Straight
after they finished their meal, Daria and Jane went to the art staffroom, where
they found Ms. Dafoe.
“Jane!”
Ms. Dafoe exclaimed as she saw Jane come in.
“I’m
fine. It’s the first critic who really had a bad experience.”
“I
heard about that. But are you sure?”
“Yes.
I haven’t had flashbacks yet. But there is something else we need to talk
about,” Jane said.
“Oh?”
“There’s
this poem I found,” Daria said.
“A
poem?” Dafoe asked. “That isn’t really my area of expertise. But that is a form
of expression I have some experience in.”
“The
thing is, I found it at my father’s grave and it’s has significant influence
from Shakespeare,” Daria said.
Claire
took that in. It seemed unusual, but with what was going on in Lawndale lately,
it didn’t seem that unusual.
“What
do you think?” Daria asked.
“It
definitely is Shakespearean,” Claire said. “But I see that you’re concerned
because someone may have intense feelings for you.”
“Yes.
But I’m careful anyway. I just have to be more so when visiting the cemetery,”
Daria responded.
“Whoever
it is, knows their Shakespeare,” Claire added. “That may narrow it down.”
“Especially
at this school,” Daria quipped.
“Thanks
for your time, Ms. Dafoe,” Jane said.
“But
I wouldn’t go to Mr. O’Neill. You know how he is,” Claire said.
“It
will be one of the other Language Arts teachers,” Daria said.
“Or
Ms. Li. She was a Language Arts teacher before she was Principal,” Claire said,
Daria
thought about going to Ms. Li as they left the Arts faculty office. ‘I’ll go
there if there aren’t teachers in the Language Arts office,’ she decided.
As
that was happening, Brittany ran into Quinn as they both approached the
cafeteria. “I did it,” Brittany said. “I broke up with Kevin,” she said, with
both sadness and determination in her voice.
“I
see that it wasn’t easy,” Quinn said.
Brittany
shook her head. “More difficult than what we did on the weekend. But I know I
had to do it. He needs a girlfriend who is more present.”
Quinn
nodded. “I know it will take a while.”
“To
get over him,” Brittany said. “I know, but It will feel like forever. I might
put it into the play, or into what we do.”
“That
makes sense.”
“May
I help you?” one of the junior Language Arts teachers asked.
Daria
again explained about the poem she found at her father’s grave.
“I
see,” the teacher said, as she took the poem and read it. “I see influence from
a few of Shakespeare’s sonnets here. Someone who writes like this definitely
has passion. Are you afraid of what he might do? If so, I suggest going to Ms.
Li.”
“We
were going there next,” Jane said.
“Good.”
Angela
looked at the poem. “It is definitely Shakespearean, Ms. Morgendorffer. But I
recommend that you be careful, especially in the cemetery.”
“Tell
me something I don’t know,” Daria said with her usual sarcasm.
“The
police, and the vigilantes can’t be everywhere.”
“Let’s
focus on the poem for now,” Daria said.
“Right.
It has influence from several sonnets, including 116.”
“And
the significance of that is?” Jane asked.
“It
is about the celebration of true love,” Daria said.
“That
is a common misinterpretation, but it seems the author is one of those,” Angela
said.
“Got
it,” Jane said. “Which means that you have to be more careful.”
“I
recommend letting the police know, Ms. Morgendorffer,” Angela said.
“And
I know which officer to tell.”
As
they left the principal’s office, the bell for the end of lunch rang. “So, is
Peterson going to be at Quinn’s party?” Jane asked.
“As
far as I know, she won’t be, but she might be at the Historia before hand,”
Daria responded.
“What
do you think her response would be?”
“Not
sure,” Daria answered. She was sure that Peterson would give an answer that
would relate to her being Dafoanairi, and she still didn’t want Jane to know
about that.
“I
guess you don’t know her that well yet.”
“Of
course not.”
Quinn’s
party wouldn’t start until later in the evening. Even so, many went to the
Historia as school let out, including Daria and Harry.
Quinn
went to her usual mentoring session.
“Happy
Birthday, Quinn,” Anna Coultard said as she came over to the table with her
boyfriend, Ben Harrod.
“Thanks,
Anna,” Quinn said.
“I
have been hearing rumors about love poems in the cemetery,” Anna said.
“Rumors?
But I’m sure Daria has been discrete,” Quinn said.
“I’m
sure she has,” Ben said. “But maybe people were eavesdropping.”
“So,
who did you hear it from?” Quinn asked, as didn’t yet see Gerald Brown enter
the library.
“A
few, but it was Cindy Brolsma first.”
“I
don’t really know her,” Quinn admitted. “Because she seems geeky, and I haven’t
had to opportunity to talk to her yet.”
“I’d
say that’s a fair description,” Ben said.
Quinn
then saw Gerald enter. “Anyway, we’re going to be doing more dramatic reading.”
“Um,
I haven’t got to that with the elocutionist yet,” Gerald said as he came up.
“That’s
fine,” Quinn said.
Gerald
sighed.
‘What
else is new,’ Quinn thought, before she opened her book.
Daria
arrived at the Historia and found that Officer Peterson was there, but off
duty. ‘That’s fine,’ she thought.
“Daria?
Is something up?”
“Something is,” Daria began before explaining about the poem and what others
had said about it at school. She took a seat as she did so.
“I
see,” Xanthe said. “I’m happy that you brought this to my attention. We can
keep a watch on the cemetery.”
“But
it’s large, and I’m sure that the LDPD has a limited number of officers.”
Xanthe
sighed. “That is too true. What with the rise in crime and the events over the
past month. They wouldn’t be there often. All I can say is that to be careful.
I’m sure that that’s what the teachers and principal said.”
“Yes.
And I have been improving. I might start at a dojo later this week.”
“Martial
arts, as well as a quarterstaff? You might overlap with Ninja Talon.”
Daria
looked around and saw that they were alone. “So? We’re not competing with each
other. We cooperated very well in the solarium and during the rescue operation.
It’s not like the Enigma’s intentions of confrontation and rivalry with
SpiderGirl.”
Daria then went to get afternoon
snacks, and to wait for Ted and the latest senior to arrive.
After the mentoring session,
SpiderGirl swung away from the school, heading towards Dega Street, which was
where most of the crime occurred in the afternoon. She stopped a couple of
muggings, then noticed the Enigma standing on the top of the Historia in the
distance. ‘I don’t want a confrontation, she thought yet again, especially
today!’ She thought as she swung down to ground level.
At the same time, the Enigma
spotted SpiderGirl. ‘But is it a good idea to confront her in the broad
daylight of the afternoon?’ She focused, and sensed that Daria wasn’t on the
stairs. ‘Still down in the café,’ she thought as she threw a rope and used her
telekinesis to jump to the next building.
Again, SpiderGirl avoided
confrontation with the Enigma, by keeping low. She quickly arrived at the
Historia and entered by the back door, and changing to the ordinary Quinn in a
changing room. ‘That was close,’ she thought.
The Enigma saw that SpiderGirl
had disappeared again. ‘She has hidden as her secret identity again. I think
she was near the Historia, but that doesn’t mean that’s where she went.’ But
she couldn’t rule it out, so she went back and changed to the usual Sandi on
the roof.
“So, what is this poem?” Harry
asked Daria, as he saw Sandi enter the café.
“Something Shakespearean put
together by some stalker,” Daria responded.
“Is that it?” he asked, as he
pointed at something she was carrying.
“Yes, I suppose you are familiar
with Shakespeare?”
“I was at a private school in
New York. Of course I’m familiar with Shakespeare.”
“Right,” Daria responded and
handed him the letter.
Daria watched as Harry read the
letter.
“Huge influence from Sonnet 116,
even if it doesn’t strictly adhere to the sonnet structure.”
“Others have said the same,
regarding Sonnet 116.”
“Any idea who wrote it?” Harry
asked.
“No idea,” Daria responded.
“Another mystery on top of everything else. I just wanted to survive Quinn’s
party today.”
“Don’t like parties?”
“I’m sure you have heard of my
reputation?”
“That you don’t like the system
and chew people out sarcastically?” Harry asked.
“That’s an accurate
description,” Daria said as she saw Quinn enter the café.
“…That looks on tempests and is
never shaken;
It is the star to every
wand'ring bark…” Harry quoted as Quinn came over.
“Still investigating the poem?”
she asked.
“Yes,” Daria answered.
“I heard that you went to Ms.
Dafoe, and one of the junior Language Arts teachers,” Quinn added.
“And Ms. Li, given that she used
to be a Language Arts teacher.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Daria answered.
“I hope that the poem
investigation won’t interfere with my party.”
“I see no reason why it would.”
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief.
Sandi entered the café and
looked around. She saw that it was half full, and most of the Lawndale High
students she recognised were girls. ‘She could be any of them,’ she thought.
She then saw Daria. ‘Except Daria, of course.’ She also saw Quinn and hoped
that SpiderGirl wouldn’t be her. She then rushed towards the counter, where
Angie was serving.
“Afternoon, Sandi,” Angie said.
“I don’t suppose you’re going to Quinn’s party?”
“Of course not!”
“I thought not.”
“I have better things to do,”
Sandi said.
“Like what?”
“That’s personal!”
“What do you want to order?”
Angie said, seeing that Sandi looked agitated.
“A white tea.”
Quinn looked at where Sandi was
ordering, and sighed. She turned back to Daria. “There are things I need to do,
then I’ll be back later.”
“See you later,” Daria said with
a smirk. “But, are you sure you’re not just avoiding Sandi?”
“It takes two. I still haven’t
forgiven her for what she did around the Fashion Club’s end, although I know I
probably should, and I know she holds animosity towards me.”
“That’s true, unfortunately.”
“I’ll see you later,” Quinn
said.
Daria thought about the
situation as Quinn left. ‘It’s between them. I can’t do anything about it,’ she
thought.
“Complicated,” Harry said
quietly.
“I’m sure that Sandi may have
told you her perspective.”
“She has. That she believes that
she never really knew Quinn.”
“That’s right.”
SpiderGirl swung away from the
Historia’s roof, heading north-westwards towards the cemetery. She hadn’t been
there a while, and she wanted to see if there was anything else around her
father’s grave that shouldn’t have been there.
Sandi turned from the counter
and saw that Quinn had left. ‘Good.’ She went over to Daria and Harry. “What
have you found out?” she asked.
Daria explained what the various
teachers, Ms. Li and Peterson had said.
“And you still have no idea who
it is,” Sandi stated when Daria had finished.
“Exactly, so I’ll have to watch
out when I go to the cemetery.”
“I guess so.”
Harry looked at the time.
“Sorry, I usually go and check on Father at this time,” he said.
“It’s fine,” Sandi said. “We’ll
catch up tomorrow.”
Daria watched Harry leave in a
hurry.
“So, you’re going to investigate
the poem’s origin?” Sandi asked.
“Yes,” Daria answered. “But not
until after the party. I want Quinn to have a good time.”
“Of course. But, like, with
everything else going on, it seems Lawndale is getting weirder.”
“I agree. Like, people are
figuring out who they are in ways they wouldn’t have otherwise among these
troubles.”
“I agree, although I still
haven’t found any extracurriculars,” Sandi said. “Like, there are some on the
list Ms. Li gave me.”
“You can’t choose.”
“No.”
“You don’t have to right away,”
Daria suggested. “Give yourself time.”
“I’ll try, but I can be
impatient.”
Harry arrived at the hospital. He
saw that his father was still in the same condition.
“Relatively unchanged, I’m
afraid,” a nurse said.
“Any other news.”
“None, except that most of the
drugs are now out of his system, but I’m sure that you were already aware of
that.”
“Yes.”
The
nurse then left.
“More
mysteries in Lawndale, father. A mysterious love letter at a grave that could
have been left by anyone.” He then paused, as he thought about what to say
next. He turned on the radio that lay on the table next to the bed.
“Oscorp
continues to have volatility as Norman Osborn’s condition remains the same, but
the overall trend is downwards.”
“It’s
like your company is chaotic, with the directors not being in agreement about
how to run it overall. It’s like they are only interested in their own
departments.”
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