6th November '22: https://www.deviantart.com/brenorenz/journal/Church-notes-6th-November-2022-935796635
13th November '22: https://www.deviantart.com/brenorenz/journal/Church-notes-13th-November-2022-936847129
20th November '22: http://fardell30.deadjournal.com/234720.html
27th November '22: https://www.deviantart.com/brenorenz/journal/Church-notes-27th-November-2022-938783112
14th
Excerpt
from: Spider Quinn
It
wasn’t long before the Enigma and Dafoanairi saw William in the distance. “So,
what’s the plan?” the former asked.
“You
can go ahead and try to head him off while I come up from behind.”
“Seems,
like, a bit dangerous, but I don’t have any better ideas.”
“Neither
do I,” Dafoanairi said.
The
Enigma then crept along the side of the street. ‘He definitely doesn’t look
like a normal human, and also is determined,’ she thought as she passed him.
William
suddenly saw someone ahead of him. A girl clad in purple wearing a mask. “Are
you another of the vigilantes?” he asked.
“Yes,
the Enigma, the fourth vigilante,” she answered as her hands glowed with a
strange purple light.
“That’s
different to SpiderGirl,” William murmured, “but I’m still dangerous! Out of my
way!”
“No!
I can’t let you do what you are going to do!”
“I
have no choice! Oscorp did this to me!”
Dafoanairi
carefully crept up with her quarterstaff at the ready. ‘I knew Oscorp had
something to do with this,’ she thought as she thought about what Ted had said
earlier.
“Out
of my way, Enigma!” William said.
“No!”
the Enigma said. “We need to get you out of the daylight.”
William
lunged and the Enigma rose a forcefield, with him crashing against it. It
sparkled but held. ‘But would it have a deleterious effect on him?’ the Enigma
wondered. Her mother wasn’t that specific when saying that the energy powers
could cause temporary paralysis.
“Figures!”
William said.
Words:
253
15th
Excerpt
from: Artifact in Lawndale
“So, there was this book!”
“Yes. Sandi picked it up and something happened!”
“What happened, Stacy?” Claudia prompted.
“There was this unusual book and Sandi opened it and some
sort of glow hit her in the face!” Stacy said.
“Go on,” Claudia prompted.
“Right. She started changing and her eyes started
glowing. Then many of the other books in the shelves came out and a wind came
up.”
Words: 68
Excerpt from:
Spider Quinn
“Figures!”
William said.
“Now!”
the Enigma said.
“What?”
William asked before he turned and then saw Dafoanairi holding her quarterstarff
at the ready.
“I’m
willing to use this,” she said. “Just as the Enigma is willing to do anything to
stop you.”
“Then
try to stop me!”
William
then ran off to the side. As he did so, the Enigma dropped the forcefield and
sent some projections in front of him. Dafoanairi also reacted, moved in the
same direction and tried to use the quarterstaff to trip him. However, he avoided
both the projections and the quarterstaff. He then turned on Dafoanariri. “You’re
just like, Ninja Talon aren’t you? A normal human with training.”
“I’m
not answering that,” Dafoanairi snarked.
“You
sound kind of familiar,” William said.
“I
might, or I might not,” Dafoanairi said.
“One
of the Morgendorffers,” William mused. “I don’t want to hurt you!”
“Then
allow us to take you somewhere, like the Historia, to get you out of the
sunlight,” Dafoanairi said.
“No!”
William said as he lashed out again.
William
hit Dafoanairi on her arm, causing her to let go of the quarterstaff and fall
over. He then ran, as the Enigma stayed to see if her friend was OK.
Words: 205
Total:
526
4th December '22: http://fardell30.deadjournal.com/236734.html
11th December '22: http://fardell30.deadjournal.com/237279.html
18th December '22: http://fardell30.deadjournal.com/237423.html
24th December '22: http://fardell30.deadjournal.com/237804.html
25th December '22: http://fardell30.deadjournal.com/237909.html
1st January '23: https://fardell24b.tumblr.com/post/705216370251644928/church-notes-1st-january-2023
8th January '23: https://fardell24b.tumblr.com/post/705852242084937728/church-notes-8th-january-2023
15th January '23: https://fardell24b.tumblr.com/post/706485410510061568/church-notes-15th-january-2023
22nd January '23: https://fardell24b.tumblr.com/post/707121466795343872/church-notes-22nd-january-2023
29th January '23: https://fardell24b.tumblr.com/post/707760648009007104/church-notes-29th-january-2023
Olivia soon changed into her
swimming costume, and had a look at one of the pools. For the Aquatic center
had three 50 meter pools. ‘This will do,’ she thought as she looked around. She
also saw that there was a diving pool, with multiple boards at various heights.
Olivia did a couple of laps.
Freya arrived at the Overview of
Influences on Auroran Art lecture. She saw that there weren’t as many as in the
other units, although it was still a sizeable number, some of whom she had seen
in at a distance in the other lectures.
“Freya! I knew you would be
here,” Alexia said.
“Alexia?”
“Like, I only need to do two
Architecture units per semester.”
“Got it,” Freya said.
“And this will help me too.
Knowing what comes from where will certainly help me in my career.”
Olivia got out of the pool,
refreshed. It felt good to be in the water. The activity made her forget the
tiredness from not sleeping much, and she didn’t have to think about her
difficulties with reading. She also didn’t have to think about the historical
mysteries she had found the previous day.
Alexia waited while Freya talked
with the lecturer. ‘I thought so, but she’ll share when she wants to.’
It didn’t take long for Freya to
finish. “All four,” she commented.
“All four, what?” Alexia asked.
“I’ll be able to get help, if I
need it, in all four units,” Freya answered.
“You sound like you were
uncertain that you would.”
“School was far from easy,
especially when I was younger.”
“Oh,” Alexia responded, at a
loss for words.
“ADHD, you know.”
“I kind of figured.”
“It’s not like I hide it,” Freya
said with a smile. “But I have learned to embrace it. It is part of me.”
“That’s a good attitude to
have.”
Freya nodded.
“Where are you headed?”
“I have heard of a café on the
art gallery’s roof. It sounds like a perfect place to view the centre of the
city.”
“I’ll come too. I’d like have a
look too,” Alexia said.
It didn’t take them long to get
there. They walked up to it on a ramp from one of the walkways. Freya saw that
there weren’t that many other students there.
“It looks like it’s quite
modern,” Alexia commented. “More like sometime in the past 40 years.”
“It certainly does,” Freya said.
Freya started sketching the view
as she and Alexia waited for their coffees.
“What do you think about it?”
“It’s a great view. It’s
probably why they decided to put the café here.”
“And there’s a good breeze too,”
Alexia added.
“Quite relaxing and refeshing,
with a hint of mint.”
“Mint?”
“Oh, the synaesthesia,” Freya
responded. “Sometimes there is a taste to some textures.”
“That must be a lot to take in.”
“I do get overwhelmed sometimes,
but I have adapted to that.”
“I guess you would have had to,”
Alexia said.
Freya nodded. She was thankful
that the overwhelm hadn’t happened yet that day, but it sometimes happened when
she didn’t expect it too.
As Olivia left the Aquatic
Centre she felt the fatigue returning, but it wasn’t overwhelming. ‘I can
function, and read up on those mysteries.’ She then headed to the Library. She
was ready to look further into the Nordic Era.
Olivia entered the Library and
found the place more hushed than the day before. ‘Most of the students are
either in classes or looking into the sports activities,’ she thought as she
looked around the Grand Atrium. She went up to one of the directories. ‘The
Nordic Section or the Information Science Section?’ She shook her head and went
to the Nordic Section.
“Aurora at the Beginning of
the 9th Century,” Olivia murmured. She opened the book and ran
her text to speech pen over the Introduction.
“Aurora in the year 801 is
commonly considered to have fully recovered from the end of the Roman Era,
despite the Eastern Archipelago remaining independent from Urbs Aeterna and
allied to the early Byzantine Empire against both Aurora and Charlemagne. The
Raid on Lindisfarne had occurred some years earlier, but Aurorans had thought
themselves safe from the Norsemen as it was thought that they would focus on
England and the other parts of Britain and Ireland…”
“Done,” Freya said as she took a
sip from her coffee.
“Done?” Alexia said she looked
over the sketch.
“Done for now. A preliminary
sketch.”
“It’s looks very good for
something that’s preliminary.”
“Thanks,” Freya said. “I usually
do a rough sketch first.”
“I’m a little like that, in that
I have been designing buildings since I was young, playing with building
blocks. It wasn’t always what I wanted to do, but It seemed that I have a knack
for it.”
“Many people are like that.”
“I guess so,” Alexia said as she
sipped her own coffee.
“Everyone is different when it
comes to their creative expression.”
“That’s obvious, but I guess I’m
learning how different people can be.”
“The same here.”
Olivia listened as the book
again said that many primary sources about the events in the early 9th
Century had been lost. ‘But a small amount, surely.’ She continued listened,
and then paused. ‘Wait! What are the statistics for how many records from that
era have been lost?’ She was sure that would be important. ‘But where would I
find that information?’ She suspected that would a long term investigation.
After spending some time at the
café, Freya and Alexia went down into the gallery.
‘But where to start?’ Freya
asked herself. She grabbed a pamphlet. “We’re on the top floor, which has
artworks created in the modern era.”
“How is that defined?” Alexia
asked.
“Since the beginning of the 19th
Century.”
“That makes sense. The beginning
of the industrial era.”
Freya looked at the pamphlet
again. “Then the Early Modern Era is on the second floor. The Renaissance on
the first floor and part of the ground floor, with the Medieval period,
including the Nordic Era taking up the rest of that floor. Artworks from the
Roman Era and earlier are in the basement.”
“Much simpler than the library.”
Alexia commented. “But then the building dates from the Renaissance.”
“There’s probably some other
building that got repurposed.”
They then entered one of the
rooms and started looking.
“This is very large,” Alexia
said after they had looked at several paintings.
“It would probably take us years
to properly appreciate all the artworks,” Freya said. “That’s how large the
collection is.”
“And you say that some went
missing?”
“Yes. A number of mysteries in
Aurora’s history of Art.”
They spent over an hour going
through the gallery before deciding they had enough for the time being (and
Freya was finding herself overwhelmed).
Olivia entered the coffee house
cafeteria across the Square from the Library. ‘This is charming,’ she thought.
She was still thinking about the discrepancies she had found. She knew that
there was a pattern there, but she knew that she needed more data.
Freya and Alexia left the Art
Gallery. Freya was overwhelmed by looking at all the artworks in a short period
of time, but it had been worth it.
“Are you OK?” Alexia asked.
“I’m fine,” Freya answered.
“Just a little overwhelmed by looking at all that art so quickly.” She closed
her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. She then opened them again and looked
into Alexia’s. “It’s part of the neurodivergence.”
Alexia nodded with a smile. “Got
it.”
“It has made me more resilient
than otherwise.”
“So, lunch?”
“Yes,” Freya answered with a
slight giggle.
12th
Acts 2:29 - 41
Jesus as LORD
Resurrected to the very point of God.
He was referred to as Lord throughout the Gospels.
LORD - Supremacy, authority, master, owner
John 21
Jesus: Peter, do you love me?
Peter: Lord, you know I love you
Three times
Jonah
He ran, but God restored him.
An appropriate response was needed.
Matthew 7:21 - 23
When we declare that Jesus is God, we surrender to Him.
Trust, surrender, ask
Repent
3000 people repented that day.
John 14:6
John 6:66 - 69
After
finishing her shift, Quinn went up to the roof. But before she changed to
SpiderGirl, she looked around at the town. ‘Did something change earlier?’ she
wondered as she looked around. ‘Nothing out of the ordinary,’ she decided as
she looked towards the Strawberry a second time. She then changed to SpiderGirl
and listened for a while before swinging away. There was the usual discord that
had been present for the past five days.
Towards
midnight, Ninja Talon approached the Hecuba-Croft residence. She saw that
Andrea’s light was still on through the dark curtains. ‘Good.’ She then went
around to the backyard.
Andrea
heard her door open. She saw a figure, looking like a ninja, there. “Ninja
Talon?” she asked. “How did you get in here?”
“That’s
me,” Ninja Talon answered. “I picked the back door lock.”
“Why
are you here?”
“I
would like you to hack into Oscorp for me.”
“Oscorp?”
Andrea asked. She stood up. “Why would I do that, Brittany?”
“Brittany?
Who’s Brittany?” Ninja Talon asked, her voice as low as it could go.
“I
know it’s you, Brittany. Who else would know their way here in the night time?”
Brittany
took off her mask. “How did you figure it out?” she asked.
“As
I said, who else would know their way to this room at night? Not anyone else
currently at Lawndale High. You came straight here; you didn’t open my parents’
door or those of any of the spare rooms by mistake.”
“Oops!”
“Don’t
worry, your secret identity is safe with me and I’m not going to ask about
SpiderGirl’s. But I am going to ask why you want me to hack into Oscorp!”
“Because
SpiderGirl and I found out the extent of their footprint in Lawndale and
because of what happened on Friday night.”
“Uh!
Don’t remind me!” Andrea said with a wave of her hands. “I’m still jittery
about that.”
“Sorry,
but while we were able to find documents when we infiltrated an office, the
computers were inaccessible.”
“They
would be that way.”
“We
did give copies of the documents to the Sun-Herald,” Brittany said. “But
we need to find out more.”
“About
what, beyond their footprint being large?”
“Where
that glider craft is, that was used on Friday night.”
“So,
far I’m just hearing a conspiracy theory,” Andrea said.
‘You
could just check their website.”
“I
will.”
Andrea
accessed the website, slowly, letting Brittany sweat as she slowly typed. She
clicked each link slowly. But when the map of Lawndale loaded her eyes widened.
“You’re right,” she said. “That is a large presence.”
“See,”
Brittany said.
“Then
I will hack them. But not tonight, I need to prepare.”
“Tomorrow
night?”
“Yes,”
Andrea answered. “Tell SpiderGirl that.”
“Of
course.”
Brittany
hesitated. “You promise?”:
“You
ask me for a promise?” Andrea asked.
“I
know I broke a promise…”
“I
promise I will keep your identity as Ninja Talon a secret. I will see you and
SpiderGirl later.”
Daria
took another look at her wall. She had added several more articles on
SpiderGirl from mid November, along with her notes on her interviews of Elena
and the two seniors after her and from the previous night’s foray with the
Enigma. ‘There’s still a lot of space.’ She then heard a sound, as if someone
had thrown a stone against one of her windows. She turned and it came again.
She went and opened the window in question. She saw Sandi down on the patio
outside the kitchen door. “Sandi?”
“Hi,
Daria,” Sandi said. “Can I come up?”
“You
could have called,” Daria said.
Sandi
shrugged, “I thought I would surprise you,” she said.
“You
can come up.”
Daria
opened the hall window and Sandi climbed up the ivy into it. She went into
Daria’s room. “This looks crazier than I thought,” she said.
Daria
entered. “Why are you here, Sandi?” she asked as she closed the door.
She
looked at the wall where Daria had put up various newspaper articles and notes.
“I thought we could catch up on our investigations.”
“We
could have done that tomorrow.”
“Maybe,
but maybe I have possibly time sensitive information,” Sandi said.
“Like
what?”
“Like
the name of Osborn’s counsellor.”
Daria
sighed and grabbed a notebook from the desk. “What is it?” she asked in a
resigned tone.
“Verity
Beresfield.”
Daria
wrote the name down. “I’m not sure how this could be time sensitive.”
“it’s
a hunch. Osborn could be dangerous,” Sandi said.
“But
there isn’t any proof of that,” Daria said.
“I
know. But I thought we could go on another wild goose chase.”
“At
night?”
“I
have my mother’s car in the laneway,” Sandi answered.
“But
where are we going? This isn’t like Saturday.”
“High
Hills Park at first.”
“I
will come,” Daria decided.
They
left the house the same way Sandi had come in, with Daria leaving the window
open by a crack. ‘I’m sure Quinn won’t notice.’
They
arrived at High Hills Park just over five minutes later.
“Wiccans?”
Daria asked, as she looked in the direction Sandi pointed in. “I knew that
already.”
“But
maybe we could interview them,” Sandi said.
“I
doubt they would appreciate their midnight worship being interrupted,” Daria
pointed out. “But we’ll see.”
“Tania?”
Sandi asked, for the girl whom Daria had approached was Tania Ashworth.
“Sandi
Griffin and Daria Morgendorffer,” Tania responded with slight annoyance.
“Together, no less? Why are you here?”
“Because
of what’s been going on in Lawndale the past few months, but more specifically
this past week,” Daria answered.
“In
the middle of the night?” Tania asked.
“I
could ask the same of you and your fellow worshipers of nature,” Sandi said.
Tania
laughed a little. “Thanks for not calling us devil worshippers. That has gotten
old. But that’s still not accurate.”
“The
opportunity came up,” Daria answered.
“Suffering
from insomnia?” Tania asked.
“I
could ask the same of you,” Daria responded.
“I
guess,” Tania said.
“First,
what do you think of SpiderGirl?” Daria asked.
“Or
of the fact that Norman Osborn is now living here?” Sandi asked.
“SpiderGirl?
She’s bringing hope, especially after Groundhog Day. As for Osborn, I’m not
sure.”
“Tania!”
one of the other Wiccan’s said.
“We
could continue this tomorrow,” Tania said to Sandi and Daria.
“Sure,”
Daria said. “At lunch.”
“See
you then,” Tania said.
“Where
to now?” Sandi asked Daria when they had returned to the car.
Daria
took out the map of Lawndale showing the Oscorp properties in the town. “The
one that is closest to here. Then I’ll suggest it to the fourth vigilante when
we meet next.”
“There’s
a story there,” Sandi said carefully. ‘A good idea.’
“Sure,
I’ll tell it if you keep below the speed limit.”
“I
can do that,” Sandi said. ‘I’ll see how much she may have guessed.’
Thus
they began casing various Oscorp properties around town from the street.
An
hour and half later, Ninja Talon met SpiderGirl at the Bridge. “I talked to
Andrea,” the former said.
SpiderGirl
could tell something is up. “What’s wrong?”
“I
made a mistake.”
“Go
on.”
“I
went straight to her room and she guessed that I’m her old friend,” Ninja Talon
said, clearly annoyed with herself. “I should have went to one of the spare
rooms first. She promised to keep the secret, but I should have been more
careful!”
“Oh.
I could have made a similar one, If I had to talk to Stacy,” SpiderGirl said.
She hugged the other heroine. “All mistakes can be learned from. Of course, I’m
still thinking about what to do about Peterson.”
“Oh,
yeah.”
“But
what else did Andrea say?”
“She
will hack Oscorp tomorrow night, as she said she’ll need to prepare.”
Sandi
and Daria arrived at the Giant Strawberry again. “We’re looking again?” Sandi
asked.
“Yes,”
Daria said as she got out of the car.
SpiderGirl
and Ninja Talon approached another Oscorp office. “They have probably increased
security after last night,” the former pointed out.
“Then
we probably need another way in.”
“The
ventilation system.”
Up
on the roof, SpiderGirl easily removed the grate from one of the HVAC vents. “This
is something I haven’t done before, but it’s similar to something I have done
recently,” she said.
“Oh?”
“I’m
modifying the house, including an old laundry chute to the basement beneath my
closet.”
“Oh!
I just found a space beneath my bedroom floorboards,” Ninja Talon responded.
“I’m
sure that works to, and I found a hidden area of the basement. I haven’t done
anything with that yet. I’m putting in a hatch from the closet to the attic
first.”
“Maybe
I could do something like that.”
“Maybe,”
SpiderGirl said as she entered the vent.
They
crawled down to an office. SpiderGirl swung down first, there wasn’t an alarm.
“It could still be silent,” she said as Ninja Talon followed her down.
The
latter nodded as she went over to a filing cabinet.
They
didn’t find much other than requisition orders, receipts and payslip details.
“No evidence here,” Ninja Talon said.
“Then
let’s get out of here.”
“So,
you think Beresfield could be in danger?” Daria asked Sandi again as she looked
through the telescope at High Hills Park again. It seemed that Tania’s group
had left.
“Yes,
but I have no idea where she could be staying,” Sandi admitted.
“And
going to various motels or other places at random probably wouldn’t be a good
idea.”
“Probably
not.”
“I’ll
bring it up with the fourth vigilante,” Daria decided as she turned from the
telescope.
“Good
idea.”
Lawndale
Sun-Herald
Thursday,
February 8, 2001
Is
there actually a fourth vigilante?
By
Melinda Parris
‘Melinda
is just speculating!’ Linda thought as she grabbed the paper from the mailbox.
‘I much prefer Penelope’s articles!’
As
she entered the kitchen, Quinn thought about what had happened the previous
night. ‘I hope we can trust Andrea to keep the secret.’
“Quinn?”
Daria asked.
“I
was thinking about something,” Quinn responded. She looked at her sister. “You
look tired.”
“A
little insomnia,” Daria said.
“Or
the fourth vigilante again?”
“Sandi
actually.”
“Were
you talking all night?” Quinn asked as she grabbed some cereal.
“Not
all night. It was another wild goose chase.”
“Where
did you go?”
“High
Hills Park at first.” Daria answered “Did you know Tania Ashworth is a Wiccan?”
“Of
course. She talks about it sometimes.”
“Sandi
seemed surprised.”
“Ugh!
She didn’t believe her,” Quinn said with annoyance.
“Well,
she believes her now.”
“Where
else did you go.”
“Looked
at various Oscorp buildings from the street,” Daria answered. “Then the
Strawberry.”
At
the same time, Brittany was sparring with Ashley-Amber as practice. “I know
you’re up to something,” Ashley-Amber said.
“Oh?”
“Sometimes
I see that your room is empty.”
Brittany
struck out and her stepmother parried the blow. “I’m doing stuff,” she
responded enigmatically.
“Like?”
“Sometimes
I can’t sleep and wander the neighborhood.”
“It’s
still dangerous,” Ashley-Amber said, as she turned and then flipped Brittany.
“Even if it’s a gated estate.”
“Oof!
I know.”
“You’re
not saying everything.”
“And
investigating stuff,” Brittany said.
“Whatever
it is, you can confide in me.”
‘Not
after what happened with Andrea. Sorry, Ashley-Amber, I don’t want you to be in
Oscorp’s firing line if things go badly. Or of any other villains.’
Sandi
arrived at school and found Harry waiting for her. “Morning, Sandi.”
“How
are things this morning?”
“Interesting.
My father has suggested we have dinner with your family tomorrow night.”
‘That
would be interesting,’ Sandi thought. “Really?”
“Yes.
It seems that he wants to meet you.”
‘But
is that a good thing? I hope he doesn’t think Harry and I are together,’ she
thought. “I see.”
“What
do you think?” Harry asked.
“It’s
a good idea. I will tell Mother when I get home.”
Norman
was annoyed. Another report of vigilantes in an office! “What happened?” he
asked the security chief again.
“A
silent alarm sounded last night in one of the Main Street offices. It was
automatically set, as you ordered.”
“And?”
“And
when the guards got there, there was no one. But he found evidence that someone
may have gained ingress through the ventilation system,” the security chief
said.
“Then,
I want cameras watching the vents on the roof.”
“That
will take time.”
Then
there was an interruption. “Penelope Jericho from the Sun-Herald
wanting to see you, sir.”
“Stall
her!” Osborn said. He turned back the security chief. “Then get started right
away.”
“She’s
being insistent, sir.”
“He
still doesn’t want to see you,” the assistant said.
“Of
course he doesn’t,” Penelope said. ‘It wasn’t going to be that easy,’ she
thought. “Then tell him I’ll have an article published about Oscorp without his
input.”
“Sir,
she says…”
“Let
her in,” Norman said.
The
security chief passed the journalist on the way out.
“What
is this about an article on this corporation?”
“About
this map on your website,” Penelope said as she handed over a print out of the
map in question. “About how you have been stealthily purchasing property all
over Lawndale for years.
“It’s
all a matter of public record.”
“But
the people of Lawndale may have a different opinion.”
“But
I’m not giving you ammunition to persuade them. Good day Ms. Jericho,” Norman
said
“I
suggest you find out more about my record. You’ll find that I’m reliable.”
Jane
found that Daria was sitting with Sandi and Harry. ‘Great!’ she thought as she
sat next to Daria. “What’s up?” she asked.
“Tania
Ashworth is joining us too,” Daria said.
“Why?”
Jane asked. “She’s not a senior.”
Sandi
then explained about the previous night.
“I
see,” Jane said when Sandi was finished.
Tania
then joined them. “Oh, Jane and Harry too?” she asked.
“Yes,”
Daria said.
“That’s
fine,” Tania responded. “What other questions did you have?”
“What
do you think of this?” Sandi asked as she gave Tania a copy of the Oscorp map
of Lawndale.
“That
is more buildings than I thought would be,” Tania responded. “What is your
father up to?” she asked Harry.
“He
doesn’t confide in me about his business practices,” Harry admitted. “He says
that I’m still too young.”
“Oh,”
Tania said.
“And
about the other vigilantes,” Daria said. “Like Ninja Talon.”
“And
the Shadow,” Jane added, wondering how Tania would answer about her alter
ego.
“And
the fourth one,” Sandi added.
‘That
too,’ Jane thought. ‘I’m not going to case the Ashworths’, at least not without
talking to Trent first. A Wiccan who worships at midnight? It’s not much of a
stretch that she could become the fourth vigilante, without much suspicion.’
Tania
paused. There wasn’t much she could say. “I have seen SpiderGirl. But I have
only seen Ninja Talon and the Shadow on TV and that was on Groundhog Day. It
seems they are elusive. I wasn’t in the Mall that day either.”
“What
about the fourth?” Daria asked.
“Still
just a rumor as far as I know,” Tania answered.
“I
see,” Daria said.
“How
long have you been wandering about at night?” Tania asked.
“Since
last Friday,” Daria answered.
“So,
the attack was the last straw?” Tania asked.
Daria
nodded. “Thanks for your time.”
“Maybe
the other Wiccans could help,” Sandi suggested.
“I
could ask,” Tania said. “But many may be reticent.”
‘Should
I tell Daria about Osborn’s invitation now?’ Sandi wondered. She looked to
Harry. ‘I guess so.’ “There’s something else,”
“What?”
Daria asked.
“Osborn
wants to meet my family for dinner tomorrow,” Sandi answered.
“He
does. It was a surprise to me too.” Harry added.
“It
could just be curiosity,” Jane considered.
“Or
it could be more,” Daria said.
“True,”
Sandi said. “I will be alert.”
‘Maybe
the Shadow could be there too,’ Jane wondered. ‘Another thing to think about.’
After
school, Sandi found that her mother was home early. “Mother?”
“I’m
fine,” her mother said. “It’s just that there is more Oscorp advertising.”
“On
that topic, Harry says that his father wants us to have dinner with them
tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow
night? That is short notice! I’ll see what your father has to say first.”
But
Sandi knew that her father would go along with whatever her mother said. ‘It’s
likely that she just wants to think about it.’
Jane
got home from the pizza place, where Daria and Ted had interviewed another
senior. She found Trent in the kitchen. “How was school?”
“Interesting,
mostly at lunch.”
“Interesting,
how?”
“Daria
and the fourth vigilante, a Wiccan student and Norman Osborn wanting to meet
the Griffins,” Jane said.
“Osborn
and the Griffins?”
“Yes,
exactly as I said. It seems Norman is curious about Sandi. But what else is the
Wiccan student.”
“What
about the Wiccan student?” Trent asked.
“Yes,
Tania Ashworth. She could be the fourth vigilante.”
“Ashworth?
I knew an Ashworth when I was at school. I’m pretty sure. But are you sure you
aren’t jumping to conclusions like you did with Daria?”
“Maybe,”
Jane considered. “But I’m not casing her house.”
“Good.”
“I’ll
be casing High Hills Park.”
“Wouldn’t
that be difficult?” Trent asked.
“I’d
get there while the Wiccans are doing their rituals.”
The
Griffins had their dinner early.
“…So
what do you think?” Linda asked.
“Seems
like a good idea, Honey,” Tom said.
“Tomorrow?”
Sam asked.
“Yes,
tomorrow,” Linda said. “I’ll call him as soon as we finish eating.”
“A
Linda Griffin for you, sir,” Bernard said.
“Thanks,”
Norman responded. “I was expecting her call.”
Norman
took the handset from Bernard and dismissed him. “Hello, Norman Osborn here.”
“Linda
Griffin. My daughter said that your son says you want a dinner with us tomorrow
night?”
“That’s
right. I’d like to get to know his new friend and her family.”
“I
see,” Linda said, with a tone of slight scepticism. “Any other reason?”
“None,”
Norman said. “What time would be good for you?”
“6:30.
That would give us time to get ready, while not being too late.”
“Then
I’ll see you then.”
Sandi
was ready again. ‘I hope what happened last night won’t happen again.’ She
looked at the next girl in the yearbook after Tiffany. “Veronica Boden,” she
considered. She had long brown hair in two braids, much like Stacy’s. ‘But
that’s where her similarity ends.’ She grabbed the energy drink.
“Findu
mann sem heiter: Veronica Boden!”
She
found Veronica at her house, close to the High School.
