“Jane?”
O’Neill asked. “What about you?”
“Being
conventional.”
“And how
is that going?”
“I have
just started. It’s difficult to tell,” Jane responded.
“Excellent!”
O’Neill
then turned to Brittany. “How about you?”
“I have
started studying it.”
“So
you’ve just started?”
“Yes.”
He then
turned to Daria.
He also
asked the Junior class. “Quinn?” he asked.
“I have
started reading a Charles Dickens novel.”
“A
Christmas Carol?” O’Neill asked.
“No. One
of the other much longer ones,” Quinn responded. “I finished one chapter last
night.”
“Another
long term one if she’s persistent,” O’Neill noted. “Sandi?”
“I’m
still deciding,” Sandi stated.
“But
what are you trying to decide on?”
Sandi
sighed. “An extracurricular activity,” she answered, although she was sure that
anything O’Neill would suggest wouldn’t be helpful.
“Too
many too choose from?” he asked unhelpfully.
“Tell me
something I don’t know.”
“See,
you’ve succeeded at failing to choose something.”
‘Great!’
Sandi thought.
Despite
the continuing fad and the murmurs related to the assignment it was mostly an
ordinary day at Lawndale High.
Daria considered
this as she waited for Brittany in the Library after school let out. ‘The
students are resilient,’ she thought. ‘They have taken these changes in
stride.’ She took out the Math textbook and opened it. Brittany was making
progress. She wanted to continue with the Math first, then Science.
Brittany
entered with her enthusiastic bounciness “So, we’re starting with Math as
usual?”
“Yes,
consistency is key.”
Brittany
nodded. “I agree. Science can be later,” she said as she twirled a pigtail.
At the
same time, Fields entered Osborn’s office. “One of the engineers is here,” she
said.
“Send
him in.”
The
engineer entered quickly and placed a folded blueprint on the desk. “Does she
know?” he asked, referring to Fields.
“I trust
her, as much as I trust any of my close colleagues,” Osborn answered.
“It is
ready for testing as you requested,” the engineer said.
“Good to
hear,” Osborn said as he unfurled the blueprint.
The
engineer turned to leave. “I guess you know what that is?” he asked Fields.
“Yes,”
Fields answered as he left.
Osborn
looked over the glider blueprints again. ‘It should prove more effective
against SpiderGirl, Ninja Talon and the Shadow now.’ He paused. It was still
vulnerable to Linda and Sandi’s powers, but he had to be sure to tie them up
elsewhere in Lawndale while he dealt with the Country Club.
“Are you
going to use it for something?” Fields asked boldly.
“You are
being bold,” Osborn commented. “I intend to use it for observation.”
‘Observation
of the vigilantes no doubt,’ she thought.
“Reports
of Oscorp involvement on Groundhog Day are false.”
“I
wasn’t thinking otherwise.”
“Good. I
have been looking over your rooftop maps. When do you think you’ll get to the
whole town?”
“A few
weeks, given it’s not the only thing I’m working on,” Fields answered.
“Of
course.”
At the
same time, Jane’s brother Trent saw Jane arrive home. “Janie? What are you
wearing?”
“Something
conventional,” Jane answered.
“Why? Is
it something to do with being the Shadow? Or when you were abducted?”
“I don’t
think it has to do with either. It’s more to do with this assignment that
O’Neill assigned.”
“I don’t
see how being conventional would have much to do with Language Arts,” Trent
said.
“I don’t
either.”
In her
room, Jane looked at her maps of Lawndale. More specifically, at the various
schools in town. “Is the fad present at all of them?”
Lawndale
Schools
Lawndale
High
Glenfield
Middle
Lawndale
Middle
Lawndale
East Middle
Lawndale
West Middle
Lawndale
Elementary
Glenfield
Elementary
Lawndale
East Elementary
Lawndale
West Elementary
Fielding
Private School
St.
Agnes Catholic
St.
Augustine Catholic College
“That is
a lot,” Jane said to herself. She had gone to Lawndale Elementary and Glenfield
Middle before starting Lawndale High. ‘But the Shadow just showing up to the
Elementary and Middle schools out of the blue might not be the way to go.
SpiderGirl might be the only one who could pull that off. She grabbed a piece
of paper and wrote that down. ‘It’s Wednesday. SpiderGirl might well be at the
Historia. I could ask her and If Kevin is there too, I could probably stop him
from doing something stupid.
She then
heard Trent knock on the door. “Come in.”
“I was
thinking,” Trent said. “Is this assignment something I need to worry about?”
“I don’t
think so.”
“I mean,
you being conventional.”
“Maybe
it means that being the Shadow has changed me more than I thought,” Jane
responded.
“Or it
could be your experience with Beck.”
“Could
be, Trent. Could be.”
Trent
sat on her bed. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not at
the moment. But you’ll know when I want to.”
“Have
you been talking to Daria about it?”
“Not yet
either,” Jane answered as she turned to her easel.
Daria
and Brittany finished their session, with Daria going over the various sub
fields of science.
“Maybe
more on biology, or zoology, or botany?” Brittany asked herself as she twirled
a pigtail.
“You
don’t have to choose straight away,” Daria said in a reassuring tone.
“Good
point. We can do all of them!” Brittany decided. She grabbed her backpack. “I’m
heading off.”
“Where?”
“The
Pizza Place. I have mostly being going to the Historia, but I don’t want the
pizza place to close either.”
“I don’t
think it’s suffering. We’re not competing with it directly,” Daria pointed out.
“We don’t make pizzas.”
“Good
point.”
Daria
waited until Brittany had left before heading up the library’s roof, and
changing to Dafoanairi there. She looked out over Lawndale before heading off.
First, to the Historia to the south, and to where the strip mall that contained
the pizza place hidden behind some houses to the southwest. ‘But where first,’
as she glanced towards the Zon, partially hidden behind some of the other
establishments in Dega Street. ‘Haven’t patrolled Daga Street for a while.’
Quinn
entered the Historia shortly before her shift. The café was nearly full with
the now usual early evening crowd. Stacy was already working and quickly came
over to Quinn. “Something up, Stacy?” she asked.
“Oh,
just our classmates still talking about the fad. They’re mostly laughing about
it. Like most of them think it’s funny,” Stacy said.
“I can
see how favorite animals could be seen as funny,” Quinn mused.
“But
it’s now old, even though it’s only been two days.”
Quinn
knew when Stacy’s thoughts were swirling due to her anxiety, even when she
wasn’t hyperventilating. “Let’s focus on work for now, OK.”
“That’s
what Mom said,” Stacy said, referring to her mother, who managed the café.
“Easier said then done.” Even so, Stacy calmed.
Dafoanairi
arrived on the Historia’s roof as the sun was setting. She briefly looked at
the sunset as it made patterns though the trees and buildings in Lawndale
Flats. She then looked at the door downwards. ‘But would Kevin be waiting for
SpiderGirl now, or later.’ He was sure that he would be at the Historia at some
point. She placed her staff next to the door, changed to the ordinary Daria and
headed down.
Jane
entered the Historia and saw Daria emerge from the door to the stairs. “You
were watching the sunset?” she asked.
“You’re
still wearing conventional clothes?”
“That’s
what Trent asked; more or less. So, we’re going to observe our peers at
dinner?”
“They’d
be less guarded than at school,” Daria answered. “That, and Kevin’s
determination to try to meet SpiderGirl.”
“I doubt
we’d be able to dissuade him.”
“You’re
having dinner here?” Quinn asked Daria when she and Jane had come up to the
counter.
Daria
nodded. “I’ll have the usual.”
“Sure,
and you, Jane?”
“Why
not?” Jane responded rhetorically. “I’m sticking around here tonight anyway.”
“Got
it.”
“Sticking
around?” Daria asked when they had sat.
“I
thought, why not be conventional while hanging around the Historia.”
“There’s
more, isn’t there?”
“And try
to stop Kevin from being stupid with SpiderGirl if I happen to be in the same
place at the same time,” Jane answered.
“Wouldn’t
want the quarterback to be webbed to the roof.”
As she
opened her yearbook, Sandi reflected on the day. ‘The fad is very much
present,’ she thought as she grabbed her yearbook.
After
Emma King was Marta Lamaris. ‘She’s another who keeps to herself,’ she thought
as she grabbed her energy drink. “Findu mann sem heiter: Marta Lamaris!”
She
found Marta at the Historia, where she was watching Kevin being his usual goofy
self.
“Right,
Kevin wanting to ask SpiderGirl out,” she mused with her usual post search
fatigue. “That’s why he’s waiting there.” But did that mean Marta was
SpiderGirl? ‘Unlikely.’ But she couldn’t ignore the concidence of Marta
watching Kevin while Kevin was intending to meet SpiderGirl. She then noticed
something in the memory of the perception. That Daria was there too. ‘I won’t
tell her about the possibility, but I can still be there shortly, if I can give
Mother an excuse.’
“And why
are you patrolling as the fourth vigilante at this hour?” Linda Griffin asked.
She knew Sandi was up to something, probably related to her intention to
confront SpiderGirl.
“Criminals
have seen through our patterns,” Sandi answered. “Not just Osborn either.”
“I
concede that, and I have heard that the Shadow often patrols at this time.”
“I
haven’t heard that.”
“I keep
my ear on the ground,” Linda responded. “Or is it due to Kevin Thompson? You’re
using him as bait?”
“Maybe.”
“A bad
idea, Sandi.”
“I don’t
doubt you used similar tactics in Boston,” Sandi said as she tied her hair back
before putting on her mask.
‘You may
not intend to be my ‘mini me’ but you still take after me in many ways.’
By the
time the Enigma arrived on the Historia’s roof and had abseiled down the
eastern side next to the café, Kevin was being more annoying than usual. Her
attention was drawn to the quarterback who was trying to regale Marta and a
rather annoyed Daria with a story. Jane was sketching something near the
counter, where Quinn and Stacy were serving some other customers.
No comments:
Post a Comment