The next morning, Laura woke up more dazed than ever: she must've stayed awake to read much longer than she thought. Chloe had woken up just before her, but she let her go to the bathroom first, because the blonde had always been quicker. While washing her face and getting dressed, Laura tried thinking again about some of the strangest details in the encyclopedia, struggling to guess what the truth behind its writing was, but she quickly gave up: it would be very easy to talk about it with the others, even just to have a laugh over it. Once she was done getting ready, she went back to the girls' room and, while Chloe took over in the bathroom, she picked up the book from the nightstand drawer and walked to the kitchen with it under her arm. She found Jack standing in front of the coffee machine, staring at the slowly filling cup with a zombie's expression. Laura greeted him, which suddenly shook him from his half-sleep as he answered her. She took a packet of biscuits, although she really had no appetite (it was mostly a mechanical action) and sat down at the table, placing the book in front of her. When he turned around and took his first small sip of hot coffee, Jack immediately noticed the encyclopedia and gave her a curious look.
«What's that book?» he asked her.
Laura shrugged as she chewed a biscuit almost without thinking. She replied after she had swallowed the morsel:
«I picked it up yesterday in the library. I wanted to celebrate the new job with myself that way. The thing is, it felt so... particular that I wanted to show it to you guys»
«Is that so? Uhm... - Jack walked over to read the title - Charles Darwin, huh? That's so like you»
«Yes, I admit it. But I think he's just a figurehead. Now you'll see»
Shortly after, Chloe also entered the kitchen and instantly noticed the book on the table. She threw a questioning look at Laura, who started to answer her, but was interrupted when the door to the flat suddenly opened: Sam had just returned from his morning jog, which he did every day at dawn, since after being hired in the workshop he'd preferred not to enroll in numerous sports like he'd do at university. In sweat-soaked clothes, sunglasses and earphones, the redhead set foot in the kitchen basically at a charging pace as he tried to breathe regularly. When he saw his three friends gathered there silently with confused expressions, he stopped with a bewildered air and took off his sunglasses, revealing that he was as puzzled as they were.
«Hey, what's wrong? Did someone die while I was jogging?» he joked to get an answer.
«The paleontologist had us find this on the table, out of the blue» Chloe explained, pointing to the book.
«Oh…»
Suddenly, Sam stretched out his arm and grabbed the book, catching Laura off guard and making her gasp. Before the blonde could protest, Sam opened the encyclopedia at random and flipped through a couple of pages, with an amused look:
«The drawings of these dinosaurs remind me of those books you were obsessed with when we were little! Do you remember, guys?»
«Ah, that's right! - Chloe smiled - The times when we'd all go outdoors together, you two would play football, I'd cheer and Laura would read on the sidelines. Remember how afraid you were of the ball, Jack?»
«All too well, did you have to make me think back to that?» Jack snorted, embarrassed.
Laura blushed for a moment, then she decided to impose herself and, gently but firmly, took the book back from Sam's hands, being careful not to damage it and breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that not a single page had been torn, although Sam had been a book wrecker for as long as she could remember.
«Yes, maybe they look a little like those, but believe me: I've never read anything like this either... I don't even know whether to call it "strange", honestly. Would you like to have a few words with me about this book after Sam takes a shower?» she proposed.
«Are you really asking us? You've been playing mystery so far, how can I not want to know more? Just don't take too long: I have to go teach French at ten» Chloe replied, crossing her arms.
«Fine, then I'll try to make it quick. You've intrigued me too!» Sam exclaimed, before going to the bathroom.
About five minutes later, the redhead came back from the boys' room in clean clothes, then they all took a seat at the table, their eyes on Laura. The girl moved her ponytail behind her neck, before opening the book and starting to explain the contents of the encyclopedia and why it felt so enigmatic to her. She read Darwin's preface aloud and Jack, who was listening to her with nearly devoted attention, commented:
«Well, this sure is something else, but I think it's already answered you by itself: some author pretended to be Darwin and added a piece to his journey around the world. Isn't there a journal of the trip on the Beagle?»
«I know, I read it - replied Laura - it's like a historical novel, but in a journal, except the rest is an encyclopedia taking itself very seriously, as if it were true. The point is, it can't be true, there are too many inaccuracies!»
«Inaccuracies in a dinosaur book? That's nothing new» Sam chuckled.
Laura resisted the temptation to roll her eyes and went on:
«True, Sam, paleontology borders on speculation, but this is different. I'll give you a random example»
She flipped through several pages, trying to choose a rather out-of-mainstream creature, and once she found a suitable one she turned the book on the table for her friends to read.
«What do you see here?» she asked.
«Uh... a lousy little monster with hair?» joked Sam.
«Pegomastax...» Jack read aloud.
«It means "strong jaw", by the way» Chloe said, not resisting the temptation to translate.
«Ah! Would you look at that: the uglier they are, the more epic the names» laughed the redhead.
«Exactly. And, as you can see, this page talks about it as if the writer had been keeping an eye on a living specimen for weeks, if not months. You know what the funny thing is? Darwin lived in the nineteenth century, while pegomastax was discovered in 1966 and its name was chosen in 2012. Sounds a little early, don't you think?»
«Of course it does, because it's not early, it was written recently! That's been taken for granted since you started this conversation» Chloe commented.
«Haven't you seen the author's name anywhere? - Jack asked her - I mean, they used Darwin as a pseudonym to make this imaginary encyclopedia, but they usually leave a clue for readers to figure out who they are... or, anyway, people know who it is»
«Exactly, haven't you read what the publishing house, the press and all those small print things that no one cares about when reading a book are?» Sam asked.
Laura shrugged, pursing her lips:
«No: no location, no indication, no printing date... it's a ghost book. Earlier, while I was getting dressed, I tried looking up the title on the Internet, it just doesn't exist. Seriously, at times it thought I was researching Noah. The closest thing I've found to an author's name is this»
At that point, she went to the bottom of the encyclopedia, where there were the torn-out pages. She showed Helena Walker's message to her friends, as well as the signatures of the other three unknown individuals. Jack spread his arms:
«Well, there are two possibilities: either this is the author and she pretended to be the protagonist of her own story, or she's a character with a fake letter that the writer added to give the book more atmosphere. Whatever the truth, we have to admit that she has a great imagination»
«That's for sure: she made up all the scientific names one by one, as if to admit that her dinosaurs were not accurate! For example, the baryonyx is called Baryonix aquafulgur instead of walkeri.
«Seriously? "water lightning"?» Chloe chuckled.
«Wait, this plot facade that the book wants to set up makes no sense… what's the point of confusing the reader by talking about some "top secret sensational discovery never to be revealed" if it's never mentioned again? At this point, just describe the dinosaurs. The same goes for that letter at the end… this Helena talks as if she wants to be pitied, but what should the reader care?» Sam muttered, tapping his nails on the table.
«I wonder about that too - sighed Laura - You see, that's why I can't quite think it's fake... you understand that the writer knows she's pretending, yet it's full of these details that give me the idea that maybe, after all... it's frustrating, guys, I confess. Well, it's still a nice book to read in your free time. Anyway, I'm done: thanks for listening to me, now you can think about your jobs»
«There goes the interesting part of the day - Jack snorted - I want to see how many times they'll come to me just to get me to fix the trash of a photocopier today»
The two boys started to get up but Chloe, who had been mulling over in silence until then, asked suddenly:
«What if you asked her directly?»
Laura, who was distracted by rereading that last page once again, jerked her head up:
«What did you say?»
Chloe shrugged and pointed to the book, as if she'd made the most obvious proposition in the world:
«Why don't you ask Helena Walker? Better a bad answer than never having one, don't you think?»
Sam rubbed his neck, looking intrigued:
«Actually, it could be true... we've been asking ourselves a thousand questions, when it would be enough to ask whoever came up with this stuff all along»
Laura, surprised and even a little embarrassed, was dazed for several seconds, not knowing how to take her friend's suggestion. When even Jack admitted it wasn't a bad idea, she made up her mind and spoke:
«Seriously? Do you think it's that easy?»
«Well, yes» Chloe nodded.
Jack reflected, holding his chin between his thumb and forefinger:
«Come to think of it, it makes sense. Let's say Helena Walker is the author of the book and not a character; in that case, it's almost certain that she uses some social media. I've never heard of a writer who isn't active on at least one platform today. Do you want me to look her up? It'll take me a second» he offered, smiling.
«I was going to ask you anyway» admitted Laura, with a smirk.
«All this is taking a turn that I didn't expect... anyway, I'm going to the workshop» said Sam, before saying goodbye and leaving as fast as the wind.
«And I'll start preparing the materials for the course. Let me know, you two!» Chloe took her leave as well.
Within seconds, Laura and Jack were alone in the kitchen staring at each other, undecided on what exactly to do. Eventually, he'd been so focused on following the discussion that his coffee went cold. When he noticed it, he sighed and put it back on the kitchen counter, before asking Laura what she preferred:
«Shall I search for you now or later?»
The blonde thought about it for a while, but she eventually replied:
«You know what? It was Chloe who came up with the idea, so why don't we search for Helena Walker together when the three of you are done? I'll give the floor a wash, I have nothing else to do»
«All right, as you wish» Jack smiled, before going to get ready to leave.
Laura stayed in the kitchen thinking in silence until her three friends were gone, leaving her alone. In the end, realizing that she still had the same questions as before, if not even more, she sighed and began to read a few pages of Darwin's book again, having fun finding all the paleontological inaccuracies. If there really were any answers, they'd discover them together that evening.
§§§
The rest of the day passed normally: as she'd announced, Laura washed the floor and then the window panes as well, since she finished earlier than expected. Once the cleaning was done, she had no better idea than to keep reading the encyclopedia, but at a bench by the seafront, just to go outdoors: that book seemed to never tire her, its mysterious details that felt real and made up at the same time had a morbid charm. Every now and then, Laura interrupted the reading and, keeping the encyclopedia on her lap, she tried daydreaming about her future work: she pictured herself lost among the shelves of an archive of finds, engaged in rearranging the labeled fossils, or at the bottom of a pit at an excavation site with colleagues to dig up a stone matrix with the imprint of a fossil, the day she'd be tanned like Sam due to all the hours she'd spend digging under the sun. In all that, she couldn't help but keep a smug smile, thinking that a lifetime dream was about to come true.
In the late afternoon, she went back to their flat just before her friends, each at their own time, returned from work. There was nothing unusual, before and during dinner, although while eating they had a brief but lively debate on which movie to watch together that evening, something they'd been doing pretty much forever, since they lived together. But, as soon as Laura and Chloe washed the dishes and the boys cleared the table, Jack promptly brought up the topic that everyone was quietly waiting for:
«So, shall we find out if Helena Walker exists or not?» he urged.
«Yes» Laura nodded, beginning to feel tense.
«Come on, let's do this» Chloe encouraged.
The four gathered in the two boys' room, where Jack began researching that name on his laptop, sitting on the bed. Meanwhile, Laura almost obsessively read the note at the end of the volume over and over again, also staring at the two torn pages, wondering about what was written on them. Had they been lost by accident or had they been torn out on purpose? She couldn't explain why she even doubted, since the answer could only be the latter. After several minutes, Jack hadn't found anything that seemed to be connected to "Darwin's" book, so Sam said, with a hint of embarrassment:
«Not to spoil the party, but don't you think we're taking this "mystery" way too seriously? I mean, it's just a book, after all!»
Chloe, who was leaning against the wall with her hands behind her back, gave him a look similar to the one a mother throws at a child who says something inconvenient:
«Who told you we're taking it seriously? It's just a curiosity... it's pretty much why people do Google searches»
«No, Sam is right – Laura admitted – Jack, if you really find nothing, forget it: after all, it's not so important for me to find out what's behind this book»
The blond boy, at that moment, took his eyes off the laptop and gave her a knowing and satisfied smile:
«Don't worry, that's not the case: I think I've found the woman we're looking for!» he exclaimed.
«What? Did you really succeed?» asked Sam, staring at him in disbelief.
All three instantly huddled next to Jack to look at the screen, making him uncomfortable and causing him to blush a little, and read what he'd found: a Facebook profile that bore, indeed, the name of Helena Walker. The profile picture was the stunning photo of a woman seen from behind, with desert clothes and short brown hair, watching the sunrise over a vast desert with red sand, with her hands on her hips. In the background, although barely recognizable in the shadows, a small group of kangaroos could be glimpsed.
«She couldn't be more Aussie than that» Sam joked.
«All the public data in her profile seem to match – said Jack – Helena Walker, Australian, based in Sydney, biologist... that's what's written in that note, isn't it, Laura?»
«That's right» nodded the blonde, suddenly excited.
«Let's take a look at her posts,they might tell us something about the book!» suggested Chloe, in a lively tone.
Jack eagerly went through the several postsof the biologist, scrolling up to the first one and quickly examining them in chronological order, looking for useful information. They noticed right away that Helena wasn't very talkative on the Internet: between one post of hers and another, there was always a gap ranging between two weeks and three months. They were mostly focused on research on a particular animal species, on the preparation for and highlights of expeditions to distant and exotic places and, in rare cases, brief references to her opinion on certain biological debates still open. Laura couldn't hold back a slight laugh when she read a post where Helena said she was convinced that there was water in the humps of dromedaries.
«Wait, don't dromedaries have fat or something like that in their hump?» asked Sam, confused.
«Yes, in fact this is nonsense – nodded Laura – Let me see... oh, of course»
«What?» asked Jack, curious.
«She wrote this postin 2007, while the final truth about camelids' humps was established in 2009. Well, in that case, I can give her the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, isn't there even one mention of the encyclopedia?»
«Not for now» the blond boy shook his head.
«I don't know, she doesn't look much like a writer to me... she's just a biologist. And her theories are even wrong, apparently» Sam commented.
Chloe chuckled and gave him a sarcastic smile:
«Sam, mommy's little cutie, maybe you've never noticed it because you've spent your whole life on an athletics track and repairing engines, but this is the age of the Internet: anyone with a keyboard and no shame could play the writer, sell whatever trash they draft and start giving their opinion on TV as if they were celebrities» she joked.
«Uhm... actually, that's true. Sorry, momma» the redhead acknowledged, taking the joke.
«Eh, trust me: I've had to translate some trash that didn't even seem to be written by a person» sighed the black-haired girl.
Jack kept scrolling through Helena Walker's posts, until Laura and he noticed a revealing detail: the time distance between the last two postson the profile. The second-to-last dated back to 2008… the last to 2016. As Chloe, carried away by her memories, shared more details about her university translations with Sam, the other two gave each other a puzzled glance and spontaneously read together the note at the bottom of Darwin's encyclopedia: Helena had supposedly been shipwrecked on ARK in 2008 and had escaped the island in 2016. The very same eight-year-long gap. Laura and Jack immediately snapped to attention and read the content of the two posts:in the one from 2008, Helena Walker announced her departure on an expedition to the Pacific to study humpback whales live. In the very last one, the biologist had written something rather cryptic:
August 29, 2016
I'm alive and I'm back. I'm no doubt changed forever. I didn't think I'd come back, yet here I am. I don't know how to handle this return, but I'll figure it out. There's only one thing I want to say: while I was away, I was the Galileo of biology and my colleagues would be the Church, if I told my story. That's all. I hope you all didn't miss me too much.
Laura called Sam and Chloe's attention:
«Hey, you two, look here: we have… apt information, so to speak»
They read the two postscarefully, but at first they didn't understand what the blonde was referring to. Laura rolled her eyes, she made them reread the last page of the book and pointed out to both of them the detail of the gap that appeared both in the encyclopedia and in the Facebook profile. Thinking about it, all four were somewhat dismayed: it couldn't be a coincidence that, after 2008, Helena had disappeared from her profile (and, most likely, from society) and that she'd returned eight years later... just as she'd said on that page.
«Interesting. Maybe this book really is an autobiography, in a way» Chloe said.
«What do you mean?» asked Laura.
The black-haired girl shrugged:
«What I believe is that Helena had a bad accident when she went to the Pacific to study whales and that she spent a long horrible period in the middle of the ocean, like in Life of Pi,managing to survive by some miracle. When she went back home, she kept silent for quite a while because she was deeply scarred. Perhaps, in all that, she got inspired and wrote this book to... I don't know, maybe vent her anguish with fantasy? She's a biologist, nothing stops her from knowing something about prehistory»
Everyone stared at her in astonishment for several moments, when she was done expounding her theory. Sam chuckled and asked her when she'd gotten so tragic and imaginative and Chloe simply replied that she'd expressed aloud the first idea to have come to her mind. Laura, meanwhile, began to feel suspended in a void: now she had such a strong desire to solve that intriguing mystery, yet her questions increased with each passing second... until she heard Jack breathe a strong nervous sigh. A little worried, the blonde was about to ask him what was wrong, when her friend proposed:
«I agree with what Chloe said this morning: we should contact her»
The others looked at him with interest and Chloe nodded with a smug smile, glad that her proposal was being supported. Laura hesitated for a few seconds, before answering:
«How do we know that, by writing to her, she'll answer? She still kept inactive for three years: after that postin 2016, her profile died again. Maybe whatever happened to her scarred her so much that she now refuses to expose herself»
«Does she? She still wrote this book» Sam reminded her.
Laura shook her head:
«Is it on the market? No, there's only this copy, which she left in that library. Or rather, I find it obvious that only this one's around…»
«No, Laura, I didn't mean to write to her – Jack corrected her – I intend to figure out where she lives, so you can go and talk to her face to face. You know, she lives in our own city, why not take advantage of it? I don't see anything wrong with it and it might be interesting for you to confront a researcher who has such a… uh… special view of extinct animals»
Laura's heart warmed for a moment, when she heard such a selfless proposal from her friend, but tenderness was immediately replaced by surprise, when she realized that Jack was serious. Sam opened his eyes wide:
«How come you suggest such a thing? You're even shyer than Laura! No offense to both of you, eh. Still...»
«That sounds like a good idea to me. If you talk to her in person, you'll be able to have the answer to all of your questions about this book. A small and innocent discovery that you can tell your colleagues about when you're a paleontologist» encouraged Chloe, cheerful.
Sam, after looking with perplexity at both Chloe and Jack, asked them:
«May I know why you're taking this to heart so much? All of a sudden, it looks like we're in a detective novel»
Chloe stared at him:
«Why, wouldn't you try to help a friend solve a matter she cares about?»
«Of course I would! It just feels off» replied the mechanic.
Laura cleared her voice to get everyone's attention, then asked:
«Guys, thanks for caring, but... is it a problem for you if we go to talk to Helena Walker all together? I know this is only my concern and that I started this in the first place, but you know me: I'd feel less embarrassed if you were there too, I've never been as feisty as you or as confident as you – she admitted, pointing to Chloe and Sam – But at least, if you come with me, I'll be less awkward. Provided we do find her, to be clear»
All three of her friends gave each other a sympathetic glance, then they nodded and Chloe replied on behalf of all:
«If you really want us to come with you, we'll be glad to. After all, we'll just have to wait for a moment when all four of us are free»
«Thank you» said Laura, breathing a sigh of relief.
At that point, she was about to ask Jack if he knew any way to theorize, or even figure out where Helena Walker lived in Sydney. But, before she opened her mouth, Jack looked at her proudly and claimed to have found out the biologist's address. Laura was stunned, not believing that it could be so quick and easy; after stuttering without finding the words for a few seconds, she managed to ask him how he'd done it. Sam, with an ironic grimace, said that Jack must secretly know a few tricks for inveterate hackers, which he hid behind his harmless appearance, skilled as he was at computers. But the blond boy, after an amused laugh, explained that, actually, all he'd had to do was to take a look at the profiles following Helena Walker's, while the others were arguing.
«What did you find?» asked Chloe, curious.
Jack selected a profile from Helena's list of friends and dwelt on the photo of a memorial, in which there were flowers and candles arranged in front of a building. Then he explained:
«I assumed that everyone who followed her was connected to her and her job, whether they were her friends in real life or not. Apparently, Helena Walker was neither seen or heard of from 2008 to 2016 and, well, at some point people give up hope for those who are gone for so long. They must have done something in her memory, wakes or tributes like the one in this photo are often made. So I took a look at what their postssaid between 2008 and 2016 and found what we're looking for: here's the name of the street for the memorial»
In fact, in the caption of the image, the address of Helena Walker's home was mentioned, with an invitation to pass by and leave flowers or a dedication, if possible.
«That was easy» Chloe commented.
«Well, sorry if I doubted your good conduct, Jack. Well done, our trusted nerd!» exclaimed Sam, patting him on the shoulder.
«Ouch!» groaned the blond, massaging it.
«It's done... we've figured out that Helena Walker is a real person and even where she lives. Now we just have to visit her, right?» ventured Laura, so amazed to have such a chance that she could hardly believe it.
«Yes» Jack replied.
«In that case, we'll wait for a day where we're all free and go find her» she proposed.
«Then we should do it on Sunday: none of us works at weekends» Sam suggested.
«I guess we're good, then! – exclaimed Chloe – Are you happy, Laura? You'll find out the true story behind this book!»
«Of course I am. Thank you again for listening to me, guys. And for your help tracking her down, Jack» Laura smiled.
«Oh! Don't mention it» he mumbled, blushing a little.
At this point, Jack turned off the laptop and they prepared to go to sleep: that search together had lasted longer than expected. Laura hardly slept a wink that night: she was too excited about what was going on and couldn't even explain why she was excited since, thinking about it well, it all had all sprung from her trivial curiosity. Maybe discussing it with Helena Walker would bring some surprises... they'd see about that.