Chapter ten:
"What did you do?" I asked, I wasn't stupid after all and I knew it wasn't a coincidence that this woman had shown up right after Sunny's disappearance. The woman removed her sunglasses, when I was thirteen I'd believed that blue eyes could often be associated with people who had cold personalities.
Her eyes looked like shattered glass against blue seawater.
"Me? I did nothing, as for one of my associates on the other hand.. Well your friend should be wary about who she decides to invite into her bedroom" she said and then she pulled a cigarette out of her pocket lighting it up.
"What are you doing?" I shrieked with horror.
"I am smoking, sorry if it bothers you but this isn't exactly your house" she smirked.
"But you're an environmental terrorist! Surely you would object to smoking," I pointed out and she laughed, it was annoying and it rasped.
"An environmental terrorist? My dear girl not all terrorist groups concern themselves with the state of the Ozone layer" she said before taking another drag of her cigarette.
"But I thought that the summoning." I began and she cut me off.
"What you think in the end really doesn't matter, now are we going to spend all day chatting? After all I cant exactly guarantee your best friends safety" she added and I folded my arms shooting her my best babysitter glare.
"Fine then talk" I said.
"We need the security codes for the all the McDonalds restaurants in the city area, they can only be accessed by a manager or an assistant manager," she said and I coughed waving smoke away from my face.
"Then why not kidnap one of Jill's dogs?" I asked and the woman smiled.
"Jill will call the police, you on the other hand Dawn Schafer.. Well I know all about you," she said and I glared at her trying to hide my fear.
"I have no idea what you mean," I said coldly.
"Rescuing cute little puppies from dognappers, foiling convenience store robbers you've been a very busy girl haven't you?" she asked stubbing the cigarette onto Sunny's floor.
"I was just a kid back then," I finally said.
"You're still a child, the security codes if you want her back Dawn, call the police and she'll be sent on a one way trip to Cambodia where we may or may not sell her to the white slave trade" she smiled and I realized I actually was frightened. I'd always imagined that environmentalists would be friendly people in tie dyed t-shirts and ripped up jeans who listened to Tori Amos and smoked pot.
I never thought they'd be so.. Ruthless.
"When and where?" I asked.
"The destroyed McDonalds, tomorrow at midnight" she said and then she calmly brushed some cigarette ash off her shirt.
I didn't know what to do afterwards. I found myself sitting hunched over on the edge of Sunny's bed playing with the broken music box, I supposed I was in a state of shock. I wished I were back in Stoneybrook when I was thirteen, my friends back then always knew how to come up with plans to save the day. A thing like eco terrorists kidnapping one of them wouldn't have stopped them. But I was alone, without a plan and without any ideas. And that was when I felt the tiniest prick, almost like a needle hit my skin and I promptly fainted.
"So is that how the story ended then?" some one asked and I realized I was sitting in a counselors office much to my surprise.
"This isn't right" I realized.
"That's not important, now tell me more about the end of the story," the voice said, some one was sitting in a high-backed chair their face obscured by shadows.
"Well I don't know how the rest of the story goes," I snapped.
"How do you think it should end?"
"I'm not a writer I hope you realize, I've never thought about how things are supposed to end," I pointed out.
"Ah yes that's Dawn all over isn't it? You think about the consequences of your actions constantly but you never really hope for the sort of happy ending everyone else seems to get" my companion continued.
"Buddha claims that in life there can be no eternal happy ending because life is about change, things change, things need to change or we'd have no concept of what happiness really is" I said firmly.
"Is that a fact?"
"Yes, think about it you wouldn't know what joy is if you had never felt despair" I said referring to the books I'd bought in the Chinese gardens.
"You know all about despair Dawn Schafer, but what do you know of joy?"
"Nothing" I admitted.
"Nothing?"
"But I do know about happiness, it isn't something you can grab onto and hold but it is their in fleeting moments" I realized.
"Fleeting, isn't that too little?"
"It's enough"
"Tell me about your friend Sunny, how did you feel when you realized she'd gone"
"I felt angry" I replied.
"Why?"
"Because once upon a time she wasn't stupid," I replied.
"And now?"
"Lets just say I wouldn't have invited a strange boy up into my room I replied wiping my hair away from my forehead.
"Or any boy for that matter"
"I don't have to you know, there isn't any rule which says I have to be like Sunny" I replied.
"Are you sure that's the real reason? A fear of being like your best friend? Are you sure that in reality your afraid that if you really let yourself be vulnerable to someone they'll reject you?" my companion continued and I realized who it was.
"Hello Mary Anne" I said gravely and the shadows cleared revealing my stepsister, she looked no older then thirteen.
"Hello Dawn"
"How have you been?" I asked.
"Lovely, I sewed a kitten cushion" she smiled.
"I'm dreaming aren't I?"
"Yes, I think it might be due to the tranquilizers in your blood stream" Mary Anne guesses her eyes tearing up at the prospect.
"Drugs? Oh god, how do I wake up?" I asked.
"You're in love aren't you?" she asked instead and I frowned.
"I don't see what that's got to do with my drug induced coma" I replied.
"It has to do with everything, it led you here after all" she said.
"I suppose so," I admitted.
"Are you going to tell him?" she asked.
"Definitely not!"
"You've never been the shy type before"
"I never really loved a guy before and I don't want to ruin everything we have," I pointed out.
"I thought you said Buddha believes in change?" she asked curiously raising her eyebrows.
"Oh whatever!" I snapped and I frowned.
"You're turning into a cat" I realized.
"Yes that's normal"
"An actual cat" I continued and she began to purr.
My eyes snapped open and I gasped with surprise, it was all a dream. I couldn't remember what had been said in the dream exactly, but it felt important.
It turned out the purring was the sound of an engine running.
"Easy now you've been out of it for nearly an hour" I heard Jill's voice float into my head, which still felt very big and puffy.
"My face feels to fat, is it fat?" I asked.
"It's normal, you're still a bit high I think Nick over did it" Jill's voice said kindly and I sat bolt upright everything shaking.
"Nick? Psycho Nick?" I cried.
"You know I really do resent that nickname, just because I used to hide knives in teddy bears it doesn't make me psychotic" he said, it was the most I'd ever heard him say in almost five months.
"I think I'm going to die," I groaned.
"Just relax, you'll stop feeling funny soon" Jill said stroking my shoulder.
"Why did you drug me?" I asked.
"We couldn't have you do something stupid like getting the security codes and we couldn't have you run off to the police," Jill said with a gentle smile.
"What?" I choked.
"Nick called me last night after the whole bomb thing, turns out McDonald's has their own way of handling these situations" Jill said and the car screeched to a stop. I watched in vague horror as Nick turned off the exhibition and pulled a handgun out of the glove box.
"That's a gun"
"Yes" Nick said turning on the safety switch.
"Am I hallucinating or does it have the McDonalds logo on the handle?" I asked and Nick unlocked the doors.
"No he replied flatly.
The car had pulled outside an office building some where in the city, the sort that had been built in the early eighties and consisted entirely of reflective glass windows. I felt my legs tremble underneath me and Jill grabbed onto my elbow.
"Easy now, you've had a rough day" Jill said kindly.
"Jill explain, now" I growled.
"Nick?" Jill asked and he merely shrugged his shoulders heading for the front doors. We marched into the foyer, which was made out of solid marble and had a fountain in the shape of a Big Mac in the center.
A receptionist dressed in an apple green version of the McDonald's uniform glanced at us.
"Morning Nick, those girls are a bit young aren't they?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"They work for us," Nick said and I glanced at Jill again.
"I thought he was a fry cook," I hissed.
"Not exactly" she admitted.
"Clearance" said the receptionist and Nick handed over an identification card.
"Nick if I apologize for calling you psycho will you please explain what's happening?" I asked gently and he turned to me a bemused expression on his face. I was used to seeing his craggy face in a perpetual expression of insanity so it was odd staring at his almost smile.
"Maybe" he said as the receptionist handed the ID back and as I watched he walked to the elevators.
"Jill?" I pleaded.
"Honestly didn't you read those orientation books at all?" she asked.
"Why would I? No one ever reads the orientation book when they get a new job" I pointed out.
"If you read the book then you'd know that a cooperation as big as McDonalds needs more then cashiers and cooks to run successfully, they have PR firms, advertising and then they have the special Ops" Jill explained.
"You mean like FBI agents?" I whispered as the elevator doors opened.
"Sort of but they work exclusively for McDonalds, they make sure that stuff that affects the company is dealt with efficiently, like gangs robbing restaurants and stuff like that" Jill whispered and we followed Nick into the elevator.
"And him?" I hissed.
"I know I had no idea he was one until he rang me last night but it makes sense doesn't it? I mean how many fry cooks look like that?" she asked gesturing to Nick and she was right.
He looked like Neo from the Matrix.
"Then why was he at our restaurant acting like the local village lunatic?" I whispered.
"We had a tip off that the summoning French fry was planning an attack so I went under cover some time ago" Nick said, it was obvious he'd heard everything.
"Did you figure out it was Henry?" I asked.
"Actually at first I thought it was you," he said shooting me a cool look.
"Me?" I choked.
"Well you were a new employee with no experience, your records also showed a strong interest in environmentalist groups and you're wearing an anti globalization shirt" he pointed out examining my chest.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, you know not all environmentalists are bomb holding lunatics! That's like saying all Muslims are terrorists" I snorted.
"You also showed up in several local papers after an incident involving PETA"
"That wasn't my fault! I really liked that guy and when he asked me to hold his bag I thought I was doing him a favour!"
"There was a baby lion liberated from the Santiago zoo inside," said Nick dryly.
"I didn't actually steal it! Besides that happened over a year ago and you need to get over it," I snorted.
"Relax Dawn, he knows you weren't involved" Jill said and then a small smile crossed her face.
"A baby lion, how cute!" she added with a happy grin.
"It wasn't cute when the police swooped in" I said grimly and I turned to Nick.
"So Nick was the whole thing an act or are you really mentally unstable?" I asked honestly.
"What do you think?" he asked baring his teeth.
"Nick stop scaring her! She wont help if she's terrified" Jill scolded him and oddly enough he stopped.
"Fine" he snarled.
"Listen if you're a special op agent that means you're going to help Sunny right?" I asked still rather frightened and Nick scowled as the doors slammed open.
"My office, now" he snapped.
Nick's office was smaller then a broom cupboard and the back wall were covered with a half melted sign that had been liberated from our former restaurant.
The walls were covered in chalk drawings, a sun with a star in it.
Nick sat behind his desk and pushed back the sleeve of his shirt revealing his bandaged arm.
For a few moments we said nothing and eventually my head still swimming I sat down on the grimy carpet followed by Jill.
"So what now?" I asked.
"The summoning French fry have asked you to hand over the security codes, don't lie we saw the whole thing" Nick said.
"How?" I asked.
"Sunny's uniform was on the bedroom floor, and all name tags are equipped with a video camera with a miniature microphone" Nick said.
"Wow, big brother is watching you," I muttered.
"It helps prevent petty thievery from the tills" Jill said with a nod towards Nick.
"We discovered that Sunny had been kidnapped when our system heard a scream at around midnight, we would have contacted the police but we recognized the symbol of the summoning French fry and we take our employee's safety seriously" he said and I rolled my eyes.
"Then why aren't you doing anything to help her?" I asked.
"But we are" Nick said flatly.
"Really?" I asked and Nick reached amongst the debris on the desk retrieving a piece of printed off paper.
"The security codes, give them to the summoning French fry at midnight," he said.
"You're kidding right?" I asked.
"I think it's best not to question him Dawn," whispered Jill taking my hand gently.
The security codes remained tucked up in my bag like a filthy dark little secret, I was so sure that every one would know what I was about to do and I ended up screaming hysterically whenever anyone brushed against me.
"Calm down Dawnie!" hissed Jill.
"I cant do this, dog nappers and ghosts are easy but this involves terrorists" I hissed.
"We need to help Sunny" Jill pointed out.
"They're wiring us for sound Jill! Can't you take this seriously?" I cried.
"I'm sure they know what they're doing" Jill pointed out.
"You're not the one with a microphone in your bra" I muttered darkly.
"The microphone is necessary, we need to gain evidence when you meet them tomorrow morning" Nick said adjusting the wiring.
"Stop touching my shirt Nick" I said coldly.
"I have to do a system check" he replied.
"I know, but stop touching my shirt" I said and their was a snapping noise as I slapped his wrist.
"That hurt"
"It was supposed to" I replied.
"I could shoot you dead for that" he growled.
"Good luck finding some one else to go under cover, Jill's hopeless and she'd start crying from fear," I pointed out.
"It's true" Jill agreed.
"You're done, those terrorists are most likely watching you so you're to go and do whatever normal shit you stupid girls do until tonight" he growled not even bothering to look at me, their was something odd about his frown.
It wasn't out of anger I realized…
"How old are you Nick?" I finally asked and he raised his eyebrows.
"Does it matter?" he asked.
"Well I want to know if you're some sort of sleazy old pervert lusting after my best friend or some one who cares for her, even if they are a little crazy" I replied and he finally made eye contact.
"I'm neither" he replied.
"I'm going to skip Gym," I said to Maggie once Jill and I were back at school, pretending everything was "normal".
"That's nice, why?"
"Because I have a microphone in my bra" I replied and Maggie seemed to consider this for a moment.
"That sounds like a good excuse, can you come with me to the library then? I've got to talk to you and Sunny" Maggie said, today she was on the up cycle of her manic depression and was dressed in a crisp forest green shirt with a matching mini skirt and a pair of black stiletto's.
"Sunny's not here" I choked.
"Oh?"
"She's been kidnapped by environmentalists," I whispered.
"Oh" Maggie said her eyes widening for a moment.
"Is that your reaction? Oh?" I asked.
"Well it's hardly surprising, some one was bound to kidnap her sooner or later and I'm surprised it wasn't a pimp" Maggie mused.
"That's a horrible thing to say"
"I'm allowed to be horrible, I suffer from acute depression," Maggie pointed out.
"Yes but!" I began.
"Criticize me and I'll start cutting up my legs, now do you want to hear about your financial situation or not?" she asked.
"Fine" I sighed wearily.
"The good news is that you've paid off Ducky's car" Maggie said opening her laptop.
"So soon? How?" I asked stunned.
"I told you I was going to invest in my fathers latest film, it was the gay cow boy one and surprisingly it was a box office smash" Maggie said looking faintly surprised.
"Is the car ready?" I asked.
"Yes and both you and Sunny still have around fifteen hundred dollars left" Maggie added checking her figures.
"Fifteen hundred?" I choked.
"Like I said Box Office Smash, it would have been more if you'd invested all your savings instead of twenty percent" Maggie added.
"There's bad news isn't there?" I asked.
"Well not bad per say, just a bit annoying" admitted Maggie.
"Seth didn't paint the car pink did he?" I asked suspiciously.
"No he lost your contact details so when the car was ready he contacted the phone number he found in the registration details" Maggie began.
"Ducky's number?" I asked.
"No his parents number, and they told Seth they would inform Ducky that his car was ready" Maggie said with a small apologetic shrug.
"CRAP" I cried.
"Crap? I know it's annoying but this isn't an excuse for a Pg-13 profanity" Maggie scolded me.
"The car was supposed to be a surprise! Sunny and I were going to wrap it up in heaps of recycled wrapping paper with a big bow on it! She'll kill me if Ducky finds out first" I hissed.
"Kill you?"
"I can handle environmentalist terrorists, my best friend being kidnapped and being in love with my male best friend but I cant deal with Sunny wanting to kill me!" I snapped.
"Wait did you just say that you're in love with your male best friend?" Maggie asked raising her eyebrows.
"Of course I didn't!"
"But I just heard you" Maggie pointed out.
"Oh whatever, next thing I know Ducky will be sending me an email saying he cant accept our gift and he'll be selling the car on e-bay in order to raise money for orphans in New Orleans" I cried with despair and then a thought occurred to me.
"Hang on, email" I realized.
"Email?" Maggie asked.
"Ducky's parents are currently doing field work in South Australia! They answer their cell phone but they never make phone calls because it's way too expensive. Instead whenever they tell Ducky anything they email him," I remembered. It frustrated Ducky quite a bit, especially when in random panicky moments he realized he couldn't remember what his fathers voice sounded like.
"You're not suggesting that we summon my private driver head off to Ducky's university, break into his computer and delete all his emails are you?" asked Maggie.
"Yes, but we need to be back by eleven because I need to confront environmental terrorists" I explained.
"Well just so we're clear," sighed Maggie.
As we left the school I felt strange for several obvious reasons.
One I was actually skipping school for the third time in a month, which for me was unheard of, but to be fair I'd been too late for homeroom so as far as the school was concerned I'd never arrived.
Two we were actually going on an adventure with Maggie instead of Sunny.
And three the microphone was pressing right into my cleavage.
"Right" I said firmly glancing over my shoulder one last time.
"Why did you say right?" Maggie asked me.
"I was just trying to assert myself," I informed her.
"Oh, hey there's Justin hanging outside the gates, I find it funny that he's now the creepy older guy who hangs around schools asking where all the cool parties are going to be" Maggie laughed.
"You dated him," I pointed out.
"One date remember? Besides he didn't sport the whole leather duster look back then" she said crinkling her nose with disgust as her private town car pulled up to the curb.
"So Sunny, kidnapped then?" Maggie asked fifteen minutes into the car trip.
"Yes"
"By actual kidnappers as apposed to psycho serial killers who like breaking pretty girls in?" Maggie asked with an unhealthy gleam in her eyes.
"This isn't one of your fathers movies Maggie, I explained about the eco terrorists," I pointed out.
"That's so far fetched you know, I mean serial killers are everywhere these days but eco terrorists?"
"They're just like normal ones but they hate McDonalds as apposed to America" I replied hotly.
"Hmm" said Maggie drumming her perfectly filed nails on her lap top computer.
"Hmm?"
"And the bit about you being in love with your male best friend? That's Ducky right?" she asked.
"Oh shut up"
"Look it's obvious that he likes you as well, he bought you a section of a South American rainforest for your birthday" Maggie sighed.
"He did?" I asked.
"Well yes, haven't you gotten it yet?" Maggie asked.
"My birthdays not for another three weeks" I pointed out.
"Oh well, pretend to act surprised wont you? He was raving on about it to Rico for hours" Maggie sighed.
"No one has ever bought me an entire section of a rainforest before" I admitted.
"It is rather romantic when you consider it's you, trust me you need to be more open about your feelings or you'll end up a dried up manic depressive anorexic Goth who writes morbid song lyrics on toilet doors" Maggie informed me seriously.
"You broke up with Brendan again didn't you?" I asked knowingly.
"Stupid shit fucked that whore Lindsay Lohan" spat Maggie as the car pulled to a stop outside the campus dormitories.
The dormitories were mostly empty, considering it was in fact the middle of the day and everyone should have been at their lectures.
Or failing that still asleep in their beds. Maggie and I walked down the corridors and I still felt oddly enough out of place. It was strange considering I'd seen plenty of girls dressed like me, I was wearing my bright pink peasant dress covered with hand sewn flowers, I'd bought it from a vintage clothing store which was slightly better then a thrift store.
The store clerk had said it was from the sixties and it was just waiting for some one like me to wear it, I'd loved it the first time I put it on but now I suddenly wanted to wear something different.
I wanted to be thin like Maggie, I wanted to be able to move in black the way Maggie did.
Ducky's dormitory was empty and unlocked, Ducky who had faith in all of mankind never bothered to lock anything including his car.
Oddly enough no one ever robbed him.
I made straight for the computer, luckily he'd left it online and all I had to do was pull up a web browser and head for hotmail.
"How do you know what his password is?" Maggie asked.
"All his passwords are aliens from the television series Doctor Who" I replied. After typing in Slitheen and Cybermen I typed in Dalek and I instantly got access.
A few seconds later I located the new emails and I stared at the one from his parents, my hands hovered over the mouse and for a second I remained undecided.
Then I hit the delete button and just like that, it was gone.
"Is this really where Ducky lives?" Maggie sniffed.
"Yes, come on let's get out of here"
"What's with all the posters referring to obscure forms of pop culture?" Maggie asked.
"Ducky likes that kinda stuff, he think it makes him interesting" I said my eyes swiveling to the Futurama Poster I'd bought him for Christmas.
"Do you think it's interesting?"
"It has its moments" I'd admitted, Ducky had gone through a Captain Planet phase eight months earlier and we'd both watched the episodes obsessively on our computers while talking on the phone.
He loved it for it's cheesiness and I loved it for it's environmental message, we knew the obsession had reached it's peak when we started singing the theme song in the middle of a scented candle store.
"I think some ones coming" Maggie hissed.
"Quick into the bathroom"
"The bathroom?"
"It has a fire escape underneath the window" I hissed grabbing her on the arm. I pulled her into the tiny cramped bathroom slamming the door behind me and I was about to head for the window when a sound grabbed my attention. Behind the bathroom door, back in Ducky's bedroom some one was moaning.
"Ducky" I said thoughts about him entering a junk food induced coma running through my head.
"Wait" Maggie said grabbing onto my arm but I opened the door a crack.
And saw Ducky and some girl tongue kissing each other right in front of his computer.