Spider Quinn 22 Attractions of Lawndale - Part 3

 

Anna thought about it. “Maybe you could do something similar to Ben. Like remembering all the moons of Saturn or something.”

 

“Saturn does have the most moons,” Gerald considered.

 

“So, is that it?” Quinn asked.

 

“Or I can add Jupiter too,” Gerald said. “Yes.”

 

 

At the same time, Daria was talking to Brittany.

 

“A marmoset?” Daria asked, rhetorically after Brittany had answered her about the fad. “I suppose they are cute, in a way.”

 

“That is one reason,” Brittany responded as she opened her Math textbook.

 

“But what are you considering regarding O’Neill’s assignment?”

 

“As I said, the science thing.”

 

“Sure,” Daria said. “But in what branch of science?”

 

“Botany, maybe? Try to tell the difference between different kinds of plants.”

 

“That would be a good start.”

 

 

The Enigma paused her patrol on the roof of the Historia half an hour after school had let out. Lawndale was quiet, but she knew that the tensions were still beneath the service, and she had prevented a mugging on Dega Street.

 

‘The muggers still think they wont get caught,’ she thought as she looked at that street. But she knew that she and the other heroes were making a difference. She turned and looked at Oscorp tower, which loomed ominously to the southeast. ‘Osborn may know who I am, but he hasn’t really done anything with that.’

 

Then there was the fact that she hadn’t really confronted SpiderGirl yet. ‘It will happen soon, I’m sure of it,’ she thought. She then changed to the ordinary Sandi and headed down to the café.

 

 

Stacy Rowe was having a normal afternoon working at the Historia. It was relaxing compared to the school day. The animal fad had her slightly more anxious than usual. She shook her head as she saw Sandi come up to the counter. “Your usual, Sandi?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It will be ready shortly,” Stacy said before pausing. She then added. “Thanks.”

 

“Thanks for what?” Sandi asked in surprise.

 

“For not asking the question nearly everyone else has been asking.”

 

“I’m tired of it too.”

 

 

Sandi sat next to a window and looked out across the street at Zammit’s Boutique. ‘How long is it since I have been there?’ she wondered. She saw that they still didn’t have the SpiderGirl knockoff clothes that had arrived the previous week. ‘I don’t think they have been selling.’

 

 

Stacy soon brought out Sandi’s latte. “Here you go,” she said before retreating back to the counter.

 

“Thanks,” Sandi said.

 

“Now I know something is up,” Stacy said.

 

“I’m thinking about things.”

 

“That’s obvious.”

 

“You know, you’re getting more confident,” Sandi said in an appreciative tone.

 

“I don’t feel like it most of the time. But that’s what happens when one is working in a café,” Stacy responded before heading back to the counter.

 

‘Of course,’ Sandi thought. ‘She’s turning out to be a great barista.’

 

 

After their mentoring sessions had ended, SpiderGirl, Ninja Talon and Dafoanairi left the high school in different directions. SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon were patrolling in different areas before heading to their spot below the Jefferson Bridge.

 

 

Dafoanairi headed towards the Giant Strawberry. As she approached, she reflected once more upon the events since Groundhog Day. It seemed that events in Lawndale were still getting worse. ‘There are still Oscorp agents chasing us, albeit not this afternoon,’ she thought as she crossed the parking lot and looked up at the observation platform at the top of the structure.

 

 

As she looked over the town through the telescopes, she thought about the animal fad and O’Neill’s assignment. ‘It’s definitely a coincidence, that they’re occurring at the same time, but it’s adding to the chaos in this town.’

 

 

She paused a she made a note in her notebook. ‘No agents visible. They could have been instructed to hide from the Strawberry.’ She pondered that. ‘But who knows about this? The Enigma and I. Possibly SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon. Osborn hasn’t been reported having been seen here. But he could have learned about it anyway.’ She shook her head. It was unlikely that the agents would have been instructed that way. ‘But who to talk to about it. The Enigma is on her own patrol and I don’t know where Jane is.’

Although if Jane was sketching from rooftops, she might have been visible. Dafoanairi shook her head. She wasn’t going to spot Jane that way. ‘Maybe Sam Griffin, given that he knows our secrets,’ she thought as she looked in the direction of the Griffin residence, despite it being out of sight behind a ridge line. ‘I’ll do that.’

 

 

Sam Griffin was bored. His younger brother, Chris wasn’t home yet, and he didn’t want to do his homework. He was about to start to do it anyway when he heard a knock on the sliding door.

 

“Daria?” he asked as he let her in.

 

“I wanted to talk to someone, and Sandi is on her own patrol,” Daria said as she sat on one of the couches.

 

“Oh. About what?”

 

“I’m sure the students in the middle school are also asking each other about their favorite animal?”

 

“Oh, that,” Sam said. “It’s just a fad, isn’t it, even if both schools are doing it.”

 

“I doubt it’s just Lawndale High and Glenfield Middle School, but every school in Lawndale, including Fielding.”

 

“There is more isn’t there?”

 

“That one of the teachers has assigned a crazy project,” Daria said.

 

“Isn’t that normal?”

 

“Not this project. I’m sure Sandi has told you something about Mr. O’Neill.”

 

“Not so much, but I have heard her complain to mother about him many times,” Sam responded. “Go on.”

 

 

“He wants us to learn by choosing something to fail at, on purpose and then explaining how that has taught us something about ourselves,” Daria answered.

 

“That sounds like what Sandi was describing.”

 

Daria sighed.

 

“I don’t know what else to say, but what are you getting at?”

 

“That the combination of that with the animal fad is making Lawndale even more chaotic.”

 

“Maybe. But that’s not something superheroes can do anything about,” Sam pointed out.

 

“Of that I’m aware.”

 

 

Shortly afterwards, Quinn hadn’t been waiting at their spot below the Jefferson Bridge long when Ninja Talon arrived and unmasked as Brittany. She could see that her friend was a little concerned. She was concerned herself. They were quiet for a few minutes as they looked at the Creek and what could be seen of the town’s buildings. ‘Not many of those belong to Oscorp I wouldn’t think, and Osborn won’t think to look for us here.’

 

“What are we going to do about O’Neill?” Brittany asked, as she twirled some loose hairs.

 

“No idea. The assignment is something we can’t do anything about.”

 

“What about through the Lowdown?”

 

“That is something I hadn’t thought about yet,” Quinn answered. “The day has been busy.”

 

“It has been. There’s something else. Something Jodie said this morning.”

 

“What was that?”

 

“That Oscorp is trying to take over her father’s company,” Brittany answered quietly.

 

“That…” Quinn began as she thought about the implications of what Brittany had just said. “Landon Engineering is quite large. They’re a significant employer in the County!”

 

“You had looked into it?” Brittany asked.

 

“Yes. We have been looking for alternative sponsors for the Historia since Osborn got hospitalized. Guess we may have to cross Landon Engineering off the list.”

 

“But what about Mr. Landon?”

 

“There’s not much we can do to help him, and I can’t exactly talk to Mom about it without revealing too much,” Quinn answered, with a slight tear in her eye.

 

“That’s true. But what about the firm as a sponsor?”

 

“Daria and I had thought about it, but neither of us trust the Senior Partner.”

 

“I had heard about him too,” Brittany said.

 

“But back to what’s going on. The fad was still going on at the end of the day. Gerald was late to the library because of it.”

 

“He was?”

 

“Yes, and Anna and Ben were annoyed by it too,” Quinn answered.

 

“Daria and I only talked about it briefly.”

 

“But what are we going to do about it?”

 

“Just keep an eye on it?” Brittany asked as she twirled the loose hairs again.

 

Quinn nodded and they then sat there for a while, relaxing and listening to the town from there.

 

 

SpiderGirl arrived home shortly after sunset, entering via the backyard hatch. She and Ninja Talon had remained at the Bridge for about twenty minutes, mostly enjoying each other’s company as the close friends they were. ‘It will take time to come up with something to deal with the fad,’ she thought as she slid open the hidden area in the basement where she kept most of her gear.

 

In there, she unmasked and wrote in her journal about the school day.

 

 

Helen Morgendorffer arrived home to find Daria and Quinn talking in the kitchen.

 

“…So, you agree that it is a distraction?” Quinn asked.

 

“Yes. They could be thinking about that, or ignoring something important in favor of it,” Daria answered.

 

“Evening, girls,” Helen said as she entered the kitchen. “What is that distraction?”

 

“A fad,” Daria answered.

 

“Everyone asking everyone else what their favorite animals are,” Quinn added.

 

“That’s unusual,” Helen commented.

 

“But that’s not all,” Daria said. “Mr. O’Neill has given an assignment about failure.”

 

“That doesn’t bad,” Helen said.

 

“With a practical application,” Quinn added.

 

“Go on,” Helen prompted.

 

“He wants us to ‘succeed at failing’,” Daria said before tilting her head a little and shrugging. “You know, his usual babble; which isn’t good at the best of times.”

 

“And you think that now isn’t the best time,” Helen asked rhetorically.

 

Both Daria and Quinn nodded.

 

 

At the same time, Kevin arrived at the Historia after having slipped out of the house before his mother started dinner. “Now, SpiderGirl is often on the roof, but where’s the way to the roof.” He went into the café.