Monday Writings - March 17, 2025

[fardell24]

Excerpt from: Jade in the Past
Jade Coigley slipped into Jo Tiegan’s room. ‘Touch the mirror, he said,’ she thought. But it was he had said next that she wasn’t sure what to make of.


Excerpt from: Mysteries of Aurora
“We better get to Sigrun Sigurdottir Hall then,” Janara said when her roommate was finished.


They left the Library through the QuinMillennial wing. “Even this most modern part of the Library echoes the earlier parts,” Janara said.

“Building on what came before,” Olivia commented.

“Like everything else. But what led you to seek out this Freya, really?”

“I had heard about her.”

“You said that,” Janara pointed out.

“Right. I thought a synesthete would have an advantage I wouldn’t.”

“That makes sense. But they also said she has ADHD.”


Excerpt from: Spider Quinn
“Yes, they are. But I don’t want to be arguing while something else might be going on, like, I don’t know, robotic reptiles running amuck.”

“You’re trying to distract me while another vigilante comes along.”

“No,” Dafoanairi said. “I often patrol alone, and you don’t want to be with the fourth vigilante instead of me.”

The man then stepped on the rope.

“No!” Dafoanairi said. She steeled herself to follow him.


It started out well at first, but there was a gust of wind and the he started tumbling. ‘Uh oh!’

Dafoanairi then grabbed him with one hand while she used the quarterstaff for balance in the other. “See!” she said.

“I see your point,” he said he tottered.

“Crap!” Dafoanairi said as she leaned back towards the roof. “Now, carefully walk back.”

“I guess you don’t have powers.”

“You guess correctly. I’m doing this through pure guile! But someone has to do it.”

The man then made a misstep and fell, but Dafoanairi fell back on the roof.


It was precarious and Dafoanairi’s arm was aching. “Right, climb up.”

“There’s an eave!”

Dafoanairi still had a hold of the quarterstaff. She swung it so that it also hung down. “Grab a hold of the staff!”

He complied.


Less than a minute later, they were both standing on the rooftop. “Thanks, Dafoanairi. I was stupid.”

“Par for the course in Lawndale.”

“You’re not from here are you?”

“I live here now, but I didn’t grow up here,” Dafoanairi answered. “Have you learned your lesson?”

The guy was sheepish. “Don’t copy Lynn Anders.”

“Exactly.”


Dafoanairi waited for the man to climb down and rubbed her arms. “I’m lucky I didn’t fall down as well. I won’t tell the Engima.” She looked at the time. Still less than half an hour after she had left the school. ‘I can observe downtown Lawndale from here.’


At the same time the Enigma was down near the creek, near the dock when she heard a cry for help. “Where?” she asked herself as she ran in the direction the call was coming from.


She found a fellow Lawndale High student stuck high up in the tree. ‘It looks like Sally Anne Garfield,’ she thought. She didn’t really know her, just that she looked sad most of the time. “I’m here,” she said as she came alongside the trunk.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“The fourth vigilante.”

“Oh! I thought it was the Shadow or Dafoanairi.”

“Dafoanairi doesn’t have powers, and I don’t think the Shadow does either. But I do,” the Enigma said. “I’m coming up there.”

It took her a couple of minutes to climb up to where Sally Anne was.


Sally Anne looked at the purple clad superhero. “But you do have a moniker, right?”

“Yes, I just like letting my actions speak for me, rather than overhype myself like SpiderGirl. Call me the Enigma.”

“The Enigma,” Sally Anne considered. “One who’s figuring herself out.”

“Yes. Now, how to get you down?”