickname she used in her thought, "I was wondering if you could help me and Malcolm with some more… technical things rather than just carrying heavy objects around?"
Haley only narrowed her eyes at her old doctor and didn't answer.
"Elizabeth told me you used to be good at understanding math and science – or really anything along those lines?" Malcolm interjected next to them before opening the book for Haley to read, a proud look glossing over his brown eyes, "You read this, didn't you? You understood it?"
Clever man, Haley immediately thought, knowing he had to conclude that from only the interested and conflicted look she had watched him with earlier, but then shook her head in denial. "Only some," she admitted and glanced to Caesar on the other platform, just in time to see him pause in his attempt to help another ape, clearly eavesdropping, "Other things… confused me."
"How much is 'some' exactly?"
Haley hesitated, eyes still on her old friend, but then looked back to the married couple in front of her. "Two thirds," she theorized, "not all."
"Still, two thirds is more than I thought you would." Ellie admitted, granting her a suspicious look from Haley and forcing her to explain, "I mentioned to Malcolm on the way here that you might be able to help – despite what you may be thinking, Haley, these notes aren't simple scribbles, they're advanced equations, some not even having anything to do with the hydroelectricity. It must have belonged to an engineer who worked here. Sure, not all of them are complicated, which would probably be the ones you understood."
Haley was taken aback immediately, looking between the two humans with utter bewilderment. 'Advanced equations,' she thought in disbelief, but unlike what was to expected, the terror she felt bubbling inside of her was not from their words, but rather from the colony's possible reaction. Carefully, she studied the others to see who overheard the conversation, feeling more separated from the troop than ever before, but shockingly, she could only see the leader watching her, his green eyes narrowed with an odd combination of trepidation and a disconnection behind his usual glower. Still, Ellie continued speaking and grabbed Haley's divided attention. "We just need your help to figure some things out and to set some setting when we're in a hurry on the other side of the room." She heard the woman tell her, but her eyes kept glued to her friend, as if studying him for advice or the answer, but she felt her stomach jerk when she saw him nod, her jaw and shoulders slacking in surprise instantly. Having seen her reaction, Malcolm and Ellie finally follower her eyes and saw Caesar turning and limping away to help others, both a bit confused.
"Alright," Haley hummed helplessly, making them circle back around, "Alright, I'll help."
"Thank you." Ellie smiled halfheartedly, hearing the unwillingness in Haley's voice, but quickly ignored that fact when her eyes fell on the girl's bear arms. Ellie wasn't sure if it was old habit or not, but when she felt the cold air nipping at her cheeks, she shrugged her one jacket from her other and handed it to Haley without a word before walking off to go do more work, only Malcolm staying behind to give Haley some instructions. Obviously unsure, Haley stared at the thick piece of clothing for a while, but then, in defeat and with an exasperated sigh, she pulled it on and enveloped herself with the comforting warmth that Ellie's body left behind, oblivious to Caesar's intense gaze still watching her.
The reason he pushed Haley to help the humans with their science was because he could still remember how she enthused over strange numbers when he was a young ape, her small hands gliding through the air whenever she explained some scientific pictures in her book with too much enthusiasm. Many times, she told him about the stacks and stacks of textbooks she borrowed from her dad's old "College Memories" box, something humans use to teach themselves things when their professors weren't around. Though he could understand some of the images, most of the drawn shapes and lines she showed him made no sense at the time, but the eagerness she had when she tried explaining them was something he craved to see again. He knew he had a duty to his people and shouldn't show one member too much attention compared to another, especially not one who wasn't on the council, but the growing concern for his friend was starting to even bother him at night. The dark circles around her eyes were growing clearer, her body was growing tenser, and she was always on her nerves, jumping at the slightest of touches – it was strange.
Oddly enough, Ellie's reason for approaching Haley over the matter was similar. Ellie could still remember those times where Haley had to be kept in the hospital for days on end so doctors could keep an eye on her vitals – sometimes she couldn't even leave her bed – and what stuck Ellie as odd at the time were the heaps of discarded books piling around Haley's bed at a grown-up pace, something she apparently just did to pass the time quicker. Back then, Ellie already knew the girl was clever, cleverer than most, and when she snuck a glance to the intimidating book titles, she thought Haley would surely grow to be some great inventor, scientist, or something in that type of field. Strange how cruel life can be sometimes, isn't it?
However, Ellie didn't know that Haley only sped up the time so she could leave the hospital sooner and visit Caesar.
I am so happy to hear you guys were worried about me. Well... kinda. I'm flattered, but also really sorry that I made you guys worry! I sincerely apologize! Anyways, here is another chapter! I'm actually glad I was finally able to reach this point; it felt like I was never going to get this far. You guys and all your support allowed me to, however, and gave me the motivation I needed. LOVE YOU GUYS!
