Quinn Morgendorffer is bitten by a genetically engineered spider, becoming Lawndale's first superhero.
Spider Quinn (Daria/Spider-Man)
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15 The New Challenges Part 5 New 15 The New Challenges Part 4 New 15 The New Challenges Part 3 New 15 The New Challenges Part 2 New 15 The New Challenges Part 1 14 Battle and Consequence - Part 5 14 Battle and Consequence - Part 4 14 Battle and Consequence - Part 3
01 Quinn and the Spider
Spider Quinn
Let's do this one more time. My name is Quinn Morgendorffer and for the past several years, I have been the one and only SpiderGirl. But let's start at the beginning…
01 Quinn and the Spider
It was an ordinary day at Lawndale High. Quinn Morgendorffer certainly thought so as she headed to her science class.
"Good morning, Class," Ms. Janet Barch said. "The field trip is today. I hope you have given your permission slips to the office. This field trip will cover much information on Genetics and Entomology, so be sure to take notes. There will be a test next week. Oscorp is one of the leading companies in biotechnology today. Too bad it's lead by a MAN!"
Everyone in the class was familiar with Barch's opinion of men, so they didn't asks questions about that.
They were soon on their way.
"Have you heard about Brooke's latest surgery, Quinn?" Sandi Griffin asked.
"I have, Sandi," Quinn replied. 'Ew!' She didn't want to think about it.
"I haven't, Sandi," Stacy Rowe answered.
"Wha-at?" Tiffany Blum-Deckler asked.
Sandi sighed.
"What do you think this field trip is about?" Quinn asked, trying to change the topic. 'Something about genes?'
Sandi glared at Quinn. "Qui-inn! That is a question I would expect from the mouth of that girl who lives with you!"
"No, she would already know, Sandi!" Quinn pointed out. She didn't like to be reminded of Daria by Sandi!
Stacy gave a nervous look.
"I give you that, but you don't need to know, Quinn," Sandi said.
"I hope we don't have to wear those ugly safety goggles," Stacy said. "Ugh!"
"Would those make me look fat?" Tiffany asked.
Quinn sighed.
"Back to Brooke," Sandi said.
"Let's not," Stacy said.
Sandi glared at Stacy.
"Eep!"
"We are talking about Brooke," Sandi said.
"She's suddenly so weird," Tiffany added.
"I wouldn't know," Quinn said. "I haven't seen her around."
Sandi sighed.
The bus soon arrived at the destination. Ms. Barch supervised the class as they disembarked. "Make a straight line as we wait for our guide." She grumbled as the thoughts of her ex husband came to her mind yet again. 'I hope it's not a male!'
'How likely is that?' Quinn wondered.
A guide soon approached. "Welcome to the Oscorp Lawndale Genetics Laboratory," she said.
Ms. Barch gave a quick smile before they followed her inside.
After going through other rooms, the class entered a room filled with cages containing spiders.
"One project is the addition of genes from multiple species to create a hybrid," the guide explained.
Quinn noticed that one cage was empty. She wasn't the only one.
"One of them is missing," Joey Black said.
"The researchers are probably working on it," the guide said.
In fact, the spider had escaped! It was spinning a web near one of the air vents. A sudden gust dislodged it from the web!
It fell on Quinn's shoulder! She noticed it. "Ew!" She tried to brush it off. But it bit her. "Ugh!" She squashed it. She then went pale and her vision went blurry.
"Quinn, are you OK?" Stacy asked.
"Dizzy!" Quinn said, before stumbling.
Sandi saw Quinn stumble after Stacy asked if she was OK. "Ms. Barch! Quinn isn't feeling well."
"Wha-at?" Tiffany asked.
Sandi saw that the bite site was swelling.
"What's wrong?" Ms. Barch asked.
"Quinn's not well!" Stacy answered.
"There was this spider," Quinn explained.
Ms. Barch looked at Quinn.
"Class, we're going back to school."
Nurse Chase turned to Quinn. "Here's some antivenom."
She injected it into Quinn's arm.
"Good thing, you have it."
"There are spiders that Pavlov misses. But you still need to go home for the rest of the day."
"Thanks," Quinn said.
Helen was home early.
"Mom?" Quinn asked as she came inside.
"I was concerned when I received the call," Helen responded.
"I'm feeling a little better."
"Go up to your room and rest."
Quinn didn't argue.
Quinn entered her room in a daze. She looked at herself in the mirrors. "Gosh! I look pale!" She flopped onto her bed. She was asleep before she hit the sheets. She began to dream.
In the living room, her father was fretting. "Quinn was bitten by a spider! On no! We should take her to the hospital!"
"Jake! The school nurse gave her antivenom," his wife, Helen said reassuringly. "She would have sent her to the hospital if she had concerns. We'll see how she is in the morning."
"The morning?"
"Yes."
Quinn's sister, Daria was in her room, on the phone with her friend Jane Lane. "…. So now, Quinn is recovering in her room," she said.
"I suppose whatever date she was going on was cancelled," Jane said.
"No doubt."
"You're going to be easy on her?"
"Not a chance," Daria answered. "She will be back to her usual self tomorrow."
"Or maybe she'll be more insufferable."
"Is there a word for insufferabler?"
Later that night after her parents and Daria had gone asleep, Quinn stirred, but remained asleep. However, she then started sleepwalking. She got out of bed and went downstairs.
She grabbed some food from the fridge and ate it. She headed back upstairs and to bed.
She awoke after sunrise. "I feel better, but something's weird… What is it?" She went over to her mirrors. Something was off about her appearance. She found that her abdominal muscles are more defined. "What's going on with me? Is this a nightmare?"
She decided to try to go back to sleep.
She awoke again and looked at the time. "Breakfast!"
She slipped at the top of the stairs. She somersaulted and then landed on her feet. "What just happened?" she asked herself. She wasn't sure.
Helen was preparing breakfast when Quinn entered the kitchen. "How are you this morning, Quinn?"
"I feel a lot better."
"We were worried."
"You mean, Daddy was," Quinn responded.
"Yes."
Daria then entered the kitchen. "Oh. You're up and about," she said.
"I feel a lot better," Quinn said again.
"I didn't expect otherwise," Daria said.
Quinn met Sandi and Stacy at a door as she arrived at the school. "Are you feeling better, Quinn?"
"I do," Quinn responded.
Sandi gave a dubious look. "There's like, a Fashion Club meeting this afternoon."
"That's fine," Quinn responded. "I'm a lot better."
Sandi gave another dubious look. "Good," she said.
Later, in between classes, Quinn saw Brooke Peterson approaching.
"I see you were sent home yesterday," Brooke said.
"So what?" Quinn asked.
"Something happened, didn't it?" Brooke asked.
"Something," Quinn murmured.
Brooke then tried to attack Quinn. Some sort of tingle caused Quinn to move out of the way. Brooke tried again, but she missed!
"Uh!" Brooke said. She swung again, hitting another locker. "Stay still!"
Quinn moved out of the way again.
Brooke then leapt at her.
Quinn jumped, quite high, right over Brooke!
Quinn was confused, something was definitely happening to her. She ran.
Quinn ended up on the roof. 'What is happening to me?' she wondered. 'Was it that spider?'
She suddenly realised that she needed to get to class. She grabbed the doorknob. Her hand than somehow stuck to it. "Oh no!" she said as she panicked. The knob then came off in her hand. "Oh no!" Then a web came out of her wrist! "Ew!"
She was shocked and sat down. 'What has happened to me so far?' she wondered.
She sorted through the memories from earlier in the day. That her muscles were more defined. That there was some sort of danger sense that allowed her to avoid being hit by Brooke. That she was sticking to things. And that a web had come out of her wrist. She thought more on this before looking at her watch. "Yikes!"
Quinn ran late into History.
"You're late, Ms. Morgendorffer!" Mr. DeMartino said.
"Sorry, something came up," Quinn said.
"That's alright, Ms. Morgendorffer. Just don't do it again!"
The rest of the day went by without further incidents.
"See you at the meeting," Sandi said they left the school.
'I didn't forget the meeting, Sandi!' Quinn groused to herself as she walked away from the school.
She headed downtown. 'This is a good time to test what I can do now.'
She looked at her right wrist. "What can I do with these webs?" She looked at a nearby building and remembered seeing a spider spinning it's web.
"Right!"
She produced a web but it didn't get far.
"Again!" she said with determination.
The second web came out faster and hit somewhere higher on the building.
She then jumped high, but came down on the ground.
'I'll try again.'
She ran and shot a web. This time she swung up at an angle. But she still slammed into a wall.
"Ugh!" she said as she fell down the wall. But not far. She found she was sticking to it. "Oh!"
'I'm sticking to the wall! Can I climb down? Or up?"
She moved down the wall to the ground. "Even more like a spider! Ew! But can I climb up?"
She then climbed up.
She got to the eave. "Time to try swinging again," she said as she looked at it. She produced webbing again, and swung.
This time she ended up on the roof. "That worked!"
She walked to the edge of the roof, and shot another web.
Soon she was going from rooftop to rooftop through Lawndale's downtown. But she soon came to the edge of the downtown, where it and the suburbia met. 'This is going to be more difficult,' she thought as she looked over the sprawl towards home.
She swung to the ground.
As she went towards home, she wondered if she could swing from trees. There was only one way to find out.
She shot out webbing and it connected to a branch. She smiled and swung. She found that it worked, but not as well as in the built up area.
Ten minutes later, she swung up onto the roof of her house. She looked back in the direction she had just come. 'I wonder what the future has in store.'
Let's do this one more time. My name is Quinn Morgendorffer and for the past several years, I have been the one and only SpiderGirl. But let's start at the beginning…
01 Quinn and the Spider
It was an ordinary day at Lawndale High. Quinn Morgendorffer certainly thought so as she headed to her science class.
"Good morning, Class," Ms. Janet Barch said. "The field trip is today. I hope you have given your permission slips to the office. This field trip will cover much information on Genetics and Entomology, so be sure to take notes. There will be a test next week. Oscorp is one of the leading companies in biotechnology today. Too bad it's lead by a MAN!"
Everyone in the class was familiar with Barch's opinion of men, so they didn't asks questions about that.
They were soon on their way.
"Have you heard about Brooke's latest surgery, Quinn?" Sandi Griffin asked.
"I have, Sandi," Quinn replied. 'Ew!' She didn't want to think about it.
"I haven't, Sandi," Stacy Rowe answered.
"Wha-at?" Tiffany Blum-Deckler asked.
Sandi sighed.
"What do you think this field trip is about?" Quinn asked, trying to change the topic. 'Something about genes?'
Sandi glared at Quinn. "Qui-inn! That is a question I would expect from the mouth of that girl who lives with you!"
"No, she would already know, Sandi!" Quinn pointed out. She didn't like to be reminded of Daria by Sandi!
Stacy gave a nervous look.
"I give you that, but you don't need to know, Quinn," Sandi said.
"I hope we don't have to wear those ugly safety goggles," Stacy said. "Ugh!"
"Would those make me look fat?" Tiffany asked.
Quinn sighed.
"Back to Brooke," Sandi said.
"Let's not," Stacy said.
Sandi glared at Stacy.
"Eep!"
"We are talking about Brooke," Sandi said.
"She's suddenly so weird," Tiffany added.
"I wouldn't know," Quinn said. "I haven't seen her around."
Sandi sighed.
The bus soon arrived at the destination. Ms. Barch supervised the class as they disembarked. "Make a straight line as we wait for our guide." She grumbled as the thoughts of her ex husband came to her mind yet again. 'I hope it's not a male!'
'How likely is that?' Quinn wondered.
A guide soon approached. "Welcome to the Oscorp Lawndale Genetics Laboratory," she said.
Ms. Barch gave a quick smile before they followed her inside.
After going through other rooms, the class entered a room filled with cages containing spiders.
"One project is the addition of genes from multiple species to create a hybrid," the guide explained.
Quinn noticed that one cage was empty. She wasn't the only one.
"One of them is missing," Joey Black said.
"The researchers are probably working on it," the guide said.
In fact, the spider had escaped! It was spinning a web near one of the air vents. A sudden gust dislodged it from the web!
It fell on Quinn's shoulder! She noticed it. "Ew!" She tried to brush it off. But it bit her. "Ugh!" She squashed it. She then went pale and her vision went blurry.
"Quinn, are you OK?" Stacy asked.
"Dizzy!" Quinn said, before stumbling.
Sandi saw Quinn stumble after Stacy asked if she was OK. "Ms. Barch! Quinn isn't feeling well."
"Wha-at?" Tiffany asked.
Sandi saw that the bite site was swelling.
"What's wrong?" Ms. Barch asked.
"Quinn's not well!" Stacy answered.
"There was this spider," Quinn explained.
Ms. Barch looked at Quinn.
"Class, we're going back to school."
Nurse Chase turned to Quinn. "Here's some antivenom."
She injected it into Quinn's arm.
"Good thing, you have it."
"There are spiders that Pavlov misses. But you still need to go home for the rest of the day."
"Thanks," Quinn said.
Helen was home early.
"Mom?" Quinn asked as she came inside.
"I was concerned when I received the call," Helen responded.
"I'm feeling a little better."
"Go up to your room and rest."
Quinn didn't argue.
Quinn entered her room in a daze. She looked at herself in the mirrors. "Gosh! I look pale!" She flopped onto her bed. She was asleep before she hit the sheets. She began to dream.
In the living room, her father was fretting. "Quinn was bitten by a spider! On no! We should take her to the hospital!"
"Jake! The school nurse gave her antivenom," his wife, Helen said reassuringly. "She would have sent her to the hospital if she had concerns. We'll see how she is in the morning."
"The morning?"
"Yes."
Quinn's sister, Daria was in her room, on the phone with her friend Jane Lane. "…. So now, Quinn is recovering in her room," she said.
"I suppose whatever date she was going on was cancelled," Jane said.
"No doubt."
"You're going to be easy on her?"
"Not a chance," Daria answered. "She will be back to her usual self tomorrow."
"Or maybe she'll be more insufferable."
"Is there a word for insufferabler?"
Later that night after her parents and Daria had gone asleep, Quinn stirred, but remained asleep. However, she then started sleepwalking. She got out of bed and went downstairs.
She grabbed some food from the fridge and ate it. She headed back upstairs and to bed.
She awoke after sunrise. "I feel better, but something's weird… What is it?" She went over to her mirrors. Something was off about her appearance. She found that her abdominal muscles are more defined. "What's going on with me? Is this a nightmare?"
She decided to try to go back to sleep.
She awoke again and looked at the time. "Breakfast!"
She slipped at the top of the stairs. She somersaulted and then landed on her feet. "What just happened?" she asked herself. She wasn't sure.
Helen was preparing breakfast when Quinn entered the kitchen. "How are you this morning, Quinn?"
"I feel a lot better."
"We were worried."
"You mean, Daddy was," Quinn responded.
"Yes."
Daria then entered the kitchen. "Oh. You're up and about," she said.
"I feel a lot better," Quinn said again.
"I didn't expect otherwise," Daria said.
Quinn met Sandi and Stacy at a door as she arrived at the school. "Are you feeling better, Quinn?"
"I do," Quinn responded.
Sandi gave a dubious look. "There's like, a Fashion Club meeting this afternoon."
"That's fine," Quinn responded. "I'm a lot better."
Sandi gave another dubious look. "Good," she said.
Later, in between classes, Quinn saw Brooke Peterson approaching.
"I see you were sent home yesterday," Brooke said.
"So what?" Quinn asked.
"Something happened, didn't it?" Brooke asked.
"Something," Quinn murmured.
Brooke then tried to attack Quinn. Some sort of tingle caused Quinn to move out of the way. Brooke tried again, but she missed!
"Uh!" Brooke said. She swung again, hitting another locker. "Stay still!"
Quinn moved out of the way again.
Brooke then leapt at her.
Quinn jumped, quite high, right over Brooke!
Quinn was confused, something was definitely happening to her. She ran.
Quinn ended up on the roof. 'What is happening to me?' she wondered. 'Was it that spider?'
She suddenly realised that she needed to get to class. She grabbed the doorknob. Her hand than somehow stuck to it. "Oh no!" she said as she panicked. The knob then came off in her hand. "Oh no!" Then a web came out of her wrist! "Ew!"
She was shocked and sat down. 'What has happened to me so far?' she wondered.
She sorted through the memories from earlier in the day. That her muscles were more defined. That there was some sort of danger sense that allowed her to avoid being hit by Brooke. That she was sticking to things. And that a web had come out of her wrist. She thought more on this before looking at her watch. "Yikes!"
Quinn ran late into History.
"You're late, Ms. Morgendorffer!" Mr. DeMartino said.
"Sorry, something came up," Quinn said.
"That's alright, Ms. Morgendorffer. Just don't do it again!"
The rest of the day went by without further incidents.
"See you at the meeting," Sandi said they left the school.
'I didn't forget the meeting, Sandi!' Quinn groused to herself as she walked away from the school.
She headed downtown. 'This is a good time to test what I can do now.'
She looked at her right wrist. "What can I do with these webs?" She looked at a nearby building and remembered seeing a spider spinning it's web.
"Right!"
She produced a web but it didn't get far.
"Again!" she said with determination.
The second web came out faster and hit somewhere higher on the building.
She then jumped high, but came down on the ground.
'I'll try again.'
She ran and shot a web. This time she swung up at an angle. But she still slammed into a wall.
"Ugh!" she said as she fell down the wall. But not far. She found she was sticking to it. "Oh!"
'I'm sticking to the wall! Can I climb down? Or up?"
She moved down the wall to the ground. "Even more like a spider! Ew! But can I climb up?"
She then climbed up.
She got to the eave. "Time to try swinging again," she said as she looked at it. She produced webbing again, and swung.
This time she ended up on the roof. "That worked!"
She walked to the edge of the roof, and shot another web.
Soon she was going from rooftop to rooftop through Lawndale's downtown. But she soon came to the edge of the downtown, where it and the suburbia met. 'This is going to be more difficult,' she thought as she looked over the sprawl towards home.
She swung to the ground.
As she went towards home, she wondered if she could swing from trees. There was only one way to find out.
She shot out webbing and it connected to a branch. She smiled and swung. She found that it worked, but not as well as in the built up area.
Ten minutes later, she swung up onto the roof of her house. She looked back in the direction she had just come. 'I wonder what the future has in store.'
02 With Great Power
02 With Great Power
Sandi Griffin was annoyed. Quinn was late to the Fashion Club meeting! Quinn then entered the house, breathing heavily. "You're ten minutes late!"
"Sorry, something came up!"
"Meeting starts: 415," Stacy said.
It was a usual Fashion Club meeting.
"Meeting concludes: 4:55," Stacy said.
Stacy met Quinn downstairs. "Are you fine?" she asked with concern.
"Yes," Quinn answered.
"You seem different."
"I'm not any different. Same old Quinn."
Stacy was uncertain. As Quinn left the house, she reflected on Quinn eating more than usual at Lunch.
Quinn closed the door and left the porch before looking around. 'No one,' she thought, before producing webbing and swinging up onto the Griffin's roof. She noted that her stance was improving.
As she swung away from the Griffin's place through the trees towards home, she thought on what her friends' reactions to her new powers would be. 'I don't think telling Stacy would be a good idea. She would panic. Sandi would at least tell her mother, if not the entire school. Tiffany wouldn't understand.'
Upon arriving at home and entering through one of her windows, Quinn looked in one of her mirrors. 'What else can I use these powers for?' she wondered.
The next day, Lawndale awoke to find that winter had come early, for there was significant snow on the ground. (But not significant enough for a 'snow day' school closure.)
"There's something up with Quinn," Daria said to Jane as they headed towards school.
"That isn't news," Jane responded.
"I mean it, Jane. Something is up with her. Something new."
"I'm not sure what you're referring to."
"It's a hunch," Daria admitted.
Meanwhile, Quinn and Jake were having breakfast. Quinn was looking at the large amount of food on her plate as she started eating. 'I suppose all that webbing has to come from somewhere.' She thought about the swinging. 'And I'm getting a lot of exercise.'
"I haven't seen you eat so much, Quinn," Jake said.
"Maybe my appetite has improved," Quinn responded.
Jake wasn't sure.
"Gotta go!" Quinn said as she left the house. She saw that her father was still in thought.
As she swung towards school, she found that the snow made it more difficult.
She arrived on the school roof just before the bell rung. "Just in time."
At lunch time, Sandi noticed that Quinn was again eating a lot. "Gee, Quinn, a little hungry are you?"
Quinn glared back before saying; "I'm exercising a little more. That's why my appetite is bigger."
Sandi noticed Stacy giving a dubious look.
After school, Quinn was again on the roof. "What am I becoming? What would happen if others found out? I need some way to hide myself as I swing using the webs."
Jane saw Quinn where she didn't expect to see her, in a stationary supplies store. "What is she up to?" she wondered as she saw her buy a sketchbook. Was it something to do with Daria's hunch from that morning?
As Quinn left the Mall, she heard a car radio say that there was a snowstorm approaching Lawndale. 'I have to hurry,' she thought.
Daria heard a sound from her room. She went and closed her door. 'It's not my business,' she thought.
Quinn closed her window, to stop the snow coming in. She then opened the sketchbook and started work.
By the time she had finished her first sketch the storm had started. She looked out and saw that her father had just got home. 'I'll get the fabric tomorrow,' she decided.
At dinner, both Daria and Helen noticed that Quinn was eating as much as the previous night.
Quinn buys a large amount of fabric after school the next day.
It would take her two evenings to complete the first version of the costume. She tries it on experimentally. 'I know it needs more work, but it will do for now,' she thought.
"A snowstorm warning has been announced for Lawndale and Oakwood."
"I can get back in time," Quinn said, looking at the clouds approaching the town. She then swung off the house towards downtown.
However, as she got caught in the snowstorm, Quinn realised that her powers didn't work as well in the cold. "Great!"
She had to walk home, and got home late.
The next evening, she opened the sketchbook again. "I need more layers," she said.
That night, Joey rang the Morgendorffers' doorbell. He wanted to know if Quinn wanted to go on a date with him.
Her father opened the door. "Quinn! Your date is here!"
"Actually, Actually, I was asking Quinn if she would like a date," Joey said.
Quinn came down the stairs, after hearing her father call out. She realised that she hadn't been on a date since before the bite. "I'll come, Joey!"
"Cool!" Joey said.
They went to one of the smaller restaurants. Joey didn't notice that Quinn had ordered a large meal until hers came.
"Quinn, you're going to eat all of that?" Joey asked.
"Yes," Quinn answered.
"You usually eat less."
"I've found that I have a bigger appetite since what happened," Quinn explained.
"Oh,"
"Like, something might have changed. Or I just want more. I',m not sure."
"It's fine. I was just curious."
The rest of the date went well.
The next day, at lunch, Joey decided to tell Jeffy and Jamie about the date.
"How did it go?" Jeffy asked.
"It was the usual kind of date," Joey answered.
"There's something else," Jamie said.
"She had a larger meal than usual, that's all," Joey responded.
"Oh," Jamie said.
"So, she is better, after that Spider bite?" Jeffy asked.
"I think so," Joey said.
"I'm still worried," Jamie said.
"Then you can ask her on a date," Jeffy said.
"I shall," Jamie decided.
Jake Morgendorffer answered the door for the second night in a row. "Quinn! Your date is here!"
Quinn came downstairs. "Again?" she asked.
"As usual, I'm sure," Jake said as he opened the door.
"Jamie?" Quinn asked.
"Hi, Quinn," Jamie said. "You want to come out somewhere?"
"Of course," Quinn said.
Quinn and Jamie went to a different restaurant than she went with Joey the previous night.
Once again it happened after their meals arrived.
"You're eating more than usual," Jamie said.
"Am I?" Quinn asked.
"Yes."
"Joey said the same thing."
"I'm concerned, Quinn," Jamie said.
"I'm fine."
Jamie then looked like he didn't believe her.
The rest of the date went as usual.
When she got home, Quinn put the finishing touches on the costume. She looked at the clock. "10:13. It's not too late." She then put it on, and left via the side window.
As she swung through an older part of Lawndale, Quinn wondered what exactly she was going to use her powers for. 'Like, I'm not sure.' She then went down to the street level and saw some fliers. "What's this?"
Lawndale Ultimate Wrestling.
Winner takes home $1000!
"I suppose that is one thing,"
There was more information on the reverse side, so she decided to take it home and read it.
The next day, she swung to the address listed on the flyer.
She decided to not take the costume off. She didn't want anyone to find out it was her.
"Name?" the woman behind the counter asked.
Quinn saw that she was goth, wearing all black and pigtails. She found that it worked. "Amazing GirlSpider."
"GirlSpider? Doesn't sound that amazing."
"I guess not," Quinn responded. "SpiderGirl then."
"SpiderGirl," the goth responded and wrote it down without a space.
"You get a lot of costumed people?" SpiderGirl asked.
"Yes. Mostly luchadores, or those who are imitating such."
"Right."
Quinn then then headed home again. But she found that the webs didn't work as well in the heavy snow. Then there was a strong reaction from her Spider Sense! 'Uh oh!'
She changed direction. But a few minutes later, there was a gunshot. She saw a strip mall in the distance. She could lose them there.
After arriving at the strip mall and running amongst the people there, she lost the assailant.
She then headed home.
"Who was that?" she wondered after closing her window.
She wanted to prepare for the wrestling match, not whoever wanted to shoot a mysterious figure swinging through trees. "Maybe I'll make the costume brighter."
Over the next week, Quinn prepared for the wrestling match, although she did look out for the mysterious assailant.
Others were still concerned for her regarding her increased appetite…
She does do well enough in the Genetics test.
"Quinn!" her father called as she went to the door.
"Yes, Daddy?"
"We need to talk."
"I have a date."
"We haven't really talked since you got sent home after that field trip."
"Really?"
"So, I'll take you to wherever the date is."
"Chez Pierre," Quinn responded. It was close to where she was going.
"I know things are changing for you," her father said after they had turned off Glen Oaks Lane.
"Not this again! Mom told me!"
"Not the birds and the bees. Something else."
"I see," Quinn said.
"I don't know what's going on with you."
Quinn looked away. He was as clueless as ever! But she did hear what he said next.
"With great power, comes great responsibility."
As she walked from Chez Pierre towards the wrestling arena, her father's words were on her mind. What did they mean. However, she then focused on winning the prize money.
"And now, the Wimp Crusher against the Amazing SpiderGirl!"
The Amazing SpiderGirl had prepared. She had used the basement to practice when she was sure no one else was home. There was some damage down there, but nothing she couldn't get any boys to fix. She had also had done ballet and gymnastics when she was younger, along with other physical culture practice, including aerobics. She had also started yoga classes with the Fashion Club. As such she was quite flexible and nimble. Certainly a lot more adept at moving about than the quite large so-called 'Wimp Crusher.'
As such the audience was treated to something that was more like a chaotic dance production than the straight up crush-fest that they were used to. It helped that the Amazing SpiderGirl seemingly had a lot more energy than her opponent, who was tiring after each failed attempt at nailing her to the floor.
Thus the girl won, hardly getting a hit on her, due to the Spider Sense giving prewarning. Her hits on the opponent went to places where she knew pressure points were, thus avoiding any need for physical wrangling.
"Winner is 'The Amazing SpiderGirl!'
She collected her cash. But shortly afterwards someone held up the cashier.
"Hey! SpiderGirl Help!"
"Not my problem! Got to go!" SpiderGirl said before leaving. But she did catch more than a glimpse of the assailant.
She arrived back at Chez Pierre and waited. However, after more than half an hour of waiting, her father still wasn't there.
Suddenly her improved hearing picked up the sounds of police sirens nearby. She felt weird, as if the Spider Sense was acting up. She decided to go and investigate.
She turned a corner and her heart started beating rapidly. For she saw a familiar Lexus pulled over at the side of the road, surrounded in Police tape. She ran forwards.
Officer Xanthe Peterson saw the redhead approaching. "Woah, girl! This is a crime scene! Someone's been shot!"
"Shot?"
"There was an attempted car jacking, and the driver was shot before the assailant ran off."
"That's my father's car!" the girl cried.
"Father? Your last name's Morgendorffer?"
"Quinn Morgendorffer."
"Accompany me," Peterson said as an ambulance pulled up.
The female officer lead Quinn up to the car, where her father was lying next to it on the road. "Daddy!" she cried.
Her father stirred. "Quinn!"
"Daddy!" Quinn said, crying more.
"Remember, With great power… great responsibility." He then became still. Too still. The paramedics moved in.
The next few minutes would be blurred in Quinn's memory. The paramedics tried their best, but…
Quinn ran from the scene after Peterson gave her the dreadful news.
Jake Morgendorffer was dead.
Sandi Griffin was annoyed. Quinn was late to the Fashion Club meeting! Quinn then entered the house, breathing heavily. "You're ten minutes late!"
"Sorry, something came up!"
"Meeting starts: 415," Stacy said.
It was a usual Fashion Club meeting.
"Meeting concludes: 4:55," Stacy said.
Stacy met Quinn downstairs. "Are you fine?" she asked with concern.
"Yes," Quinn answered.
"You seem different."
"I'm not any different. Same old Quinn."
Stacy was uncertain. As Quinn left the house, she reflected on Quinn eating more than usual at Lunch.
Quinn closed the door and left the porch before looking around. 'No one,' she thought, before producing webbing and swinging up onto the Griffin's roof. She noted that her stance was improving.
As she swung away from the Griffin's place through the trees towards home, she thought on what her friends' reactions to her new powers would be. 'I don't think telling Stacy would be a good idea. She would panic. Sandi would at least tell her mother, if not the entire school. Tiffany wouldn't understand.'
Upon arriving at home and entering through one of her windows, Quinn looked in one of her mirrors. 'What else can I use these powers for?' she wondered.
The next day, Lawndale awoke to find that winter had come early, for there was significant snow on the ground. (But not significant enough for a 'snow day' school closure.)
"There's something up with Quinn," Daria said to Jane as they headed towards school.
"That isn't news," Jane responded.
"I mean it, Jane. Something is up with her. Something new."
"I'm not sure what you're referring to."
"It's a hunch," Daria admitted.
Meanwhile, Quinn and Jake were having breakfast. Quinn was looking at the large amount of food on her plate as she started eating. 'I suppose all that webbing has to come from somewhere.' She thought about the swinging. 'And I'm getting a lot of exercise.'
"I haven't seen you eat so much, Quinn," Jake said.
"Maybe my appetite has improved," Quinn responded.
Jake wasn't sure.
"Gotta go!" Quinn said as she left the house. She saw that her father was still in thought.
As she swung towards school, she found that the snow made it more difficult.
She arrived on the school roof just before the bell rung. "Just in time."
At lunch time, Sandi noticed that Quinn was again eating a lot. "Gee, Quinn, a little hungry are you?"
Quinn glared back before saying; "I'm exercising a little more. That's why my appetite is bigger."
Sandi noticed Stacy giving a dubious look.
After school, Quinn was again on the roof. "What am I becoming? What would happen if others found out? I need some way to hide myself as I swing using the webs."
Jane saw Quinn where she didn't expect to see her, in a stationary supplies store. "What is she up to?" she wondered as she saw her buy a sketchbook. Was it something to do with Daria's hunch from that morning?
As Quinn left the Mall, she heard a car radio say that there was a snowstorm approaching Lawndale. 'I have to hurry,' she thought.
Daria heard a sound from her room. She went and closed her door. 'It's not my business,' she thought.
Quinn closed her window, to stop the snow coming in. She then opened the sketchbook and started work.
By the time she had finished her first sketch the storm had started. She looked out and saw that her father had just got home. 'I'll get the fabric tomorrow,' she decided.
At dinner, both Daria and Helen noticed that Quinn was eating as much as the previous night.
Quinn buys a large amount of fabric after school the next day.
It would take her two evenings to complete the first version of the costume. She tries it on experimentally. 'I know it needs more work, but it will do for now,' she thought.
"A snowstorm warning has been announced for Lawndale and Oakwood."
"I can get back in time," Quinn said, looking at the clouds approaching the town. She then swung off the house towards downtown.
However, as she got caught in the snowstorm, Quinn realised that her powers didn't work as well in the cold. "Great!"
She had to walk home, and got home late.
The next evening, she opened the sketchbook again. "I need more layers," she said.
That night, Joey rang the Morgendorffers' doorbell. He wanted to know if Quinn wanted to go on a date with him.
Her father opened the door. "Quinn! Your date is here!"
"Actually, Actually, I was asking Quinn if she would like a date," Joey said.
Quinn came down the stairs, after hearing her father call out. She realised that she hadn't been on a date since before the bite. "I'll come, Joey!"
"Cool!" Joey said.
They went to one of the smaller restaurants. Joey didn't notice that Quinn had ordered a large meal until hers came.
"Quinn, you're going to eat all of that?" Joey asked.
"Yes," Quinn answered.
"You usually eat less."
"I've found that I have a bigger appetite since what happened," Quinn explained.
"Oh,"
"Like, something might have changed. Or I just want more. I',m not sure."
"It's fine. I was just curious."
The rest of the date went well.
The next day, at lunch, Joey decided to tell Jeffy and Jamie about the date.
"How did it go?" Jeffy asked.
"It was the usual kind of date," Joey answered.
"There's something else," Jamie said.
"She had a larger meal than usual, that's all," Joey responded.
"Oh," Jamie said.
"So, she is better, after that Spider bite?" Jeffy asked.
"I think so," Joey said.
"I'm still worried," Jamie said.
"Then you can ask her on a date," Jeffy said.
"I shall," Jamie decided.
Jake Morgendorffer answered the door for the second night in a row. "Quinn! Your date is here!"
Quinn came downstairs. "Again?" she asked.
"As usual, I'm sure," Jake said as he opened the door.
"Jamie?" Quinn asked.
"Hi, Quinn," Jamie said. "You want to come out somewhere?"
"Of course," Quinn said.
Quinn and Jamie went to a different restaurant than she went with Joey the previous night.
Once again it happened after their meals arrived.
"You're eating more than usual," Jamie said.
"Am I?" Quinn asked.
"Yes."
"Joey said the same thing."
"I'm concerned, Quinn," Jamie said.
"I'm fine."
Jamie then looked like he didn't believe her.
The rest of the date went as usual.
When she got home, Quinn put the finishing touches on the costume. She looked at the clock. "10:13. It's not too late." She then put it on, and left via the side window.
As she swung through an older part of Lawndale, Quinn wondered what exactly she was going to use her powers for. 'Like, I'm not sure.' She then went down to the street level and saw some fliers. "What's this?"
Lawndale Ultimate Wrestling.
Winner takes home $1000!
"I suppose that is one thing,"
There was more information on the reverse side, so she decided to take it home and read it.
The next day, she swung to the address listed on the flyer.
She decided to not take the costume off. She didn't want anyone to find out it was her.
"Name?" the woman behind the counter asked.
Quinn saw that she was goth, wearing all black and pigtails. She found that it worked. "Amazing GirlSpider."
"GirlSpider? Doesn't sound that amazing."
"I guess not," Quinn responded. "SpiderGirl then."
"SpiderGirl," the goth responded and wrote it down without a space.
"You get a lot of costumed people?" SpiderGirl asked.
"Yes. Mostly luchadores, or those who are imitating such."
"Right."
Quinn then then headed home again. But she found that the webs didn't work as well in the heavy snow. Then there was a strong reaction from her Spider Sense! 'Uh oh!'
She changed direction. But a few minutes later, there was a gunshot. She saw a strip mall in the distance. She could lose them there.
After arriving at the strip mall and running amongst the people there, she lost the assailant.
She then headed home.
"Who was that?" she wondered after closing her window.
She wanted to prepare for the wrestling match, not whoever wanted to shoot a mysterious figure swinging through trees. "Maybe I'll make the costume brighter."
Over the next week, Quinn prepared for the wrestling match, although she did look out for the mysterious assailant.
Others were still concerned for her regarding her increased appetite…
She does do well enough in the Genetics test.
"Quinn!" her father called as she went to the door.
"Yes, Daddy?"
"We need to talk."
"I have a date."
"We haven't really talked since you got sent home after that field trip."
"Really?"
"So, I'll take you to wherever the date is."
"Chez Pierre," Quinn responded. It was close to where she was going.
"I know things are changing for you," her father said after they had turned off Glen Oaks Lane.
"Not this again! Mom told me!"
"Not the birds and the bees. Something else."
"I see," Quinn said.
"I don't know what's going on with you."
Quinn looked away. He was as clueless as ever! But she did hear what he said next.
"With great power, comes great responsibility."
As she walked from Chez Pierre towards the wrestling arena, her father's words were on her mind. What did they mean. However, she then focused on winning the prize money.
"And now, the Wimp Crusher against the Amazing SpiderGirl!"
The Amazing SpiderGirl had prepared. She had used the basement to practice when she was sure no one else was home. There was some damage down there, but nothing she couldn't get any boys to fix. She had also had done ballet and gymnastics when she was younger, along with other physical culture practice, including aerobics. She had also started yoga classes with the Fashion Club. As such she was quite flexible and nimble. Certainly a lot more adept at moving about than the quite large so-called 'Wimp Crusher.'
As such the audience was treated to something that was more like a chaotic dance production than the straight up crush-fest that they were used to. It helped that the Amazing SpiderGirl seemingly had a lot more energy than her opponent, who was tiring after each failed attempt at nailing her to the floor.
Thus the girl won, hardly getting a hit on her, due to the Spider Sense giving prewarning. Her hits on the opponent went to places where she knew pressure points were, thus avoiding any need for physical wrangling.
"Winner is 'The Amazing SpiderGirl!'
She collected her cash. But shortly afterwards someone held up the cashier.
"Hey! SpiderGirl Help!"
"Not my problem! Got to go!" SpiderGirl said before leaving. But she did catch more than a glimpse of the assailant.
She arrived back at Chez Pierre and waited. However, after more than half an hour of waiting, her father still wasn't there.
Suddenly her improved hearing picked up the sounds of police sirens nearby. She felt weird, as if the Spider Sense was acting up. She decided to go and investigate.
She turned a corner and her heart started beating rapidly. For she saw a familiar Lexus pulled over at the side of the road, surrounded in Police tape. She ran forwards.
Officer Xanthe Peterson saw the redhead approaching. "Woah, girl! This is a crime scene! Someone's been shot!"
"Shot?"
"There was an attempted car jacking, and the driver was shot before the assailant ran off."
"That's my father's car!" the girl cried.
"Father? Your last name's Morgendorffer?"
"Quinn Morgendorffer."
"Accompany me," Peterson said as an ambulance pulled up.
The female officer lead Quinn up to the car, where her father was lying next to it on the road. "Daddy!" she cried.
Her father stirred. "Quinn!"
"Daddy!" Quinn said, crying more.
"Remember, With great power… great responsibility." He then became still. Too still. The paramedics moved in.
The next few minutes would be blurred in Quinn's memory. The paramedics tried their best, but…
Quinn ran from the scene after Peterson gave her the dreadful news.
Jake Morgendorffer was dead.
03 Comes Great Responsibility - Part 1
03 Comes Great Responsibility Part 1
After running some distance into fog, Quinn took to the rooftops and trees, and swung aimlessly around Lawndale.
Peterson arrived at the Morgendorffer's place at 1111 Glen Oaks Lane. She dreaded notifying the next of kin. She had tried to follow the daughter, but she had disappeared into the fog. 'One thing at a time though.'
She rang the doorbell, and a middle aged woman bearing a significant resemblance to the aforementioned teenager answered it. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Helen Morgendorffer?" Peterson asked in a grave tone.
"What's wrong?" Helen asked in concern.
"It is your husband. I'm afraid, he was shot earlier this evening." Peterson paused before adding. "He… passed away at the scene."
Helen was quiet, for a moment before calling out "DARIA!"
Daria was reading when she heard her mother call out suddenly in a panicked tone. The book fell to the floor as she dashed out.
She came down the stairs to find her mother crying. "Daria?" the police officer asked.
"I am she."
"I'm afraid that your father is dead."
"Dead?" she asked, her heart beating fast.
"There was an attempted carjacking. The assailant is still loose," the officer answered. She turned to her mother. "There is something else; your other daughter, Quinn, came upon the scene and was present when her father passed. Then she ran off into the night."
"You didn't stop her?" her mother asked.
"There was fog. We are looking for her, as well as the assailant."
"I will come to the Morgue to identify him," her mother said. "Then I will look for my other daughter with you."
"Understood."
"Daria, stay here and call me when Quinn comes home."
Daria nodded. The shock was setting in.
And so, Helen left with Officer Peterson while Daria tried to absorb what she had just found out.
Quinn arrived at home as her mother left with the police. She waited for the police car to drive off before swinging down to the kitchen door.
Daria heard the door in the kitchen open. She walked there and found Quinn, rather sad.
"Oh, Daria!" Quinn said, with obvious pain in her voice. She ran forwards and hugged Daria. They remained there for some time.
Helen and Xanthe walked into the morgue. The coroner pulled back the cover and saw that her husband was indeed, dead. "Oh, Jakey! What happened?" she said as she sobbed. She wiped her eyes, and steeled herself. "I need to be at home, with my daughters."
"I'll take you back. Maybe Quinn is back now."
"I hope so! I don't want to lose her too."
When Helen got home her daughters were both sitting in the lounge room. Quinn ran to her mother. "Mom!" she said before breaking down and crying again.
"Quinn! What happened?"
"He was already shot! But it's my fault."
"How is it your fault, Quinn?"
"If I didn't accept a ride, he wouldn't have been there!"
Helen knew that she was holding something back, but didn't want to press.
"I'll go now," Peterson said.
Helen turned and nodded.
The Morgendorffers would then go and prepare for bed, but their grieving had just begun.
"Janie! Daria is on the phone, it sounds like she's upset," Trent said.
"That doesn't sound like Daria," Jane said.
"Still, it's Daria."
"Right."
"Daria?"
"My father is dead. He was shot earlier this evening,"
Jane could tell that her friend was telling the truth. "Shot, in Lawndale? I will be over soon."
"You can come over in the morning. We're rather shook up here. Quinn especially. It seems that he had driven her to a date."
"I'll be there in the morning."
"That would be best."
Quinn tried to go to sleep, but found that she couldn't.
Helen received a call from her boss, Eric.
"I'm sorry, but I have received terrible news! Jake has been shot!"
"Oh!" Eric said.
"He's gone, so I don't have it in me right now."
"Right. Tomorrow I will sign the poperwork for bereavement leave."
"Thanks."
She too didn't get to sleep that night.
Lawndale Sun Herald
Monday November 5, 2000
Deadly Attempted Carjacking Downtown
There was a deadly attempted carjacking last night on Fifth Street.
…
The next morning, a rugged up and highly caffeinated Jane, rang the Morgendorffers' doorbell. She wanted to support Daria in her time of grief.
Helen answered the door. "Jane! Thanks for coming over. I'm sure Daria needs the company."
"That's why I'm here," Jane said. "But what about you?"
"I'm on bereavement leave," Helen said as Jane entered.
"But your friends?"
"Those who live near Lawndale will be visiting."
"None in Lawndale?" Jane asked.
"I haven't had time?" Helen answered with regret. "And my sisters will be here for the funeral."
"I see," Jane said as she went up the stairs.
After running some distance into fog, Quinn took to the rooftops and trees, and swung aimlessly around Lawndale.
Peterson arrived at the Morgendorffer's place at 1111 Glen Oaks Lane. She dreaded notifying the next of kin. She had tried to follow the daughter, but she had disappeared into the fog. 'One thing at a time though.'
She rang the doorbell, and a middle aged woman bearing a significant resemblance to the aforementioned teenager answered it. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Helen Morgendorffer?" Peterson asked in a grave tone.
"What's wrong?" Helen asked in concern.
"It is your husband. I'm afraid, he was shot earlier this evening." Peterson paused before adding. "He… passed away at the scene."
Helen was quiet, for a moment before calling out "DARIA!"
Daria was reading when she heard her mother call out suddenly in a panicked tone. The book fell to the floor as she dashed out.
She came down the stairs to find her mother crying. "Daria?" the police officer asked.
"I am she."
"I'm afraid that your father is dead."
"Dead?" she asked, her heart beating fast.
"There was an attempted carjacking. The assailant is still loose," the officer answered. She turned to her mother. "There is something else; your other daughter, Quinn, came upon the scene and was present when her father passed. Then she ran off into the night."
"You didn't stop her?" her mother asked.
"There was fog. We are looking for her, as well as the assailant."
"I will come to the Morgue to identify him," her mother said. "Then I will look for my other daughter with you."
"Understood."
"Daria, stay here and call me when Quinn comes home."
Daria nodded. The shock was setting in.
And so, Helen left with Officer Peterson while Daria tried to absorb what she had just found out.
Quinn arrived at home as her mother left with the police. She waited for the police car to drive off before swinging down to the kitchen door.
Daria heard the door in the kitchen open. She walked there and found Quinn, rather sad.
"Oh, Daria!" Quinn said, with obvious pain in her voice. She ran forwards and hugged Daria. They remained there for some time.
Helen and Xanthe walked into the morgue. The coroner pulled back the cover and saw that her husband was indeed, dead. "Oh, Jakey! What happened?" she said as she sobbed. She wiped her eyes, and steeled herself. "I need to be at home, with my daughters."
"I'll take you back. Maybe Quinn is back now."
"I hope so! I don't want to lose her too."
When Helen got home her daughters were both sitting in the lounge room. Quinn ran to her mother. "Mom!" she said before breaking down and crying again.
"Quinn! What happened?"
"He was already shot! But it's my fault."
"How is it your fault, Quinn?"
"If I didn't accept a ride, he wouldn't have been there!"
Helen knew that she was holding something back, but didn't want to press.
"I'll go now," Peterson said.
Helen turned and nodded.
The Morgendorffers would then go and prepare for bed, but their grieving had just begun.
"Janie! Daria is on the phone, it sounds like she's upset," Trent said.
"That doesn't sound like Daria," Jane said.
"Still, it's Daria."
"Right."
"Daria?"
"My father is dead. He was shot earlier this evening,"
Jane could tell that her friend was telling the truth. "Shot, in Lawndale? I will be over soon."
"You can come over in the morning. We're rather shook up here. Quinn especially. It seems that he had driven her to a date."
"I'll be there in the morning."
"That would be best."
Quinn tried to go to sleep, but found that she couldn't.
Helen received a call from her boss, Eric.
"I'm sorry, but I have received terrible news! Jake has been shot!"
"Oh!" Eric said.
"He's gone, so I don't have it in me right now."
"Right. Tomorrow I will sign the poperwork for bereavement leave."
"Thanks."
She too didn't get to sleep that night.
Lawndale Sun Herald
Monday November 5, 2000
Deadly Attempted Carjacking Downtown
There was a deadly attempted carjacking last night on Fifth Street.
…
The next morning, a rugged up and highly caffeinated Jane, rang the Morgendorffers' doorbell. She wanted to support Daria in her time of grief.
Helen answered the door. "Jane! Thanks for coming over. I'm sure Daria needs the company."
"That's why I'm here," Jane said. "But what about you?"
"I'm on bereavement leave," Helen said as Jane entered.
"But your friends?"
"Those who live near Lawndale will be visiting."
"None in Lawndale?" Jane asked.
"I haven't had time?" Helen answered with regret. "And my sisters will be here for the funeral."
"I see," Jane said as she went up the stairs.
Last edited:
03 Comes Great Responsibility - Part 2
Part 2
Jane knocked on Daria's door.
"Come in," Daria said.
Jane entered and saw that her friend was still in her PJs and reading a book on her bed. "Daria?"
Daria got up and went and hugged Jane, Jane was surprised, and then hugged back.
They then both sat on the bed. "I don't know what to say," Jane said.
"That you're here is enough," Daria said. "It was so sudden. Like, he wasn't the best father in the world, but he was my father. If only I had spent more time with him. I'm going to miss his cluelessness. The time spent reading the paper together and just him being there. What I'm not going to miss is his rants about his own father."
Jane shrugged. "At least he was here. Not like mine, who only comes to Lawndale very infrequently."
"True," Daria said. She paused and breathed deeply, "I'm more concerned about Quinn, than myself or my mother."
"How so?" Jane asked.
"She blames herself. Dad had gone to pick her up from a date."
"I see."
Daria was then silent for a while.
"Stacy!" Stacy's mother said as she came into the room.
"Mom?" Stacy asked after seeing the serious look on her mother's face.
"Something terrible has happened. Quinn's father was the victim of last nights shooting."
"Oh no!" Stacy said, her eyes full of tears.
"That was her mother on the phone. Quinn is blaming herself. She needs her friends."
"Of course," Stacy said. "I'll go there now!"
While Stacy headed to the Morgendorffer's, a similar conversation was happening at the Griffin's.
"I'll go now," Sandi said.
"Very good, Sandi. Help Quinn."
As she left the room, Linda realised that she didn't know what she would do if she lost Tom.
Stacy rang the doorbell, and Helen answered the door. "Oh, thank you, Stacy. I'm quite beside myself about her. As if losing Jakey wasn't enough."
"I'll go right up."
Quinn heard the knocking on the door. "Go away!" she said, barely lifting her head from the sheets.
"Quinn! It's Stacy!" her friend's concerned voice said.
Quinn rushed to the door.
"Oh sorry, Stacy. I thought it was Mom or Daria!"
"It was your Mom who called me," Stacy said as she sat on a chair and closed the door.
"But it was my fault, Stacy!" Quinn said. "If I had talked to him more after that spider bite, he wouldn't have wanted to drive me last night!"
"Quinn, you're not at fault. It was that guy who is at fault!" Stacy said.
"That's what Daria said," Quinn said quietly.
"I'm here now. You can talk to me. I'll try to keep it together, for you.'
"Thanks, Stacy," Quinn said, as she started crying again.
There was another knock at the door.
"Who's that?" Quinn asked.
"Sandi," came the answer.
"Let her in," Quinn said.
"Are you sure?" Stacy whispered.
Quinn nodded.
Stacy opened the door. She saw that Sandi didn't have her usual haughty look about her.
"I'm here for Quinn," Sandi said sincerely.
"Come in," Stacy said. "I think she needs both of us."
"I'm sorry to hear about what happened," Sandi said as she entered.
"Thanks," Quinn said.
They were quiet for a while. Tiffany didn't come, because Helen had forgotten her in her own grief.
After Sandi had gone up to Quinn's room, Helen called her older sister, Rita.
Rita was shocked to hear that Jake had died. "I'll get to Lawndale as soon as possible," she said.
"Just let me tell Mother," Helen said.
"Of course," Rita said.
"I'll hold you to that."
After calling Rita, Helen called her other sister, Amy.
"I'm afraid that I can't get to Lawndale until later this week," Amy said. "Otherwise I would have been there today."
"That's alright," Helen said.
"It will take that long to organise replacements for my lectures."
"At least Eric was understanding."
"How so?" Amy asked.
"He offered bereavement leave right away."
"He probably knows that you wouldn't be at your best right now."
"True," Helen considered.
Jane was watching Daria write something on her computer when Helen entered and held out the cordless phone. "Aunt Amy would like to talk to you," she said.
"Sure," Daria said as she took the phone.
"How are you holding up?" Amy asked her favorite niece.
"I'm still shocked."
"Understandable. It took until the funeral to accept it when my father passed."
"But I'm sure that you were well into adulthood," Daria said.
"That's true, but I don't think one's age matters, a sudden death still hits hard."
Jane knocked on Daria's door.
"Come in," Daria said.
Jane entered and saw that her friend was still in her PJs and reading a book on her bed. "Daria?"
Daria got up and went and hugged Jane, Jane was surprised, and then hugged back.
They then both sat on the bed. "I don't know what to say," Jane said.
"That you're here is enough," Daria said. "It was so sudden. Like, he wasn't the best father in the world, but he was my father. If only I had spent more time with him. I'm going to miss his cluelessness. The time spent reading the paper together and just him being there. What I'm not going to miss is his rants about his own father."
Jane shrugged. "At least he was here. Not like mine, who only comes to Lawndale very infrequently."
"True," Daria said. She paused and breathed deeply, "I'm more concerned about Quinn, than myself or my mother."
"How so?" Jane asked.
"She blames herself. Dad had gone to pick her up from a date."
"I see."
Daria was then silent for a while.
"Stacy!" Stacy's mother said as she came into the room.
"Mom?" Stacy asked after seeing the serious look on her mother's face.
"Something terrible has happened. Quinn's father was the victim of last nights shooting."
"Oh no!" Stacy said, her eyes full of tears.
"That was her mother on the phone. Quinn is blaming herself. She needs her friends."
"Of course," Stacy said. "I'll go there now!"
While Stacy headed to the Morgendorffer's, a similar conversation was happening at the Griffin's.
"I'll go now," Sandi said.
"Very good, Sandi. Help Quinn."
As she left the room, Linda realised that she didn't know what she would do if she lost Tom.
Stacy rang the doorbell, and Helen answered the door. "Oh, thank you, Stacy. I'm quite beside myself about her. As if losing Jakey wasn't enough."
"I'll go right up."
Quinn heard the knocking on the door. "Go away!" she said, barely lifting her head from the sheets.
"Quinn! It's Stacy!" her friend's concerned voice said.
Quinn rushed to the door.
"Oh sorry, Stacy. I thought it was Mom or Daria!"
"It was your Mom who called me," Stacy said as she sat on a chair and closed the door.
"But it was my fault, Stacy!" Quinn said. "If I had talked to him more after that spider bite, he wouldn't have wanted to drive me last night!"
"Quinn, you're not at fault. It was that guy who is at fault!" Stacy said.
"That's what Daria said," Quinn said quietly.
"I'm here now. You can talk to me. I'll try to keep it together, for you.'
"Thanks, Stacy," Quinn said, as she started crying again.
There was another knock at the door.
"Who's that?" Quinn asked.
"Sandi," came the answer.
"Let her in," Quinn said.
"Are you sure?" Stacy whispered.
Quinn nodded.
Stacy opened the door. She saw that Sandi didn't have her usual haughty look about her.
"I'm here for Quinn," Sandi said sincerely.
"Come in," Stacy said. "I think she needs both of us."
"I'm sorry to hear about what happened," Sandi said as she entered.
"Thanks," Quinn said.
They were quiet for a while. Tiffany didn't come, because Helen had forgotten her in her own grief.
After Sandi had gone up to Quinn's room, Helen called her older sister, Rita.
Rita was shocked to hear that Jake had died. "I'll get to Lawndale as soon as possible," she said.
"Just let me tell Mother," Helen said.
"Of course," Rita said.
"I'll hold you to that."
After calling Rita, Helen called her other sister, Amy.
"I'm afraid that I can't get to Lawndale until later this week," Amy said. "Otherwise I would have been there today."
"That's alright," Helen said.
"It will take that long to organise replacements for my lectures."
"At least Eric was understanding."
"How so?" Amy asked.
"He offered bereavement leave right away."
"He probably knows that you wouldn't be at your best right now."
"True," Helen considered.
Jane was watching Daria write something on her computer when Helen entered and held out the cordless phone. "Aunt Amy would like to talk to you," she said.
"Sure," Daria said as she took the phone.
"How are you holding up?" Amy asked her favorite niece.
"I'm still shocked."
"Understandable. It took until the funeral to accept it when my father passed."
"But I'm sure that you were well into adulthood," Daria said.
"That's true, but I don't think one's age matters, a sudden death still hits hard."
03 Comes Great Responsibility - Part 3
Part 3
As Amy and Daria talked, Helen talked to her mother.
"Do you know what happened?" Theresa Barksdale asked.
"Just that there was an attempted carjacking."
"It seems Lawndale is not as safe as you thought it was."
"Oh no! It was more likely to happen in Highland, than here. It can happen in any town. Our moving to Lawndale is not responsible," Helen answered.
"According to the latest news, the crime rate is increasing."
"Where are you getting that information?"
"I have been getting the Sun Herald delivered," Theresa answered.
"I see."
"Anyway, I can tell you that it does get easier, with time…"
And so, the day continued, with each survivor of the Lawndale Morgendorffers unloading in a healthy or not so healthy way.
Helen continued taking and making calls, reflecting on how Jake helped her not feel lonely in College and later on, in the Commune.
"…That sounds right," Willow Yeager considered. "You two completed each other, and now you're bereft. But you don't have to be alone. You can always call Coyote and I."
"I'll keep that in mind," Helen responded.
Daria and Jane hung out together, much as they usually did. Daria told Jane of the good times, she and her father had when she was younger, although she considered them to be few and far between.
"I don't think they were," Jane said as she looked at the afternoon shadows in the backyard. "But then, my experience is atypical."
Daria nodded. "Still, knowing that is all that there will be, does make me sad."
Jane nodded. "Still, I'll need to be going. Ms. Li allowed me to skip school today, but I don't know about tomorrow."
"True."
However, Quinn was still taking it quite hard, no matter what Stacy and Sandi were saying, or not saying. As they got ready to go, they knew that Quinn was going to continue taking it hard.
The next day, Daria was back at school, but Quinn wasn't.
"…And that's why Quinn isn't in today," Helen said.
"I see, Mrs. Morgendorffer. However, I expect her to be back as soon as possible."
"She'll be back when I think she's ready."
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Thursday November 8, 2000
Obituaries
Jacob Elias Morgendorffer
June 23, 1952 – November 4, 2000
Husband of Helen, Father of Daria and Quinn, Daughter of Ruth.
The Funeral was held on a snowy Tuesday.
The Morgendorffers weren't religious in any way, although they were New Age during their Commune days. However, there was tradition. Jake's mother, Ruth was still a regular Episcopalian parishioner. Therefore, the funeral was held at the local Episcopalian parish, St. Andrews.
Helen, Daria and Quinn arrived at the church and met Ruth and Jake's sister Deborah. Theresa, Amy, Rita and Rita's daughter Erin arrived shortly afterwards. There were a few others who had known Jake in Lawndale and elsewhere, but that was it.
After a hymn it was time for the Eulogies.
Helen was first.
"Jake was my partner. He was the father of my daughters. He was there for me no matter how hard it got during Law School…"
Then it was Ruth, followed by Daria.
But it was Quinn's Eulogy that was the most hard hitting, as she poured out her raw emotion.
"…I will not forget the last words he said. For With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility."
After the funeral, Quinn knew that she had to do something. But she wasn't sure. Her mother and Daria were going on with their lives, but she wasn't sure. She opened her closet and laid her eyes on the SpiderGirl costume she had used that night. "With great power comes great responsibility," she repeated to herself. She then produced some webbing and drew it out of the closet. "I know what I have to do!"
The next day, Helen brought breakfast to Quinn. "Are you going to school today?" she asked.
"Not today," Quinn answered. "But maybe on Friday."
"I see," Helen said.
With her mother gone, Quinn re-opened her sketchbook and continued redesigning the suit. She came up with a skin-tight version, with polarised lenses. She had many old sunglasses she could use for that last item. She spent the morning making it.
However, there was a problem, her hair came out the bottom of it, even when tied back in two low buns. The rest of the suit worked well. Nothing showed that she didn't want to show. She took the mask off. 'Maybe the hair could come out as a ponytail, pigtails, or a bun?' she wondered. She spent a while making another mask, to allow the hair to come through as either a ponytail or pigtails.
Another problem. She was sure that there weren't too many redheads in Lawndale. "So, what is the average hair color and length at Lawndale High?" she asked after taking the mask off again. She grabbed her yearbook and started going through it.
"A light brown," Quinn considered, in the mid afternoon, after her mother had brought her lunch. She wrote that in her sketchbook. "And shorter. I can live with that." If she didn't like it, she could re-grow it, and use a temporary dye. She quickly sketched a picture of herself with light brown hair, slightly shorter than Daria's.
"Right. I'll see if I can get an appointment at a salon tomorrow."
And so, she left her room and went down to the kitchen to look in the telephone directory, as she wanted to use a different salon than the one she had used since she arrived in Lawndale.
"Quinn?" Helen asked when her younger daughter got off the phone.
"I want to try something new," Quinn answered.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I just don't want you acting rash at a difficult time."
"I know."
The next day, Quinn was nervous, but she also wanted it over with.
"So, you want like that?" the hairdresser asked, showing a magazine article.
"Yes. That shade of brown is cute, and not too similar to either of my friends' shades," Quinn answered. She didn't want to be too similar to either Sandi or Stacy, given that the former would be even more of a rival and the latter would be even more panicky."
"And you're sure you want to go that short?"
"Yes!"
An hour later, Quinn walked out of the salon slightly refreshed. She knew the shorter hair would take some getting used to, but she had liked what she saw in the mirror. She headed straight home.
Daria was back from school by the time Quinn got home. Quinn entered and Daria thought for a brief moment that she was looking at a popular version of herself. Only the lack of glasses and their clothes really distinguished them from each other. "Oh!" she said.
"Is that all you can say?" Quinn asked.
"Not really. Just that you look more like me," Daria said quietly.
"Not really, your hair is auburn," Quinn responded. She ran her hand through her hair. "This is light brown."
"There's not much difference," Daria shot back. She then went up the stairs with her afternoon snacks.
Quinn sighed. With her father gone, she wanted to at least get on better with Daria. She wasn't sure when she first came to that realisation. She then headed up to her room.
Having put her suit on again, she put her hair up in pigtails. 'Not too similar to Brittany,' she thought. That was one reason why she didn't go blonde, she supposed. She then put the mask on. 'Perfect,' she thought as she looked in the mirrors. The black and red of the suit, along with the barely shoulder length light brown pigtails looked very stylish. She looked outside. It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set. 'Time to start,' she thought. She opened the side window and then swung up on to the roof.
She looked out over Lawndale towards downtown and then set out to fight crime. She gave a yell as she jumped off the house from above her mother's bedroom and swung away.
Officer Xanthe Peterson came to the scene, where a suspect was stuck in some kind of web. That was something she was unfamiliar with. She also saw a piece of paper attached. On it, in stylised writing was written; Courtesy of your Friendly Neighborhood SpiderGirl.
There was a sound above as of a thwip! She looked up and saw an obviously feminine figure wearing a concealing suit swinging away into the distance.
As Amy and Daria talked, Helen talked to her mother.
"Do you know what happened?" Theresa Barksdale asked.
"Just that there was an attempted carjacking."
"It seems Lawndale is not as safe as you thought it was."
"Oh no! It was more likely to happen in Highland, than here. It can happen in any town. Our moving to Lawndale is not responsible," Helen answered.
"According to the latest news, the crime rate is increasing."
"Where are you getting that information?"
"I have been getting the Sun Herald delivered," Theresa answered.
"I see."
"Anyway, I can tell you that it does get easier, with time…"
And so, the day continued, with each survivor of the Lawndale Morgendorffers unloading in a healthy or not so healthy way.
Helen continued taking and making calls, reflecting on how Jake helped her not feel lonely in College and later on, in the Commune.
"…That sounds right," Willow Yeager considered. "You two completed each other, and now you're bereft. But you don't have to be alone. You can always call Coyote and I."
"I'll keep that in mind," Helen responded.
Daria and Jane hung out together, much as they usually did. Daria told Jane of the good times, she and her father had when she was younger, although she considered them to be few and far between.
"I don't think they were," Jane said as she looked at the afternoon shadows in the backyard. "But then, my experience is atypical."
Daria nodded. "Still, knowing that is all that there will be, does make me sad."
Jane nodded. "Still, I'll need to be going. Ms. Li allowed me to skip school today, but I don't know about tomorrow."
"True."
However, Quinn was still taking it quite hard, no matter what Stacy and Sandi were saying, or not saying. As they got ready to go, they knew that Quinn was going to continue taking it hard.
The next day, Daria was back at school, but Quinn wasn't.
"…And that's why Quinn isn't in today," Helen said.
"I see, Mrs. Morgendorffer. However, I expect her to be back as soon as possible."
"She'll be back when I think she's ready."
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Thursday November 8, 2000
Obituaries
Jacob Elias Morgendorffer
June 23, 1952 – November 4, 2000
Husband of Helen, Father of Daria and Quinn, Daughter of Ruth.
The Funeral was held on a snowy Tuesday.
The Morgendorffers weren't religious in any way, although they were New Age during their Commune days. However, there was tradition. Jake's mother, Ruth was still a regular Episcopalian parishioner. Therefore, the funeral was held at the local Episcopalian parish, St. Andrews.
Helen, Daria and Quinn arrived at the church and met Ruth and Jake's sister Deborah. Theresa, Amy, Rita and Rita's daughter Erin arrived shortly afterwards. There were a few others who had known Jake in Lawndale and elsewhere, but that was it.
After a hymn it was time for the Eulogies.
Helen was first.
"Jake was my partner. He was the father of my daughters. He was there for me no matter how hard it got during Law School…"
Then it was Ruth, followed by Daria.
But it was Quinn's Eulogy that was the most hard hitting, as she poured out her raw emotion.
"…I will not forget the last words he said. For With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility."
After the funeral, Quinn knew that she had to do something. But she wasn't sure. Her mother and Daria were going on with their lives, but she wasn't sure. She opened her closet and laid her eyes on the SpiderGirl costume she had used that night. "With great power comes great responsibility," she repeated to herself. She then produced some webbing and drew it out of the closet. "I know what I have to do!"
The next day, Helen brought breakfast to Quinn. "Are you going to school today?" she asked.
"Not today," Quinn answered. "But maybe on Friday."
"I see," Helen said.
With her mother gone, Quinn re-opened her sketchbook and continued redesigning the suit. She came up with a skin-tight version, with polarised lenses. She had many old sunglasses she could use for that last item. She spent the morning making it.
However, there was a problem, her hair came out the bottom of it, even when tied back in two low buns. The rest of the suit worked well. Nothing showed that she didn't want to show. She took the mask off. 'Maybe the hair could come out as a ponytail, pigtails, or a bun?' she wondered. She spent a while making another mask, to allow the hair to come through as either a ponytail or pigtails.
Another problem. She was sure that there weren't too many redheads in Lawndale. "So, what is the average hair color and length at Lawndale High?" she asked after taking the mask off again. She grabbed her yearbook and started going through it.
"A light brown," Quinn considered, in the mid afternoon, after her mother had brought her lunch. She wrote that in her sketchbook. "And shorter. I can live with that." If she didn't like it, she could re-grow it, and use a temporary dye. She quickly sketched a picture of herself with light brown hair, slightly shorter than Daria's.
"Right. I'll see if I can get an appointment at a salon tomorrow."
And so, she left her room and went down to the kitchen to look in the telephone directory, as she wanted to use a different salon than the one she had used since she arrived in Lawndale.
"Quinn?" Helen asked when her younger daughter got off the phone.
"I want to try something new," Quinn answered.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I just don't want you acting rash at a difficult time."
"I know."
The next day, Quinn was nervous, but she also wanted it over with.
"So, you want like that?" the hairdresser asked, showing a magazine article.
"Yes. That shade of brown is cute, and not too similar to either of my friends' shades," Quinn answered. She didn't want to be too similar to either Sandi or Stacy, given that the former would be even more of a rival and the latter would be even more panicky."
"And you're sure you want to go that short?"
"Yes!"
An hour later, Quinn walked out of the salon slightly refreshed. She knew the shorter hair would take some getting used to, but she had liked what she saw in the mirror. She headed straight home.
Daria was back from school by the time Quinn got home. Quinn entered and Daria thought for a brief moment that she was looking at a popular version of herself. Only the lack of glasses and their clothes really distinguished them from each other. "Oh!" she said.
"Is that all you can say?" Quinn asked.
"Not really. Just that you look more like me," Daria said quietly.
"Not really, your hair is auburn," Quinn responded. She ran her hand through her hair. "This is light brown."
"There's not much difference," Daria shot back. She then went up the stairs with her afternoon snacks.
Quinn sighed. With her father gone, she wanted to at least get on better with Daria. She wasn't sure when she first came to that realisation. She then headed up to her room.
Having put her suit on again, she put her hair up in pigtails. 'Not too similar to Brittany,' she thought. That was one reason why she didn't go blonde, she supposed. She then put the mask on. 'Perfect,' she thought as she looked in the mirrors. The black and red of the suit, along with the barely shoulder length light brown pigtails looked very stylish. She looked outside. It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set. 'Time to start,' she thought. She opened the side window and then swung up on to the roof.
She looked out over Lawndale towards downtown and then set out to fight crime. She gave a yell as she jumped off the house from above her mother's bedroom and swung away.
Officer Xanthe Peterson came to the scene, where a suspect was stuck in some kind of web. That was something she was unfamiliar with. She also saw a piece of paper attached. On it, in stylised writing was written; Courtesy of your Friendly Neighborhood SpiderGirl.
There was a sound above as of a thwip! She looked up and saw an obviously feminine figure wearing a concealing suit swinging away into the distance.
Last edited:
04 SpiderGirl's Debut
04 SpiderGirl's Debut
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Friday November 16, 2000
Mysterious vigilante 'SpiderGirl'
…. "I only saw her for about a second. All I can be confident of, is that it is indeed a female," Stated Officer Xanthe Peterson…
Having, read the article, Quinn Morgendorffer left the café. She smiled. The various criminals had been put on notice, in a way. She looked at the time on the court house clock tower in the distance. There was half an hour before Homeroom would start. More than enough time to look over a couple of streets before heading to school. She ducked into a vacant alley, and quickly pulled her mask on and swung up onto a roof where she pulled off the clothes she had worn into the café.
SpiderGirl was seen once or twice that morning.
Arriving at school and having stashed her suit in her bag, Quinn overheard various students talking about the newspaper article.
Her friends met her
"What do you think about it?" Sandi asked.
"What do you mean?" Quinn asked.
"It's in all of the news," Sandi said.
"Like, the police are overwhelmed with all the new crime," Quinn said. "Besides, the person who killed my father is still out there! If she can catch him, that would be good."
"What do you mean, catch?" Sandi asked.
"I mean, so that the police can charge and then he goes to court and then to jail, duh!" Quinn responded, her voice rising. She then looked around and saw that a crowd had gathered. "Move along. I'm fine."
"And we need to talk about your hair!"
"I needed a change."
"There will be an emergency Fashion Club meeting this afternoon."
"Fine!" Quinn said as the bell rang.
"Wait!"
Quinn knew that Sandi would react that way, as such she had thought about what she would say. But first she needed to find a place within the school that she could use as a base away from home without raising suspicions.
First was the roof space, which she checked at Lunch after taking her food from the cafeteria. However, she found Daria and Jane talking somewhere nearby. "Oh!" she said.
"Quinn?" Jane asked with curiosity.
Quinn came over to them. "Oh, sorry if I interrupted something."
"Oh, you didn't," Jane responded.
"We were talking about SpiderGirl," Daria said.
"Everyone is," Quinn said, with a shrug.
"All that I'm sure of, is that she is someone that doesn't have a strong hold of grammar," Daria said, with her usual flat tone.
"How do you figure?" Quinn said.
"There is no space in the name. Its run together," Daria said.
"Or maybe it just adds to the mystery," Quinn said with a giggle.
"I suppose it does," Daria said.
"And maybe crime would go down," Quinn added.
"I wouldn't bet on it," Daria said with her usual tone. "She would have her own agenda."
Quinn was then silent.
"And what's with the hair?" Jane asked.
Quinn wasn't annoyed, she knew Jane would ask. "I felt like a change," she said. "Although, I'll have to come up with more than that for Sandi."
"Daria doesn't like it," Jane said.
"So what?" Quinn asked. "She can change things too, if she wants."
Jane thought about Quinn's response. The change from quite long red hair that she almost always wore down, to shoulder length light brown hair that she was wearing in pigtails certainly seemed drastic. But then she didn't know how she would react if she lost either of her parents.
"Why are you up here?" Daria asked.
"I was coming up here to reflect on things, where my friends wouldn't find me," Quinn responded. "I guess I'll have to find somewhere else in the school."
"There are many places students don't usually go," Daria said, "Or aren't allowed to. But are you sure about that?"
"If I want to talk I will. Sometimes to you," Quinn said before turning back to the door.
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief as she went down. She wondered how long it would take to search the school.
Indeed, it didn't take that long at all. She found a disused store room in the science block.
Remembering the Emergency Fashion Club Meeting, Quinn left the school immediately upon the end of the last class. She headed straight to the Griffin's wanting to be there before Sandi got home.
Sandi was surprised to see Quinn already at her house. "Gee, Quinn, did you get a boy to break the speed limit?"
"Probably," Quinn said, tossing one of her pigtails.
"I see," Sandi said. "Stacy and Tiffany won't be here for another ten minutes."
Stacy arrived there next. "Why did you call this meeting?" she asked as she entered Sandi's room. "I didn't wear that silly clip. And I don't admire the description of SpiderGirl's costume."
"Stacy! We're not talking about the clip, nor about the new vigilante. But about Quinn changing her look."
"Quinn looks fine."
"Thanks, Stacy," Quinn said.
"I'll explain once Tiffany gets here," Sandi said.
Quinn sighed.
Tiffany was tardy, but not by much.
"Why are we meeting to-day?" she asked as she entered the room.
"Quinn," Sandi answered.
"Oh," Tiffany said.
"Meeting start at 3:43," Stacy said.
"Now, I'm sure you've noticed that Quinn has cut and died her hair," Sandi said.
"So, what, Sandi?" Stacy asked.
"Haven't you noticed that her shade is similar to both yours and mine?" Sandi asked,
"Not really," Stacy said. "It is lighter. No one would confuse her for either of us."
"And the length is similar."
"So, what?" Quinn asked. "My style is different to yours and Stacy's."
"Hmh!" Sandi said. "I move to censure Quinn for not notifying us of such a drastic change."
"I'm sure you would want to make a change after losing a family member," Quinn said sadly.
"Be it as it may. I still move to censure you," Sandi said. She looked at the other two. "All in favor?" She raised her hand.
Neither Stacy, nor Tiffany raised theirs.
"Not carried," the former said.
"What?"
"You're going to far," Stacy said. "Remember that Morgendorffer…"
"I know he died!"
"This is a farce, Sandi! I'm leaving!" Quinn decided.
"Wait!" Sandi said as she realised that she made a big mistake.
"Do you apologise?" Quinn asked.
"Yes. Stacy, remove the censure motion from the minutes."
"Done!"
"Good," Quinn said, with a low tone. 'But I'm still leaving now."
"So am I," Stacy said after Quinn had gone.
"As you wish!" Sandi said with annoyance.
Quinn exited the Griffin's house into the backyard, as she was certain that the others wouldn't expect her to go that way. Even so, she double checked to make sure that they weren't looking before webswinging up to the roof. There, she quickly changed into her suit before leaving on her patrol of the area. It would give her time to think about what Sandi had tried to do.
Stacy exited the house into the front yard. She didn't see Quinn anywhere. "Quinn!" she called out.
She then saw SpiderGirl swing across the street. "SpiderGirl!" she called, but the vigilante didn't hear.
She went to the street and looked around for Quinn. It seemed that she had disappeared. 'I guess I'll have to go home alone,' she thought.
Having left the Griffin's, SpiderGirl headed downtown.
She found herself going along Dega Street. Suddenly she saw something in an alley. Someone was getting mugged. She quickly moved into action, disarming the mugger, and then webbing him up. She then came down in front of the would-be victim.
"Thanks," the young lady said, warily. "Who are you?"
"Your friendly neighborhood SpiderGirl!"
"Oh, you're the one they've been talking about?"
"Yes, but we better get going, this isn't a safe place," SpiderGirl said.
"Of course. I was taking a shortcut. It hasn't happened before," the lady said as she started walking out of the alley.
"Crime has been increasing in Lawndale," SpiderGirl said.
"Like that recent murder…"
"Yes!" SpiderGirl said harshly. "And it remains unsolved." They then came out into the street. "You should be safe now. Gotta go!" She then swung away.
Helen was on her way home when a report came on the radio. "SpiderGirl has been sighted again this afternoon near Dega Street."
Helen wasn't sure what to think of such a vigilante. Crime was increasing in Lawndale, but it wasn't yet anywhere near the prevalence it had in Highland. 'Superheroes. What next, actual magic?' she wondered.
Daria was in the kitchen when Helen entered. "How was today?" she asked.
"The usual," Daria responded. "Quinn's still keeping to herself though."
"How do you figure that."
"She was looking for somewhere to be alone on the school grounds."
"I see," Helen said.
"Jane and I also talked about that new vigilante."
"I'm not sure what's going on there."
"Like, is a vigilante a good thing?" Daria asked rhetorically. "I don't think so."
Helen nodded. She knew that things in Lawndale were going to get more 'interesting', in a Chinese sense.
Unknown to her mother and sister, Quinn had overheard the conversation, while was she waiting in the lounge room. 'I have to do something,' she thought. 'Great Power and Great Responsibility and all.' Still, it wasn't like there would be anyone with other kinds of powers to interfere. She then entered the kitchen.
"How was school?" her mother asked.
"It was fine," Quinn responded. "Although Sandi doesn't like my hair."
"I see. Is that all?"
"Yes. Stacy doesn't mind it. I also have some catch up homework. It won't be like that essay last year."
"Good."
Quinn grabbed some snacks before heading up to her room. She wanted to get some of that homework started before going on another evening patrol.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Saturday November 17, 2000
SpiderGirl sighted again.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Friday November 16, 2000
Mysterious vigilante 'SpiderGirl'
…. "I only saw her for about a second. All I can be confident of, is that it is indeed a female," Stated Officer Xanthe Peterson…
Having, read the article, Quinn Morgendorffer left the café. She smiled. The various criminals had been put on notice, in a way. She looked at the time on the court house clock tower in the distance. There was half an hour before Homeroom would start. More than enough time to look over a couple of streets before heading to school. She ducked into a vacant alley, and quickly pulled her mask on and swung up onto a roof where she pulled off the clothes she had worn into the café.
SpiderGirl was seen once or twice that morning.
Arriving at school and having stashed her suit in her bag, Quinn overheard various students talking about the newspaper article.
Her friends met her
"What do you think about it?" Sandi asked.
"What do you mean?" Quinn asked.
"It's in all of the news," Sandi said.
"Like, the police are overwhelmed with all the new crime," Quinn said. "Besides, the person who killed my father is still out there! If she can catch him, that would be good."
"What do you mean, catch?" Sandi asked.
"I mean, so that the police can charge and then he goes to court and then to jail, duh!" Quinn responded, her voice rising. She then looked around and saw that a crowd had gathered. "Move along. I'm fine."
"And we need to talk about your hair!"
"I needed a change."
"There will be an emergency Fashion Club meeting this afternoon."
"Fine!" Quinn said as the bell rang.
"Wait!"
Quinn knew that Sandi would react that way, as such she had thought about what she would say. But first she needed to find a place within the school that she could use as a base away from home without raising suspicions.
First was the roof space, which she checked at Lunch after taking her food from the cafeteria. However, she found Daria and Jane talking somewhere nearby. "Oh!" she said.
"Quinn?" Jane asked with curiosity.
Quinn came over to them. "Oh, sorry if I interrupted something."
"Oh, you didn't," Jane responded.
"We were talking about SpiderGirl," Daria said.
"Everyone is," Quinn said, with a shrug.
"All that I'm sure of, is that she is someone that doesn't have a strong hold of grammar," Daria said, with her usual flat tone.
"How do you figure?" Quinn said.
"There is no space in the name. Its run together," Daria said.
"Or maybe it just adds to the mystery," Quinn said with a giggle.
"I suppose it does," Daria said.
"And maybe crime would go down," Quinn added.
"I wouldn't bet on it," Daria said with her usual tone. "She would have her own agenda."
Quinn was then silent.
"And what's with the hair?" Jane asked.
Quinn wasn't annoyed, she knew Jane would ask. "I felt like a change," she said. "Although, I'll have to come up with more than that for Sandi."
"Daria doesn't like it," Jane said.
"So what?" Quinn asked. "She can change things too, if she wants."
Jane thought about Quinn's response. The change from quite long red hair that she almost always wore down, to shoulder length light brown hair that she was wearing in pigtails certainly seemed drastic. But then she didn't know how she would react if she lost either of her parents.
"Why are you up here?" Daria asked.
"I was coming up here to reflect on things, where my friends wouldn't find me," Quinn responded. "I guess I'll have to find somewhere else in the school."
"There are many places students don't usually go," Daria said, "Or aren't allowed to. But are you sure about that?"
"If I want to talk I will. Sometimes to you," Quinn said before turning back to the door.
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief as she went down. She wondered how long it would take to search the school.
Indeed, it didn't take that long at all. She found a disused store room in the science block.
Remembering the Emergency Fashion Club Meeting, Quinn left the school immediately upon the end of the last class. She headed straight to the Griffin's wanting to be there before Sandi got home.
Sandi was surprised to see Quinn already at her house. "Gee, Quinn, did you get a boy to break the speed limit?"
"Probably," Quinn said, tossing one of her pigtails.
"I see," Sandi said. "Stacy and Tiffany won't be here for another ten minutes."
Stacy arrived there next. "Why did you call this meeting?" she asked as she entered Sandi's room. "I didn't wear that silly clip. And I don't admire the description of SpiderGirl's costume."
"Stacy! We're not talking about the clip, nor about the new vigilante. But about Quinn changing her look."
"Quinn looks fine."
"Thanks, Stacy," Quinn said.
"I'll explain once Tiffany gets here," Sandi said.
Quinn sighed.
Tiffany was tardy, but not by much.
"Why are we meeting to-day?" she asked as she entered the room.
"Quinn," Sandi answered.
"Oh," Tiffany said.
"Meeting start at 3:43," Stacy said.
"Now, I'm sure you've noticed that Quinn has cut and died her hair," Sandi said.
"So, what, Sandi?" Stacy asked.
"Haven't you noticed that her shade is similar to both yours and mine?" Sandi asked,
"Not really," Stacy said. "It is lighter. No one would confuse her for either of us."
"And the length is similar."
"So, what?" Quinn asked. "My style is different to yours and Stacy's."
"Hmh!" Sandi said. "I move to censure Quinn for not notifying us of such a drastic change."
"I'm sure you would want to make a change after losing a family member," Quinn said sadly.
"Be it as it may. I still move to censure you," Sandi said. She looked at the other two. "All in favor?" She raised her hand.
Neither Stacy, nor Tiffany raised theirs.
"Not carried," the former said.
"What?"
"You're going to far," Stacy said. "Remember that Morgendorffer…"
"I know he died!"
"This is a farce, Sandi! I'm leaving!" Quinn decided.
"Wait!" Sandi said as she realised that she made a big mistake.
"Do you apologise?" Quinn asked.
"Yes. Stacy, remove the censure motion from the minutes."
"Done!"
"Good," Quinn said, with a low tone. 'But I'm still leaving now."
"So am I," Stacy said after Quinn had gone.
"As you wish!" Sandi said with annoyance.
Quinn exited the Griffin's house into the backyard, as she was certain that the others wouldn't expect her to go that way. Even so, she double checked to make sure that they weren't looking before webswinging up to the roof. There, she quickly changed into her suit before leaving on her patrol of the area. It would give her time to think about what Sandi had tried to do.
Stacy exited the house into the front yard. She didn't see Quinn anywhere. "Quinn!" she called out.
She then saw SpiderGirl swing across the street. "SpiderGirl!" she called, but the vigilante didn't hear.
She went to the street and looked around for Quinn. It seemed that she had disappeared. 'I guess I'll have to go home alone,' she thought.
Having left the Griffin's, SpiderGirl headed downtown.
She found herself going along Dega Street. Suddenly she saw something in an alley. Someone was getting mugged. She quickly moved into action, disarming the mugger, and then webbing him up. She then came down in front of the would-be victim.
"Thanks," the young lady said, warily. "Who are you?"
"Your friendly neighborhood SpiderGirl!"
"Oh, you're the one they've been talking about?"
"Yes, but we better get going, this isn't a safe place," SpiderGirl said.
"Of course. I was taking a shortcut. It hasn't happened before," the lady said as she started walking out of the alley.
"Crime has been increasing in Lawndale," SpiderGirl said.
"Like that recent murder…"
"Yes!" SpiderGirl said harshly. "And it remains unsolved." They then came out into the street. "You should be safe now. Gotta go!" She then swung away.
Helen was on her way home when a report came on the radio. "SpiderGirl has been sighted again this afternoon near Dega Street."
Helen wasn't sure what to think of such a vigilante. Crime was increasing in Lawndale, but it wasn't yet anywhere near the prevalence it had in Highland. 'Superheroes. What next, actual magic?' she wondered.
Daria was in the kitchen when Helen entered. "How was today?" she asked.
"The usual," Daria responded. "Quinn's still keeping to herself though."
"How do you figure that."
"She was looking for somewhere to be alone on the school grounds."
"I see," Helen said.
"Jane and I also talked about that new vigilante."
"I'm not sure what's going on there."
"Like, is a vigilante a good thing?" Daria asked rhetorically. "I don't think so."
Helen nodded. She knew that things in Lawndale were going to get more 'interesting', in a Chinese sense.
Unknown to her mother and sister, Quinn had overheard the conversation, while was she waiting in the lounge room. 'I have to do something,' she thought. 'Great Power and Great Responsibility and all.' Still, it wasn't like there would be anyone with other kinds of powers to interfere. She then entered the kitchen.
"How was school?" her mother asked.
"It was fine," Quinn responded. "Although Sandi doesn't like my hair."
"I see. Is that all?"
"Yes. Stacy doesn't mind it. I also have some catch up homework. It won't be like that essay last year."
"Good."
Quinn grabbed some snacks before heading up to her room. She wanted to get some of that homework started before going on another evening patrol.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Saturday November 17, 2000
SpiderGirl sighted again.
Last edited:
05 The Trip to Freemont - Part 1
05 The Trip to Freemont Part 1
Jane looked at the card Daria held out. "Wow. Licensed to drive. The grotesque picture makes it official."
"Thanks," Daria said.
"So now that you're in the government's master computer for the rest of your life, let's celebrate," Jane said.
Inside, Jane took some cake out of the freezer. "Tada!"
"It looks kind of old," Daria commented.
"Yeah, well, I baked it way back when you took the test the first time," Jane explained.
"You baked this?"
"Baked, bought. Let's not ruin the moment with a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo."
Then Mystik Spiral arrived.
"Cake," Trent said.
"Cool," Jesse said.
"It's for Daria," Jane explained.
"He can have some. I mean, they can have some," Daria said.
"What's up, Birthday?" Trent asked.
"She got her license," Jane explained.
"Whoa! This thing is really hard and cold. You think it's frozen?"
"Could be, Nick, could be. It just might have to thaw out."
"I'll wait," Jesse said.
"No, you won't. We can't hang around, man. We've got a world tour! World tour!" Max Tyler said.
"Then we'd better find a hammer. Come on, Nick," Jesse said, before leaving.
"Let 'em go," Daria said. "They'll give it a good home. What world tour?"
"We got a gig in Freemont, 100 miles away," Trent answered.
"It's a small world after all," Daria commented
"If I could talk to the animals. Anyway, I told you about that, remember? I'm the road management coordinator?"
"You mean we're paying you 20 bucks to drive us."
"Let's not cloud the horizon with a lot of semantic hair-splitting,"
"You ought to come along, Daria," Trent said.
"Forget it! I tried. She's house-sitting," Jane said.
"My mother is away for the weekend, I told her I'd keep Quinn from turning the place into a modelling agency."
"Too bad. It's gonna be cool," Trent said.
"Yeah, I was there with my Dad… once…" Daria said, trailing off. His death was still rather fresh in her mind. "Anyway, isn't it a lot duller than Lawndale?"
"Hey, not after the Spiral gets there! We're criminales! We live life on the edge! You go up against the Spiral, we're gonna take you down!" Max said.
"Even if it's SpiderGirl?" Daria asked.
"I bet she's a bored cheerleader with too much free time," Trent said.
"That doesn't explain what she's been seen doing," Daria said.
"Maybe."
Elsewhere in Lawndale, SpiderGirl had captured a would-be thief.
"Like, who would try to rob a store in broad daylight?" she asked him.
"It's early in the morning on an overcast day," the thief responded.
"I guess so," the young superheroine said as she looked down the alley the store opened onto. "Now, before I call the cops, I'd like to know if you're working alone, or are following orders or whatever."
"Why would you want to know that?"
"I'll tell the cops, duh! Maybe you'll get off lightly in court," SpiderGirl said.
"Right. It was this person…" the thief started before shaking his head. "I don't know their name. But I do know they're operating out of Freemont!"
"Freemont? Isn't that a dull town in the middle of nowhere?"
"He said it would lower suspicion."
"I see," SpiderGirl said. "Well, he'll find that he isn't beyond my reach."
"Wait!"
"Yes?" SpiderGirl said as she wrote her note for the police.
"That's all I know."
"Really?"
"Yes. I don't know what he would do when he finds out I told you," the thief said,
"I wouldn't worry about that," SpiderGirl said. She then swung away.
Daria and Quinn got home at the same time and found that their mother was rushing about, getting ready to leave.
"Mom?" Quinn asked.
"Sorry, sometimes I leave these things to the last minute. Somehow without your father…"
Daria closed the door. "It's OK, Mom, we miss him too."
"Yes, anyway. I told you that he and I originally arranged this trip for a marriage seminar."
"Yes," Quinn said sadly.
"So, now it's a widowhood seminar?"
"Dar-i-a!" Quinn said annoying.
"You're right, too soon," Daria said quietly.
Her mother put her hand on Daria's shoulder. "I wish, Daria. But somehow, Eric convinced me to turn it into a work trip."
"I see," Quinn said.
"Anyway, I have about five minutes."
Soon after Helen left, Quinn's friends arrived. Daria noticed that Sandi arrived last. 'There's something there,' she thought.
Things with the Fashion Club were tense. Quinn knew that things between her and Sandi weren't resolved regarding her hair. 'But it's not just that, is it?' she thought. They had always been rivals since she had arrived in Lawndale. 'At least it's the same with Stacy,' she considered.
Then there was a phone call.
She picked it up. "Hello? Morgendorffers."
"Jane here. I'd like to talk to Daria."
"Sure."
Daria waited before Quinn had left the room to talk to Jane. "You're where?"
"Jail! You gotta come get us out."
"What happened?"
"That's the good part. I got it on tape. When Mike Wallace gets through with these backwater cops, they're not gonna know what hit 'em."
Daria listened as Jane explained what happened. "Wow, sounds really brutal. But why are you in jail if he just gave you a ticket?"
"We're from out of state, so we're supposed to pay the fine at the sheriff's office right away. It's a hundred bucks, and we don't have it."
"I don't either."
"Obviously. Look, go over to my house. Use the door with the broken lock. There's some money in the living room table, in the drawer with the missing handle. Oh, and while you're there, Trent wants you to pick up his song notebook. It's under his bed in the burnt shoe box."
"How am I supposed to get it to you?"
"You have a license, don't you? And listen, hurry up. I'm a survivor, but I'm not so sure about the other guys."
It wasn't far from the Morgendorffers to Casa Lane. Daria got the money and Trent's notebook. She did take a peek from.
After Daria had left, Quinn called the exchange, and found that the call had come from Freemont. "Eureka!" she said when she had hung up.
"What have you found, Quinn?" Sandi asked.
"Something," she said enigmatically.
"What?"
"You don't need to know."
Sandi turned away in a huff.
Sandi left quicky.
"What happened?" Stacy asked.
"I have no idea," Quinn answered.
"Oh."
"Don't worry," Quinn said.
"Of course, I'm going to worry!" Stacy said. "You know me."
She did know Stacy. "I'll figure it out.'
Stacy nodded.
"But I'm going to be doing something with Daria…"
"Really?" Stacy asked in surprise.
"Yes, Jane and her brother's band are in Jail and Daria is taking the bail money there."
"Oh, but you don't have to go."
"It's a rare opportunity to annoy her on a road trip!"
"I see. I'll get Tiffany and go then," Stacy said.
"Cool, I'll probably be back for Buffy."
Stacy nodded. She liked Buffy too.
Jane looked at the card Daria held out. "Wow. Licensed to drive. The grotesque picture makes it official."
"Thanks," Daria said.
"So now that you're in the government's master computer for the rest of your life, let's celebrate," Jane said.
Inside, Jane took some cake out of the freezer. "Tada!"
"It looks kind of old," Daria commented.
"Yeah, well, I baked it way back when you took the test the first time," Jane explained.
"You baked this?"
"Baked, bought. Let's not ruin the moment with a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo."
Then Mystik Spiral arrived.
"Cake," Trent said.
"Cool," Jesse said.
"It's for Daria," Jane explained.
"He can have some. I mean, they can have some," Daria said.
"What's up, Birthday?" Trent asked.
"She got her license," Jane explained.
"Whoa! This thing is really hard and cold. You think it's frozen?"
"Could be, Nick, could be. It just might have to thaw out."
"I'll wait," Jesse said.
"No, you won't. We can't hang around, man. We've got a world tour! World tour!" Max Tyler said.
"Then we'd better find a hammer. Come on, Nick," Jesse said, before leaving.
"Let 'em go," Daria said. "They'll give it a good home. What world tour?"
"We got a gig in Freemont, 100 miles away," Trent answered.
"It's a small world after all," Daria commented
"If I could talk to the animals. Anyway, I told you about that, remember? I'm the road management coordinator?"
"You mean we're paying you 20 bucks to drive us."
"Let's not cloud the horizon with a lot of semantic hair-splitting,"
"You ought to come along, Daria," Trent said.
"Forget it! I tried. She's house-sitting," Jane said.
"My mother is away for the weekend, I told her I'd keep Quinn from turning the place into a modelling agency."
"Too bad. It's gonna be cool," Trent said.
"Yeah, I was there with my Dad… once…" Daria said, trailing off. His death was still rather fresh in her mind. "Anyway, isn't it a lot duller than Lawndale?"
"Hey, not after the Spiral gets there! We're criminales! We live life on the edge! You go up against the Spiral, we're gonna take you down!" Max said.
"Even if it's SpiderGirl?" Daria asked.
"I bet she's a bored cheerleader with too much free time," Trent said.
"That doesn't explain what she's been seen doing," Daria said.
"Maybe."
Elsewhere in Lawndale, SpiderGirl had captured a would-be thief.
"Like, who would try to rob a store in broad daylight?" she asked him.
"It's early in the morning on an overcast day," the thief responded.
"I guess so," the young superheroine said as she looked down the alley the store opened onto. "Now, before I call the cops, I'd like to know if you're working alone, or are following orders or whatever."
"Why would you want to know that?"
"I'll tell the cops, duh! Maybe you'll get off lightly in court," SpiderGirl said.
"Right. It was this person…" the thief started before shaking his head. "I don't know their name. But I do know they're operating out of Freemont!"
"Freemont? Isn't that a dull town in the middle of nowhere?"
"He said it would lower suspicion."
"I see," SpiderGirl said. "Well, he'll find that he isn't beyond my reach."
"Wait!"
"Yes?" SpiderGirl said as she wrote her note for the police.
"That's all I know."
"Really?"
"Yes. I don't know what he would do when he finds out I told you," the thief said,
"I wouldn't worry about that," SpiderGirl said. She then swung away.
Daria and Quinn got home at the same time and found that their mother was rushing about, getting ready to leave.
"Mom?" Quinn asked.
"Sorry, sometimes I leave these things to the last minute. Somehow without your father…"
Daria closed the door. "It's OK, Mom, we miss him too."
"Yes, anyway. I told you that he and I originally arranged this trip for a marriage seminar."
"Yes," Quinn said sadly.
"So, now it's a widowhood seminar?"
"Dar-i-a!" Quinn said annoying.
"You're right, too soon," Daria said quietly.
Her mother put her hand on Daria's shoulder. "I wish, Daria. But somehow, Eric convinced me to turn it into a work trip."
"I see," Quinn said.
"Anyway, I have about five minutes."
Soon after Helen left, Quinn's friends arrived. Daria noticed that Sandi arrived last. 'There's something there,' she thought.
Things with the Fashion Club were tense. Quinn knew that things between her and Sandi weren't resolved regarding her hair. 'But it's not just that, is it?' she thought. They had always been rivals since she had arrived in Lawndale. 'At least it's the same with Stacy,' she considered.
Then there was a phone call.
She picked it up. "Hello? Morgendorffers."
"Jane here. I'd like to talk to Daria."
"Sure."
Daria waited before Quinn had left the room to talk to Jane. "You're where?"
"Jail! You gotta come get us out."
"What happened?"
"That's the good part. I got it on tape. When Mike Wallace gets through with these backwater cops, they're not gonna know what hit 'em."
Daria listened as Jane explained what happened. "Wow, sounds really brutal. But why are you in jail if he just gave you a ticket?"
"We're from out of state, so we're supposed to pay the fine at the sheriff's office right away. It's a hundred bucks, and we don't have it."
"I don't either."
"Obviously. Look, go over to my house. Use the door with the broken lock. There's some money in the living room table, in the drawer with the missing handle. Oh, and while you're there, Trent wants you to pick up his song notebook. It's under his bed in the burnt shoe box."
"How am I supposed to get it to you?"
"You have a license, don't you? And listen, hurry up. I'm a survivor, but I'm not so sure about the other guys."
It wasn't far from the Morgendorffers to Casa Lane. Daria got the money and Trent's notebook. She did take a peek from.
After Daria had left, Quinn called the exchange, and found that the call had come from Freemont. "Eureka!" she said when she had hung up.
"What have you found, Quinn?" Sandi asked.
"Something," she said enigmatically.
"What?"
"You don't need to know."
Sandi turned away in a huff.
Sandi left quicky.
"What happened?" Stacy asked.
"I have no idea," Quinn answered.
"Oh."
"Don't worry," Quinn said.
"Of course, I'm going to worry!" Stacy said. "You know me."
She did know Stacy. "I'll figure it out.'
Stacy nodded.
"But I'm going to be doing something with Daria…"
"Really?" Stacy asked in surprise.
"Yes, Jane and her brother's band are in Jail and Daria is taking the bail money there."
"Oh, but you don't have to go."
"It's a rare opportunity to annoy her on a road trip!"
"I see. I'll get Tiffany and go then," Stacy said.
"Cool, I'll probably be back for Buffy."
Stacy nodded. She liked Buffy too.
05 The Trip to Freemont - Part 2
Part 2
Upon arriving home, Daria got into the car that formerly belonged to her father, but which her mother said she and Quinn could use. She turned on the engine.
"Okay, let's do it!" Quinn said as she got in.
"Quinn, what are you doing?" Daria asked.
"I'm not gonna just sit here while you drive off to some far, unknown land to get your friends out of jail! What if something unexpected happens?"
"You're worried about me?"
"Let me rephrase that: what if something cool happens?" Quinn responded.
"Well, I suppose it would be smart in case there's some emergency," Daria allowed.
"Great! I get to choose the music," Quinn said as she turned on pop music.
"Isn't there something else on?"
"Forget it. This is the only music I can listen to."
"Well, can you turn it down?"
"You're not the boss of me! Now, are we busting your friends out of jail or not?"
"Of course," Daria said as she pulled out.
Once out of Lawndale, Daria was driving slowly.
"Tense?" Quinn asked.
"No. There's a lot of stuff going on. You have no idea how complicated driving is."
"It's not that hard."
"How would you know? Dah! A giant truck!" Daria said in panic.
"Pull over Daria," Quinn said with annoyance. She wanted to get to Freemont with time to spare.
As they pulled away into the drought-stricken region to the west of Lawndale Daria wasn't sure why she was allowing Quinn to drive. "I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm letting you do this. I can't believe we're doing this. Hey, when did you learn to drive?"
"God, Daria, what do you think people do on dates?"
"Aren't you terrified."
Quinn thought for a moment. It was less terrifying than swinging from building to building through Lawndale. She was sure Daria hadn't seen her come and go as SpiderGirl. She was rather careful about that. "It's all about attitude. You're too timid, Daria. I could do this all day."
"Actually, I wouldn't mind if…" Daria began before Quinn interrupted.
"Your turn," Quinn said as she pulled the car over. 'That hitchhiker could be an excellent distraction.'
"But you just started," Daria began. "No way!" she said as she saw the hitchhiker. "We are not picking up some insane, murdering serial killer. How reckless can you get?"
'Reckless?' Quinn thought. 'You don't know the half of it!' she thought.
"He's not a killer. I recognize him. It's... Stacy's cousin from Memphis."
"Mom would crucify us!"
"Right, but taking the car out for a hundred-mile joyride won't bother her at all. Face it, Daria, you're already accessorizing," Quinn said.
"You mean, I'm an accessory."
"Whatever. Look, lighten up. You drive and I'll keep him from murdering us."
"Howdy, I sure do appreciate this," the hitchhiker, Travis said.
"You're not going to murder us, are you?" Quinn asked.
"Shoot, no!" Travis said.
"See? All you have to do is ask."
As she pulled out again, Daria wasn't sure. 'Sure, Quinn knows how to handle herself, but Travis looks to be over twice her age.'
"So, you come from Lawndale?" Travis asked.
"Yes," Quinn answered. "It's a good town, but like, crime is increasing, you know?"
"I have heard about that," Travis said in a strange tone.
"Not as bad as the town we came from in Texas," Daria said.
'I'd hope not!' Quinn thought. That was one reason she was SpiderGirl. But something about Travis's tone bothered her. 'He probably knows something,' she realised. "Like it's in the news every night," she said in a tone that implied that she had ignored Daria.
"I heard about that SpiderGirl. I don't know what she's about."
"Like I'm not sure, either," Quinn said. There was more truth there than she liked.
Daria sighed.
As they continued along, Quinn wondered what Travis knew about the crime situation in Lawndale. They had to stop somewhere, she realised. "Oh, Daria, if you see a sign for outlet shopping, you can pull over there."
"But we do have to get to Freemont quickly, and don't you want to get back in time for Buffy?"
"We won't be long," Quinn responded.
"I hope so," Daria commented.
Twenty minutes later, they found such an outlet mall.
"I'll just be in the bathroom," Quinn told Travis.
"Certainly, I'll be at that café."
Quinn headed to the bathroom, but after doing her business, she changed to SpiderGirl, using a costume different to the one she had usually been wearing, then headed to the café.
Travis didn't see it coming. One second he was waiting in line, then the next there was some kind of web around him and he had flown across the room. "SpiderChick?"
"SpiderGirl," the other said in a low voice.
"This aint Lawndale!"
"No, it isn't, but sometimes a hero needs to travel and gather information, you know."
"What information?" Travis asked.
"Apparently there is a crime ring operating out of Freemont, leading to break-ins in Lawndale."
"I don't know anything about any crime ring, miss."
"I heard otherwise," SpiderGirl said.
"There are rumors, girlie, but that's all."
"Tell me these rumors."
"Are you sure?" Travis asked.
"Yes!"
SpiderGirl took in what Travis was saying. Some of it was contradictory, but she got the gist of it.
SpiderGirl rushed off as quickly as she had appeared, leaving Travis bewildered. He didn't notice Quinn arriving less than a minute later.
"Travis?" she asked in concern.
"I'm fine, you still want to shop?"
"Yes."
Daria was impatient, but it turned out that they had only wasted twenty minutes. "Are we ready to go now?" she asked.
"Yes," Quinn answered.
An hour later, they pulled up at a bar, less than 20 miles from Freemont.
"Thank you both kindly. Bye, now."
"Good luck with your audition!" Quinn said. She got back in the front seat. "What a nice guy... and talented."
"Yes, he's mastered the art of sticking out his thumb," Daria said.
"And we'd never have met him if you'd had your way. I don't think you're a cowgirl at all."
Daria noticed that the radio station hadn't changed. "I thought you couldn't listen to country music."
"Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me," Quinn said as she changed the station back. The pop music would help her think about what she had to do in Freemont.
"We made it!" Daria said as she pulled up outside the Freemont Sherrif's Office. "I did it. I got us here in one piece."
"Slowly," Quinn complained.
"But surely. Now, let's deal with the law," Daria said. But then she found that she couldn't find the money. "Oh, no. This is very bad. Very bad."
"What's wrong?"
"That cute cowboy stole our money."
"Remember when we stopped at that outlet mall? I gave the money to Travis," Quinn explained.
"That money was for Jane and Trent."
"I know, but he got me a new outfit."
"You spent all of Jane's money on clothes?" Daria asked.
"Of course not! I lent the rest to Travis for a bus ticket home. Don't worry, he's gonna repay us when he gets back."
"You moron. How are we supposed to get Jane and Trent out of jail?"
"I told you something unexpected would happen," Quinn responded.
They returned to the bar where they had dropped the cowboy off.
"What are you going to say to him?" Quinn asked.
"What am I going to say to him? You're going to tell him the truth. You gave him money that wasn't yours and you need it back."
"Oh, Daria. Are we that desperate that we have to resort to the truth?"
"When this is all over, remind me to run screaming into the night," Daria said as they came up to the bar door.
"Okay, maybe this wasn't such a great idea," Daria said.
"It's just a bar. They're all alike," Quinn said. She could see that there were hardly any troublemakers there.
"How would you know."
"What do you think people do on..." Quinn began before Daria interrupted her.
"Never mind," Daria said. She then went up to the bar.
Upon arriving home, Daria got into the car that formerly belonged to her father, but which her mother said she and Quinn could use. She turned on the engine.
"Okay, let's do it!" Quinn said as she got in.
"Quinn, what are you doing?" Daria asked.
"I'm not gonna just sit here while you drive off to some far, unknown land to get your friends out of jail! What if something unexpected happens?"
"You're worried about me?"
"Let me rephrase that: what if something cool happens?" Quinn responded.
"Well, I suppose it would be smart in case there's some emergency," Daria allowed.
"Great! I get to choose the music," Quinn said as she turned on pop music.
"Isn't there something else on?"
"Forget it. This is the only music I can listen to."
"Well, can you turn it down?"
"You're not the boss of me! Now, are we busting your friends out of jail or not?"
"Of course," Daria said as she pulled out.
Once out of Lawndale, Daria was driving slowly.
"Tense?" Quinn asked.
"No. There's a lot of stuff going on. You have no idea how complicated driving is."
"It's not that hard."
"How would you know? Dah! A giant truck!" Daria said in panic.
"Pull over Daria," Quinn said with annoyance. She wanted to get to Freemont with time to spare.
As they pulled away into the drought-stricken region to the west of Lawndale Daria wasn't sure why she was allowing Quinn to drive. "I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm letting you do this. I can't believe we're doing this. Hey, when did you learn to drive?"
"God, Daria, what do you think people do on dates?"
"Aren't you terrified."
Quinn thought for a moment. It was less terrifying than swinging from building to building through Lawndale. She was sure Daria hadn't seen her come and go as SpiderGirl. She was rather careful about that. "It's all about attitude. You're too timid, Daria. I could do this all day."
"Actually, I wouldn't mind if…" Daria began before Quinn interrupted.
"Your turn," Quinn said as she pulled the car over. 'That hitchhiker could be an excellent distraction.'
"But you just started," Daria began. "No way!" she said as she saw the hitchhiker. "We are not picking up some insane, murdering serial killer. How reckless can you get?"
'Reckless?' Quinn thought. 'You don't know the half of it!' she thought.
"He's not a killer. I recognize him. It's... Stacy's cousin from Memphis."
"Mom would crucify us!"
"Right, but taking the car out for a hundred-mile joyride won't bother her at all. Face it, Daria, you're already accessorizing," Quinn said.
"You mean, I'm an accessory."
"Whatever. Look, lighten up. You drive and I'll keep him from murdering us."
"Howdy, I sure do appreciate this," the hitchhiker, Travis said.
"You're not going to murder us, are you?" Quinn asked.
"Shoot, no!" Travis said.
"See? All you have to do is ask."
As she pulled out again, Daria wasn't sure. 'Sure, Quinn knows how to handle herself, but Travis looks to be over twice her age.'
"So, you come from Lawndale?" Travis asked.
"Yes," Quinn answered. "It's a good town, but like, crime is increasing, you know?"
"I have heard about that," Travis said in a strange tone.
"Not as bad as the town we came from in Texas," Daria said.
'I'd hope not!' Quinn thought. That was one reason she was SpiderGirl. But something about Travis's tone bothered her. 'He probably knows something,' she realised. "Like it's in the news every night," she said in a tone that implied that she had ignored Daria.
"I heard about that SpiderGirl. I don't know what she's about."
"Like I'm not sure, either," Quinn said. There was more truth there than she liked.
Daria sighed.
As they continued along, Quinn wondered what Travis knew about the crime situation in Lawndale. They had to stop somewhere, she realised. "Oh, Daria, if you see a sign for outlet shopping, you can pull over there."
"But we do have to get to Freemont quickly, and don't you want to get back in time for Buffy?"
"We won't be long," Quinn responded.
"I hope so," Daria commented.
Twenty minutes later, they found such an outlet mall.
"I'll just be in the bathroom," Quinn told Travis.
"Certainly, I'll be at that café."
Quinn headed to the bathroom, but after doing her business, she changed to SpiderGirl, using a costume different to the one she had usually been wearing, then headed to the café.
Travis didn't see it coming. One second he was waiting in line, then the next there was some kind of web around him and he had flown across the room. "SpiderChick?"
"SpiderGirl," the other said in a low voice.
"This aint Lawndale!"
"No, it isn't, but sometimes a hero needs to travel and gather information, you know."
"What information?" Travis asked.
"Apparently there is a crime ring operating out of Freemont, leading to break-ins in Lawndale."
"I don't know anything about any crime ring, miss."
"I heard otherwise," SpiderGirl said.
"There are rumors, girlie, but that's all."
"Tell me these rumors."
"Are you sure?" Travis asked.
"Yes!"
SpiderGirl took in what Travis was saying. Some of it was contradictory, but she got the gist of it.
SpiderGirl rushed off as quickly as she had appeared, leaving Travis bewildered. He didn't notice Quinn arriving less than a minute later.
"Travis?" she asked in concern.
"I'm fine, you still want to shop?"
"Yes."
Daria was impatient, but it turned out that they had only wasted twenty minutes. "Are we ready to go now?" she asked.
"Yes," Quinn answered.
An hour later, they pulled up at a bar, less than 20 miles from Freemont.
"Thank you both kindly. Bye, now."
"Good luck with your audition!" Quinn said. She got back in the front seat. "What a nice guy... and talented."
"Yes, he's mastered the art of sticking out his thumb," Daria said.
"And we'd never have met him if you'd had your way. I don't think you're a cowgirl at all."
Daria noticed that the radio station hadn't changed. "I thought you couldn't listen to country music."
"Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me," Quinn said as she changed the station back. The pop music would help her think about what she had to do in Freemont.
"We made it!" Daria said as she pulled up outside the Freemont Sherrif's Office. "I did it. I got us here in one piece."
"Slowly," Quinn complained.
"But surely. Now, let's deal with the law," Daria said. But then she found that she couldn't find the money. "Oh, no. This is very bad. Very bad."
"What's wrong?"
"That cute cowboy stole our money."
"Remember when we stopped at that outlet mall? I gave the money to Travis," Quinn explained.
"That money was for Jane and Trent."
"I know, but he got me a new outfit."
"You spent all of Jane's money on clothes?" Daria asked.
"Of course not! I lent the rest to Travis for a bus ticket home. Don't worry, he's gonna repay us when he gets back."
"You moron. How are we supposed to get Jane and Trent out of jail?"
"I told you something unexpected would happen," Quinn responded.
They returned to the bar where they had dropped the cowboy off.
"What are you going to say to him?" Quinn asked.
"What am I going to say to him? You're going to tell him the truth. You gave him money that wasn't yours and you need it back."
"Oh, Daria. Are we that desperate that we have to resort to the truth?"
"When this is all over, remind me to run screaming into the night," Daria said as they came up to the bar door.
"Okay, maybe this wasn't such a great idea," Daria said.
"It's just a bar. They're all alike," Quinn said. She could see that there were hardly any troublemakers there.
"How would you know."
"What do you think people do on..." Quinn began before Daria interrupted her.
"Never mind," Daria said. She then went up to the bar.
05 The Trip to Freemont - Part 3
Part 3
After some questioning of the bartender and finding that all the people there were similar to Travis, Daria realised it was going to be more difficult than she expected.
Quinn was annoyed at Daria. They hadn't gotten anywhere. Once outside of the bar again, she asked; "What was that? He didn't tell us anything."
"I know. These cowboy guys are all alike."
"Daria, all guys are all alike. The secret is knowing how to ask them."
"And how am I supposed to ask them?" Daria asked.
"You can't just be all meek and respectful. You have to remember that line about how you catch more flies with money."
"Excuse me, but if it weren't for your total recklessness, it wouldn't matter that I'm meek, because we wouldn't be in this situation."
"Don't worry, I may be reckless but I'm also a problem-solver."
After having changed into the outfit Travis had bought for her, Quinn and Daria re-entered the bar. There was one way to gain their attention, climb up on a table.
"Attention, guys. We're just two little city gals from Lawndale."
"Lawndale's a suburb," one of the men interrupted.
"Right. And we know we shouldn't be here, but some friends of ours got pulled over by the sheriff recently. We brought the bail money to get them out, and now some mean old cowboy's stolen it. Now, I'm not saying all cowboys are mean or old or thieves, but it does make me think twice about ever considering a cowboy for a boyfriend."
"Well, heck, little lady, I've been pulled over myself. It's humiliating, and bad for the soul. Here's ten bucks," one of the men said as he put money on the table.
"Doggone it, we're not all bad, little miss. Take 20," another said.
But a third was suspicious. "Now hold on. How do you know we're not the ones being flimflammed here? You fast-talking suburban gals think you can just march in and con some cowboys? Is that your game?"
"Um, no. Not at all," Quinn said nervously.
"You think we're a bunch of dumb hicks. What do you know about us?" the suspicious one said.
"I don't call 'em cowboys till I see 'em ride," Daria said.
"What?"
"Cause a Stetson hat and them fancy boots don't tell me what's inside," Daria responded.
"Hey, that's Conway Twitty. You like Conway Twitty music?"
"You bet your lonesome prairie campfire I do, partner."
"All right!" he said as he changed his tune; "Now these are cowgirls. Fellas, step on up here and empty your pockets."
They soon arrived back at the Sherrif's office.
"Now, I'm not gonna have to come out and stop you from chasing your husband with a skillet again, am I?" the Deputy Sherrif asked a woman.
"Well, that depends. You think you can come out and stop him from saying or doing something stupid first?" the woman responded.
"I wish. But I don't have time to ride herd on every stupid man in this county. Especially judges," the Deputy said as the woman left.
"We're here to pick up our friend, Jane Lane," Daria said.
"Who?" the Deputy asked.
"Jane Lane, and Trent Lane. They're with a band."
"Oh, yeah, they're not here anymore. They're with... the sheriff."
Daria and Quinn entered the hall.
"Finally," Jane said.
"Sorry. It has been a long day," Daria said as apology.
"Tell me about it," Jane responded.
"How'd you get out of jail?" Daria asked.
"Well, it was a little dicey with that jerk deputy," Jane said. She turned to a girl nearby "Oops, sorry, Tina."
"It's okay. When Daddy puts on the uniform, he's a whole different person," Tina said.
"But lucky for me, the sheriff's a big fan of Picasso."
"Not bad," Daria said.
While Daria and Jane were talking, Quinn slipped away.
Fortunately, Travis had told SpiderGirl a lot of details, so she didn't get lost. Following up on his 'rumors' was easy. Of course, she was wary in case it was a trap, or if he had misled her.
She found her away to a warehouse on the edge of town. She lowered herself from the roof above some goons guarding an entrance. She realised that she was doing it upside down. 'Why am I doing it this way?' she wondered. 'I'll figure it out later.' "Hello! Is the Boss in?" she asked.
The goons brandished some guns, but didn't otherwise respond.
"I'll take that as a yes," SpiderGirl said before disarming them with webs before webbing them up.
"Are you the Boss?" the feminine voice asked.
"Who are you?" the Boss asked.
"I'm the webslinging girl of justice."
"What?"
"I'm the protector of a suburban town," she added.
"Which town?"
"I am SpiderGirl and Lawndale is under my protection!"
"Lawndale? I don't know what you're talking about," the Boss said.
"I know you've been hiring thieves to steal from stores and houses there," SpiderGirl said.
The Boss looked around, trying to figure out where her voice was coming from. He grabbed a gun from a drawer.
"Oh no you don't!" SpiderGirl said and he found himself disarmed by some kind of web.
He looked up and saw a feminine figure wearing some kind of red and blue suit hanging upside down from the ceiling.
"Great! Those reports are true! Some kind of freak, swinging from rooftops."
"Freak! I'm not a freak!" SpiderGirl said. "I'm a superhero!"
SpiderGirl then webbed up the Boss and removed him from the premises before she set off the fire alarm. She smirked as the sprinklers went into action, soaking all the documents she had strewn about his office. She placed a note next to him, written in a different style to what she had used in Lawndale so far, and then made herself scarce.
Quinn returned to the hall as the party was finishing.
"There you are," Daria said with a slight tone of worry.
"Sorry, I was looking around the town, you know," Quinn responded.
"There's not much to see," Jane said.
Quinn shrugged.
"Anyway, it appears you Morgendorffer girls can actually get along," Jane said.
"For brief periods, spaced many days apart," Daria commented.
"We did make a pretty good team," Quinn said.
"Maybe you should quit the Fashion Club and we could just go around solving crimes," Daria suggested.
'You don't know the half of it,' Quinn thought. "But that's what the Fashion Club is all about: solving crimes against fashion."
"I hope jail wasn't too bad for you," Daria said to Trent.
"Nah," Trent said.
"We met the guy who invented punk music and introduced rice to the Japanese," Nick said.
Daria rolled her eyes.
Soon, they were heading back to Lawndale. Quinn thought about what Daria had said.
"Maybe you should quit the Fashion Club and we could just go around solving crimes."
'With the way things are with Sandi, the Fashion Club looks quite rocky,' she considered. 'But I don't think Daria would want to work with SpiderGirl. But I suppose I can work with her as myself.' But she wasn't sure.
After some questioning of the bartender and finding that all the people there were similar to Travis, Daria realised it was going to be more difficult than she expected.
Quinn was annoyed at Daria. They hadn't gotten anywhere. Once outside of the bar again, she asked; "What was that? He didn't tell us anything."
"I know. These cowboy guys are all alike."
"Daria, all guys are all alike. The secret is knowing how to ask them."
"And how am I supposed to ask them?" Daria asked.
"You can't just be all meek and respectful. You have to remember that line about how you catch more flies with money."
"Excuse me, but if it weren't for your total recklessness, it wouldn't matter that I'm meek, because we wouldn't be in this situation."
"Don't worry, I may be reckless but I'm also a problem-solver."
After having changed into the outfit Travis had bought for her, Quinn and Daria re-entered the bar. There was one way to gain their attention, climb up on a table.
"Attention, guys. We're just two little city gals from Lawndale."
"Lawndale's a suburb," one of the men interrupted.
"Right. And we know we shouldn't be here, but some friends of ours got pulled over by the sheriff recently. We brought the bail money to get them out, and now some mean old cowboy's stolen it. Now, I'm not saying all cowboys are mean or old or thieves, but it does make me think twice about ever considering a cowboy for a boyfriend."
"Well, heck, little lady, I've been pulled over myself. It's humiliating, and bad for the soul. Here's ten bucks," one of the men said as he put money on the table.
"Doggone it, we're not all bad, little miss. Take 20," another said.
But a third was suspicious. "Now hold on. How do you know we're not the ones being flimflammed here? You fast-talking suburban gals think you can just march in and con some cowboys? Is that your game?"
"Um, no. Not at all," Quinn said nervously.
"You think we're a bunch of dumb hicks. What do you know about us?" the suspicious one said.
"I don't call 'em cowboys till I see 'em ride," Daria said.
"What?"
"Cause a Stetson hat and them fancy boots don't tell me what's inside," Daria responded.
"Hey, that's Conway Twitty. You like Conway Twitty music?"
"You bet your lonesome prairie campfire I do, partner."
"All right!" he said as he changed his tune; "Now these are cowgirls. Fellas, step on up here and empty your pockets."
They soon arrived back at the Sherrif's office.
"Now, I'm not gonna have to come out and stop you from chasing your husband with a skillet again, am I?" the Deputy Sherrif asked a woman.
"Well, that depends. You think you can come out and stop him from saying or doing something stupid first?" the woman responded.
"I wish. But I don't have time to ride herd on every stupid man in this county. Especially judges," the Deputy said as the woman left.
"We're here to pick up our friend, Jane Lane," Daria said.
"Who?" the Deputy asked.
"Jane Lane, and Trent Lane. They're with a band."
"Oh, yeah, they're not here anymore. They're with... the sheriff."
Daria and Quinn entered the hall.
"Finally," Jane said.
"Sorry. It has been a long day," Daria said as apology.
"Tell me about it," Jane responded.
"How'd you get out of jail?" Daria asked.
"Well, it was a little dicey with that jerk deputy," Jane said. She turned to a girl nearby "Oops, sorry, Tina."
"It's okay. When Daddy puts on the uniform, he's a whole different person," Tina said.
"But lucky for me, the sheriff's a big fan of Picasso."
"Not bad," Daria said.
While Daria and Jane were talking, Quinn slipped away.
Fortunately, Travis had told SpiderGirl a lot of details, so she didn't get lost. Following up on his 'rumors' was easy. Of course, she was wary in case it was a trap, or if he had misled her.
She found her away to a warehouse on the edge of town. She lowered herself from the roof above some goons guarding an entrance. She realised that she was doing it upside down. 'Why am I doing it this way?' she wondered. 'I'll figure it out later.' "Hello! Is the Boss in?" she asked.
The goons brandished some guns, but didn't otherwise respond.
"I'll take that as a yes," SpiderGirl said before disarming them with webs before webbing them up.
"Are you the Boss?" the feminine voice asked.
"Who are you?" the Boss asked.
"I'm the webslinging girl of justice."
"What?"
"I'm the protector of a suburban town," she added.
"Which town?"
"I am SpiderGirl and Lawndale is under my protection!"
"Lawndale? I don't know what you're talking about," the Boss said.
"I know you've been hiring thieves to steal from stores and houses there," SpiderGirl said.
The Boss looked around, trying to figure out where her voice was coming from. He grabbed a gun from a drawer.
"Oh no you don't!" SpiderGirl said and he found himself disarmed by some kind of web.
He looked up and saw a feminine figure wearing some kind of red and blue suit hanging upside down from the ceiling.
"Great! Those reports are true! Some kind of freak, swinging from rooftops."
"Freak! I'm not a freak!" SpiderGirl said. "I'm a superhero!"
SpiderGirl then webbed up the Boss and removed him from the premises before she set off the fire alarm. She smirked as the sprinklers went into action, soaking all the documents she had strewn about his office. She placed a note next to him, written in a different style to what she had used in Lawndale so far, and then made herself scarce.
Quinn returned to the hall as the party was finishing.
"There you are," Daria said with a slight tone of worry.
"Sorry, I was looking around the town, you know," Quinn responded.
"There's not much to see," Jane said.
Quinn shrugged.
"Anyway, it appears you Morgendorffer girls can actually get along," Jane said.
"For brief periods, spaced many days apart," Daria commented.
"We did make a pretty good team," Quinn said.
"Maybe you should quit the Fashion Club and we could just go around solving crimes," Daria suggested.
'You don't know the half of it,' Quinn thought. "But that's what the Fashion Club is all about: solving crimes against fashion."
"I hope jail wasn't too bad for you," Daria said to Trent.
"Nah," Trent said.
"We met the guy who invented punk music and introduced rice to the Japanese," Nick said.
Daria rolled her eyes.
Soon, they were heading back to Lawndale. Quinn thought about what Daria had said.
"Maybe you should quit the Fashion Club and we could just go around solving crimes."
'With the way things are with Sandi, the Fashion Club looks quite rocky,' she considered. 'But I don't think Daria would want to work with SpiderGirl. But I suppose I can work with her as myself.' But she wasn't sure.
06 The Lawndale Files - Part 1
06 The Lawndale Files Part 1
It was Assembly time at Lawndale High. Principal Angela Li came to the podium. "Settle down, young people! Now, before the varsity interpretive dance team begins its performance – 'History, We Are You' -- we have a brief announcement from some special guests, agents..."
She was interrupted by the agents. "No names," the male agent said.
"No credentials," the female agent added.
"Students, we'll be brief. We've received some disturbing reports from this town, and we're asking for your cooperation."
"Keep your eyes open. Watch for people who are different. They know who they are."
"And with your help, kids, so will we."
Quinn Morgendorffer was concerned. 'I guess I'll have to be more careful as SpiderGirl,' she considered. 'Maybe I shouldn't have been in Freemont on the weekend.' Things in Lawndale were getting worse. 'Maybe?'
That afternoon Daria and Jane were thinking about the Assembly as they watched television.
"From outer space to in your face! Aliens walk among us! A Sick, Sad World exclusive."
"Oh, look, they're going to explain the return of disco," Daria said.
"The aliens aren't coming. They're already here. They could be your friends, your family. They act almost normal, but something's off."
"Yes, the TV!" Jane said, annoyed. "If there were any aliens smart enough to come here, they wouldn't be stupid enough to come here."
"There goes my trick ear again. What was that?"
"Let's say I'm an alien and you're you."
"Part of this better be hypothetical," Daria responded.
"Now, why would I, a being from the highly advanced planet Zippotron, travel light-years just to take over your body and go to high school?"
"Because Wednesday's Jell-O day?'
"Exactly. Wouldn't it make more sense to rig up some remote system of control? Neck implants or something? Then they could make you do stuff like go to the mall or think about hair without actually having to do it themselves. Makes more sense than a full-scale infiltration," Jane said.
"Oh, yes. Much, much more sense," Daria said with her usual sarcasm.
"All right, then."
They could then hear some cheerful guitar strumming.
"What is that music?" Daria asked.
"I don't know. It's been going on for two days."
"You don't know how much I want you to tell me that isn't Trent playing."
"You don't know how much I wish I could," Jane lamented.
At the same time, Stacy was reading in her room, when she heard a sound coming from outside. "What was that?" she asked herself as she jumped.
A few moments later she heard the doorbell.
"Quinn?" Stacy asked.
"What's wrong Stacy?" Quinn asked. Her friend looked a little frightened.
"I just heard something," Stacy explained.
"Oh, It's probably something rubbing on the roof, like a tree branch," Quinn said. 'Note to self; be careful when webswinging at Stacy's house.'
"Then it might be SpiderGirl going by, but I don't know why she would be in this neigborhood, as there isn't any crime here that I have heard of."
"Maybe she is passing by on patrol," Quinn said.
"Then there are those agents that were at school today. What were those disturbing reports they received?"
"They could be anything."
"That's true," Stacy said, looking about. "Come in."
"Sure."
Stacy saw that Quinn's appetite was still the same as before her father had passed. 'The grief hasn't affected it,' she thought. For she knew that Quinn was still grieving. She was quieter for one. She still had chatterbox tendencies, but no longer spoke up against Sandi in the Fashion Club and seemed to be listening more in class. She put out a large amount of various vegetable based snacks.
"What do you think Sandi is doing?" Quinn asked, as she ran a hand through one of her pigtails.
Stacy was still getting used to Quinn having changed her hair. "No idea," she answered. "I still think you're not too similar to either of us."
"Like I'm still rather fashionable," Quinn said.
Stacy nodded.
They then talked about other things as the close friends they were.
Quinn waited until she was some distance from the Rowe's house before changing back to SpiderGirl and webswinging away.
Lawndale Sun Herald
Tuesday, December 4, 2000
More Reports of Strange Activity in Town
Quinn awoke early, as she usually did since becoming SpiderGirl. However, she found something wrong. That having Spider powers didn't make her immune to chaffing and acne. "Great!" she said as sarcastically as her sister. She had to hide it, especially as it was on her neck. She rushed to her closet and soon found a all black outfit. 'It will have to do.'
She got dressed, grabbed her things, including a SpiderGirl suit and left.
"Come on, Daria. Something interesting must have happened yesterday," Helen said.
"Nope," Daria said.
"How about that friend of yours? What's new with her?"
"Not much."
"What about the newspaper? Read anything interesting lately?" Helen asked, knowing that Daria was at least reading about that SpiderGirl.
"Hmm. I did see an article by an efficiency expert who claims one really intense conversation with your child over breakfast is worth a whole week of unfocused parenting. Did you catch that article?"
Helen knew what Daria was doing. "Well... how about TV? Seen anything good recently?"
"Just the usual crazy guy claiming aliens are walking our streets."
"Well, of course they are. Many of them can't afford a car. No shame in that."
"Huh?" Daria asked.
The phone rang, allowing Daria to make herself scarce and head to school.
"Oh, Hi Eric!"
Half an hour later, Daria and Jane arrived at the school. "Look at that," Jane said.
Daria looked and saw that her sister wasn't wearing her usual outfit. Rather it was all black and hid her neck. "I see it. She's even more different now."
"As I was saying…"
"Not that again. I'm just saying that she's even more different due to grief."
"The alien thing is more cool," Jane said.
"I just think it's strange that she's suddenly covering up her neck," Daria rejoined as Kevin Thompson and Brittany Taylor walked by.
"When was the last time you saw Kevin without his neck thing?" Jane asked.
"You're talking implants?" Daria asked.
Brittany turned back. "I heard that, and it's not true!" she said before turning around and stalking away.
"I guess she thought you meant her U.F.O.s," Jane mused, not realising that she was being overheard by Language Arts teacher Mr. Timothy O'Neill.
"UFOs?" he asked with a shiver. "Have you been watching The X-Files? I know I have."
"And that's Good," Daria commented.
"But you know what's interesting?" O'Neill asked.
"Why do you encourage him?" Jane commented.
"All this creepy science fiction is just a throwback to the old Cold War paranoia."
"Aliens in the sky, communists under the bed," Daria commented.
"Exactly, Daria!" O'Neill said. "And accusations flying, all because of atomic jitters. You're a communist! You're an alien!" He added as Joey and Jeffy walked past.
"Trade you Cuba for Jupiter," Daria said to Jane.
"One stood for the other in those old movies."
"Now, what do you think about SpiderGirl?" Daria asked.
"A disturbed individual taking out her frustrations on those who have had to resort to crime to make ends meet," O'Neill answered.
"Quinn!"
Quinn turned at the sound of Sandi's voice.
"If you refuse to explain your strange outfit, I'm afraid the Fashion Club will have to consider more sanctions," Sandi asked.
"I wasn't aware there were sanctions for my hair. Besides, this is not an anti-fashion statement."
"I forgot to tell you," Sandi dissembled. She was about to say more when Joey and Jeffy came along.
"Hey, Quinn, Mr. O'Neill says that girl from your house is an atomic communist," Joey said.
"Yeah, and her friend's an alien," Jeffy added.
"Eew!" Stacy said.
"Gross," Tiffany said.
Quinn quickly made herself scarce.
Kevin continued to think about what he had heard earlier in the day. "I knew it! It's just like when they made us have pep rallies for field hockey. We're being invaded by communists!" he said as he came to his locker.
"Remember that game when you fell on your head?" Michael 'Mack' Mackenzie asked. "Remember how you thought Vince Lombardi was sending you plays from hell?"
"Heaven, bro! Vince Lombardi did not go to hell."
Stacy and Tiffany walked by.
"But... if Quinn's cousin is an atomic communist from Mars, shouldn't she have a more interesting outfit?" Tiffany mused.
"Stop it, Tiffany! You're scaring me!" Stacy said.
"Sorry," Tiffany said, not entirely sincerely.
Mack was taken aback. "Yeah, yeah, I heard it, too."
He, Kevin and Brittany then went to their next class. However, they had been overheard by Charles Ruttheimer III. "Two of my favorite luscious ladies out to enslave Earth males and end gym class?" he asked himself before giving off a growl. "Someone's been reading my dreams."
Daria and Jane knew it was an unusual day for Lawndale High. "A lot of weirdness around here lately," Jane commented as they left the school building. She also saw SpiderGirl in the distance. 'Huh?'
"Yeah. I won't be sorry to see this day end," Daria commented.
"You say that every day."
"Oh yeah."
"Although this one was especially strange. But the worst is over," Jane said.
However, the doors behind them flew open and they saw Mr. DeMartino being lead away by the agents in cuffs.
"Remove these restraints! Governmental thugs! This isn't Stalingrad!" he cried.
"You're damn right, pal. And it isn't going to be," the male agent said.
"You can't do this. I'm an educator!"
"Say it again! It only makes it easier," the other agent said.
"Um, the worst is over now?" Jane asked in slight hope.
"Don't bet on it."
The Fashion Club met in Quinn's room after Dinner.
"Meeting starts: 6:53 PM," Stacy said.
"Quinn will explain why she is wearing all black, again," Sandi said.
"After Sandi explains why she added sanctions about my hair without telling me," Quinn said.
"It was a slip of the tongue," Sandi explained.
"Didn't sound like it," Quinn shot back.
"Fine," Sandi said. "I wanted to add sanctions for the hair, but I haven't got around to it yet."
"Right…" Quinn considered. She also considered just quitting the Fashion Club and telling Sandi to leave. What Daria had said in Freemont about them solving crime together flashed through her mind. 'Not yet, give her a chance.' She breathed deeply, and pulled down the turtleneck, showing her, along with Stacy and Tiffany, the zit.
"Oh, I see," Sandi said.
"So, I had to hide it," Quinn said.
"Of course," Sandi said.
"Quinn, I'm so happy you're still one of us," Stacy said.
"Gosh, Stacy, what did you think?" Quinn asked.
"Really," Tiffany added.
"Quinn's right, Stacy. Just because she was acting completely weird and not confiding in her dearest, most loyal friends is no reason to decide she'd finally given up her sad charade and revealed herself as a two-faced, little…" Sandi trailed off as Quinn gave an intense glare.
'How long?' Quinn wondered, again.
"Meeting ended," Sandi said.
"6:57. The shortest yet," Stacy responded.
Unknown to Quinn and the others, Daria had overheard Stacy saying 'I'm so happy you're still one of us,' as she had walked by. Therefore she called Jane about her suspicion.
"Come on, not even aliens would give the planet to the Fashion Club. You're getting paranoid," Jane responded.
"I'm not talking about aliens. But there's something out there. Something stupid."
"You get rattled too easily," Jane responded, then changed her tone. "By the way, can you come over here right now? I'm really scared."
"I see. And to what do I owe this mood swing?" Daria asked.
"It's Trent's song. You gotta listen and tell me if it's getting more cheerful."
"Now who's paranoid?"
"Come on, I'll order a pizza. And don't tell your mother where you're going, I don't want her getting all motherly."
"Right away."
After the meeting ended, Sandi made herself scarce.
Helen saw her going out. "You weren't here long, Sandi," she said.
"Quinn doesn't need me," she said in a montone before heading out the door.
"Sandi! Wait!" Helen said.
It was only a couple of minutes before Daria left on her way to Jane's.
"Where are you going?" Helen asked.
"Just a walk, and to think about things," Daria said, guardedly.
'Of course,' Helen thought. "But at night?"
"This area of Lawndale is still safe," Daria said before heading out the door.
'Of course it is,' Helen thought.
Quinn saw Daria leaving. 'What is she up to. She has been acting weirdly today.' She looked to Stacy and Tiffany, who were still there. 'They can stay here while I check,' she thought.
"Quinn?" Stacy asked.
'She could be one I could confide in, maybe,' she thought. "Um, I need to check on something on the street," she dissembled.
"You're following Daria?" Stacy asked.
"Um, yeah," Quinn said. "Could you run interference with Mom?"
"Sure, but how are you going to get out without her knowing?"
"There is a way," Quinn answered enigmatically. She then went to the window at the end of the hall and opened it. She showed Stacy a trellis which had ivy on it, which reached up to the window.
"You have been climbing down that?" Stacy asked.
"Yes," Quinn answered as she started going through the window.
"Right…" Stacy said.
Stacy watched Quinn climb down, then went back to Quinn's room.
"Where's Quinn?" Tiffany asked.
"She's doing something," Stacy answered.
Quinn disappeared into the bushes on the right side of the house and waited until Stacy had gone back to her room before going to the shed, where she had stored one of the spare SpiderGirl costumes.
Soon, she was webslinging after Daria, in the direction of Howard Drive.
As Daria approached Casa Lane, she heard a rustle in the bushes at the end of the street. "Come on now. Aliens don't hide in the bushes. It's probably just a stalker. Yes, a stalker out to plant a teen in a shallow grave. Perfectly normal. I feel much better now."
Brittany Taylor knew Daria was up to something, which was why she was following her. She wasn't sure why Kevin had to come along, his amorous attentions wasn't something she needed at just that moment. "But, Kevvy." He continued to be amorous "Kevvy!"
"Huh?" Kevin asked.
"Didn't you say we were going to follow her and save the world and stuff?" she asked. She liked making him think some things were his idea.
"Oh, yeah. But I don't think we have to save the world right this second,' he responded.
"Great!" she said. A few more moments of making out wouldn't go awry, she considered.
Suddenly there was a purr above them. "Que passionato!"
'Oh great!' Brittany thought. 'Upchuck!'
"Hey! We're trying to save the world here!" Kevin said as he shone his flashlight at Charles.
"And I'm trying to find the space maidens' ship so they can take me back and make me their love slave," Charles responded.
"Oh cool," Kevin said.
Two more flashlights turned on. "Well, you were right. Everyone has gone crazy," Jodie Landon said.
"I knew you'd try something, Kevin. I figured I owed it to the team to keep you from humiliating yourself," Mack said.
Bushes rustled and Mr. O'Neill emerged.
"Mr. O'Neill? Don't tell me you're hunting communists, too?" Mack asked incredulously.
O'Neill laughed nervously. "I wouldn't call it hunting. I heard a rumor about secret police kidnapping educators and spiriting them off to the gulag. But me? No. I frequently go for walks with a, um, flashlight in case the streetlights go out."
There was another rustle above and SpiderGirl emerged upside down, lowering herself halfway down by a thread. "What's going on here? Paranormal?"
"Not very," Jodie said, looking around.
'Probably meant paranoia,' Brittany thought.
"These reds come red-hot from the red planet itself. We're talking Mars," Charles said.
"Really?" SpiderGirl asked, her voice showing incredulity.
"Charles, I think you mean Marx," O'Neill said as he dropped his flashlight.
Jane answered the door. "You made it. Cool. I was starting to... whoa!"
Daria also looked at the flashing lights in the nearby woods.
O'Neill found his flashlight. "Found it."
"But why are you all, like, sneaking around with flashlights?" SpiderGirl asked.
"Good question," Jodie said.
The others all switched off their flashlights.
"Did we just see a U.F.O.?" Jane asked.
"You're getting paranoid. It's probably just an informal get-together of local stalkers. You know, hang out, swap stories, try out each other's skeleton keys," Daria responded.
"But only an idiot would go stalking with a flashlight, especially with that SpiderGirl about."
"Come on. This is Lawndale," Daria said as she went inside.
"Your're right, SpiderGirl, we've all been acting very foolish."
"Hey, man, speak for yourself," Kevin objected.
"Oh! Sorry, Kevin, " O'Neill said. "But I wonder if maybe a rally might be in order. You know, something before classes to promote understanding, remove the fear, and increase the peace."
"Are you sure?" SpiderGirl asked, before Kevin could get a word in.
"Quite sure. It won't get out of control," O'Neill said.
"But, practice is before classes. He's trying to destroy football. He's one of them!"
"No he isn't," SpiderGirl said, trying to keep calm.
"Who?" Brittany asked.
"I thought you knew."
'Time to go, Kevin," Mack said.
"I'll stay and talk to SpiderGirl for a bit," Brittany said.
"Sure," Jodie said. She turned to Upchuck. "Come along, Charles, we've had enough excitement for one night."
"Yes, I better go too," O'Neill said.
It was Assembly time at Lawndale High. Principal Angela Li came to the podium. "Settle down, young people! Now, before the varsity interpretive dance team begins its performance – 'History, We Are You' -- we have a brief announcement from some special guests, agents..."
She was interrupted by the agents. "No names," the male agent said.
"No credentials," the female agent added.
"Students, we'll be brief. We've received some disturbing reports from this town, and we're asking for your cooperation."
"Keep your eyes open. Watch for people who are different. They know who they are."
"And with your help, kids, so will we."
Quinn Morgendorffer was concerned. 'I guess I'll have to be more careful as SpiderGirl,' she considered. 'Maybe I shouldn't have been in Freemont on the weekend.' Things in Lawndale were getting worse. 'Maybe?'
That afternoon Daria and Jane were thinking about the Assembly as they watched television.
"From outer space to in your face! Aliens walk among us! A Sick, Sad World exclusive."
"Oh, look, they're going to explain the return of disco," Daria said.
"The aliens aren't coming. They're already here. They could be your friends, your family. They act almost normal, but something's off."
"Yes, the TV!" Jane said, annoyed. "If there were any aliens smart enough to come here, they wouldn't be stupid enough to come here."
"There goes my trick ear again. What was that?"
"Let's say I'm an alien and you're you."
"Part of this better be hypothetical," Daria responded.
"Now, why would I, a being from the highly advanced planet Zippotron, travel light-years just to take over your body and go to high school?"
"Because Wednesday's Jell-O day?'
"Exactly. Wouldn't it make more sense to rig up some remote system of control? Neck implants or something? Then they could make you do stuff like go to the mall or think about hair without actually having to do it themselves. Makes more sense than a full-scale infiltration," Jane said.
"Oh, yes. Much, much more sense," Daria said with her usual sarcasm.
"All right, then."
They could then hear some cheerful guitar strumming.
"What is that music?" Daria asked.
"I don't know. It's been going on for two days."
"You don't know how much I want you to tell me that isn't Trent playing."
"You don't know how much I wish I could," Jane lamented.
At the same time, Stacy was reading in her room, when she heard a sound coming from outside. "What was that?" she asked herself as she jumped.
A few moments later she heard the doorbell.
"Quinn?" Stacy asked.
"What's wrong Stacy?" Quinn asked. Her friend looked a little frightened.
"I just heard something," Stacy explained.
"Oh, It's probably something rubbing on the roof, like a tree branch," Quinn said. 'Note to self; be careful when webswinging at Stacy's house.'
"Then it might be SpiderGirl going by, but I don't know why she would be in this neigborhood, as there isn't any crime here that I have heard of."
"Maybe she is passing by on patrol," Quinn said.
"Then there are those agents that were at school today. What were those disturbing reports they received?"
"They could be anything."
"That's true," Stacy said, looking about. "Come in."
"Sure."
Stacy saw that Quinn's appetite was still the same as before her father had passed. 'The grief hasn't affected it,' she thought. For she knew that Quinn was still grieving. She was quieter for one. She still had chatterbox tendencies, but no longer spoke up against Sandi in the Fashion Club and seemed to be listening more in class. She put out a large amount of various vegetable based snacks.
"What do you think Sandi is doing?" Quinn asked, as she ran a hand through one of her pigtails.
Stacy was still getting used to Quinn having changed her hair. "No idea," she answered. "I still think you're not too similar to either of us."
"Like I'm still rather fashionable," Quinn said.
Stacy nodded.
They then talked about other things as the close friends they were.
Quinn waited until she was some distance from the Rowe's house before changing back to SpiderGirl and webswinging away.
Lawndale Sun Herald
Tuesday, December 4, 2000
More Reports of Strange Activity in Town
Quinn awoke early, as she usually did since becoming SpiderGirl. However, she found something wrong. That having Spider powers didn't make her immune to chaffing and acne. "Great!" she said as sarcastically as her sister. She had to hide it, especially as it was on her neck. She rushed to her closet and soon found a all black outfit. 'It will have to do.'
She got dressed, grabbed her things, including a SpiderGirl suit and left.
"Come on, Daria. Something interesting must have happened yesterday," Helen said.
"Nope," Daria said.
"How about that friend of yours? What's new with her?"
"Not much."
"What about the newspaper? Read anything interesting lately?" Helen asked, knowing that Daria was at least reading about that SpiderGirl.
"Hmm. I did see an article by an efficiency expert who claims one really intense conversation with your child over breakfast is worth a whole week of unfocused parenting. Did you catch that article?"
Helen knew what Daria was doing. "Well... how about TV? Seen anything good recently?"
"Just the usual crazy guy claiming aliens are walking our streets."
"Well, of course they are. Many of them can't afford a car. No shame in that."
"Huh?" Daria asked.
The phone rang, allowing Daria to make herself scarce and head to school.
"Oh, Hi Eric!"
Half an hour later, Daria and Jane arrived at the school. "Look at that," Jane said.
Daria looked and saw that her sister wasn't wearing her usual outfit. Rather it was all black and hid her neck. "I see it. She's even more different now."
"As I was saying…"
"Not that again. I'm just saying that she's even more different due to grief."
"The alien thing is more cool," Jane said.
"I just think it's strange that she's suddenly covering up her neck," Daria rejoined as Kevin Thompson and Brittany Taylor walked by.
"When was the last time you saw Kevin without his neck thing?" Jane asked.
"You're talking implants?" Daria asked.
Brittany turned back. "I heard that, and it's not true!" she said before turning around and stalking away.
"I guess she thought you meant her U.F.O.s," Jane mused, not realising that she was being overheard by Language Arts teacher Mr. Timothy O'Neill.
"UFOs?" he asked with a shiver. "Have you been watching The X-Files? I know I have."
"And that's Good," Daria commented.
"But you know what's interesting?" O'Neill asked.
"Why do you encourage him?" Jane commented.
"All this creepy science fiction is just a throwback to the old Cold War paranoia."
"Aliens in the sky, communists under the bed," Daria commented.
"Exactly, Daria!" O'Neill said. "And accusations flying, all because of atomic jitters. You're a communist! You're an alien!" He added as Joey and Jeffy walked past.
"Trade you Cuba for Jupiter," Daria said to Jane.
"One stood for the other in those old movies."
"Now, what do you think about SpiderGirl?" Daria asked.
"A disturbed individual taking out her frustrations on those who have had to resort to crime to make ends meet," O'Neill answered.
"Quinn!"
Quinn turned at the sound of Sandi's voice.
"If you refuse to explain your strange outfit, I'm afraid the Fashion Club will have to consider more sanctions," Sandi asked.
"I wasn't aware there were sanctions for my hair. Besides, this is not an anti-fashion statement."
"I forgot to tell you," Sandi dissembled. She was about to say more when Joey and Jeffy came along.
"Hey, Quinn, Mr. O'Neill says that girl from your house is an atomic communist," Joey said.
"Yeah, and her friend's an alien," Jeffy added.
"Eew!" Stacy said.
"Gross," Tiffany said.
Quinn quickly made herself scarce.
Kevin continued to think about what he had heard earlier in the day. "I knew it! It's just like when they made us have pep rallies for field hockey. We're being invaded by communists!" he said as he came to his locker.
"Remember that game when you fell on your head?" Michael 'Mack' Mackenzie asked. "Remember how you thought Vince Lombardi was sending you plays from hell?"
"Heaven, bro! Vince Lombardi did not go to hell."
Stacy and Tiffany walked by.
"But... if Quinn's cousin is an atomic communist from Mars, shouldn't she have a more interesting outfit?" Tiffany mused.
"Stop it, Tiffany! You're scaring me!" Stacy said.
"Sorry," Tiffany said, not entirely sincerely.
Mack was taken aback. "Yeah, yeah, I heard it, too."
He, Kevin and Brittany then went to their next class. However, they had been overheard by Charles Ruttheimer III. "Two of my favorite luscious ladies out to enslave Earth males and end gym class?" he asked himself before giving off a growl. "Someone's been reading my dreams."
Daria and Jane knew it was an unusual day for Lawndale High. "A lot of weirdness around here lately," Jane commented as they left the school building. She also saw SpiderGirl in the distance. 'Huh?'
"Yeah. I won't be sorry to see this day end," Daria commented.
"You say that every day."
"Oh yeah."
"Although this one was especially strange. But the worst is over," Jane said.
However, the doors behind them flew open and they saw Mr. DeMartino being lead away by the agents in cuffs.
"Remove these restraints! Governmental thugs! This isn't Stalingrad!" he cried.
"You're damn right, pal. And it isn't going to be," the male agent said.
"You can't do this. I'm an educator!"
"Say it again! It only makes it easier," the other agent said.
"Um, the worst is over now?" Jane asked in slight hope.
"Don't bet on it."
The Fashion Club met in Quinn's room after Dinner.
"Meeting starts: 6:53 PM," Stacy said.
"Quinn will explain why she is wearing all black, again," Sandi said.
"After Sandi explains why she added sanctions about my hair without telling me," Quinn said.
"It was a slip of the tongue," Sandi explained.
"Didn't sound like it," Quinn shot back.
"Fine," Sandi said. "I wanted to add sanctions for the hair, but I haven't got around to it yet."
"Right…" Quinn considered. She also considered just quitting the Fashion Club and telling Sandi to leave. What Daria had said in Freemont about them solving crime together flashed through her mind. 'Not yet, give her a chance.' She breathed deeply, and pulled down the turtleneck, showing her, along with Stacy and Tiffany, the zit.
"Oh, I see," Sandi said.
"So, I had to hide it," Quinn said.
"Of course," Sandi said.
"Quinn, I'm so happy you're still one of us," Stacy said.
"Gosh, Stacy, what did you think?" Quinn asked.
"Really," Tiffany added.
"Quinn's right, Stacy. Just because she was acting completely weird and not confiding in her dearest, most loyal friends is no reason to decide she'd finally given up her sad charade and revealed herself as a two-faced, little…" Sandi trailed off as Quinn gave an intense glare.
'How long?' Quinn wondered, again.
"Meeting ended," Sandi said.
"6:57. The shortest yet," Stacy responded.
Unknown to Quinn and the others, Daria had overheard Stacy saying 'I'm so happy you're still one of us,' as she had walked by. Therefore she called Jane about her suspicion.
"Come on, not even aliens would give the planet to the Fashion Club. You're getting paranoid," Jane responded.
"I'm not talking about aliens. But there's something out there. Something stupid."
"You get rattled too easily," Jane responded, then changed her tone. "By the way, can you come over here right now? I'm really scared."
"I see. And to what do I owe this mood swing?" Daria asked.
"It's Trent's song. You gotta listen and tell me if it's getting more cheerful."
"Now who's paranoid?"
"Come on, I'll order a pizza. And don't tell your mother where you're going, I don't want her getting all motherly."
"Right away."
After the meeting ended, Sandi made herself scarce.
Helen saw her going out. "You weren't here long, Sandi," she said.
"Quinn doesn't need me," she said in a montone before heading out the door.
"Sandi! Wait!" Helen said.
It was only a couple of minutes before Daria left on her way to Jane's.
"Where are you going?" Helen asked.
"Just a walk, and to think about things," Daria said, guardedly.
'Of course,' Helen thought. "But at night?"
"This area of Lawndale is still safe," Daria said before heading out the door.
'Of course it is,' Helen thought.
Quinn saw Daria leaving. 'What is she up to. She has been acting weirdly today.' She looked to Stacy and Tiffany, who were still there. 'They can stay here while I check,' she thought.
"Quinn?" Stacy asked.
'She could be one I could confide in, maybe,' she thought. "Um, I need to check on something on the street," she dissembled.
"You're following Daria?" Stacy asked.
"Um, yeah," Quinn said. "Could you run interference with Mom?"
"Sure, but how are you going to get out without her knowing?"
"There is a way," Quinn answered enigmatically. She then went to the window at the end of the hall and opened it. She showed Stacy a trellis which had ivy on it, which reached up to the window.
"You have been climbing down that?" Stacy asked.
"Yes," Quinn answered as she started going through the window.
"Right…" Stacy said.
Stacy watched Quinn climb down, then went back to Quinn's room.
"Where's Quinn?" Tiffany asked.
"She's doing something," Stacy answered.
Quinn disappeared into the bushes on the right side of the house and waited until Stacy had gone back to her room before going to the shed, where she had stored one of the spare SpiderGirl costumes.
Soon, she was webslinging after Daria, in the direction of Howard Drive.
As Daria approached Casa Lane, she heard a rustle in the bushes at the end of the street. "Come on now. Aliens don't hide in the bushes. It's probably just a stalker. Yes, a stalker out to plant a teen in a shallow grave. Perfectly normal. I feel much better now."
Brittany Taylor knew Daria was up to something, which was why she was following her. She wasn't sure why Kevin had to come along, his amorous attentions wasn't something she needed at just that moment. "But, Kevvy." He continued to be amorous "Kevvy!"
"Huh?" Kevin asked.
"Didn't you say we were going to follow her and save the world and stuff?" she asked. She liked making him think some things were his idea.
"Oh, yeah. But I don't think we have to save the world right this second,' he responded.
"Great!" she said. A few more moments of making out wouldn't go awry, she considered.
Suddenly there was a purr above them. "Que passionato!"
'Oh great!' Brittany thought. 'Upchuck!'
"Hey! We're trying to save the world here!" Kevin said as he shone his flashlight at Charles.
"And I'm trying to find the space maidens' ship so they can take me back and make me their love slave," Charles responded.
"Oh cool," Kevin said.
Two more flashlights turned on. "Well, you were right. Everyone has gone crazy," Jodie Landon said.
"I knew you'd try something, Kevin. I figured I owed it to the team to keep you from humiliating yourself," Mack said.
Bushes rustled and Mr. O'Neill emerged.
"Mr. O'Neill? Don't tell me you're hunting communists, too?" Mack asked incredulously.
O'Neill laughed nervously. "I wouldn't call it hunting. I heard a rumor about secret police kidnapping educators and spiriting them off to the gulag. But me? No. I frequently go for walks with a, um, flashlight in case the streetlights go out."
There was another rustle above and SpiderGirl emerged upside down, lowering herself halfway down by a thread. "What's going on here? Paranormal?"
"Not very," Jodie said, looking around.
'Probably meant paranoia,' Brittany thought.
"These reds come red-hot from the red planet itself. We're talking Mars," Charles said.
"Really?" SpiderGirl asked, her voice showing incredulity.
"Charles, I think you mean Marx," O'Neill said as he dropped his flashlight.
Jane answered the door. "You made it. Cool. I was starting to... whoa!"
Daria also looked at the flashing lights in the nearby woods.
O'Neill found his flashlight. "Found it."
"But why are you all, like, sneaking around with flashlights?" SpiderGirl asked.
"Good question," Jodie said.
The others all switched off their flashlights.
"Did we just see a U.F.O.?" Jane asked.
"You're getting paranoid. It's probably just an informal get-together of local stalkers. You know, hang out, swap stories, try out each other's skeleton keys," Daria responded.
"But only an idiot would go stalking with a flashlight, especially with that SpiderGirl about."
"Come on. This is Lawndale," Daria said as she went inside.
"Your're right, SpiderGirl, we've all been acting very foolish."
"Hey, man, speak for yourself," Kevin objected.
"Oh! Sorry, Kevin, " O'Neill said. "But I wonder if maybe a rally might be in order. You know, something before classes to promote understanding, remove the fear, and increase the peace."
"Are you sure?" SpiderGirl asked, before Kevin could get a word in.
"Quite sure. It won't get out of control," O'Neill said.
"But, practice is before classes. He's trying to destroy football. He's one of them!"
"No he isn't," SpiderGirl said, trying to keep calm.
"Who?" Brittany asked.
"I thought you knew."
'Time to go, Kevin," Mack said.
"I'll stay and talk to SpiderGirl for a bit," Brittany said.
"Sure," Jodie said. She turned to Upchuck. "Come along, Charles, we've had enough excitement for one night."
"Yes, I better go too," O'Neill said.
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