THE TEACHINGS OF DOÑA DARIA
by Galen Hardesty
Part Ten

~*~

"What did you mean about my pupils being dilated, anyway?" Quinn asked.

Daria replied, "I was looking to see if the effects of those berries were wearing off. Your pupils are still a little too wide, so they haven't quite worn off yet."

"Berries? I only ate two blackberries. Surely..."

"No, the ones you ate this morning, the ones Dad found."

"Oh. So you think there was something wrong with those berries? And that's why Mom and Dad were talking funny?"

"Oh, yeah, there was definitely something wrong with those berries. I've been running myself ragged all day trying to keep the three of you in the same county."

"But if they were dangerous, wouldn't the Forest Service warn us about them? Like they do about poisonous snakes and stuff?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

Quinn looked around. "Hmm. So, anyway, now we have to walk a mile and a half to get back to camp? I don't see anything that looks like trail marks."

"We're not following the trail I marked. If my sense of direction is any good, we're pretty close to the main trail, only about two or three hundred yards. So we're just walking straight east till we cut the trail. It'll be much shorter this way."

"Daria, how sure are you about that? It sounds kind of risky."

"Well, my distance estimate could be off, but as long as we walk east, there's no way we can miss intersecting the trail from the parking area to the campsite, unless we cut the road to the parking area, which is just as good."

"Daria, if you get us lost, you know I'm gonna bitch about it for the rest of our short, miserable lives."

Daria pointed. "Guess you'll have to file that in your 'shattered dreams' bin, Quinn. There's the trail just up ahead."

Daria and Quinn pushed their way between a couple of bushes and emerged onto the trail. Looking south, Daria could see part of Helen's red SUV in the parking area off the paved road. She stood for a moment in thought.

Quinn felt the rope tighten on her wrist, and turned back toward Daria. "Come on, Daria, camp is the other way,"

"Right, but we might need the SUV if we have to restrain Dad."

"But Mom'll have to come get it. You don't have a set of keys... do you?"

Daria started walking toward the car. "No, but maybe I can boost it." She walked up to the front passenger side wheelwell, reached inside the fender, felt around a bit, and pulled out a small box. Opening the box, she brought out a key, which she held up for Quinn to see.

Daria removed the rope that bound Quinn to her, then unlocked the doors and opened the one on the driver's side. Quinn opened the front passenger door, and they both waited a few seconds to let the worst of the heat escape. "Why did Mom tell you about her hidden key, Daria? She didn't tell me," Quinn remarked as she slid gingerly onto the hot seat. There was a trace of resentment in her voice.

"She didn't. I guessed."

Quinn cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, Daria, you went straight to it."

"A reasoned guess. Mom usually wears skirts when she goes out, so she's not going to want to bend over too much in a parking lot to reach the key. I figured the top of the driver's side wheelwell would be a little too obvious, so I went straight to the second most obvious place, and there it was."

"Oh, that's so simple!" Quinn replied, and forgot about it. Daria choked back her irritation.

As Daria started the SUV, she remarked, "Mom usually keeps breakfast bars in the glove compartment, to eat on her way to work."

Quinn had it open before Daria had finished the word "compartment", and was tearing the wrapper off a bar. Daria smirked as she wolfed it down. "Hey, chew it a couple of times! You'll give yourself a bellyache!"

Quinn said nothing, but went fractionally slower on her second bar. "Um, say, Jaws, if there are any left, I'd kind of like one," Daria said as she backed the SUV up and headed it cautiously up the path.

Quinn still said nothing, probably because her mouth was full, but managed to look abashed for a second. She pulled another bar out of the glove box, handed it to Daria, then, seeing that Daria was driving, pulled it back and unwrapped it before handing it to her again.

"Ghod, I had no idea I was so hungry, until you mentioned food!" Quinn gasped when she'd regained the power of speech. "And now I'm dying of thirst!"

"Water bottle in my pocket," Daria said, concentrating on staying on the trail, which was thickly overhung with brush in spots. "Don't rip the pocket off."

Quinn lost no time getting to the water bottle, which wasn't quite half full. She drank eagerly, but stopped before she'd drunk it all. Somewhat reluctantly, she offered it to Daria.

Daria smiled a bit. "Go ahead and finish it. There's more water at camp."

Quinn didn't need to be told twice. She tipped the bottle up again, and didn't lower it till it was empty. "Thanks, Daria."

"Sure." Daria smiled briefly, but maintained her concentration on the trail.

~*~

Helen was sitting on a log at the campsite, drinking water and looking anxious. She didn't look entirely pleased that Daria had driven her toy up here through the brush, but her face lit up when Quinn got out.

After being hugged thoroughly by Helen, and assuring her that she was fine, Quinn went for her water. Helen turned to Daria and hugged her too, before she could get out of range. "I knew you'd bring her back. How did you do it?"

"Well, once it dawned on me that I should tell her something that she'd want to believe, the details fell into place pretty quickly." Daria told Helen how she'd lured Quinn close enough to get a rope on her. "How is Dad?" she asked.

"His eyes aren't as dilated, but he's fixated on his 'Old Man.' I talked him out of trying to jump the ravine, but he won't let go of the idea that the 'Old Man' is around here somewhere and this is his chance to track track him down, or wrestle him, or beat him at something."

Quinn came back, carrying two water bottles. She handed one to Daria. "Here, Daria, I refilled your bottle. Ah! I feel so much better!" Her brow furrowed a bit. "Uh, Mom, where's the toilet paper?"

Helen pointed. "The paper is in the top of my pack, and the camp shovel is leaning against that tree."

Quinn got the roll of toilet paper, wnd went to get the little folding shovel. "I hate this" she muttered.

They watched Quinn head off toward where they'd dug the latrine, then Helen turned to Daria. "How are you doing, Daria? And what happened to your cheek?"

"It's nothing, I scratched it on a broken branch. I'm okay, just tired. I'll be sore as heck tomorrow, though. Dad will be too, I'm thinking."

Just then Jake trotted past the edge of the campsite, passing within feet of where Quinn was crouched, apparently noticing neither her, Helen. or Daria. He had his hiking shorts on again, but he was still shirtless, and still flushed.

Daria watched him go with a worried expression. "He's getting 'way too much exercise today. I think we need to settle him down somehow. Tie him up, knock him out, give him what he wants..." there was a subtle change in Daria's expression. "Hmmm. I have an idea."

~*~