Author's Note: I really really meant to have this done for Sunday. In fact, it was almost finished by then… but then I got sidetracked and yeah… but it's done now, yay. And, aren't you all excited – this is officially the beginning of the end. Of course, that doesn't mean that it's finishing soon… just that I finally have everything set up to start to solve the mystery. No more than 10 chapters after this, tops (2.14.07,okay - that's a lie. There will be 58-60 chapters total. So yeah...) And I'm sorry about last week's cliffhanger – I didn't think it was that bad. This week should be a bit better, so, woot. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor stake any claim, to any of the original newsboy characters – they are the property of Disney. The main characters Stress and Diana (among others) belong to me. Any other character, when noted, is property of their respective owner.

Translations: a Maldição de Diabo translates to "a devil's curse" in the romance language of Portuguese.

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a Maldição de Diabo

January 9, 2007

A devil's curse. An unsolved murder. 4 generations.
At the brink of his own destruction, he traded his life for 100 years to find out what exactly happened that night.
If that wasn't strange enough, what exactly he will find out during his quest is.

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PART THIRTY SEVEN

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The girl shook her head. She had the insane notion to put up her hands, to cover herself as if she needed protection from the ghost – who was definitely suffering from mood swings – but she kept her composure. If there was one thing that Diana did not want to do, it was look weak in front of a century dead ghost boy. "What the hell are you talking about, Jack? I don't get it."

He did not look like he believed her. His mouth was set and he snorted. "Do I look like a complete idiot to you?"

The words were out before she knew it. "I don't see what that has to do with anything."

Diana was not sure but she could have sworn that Jack's response to her off-handed comment was to growl under his breath. She adopted her own defensive stance, her hands on her hips, and stared back at Jack. She was not about to let him intimidate her like this. After all, she had already devoted four days to thinking about Jack's mystery – she was helping him. He had no need to take an attitude with her.

He did look angry, though. She sighed. It would do no good if the two of them started arguing so early in the day. "Listen, Jack. You don't want me to play games with you? Fine. But don't get all hot and bothered. I have no clue as to what you're pissed off about."

"Brimstone," he snapped. When she looked confused, he closed his eyes and took a breath. Of course, being dead, the breath was unnecessary but it was needed. His nonexistent heart was beating triple-time as Jack felt the lingering affects of the black magic that hung around the room. He knew what the acrid scent of brimstone meant; that was not what was bothering him. It was the fact that it was in her bedroom. It was important that he know why – and how. "Take a sniff, kid."

Though she resented being treated like that – maybe she did not miss her and Jack's banter as much as she initially thought – Diana did what he told her to do. She breathed in deeply through her nose and coughed violently when she got a strong whiff of that horrid smell. It seemed to be as strong as it was when she returned to the room before her shower and she mentally kicked herself. She should have opened the window in order to air it out (of course, if the stench was coming from the outside, then that really would not work); however, that did not explain what Jack was going on about.

When the coughs had subsides, she looked back at Jack. "Yeah," she said, her throat a little sore from the cough attack. "It reeks in here. What of it?"

A glimmer of a smirk pulled on his lips, making him appear to be less intimidating than before. In fact, he seemed almost satisfied that his instructions had led her to choke on the pungent fumes that still filled the room. "That's the brimstone." He unfolded his arms and set them down by his legs. "Now, you want to tell me why it smells like that in here?"

Is that what he was freaking out about? Because this room stinks? Damn it, he got me nervous there for a second… She shrugged. "I don't know. I woke up this morning and the stink was there. It probably slipped in through a crack in the window. I don't see why you're so worked up about it, Jack."

"You're telling me that you have no idea as to what this smell is? That you ain't familiar with brimstone?" Jack sounded as if he did not believe her. After the first time he ever came in contact with the bitter scent, he had never forgotten it… but Diana seemed as if did not bother her (except for just being really smelly). He seemed to calm down; at the very least, he did not glare at her as if he was about to pounce.

Diana waved her hand in front of her nose, trying to dispel the odor. "Basically. Am I supposed to be familiar with this… er… brimstone of yours?"

He did not answer her question. Instead, he ran one of his hands through his shaggy brown hair and sighed. "So, you're still telling me that you have no clue what it's doing here? Or what it means?" He was not sure if he was buying her excuse or not. She looked like she had no idea as to why the scent of brimstone was hovering about her room - but maybe she was a good actress. Besides, he had only known her for a few days. Why should he believe anything she said?

She shook her head. "Like I said, am I supposed to?"

Jack absently ran one of his hands through his hair again; it was a nervous habit he had never lost. On the one hand, he felt that he really did believe her, even though he had nothing more to believe than her word - though that might be only because she looked so much like the other girls... so much like her, even. And they had never lied to him.

But, on the other hand, something was not sitting right with him. This was the first time that he had been accosted by the memorable scent of brimstone without first seeing the creature that brought the stench. She doesn't know what it means… do I even? This was getting too strange, even for him. He needed help – and there was only one place he could get it.Jack exhaled sharply and pointed at the door. "Is Kloppman out there?"

Diana had forgotten about Jack's strange relationship with her aunt's butler. Vaguely, she recalled that she wanted to find out just how they knew each other but, somehow, that thought had slipped her mind until that very moment; she would have to look into that later – she obviously could not do that now. Or could she… Maybe I can get Jack to tell me how Mr. Kloppman can see him, she thought. She looked at Jack, still standing beside her bed, and narrowed her eyes. "What for?"

"Because he can help me figure something out. Is he there or not?"

I'm not going to get any information out of him in such a mood. Stupid ghost. "No, Mr. Kloppman's not here, if you need to know. I haven't seen him all morning. He must have gone out on an errand or something for my aunt." As soon as the words were out, Diana remembered once again what Stress had told her about Jack and Ariadne. When he stopped acting so strange, that would have to be something else that Diana asked him. Though, at the rate she was going, she would have a huge list of questions before then.

Jack flinched just a bit – hardly enough to be noticeable except for that fact that Diana was watching him intently and caught the minute action – before shaking his head royally. Well, as royally as a dead orphan from the early 20th century could do. "Kloppman can't leave this building," he admitted. He had not really meant to tell Diana that but he only realized that after the words were out. Oh, well… "Besides, if anyone can help me figure this out, it's him. I'm gonna just have to call for him."

"Figure what out?" Diana was getting confused – even more so than before. It was as if Jack was speaking in riddles to her… and all because he recognized whatever it was that was making her bedroom stink (though, the longer she stood there, the more used to the stink she was getting). She was beginning to think that maybe this was all just part of a dream – it was getting harder and harder to tell the difference between the times when she was asleep and when she was awake.

Just to make sure, she reached her right hand over her chest and pinched her left forearm. "Ouch." Okay, there goes the theory that I'm sleeping cause, damn, that hurt. I guess Jack really did finally lose it… What did he do these last two days? I mean, he wasn't this crazy when I made him leave on Saturday.

Like before, Jack chose to not answer her question – though he did look at her with a strange expression when she pinched herself for no apparent reason; instead, he stood there, quietly. Diana was trying to figure out just what he was doing when he opened his mouth wide and started to speak. Not talk loudly, not yell for the butler but, rather, speak calmly as if he was in the room with them.

"Kloppy. I need you right now. It's important."

The girl coughed. It was quite unlike her earlier fit – this cough was done just to get his attention. "Uh, Jack? You do know that I told you that Mr. Kloppman isn't here, right?"

To her surprise, Jack ignored her. And he did not just ignore her, he ignored her; the way he did not pay her a second glance reminded her of how her mother and father would act when she was younger and they were discussing something that was deemed inappropriate for her. She hated it then – she hated it even more now.

She resisted the urge to stamp her foot and demand his attention. It was strange – mere moments ago, she would have been glad that he was not bothering her. But, now that she was trying to figure out what he was doing, it was upsetting her that he was blatantly ignoring her. "Jack!"

That's when she heard it. The front door of her aunt's apartment had opened and closed again. Someone had entered the apartment and, from the sound of rather light footsteps, Diana could tell that they were heading down the main hallway.

If that's Mr. Kloppman, this is either one really big coincidence or something even freakier than I thought is going on. And, considering I've been cool with hanging out with a dead boy and – surprise – some dead chick is totally residing inside me, that's saying something. Just what the hell is going on right now?

Jack did not look in the least surprised that the door had opened. In fact, he was impatiently tapping his shoe against the floor of Diana's bedroom, as if he was waiting for whoever it was to come to him. He did, however, spare a glance towards Diana. The girl was still standing in the doorway of the bedroom; with a hurried wave of his hand – it was a free hand, since the packet of photographs was resting on top of her bed – he gestured for her to wait inside of the room.

She could not figure why it was so important that she enter the room but she did what she was told. She did not get any closer to the ghost boy, though – she had not forgotten how he had frightened her, only moments ago; instead, she scooted inwards and kept her back to the wall. Just in case.

Whether Jack had been expecting the visitor or not, said visitor knew exactly where he was going. Not too much longer after they had heard that door open and close, a man's head poked into the, now unoccupied, doorway. His eyes were a bit glazed but that could have been because they were partially hidden by a pair of eyeglasses that were resting cockeyed on his nose. Wherever he had been, he had hurried to get where he was going. "Cowboy. You called for me?"

It was Alfred Kloppman. A million and one questions popped up in Diana's mind – the most important one clamoring for her attention was: how the hell did he know that the ghost boy was calling for him? – but she could not find the voice with which to pose them. Instead, she stood there, her mouth slightly agape, looking very much like a surprised fish.

Neither Jack nor Kloppman seemed to pay her any mind at that moment. Kloppman was looking confused that Jack had called for him while being in Diana's room; Jack was itching to ask Kloppman about what was going on. There was no time to fill the fourth generation Daite girl in on anything just then.

"Yeah, Kloppy. Here, smell."

If the elderly butler thought there was anything strange about Jack's request – how could he? I mean, he's taking orders from a dead boy… what could be weirder than that? – he did not show it. He just used one of his wrinkled old fingers to settle his glasses before breathing in deeply.

Kloppman had not taken but half of that breath before his eyes widened behind the glass. Jack looked vindicated. "Jack. Brimstone?"

Jack touched his nose. "You got it, Kloppy."

"But… how? I mean… here? What was he doing in here with Miss Mason?"

Before Jack could answer that question – which would have been interesting, considering Jack had no idea himself – he was interrupted.

"Hold on a second."

Diana held out both of her hands, drawing some of the attention over to her. "I don't get it. The two of you seem to think that this strange ass smell means something but no one's telling me anything. Seeing as this is my room and I've been pretty cool with this so far, I think someone owes me an explanation! Who was in my room?" She was a little flushed by the end of her outburst but she was glaring so fiercely that she had taken on the air of malice that had formerly surrounded Jack.

The boy, however, did not seem intimidated by her at all. With a humorous smirk on his face – he was glad that Kloppman had proven his point without really saying anything – he searched his pockets. Patting down the sides of his trousers, he found what he was looking for in the right side and drew it out. It was a cigarette, slightly creased and folded; he placed it in his mouth but did not light it. Instead, his lips curving around the cigarette, he nodded.

"Oscar Delancey has been here, Diana. And, as you can smell, that scab has a tendency to linger."

--

For the first time that morning, Ariadne took a deep breath and relaxed in her office chair. It had been a very hectic start to the day, with countless phone calls to make and receive; it was only now, at ten after noon, that she had the chance to take a second for herself.

She lifted her beige mug to her lips and finished off her third cup of coffee. Knowing that the day had only really started, the woman leaned forward and pressed the intercom button on her phone. "Rachel?"

Her secretary's voice returned the page. "Yes, Ms. Cearr?"

"Whenever you have the chance," she began, setting her empty mug at the edge of her pristine desk, "could you bring me another cup of coffee?" She felt bad about bothering the young girl – this would be the fourth time she asked her for more coffee – but the coffee machine was on a dolly right next to Rachel's desk.

Another crackle of static before she heard the response. "Of course, Ms. Cearr. I'll be right there."

"Thanks, Rae," Ariadne said before removing on her manicured fingers from the button. She sighed and thought about what she should do right then. She had a very important meeting at twelve thirty, but, until then, she was free. She had already finished off a ham sandwich from a local deli during one of her more boring phone calls – therefore, lunch was not necessary. She would be perfectly content with another cup of coffee.

Thinking about phone calls, Ariadne knew what she should do. Just like she had done on Friday, she thought it might be nice to check up on her niece and make sure that she was doing all right. Though she and Diana had only had one conversation about that blasted demon boy – and Diana seemed to believe everything that her aunt had told her about him – Ariadne was sure that Diana was still thinking about working with him.

It unnerved her that she had unwittingly allowed Diana to get roped into this whole curse business and she had been trying to correct that ever since she was certain that Jack had made contact with her. She had given Diana the 'Fate' box and even implored Alfred to tell the girl about what a menace and a liar that Jack Kelly was; when she was not sure that those measures had worked, she had gone ahead and invited Diana's mother to stay for the weekend.

Though Arianrhod was suspicious in regards to her unsuspected invitation, her twin sister had visited all the same. With Diana in their sight for Saturday evening and all of Sunday, Ariadne was aware that she was keeping the girl out of Jack's grasp. But what now, now that she was at work and Diana was alone?

Making up her mind that she should call and check up on Diana, Ariadne reached for the black phone. She had not gotten further than dialing the area code for her niece's new cell phone before the front door to her office opened. "Thanks, R—" she began but caught herself. It was not her secretary that was bringing her another cup of coffee.

It was Tony Higgins.