Spider Quinn 11 The Huntsmans - Part 1

 

11 The Huntsmans

“Good Morning, Students! I’m proud to announce that the annual La-awndale High Spelling Bee will be held this Friday!”

 

 

Quinn knew she was going to do well at the spelling bee. However, she didn’t expect that Sandi would sign up too. “What?”

 

“I can spell!” Sandi said.

 

“I know that,” Quinn said..

 

“But that’s not the reason why I’m signing up. That is because you’re doing it!”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes!” Sandi said.

 

“That’s not a good reason!” Quinn objected.

 

Sandi turned away in a huff.

 

“I’ll show her!” Quinn declared as she headed towards the library.

 

 

Meanwhile Daria and Jane met up on the roof.

 

“Trent said you called last night,” Jane said.

 

“Yes,” Daria said. “It’s that I realised that we haven’t been meeting up outside of school for the past month and half.”

 

“That’s untrue,” Jane said.

 

“It is, since that Jenna visited you have been busy. First with your mother, which is reasonable, but now this project whatever it is, is taking up all your time.”

 

“I’m still working on it. It will probably go on indefinitely,” Jane said. “And don’t say you’re not busy. I know you helped Joey and Robert with their business plan.”

 

“But that doesn’t take up all my time.” Daria said with annoyance. “This is taking up all of yours.”

 

“Not all of my time,” Jane said.

 

“But a lot of it. Do you have anything to show for it.”

 

“I do, Morgendorffer. You can come over this afternoon, and I will show you something.”

 

“I’ll hold you to it,” Daria said. There was then some awkward silence.

 

 

‘What is going on with Jane?’ Daria wondered as she headed to her next class. She wasn’t sure. ‘I’m still grieving Dad. Not as much as Quinn, but…’ She looked at some of the other students as she passed them in the hall. ‘I’m sure most of them wouldn’t be like Jane was,’ she thought. She saw the girl, Anna, whom Quinn was mentoring, talking to the hypochondriac next to a couple of lockers. ‘Not them.’

 

 

“Quinn?”

 

Quinn turned from the dictionary she had been looking at. “Brittany?”

 

“I heard that Sandi had signed up for the spelling bee,” Brittany said.

 

“Yes. She’s being her spiteful self.”

 

“I can help.”

 

“Stacy and Tori will be here shortly,” Quinn responded.

 

“Oh, I’ll stay anyway.”

 

“Sure.”

 

“I also heard something on the radio about a cheerleading team going missing in Oakwood,” Brittany said.

 

“You can tell me more about it later.”

 

“Of course.”

 

 

Stacy and Tori found Quinn pouring over a dictionary.

 

“A A R D V A R K Aardvark.”

 

“What is this, Arthur?” Tori asked.

 

“The thought did pass my mind,” Quinn quipped.

 

“So, you want us to help you with the longer words?” Stacy asked.

 

“Yes,” Quinn answered.

 

“We can do that,” Tori said.

 

There was then a sound as Brittany fell, “Oops!”

 

“Brittany?” Tori asked.

 

“Sorry, I was looking for something high up,” Brittany answered.

 

“Oh,” Stacy said.

 

 

Half an hour later, SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon both left the school and headed towards the Creek.

 

“So, what is this about a cheerleading team that’s gone missing?” SpiderGirl asked, once they had arrived.

 

“The Honeybees, that is the North Oakwood High team were scheduled to arrive in Middlebury last night, but they didn’t show.”

 

“So, you want to investigate?”

 

“Yes,” Ninja Talon answered.

 

“It’s going to be difficult.”

 

“I know that there is wide countryside around Lawndale.”

 

“Yes,” SpiderGirl said.

 

“Maybe I could to suggest to Ms. Li that the Squad visit Middlebury High?”

 

“That’s an idea.”

 

“I’ll do it first thing tomorrow,” Ninja Talon said.

 

“In the meantime, I’ll see what I can find out online.”

 

 

Ninja Talon headed off home quickly, whilst SpiderGirl headed to the closest cybercafe.

 

 

Quinn couldn’t find much more than what she had been told. ‘Then I hope Brittany would be able to get to Middlebury tomorrow,’ she thought. She then accessed a forum she had frequented before her father’s passing.

 

Lawndale Local Web Forum

 

‘But which subforum?’ she wondered after she had logged in.

 

Latest News

 

‘That would work.’

 

There wasn’t anything. ‘Of course not! There hasn’t been enough time.’ But there were other forums she could check.

 

 

Oakwood Web Forum

 

She looked through the news section and found that there wasn’t much more than what Ninja Talon had said. ‘Right,’ she said as she sighed off.

 

 

SpiderGirl patrolled for an hour before heading home.

 

 

While she was doing that, Daria arrived at Casa Lane.

 

“Hey, Daria,” Trent said as she came in. “Janie is waiting in her room.”

 

“Thanks Trent.”

 

 

Daria entered Jane’s room.

 

“Hey, Daria.”

 

“So, what is this project that is taking up your time?” Daria asked.

 

“I have some of it right here,” Jane said. She then drew Daria’s attention to her easel. Where there was a map of Lawndale with various markers on it.

 

“So, all of Lawndale?”

 

“Yes, the streetscape of Lawndale, Jane Lane style!”

 

“I see,” Daria said. She looked at the map. There wasn’t any real pattern to the markers. “Looks rather random.”

 

“I have to start somewhere. I have done some sketches,” Jane said. She grabbed them from a drawer and gave them to Daria.

 

 

As Jane switched on Sick Sad World, Daria started going through the sketches. They were of the points marked out on the markers. She looked at the map again. ‘Here in Howard Drive.’ She thought. She saw that the corresponding sketch was of the thicket across the road where they had seen the flashing lights that week that Mr. DeMartino was mistakenly arrested. ‘Does she still think that was a UFO?’ She wasn’t sure. ‘Next one.’

 

It was right outside the school, looking east towards the Creek. Both had the usual Jane Lane flare. ‘No difference there.’ She continued through the various sketches.

 

 

“Still no pattern,” Daria murmured.

 

“What was that?” Jane asked.

 

“There doesn’t seem to be a pattern.”

 

“It’s art, there doesn’t have to be.”

 

“So, you’re just picking places in Lawndale at random?” Daria asked.

 

“I guess so,” Jane said in a strange tone.

 

‘She’s hiding something,’ Daria thought, but she didn’t really want to press. ‘I will find out at some point.’

 

“Mostly points of interest.”

 

“I can see how the woods across the road can be.”

 

“I haven’t seen any flashing lights there again,” Jane said.

 

“That’s good,” Daria commented. “So, there were other unusual happenings at these other places?”

 

“Yes,” Jane answered. “Inexplicable, hard to understand things.”

 

“Sounds more like a Spiral lyric.”

 

“I’ll be sure to tell Trent that.”

 

“But what are these things?” Daria asked.

 

“Various things. Sometimes it’s just places SpiderGirl was seen at. One time she was carrying a girl from Lawndale High,” Jane said. She took out a newspaper cutting and handed it to Daria.

 

 

It wasn’t anything she didn’t already know. ‘Wait! This is the girl Quinn’s tutoring, Anna, I’m sure it is.’ She wasn’t sure what to make of that. “So, this is what is taking up your time?” she asked.

 

“More or less,” Jane answered.

 

‘There’s still something she isn’t saying,’ Daria thought. But she still didn’t want to press, so they continued watching that episode of Sick Sad World in an awkward silence.

 

 

Quinn arrived home and turned on the TV in the loungeroom. Some game show was on, but she knew that the local news would be on after it.

 

However, the phone rang. “Hello?”

 

“Quinn! Is any one there?” Brittany asked.

 

“Mom’s not home and I don’t think Daria is either,” Quinn answered. “What is it?”

 

“More information about the missing team came on the radio,” Brittany added. “They were on their bus. It left Oakwood, but it didn’t arrive in Middlebury. The state police didn’t find any evidence that there was a crash on the interstate or other roads nearby.”

 

‘Sounds like she’s quoting the newscaster verbatum,’ Quinn thought. “So, the bus just disappeared.”

 

“Yes. They’re looking into the driver’s history, but…”

 

“That might be a red herring. It could be anything.”

 

“I’ll still see if the squad can go to Middelbury tomorrow,” Brittany said.

 

“Good, and I’ll try to get in touch with my LDPD contact tonight.”

 

“You have a contact in the Lawndale police?”

 

‘I bet she was twirling her hair as she does,’ Quinn thought. “More like an acquaintance,” she clarified.

 

“Ooh!” Brittany said. “Oh! Ashley-Amber’s here. See you tomorrow!”

 

 

Daria left Casa Lane shortly before five. She still wasn’t sure what was going on. All she knew was something to do with that project was taking up Jane’s time. ‘I hope that’s all it is,’ she thought.

 

 

“Something up, Janie?” Trent asked when Jane entered the kitchen and turned up the radio.

 

“I think Daria is suspicious,” Jane answered.

 

“In what way?”

 

“I’m not sure in what way! But she was looking at the map and the sketches. I told her the cover. But she wants to know more, I’m sure of it.”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe you should tell her,” Trent said.

 

“No! ‘Hey Daria, I have started going out into the night to protect people in Lawndale as a vigilante.’ She would think I was crazy.”

 

“If you put it that way.”

 

“I’m not going to tell her,” Jane said.

 

“News at Five. A cheerleading team from Oakwood is still missing despite police searches of the roads between Oakwood and Middlebury.”

 

“Missing cheerleading team?” Jane asked curiously.

 

“They are continuing their search throughout the county, and especially closer to Lawndale.”

 

“I have to find out more,” Jane said.

 

“Of course. But you can’t go out of Lawndale by yourself. ‘The Shadow’ hasn’t a vehicle.”

 

“I suppose we could find a way to disguise your car or the Tank.”

 

“Maybe, but that would take time,” Trent pointed out.

 

“Of course.”

 

 

Half an hour after dinner, SpiderGirl went on patrol, hoping to find Officer Peterson. She stopped at the courthouse clocktower. ‘But there hasn’t been any real pattern to our meetings,’ she thought. She looked around the various shops that surrounded the grounds of the courthouse. Most of them were closed for the night. One of the downtown pubs was doing frisk business. ‘Maybe if something happens, she would come,’ she wondered.

 

 

She didn’t have to wait long. She heard sirens to the east, over the Creek in Lawndale Flats. “Of course,” she groused, as she swung off in that direction.

 

 

Peterson saw SpiderGirl arrive at the scene. “Sorry SpiderGirl, it’s too late.”

 

“What happened?” the vigilante asked.

 

“There was a domestic dispute…” She answered, trailing off when she saw in her body language that the other knew what she meant.

 

“Right…” the other commented.

 

“So, the survivor is taken into custody and there are no minor’s present. There’s nothing else to do.”

 

The superhero was quiet for half a minute.

 

“SpiderGirl?”

 

“Anyway, I was wondering if you know more about that missing Cheerleading team than has been on the news.”

 

“I’m afraid not,” Peterson answered.

 

“I will investigate, but it will take some time.”

 

“The more people on the case, the better.”

 

 

SpiderGirl headed back across the Creek, to where she would usually meet Ninja Talon.

 

 

Trent entered Jane’s room to find that she had moved the map of Lawndale to her bed and was sketching a car on the easel. He could see that it was meant to be his Plymouth Satellite. “You’re designing a disguise?” he asked.

 

“Yes. I figured that your car would easier than the Tank.”

 

Trent laughed and coughed.

 

“And I’m sure it runs better too,” Jane added.

 

“One that is easy to apply and remove?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Good,” Trent said.

 

“I don’t think this will be ready tomorrow. This is more long term.”

 

“Of course.”

 

 

SpiderGirl had waited for half an hour when Ninja Talon arrived. “I knew you would be here,” the latter said.

 

“My source said that they have no further information.”

 

“So, It’ll be up to me tomorrow?”

 

“Yes, unless the Shadow somehow knows,” SpiderGirl responded.

 

“Sure.”

 

 

They talked for a short while longer before going their separate ways again.

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Tuesday January 23, 2001

Cheerleaders From Oakwood Missing. Large Search in Progress

 

SpiderGirl put aside the paper. There still wasn’t anything else in the article compared to the news reports from the previous evening. ‘But maybe something will happen today.’ She then left the café and continued to school.

 

 

“Ms. Taylor?” Ms. Li asked upon seeing Brittany outside her office.

 

“I was wondering if the squad could go over to Middlebury in place of the missing team?” Brittany asked.

 

“I’ll have to think about it,” the Principal answered. She didn’t want to refuse right away without investigating the situation with the competition first.

 

“That’s OK.”

 

“I’ll let you know sometime in the day.”

 

Brittany nodded and left. “See you later. Ms. Li!”

 

 

Brittany ran into Quinn after Homeroom. “Ms. Li said that she would think about it.”

 

“That’s good,” Quinn responded.

 

“I’ll probably hear back from her by the end of the day.”

 

“I’ll be in the Library with Angie.”

 

“Of course,” Brittany said.

 

 

“Class, we’re going to engage in a journalism exercise over the next few days,” O’Neill said.

 

‘That doesn’t sound good,’ Daria thought.

 

“You will pair off and prepare for an interview in class on Friday, along with a report on the other person and their family.”

 

‘Still doesn’t sound good,’ Daria thought.

 

“I have prepared this box with all the names of the students in this class.”

 

‘That’ still not good.’

 

‘I will shake it up then draw out two names at once.”