Darcy the Brave - Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Eventually, while lying down in the infirmary bed, I dozed off for a few hours. And in that time, I had a strange dream. I was a tiny floating speck of a person, looking up at a huge figure before me. It was hard to look at them at first, since the area around us looked like harsh, flickering TV static that hurt my eyes to look at directly. But I focused on the face of the person, and saw that it was the same figureless girl that helped me out in Limbo. The figure cupped her hands beneath me, shrinking her figure just enough so that it didn’t feel too intimidating for me to be facing her.

“I can tell you're nervous about facing him.” She says. “But I promise, I will be sure to guide your souls back to your world if anything goes wrong.”

“That helps, I guess.” I say.

“Do not be discouraged.” She replies. “You already know what you have to do.”

“Please, mysterious lady. I have to know something. What is your name?”

She pauses for a bit, then chuckles a little in her throat. “My name is…a secret.”

Satisfied with her answer, or perhaps fearing my interjection of, ‘that doesn’t count!’ she lifts me upwards, into the static above us. I wake up with a start, goop in my eyes and drool trailing out the side of my mouth. I wipe it off with my arm, grabbing my phone out of my backpack to see that I have a missed text message from my mom.

‘Cookout starts at 5:30. Think you’re able to come back to party?”

The clock on my phone says that it’s a few minutes past five already, and seeing how I didn’t drown in my sleep I write her back. ‘Yes pls.’

Shortly afterwards, I gather my things to bring back to the cabin, checking myself out from the infirmary as I go. I manage to get a few feet out the door when I see that my mom had sent my sister Maureen to come and get me.

“Oh, good! You’re walking!” Maureen remarks. “How are you feeling, I didn’t hurt you too badly when I gave you CPR, did I?”

“Nah, my chest hurt earlier but I think I’m okay now.” I reply. “But you are not gonna believe who visited me just now.”

“Who?”

“He’s a grade younger than you, maybe you’d remember him from middle school. He’s gonna be a freshman next year. Viktor Warren.”

Maureen quirks an eyebrow. “Viktor…Warren? Are you sure that’s his name?”

“Well, yeah! He’s Vira’s brother, and Vira’s last name is Warren. So he’s Viktor Warren. It’s spelled with a ‘K’, not a ‘C’, that’s what makes his name so unique.”

“Weird. I did know a Viktor with a ‘K’, but his last name wasn’t ‘Warren’.”

“Whatever. I’ll try and clear this up with him later. But somehow our writing notebooks got switched around and he wants me to tutor him.”

“That’s great, Darcy!”

I almost spilled everything right there. How it’s not just ‘great’, it’s the most fantastic thing in my adolescent life. How I was too shy to try and get close to him before, and now an opportunity has miraculously fallen into my lap. About the matchmaking deal that Vira and I had made with each other, where I successfully set her up with Olga and now she’s…

She’s…

“Vira’s at the cookout right now, right?”

“That’s the punk-looking girl with the blue hair and too much eyeliner, right? Yeah, she’s there, with your foreign friend.”

“I gotta ask her something.”

“Speaking of asking, why are those two always like…super close to each other? I mean I get sometimes girls are like that at your age, but?”

“…Seriously?” I ask.

“What?”

The funny thing about my oldest sister is that even though she wants to come off as the wisest, most mature one of our sibling group, she’s actually the ditsiest. Maureen is a bit slow to realize some things. This is apparently one of them. I clasp my hands together, inhale, and respond.

“They are a couple.”

“A couple of what?”

“Girlfriends.”

“I mean, you’re their friend too, so why-“

“The gay kind of girlfriends. The kind that go on dates and make too much bodily contact during sleepovers. I’ve blocked the girls’ bathroom for them a couple times so they can have between-class makeout sessions. Olga’s given Vira a cutesy German pet name. If you ever see Olga wearing purple lipstick, it’s not ‘cause she borrowed it. This one time-“

“I get it, I got it now.” Maureen is turning red. “Wow. I feel dumb. …Good for them.”

The lakeside smells fantastic now, like burgers and hotdogs grilling. There’s a line forming around a few large grills set up, and people are bringing paper plates to their beach blankets to eat. I wait in line, get myself a cheeseburger, squirt some ketchup and relish on it, then go to a blanket where Olga and Vira are already halfway done with their food. Vira got a burger as well, piled with lettuce on it and is dipping it in a blob of ketchup on her plate with each bite.

“Man…” She grumbles. “I could make a way better burger than this. It’s so dry and…ugh.”

I take a bite of mine. “What’d you expect? These are freezer patties. Probably the only thing that the camp could afford.”

“I am going to sound like a stereotype, but…” Olga begins. “…I really wish I had sauerkraut for this.” She holds up her limp hotdog, a perfect squiggle of mustard on it.

“Girls, we had better beat this fucker tonight.” Vira announces. “I refuse to let this be my last meal.”

“Okay, Vira, I have to ask you something, ‘cause I know you had something to do with this.”

Vira smirks. “Yes?”

“Do you know anything about my writing notebook getting switched with Viktor’s?”

“Before I answer that, lemme ask. Did it work?”

“It…it did! He wants me to teach him how to write poetry after we’re done with camp!”

Vira fist-pumps the air. “Yes! I was worried I’d wake you up when I left the cabin with your notebook this morning. Actually, that was the easy part. The hard part was sneaking through the boys’ camp undetected.”

“You clever bitch, I love you!” I say playfully, shoving her a little.

“You are awfully cheerful, Darcy.” Olga comments.

“Thanks, I’m using my excitement as a distraction.”

A couple more hours passed, and it was time for all the parents to leave. My dad didn’t say much other than, ‘We’ll be back soon, we’ll miss you!’ But my mom made sure to smother each of my siblings and I and give us reaffirmation that she’ll be on call if we need her. This only made me feel more nervous, and when we got back to the cabin I knew I needed one last weapon to use against the three-toed wolf. Vira and Olga were in the communal bathrooms, giving me just enough time to write a desperate note to our dead friend Woodrow.

‘If you’re there, answer me. Do you know anything about a girl trapped in Limbo who won’t tell me her name?’

I blinked multiple times, but the answer didn’t appear on the page. There was only one thing I could think of to pass the time while waiting for my answer.
***
The Cipher – A poem by Darcy Lillyanne Jay

I know th t life has been kind to me,
At least it has thus far.
But improbable things ha e happ ned,
A d I’m  oing back for mor .
This  ight be the last time I’ll write,
For you, my invisible fri nds,
But what happened was no accident,
And if I’m gone, heed my message.
***
Satisfied with this last bit of writing, I leave the notebook opened to the page I’ve written on, then go back to checking the leather-bound book. To my relief, Woodrow has responded.

‘I do not know of a girl trapped in Limbo. Can you describe her?’

‘Ridiculously tall. Short hair, with two long strands draped around her face. Long, flowy dress with long sleeves. I couldn’t see her face. Said she was in Limbo because of Kurt. Seemed very persistent to keep her identity a secret. Please answer quickly, I’m going to face off with him soon.’

‘Give me a moment. I might know who it was, but I need confirmation.’

I impatiently tap my hands on the book, just as Vira and Olga come back. They’re in their pajamas already, but I’m still in my day clothes.

“I already died once in my swimsuit today, I’m not gonna die again in my PJ’s.” I explain without prompting. “But I’m waiting for Woodrow to write something back to me. I think I can get a final trump card in this battle.”

“It’s already 9:30.” Vira says. “He better hurry.”

“The way I see it, we leave around 11. Got your sigils?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Olga jokes, holding up the paper sigil and my long butane lighter. “My hand sigil washed off in the shower, but Vira still has hers.”

“Mine’s gone so I can get close to him. Vira, you’re going to have to be my bodyguard if he tries anything.”

“Can do!”

I check the leather-bound book again, with another long paragraph of text written on it. I hold it up so I can read it better, and begin to read it aloud for the girls to hear.

“I just had it confirmed with one of the most knowledgeable witches we have down here. The girl you met in Limbo is likely the princess of our world, Kurt’s daughter Aranea. She has been double-dead for years now, and her soul must have found its way to a place that was neither your world or ours. While in her time down here she had long hair, our king sliced it off in a show of power shortly before her second death. But he has banned us from even speaking her name or discussing her presence, so please, keep it a secret that I told you this.”

“Ask him what we’re supposed to do with that information.” Vira instructs.

“I don’t need to. I already do.” I say, writing down one other question to Woodrow.

‘How do I pronounce her name? I’m going to need this in a bit.’

‘Uh-rah-nee-uh. It’s unique, I’m aware.’

And with this information, I was armed and ready for battle.

The three of us opted to try for a place that we knew would be barren, with nobody on it this late. The last time we tried we ended up finding a delinquent’s hideout, so we had to be extra careful this time. We ended up deciding on a place high up the camp’s hiking trail, deep in the woods where nobody would be wandering this late. He would probably have spent most of his time up here too, not able to be close to the campers.

I had given the girls instructions to stay a few feet behind me. Just far enough that they can rush in and help me if need be, but also just out of sight so Kurt doesn’t realize I have backup protection. To lure him out, I have to look like I came alone.

“Are you there?” I call out. “Sir wolf? I’ve come to discuss our little…arrangement.”

There’s nothing in the air other than the sounds of nature at nighttime. Crickets, an occasional owl, and our footsteps as we walked. We came to a thick part of the forest and I motioned for Vira and Olga to hide amongst the trees. I took a flashlight with me when I left, and had it primed and ready for this moment. In a moment of pure silence, I flicked it on, searching in front of me to catch a glimpse of something yellow and glowing.

The flashlight had caught in his eyes. He noticed me, but did not attack me, instead the three-toed wolf casually stepped closer to me. It was as if he was savoring this moment, waiting to pounce so he could tear me apart.

The wolf’s lips parted. “Are you a fighter, my dear?”

“You can talk?” It was a bit dumb of me to ask this, but not an illegitimate question to have asked.

“Of course I can talk. I still keep some of my humanity in animal form. Now let me ask you again, are you a fighter, my dear?”

“I don’t see the point in lying, so I’ll tell you the truth. No. But I’m here to talk.”

He chuffs, circling me. “You think talking will stop me? I came here for your life, or maybe the life of the disgusting witch or abhorrent lesbian you fraternize with.”

“You won’t want to kill me anymore after you know what I know.”

Kurt sits directly in front of me, his giant head eye-level with mine. “From your introduction, I know you are a wordsmith. I’ll play along, for now at least. What words do you have for me?”

“I think you’ll like these.” I say. I’m honestly amazed at my own fake confidence. “We’ve already broken your curse.”

“Is that so? I think you’re lying. If the curse were broken, I would be back in Purgatory.”

“That’s only because we’re missing the final step. Your words were that one of us will die, and that the other two would stay quiet about what really happened, correct?”

“I believe that is correct, yes.”

“Well, you may be glad to know that I died today. It was only for a few minutes because I was resuscitated by my sister, but I was dead.”

“And how am I going to be able to believe that?”

I was half-tempted to go up close to him and say this right in his face, but my better instincts told me to keep my distance. “You can ask your daughter. I met her in Limbo, and she helped bring my soul back up here.”

“M…My-?”

He immediately snaps to action, snarling and ready to pounce. Vira acts quickly, rushing out of her hiding spot behind the trees to shove the sigil in his face. Olga takes this as her cue to burn the paper with the sigil on it, dropping it to the dirt below her where it can smolder safely.

Even though he’s incapacitated by our protection sigil, Kurt still writhes and snaps his jaws like he wants to attack me. “What do you know about my daughter?!”

“That it’s amazing you spawned a sweetheart like her.” I respond, slipping Vira a quick high-five. “And she told me that curses are literal. My temporary death was an accident, but we’re going to keep meeting Aranea a secret, right girls?”

“Ja, that is right!”

“Abso-freakin-lutely.”

“So you’ve gotten what you wanted, didn’t you? The curse is broken.”

In the same way we felt a loud ‘bang’ when we did the spell at the beginning of camp, we suddenly hear and feel a loud ‘crash’ coming down on Kurt. The impact sends leaves and twigs in all directions around it, sharply blowing us backwards for a moment and almost snuffing out the fire from the protective sigil. Olga double-checks to make sure the fire is still going, lighting it again to be safe. When I shine my flashlight on Kurt again I can vaguely make out something clear and shimmering around him, and looking closer I can see that it’s a hand with its fingers tightly clasped around him. Below the three-toed wolf is a swirling black rift that opens, slowly dragging Kurt down into it.

Kurt claws at the ground in front of him, still trying to swipe at us. “No! I refuse to be defeated like this!”

“And we refuse to have our world terrorized by a maniacal hellhound who wants all of us to die! I refuse to be responsible for causing the barrier between your world and ours to be opened! But only one of us can get what we want.”

Kurt is being pulled in deeper now, only his head and arms visible above the rift, struggling to keep himself out of the void. I step closer, forgetting about his claws and push at them with my feet.

“…I’m not sorry it had to be this way.”

His claws lose their grip and the rift closes around him immediately. I can’t even hear his screams or protests as he’s pulled back under, but in a millisecond he’s gone, and the sound of crickets and owls is all that permeates the landscape.

It hits me all of a sudden how fast my heart has been beating and how much I’m sweating. I flop onto the ground, arms spread to the side and one knee bent. I gasp for air, letting my bent leg shake a little from adrenaline.

“Holy shit, that was the scariest thing I’ve ever done.” I admit.

“Did you see yourself back there?!” Vira exclaims. “You were amazing! And that last line you delivered? That was straight out of a movie or something!”

“Thanks, girl… I am not messing with any more paranormal stuff for a while. Olga, you can have your book back.”

“How do you feel, Darcy?” Olga asks.

“I feel absolute disbelief. And amazement that I survived. And…” I pause to wiggle on my back. “…Itchy? What is this.”

“That would be because you are laying on an anthill.”

“Ack!” I roll over, furiously dusting off my back and my hair. “Come on, let’s just go back to the cabin. What time is it?”

Vira takes out her phone. “11:59, and…midnight! We did it, we survived three whole days!”

We have a quick celebration and walk back to our cabin, proud that we won but also wary for being caught by any camp counselors. Even heroes have to worry about being seen out past curfew.