A Variant Lawndale 01 - Beach Party Invitation - Part 5

 

Suddenly, something happened. There was a rumble and the ground near the wave pool cracked. Brittany grabbed a bullhorn. “Everyone away from the pool!”

 

Then a large amount of lawn gnomes were launched from the crack.

 

“Gnomes! It’s Gnomageddon!” Spatula Man cried out, over the radio.

 

“Great!” Daria said as she took in the sight. “Definitely time to go.”

 

“But where’s Quinn?” Jane asked.

 

“We do need to find her,” Daria considered.

 

 

Quinn emerged from where she had disappeared into. She then ran around the side of the mansion and saw the lawn gnomes going everywhere. “Oh well!” She knew that Daria would be worried, so she decided to look for her.

 

 

It didn’t take long.

 

“There you are!” Daria said.

 

“Let’s go,” Quinn said.

 

“Yes, there are lawn gnomes everywhere!” Jane said.

 

“I saw them,” Quinn said.

 

They then left, heading towards the gatehouse.

 

 

“We can walk home,” Jane suggested, seeing that Trent wasn’t there.

 

“But my shoes are wet,” Quinn complained.

 

“Or we could wait for someone else,” Daria said.

 

“Good idea,” Quinn said.

 

 

It wasn’t long before someone showed up. “Are you ladies in need of a knight in shining armor?” Charles ‘Upchuck’ Ruttheimer asked.

 

“Could we take the armor and ditch the knight?” Daria asked sarcastically.

 

“Hey, it’s a package deal, toots,” Upchuck replied.

 

Daria shrugged.

 

“I guess so,” Quinn said.

 

“Let’s go,” Jane said.

 

They then got into the back seat and Upchuck then drove them back into Lawndale proper, albeit not without annoying commentary. “You will note, that the home of the Director of Public Works is built on unstable landfill…”

 

Church notes - 13th October 2024

 13th

Matthew 25:31 - 46

God is interested in what happens in the world.

He is going to intervene.

Jesus entered Jerusalem in a provocative manner,

Matthew 24

Jesus was the sanest voice in history.

The Kingdom of God has arrived.

Make the best out of your time.

Map of Aurora

 

Map of Aurora

Spider Quinn 12 Rise of the Green Goblin - Part 5

 

Half an hour after leaving home, the Enigma arrived in the vicinity of the Historia. She remembered her conversation with Daria after the opening. ‘Is Jane SpiderGirl?’ she wondered. ‘Or she could be one of the other two?’ She wasn’t sure. ‘I’ll continue as I have been with the Sophomores. I’ll find her eventually.

 

Suddenly, there was a sound nearby. She turned, her hands aglow with her powers. A stray cat came out of an allyway. ‘But there was something else,’ she thought. She looked down the street and saw that a window had been smashed in. ‘On it!’ she thought as she ran as quietly as she could.

 

 

“Quickly, before SpiderGirl comes!” one of the thieves said.

 

The other two thieves came over to the window with their misbegotten wares. “She’s just one person.”

 

They exited through the window they have smashed. “Stop right there!” came a voice.

 

They looked and saw a dark figure against the glare of the street lights. Suddenly, their misbegotten wares were yanked out their hands by a strong invisible force and returned into the store through the window.

 

“Who are you,” one of the thieves asked in fear.

 

“I am the Enigma,” the feminine voice said quietly. “Now, like, make yourselves scarce. You don’t want to face my other power and what it might do to you.”

 

The thieves with their hearts pounding then ran off down the street.

 

 

The Enigma looked at the broken window of the store. There was no way she would be able to piece it back together. She made herself scarce as a police siren made itself known in the distance.

 

 

Officer Xanthe Peterson looked at the scene. The window had been broken and merchandise strewn all over the place. “It looks like the thieves were interrupted in action,” she said.

 

“By SpiderGirl?” one of her colleagues asked.

 

“I don’t think so. There are no webs and she usually leaves the suspects webbed up for capture,” Peterson answered.

 

“Oh.”

 

“It could have been Ninja Talon or the other one.”

 

 

The Enigma continued down the street, looking for things that indicated that something would go down. It was deserted. She heard something down one of the side streets and looked. She saw that there was a store alight there. ‘Not much I can do,’ she thought. ‘But I’ll see if people need rescuing or if SpiderGirl will respond.’

 

 

The Enigma saw that the Fire Brigade had already responded. ‘Of course. I’ll head home. I stopped some thieves, that’s good enough for a first night.’

 

 

She arrived back at 512 Grandstaff Drive half an hour later. ‘It was a good first night,’ she thought, thinking of how she had thwarted the thieves.

 

 

At the same time, Ninja Talon arrived at the scene of the fire. The Fire Brigade had done their job. She saw Officer Peterson nearby.

 

“Ninja Talon,” the officer acknowledged.

 

“Any idea what happened here?

 

“Arson,” Peterson answered. “Any evidence of who it was lost in the blaze. Whoever it was made themselves scarce before the fire brigade arrived.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Did you intervene at a shop break and enter earlier tonight?”

 

“I didn’t,” Ninja Talon answered. “It wasn’t SpiderGirl?”

 

“No webs and she leaves suspects webbed up.”

 

“Oh, of course. The Shadow then.”

 

“I haven’t met her yet,” Peterson confessed.

 

“She helped SpiderGirl and I a lot last week when we infiltrated that compound and rescued Sarah Robyn.”

 

“That’s good. But if it’s not you, not SpiderGirl and if it’s not the Shadow as you say, that would mean there’s a fourth.”

 

“There’s no proof of that,” Ninja Talon said.

 

“No, there isn’t.”

 

“If nothing else. I’ll keep an eye out tonight and other nights.”

 

“That would be good.”

 

 

Ninja Talon looked into the store briefly before leaving silently. She wondered if there was another vigilante hero out there.

 

 

SpiderGirl awoke at the now usual early hour. She climbed out onto the roof and listened to Lawndale. ‘Something’s a little… discordant,’ she thought. It was as if something had changed. “But what and where is it?” she murmured. She listened a while longer, trying to narrow it down. ‘Downtown? Or is it Lawndale in general?’ She then swung away, eyes closed, using her intuition to guide her.

 

 

She landed at the spot and opened her eyes. She saw a store that had been broken into and police tape around it. ‘I missed this, tonight,’ she thought. But how was it responsible for the discord? She wasn’t sure. She looked around and saw that it wasn’t far from the Historia. She went up to the old theatre and saw that the Art Deco building was untouched. ‘I’ll find Ninja Talon.’ She headed to the bridge where they found out each other’s secret identities.

 

 

Ninja Talon saw SpiderGirl arrive. “I was talking to Peterson earlier,” she said.

 

“About that shop that was broken into?” SpiderGirl asked.

 

“Yes, she said someone interfered in the robbery, and she knows it’s not me and it’s not you.”

 

“But that would leave the Shadow.”

 

“She thinks there’s a fourth, and I do to,” Ninja Talon said.

 

“A fourth vigilante hero. That would explain the discord.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You know I spend time listening to Lawndale at night,” SpiderGirl answered. “Tonight there was a discord. And in the evening and last evening my Spider Sense tingled briefly at a low volume. I know there’s someone out there trying to find out who I am.”

 

“I’m here with you.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

 

They sat there for a while in silence, contemplating the changes in Lawndale over the past few months. It seemed to SpiderGirl that the real changes were yet to come.

 

 

Norman Osborn awoke. It was that dream again. The one where a presence whispered terrible things to him. It was getting worse, despite his many secret visits to a counsellor he had hired. He got out of bed and went over to where he had placed the glider blueprints. ‘I won’t use it for what the whispers say!’ he thought, not entirely convinced. He tried to get back to sleep.

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Wednesday, January 31, 2001

Council Divided Over Controversial Proposal

A contentious vote on allowing an unnamed organisation access to Lawndale’s Municipal CCTV footage passed with one vote yesterday after a tumultuous session of the City Council.

 

‘Unnamed?’ SpiderGirl asked herself. ‘It’s likely to be Oscorp!’ Was Osborn the one seeking her identity? ‘No, it’s someone else,’ she concluded. She looked through the rest of the newspaper, but she knew that the interrupted robbery had occurred after it had gone to press. She then placed it back on the stand and continued towards the school.

 

 

Sandi awoke and looked at the time. “Oops!” she said as she leapt out of bed. She had forgotten to set her alarm after she had come back from her first foray as the Enigma. She looked around the room, making sure that she had packed away the purple clothes she had worn. She then got dressed and raced out.

 

 

“Sandi, you need breakfast!” Linda said. She suspected that her daughter had snuck out in the middle of the night, whether to confront SpiderGirl or not, but she didn’t have proof. ‘I’ll talk to her tonight as she practices.’

 

 

Jane arrived at school to see Daria waiting. She had gone by the store that had been broken into, as Max had called Trent about it when he had seen it. She knew that she hadn’t interfered, and she knew of SpiderGirl’s habit of leaving suspects webbed up. ‘So, it has to be Ninja Talon, right?’ she asked herself again. A fourth vigilante in Lawndale seemed a bit much to her. ‘But I can’t rule it out.’

 

“Jane?” Daria asked.

 

“Just thinking about my project,” she responded. She then noticed something different about Daria. Her bangs were held to the sides by plain hairclips. “You’re a little different. I didn’t expect that.”

 

“I figured that I better get the clips as soon as possible,” Daria responded.

 

“You mentioned Quinn trimming it, but not clips.”

 

“I guess I didn’t.”

 

 

Sandi got to school just in time for the bell to ring for Homeroom. ‘I’ll have to make sure I set my alarm.’

 

 

“Changes,” Jane murmured as she and Daria sat on the roof during study hall.

 

“What was that?” Daria asked.

 

“Changes. Lawndale is changing. Now you’re changing,” Jane clarified.

 

“I may be growing my hair, but I’m still the same Daria. Still sarcastic and cynical of the world around me, including of whether SpiderGirl is actually making a difference.”

 

“What about last week?”

 

“SHIELD would still have done something,” Daria answered.

 

“Probably. It’s the Historia that will make a difference.”

 

“But that will take time.”

 

“I know.”

 

 

Quinn entered the Library to find Anna and Ben already there. ‘I don’t think either of them are the new vigilante,’ she thought.

 

“Quinn!” Anna said as she came up to the duo. “I have found out more about the standing stones.”

 

“That’s great.”

 

“Including the specific Irish stonemasons who worked on them,” Anna added enthusiastically.

 

“What’s this about stonemasons?” Gerald asked as he came up.

 

“The people who put the standing stones in place,” Anna answered.

 

“Oh, of course,” Gerald responded.

 

Anna took out a book. “This was in the town library.”

 

“A History of Irish Immigration to Carter County,” Quinn read. “Carter County?”

 

“Yeah, Lawndale County was renamed from Carter County over a decade ago,” Anna answered. “It is still sometimes referred to that way.”

 

“Oh,” Quinn said.

 

“Because Lawndale is the largest town in the county?” Ben asked.

 

“Probably,” Anna said.

 

“Anyway. Let’s, look at the original idea,” Quinn suggested.

 

“Sure,” Anna said as she turned to table of contents.

 

 

And so, for the next half hour they took turns reading from the book, including Gerald, who still had issues with projecting his voice.

 

 

“I could look for someone to help you,” Quinn said to Gerald after the other two had left.

 

“You don’t have to.”

 

“It would be part of what Ms. Li asked me to do.”

 

“And you’re going above and beyond,” Gerald said.

 

“I know. Maybe I’ll ask Mr. O’Neill about it tomorrow.”

 

 

She then left the school as SpiderGirl, patrolling for an hour and a half before arriving at the Historia for her first shift.

 

 

“Quinn!” Elizabeth Rowe said, as the younger Morgendorffer girl appeared in the café.

 

“Hi, Mrs. Rowe.”

 

“How’s your mother? I haven’t heard from her since before the holidays.”

 

“Oh, she’s busy, but I’ll tell her you asked when I get home.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

 

While Quinn was talking to Stacy’s mother, Daria arrived home. She went up to her room and looked in the mirror in her closet. ‘I am changing,’ she thought as she glanced at the hairclips. It wasn’t just that, or the decision to grow out her hair. It was indeed the absence of her father, affecting her more than she thought. It wasn’t only Quinn who was changing due to grief, she was as well. She took a deep breath and closed the closet. ‘I’ll take it each day as it comes,’ she thought. She also decided to talk to Jane about it the next day.

 

 

The Griffin’s dinner was awkward as the five of them ate, with only Sam and Chris talking about their day at school. “And the teacher said that my design was impractical!” Sam said.

 

“What design was this again?” Linda asked.

 

“For a slide in the playground,” Sam answered.

 

“That takes up most of the playground?” Sandi guessed quietly.

 

“That’s the whole idea of it!” Sam said.

 

“Sam, try to start small,” Linda said.

 

“I did start small. Having a slide cover all of Lawndale is too much,” Sam said.

 

“Was that your first idea?” Chris asked.

 

“Yes,” Sam answered.

 

“Sounds good,” Chris said.

 

Linda and Sandi both sighed.

 

 

As Sandi turned to go up to her room after her father and brothers had made themselves scarce, her mother called out to her. “Sandi! We need to talk.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I know you sneaked out last night and I don’t have proof. But there are rumors of a fourth vigilante.”

 

“I am using my powers responsibly,” Sandi countered quietly.

 

“So, you did!” Linda said.

 

“Maybe.”

 

“But, there is still the fact that you want to confront SpiderGirl!”

 

“And maybe Lawndale needs a new hero,” Sandi said.

 

“And you think I haven’t been tempted to go out and use my abilities to fight crime? Especially after SpiderGirl appeared? And now this Ninja Talon and the shadowy one? I don’t want to bring danger to this family. Think about that, Sandi, please.”

 

“I don’t think SpiderGirl will trace me here.”

 

“She might when you find her identity and I know you will,” Linda said.

 

“I will be ready and I’m sure you will be too.”

 

Linda sighed, knowing that she wasn’t getting anywhere with her daughter. She saw her grab an energy drink from the fridge. “That may give you a boost, but it’s not exactly healthy.”

 

“What do you use?”

 

“Potato salad.”

 

 

Sandi entered her room and opened the yearbook again. Next after Robyn Allen was Erin Archer, another short haired blonde, although hers was slightly longer and curlier than Elly Aitkins’.

 

She looked at the energy drink. ‘Potato Salad would take longer to eat!’ she thought. She then downed it. “Finndu mann sem heitir: Erin Archer!”

 

Her perception again spread out across Lawndale. Erin Archer was found close to the Historia, heading towards it.

 

“Three down.”

 

 

“Quinn?” Mrs. Rowe asked.

 

“Something,” Quinn said, noting the third low tingle of her Spider Sense.

 

“Are you OK?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good, you just looked out of it for a second,” Mrs. Rowe said with concern.

 

“Stress: school, social life, here and I miss Daddy.”

 

“Of course. You can talk to me about that at some time, if you want to.”

 

“That would be great!” Quinn responded.

 

 

Sandi practiced again and noticed that she was getting better at aiming her shots.

Mysteries of Aurora - Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024

 Tuesday, September 3^rd, 2024

Olivia and Janara approached one of the Main Library’s entrances along one of the elevated walkways. Olivia was listening to an audio guide on the University. “The Main Library of Academia d’Aeterna Universitas d’Aurora is theorised to be as old as the University itself, with expansions having been made over the millennia. The most recent expansion is the Quinmillennial Wing, which opened in 2001.”

 

The colonnaded entryway they approached had various Nordic runes etched around it, although that portion of the building dated from the 16^th Century.

 

“Where are you starting?” Janara asked.

 

“The Information Desk to start with, then I’ll head to the Nordic Section. It’s supposed to hold most of the codices from that era.”

 

“Good idea.”

 

 

Freya was also curious about the Library. She arrived at one of the eastern entrances. “I guess this dates from the 20^th Century,” she murmured as she tried to shield herself from the reflection off of the expanse of glass before her, which was overwhelming despite the fact she was wearing sunglasses. ‘I’ll probably need to use another entrance.’ She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and listened as she walked towards the door.

 

 

“May I help you?” the library assistant asked the colourfully dressed pink-haired girl with her eyes closed before her.

 

“Yes, directions to the Nordic Art section?” the pink-haired girl asked.

 

“I could guide you if you want.”

 

“You don’t need to,” the other said. She then rubbed one of her eyelids. “This is just a habit I have when I get visually overwhelmed,” she added quickly with a tone that implied that she was tired of explaining it.

 

“Yes, the Library can be overwhelming, especially for new students.”

 

“Yes. I arrived yesterday.”

 

“If you go left a dozen paces, there is a tactile map of the library, which is beside a usual map.” The assistant said.

 

“That will be useful.”

 

 

Freya ran her hands over the tactile map of the Library. “I’m here, near the eastern entrance…”

 

It didn’t take her long to figure out the directions. ‘Easy to remember, either way.’

 

 

Olivia and Janara approached the Information desk, near the Grand Atrium. “Let’s see what this says about it,” Olivia said.

 

“The Grand Atrium dates from the 17^th Century and reflects the nostalgia for Roman Aurora of the period.”

 

“That will be something to look into at some point,” Olivia said.

 

“You’re looking into the Nordic Era first?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’ll come with you,” Janara said.

 

“You don’t need to.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Olivia nodded.

 

“I’ll look at the Computer Science section, then.”

 

 

Freya had followed the tactile directions and had found herself in the Nordic Section, the part of the Library that was built in the Nordic Era. ‘There has to be runes here,’ she considered as she continued walking through.

 

 

Olivia entered the Nordic section.

 

‘What exactly am I looking for?’ she wondered. ‘Just to come across something ancient by accident?’

 

She found a directory nearby.

 

“History of Aurora in the Nordic Era, Nordic Art. Scandinavian History and Geography. Icelandic, Greenlandic and the Northern Atlantic Archipelagic History and Geography. Nordic Linguistics. Nordic Literature. The Role of Sagas in the development of Auroran Storytelling… Everything Nordic. I’ll start with the History of Aurora in the Nordic Era.” She went towards that section.

 

 

Freya found the Nordic Art section. “Now the tactile art first,” she decided.

 

 

Olivia was wandering the History of Nordic Aurora section when she looked over into the Nordic Art section. She saw something next to a pillar between the two sections. She went over and saw that it was a relief map of Aurora as it was just prior to the Unification. She tried to read the inscription, but found that the text wasn’t in a dyslexic friendly font. “Uh!” she exclaimed. She wanted to read it. ‘Do I have my text to speech pen here?’

 

She checked her pockets and found that she had left it back in the dorm room. “Of course!” she groused to herself. ‘I suppose I could just look at the map.’

 

“Do you need help?” someone asked nearby.

 

Olivia turned and saw someone in the art section. A girl with pink hair, colourful clothes and her eyes closed.  “Yes. I can’t read this description… because of my dyslexia.” She didn’t like having to explain that.

 

“Let me try something,” the girl said as she came over. She touched the inscription and ran her hands over the raised lettering. “This map depicts Aurora in 1122, a year before the remnant ancient kingdom joined the Commonwealth, reuniting Aurora in it’s current form.” She then ran her hands over the map. “Interesting,” she murmured. “I’ll come back later.”

 

“Thanks, um.”

 

“Freya.”

 

“Olivia.”

 

“You’re welcome, Olivia,” Freya said as she turned and went back into the art section.

 

Olivia looked at the map closer. She could see the familiar provincial borders within the Norse Aurora.

 

 

Freya wandered over to a bookshelf and brushed her fingers along the spines of the books. She paused, the pattern there was interesting. She pulled it out and then went to find a reading nook.

 

 

Freya sat and then opened her eyes. She found that the light from the skylights above was quite soft. More than enough for her to read by, but not enough to be overwhelming.

“Art of the Aterana River Region during the Nordic Era,” she read. That was interesting. ‘The Aterana River,’ she consider. That was the river that ran through Urbs Aeterna, the name being a Latinate version of the pre-Roman Auroralic name. She opened to the table of contents…

 

 

Janara found the Computer Science section, on the edge of the Mathematics section. ‘Where else would it be?’ she groused. AAUA had yet to adopt the Dewey Decimal System. ‘But then with many preexisting cataloguing systems going back millennia…’ Most of the books still had to be checked out manually. She entered the section and found that the all the books there did have bar codes. ‘Let’s see… ‘Auroran Linux distributions…’

 

 

Olivia met Janara back at the Grand Atrium a few hours later.

 

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Janara asked.

 

“Not really. But then I was relying on serendipity.”

 

“Same here.”

 

“There was something I couldn’t read though,” Olivia said with annoyance.

 

“Really? Was it in Auroric?”

 

“No. It wasn’t in a dyslexic friendly font. But someone came over and read it for me.”

 

“It’s good that they helped you,” Janara said.

 

 

Freya put the book back and returned to the map she had helped Olivia with. Her synaesthesia allowed her to notice things on the map Olvia hadn’t. ‘Wait. The trade routes...’ The ancient trade routes spreading out from Urbs Aeterna like a spider’s web. ‘I hadn’t realised that before.’ She took out her sketchbook.

 

She quickly sketched a copy of the map. She looked closer. “Wait… I’m sure there isn’t a lake there,” she said, looking at a spot on the Aterana River about 100 miles upstream of Urbs Aeterna. She took out her tablet. “Aurosoka: map search Aterana River.”

 

The Aurosoka service responded, showing a zoomed out map of the Ateanni Province, with a pin on the river.

 

‘Not that helpful,’ Freya considered. She looked around. “Auroran Geography? Where would that be?”

 

But first she needed lunch.

 

 

Freya entered a small café near the Library.

 

“Freya!”

 

Freya and saw that it was Dana and a few others from Sigrun Sigurdottir Hall. She then bounded over and sat down. “Hey, Dana!”

 

“Have you been exploring the campus?” Dana asked.

 

“Just the Library so far,” Freya answered.

 

“That’s bold,” another student, James, said.

 

“It is,” Freya said. “I thought I would jump in. Besides I helped another student, so there’s that.”

 

“But it’s so large that it is said that students can get lost in there,” James saod.

 

“Nonsense!” Dana said. “Ignore him, Freya. There are a lot of urban legends about the University that are untrue.”

 

“But there are also a lot of mysteries,” Freya pointed out.

 

“That’s true,” Dana said. “But no one can vanish in the Library and not be found again.”

 

‘I hope so,’ Freya thought, as she went to order her lunch.

 

 

Olivia returned to the Library after having lunch. She found a directory near the Grand Atrium. ‘History of Aurora…’

 

History

History of Aurora

Pre-Roman History … Ground Floor of Ancient Section

Roman Aurora … First Floor of Early Roman Section.

Early Medieval Aurora – First Floor of Late Roman Section

Aurora in the Norse Era – First Floor of the Nordic Section.

Medieval Aurora after the Unification – Ground Floor of the Nordic Section

Renaissance Aurora – Second Floor of the Late Roman Section

Early Modern Aurora – Second Floor of the Late Medieval Section.

Auroran History Since 1850 – Ground Floor of Art Deco Section

 

‘Art Deco?’ Olivia thought. “What about a succinct timeline?”

 

“You can get that anywhere.”

 

Olivia turned. “Olivia.”

 

“David, assistant librarian. There are books that summarise Aurora’s history, of course, but as you see, AAUA studies things in depth.”

 

“I guess I would start in the Norse Era, maybe what lead to the Unification.”

 

“That would be in the Nordic Section, of course.”

 

 

After helping Olivia, David saw a pink-haired girl looking at another directory. “May I help you?”

 

“Yes, I’m looking into the upper reaches of the Aterana River. I saw a map depicting something present somewhere, that isn’t on present day maps.”

 

“That would be in the Geography Section, um…”

 

“Freya,” the girl said as she enthusiastically shook his hand.

 

“David. The Geography Section is right in the middle of the Library, on the second floor of the Ancient Section.”

 

“So, it’s the oldest part of the Library?”

 

“I’m not sure of that. Records of what was built when only really start late in the Pre-Roman period.”

 

“Oh,” Freya said.

 

 

Freya entered the Geography Section. She found that the section was laid out such that Aurora was at the center. ‘Of course it would be.’ She walked through the southern archway and between the books on Africa and southern Europe on the right and the books on South America and the Caribbean on the left. ‘Interesting.’

 

She soon found a shelf full of various editions of the Comprehensive Atlas of Aurora. She grabbed the latest one she could find, which was from 2016. ‘I don’t think much has changed,’ she thought.

 

She found a nearby reading nook and opened the atlas to relevant section.

 

 

‘Ateanni Province,’ Freya thought.

 

She soon found that the place on the river was as expected. ‘No lake.’ She decided to check a topographical map and then found that the place was mostly flat. ‘Maybe it got filled in?’ she wondered. But then she hadn’t studied any geology. Still, it was a mystery that had piqued her interest.

 

 

She then went back to the Nordic Art section, where she spent most of the afternoon.

 

 

Olivia and Janara returned to Janus Hadrian Lodge as the sun was setting. “It was interesting,” Olivia said.

 

“That’s an understatement.”

 

“You haven’t heard everything.”

 

“Oh?” Janara asked.

 

“The girl who helped me with the map had her eyes closed, yet she could read the inscription.”

 

“You’re pulling my leg.”

 

“I’m not,” Olivia said.

 

“Maybe she was squinting?”

 

“I don’t think it was like those anime.”

 

Olivia laughed as they walked through the doors.

 

‘Great!’ Olivia thought.

 

 

At the same time, Freya returned to Sigrun Sigridottir Hall in thought. She knew that Aurora was full of mysteries, but the mystery of the lake had whetted her appetite. ‘I wonder what else happened in the past that isn’t widely known?’

Church notes - 6th October 2024

6th

1 Peter 5

Fears and Anxieties

There is hope in Jesus

Worry is a bad thing.

vs 7

vs 5

Jesus as a humble servant.

Have a humble attitude.

Be humbled and recognise that God is Sovereign

Fear and Anxiety

Bring it to God

Philippians 4:6

A journey of prayer and relationship.

vs 8

Satan exists and is in opposition to God and to us. He is looking to destroy us. 'A roaring lion looking to devour'. Like a cat playing with a mouse.

Accuser

Slanderer

Liar. The Father of Lies.

But he is not a victor.

vs 9

Stand firm

vs 10

Spider Quinn 12 Rise of the Green Goblin - Part 4

 In the bathroom, Daria looked in the mirror. She saw herself and Quinn, two sisters who were more alike than she would have expected before her father passed. One with auburn hair that was longer than it had ever been and round spectacles. The other with shoulder length dyed brown hair caught up in high pigtails, as it had been most of the time since the funeral (and it was obvious to her that Quinn was continuing to dye her hair, as her roots weren’t visible).

 

 

“OK, so, I’ll just trim it at the bottom, where there are split ends,” Quinn said. “But what about your bangs?”

 

Daria moved a hand through her bangs where they hung over the top of her glasses. “I’ll grow those out too. I guess I’ll need a couple of clips soon.”

 

“I guess you’ll be looking for plain ones,” Quinn said with a giggle.

 

“Of course.”

 

As she began, Quinn considered that Daria definitely wouldn’t have trusted her to trim her hair before she became SpiderGirl. ‘But she can’t know. She wouldn’t understand, and I don’t want her to be in danger as a result. That’s the main reason why I’ll be making these modifications slowly.’

 

 

Daria was also thinking as Quinn was trimming her hair. ‘I don’t know what the future will hold, but I know that we’ll survive High School in Lawndale.’

 

 

Quinn took her time, as she usually did when she did someone’s hair. She felt the trust that Daria had given her, trust that didn’t come easily. “I have done the bottom,” she said.

 

Daria took off her glasses and closed her eyes, ready for her sister to trim her bangs. “Alright.”

 

Quinn carefully snipped at the split ends she found in the bangs and saw her sister’s eyelids twitch as she waited. She didn’t take long.

 

 

“Done,” Quinn said. Daria opened her eyes and put on her glasses. She saw that her hair looked better than it did before. “Thanks, Quinn,” she said with a rare smile.

 

 

Trent answered the phone. “Hey, Daria. Janie is out on a run.”

 

“I see. I just wanted to tell Jane something.”

 

“What about.”

 

“Oh, Quinn and my hair.”

 

“What about Quinn and your hair?”

 

“I’d like to tell her first.”

 

“Sure, I’ll let her know you called when she gets back.”

 

“Thanks, Trent.”

 

 

The Shadow was downtown, near the Historia. She was watching as Stacy and Joey finished their evening shift. She didn’t want anything to happen that would jeopardise the vision of the Historia as Daria laid out during the opening. After five minutes Stacy and Joey drove off, leaving the Shadow relieved. She then continued her patrol of that stretch of Main Street.

 

 

At the same time, Sandi had her yearbook from the previous year open, along with an energy drink. She was ready to start to try to locate the secret identity of the heroes, especially SpiderGirl. ‘But one at a time,’ she had decided, as in one per evening. That would take time, possibly months, but that would be better than her overextending her ability every night. She located the first female freshman (now sophomore) in the yearbook. “Elly Aitkin,” she considered, looking at the short haired blonde on the page.

 

She barely knew her, but that was fine.

 

Sandi downed the energy drink. She then closed her eyes and chanted; “Finndu mann sem heitir: Elly Aitkin!”

At first she perceived herself and her room, as she usually did when she used her locate ability. Then her perception expanded out into the streetscape of Lawndale.

 

At first, the perception close to her house was colorful, as she perceived the inside of her neighbors’ houses along with the yards and the streets. But as it extended outwards it grew more vague as more information flooded into her mind. Then her perception narrowed in as Elly Aitkin was located halfway across town, in a house not far from the High School. It appeared that she was doing her homework while watching some animated show on her TV.

 

Sandi then returned her perception to normal and opened her eyes. She marked a small ‘x’ next to Elly Aitkin’s picture. “One down,” she said, with fatigue in her voice.

 

 

At the same time, as she was cleaning up the small amount of Daria’s hair in the bathroom, Quinn felt something. Her Spider Sense tingled briefly, at a low volume. ‘What was that?’ she asked herself. She finished cleaning up the hair and then went into her room and looked out the windows. ‘Nothing,’ she thought. Yet there was something, or someone, in Lawndale that was searching for something to do with her secret, she was sure of it. ‘What else is new,’ she thought as she put away the copy of the blueprints and took out her homework.

 

 

After recovering from searching for Elly Aiken, Sandi decided to do something else, practice using her other powers.

 

 

Linda went out into the backyard and saw Sandi taking shots at old tin cans using her powers. “What are you doing?” she asked.

 

“Practicing, trying to improve my aim.”

 

“I noticed you searched for someone earlier.”

 

“So?” Sandi asked as she took another shot and hit one of the tin cans.

 

“So, what are you up to, Cassandra?”

 

“SpiderGirl, she confronted me in my room.”

 

“When was this?”

 

“Just after the Fashion Club ended, not recently,” Sandi answered as she took another shot.

 

“I see. You want to know who she is, then confront her. What then?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Meaning, are you just going to keep fighting her?” Linda asked. “You know that our powers can have a deleterious affect on people.”

 

“Because you told me. I haven’t actually seen it.”

 

“I have, it’s not good.”

 

“So, tell me!” Sandi said. “All you have said is that it’s deleterious.”

 

Linda shot at one of the cans herself, knocking it down. “They disrupt neural pathways, causing temporary paralysis and/or vocal slurring.”

 

“Doesn’t sound so bad.”

 

“That takes until the next day to recover from!” Linda added. “I don’t know what repeated exposure would cause. I don’t want SpiderGirl to experience that! I don’t want to find out her secret identity by finding out that you’ve injured her permanently. I don’t want that to happen, Sandi!”

 

“I’ll be careful,” Sandi said. She deactivated the purple glow and walked to where the cans were. “That’s not all I can do.” She reached out and drew one of the cans into her hand.

 

“I know,” Linda said as she did the same. “But using this power to restrain her wouldn’t be any better. I don’t want you confronting Lawndale’s superhero out of jealousy. She’s bringing hope to this town.”

 

“Not jealousy!”

 

“Resentment then. Think about what you’re doing, that is what I’m asking of you. Both as your mother and as your mentor.”

 

“Mentor,” Sandi considered.

 

 “I taught you how to use your powers so that you would use them responsibly.” She then went back inside, knowing that she would have many more such conversations with Sandi in future.

 

 

Sandi looked at where her mother had gone inside. She considered what she had said. But she knew that she would continue what she had started and confront SpiderGirl. ‘But not as myself.’

 

 

After an hour and a half of homework, Quinn headed out as SpiderGirl, leaving the house by the hall window, as she had been usually doing. ‘But leaving via the attic would be better,’ she thought as she swung away.

 

 

Jane entered the kitchen after her patrol as the Shadow.

 

“Daria called,” Trent said. “Something about her sister and her hair.”

 

“Her sister’s hair, or her own hair?” Jane asked, wondering what her friend was going to tell her.

 

“Her own hair,” Trent clarified.

 

“I’ll call.”

 

 

“What’s this about your hair?” Jane asked.

 

“I let Quinn trim it. It is a little hard to explain how it felt, but I now trust her more than I ever have.”

 

“How much did she take off.”

 

“That’s the thing. I asked her to just deal with the split ends. I have decided to grow it out, including the bangs,” Daria answered.

 

“I have noticed it getting longer.”

 

“Changes happen.”

 

“It goes back to your father, doesn’t it?” Jane asked.

 

“Yes. The changes due to him not being here anymore.”

 

 

Out in the night, SpiderGirl rescued a squirrel from a truck on the Interstate, before meeting Ninja Talon nearby.

 

“I have visited Sarah Robyn,” the latter said. “Twice. Once, like this. The other as the cheerleader.”

 

“That’s good,” SpiderGirl said in encouraging tone.

 

“There were some muggings I prevented earlier.”

 

“I was bonding with Daria.”

 

“That’s good. I don’t think I could do so with Brian.”

 

‘There’s something there,’ SpiderGirl thought.

 

“Anyway, Sarah Robyn will be released tomorrow, even though she still can’t speak.”

 

“Then I’ll see her early in the morning.”

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Tuesday January 30, 2001

Historia Proving Popular

 

SpiderGirl arrived at the Hospital as the sun rose. She wanted to spend time with Sarah Robyn and get to school with time to spare.

 

 

Sarah Robyn saw SpiderGirl enter. She wrote Thanks for coming and handed the note to her.

 

“You’re welcome,” SpiderGirl said. “I couldn’t stay away today without saying goodbye. It’s not likely I’ll be in Oakwood any time soon. I’ll be focusing on Lawndale.”

 

Of course.

 

“But it may be that I may be there, just not very often.”

 

That’s OK

 

They spent a while in silence before they parted ways.

 

 

I’ll keep an eye on the news from Lawndale and keep thinking of you and the other two.

 

“Thanks, Sarah Robyn. That means a lot,” SpiderGirl responded. “Although most of what we do is small and doesn’t make the news.”

 

That’s fine.

 

SpiderGirl left, although not before saying goodbye and getting a signed farewell in return.

 

 

As the business day began, so did a tumultuous session of the Lawndale City Council. Especially when Mayor Lawson brought up Norman Osborn’s request to access the municipal CCTV, albeit without naming him.

 

He suspected that Osborn had continued to work behind the scenes, as several of the councillors he had expected to reject the proposal supported it. ‘Of course he would!’ he groused to himself. “Lets call a vote.”

 

The motion succeeded by one vote.

 

‘Now I have to delay Osborn some other way!’ Lawson thought.

 

 

Osborn entered Lawson’s office at midday. “I heard the motion passed,” he said.

 

“Yes, it did. You’ll have access later this week.”

 

“Very good. My technicians will liaise with yours about the details.”

 

 

Quinn met with Angie after school in the library. “When are you next at the Historia?” Angie asked.

 

“Tomorrow,” Quinn answered.

 

“Right, I’ll drop by before work.”

 

“That would be great.”

 

“Now, where are we up to?” Angie asked.

 

“History, specifically, the Gilded Age.”

 

Angie opened her textbook. “Got it.”

 

 

After school, Sandi headed to Cranberry Commons. She didn’t want to go to the other Mall, as that was where she usually shopped. She didn’t want any classmates to see her shop for clothes that would make her inconspicuous. She found a small out of the way shop and started looking.

 

 

At the same time, Daria entered Lawndale Mall, hoping to be in and out as quickly as possible. After her decision to grow out her hair and the trim Quinn gave her, she decided to get the clips as soon as possible. She soon found what she was looking for in a small shop.

 

“Are you sure you want something that plain?” the saleswoman asked.

 

“Look at what I’m wearing already,” Daria responded. “Do I look like someone who wants something fancy?”

 

“You could change up your style a bit.”

 

“I may be growing my hair, but my style isn’t changing.”

 

“OK, I won’t press.”

 

“Good.”

 

“That will be four dollars.”

 

Daria handed over the exact change.

 

 

Sandi found several outfits that matched what she was looking for. All purple ensembles that matched the glow of her energy projection powers. ‘Now I need to find a mask,’ she thought as she paid for the clothes.

 

 

After tutoring Angie, SpiderGirl headed out from the school roof. After an uneventful patrol around the downtown, she headed home.

 

 

She entered the basement through the backyard hatch and changed back to her usual self. She took out the blueprints again. She looked again at something she had noticed. That the basement on the blueprints seemed to take up the same floor space as the stories above, but Quinn was sure that it looked smaller. ‘The laundry area is below the dining room and the kitchen and Daria’s room. This table and the dresser are below the garage and my room.’

She went over to the chute and looked at the blueprints again. ‘It looks like there is more empty space than the chute beneath my closet.’ She looked at the wall ahead of her. It didn’t look as far away as the end of the living room did from the front door. ‘I’ll probably need to measure it.’

 

She found the measuring tape in the tools she had bought the day before. She measured along the wall from where she was sure the front door was, to the wall, which was of plasterboard, rather than the other three walls which were of the same red brick as the walls above. “Fourteen feet.”

 

Up on the ground floor, she checked that her mother and Daria weren’t home before measuring from the side of the front door to the corner window. “Twenty one feet. That’s a whole seven feet.” Was there a hidden area of the basement six and half feet wide?

 

 

Back down in the basement, she looked at the wall. The plasterboard was held in place by screws. ‘So, I can get in there at some point and look.’ But first she needed to make the other modifications before considering what to use the hidden space for. ‘I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.’

 

She went back to the desk and continued designing the locking mechanisms for the chute.

 

 

Sandi found some purple fabric she could make a mask out of. ‘Perfect,’ she thought.

 

 

Daria saw Quinn enter the kitchen from the basement door. “I got the clips today,” she said.

 

“That’s good. Are you going to wear them soon.”

 

“Probably tomorrow.”

 

 

After dinner, Sandi was ready again. “Robyn Allen,” she considered, looking at a long haired brunette. She didn’t really know her either. She downed the energy drink. “Finndu mann sem heitir: Robyn Allen!”

 

Robyn Allen wasn’t quite as far as Elly Aitkin, but her house was in the opposite direction, near Newridge, the southwestern-most of Lawndale’s subdivisions. Sandi saw that she was having desert with her large family.

 

“Two down.”

 

 

Again, Quinn felt her Spider Sense tingle at a low volume. This time as she did some homework. “Again?” she commented. ‘Is it going to happen every night?’ She took out the journal she had been using since she had started being SpiderGirl. “Low intensity tingle again. Someone is still searching for my secret.”

 

 

Linda watched as Sandi again practiced against tin cans in the back yard. “I hope she took our discussion last night to heart,” she murmured. She looked around, and saw that she was alone. She then generated a forcefield around her. “Sandi isn’t here yet, but she will be soon.”

 

 

Later, after her parents had gone to sleep. Sandi slipped out of the house wearing one of the purple ensembles, the mask she had made earlier in the evening and her hair tied back into a high ponytail. She looked down Grandstaff Drive towards the downtown. She was already the fourth of Lawndale’s vigilante heroes, or in her case an antihero. “Watch out SpiderGirl, the Enigma is on your case!” she said as she ran off down the street.