Pen Name
Voice of the voiceless, by D.J. Lewis is a story about a young man, a newspaper writer, Kain O'Laughlin, looking for a story in the heart of New Orleans. It's Mardi Gras in the Bayou when he comes across the young woman who will change his life forever.
Katerina Girard is just trying to live her life the only way she's ever known how. Surviving her families' less that legal exploits and working her job behind the bar at a local tavern on Bourbon street. All the while simultaneously keeping her biggest secret under wraps, she sees dead people. She also talks to them and interacts with them and sometimes she even helps them.
And that's exactly what Katerina is doing when Kain spots her in a dark alley on the second night of Mardi Gras. She's speaking into what he perceives as nothingness, lit only by the moon as she stares up at the empty fire escape.
It is from there that Katerina takes Kain on an amazing journey into the unknown, giving him reason to rethink everything he once believed about life, about death, and about himself.
"How far did you get?" Pepper asked as she took a seat beside Natasha.
"Chapter twenty-five and you?"
"Chapter thirty. It's getting very intense."
"No spoilers, Pep, I'm still on fifteen." Tony called across the table.
"Yea same here." Clint added.
Natasha answered; "You should be more worried about Steve and James, they've already finished it." Tony turned to them at the other end of the table.
"If either of you spoils the ending for me I'll sue you both." He threatened. Bruce shook his head.
"I'm pretty sure that's the very definition of a frivolous lawsuit."
"This from the guy who hasn't started it yet." Jane accused. "Even Thor's already half way through."
"Indeed, it is a thrilling epic."
"What are you guys all talking about?" Darcy asked, taking a seat between Bucky and Sam. The table went silent as they all stared at her.
"Oh my god, what did I say. Make it stop." She leaned into Sam's side as he chuckled at her.
"We're talking about that new book, Voice of the Voiceless. You know the one that's been on the New York Times best sellers list for like four months now." Sam explained. "Have you really not heard about it?" She shrugged.
"I have a reading list longer than me, I don't think I have any room to add any more."
"Well you should make room." Tony interrupted. "It's amazing."
"You can borrow my copy, Darce." Bucky offered. She smiled sweetly at him.
"I wonder if the author will ever reveal their identity." Bruce said absently to himself.
"Probably not, he doesn't seem to want anyone to know who he is." Pepper replied. She shot a glare at Tony. "Right Tony?" To his credit he looked thoroughly shamed.
"In my defense, I'm pretty sure Jarvis knows who he is and is refusing to tell me."
"Imagine that Stark, something you created with a sense of privacy." Steve poked.
"Oh that's funny Capsicle. Did Darcy teach you that one?" Said woman snorted into her coffee at the same time as Bucky.
Three years and two books later
"Did you hear? D.J. Lewis is going to reveal himself now that his book series is finished." Pepper sounded reserved, yet excited.
"Wait, really?" Clint jumped down from his perch on the counter as Pepper and Natasha walked into the kitchen.
"It was just announced last night in a promo for the Late Show with Conan O'Brien."
"Tony is already planning a viewing party for that night."
"Any excuse to have a party." Sam murmured to himself, as he finished making breakfast. Everyone filed in shortly after helping take the different bowls and platters to the table. Tony strutted in late, taking a seat at the table.
"Did you tell them?" He asked Pepper. When she nodded an affirmative he continued. "So, everyone, pent house media room, Friday night at Ten for food and drink. Show starts at 11:00pm." He paused looking around the table. "Everyone's going to be there right?"
He got a collective nod before Darcy piped up from her place near Bucky. "Sorry, can't."
"What? Lewis, why not?" Tony looked surprisingly upset.
"Yea Darce, don't you wanna know who the author is?" Steve asked.
Tony nodded vigorously "What could be more important?"
Darcy threw him the best unimpressed stare she learned from Natasha (the spy preened). "Not that it's any of your business, but I have a date." She finally replied. She couldn't be sure but she thought she felt Bucky tense ever so slightly beside her. And if Steve did the same on her opposite side, she chose to ignore it.
"You're gonna give up seeing the real deal for a date?" Clint sounded incredulous.
She rolled her eyes. "Yea, I am, it's really no big deal. I'm sure it will be all over twitter the minute the show airs."
"Yea, but... Party." Was Tony's very weak reply. She tried not to laugh at him as she turned back to her breakfast, missing the look Bucky and Steve shared over her head.
When Friday night rolled around she found the team and their support in the penthouse. She strutted to the catcalls proud of her outfit, a red dress the ended just above the knee with a thin black belt around the waist that matched her black pointy toed heels. Her hair was loose and curled.
"Very classy Darcy." Pepper complimented, Natasha agreed.
"That date of yours is a lucky guy." Clint added as he proceeded Bucky and Steve around the bar and into the sitting area.
"Why thank you Barton, I believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He looked confused.
"Nuh-uh. What are you comparing it too?"
"How about the first thing you ever said to me?'What's up boobs?'"
In his defense he looked truly mortified, and slightly terrified as all eyes turned on him. "I was drunk?" He looked to Darcy for clarification. She shook her head.
"Damn." She laughed.
"Relax, you may not have been drunk, but I was." Clint heaved a sigh of relief. "Anyway, I should get going, or I'm going to be late."
"We'll walk you down." Bucky offered as she walked to the elevator. She smiled.
"Awe, such gentlemen. Tony, Clint, take notes."
"Oh haha." Tony scoffed as they disappeared behind the elevator doors.
"So, what's his name?" Bucky dug in his big brother tone. Darcy rolled her eyes.
"Try all you want I'm not telling you his name." She replied. "Last thing I need is you guys running background on him."
"You can't fault is for worrying about you." Steve nudged her gently until she smiled.
"Yea, yea, I know. I can always count on you guys to have my back." Her smiled grew shy. "If it makes you feel any better though, it's probably not going to go anywhere."
"Why not?" Bucky asked just as the elevator made it to the ground floor. She shrugged.
"He's not really my type. I mean don't get me wrong, he's funny and sweet and I think we'll make great friends, but I just don't think it'll go anywhere."
Bucky and Steve escorted Darcy out of he building and to the curb where a car was waiting to take her wherever she was going. Before she got in the car Steve spoke up.
"If he's not your type than who is?" Her smiled turned cheeky.
"Soldiers who watch each other's backs and do really stupid things in order to save the planet."
With that she was in the car and driving off.
They stood on the sidewalk for a moment before turning to each other with broad smiles.
The opening theme song played through the TV speakers as Conan O'Brien entered the stage and danced along. When the music stopped he went through his monologue before introducing the nights' segments.
"Ladies and gentlemen, both here in the studio and at home around the world, tonight we have a very special guest, for the first time anywhere, D.J. Lewis, live and in the flesh. We are very lucky to have such a talented author chose our show for public debut. So, stay tuned, because right after this commercial break... Well, you know."
Tony was practically vibrating, as were everyone else in the room. The basic excite was circulating through the group as each commercial began and ended. When the show finally returned the tension was palpable.
The host was now seated at his desk, his wing man in his chair beside the desk. "Our guest tonight is an award winning author whose books have broken the record for how long they each remained on the New York Times Best Sellers list. So without further ado please help me in welcoming for the first time anywhere, D.J. Lewis.
The camera shifted to the big red curtain to the hosts left. As the curtain opened applause erupted from the audience, while silence and shock reined in the pent house of Avengers Tower.
Each member of the Avengers family watched as Darcy Lewis walked out from behind the curtain, big smile on her face and waving to the audience as she made her way to the stage.
She greeted the host and his wing man and took a seat beside the desk.
"So," the host began when the cheers died down. "For clarification your name is..."
"Darcy Kathleen Lewis."
"I can't help but notice there is no J in your name."
"No, no J. J actually stands for my partner. He wishes to remain anonymous to the public, but he was instrumental in the completion of this series, whether he believes it or not."
"I think I speak for everyone when I say I want to know how this story came about."
"Well, it started in high school."
"High school?"
"Yes, I was sixteen and I had just finished watching the Sixth Sense on tv and the idea just sort of came to me. So I sat down and started writing. It didn't really seem like that big a deal, what was the worst that could happen, I waste some time writing words." They laughed.
"So you didn't plan for this story to become so popular?" She shook her head.
"No, not at all. It was just something to kill time. I got about half way through before graduation and just kind of forgot about it in college." She paused. "Then a few years ago everything kind of settled down and I fell into this new family and decided to start writing again. This is where J came in." She laughed. "He totally kept me motivated. Helped me with research, proofread everything I wrote and when I was done with all three books and I put it away because you know, it was done. He went through my hard drive, printed the story and sent it off to publishers without telling me."
"Oh wow. So this was all a surprise?"
"It was, it definitely was. You know I'm sitting at my desk at work and the next thing I know I've got a stack of letters from publishing companies fighting to get their hands on the series."
"That's amazing. Now, we're all here at team Coco, big fans of your work and many a meeting has been sidetracked talking about your books. Do you find yourself in the middle of these discussions at any time while you remained anonymous?" Darcy's smile was blinding.
"All the time. My close friends, who I also live with, are huge fans themselves."
"So they didn't know either then?"
"No, in fact there all sitting at home watching right now and until I walked out here they all thought I was on a date."
"Ooo, sneaky." They laughed.
"So, being anonymous I'm sure gives you this ability to sort of step back and see everything from the outside. Seeing what you've seen, what do you think is the most satisfying moment out of all of this?"
"You know what; it all comes back to my friends. I was raised by my grandmother, and for my whole life she was the only family I had. So in college, when she passed away, I was kind of lost. Until I met my best friend and she kind of gave me purpose again. Eventually that led me to my new family here in New York. That being said, the most satisfying moment would have to be about four months into the first books run on the best sellers list. I walk into the dinning room for breakfast and they're all talking about it. They're threatening each other with law suits if they even think about ruining the ending for each other and debating the details and figuring whose where in the book and I remember sitting down and looking around and thinking about how my family, the most important people in my life truly enjoyed what I had created, whether they knew it was me or not."
Darcy was nervous to say the least. For the last four plus years she had been keeping a pretty major secret from her friends and now that it was out she felt both liberated and scared.
The elevator doors opened at the penthouse level and just beyond she could hear the voices of her friends where she left them earlier in the night. With a deep breath she stepped out of the lift and made her way toward the voices.
As she rounded into the living room the voices stopped, everyone turning to her when she stopped near them.
"Are you mad?" Darcy's voice was soft, guilty even. Jane was the first to reply, standing from her seat beside Thor.
"How could we, the most important people in your life, be mad at you?" Darcy's smile was blinding as she and Jane came together, embracing each other in a tight hug.
Within seconds she was surrounded by her friends... Her family.
"One question though." Tony spoke up. "J is Jarvis isn't he?"
Darcy smirked knowingly.