KIDNAPPED
Chapter Six
………

As Jane sat at her desk waiting for Creative Writing class to start, it occurred to her how far beyond this class Daria was. Turning to look at her friend, she almost laughed out loud. Daria was looking pretty far beyond right now, still staring moon-eyed off into space, her mouth still not quite closed, smiling vaguely; apparently still processing the fact that she would be playing Melody Powers on the silver screen. Jane wondered if this was what Daria looked like after an especially good orgasm, which brought up the question of whether she had ever...

"Jodie Landon," Mr. O'Neill called. Silence answered. "Jodie?" He looked up, puzzled.

Jane said, "She's here. Something came up with the Lowdown."

"Oh," O'Neill said, looking surprised and slightly disappointed. He looked back down at his roster. "Jane Lane?"

"Yo," Jane said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, yes," O'Neill said, smiling sheepishly. "Um, Michael MacKenzie?"

"Here," said Mack.

"Daria Morgendorffer?"

Daria didn't seem to hear. "Present in body," Jane answered, smirking.

Just then Jodie appeared at the door. "Mr. O'Neill, may I borrow Daria for a minute? It's for the paper."

O'Neill wondered if perhaps he should insist both girls be in class, but after a look at Jodie's eager smile, he said, "All right."

Jane reached over and gave Daria a push on the shoulder. Daria came around and gave her a questioning look. Jane smirked and pointed at Jodie, who was beckoning to her from the door. Daria got up and headed toward Jodie, although she looked like she wasn't sure why.

ﮏ...ظ

Jodie looked around the room that served as the Lawndale Lowdown's editorial offices. Ted Dewitt-Clinton stood by, Nikon F2 at the ready. "...Now, how are we going to pose you... I wish we had a prop or something..."

Daria remembered something. "Oh, I know! There's a photo of me dressed as Melody in my online photo album. Give me a minute on a computer and I'll download it."

"That sounds perfect! Use that computer over there by the printer."

With a few swift keystrokes Daria called up her online links page and linked to her online image storage account. "Here's the photo I was thinking of, Jodie. What do you think?"

Jodie came and looked over Daria's shoulder, and inhaled sharply. "Omigosh, is that really you?"

Daria smiled slightly. "Yep. Remember after I read the first part of Blood Oath in the coffeehouse, how Kevin went into a blue funk because he thought Ratboy was dead?"

"Haha! Yeah, he was pretty much worthless for a few days. And when he snapped out of it, he told this weird story about meeting..." Jodie's eyes went wide and she gasped again. "About meeting Melody powers in front of the school at night, and about her giving him a note from Ratboy." She looked closer at the image on the screen. "And you're standing in front of the school at night in this photo."

Daria smiled a Mona Lisa smile. "Yep."

"Dressed like Melody Powers. With scars. And bandages. And a pistol?"

"Yep."

"So this is what you were alluding to that morning, when you made that strange remark about upstanding types like me and Mack not getting invited on covert missions."

"Uh huh."

"Damn, Daria. You went to a lot of trouble for Kevin and the Lions. And here I didn't think you had any school spirit."

"I had my reasons. And don't you go spreading any malicious rumors about me having school spirit. That's a real pistol, you know."

"Heehee! You're a hoot, Daria! Well, anyway, this photo is just about perfect! Let me just crop it and size it and paste it in, and we can get the Lowdown rolling."

"Be sure to give Chuck the photo credit."

"I don't think that would be... appropriate." Daria and Jodie turned at the sound of the voice. Ms. Li stood behind them.

"Let me get this straight. Putting the news on the front page of the Lowdown isn't 'appropriate'; neither is announcing it over the intercom. But taking an hour out of everyone's school day to have an assembly, complete with a new and expensive banner of me dressed as Melody, with you standing beside me, and with the media called in, is 'appropriate'.

"Yes! Think of the greater good! Think of the honor, the glo-o-ory it would bring to Laawnndale Hiighh!" Ms. Li's beady little eyes positively glittered.

Jodie said, "But Ms. Li, those banners are expensive! The teachers are all low on supplies! Our textbooks are falling apart! We need new..."

"Yes, yes, I know, Ms. Landon, but we must consider our priorities carefully in these lean times! There are sources of revenue other than tax money, but these sources are not open to just any school. We must distinguish ourselves and appear deserving to the public, and we must also appear worthy in certain ways to certain organizations, groups, and individuals. Trust me in this, ladies; I have tasked myself to become wise and knowledgeable in these matters."

"So you're saying that I should break this news in a certain way in order that the maximum benefit accrues to Laawndale Hiigh," Daria said.

"Yes!"

"And we should all set aside our personal concerns in favor of the common good."

"Yes!"

"Well you know, Ms. Li, these last couple of weeks, I've learned a lot about the nature and use of publicity and promotion. It's extremely important to a writer, especially at the beginning of her career. I think I should contact my publicists..."

"Publicists? You have publicists?"

"Oh, yes, my publisher's publicists, my agent's publicists... hmm, perhaps I should contact the studio's publicists too..."

"Ahh... I don't think it would be a good idea for you to get all those people involved at this point, Ms. Morgendorffer. You yourself said that we should all set aside our personal concerns in favor of the common good."

Jodie was looking from Daria to Ms. Li back to Daria with increasing concern. Maneuvering and manipulation were taking place here; she could feel it. She could see the familiar gleam of avarice in Ms. Li's beady little eyes. And there was a glitter of... something in Daria's eye, and just the faintest upward twitch of the corner of Daria's mouth. What was Daria trying to do here? What was she after?

Daria appeared to consider Li's words. "Welll... I guess," she said, "as long as we all do it." She gave Ms. Li a direct, searching look. "But we need to agree on a few things. And, since it looks as if we're not going to be getting out a paper this morning, shouldn't we send these others back to class?"

Ms. Li glanced around at the rest of the Lowdown staff. "Uh, no. Gossip spreads faster than the printed word." She looked at the other students. "You're all with us till after the assembly this afternoon." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she turned back to Daria. "Now, what exactly do we need to agree on?"

"Before we get to the agreeing part, I should take care of a couple of things. You'll probably want me to get one of my new outfits from home, if you want me onstage for the assembly."

"Indeed. Perhaps your sister will go and get it for you."

Daria smiled slightly. "I'm sure she won't mind, if you let her recruit a driver. And I need to get my parents' okay or there won't be anything to announce."

Ms. Li frowned. "Yes, take care of that immediately."

Daria pulled the tiny cell phone out of her jacket pocket, opened it, and punched a speed dial number. Ms. Li's frown deepened. "Miss Morgendorffer, students are not allowed to bring cell phones to school."

Daria gave her her best innocent look. "But it's for the glory of Lawndale High."

Ms. Li's expression changed into one that Daria could only describe as 'conflicted'. She made a frustrated little growling noise, then said, "Very well, but don't flaunt it." She made little shooing motions. "Go ahead, call, call!"

Daria put the phone to her ear in time to hear her father pick up. "Jake Morgendorffer Consulting! Jake Morgendorffer here! How may I help you?"

"Hi, Dad. It's Daria."

"Hey, Kiddo! Whatcha know? Oh, say, is everything all right? You're not in trouble, are you? "Cause if you are, it's okay to call your old man. I'm here for you, Kiddo! Not like my old man. I called him once..."

"No, no, I'm fine, Dad, I just need to consult you."

"Oh! Well, you certainly called the right dad for that. Consult away!"

"Okay. You remember my novel, Blood Oath Of Patriots, that you read a while back?"

"Sure do, Kiddo! In fact, I have the manuscript you gave me right here. I was just rereading it."

"That's great. My question is, if one of your clients had been offered the starring role in a movie based on that book, would you advise her to take it?"

"Uhh... off the top of my head, I'd say 'sure!', but what would she have to do?"

Daria hesitated. She'd always believed honesty was the best policy. This was no time to change. Resisting the impulse to cross her fingers, she said, "Play Melody Powers. Maybe brief partial nudity; you know that scene in the hospital where Melody shows Harmony and Amelia her scars?"

"Um, yeah..."

"There's that. But no sex scenes, no dangerous stunts."

"Okay... how much money would she get?"

"To be negotiated, but probably a million or more."

"Sounds good. Can she act?"

"She's never acted professionally before, but the director thinks she can do it."

"Well, I'd say it sounded like a very good opportunity. I wish I did have her as a client. Why do you ask?"

"The director just called me and offered me the part. So sign me up as a client, Dad. I have to tell Mom too, so I'll talk to you later. Bye!" Daria thumbed the cutoff button, took a deep breath, and speed-dialed her mother.

The phone at the other end didn't finish its first ring before it was snatched up. "Helen Morgendorffer," her mother answered in her oh-so-practiced lawyer voice.

"Hi, Mom, it's Daria. I need to talk to you."

"Daria, I'm at work and I'm very busy."

Daria frowned. "Of course you are. But I'm at a major crossroads of my life, and I need a few minutes of your time, if you can spare them."

"Daria, are you in trouble?"

"No, more like opportunity's knocking."

"Tell me."

"You know I've always wanted to be a writer, right?"

"Bottom line me, Daria."

Daria sighed. "Five Star Pictures wants me to play Melody in Blood Oath the movie."

There were two seconds of silence, then Helen said, "Daria, the movie business is not as glamorous as it looks from outside."

"I know that."

"I didn't know you wanted to be an actor."

"I don't. I want to be a writer."

"Then why..."

"There's a joke about writing. A man is asked what he'd do if he had a million dollars. He thinks a minute, then says, "I guess I'd be a writer until the money ran out." There's more than a grain of truth in that joke, Mom. But I could actually get a million dollars out of this, maybe more, and then I could write for a very long time. That's why."

"Oh, sweetie, I just don't know. That place has ruined so many lives."

"Mom, this is me, Daria. Do you really think I'm going to get sucked into the sex, drugs, and degeneracy of Hollywood? There's plenty of that right here in Lawndale, if I was interested. Oh, granted, the degeneracy is probably glitzier out in Hollywood, but it still doesn't appeal to me."

Helen sighed. "Oh, all right. I guess you've earned my trust. You're a lot more sensible that I was at your age. But I reserve the right to withdraw my approval if you... well, just 'if'. But couldn't this have waited till later?"

"It's a matter of catching a PR opportunity. I'll explain tonight."

"Daria, shouldn't you be in a class now?"

"Ordinarily. But Ms. Li approves. She's right here, if you want to talk to her."

"Uh... no. I really am very busy. I'll see you tonight."

"Okay. 'Bye, Mom."

"And Daria... I'm very proud of you."

Daria smiled. "Thanks."

The background buzz in the Lawndale High auditorium was louder than usual as the students filtered in and found seats. This was an unscheduled assembly, and students were speculating as to its purpose. Also, the Lawndale Lowdown, the school newspaper, had not come out this morning on schedule, and none of the paper's staff seemed to be available to question. More interesting was the fact that there were several TV cameras set up in the back of the auditorium.

A rolled-up poster or banner or something similar had been attached to the draperies behind the podium. Considerable discussion centered around what that might be. And a few students noticed that some of the Lowdown staff were seated in the front row, flanked by teachers.

The students were not alone in their curiosity. At the front of one of the aisles Timothy O'Neill, Anthony DeMartino, Claire Defoe, and librarian Page Codekis stood in a little knot. Their discussion was punctuated with shrugs and headshakes. Then Tim O'Neill looked at his watch and motioned toward a set of steps leading up onto the stage. Letting the ladies precede them, O'Neill and DeMartino made their way up onto the stage, found their designated seats, and sat down.

A hush radiated out over the auditorium from one of the entrances as Ms. Li entered and headed down the aisle toward the stage. Beside her walked Daria Morgendorffer.

The Fashion Club watched as the two walked past. "Hey, Daria looks good!" Stacy said.

"Shee's wearring reeall clothes," observed Tiffany. Quinn smiled and said nothing.

"Hmph! Her again? What'd she do this time-- find Waldo?" Sandi grumped. Quinn frowned.

To judge by the change in the tone of the murmuring as the two progressed down the aisle, others were also taking notice of Daria. She wore a red and black horizontally striped tank top, a short red skirt, black patterned hose, and black zip boots. Charles Ruttheimer was seen to bite the base of his thumb as he caught sight of her.

Ms. Li motioned for Daria to precede her up the steps to the stage, and then followed her. Daria went to the two central chairs and sat in one. Ms. Li went straight to the podium. She gripped the sides of the slanted top surface and seemed to be pulling back on it, as if she were holding herself there against an impulse to leave. Her eyes closed and her lips moved slightly, but the sound system picked up nothing.

She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, tapped on the microphone with a fingernail and said, "Students... and guests... today I have good news for you." She waited a few seconds for the murmuring to die away, or for dramatic effect, then said, "First, thanks to some, uh, rescheduling of purchases, we have been able to acquire some much needed items sooner than expected. The book lovers among you know that funding cutbacks have delayed the purchase of new library books for the last two years. Well, those books have now been ordered!"

Ms. Codekis' eyes and mouth flew open and she clapped hands to her cheeks, the very picture of surprise. Then she stood up, clapping enthusiastically. Daria and the teachers on stage joined her, as did the teachers in the audience and quite a few students.

"In addition... in addition, our school supplies situation has been very tight for quite a while. But funding has been found. And not only for mundane supplies like chalk and paper and toner, but also for things like maps, charts, globes, and art and music supplies."

This time it was DeMartino, O'Neill and Defoe who shot to their feet, clapping enthusiastically. Daria and Ms. Codekis joined them, as did all the other teachers. More students showed more enthusiasm.

And... And that's not all," Ms. Li said, raising her hands for silence. "We will also be replacing all of our old, worn-out textbooks!"

This drew whoops and cheers from many of the teachers and several students, and the applause grew noticeably more enthusiastic. It seemed that just about everyone was tired of trying to keep the old textbooks together. Mr. DeMartino shot a speculative look at Daria, who merely smiled wider and kept clapping.

Ms. Li let the applause run its course before continuing. "Unfortunately, this means that the purchase of some much-needed security equipment will have to be postponed. Hopefully, not for too long." She took a deep breath, exhaled, and continued. "And I'll have to ask you all to take especially good care of the sports equipment this year. And now, I have one more piece of good news. Most of you know by now that our own Daria Morgendorffer has recently sold two novels, Blood Oath Of Patriots and Red Star Bleeding, to Full Court Press. Some of you may also be aware that Five Star Pictures bought the movie rights to Blood Oath, and an option on Red Star Bleeding. Well, today it is my honor and my pleasure to announce that Blood Oath Of Patriots will definitely be made into a major motion picture, and that the actress who will play the part of Melody Powers has been chosen. And that actress is..." she turned and swept an arm up toward the rolled-up banner behind her, which, on cue, was released and allowed to unroll rapidly. "Daria Morgendorffer!"

The banner unfurled into an eight by ten foot photo of Daria dressed as Melody Powers in a dark green headband, charcoal gray semitransparent watered-silk blouse knotted to reveal several fake scars on her abdomen, black hip-hugger slacks, and black leather shoulder holster. She had the breechblock pulled back on a Ruger autopistol held pointing upward at eye level, and was intently checking the chamber. The forward thrusting curve of her body and the glancing illumination of a floodlight threw her abs and cleavage into sharp relief. Ms. Li stood beside and behind her, looking out into the darkness, as if watching her back. Both were in front of a red brick wall at what might have been Lawndale High's main entrance.

A loud collective gasp went up, followed quickly by applause and cheering. Daria distinctly heard "OWOOOO! YYESS! I KNEW IT!" from Charles Ruttheimer, on his feet with both fists raised high in the air. She glanced over to where the fashion club was sitting and saw that Stacy and Tiffany were applauding, Stacy apparently shouting something. Sandi was sitting there with an unpleasantly shocked expression, till the boy in front of her stood up and she was lost to view. Quinn sat wide-eyed, jaw hanging. To her right, Mr. DeMartino was on his feet, applauding vigorously, looking delighted. Then she saw Ms. Li beckoning to her. She rose to her feet and made herself walk confidently to the podium.

As Daria stood there listening to the applause, a strange feeling came over her. A feeling she had never felt before, but a good feeling, a feeling that she was somehow absorbing energy from the crowd. She smiled, blinking, as she looked over the faces of the students, most of whom had never particularly noticed her before, but who seemed inordinately pleased to see her now. She waved, and the volume of the applause increased slightly. On impulse, she took a couple of steps to the left and smiled and waved to the audience on that side, eliciting a definite increase of enthusiasm from them. She returned to center stage, and then stepped out slightly to the right of the podium and waved again. They seemed to love it. Then the cynical little voice in the back of her head said, "It's the short skirt and patterned hose they love, stupid." Blushing a little, she returned to her position behind the podium.

As the applause began to die down, she held up her hands, gesturing for silence. "Thank you. Thank you very much," she said a few times. When the noise died down sufficiently, she began, "A short time ago... an amazingly short time ago... I was unexpectedly thrust into a life-and-death situation, a situation where not only were the lives of two young children hanging in the balance, but before it was over, my own life and the lives of four of our fellow students were as well. As we now know, it ended well, with none of us killed or injured. The reason it ended well was that, though I didn't know it going in, I was prepared, mentally and physically, to deal with the situation. And then, shortly after that incident, and because of it, I encountered an opportunity. Because I was on the news and my name became known, editors were willing to look at two novels I had written. Again, I was prepared. When my chance came, I had the novels ready to go, and they were judged to be good enough for publication. And now this. Because my agent has been working hard for me, because I've been doing what I could, and because some producers and directors in Hollywood saw me on TV and liked what they saw, I'm..." she paused as laughter started and grew in the audience. Then, realizing that they were thinking about the first video of her naked, she lowered her head and put a hand over her face. After a few seconds, blushing slightly but smiling, she looked up and continued. "...I'm going to get a chance to star in a movie based on my novel."

If my books sell well, my publishers are going to want to see the next book I write. And if the movie is a success, I may get a chance to act in another movie or two. And if people get to know me and like my work, that will give me an opportunity to do something else I really want to do─ write more seriously, and have people seriously consider what I have to say. And this all sort of follows from what happened that morning when I was on my way to a babysitting job.

"I know some of you are thinking, "man, she is so lucky." Yes, I am lucky. Seneca said, 'Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." That's the kind of lucky I am. When Tad and Tricia Gupty were kidnapped out of their front yard right before my eyes, it certainly didn't look much like an opportunity. But opportunity is like that sometimes. We don't often know when one is going to show up, so we must always be prepared.

"How did I get prepared? Well, I have to give my parents most of the credit, and I read a lot. And for the last two years, I've been coming here, to Lawndale High. That's what this place is for, you know, to prepare us for life. So I want to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to the faculty, administrators, and staff of Lawndale High for their hard work, dedication, and sacrifice in preparing me for life and for my strange opportunity when it jumped out at me. Stand up, you guys, and give yourselves a hand."

After the applause and after Ms. Li had said a few more words, there was a photo op. Many photos were shot of various teachers and students and sundry groupings of same, all including Daria, and almost all including Ms. Li. Daria posed this way and that way and every other way, and smiled until she thought her face would be permanently paralyzed. Finally, a few minutes before the end of the period, Ms. Li let them go. The photographers practically ran from the auditorium, with the team and the cheerleaders not far behind. Daria stood there on the stage massaging her cheeks.

"Miss Morgendorffer, I don't know how you did it, but thank you." Daria turned, and Mr. DeMartino was standing there.

Daria smiled and looked down at the stage. "Well, Jodie reminded me of all the stuff we need. I'm not sure why Ms. Li put such a high value on being the first to make the announcement, but it was obvious that she wanted it very badly, so I just did a little horse trading. I hope it gets her the extra funding she thinks it will."

Mr. DeMartino got a peculiar look. "If she thinks it will, she's probably right. She plays that game very well. I just hope some of that money trickles down to the students. Well, I have to get to my class, before the students demolish the room. Congratulations, Miss Morgendorffer." He turned and headed off the stage.

Daria stood there for a few more seconds, then descended the steps at the other side of the stage, walked up the other aisle, and out of the auditorium.

As she emerged into the corridor, Daria saw that there was a crowd around the folding table holding the copies of the Lawndale Lowdown. Students were snatching copies of today's edition with her photo as Melody on the front page, and Ted was approaching with another stack. I'd better bring home enough copies for Mom to send to everyone she knows, or she'll never forgive me, she thought.

Joey, one of Quinn's boy toys, saw her as he stepped away from the table. "Hey, way to go, Daria," he said, "Would you autograph this Lowdown for me?"

Concealing her surprise, Daria said "Sure," and did so. "And one for my little brother?" He asked, handing her another copy. She smiled and signed it too.

As Joey left, a black girl also asked her for an autograph, and by the time she'd signed that one, a line had formed.

"Omigod, I don't freakin' believe it. They're lining up for her autograph!" Quinn exclaimed. She and Stacy were waiting while Sandi and Tiffany swapped out their books.

"Gosh, the line is forming fast," Stacy observed, "maybe we should hurry up and..."

Sandi slammed her locker door. "Staa-cee, I just know you're not going to suggest we get in line for an autograph from Quinn's weird cousin, or whatever."

"Eep! But Sandi, she's a movie star!" Stacy replied timorously.

Sandi scowled. "She's still a brain. And a geek! Did you not hear that speech she just gave? And anyway, how can she be a movie star if she hasn't starred in any movies?"

"Shee's alll overr the Teee Veee..." Tiffany said.

"Well, sure. I could be on TV too if I ran In front of a video camera naked. But I don't do that. And why not, you ask? Because naked isn't fashionable."

"Itt's nnott?"

"Of course not, Tiffany dear. How could it be? We can't go shop for a new birthday suit when the season changes, can we? No. We're stuck with the same one, all our lives. Definitely not fashionable. That's why we have to cover it up, you see."

"O-o-o-ohhh."

Quinn frowned. She knew how Sandi felt because she felt that way herself. She had worked long and hard for her popularity, and it had paid off. She was the most popular girl in school, no matter what Sandi thought. But now it seemed as if a ton of popularity had just fallen from the sky and landed on Daria, of all people. Observing the lengthening line of students seeking her sister's autograph, Quinn felt jealous and threatened, and was not at all surprised that Sandi felt the same way. But the way Sandi was talking about Daria now made Quinn feel guilty for feeling that way. Daria had, after all, sacrificed her dignity and privacy and risked her life to save the Gupty kids from an armed kidnapper, and Quinn knew how long and hard she'd worked on those two novels, and how much time, effort and creativity she'd put into following up on her opportunity these past weeks. Daria had certainly done the work, even if popularity wasn't her objective, and Quinn suddenly had no desire to badmouth her sister the way Sandi was doing. But neither did she want Sandi to know what she was frowning about, so she kept her face turned toward Daria.

As she watched her sister signing autographs with what was, for Daria, surprising graciousness, she wondered if she shouldn't have dashed out that door instead. She wouldn't have minded the nudity too badly, she thought, even if she'd known there was a video camera trained on the parking lot and rolling. Clothes or no clothes, Quinn knew, she always looked good. Surprisingly, she thought, glancing at her sister standing there in one of her new outfits that didn't hide her figure, it turned out that the same could be said for Daria.

But could she have opened that motel room door and dashed out straight at the kidnapper, she wondered, knowing full well that he had that big ugly revolver, and no reason not to use it? The revolver didn't show in the last video sequence, but Quinn knew from Daria how close she had come to being shot. How had Daria brought herself to charge that gun, armed only with a piece of crockery? Quinn couldn't imagine, nor could she imagine herself doing it, try as she might.

And what about the door before that, the bathroom door? It had been wedged shut from the outside with a chair. Quinn hadn't seen any possibility of escape; she'd been resigned to waiting there in the bathroom until the maid came to clean the room. But Daria had snatched up a tool where there had been no tool, smashed through what Quinn would have sworn was a solid wood door in seconds, unwedged the chair, and been gone before Quinn could say "What the..."

No, Quinn thought regretfully, I couldn't have done what Daria did. Probably not one person in a thousand could.

Daria signed the last autograph and hurried toward her locker. The halls were nearly empty. She was probably going to be late to Trig class, but it occurred to her that it was very unlikely she'd be fussed at today. She smiled a little as she opened her locker and pulled out her bookbag.

Jodie came by just as she was closing her locker, and the two fell in step. Jodie glanced at her and asked, "How does it feel to be a movie star?"

Daria shot her a suspicious glance, but Jodie was smiling. "So far, it's mostly a pain in the butt, but I have to admit to an occasional tingly feeling."

"That was a wonderful thing you did for the school," Jodie said.

"We both did that. You brought it up first."

Jodie smiled. "I hope it makes a difference."

Daria smirked. "I'm sure the learning rate will go right through the roof."

Jodie's smile widened a little. "You're not nearly as cynical as you pretend to be, Daria."

"Am too."

"Ha. I heard that speech you just gave. A darn good one, I might add."

Daria's mouth twitched. "My part of the bargain. Make Li and the school look good. Worthy."

"You certainly did that. But most of that speech was aimed at the students."

Daria shrugged. "Had to display that 'learning is winning' attitude." Jodie shot her a skeptical look. "All right, I couldn't pass up a chance to illustrate that some of the stuff they teach us actually does come in handy sometimes."

Just then the bell rang, and the two girls jogged the last thirty feet to the classroom door.

Daria entered the kitchen and saw Quinn seated at the table, moodily munching a celery stick. Her notebook, pencils, and two textbooks were on the table, and she was reading one of them. Helen was standing by the microwave, reading the instructions on a package of frozen moussaca. Daria poured some salsa into a small pudding bowl and some tortilla chips onto a paper plate, and headed back upstairs, singing the Fame theme softly to herself.

.
"I'm gonna live forever.
I'm gonna learn how to fly
High!
I feel it comin' together;
People will see me and cry."

Quinn burst into tears.

Daria stopped, startled, and turned back. "Son of a gun. It's true," she said.

Helen dropped the frozen moussaca to the counter with a clunk, and went over to Quinn. Daria took a step toward them, trying to think of something to say. Seeing her, Quinn only cried harder. Helen waved Daria away, so she turned and went up to her room.

Several minutes later when she came back for a can of cola, Helen was seated at the table, talking to a still-disconsolate Quinn. Quinn was saying, "I'm happy for Daria, really I am! It's just that... I've always tried to be popular. I've worked hard, and I've gotten pretty good at it. And Daria... she not only doesn't try to be popular, she actually works at being unpopular! I never could understand why she'd do that. And now suddenly she's not just popular, she's famous! More people recognize her than Queen Elizabeth! And now she's gonna... Mom, movie star was one of those things I dreamed of, like supermodel or princess; something way out there, but maybe one day, you know? And it just falls into her lap! I'm not jealous of Daria, really, but... oh, I'm not saying this right. You have no idea what I mean, do you?"

Daria popped the top on her cola and took a sip, then said, "It's kind of like I snuck around and got in while you weren't looking, or like I took a shortcut that you didn't even know was there, isn't it?"

Quinn looked up at Daria. "Yeah, exactly! Well, sort of. I know you've worked hard to be a writer, but..."

"But starring in a movie, one that may turn into a series, is just so out of the blue. You must feel like I hijacked your fairy godmother."

Quinn smiled a lopsided smile. "You didn't hijack anything, but... yeah, sorta."

Daria took another sip of cola. "I don't know what to tell you, Quinn. I'm as surprised as you are. I certainly never thought of being a movie star, much less worked toward it."

Helen sighed and looked down at the table, where her hand lay over one of Quinn's. Daria looked over at her mother, who seemed disappointed.

"What?" Daria asked.

Helen looked up, a little guiltily. "Oh, nothing. I was just hoping... well, you have such a way with words, Daria. I was remembering after your father's heart attack, when Ruth was giving me such a hard time. You said a few words to her that shut her up completely, and she left the next morning. I guess I was hoping you'd say a few words to Quinn that would cheer her up."

Daria sighed. "That's the trouble with a reputation; you're always having to live up to it." She meditatively ran the cola can across her forehead. "Well, I'll give it a shot." She walked over to Quinn, brushed the long strawberry blonde hair back from her ear, bent down, and whispered something. Quinn immediately sat up straight, eyes wide. She shot to her feet, squealing in delight and knocking her chair over. Seizing Daria in a tight hug, she planted a big smacking kiss on her cheek. Then she ran out of the room, calling out "Thanks, Daria!" over her shoulder.

Helen watched her go, looking happily surprised. "Well, that was amazing, even for you," she remarked. "Where is she going?"

"I have no idea."

"What in the world did you say to her?"

Smiling a Mona Lisa smile, Daria held up two fingers. "Two words. Harmony Powers."