3: The Hinterlands Warrior "Lenore, wait!" Annabelle ran to catch up with me, panting and looking tired. Jack had told us to search the Hinterlands for Malicia's Frozen Fire Castle, and Annabelle hadn't really wanted to go. But Jack said it would be easier with the two of us, so she finally agreed. She's probably regretting it right about now, I thought with a smile, seeing Annabelle with her dark blue ensemble (a sports bra and dance pants), her glossy blue hair falling all over the ice-blue skin of her face. I had chosen a less-practical outfit (a frilly orange skirt with a sleek black turtleneck), but I wasn't having any problems. Annabelle was just a wimp. We reached the Holiday Circle, and Annabelle convinced me to stop and rest awhile. Suddenly I heard a rustling in the trees behind me. I whirled around. No one was there. "Whatcha lookin' at?" Annabelle said wearily, taking a seat underneath the Halloween door. "Nothing," I said, "I thought I heard something." I turned back around and pulled out a magazine ("Black is the New Black", the cover proclaimed). But just as I started reading a fascinating article about how to make great dark rims around your eyes, I heard a twig snap behind me. I turned once more. No one there. I returned to the article. "Okay, rub ash over upper and lower lid. Take sponge and-" Another snap. I spun around angrily, "WILL YOU STOP THAT CONFOUNDED SNAPPING?" "Wasn't me!" Annabelle protested. I walked over to where the noise was coming from and said loudly, "Come out and show yourself, you little-" A figure leaped out of the mess of trees, spinning and lashing through the air untill she landed by the Easter door. Annabelle jumped up and frantically ran behind the Halloween tree. The stranger was tall, female and muscular, with long purple hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a short purple dress with a leather corset over it, and wraparound arm guards and leg guards, also purple. Underneath she wore tight black pants, not unlike something Annabelle would wear, with ankle-high black boots that sunk into the leg guards. Her face was rosy, which startled me, since I was so used to seeing pale complexions in Halloween Town. She had narrow black eyes, almond shaped, like she was Asian, and wore light pink lip gloss over naturally purple lips. She also carried two weapons: a katana, which she held in front of her, and a smaller sword, tucked into the sheath in her belt. For a moment all I could hear was Annabelle's shallow breathng. Then the girl said, in a low and dangerous voice: "I am the guardian of Holiday Circle. What brings you here?" She might have looked Asian, but the accent was Italian. "Erm..." I stuttered, "We are searching for a castle. Made of frozen fire." She narrowed her eyes, then lowered the katana. "I am Darletta Agustino. Who are you?" "Lenore Telltale and Annabelle Lee." I said, "Can you help us?" She looked at Annabelle for a moment, then said, "You are looking for the castle of Malicia, yes?" "Yeah. How did you know?" She sighed. "Malicia caused me great sorrow at one time." I frowned, "C-can you tell us what happened?" She narrowed her eyes again. "Can I trust you?" "Of course. We're the good guys." Darletta sighed, "Well, it happened over two years ago... "My family and I were looking for a new home in Italy, and I ran into this handsome, charming, funny young man named Antonio. He was as beautiful as any man could be, and we fell in love. But my mother and father did not approve. They called ours a forbidden love. "Even though it was against my family's wishes, we continued to meet. One night, while we were talking, among other things-" (here she blushed bright red) "he suddenly got up and rushed ut the door. I did not know what to make of that, but I simply waited for him by the window, assuming he would come back. "I was wrong. A few minutes later, I felt a hand reach through the window, then something sharp on my back. "Then I was here. Doomed to protect the Circle for eternity." she finished. "What does that have to do with Malicia?" I asked. "Malicia, as I found out later, had controlled Toni's mind, tricking him into stabbing me." "Oh! How awful!" I gasped. Suddenly, Annabelle spoke up: "You should come back to Halloween Town with us." "That'd be brilliant!" I said brightly. "She could stay in my guestroom," Annabelle said. Darletta smiled, something I had not yet seen from her. "I would love to. But I would need to return here often. At least once a day, or else the curse on me will finish what Toni started." I thought for a moment. "Does this mean you're dead, like us?" "I suppose. Yes." "Cool." So we went in the Halloween door and back to town, one friend richer.