fardell24

Mack's Valiant and Donna's Hyundai Elantra pulled up outside the Taylor mansion. Mack, Jane, Jennifer and Daria emerged from the Valiant. Brittany, Donna and Lisa from the Elantra. Brittany looked around nervously. 'He's not here,' she thought.

“It looks as if no one's home,” Jane said.

“I agree,” Jennifer said.

“Time to go in,” Daria said.

“Follow me,” Brittany said.

Brittany opened Brian's door to find the creepy room deserted. “Here's not here,” She said after a moment.

“Is your father or step-mother home?” Daria asked.

“You're not going to tell them!” Brittany said.

“I might,” Daria said in response.

“O-ooh! I'm not going to say if they are or not!”

“Are they or not?”

Brittany remained unwilling to tell Daria if her father or Ashley-Amber were home. “Daria, I think it's best not to bring her parents into this,” Jane said.

“Why not?”
“Brittany might accuse you of slander or something. Not in so many words of course,” Jane replied.

“Of course.” Daria turned to Brittany. “I'm not going to tell them, but they may know where your brother is.”

“I think they're here,” Brittany said.

They found Steve in his home office. “Dad?”

“Yes, sweetie?” Steve asked.

“Do you know where Brian has gone today?”

“Haven't a clue. Did you ask Ashley-Amber?”

“I'll ask her.”

Ashley-Amber was relaxing in one of the upstairs rec-rooms watching a 'Chick Flick'. “Ashley-Amber?”

“Yes, Brittany?”

“Do you know where Brian has gone today?”

Ashley-Amber thought, not taking notice of the other people with Brittany. “I think he mentioned seeing one or two of his friends,” she finally said.

“Which friends?” Brittany asked.

“He didn't say.”

“That's disappointing,” Jane said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“We're not going to try to go around Brian's friend's places are we?” Donna asked.

“The places he hangs out at; creepy,” Lisa said with a shudder.

“Some are creepier than Andrea's,” Donna said.

“And you would know this, how?” Jane asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I had to accompany Brittany there to pick him up once,” Donna said.

“And she had a sleepover at Andrea's in middle school,” Lisa said.

“Never again,” Donna murmured.

“Right,” Daria said.
“Brittany, there would be an address book somewhere?” Jennifer asked quietly.

“Yes,” Brittany responded.

“You know where it is?” Daria asked.

“Yes,” Brittany replied.

After Brittany had copied the details for Brian's friends as described in the address book (which they had borrowed from Steve), they left the Taylor residence heading towards the closest of those addresses.

First, they arrived at a large house on Grandstaff Drive...

“No, he hasn't been here for months,” Chris Griffin said.

“Our sister was angry with him for mistreating her cat,” his older brother, Sam, said.

“Hey, whose friend are we talking about!” Chris said.

“So you don't know which of his other friends he has gone to?” Jane asked.

“No!” Chris said with a shake of his head.

“He didn't tell you at school?” Daria asked.

“No!” Chris said again.

Daria thought fore a moment. “In that case, we'll be off,” she said.

“Thanks for your time, Mrs. Griffin,” Donna said.

“I hope you find this Brian kid,” Chris's mom, Linda, said.

“So do I,” Mack said.

None of them saw Chris's sister glaring at them from the stairs as they left...

They visited three more of the addresses on the list, going further into downscale areas of Lawndale as they went. The ten year olds at the first two addresses had as much of a lack of a clue as Chris did. However it was a different story at the third. Brian's friend who lived there had been told by him that he would be visiting another of their friends.
“So you know where this place is?” Jennifer asked quietly.

“Of course,” the boy said.

“So, you can tell us the address?” Jane asked patiently.

“Yes,” he said. He then told the group the address. Jennifer blanched.

“What's wrong?” Daria asked.

“That's in the middle of Lawndale Flats,” Donna said,

“So?” Daria asked, not sure what part of Lawndale that was.

“It's a public housing estate, on the far eastern side of town,” Mack said.

“However bad it is, it'll still be an improvement on Highland,” Daria replied.

“Of course, we're chasing the mouse into Lawndale Flats!” Lisa lamented.

Daria made to leave. “Let's go.”

Back at the Convention Quinn came back to Cindy and Kristen with a signed Manga. “Yes!” Quinn shouted. Kristen put her hands over her ears. “Cool,” she said sardonically.

“What is it? Cindy asked excitedly.

Quinn pointed to the katakana phrase on the cover of the manga. “Saibakanada no toraburu,” she said.

“Huh?” Cindy asked.

“Loosely translated: Cyber-Canadian Troubles,” Quinn said. “It's cyberpunk.”

“Oh, so it's like Ghost in the Shell, except in Canada?” Kristen asked.

“Wait, how can you read it if it's in Japanese?” Cindy asked. 'She would have mentioned it if she knew the language,' she thought.

“I understand some symbols. Besides, Koichi knows it,” Quinn replied.

“Cool,” Kristen said.

The Valiant and the Elantra pulled up in front of a rundown townhouse on the north-eastern edge of Lawndale. “Still think that place in Texas is worse?” Mack asked.

“Yes,” Daria replied. She opened the door.

The young lady warily opened the door a crack, ensuring that the chain lock was in the correct position. She saw a large group of teens just outside. A girl with long auburn hair was glaring at her. “Hello, how can I help you?”

“Is this the Mankin residence,” the auburn haired girl asked in a monotone.

“Yes, it is,” the young lady said timidly.

“Is someone named Brian Taylor here?”

“No comment. Who's asking?”

“I'm his sister!” a very perky blonde said in a high pitched voice.

“Oh, but not everyone can come in, only about four of you at most. There isn't much room.”

Brittany, Daria, Jane and Lisa entered the Mankin's rather spartan (and tiny) lounge/dining room behind the young mother. They could see that there wasn't much in the way of chairs.

“Cal, Brian's sister is here,” Ms. Mankin called.

“Coming, Mom,” was the reply. The sounds of a ruckus in the bedroom came through the wall.

“Would you like anything?”

“Soda would be nice,” Jane said. Lisa and Brittany nodded.

“Water would be fine,” Daria said.

Brian and his friend Cal emerged from the bedroom. “What are you doing here, Brit?” he asked.

“I would like the mouse back,” Brittany said.

“She took it from me,” Daria explained.

“It's not here!” Brian said with a disturbing smile.

“What's going on?” Ms. Mankin asked, wanting to know what exactly was going on.

Jane turned to Daria, who then explained, with some commentary by Lisa...

“Let's see if I have this straight, Ms. Barch assigned Brian's sister's boyfriend to Daria, which caused Brian's sister to get jelous? And she then tries to stop her boyfriend from spending time with Daria by stealing the mouse from Daria's house? Is that right?” Ms. Mankin asked after some thought.

“Yes,” Daria replied.

“Pretty much,” Jane added.

“It's rather stupid,” Ms. Mankin said.

“I agree with that,” Daria said.

“If only...” Ms. Mankin said briefly before stopping.

“I realize that now,” Brittany said, with a slight shake of her head.

“So, Brian, where is the mouse?” Ms. Mankin asked, wanting to get to the point. 'I hope he hasn't done something to it...' she thought.

“Not here!”

“Clearly!” Ms. Mankin said with her arms over her chest, and glaring at Brian. He smiled. 'He's creepier than ever!'

“It's at home!” Brian said.

“It's not in your room!” Brittany said.

Brian smiled again. “It's in the basement.”

'There's something strange about the way he's smiling,' Daria thought. “We definitely didn't look there. Let's go,” she said.

“I agree,” Jane said.

“Sure,” Brittany said.

“You want to take Brian with you?” Ms. Mankin asked.

“Yes,” Brittany said.

“Bye, Cal.”

“Bye, Brian,” Cal said quietly.