Part 4
"What's *wrong* with her, is she going crazy or what?"
Darla shook her head as she and Connie sat at the
local coffee shop after Margaret had snubbed them the
rest of the day. She'd disappeared with Suzanne and
Veronique at lunch. She hadn't been around when school
had finished. Gossip and rumours were spreading faster
than bacteria. "No idea. You'd have thought if she was
having problems she'd talk to us."
Connie nodded, tugging at a strand of curly blonde
hair. "She's got everything a girl could want – why on
*earth* would she rebel?"
Darla sipped her latte. Maybe *that* was exactly why
Margaret was rebelling. She had too much, Everything
was starting to seem the same. It was all well and
good to sit there and speculate, but it wasn't helping
them figure out what to do.
"What's Margaret doing with Suzanne?" They were joined
by Suzanne's best friend Phoebe, who sat down without
waiting to be asked.
"What's Suzanne done to Margaret?" Connie snapped
defensively. "What makes you automatically think
Margaret is the bad guy?"
Phoebe snorted. "Because she's almost sickeningly
*good.*"
"We don't know what's going on with either Margaret
*or* Suzanne," Darla said calmly before an argument
could break out.
"We need to do *something*," Connie insisted. "It's
not – it's weird. Margaret can't stand Suzanne."
Phoebe nodded in agreement. "She's cramping our style.
So what are we going to do?"
Darla's eyes rolled. Plotting schemes weren't the way
to go here. Normally Margaret was the one who was the
brains behind them. And something went wrong, anyway.
"Plotting my doom?" Margaret walked into the coffee
shop. With a smirk when she saw Connie and Phoebe in
deep conversation.
"You seem to be walking towards your *own* doom,"
Phoebe said, tossing back her light brown hair and
smoothing her short denim skirt.
Margaret shrugged. "At least it's something to do.
Suzanne's looking for you."
"Where?" Phoebe reached in her purse and pulled her
car keys out.
"I just left that new shop Mystique. Last I knew she
was there."
Connie's eyes opened wide. "The creepy place with the
magic books and hippie stuff?"
Margaret shrugged and sat down. "New age stuff. And
it's not so creepy."
"Veronique took you there, didn't she?" Darla said.
"What do you actually *know* about that girl?"
Margaret opened her mouth, an odd _expression on her
face. "That she's new and kind of cool," she said
finally. She clearly knew a lot more than that, but
for some reason wasn't saying anything.
"But she's so – aloof, and weird, and she already
snubbed us," Connie protested.
"She snubbed *you*. And she's not weird," Margaret
snapped, her tone oddly harsh. "We're going to Fire
and Thorns tonight."
"You *are* crazy! That place as a *dangerous*
reputation." Connie was almost shrieking.
Several people around them were glancing at her
disdainfully.
"She's got a point," Darla agreed. It was rare Connie
got the facts right about, but for once Darla knew she
wasn't exaggerating about the spooky, exclusive club
Fire and Thorns. "People go there and don't come back.
Remember Eric Granger? And Electra Andrews?"
Eric Granger had been one of Margaret's boyfriends who
had been unfaithful. He had cheated on her with
Suzanne of all people. Suzanne had taken him to Fire
and Thorns, Eric had never been seen again. Same had
happened to Electra. She had been a new girl desperate
to impress and dared to try and sneak into the club.
She'd never come back.
Darla was pretty sure most of the other teenage
disappearances recently in the town were connected
somehow to Fire and Thorns.
Margaret just shrugged. "No one knows what happened to
Eric or Electra. Maybe they met new people there and
ran off to elope. I'm going and neither of you can
stop me." She stood up, making to storm off. "You know
what, why don't you guys come *with* me? Then you'll
see there's nothing to worry about. I'll talk to
Veronique and she'll send a car to come pick you up."
"We'll be there," Darla cut in before Connie could
protest.
Margaret walked away.
"We are so dead," Connie muttered.
* * *
"What's *wrong* with her, is she going crazy or what?"
Darla shook her head as she and Connie sat at the
local coffee shop after Margaret had snubbed them the
rest of the day. She'd disappeared with Suzanne and
Veronique at lunch. She hadn't been around when school
had finished. Gossip and rumours were spreading faster
than bacteria. "No idea. You'd have thought if she was
having problems she'd talk to us."
Connie nodded, tugging at a strand of curly blonde
hair. "She's got everything a girl could want – why on
*earth* would she rebel?"
Darla sipped her latte. Maybe *that* was exactly why
Margaret was rebelling. She had too much, Everything
was starting to seem the same. It was all well and
good to sit there and speculate, but it wasn't helping
them figure out what to do.
"What's Margaret doing with Suzanne?" They were joined
by Suzanne's best friend Phoebe, who sat down without
waiting to be asked.
"What's Suzanne done to Margaret?" Connie snapped
defensively. "What makes you automatically think
Margaret is the bad guy?"
Phoebe snorted. "Because she's almost sickeningly
*good.*"
"We don't know what's going on with either Margaret
*or* Suzanne," Darla said calmly before an argument
could break out.
"We need to do *something*," Connie insisted. "It's
not – it's weird. Margaret can't stand Suzanne."
Phoebe nodded in agreement. "She's cramping our style.
So what are we going to do?"
Darla's eyes rolled. Plotting schemes weren't the way
to go here. Normally Margaret was the one who was the
brains behind them. And something went wrong, anyway.
"Plotting my doom?" Margaret walked into the coffee
shop. With a smirk when she saw Connie and Phoebe in
deep conversation.
"You seem to be walking towards your *own* doom,"
Phoebe said, tossing back her light brown hair and
smoothing her short denim skirt.
Margaret shrugged. "At least it's something to do.
Suzanne's looking for you."
"Where?" Phoebe reached in her purse and pulled her
car keys out.
"I just left that new shop Mystique. Last I knew she
was there."
Connie's eyes opened wide. "The creepy place with the
magic books and hippie stuff?"
Margaret shrugged and sat down. "New age stuff. And
it's not so creepy."
"Veronique took you there, didn't she?" Darla said.
"What do you actually *know* about that girl?"
Margaret opened her mouth, an odd _expression on her
face. "That she's new and kind of cool," she said
finally. She clearly knew a lot more than that, but
for some reason wasn't saying anything.
"But she's so – aloof, and weird, and she already
snubbed us," Connie protested.
"She snubbed *you*. And she's not weird," Margaret
snapped, her tone oddly harsh. "We're going to Fire
and Thorns tonight."
"You *are* crazy! That place as a *dangerous*
reputation." Connie was almost shrieking.
Several people around them were glancing at her
disdainfully.
"She's got a point," Darla agreed. It was rare Connie
got the facts right about, but for once Darla knew she
wasn't exaggerating about the spooky, exclusive club
Fire and Thorns. "People go there and don't come back.
Remember Eric Granger? And Electra Andrews?"
Eric Granger had been one of Margaret's boyfriends who
had been unfaithful. He had cheated on her with
Suzanne of all people. Suzanne had taken him to Fire
and Thorns, Eric had never been seen again. Same had
happened to Electra. She had been a new girl desperate
to impress and dared to try and sneak into the club.
She'd never come back.
Darla was pretty sure most of the other teenage
disappearances recently in the town were connected
somehow to Fire and Thorns.
Margaret just shrugged. "No one knows what happened to
Eric or Electra. Maybe they met new people there and
ran off to elope. I'm going and neither of you can
stop me." She stood up, making to storm off. "You know
what, why don't you guys come *with* me? Then you'll
see there's nothing to worry about. I'll talk to
Veronique and she'll send a car to come pick you up."
"We'll be there," Darla cut in before Connie could
protest.
Margaret walked away.
"We are so dead," Connie muttered.
* * *