THE GREAT LAWNDALE EARTHQUAKE by Mitch wells17@gte.net Chapter 1 Ironically, it was a peaceful time. It was a time when,after two grueling years, the students of Lawndale High werepracticing for their graduation ceremonies in the auditorial room. Daria, Jane, Kevin, Brittney, Chuck, Sandi, Jodie, and Mack were all decked out in black robes and caps. In the audience, for support, were Helen and Jake, Trent, Jesse, Quinn and the Fashion Club, and the Three Js. "I'm so mortified," said Daria. "Count your blessing," said Jane, "At least Ms. Li turned down Brittney's suggestion on how to break tradition." "You mean the swimsuits? -shudder- You're right. I stand corrected." "Oooh, Kevie," said Brittney, "Isn't this great? When we finally get out of here, I'm going to modeling school like I always wanted and when I graduate, I'm moving to Paris!" "What about me?" asked Kevin. "Well, we could always meet after class..." "Heyyy!" Kevin was misinterpreting Brittney's meaning. Ms. Li was on the podium with the graduates to be, along with the rest of the Lawndale High faculty. She was apparently reveling in this, believing herself to be a key part of the students' development. The teachers with her seemed to share those same feelings if not as engulfed by them. The exception to this was apparently Mr. DeMartino, who still had that gruff expression on his face and a stare that could wound if not kill. "Now then, let us begin the practice ceremony. -ahem- Now, over the years, there must have been times that were particularly hard, times that seemed impossible to cope with..." Such as this speech, thought Daria. Ms. Li continued her almost eternal speech with her trademark pride for Lawndale High in her voice. Before she could finish, however, a rumbling was heard. That rumbling became a tremor that started shaking the auditorium. Then, the supports started falling and caused the students to panic. Most of the students, teachers, and guests ran towards the same exit. Daria, however, was blocked by a fallen support. Jane turned around and called for Daria. Trent ran for Daria and they were both separated from the others by a wall of fallen support. They both headed to the nearest exit as the earthquake continued. "Oof, ugh. Daria, you okay?" "Yeah, Trent. Thanks." They looked at their surroundings. There was a Coke machine, two bathrooms, and nothing else. "Where are we?" "I don't know. Never been here before." "There's no food." "And the way back is sealed off." There was a pause. "Trent, we're gonna die!" "-gulp-Man!" Trent sat down next to her. He was visibly shaken. Slowly, he turned to her. "Daria, I...I'm sorry. I..." "Easy, Trent, easy. I know. You didn't mean it. It's not your fault." "Thanks." "Well, you wouldn't be in this mess if you had to save me." She stood up. "Might as well get rid of this thing." She removed her cap and gown, revealing what was her usual attire these days. She got rid of the jacket some time back and was now wearing modest, but darkly colored, shirts. She still had her black skirt and trademark boots. Her glasses were still too big for her face but she wouldn't be Daria without them, or would she? ----- Trent turned and saw her...and loved and regretted it simultaneously. Daria had developed some as a woman over the past couple of years. Sure, she wasn't as...'early' as her sister or that cheerleader girl, but there was something about her that drew him to her. Still, they hadn't been too close lately and he figured she had no special feelings toward him. In the beginning, she didn't seem to like him but, surprisingly quickly, she later started to accept him as a friend. Lately, however, they had been drifting apart. Trent had given up trying to get her attention and tried a few failed relationships to try to fill a void in his life. She deserved better than him anyway. Also, he had been planning to move to Woodland with the rest of his band to start over. He hoped to see Daria before he left though and, at least, tell her he was glad to know her. Well, at least he got to see her again, too bad he had to forget about moving. As Trent looked out the window, watching Lawndale fall apart by the ensuing quakes, he heard Daria's voice behind him whispering, "Oh, God. He's suffering and I can't comfort him..." Trent turned around. "Daria?" "Yeah?" "I...I'm sorry. I...I didn't know." "Know what?" "You...you have someone out there, don't you?" "What...what do you mean?" "There's someone out there you like who's suffering and you wish you could be there to comfort him." "Huh. Uh, Trent I was talking about...well...you." "What?" "This is your town. You must be hurting inside." "Uh, thanks. You're right, I am." "I'd sooner think -you- had someone out there." "Uh, no I don't." Daria looked puzzled. Then she shrugged. They both looked out the window. Trent saw his reflection become uncomfortable. "Uh, Daria? I have to...uh...you know..." "Huh? Oh. Yeah. Sure. I'll be okay." Trent went to the men's room. ----- Daria looked at her reflection, sighed, and sat down. She wondered why Trent was acting so strangely. Maybe he was afraid she'd do something to him for "killing" the two of them. Trent would know better though. It was the earthquake that killed them, not him. The way he was acting reminded her of herself towards him during her first year in Lawndale, when she had a puppy love type crush on him that she knew wouldn't take even then. Did she ever get over that? Maybe not. She hadn't been that close to him lately, but she still thought of him and those were usually positive thoughts, friendly thoughts, and, occasionally, shameful thoughts. None of these were thoughts that she shared with her friend, and Trent's sister, Jane, even though Jane had stopped teasing Daria about Trent being a potential love interest for her some time ago. ----- Ms. DeFoe had finally decided to let that Jesse fellow take over in comforting Jane. He seemed like a strange choice for a boyfriend for Jane, but she accepted it. Jane must have been suffering, losing her best friend and her brother just now. Oh, -why- was all this happening? She looked out the window and saw Lawndale crumbling. It was like a painting of a nightmare. The town she knew all her life, the most picturesque place she knew, collapsing in moments. She lowered her head. Then she heard a voice saying, "Ms. DeFoe?" She turned around and saw Mr. O'Neill. "Oh, hello, Mr. O'Neill. I was just...pondering on all this." "Yes, it is...tragic, isn't it?" "Yes...Excuse me, Mr. O'Neill..." "Timothy, please..." "Timothy, you were here for..." "What? Oh, yes. Ms. DeFoe, at the, uh, risk of alarming you, the earthquake might hit us again and...well...I just wanted to say..." "Yes..." "I think you're pretty." DeFoe's eyes widened. She hadn't expected to hear a fellow teacher say that to her. She felt...flattered and awkward at the same time. "Uh, sorry, if I insulted you Ms. DeFoe." She smiled and said, "Call me Claire." Chapter 2 Trent emerged from the bathroom to see Daria sitting and apparently lost in thought. She looked so peaceful and yet so distant...Trent snapped out his thought and approached her, cautiously. "Daria?" he whispered. "Hmmm?" "You...okay? You seem kind of...tense..." "Well," Daria returned "you seem kind of nervous." Trent gulped. Was it -that- obvious? He silently prayed that she couldn't tell what was bothering him... "I...am?" "Yeah, I know what nervousness looks like, Trent. I don't know -why- you're so nervous around me but..." Trent sighed with relief at that statement. Then, he thought of something. "Daria, do you want...now, you can say 'no' if you don't want it, but..." Trent was so afraid he'd offend her with what he was going to offer. ----- "Just spit it out, Trent." "Want a -gulp- backrub?" Daria's eyes opened wide. Was Trent offering her a backrub? Well, he was right that she was feeling -sort of- tense right now..."Sure, Trent. I would like a backrub right now." She waited a moment and felt Trent's strong hands on her shoulders... ----- Ms. Barch was walking down a hallway. She could -not- believe that the rescue teams hadn't come yet. Obviously, the department was run by men. She had just yelled at Kevin and Brittany for making such a ruckus in that room she found them in earlier. She always wondered why they, especially Kevin, never listened to authority. As she pondered that thought, she ran into Mr. DeMartino. "Oof! Watch it, you...you -man-." "Uh, SORry, fellow member of the faculty. I was BUSY thinking about how KEVIN and BRITTANY never seem to listen to my AUTHORITY." Ms. Barch looked at him and blinked. "You too?" "Oh, they NEVER listen to me, and before DARIA showed up, I used to ask THEM all of the QUESTIONS. Not that they EVER got them RIGHT, but..." "So, not much tolerance for them, himmm..." "NO, you SORT of HAVE to PUT.." "The fear of God in them?" DeMartino nodded. They looked at each other for a second, smiling. Then, Ms. Barch showed him her keys to the science room... Chapter 3 "Oooh...ahhh. Oh, yeah, Trent. That feels good. Move those hands..." Trent smirked. "Stop scaring the readers, Daria. You know I'm just giving you a backrub. Heck, you're even still wearing you're shirt." "Well, your sister was always a bad influence on me," Daria joked. "By the way, that's enough for now." Trent took his hands off Daria's back and laid down. He wondered what Janey was doing right now. He almost hoped that she would send a rescue team after him and Daria, but since it probably didn't look like they were alive now, no one would even bother to look. It would probably take a few days for them to starve and already it was starting to feel like forever. He looked at Daria and wondered what she was thinking. "Hey, Daria?" "Yeah, Trent?" "You want to know what I want?" "No. What?" "The good old days." "Excuse me?" "Well, I don't mean the -old- old days. I mean the 'just a little later' old days. You know, the days right after you started to like me and we started talking. Later on, we would talk sometimes and...laugh together. I...enjoyed that." "You did?" "Yeah. Your laugh was a rare treat and I...really enjoyed talking with you." Trent gulped before stating, "I'm... guessing that it started with you liking me." Daria seemed uncomfortable. "Uh...well..." Trent lowered his head. "That's okay. You...don't have to respond to that." "But, Trent, I...well..." "If you're uncomfortable in what you're about to say, don't say it." "-sigh-Alright." Trent felt like he just gave his hopes up. The way Daria was acting, she probably -didn't- start liking him when they started talking. If that was true, then why -did- they talk. Maybe she thought he was lonely or maybe she was just trying to be nice. Well, he was still glad their conversations happened, even if -she- didn't like them. However, Trent had always hoped..."Hey, Trent?" "Yeah, Daria?" "I...always liked our conversations too." "Really." "Yeah. We always had some real thoughtful stuff come between us. You...have an interesting outlook." "I do?" "Yeah." Trent felt better now. Still, he wanted to lighten the mood some more. Then he remembered something. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a miniature stereo/tape player. Music technology had improved a little the last two years. "Hey, Daria, I have one of these tape and stereo things with a tape in it. You want to hear something?" "What's on it?" "Well, there's a few fast songs, a slow song..." "Slow song." "What?" "Slow song. It'll get my mind off things." "Okay, Daria." He pushed play and a soothing slow song played. Outside, the sun was setting. The sunset was beautiful. He turned and saw a relaxing Daria. So was he. Somehow, Trent built up his courage, probably because what he was going to ask would only be a hint and his world wouldn't die if she refused just a little gesture. He stood and asked, "Daria, would you care to ask?" "Hmmm?" Trent realized his mistake. Good one, Lane, he thought. "Would you care to dance?" She smiled al ittle and said, "Sure. I'd be glad to." She took his offered hand and took the other... ----- "Ohhh, Kevey! This earthquake is scary!" "Hey, don't worry, babe! It'll pass. So...how about we make out?" Contrary to what some may have predicted, Brittany pondered about this. Kevin was getting rather...-dull- these past two years. Sure the first year was...-kind of- fun, but she was always worried that he would go astray. Things hadn't improved so much these past two years and she was, well,...upset over what happened to Daria. Still, maybe this was what she needed. "Well, okay..." A few minutes later, a slapping sound was heard from the history room and an angry Brittany was seen marching out. Chapter 4 Daria and Trent danced for a while. Neither of them were quite majestic and they kept stepping on each other's feet and apologizing. When the song ended, Trent turned the player off and they both sat down. They rested for a bit. "It's pretty late," said Daria after a while. "Yeah," said Trent. "Let's get some sleep." "Great. But...it's a cold night and we don't have any blankets." "Well, we have your graduation robe." Daria looked at it. "Well, it's not like I'm gonna be leaving with it now." Daria looked at Trent. "Uh, there's only one, Trent." "That's okay. You can take the whole one. I sleep without blankets all the time." "I...don't think that's a good idea Trent. Look, let's sleep toge...-next- to each other." Trent gulped. "Well,...o-okay Daria..." They wrapped the robe over their bodies and tried to get as cozy as possible. It wasn't the first time neither of them had pillows. They were as comfortable as they could get and tried their best to get to sleep. "'Night, Trent." "'Night, Daria." ----- "This isn't exactly a sound foundation..." "About the wiring..." "The roof is -leaking-..." Those were the complaints that Angela Li heard ever since her first year as Principal at Lawndale High. Her entire goal was to make it the most noticeable high school in the state. Well, she meant that in a -positive- way... As it turned out that under her reign, Lawndale became the most-infamous- school in the state. Li planned to enforce school pride with beefed up security. This made Lawndale less...friendly. Also, as the students, faculty, and even some parents often said, all the money put into security could have gone to repairs. Couldn't they see that -she- was the one who made the decisions? -She- was the one who made the decisions about what money went where? These people had no respect for authority, she thought, especially...-Daria Morgendorffer-! It -all- started with Daria! She was the -first- to openly question her authority. Of course, she never -won- against Li. She always got caught, then wormed her way out of it, or start an investigation, or... Li realized something. Even though she always -caught- Daria, she always -lost- to her! One way or another, that -student- outsmarted her. That's what led to the investigations and the questioning. Daria was smart, too smart. Li remembered their last meeting: "So, Miss Morgendorffer, ready to walk down that runway?" "Well, I was wondering why so many students got expelled recently and why repairs have been so shoddy lately..." "Hahahahahaha...Just -pretend- to like it for once! Then, we can -end- this two year charade!" "Alright, but once I leave, this building might collapse and you won't have anything to hide behind." Daria was right... Chapter 5 Daria awoke to see the sun rising over Lawndale's remains in the window. She remembered the night before and sat up. Trent was apparently still asleep, of course... She gently shook him. "Trent, time to wake up." No response. She sighed, wondering why she expected him to get up before noon. "Trent, get up now..." Still, no response. Daria began to get worried. "Trent, you okay?" She turned Trent's head so she could see his face. When she touched his skin, it felt...cold. His face was a ghostly white. Daria felt scared. "Trent, don't give up on me now..." She felt his lips. They were cold. She was on the verge of tears. Almost reluctantly, she took his hand. It was limp. "No, Trent, no. You're...too...stubborn. Please..., don't leave me. You...you made me happy, you hear me? You...kept me...company..." She checked for his pulse. There was none. The realization stabbed her as tears flowed down her cheeks... ----- Trent was surprised he got up so early. Remembering last night, he turned and saw a wonderful young woman lying next to him. He smiled. He hated to wake her but... "Daria, time to get up." No response. Strange. He never thought of Daria as being lazy. "Daria?" Come to think of it, she usually responded to him on the first or second try. Maybe she wasn't feeling well. "Daria, you okay?" He turned her head around, and saw a fearful vision of Daria with less pigmentation lying...very still. Ultimate terror struck Trent at that moment. He reached for her cheek. It was...so...cold. He was too afraid to take her hand. He already knew what had happened...Trent wanted to scream... ----- "TRENT!" "DARIA!" The two of them were now sitting up in their "blanket". It was still night. They turned around and saw each other. Both wanted to hug the other to prove that the vision was just a dream, but they were still too nervous to reveal their feelings for one another. "Uh, I'm sorry. I..." "No. My fault. I had a bad dream..." "Same here..." "Well, good night again." "Same here." The two lay down for a while... ----- "If you got it, flaunt it." Words to live by, that is, if your name was Quinn Morgendorffer. The seventeen-year-old had dedicated her life to one thing, being kawaii. Popularity was the one goal in her life. Life was a popularity contest and she was determined to win it. As long as she could remember, people told her, "Oh, look at her! She's so kawaii!" Quinn grew up on that, thrived it, and lived on it. The one thing that ever bothered her was her sister who was now...gone. This bothered her but...why was she feeling so alone? She had friends and had nothing in common with Daria. Why did she feel like she lost a part of herself...? Chapter 6 Daria awoke in the middle of the night and saw Trent sleeping. He was so...peaceful. He didn't even snore. She always enjoyed seeing him like that. He was so...well...cute. He was always nice to her and that was the real reason she liked him. She sighed, thinking about how Trent had a few girlfriends the past few years. She took that as an omen that the two of them weren't right for a relationship after all. Daria remembered feeling hurt but feeling happy for him at the same time. At least she and Trent were still friends, that was probably the most important thing. She told the truth earlier when she said that she missed the days when the two of them would talk. Daria and Trent may have started shaky, basically because she was so shy around him at first, but they became better friends as time moved on. They had some good times, even when things looked down for them. They always took some comfort from each other when something bad would happen, which seemed to happen every week. Lately, her work and his music and been getting in between them. Daria started to miss Trent. She wondered if she ever kept her crush on him, since it was so undercontrol these days. Something occurred to Daria, she never had a relationship in the past two years. Why? Deep down,she realized, she must still be drawn to, maybe even...love, Trent. Perhaps she was just holding back her emotions, thinking that seeing him as a friend would help her and him get on with their lives. Well, she still liked him, respected him, thought he was good looking, loved his music, thought he was good with his lyrics, thought he was nice, had good values, liked his goatee, undressed him with her eyes, was starting to have rather sinful thoughts of him again...oh her God. She -did- still love him. Too bad, she figured, Trent only saw her as a friend. Daria sighed. Here we go again, she thought. After a while of staring at Trent's face, she thought of all the little things she wantedto do with them if they both loved each other. She would kiss his noise, put her hand through his hair, cuddle with him. The last one would have made her fall asleep faster instead of until that moment. ----- "Nice sky," said Claire, now looking at the night sky out the window. "Uh, yeah," said a nervous sounding Timothy. Claire chuckled to herself. She and Timothy had just started talking, more than they had for the two years they had spent working at the same school, and both were developing a liking for one another. It made her feel...wonderful. Claire hadn't had a relationship in probably a long time. She didn't hate men, like Ms. Barch did, she just thought it wasn't her thing. Timothy had quite a charming, childlike, innocence to himself that Claire rather liked. Her mind was a little more at ease now, which it needed with her hometown being destroyed by nature itself. Chapter 7 Trent opened his eyes and saw Daria sleeping. She looked so peaceful to him. He quickly reminded himself that she could be a little dangerous when she was awake. One of the things he liked about her was how Daria could probably conquer the world if you let her. She was too smart and too darn invernable to stop. He just wished, as perspective as she otherwise was, she would notice him. Trent wondered, had Daria noticed him and was simply ignoring his advances? She was smart enough for that. She was probably ignoring him hoping that he couldn't tell wouldn't hurt his feelings. Maybe Daria -did- care enough about him to be his friend but didn't want to go further than that. At least she -was- a good friend. She had always been nice to him and was able to give Janey some much needed company. The thing was, Daria was better looking than people gave her credit for. He couldn't believe that she never had a relationship during the past two years. Basically, she was so modest and had more important things than popularity to worry about, that she wasn't into the mini-shirts and tight pants the other girls wore. Trent liked that. Also, she didn't wear makeup. Trent didn't think she needed any. She was all natural. That was what mattered. Trent thought of how he would love to stroke her hair right then, kiss her cheek, and, if he was fortunate, cuddle next to her. The reason he didn't was because he didn't want to insult her if that wasn't what she wanted. That was why, Trent realized, he never asked her out. Still, it was fun to dream. He imagined having a relationship with her, caring for her, having fun together, and, in his highest but least likely hopes, being intimate with her. He thought of what could happen if they had a child together. It would be beautiful and he'd love it forever. Strangely, Trent never saw himself as a family man, but it would be worth it if he could win Daria's heart. Still, Trent figured, Daria deserved better. He was an unemployed guitarist and she was, well, -everything-. He sighed, figuring that everything he just thought of would never happen and was probably reserved for someone more deserving. Unfortunately, that person would never get his chance because Trent and Daria would unknowingly die in this room. Trent cursed himself for denying the world of such a sweet creature that could have made a lot of difference in this insane world. Before falling asleep, he vowed to make Daria as happy as possible before the end. Whether or not he would reveal his true feelings for her, he did not know. Chapter 8 *** DARIA'S DREAM (Author's note: To all Lucille fans out there, don't worry. This will -not- actually happen to her. I'm just doing this to see Daria react. Still, if you are offended by this, read Trent's dream instead). Never had there been worse torture. Daria was waiting by the door. Her face sad, but she was trying her best to keep the tears in. Still, if there was ever a time she wanted to let her emotions out, it was then. She was hurting to the extreme inside. The worst part was that she knew it would last forever. Her life would feel more empty from now on. Lucille's father wasn't holding it in. He couldn't stop crying. She loved him for that. Daria let him continue while trying to comfort him. The doctor finally came out of the room. The look on his face said it all, no change. He motioned to the room. Daria knew what that meant. She lifted the head of Lucille's father and looked in his teary eyes. She knew that, through them, he could see that they both had the same thoughts about the girl they loved. Daria entered the room. There, Daria saw Lucille on a bed. Lucille was in her twenties now, but Daria still saw her as her little Lucille. This was probably because the girl hadn't changed much over the years. Daria approached her. "Daria?" "Yes Lucille, it's me." Lucille tried a weak smile. "Daria, I...I'm SORRR-EEEEeee...! "Lucille grabbed Daria as she said this and was crying on her shoulder. Daria kissed her daughter's forehead and asked, "What do you mean?" "I...I'm dying and...I always wanted to make you proud...to have you love me...to...BE YOU...!" Daria held Lucille and waited a moment to continue. "Lucille, listen, I've always been proud of you. I've always loved you, and I always wanted you to be who you want. You never had to be me. I just wanted you to be Lucille, and I always liked Lucille." Lucille sniffed and managed a "You really mean that, Mom?" Daria was surprised. "You called me 'Mom'. You've never called me that before." A look of horror was on Lucille's face. "I like that." "You...you do?" "Yeah, and I meant what I said, sweetheart." Now, Lucille looked surprised. "Daria, you...never called me that before." Daria's eyes were wide opened. She had always wanted to call Lucille that, but she didn't think Lucille would like pet names. "I like it." THe two embraced. Daria had never fully accepted that her daughter was dying from a rare disease. The fact was killing her and always would. "Listen to me. You are a very special person. I've always loved you, always been proud of you, I'm going to miss you." Around now, Daria was breaking down and Lucille had stopped moving, "Lucille? LUCILLE!!!" ----- TRENT'S DREAM Trent felt something or someone moving him. He was beginning to think that the earthquake and everything else was just a dream. "Trent, wake up." "Just a minute, Janey." "It's not Jane. It's Daria." Trent now wanted to get up. "Daria, hi. What can I do for you?" "Well, for starters, you can make the bed." Trent rubbed his eyes, opened them and saw Daria...in bed with him! "Trent, you okay?" The situation staggered him. He didn't remember anything that led up to this. Since he figured she didn't like him, and he didn't have the courage to tell her he did, why did they sleep together? Heck, -did- they sleep together? Trent couldn't remember anything. Daria snapped her fingers and Trent broke from his trance. "Trent, you were starting to scare me! What happened?" "Uh, nothing Daria. Just a...bad dream I guess." "Well, you can tell me about it later. Just make the bed while I get dressed." "Uh, okay." Trent couldn't get over how Daria was taking this in stride. She left the bed and walked to the other side of the room. She was wearing a long pajama shirt and her glasses. Trent got out of bed and noticed something. He was older. It was as if he aged ten years overnight. He turned to Daria who was at a closet. She had grown some. She's beautiful, he thought. Then she started to change and Trent quickly turned away. Whatever happened last night, he didn't want to see her, not until he earned her. He made the bed and noticed that it wasn't his bed! In fact, this wasn't his room! In all his worry about Daria, he hadn't noticed this until now. He turned and saw Daria completely dressed. "Well," she said, "it's your turn to make breakfast." That evening, Trent was in the living room while Daria made her rounds. He had concluded from the day's events that he was in, or dreaming of, a future where he and Daria wereliving together, possibly married. He had quit playing for Mystik Spiral and Daria was a successful writer while he played freelance guitar. It seemed to be a peaceful life but...did Daria really love him? Just then, her car pulled up. Daria entered and said, "Hurry up, Trent. Our dinner reservations are in an hour." At a fancy restaurant, the two of them were eating. She looked rather good in that light. Still, Trent felt nervous around her. "Trent, what's wrong?" He looked up to her and saw her trusting, inquiring eyes. "I...I've been thinking all day about how lucky our life is and...what a lovely young woman you are now." She smiled. "That's so sweet," she whispered. When they got home, Trent turned to look at her. "Listen to me," Daria said suddenly, "You are a very special person. I've always loved you, always been proud of you. I'm going to miss you," Miss him? "Lucille? LUCILLE!!!" *** They were both sitting upright. They looked at each other. Chapter 9 "Daria, are you okay?" "Uh, ye...yeah Trent. I'm fine. "There was a pause. "Who's Lucille?" Daria was silent before replying, "She's...no one." Daria nodded her head and was silent. Trent looked at her oddly. "Uh, I'll get you a Coke." Trent got up and went to the machine. He wondered who Lucille was and why Daria wouldn't talk to him about her. Her got a drink for her and for him. He returned and found that Daria had not moved. "Daria, is there something you want to talk about? If...if there isn't, that's okay." Daria sighed. "I just had the worst dream of my life," she said. She turned to Trent. "Did I wake you?" "Uh, yeah." "Oh. Sorry." "That's alright. I think my dream was ending anyway." "What was your's about?" Trent didn't think he should tell her. Would he tell her that he dreamt that he was living with her and that it was a -pleasant- dream as opposed to her nightmare. No, it would only make her feel worse. "Uh, never mind that. You can tell me your's if it will make you feel better." Daria seemed to be bracing herself before she said, "It was about...the death of my daughter." Nothing could have prepared Trent for that. Daria once had...a daughter...and -lost- her? That sort of thing shouldn't happen to anyone...and to think that it happened to...her. God, he thought, she must have been so young or I would've heard of it before. Without thinking, he hugged her. "Daria, I'm...God, I'm sorry...!" "Uh, Trent...?" "You...you must be hurting..." "Trent?" "That sort of thing...no one should go through that!" "Trent." "Look, I won't ask questions! I just want you to know that she should've lived...!" "Trent!" He let go of her. "Trent," said Daria, "it -was- just a dream. I never had a daughter. Don't worry about it." Words cannot describe how stupid Trent felt right then. He looked at her and muttered, "Uh, I have to go to the bathroom." Trent head off. ----- Daria was puzzled and concerned. Chapter 10 Stupid, -stupid-, STUPID! That's what Trent felt like right now. He couldn't believe that, a second ago, he thought Daria's dream about having and losing a daughter was -true-! He must have looked like such an idiot to her when he comforted her on a tragedy that never happened! Just then, Trent heard the bathroom door creak open. He heard Daria's voice saying, "Trent? Trent? Want to...talk?" "I...I guess." He couldn't get more embarrassed than he was right now. "Trent, I...want to thank you." What? "I want to thank you for trying to help me. There was no way you could know whither or not Lucille was real and you wanted to comfort me for...losing her." She paused for a second. "The best part was when you said...you wouldn't judge me. You were terrific for saying that. You're the best, Trent." Trent grinned rather nervously and said, "Actually, -you're- the best, Daria. What you just said means more to me than you can know. Uh, let's go back to the robe." "Okay." Chapter 11 When they awoke they discovered that they had been shifting in their sleep. Trent and Daria's arms were now wrapped around each other. When Daria noticed where her arms were, she removed them immediately. "Oh! Sorry, Trent." "That's okay." Daria noticed that Trent was holding her. He must be trying to comfort me in all this, she thought. He had always been nice to her. ----- "Uh, thanks," she said. This puzzled Trent. He thought she would spurn his advance like she always did. Maybe she's scared, he thought. He had never known Daria to be afraid of anything. Still, near-certain death would scare anyone. Trent was scared himself. He remembered his vow to make Daria happy. "Daria," he asked, "what are your future plans?" He used present tense in case past tense would upset her. "Well," said Daria, "I was going to move to Woodland..." "Woodland?" "Yeah. It's near..." "No, I mean I was going to move there too. Actually, the band was. We were going to start over." "Hmmm. Surprising. Anyway, I was going to enter college and become a writer. Maybe do a column or a series of novels." "You'd do fine," said Trent, "You were always good with that." "Thanks. I admit I always liked your music." "You do?" "Yeah, you have a great singing voice." Trent looked at her. He thought of how this had been the closest the two of them had been in so long. He knew he wasn't worthy of her. He wasn't sure if any man was worthy of her. Trent was honored to even -know- Daria at all. He wondered if...he should tell her. The worst that could happen was her turning him down. He was almost expecting that and he wouldn't have as much time to regret it. "Trent, you okay? You look kinda sad." Trent gulped. It had become a little too noticeable. He had to tell her. She -deserved- to know. "Daria, I have something to confess." "What is it?" "Well, first I want you to know that at first, I was only glad that you were a friend for Janey. Then, when -we- started talking, I liked what I heard. You were interesting. You were also the smartest girl I had met. You were a good person. You could take over the world if you wanted. Also, how can I say this, you're, well,-gulp-, beautiful. I can't believe no one would try to kill for that hair alone. You were always so wonderfully modest, no one noticed. You...you're perfect. I guess that's why..." "I love you." Trent was shocked. Daria said THAT to HIM? Trent must have been dreaming. No, he could tell that he wasn't. "Trent," said Daria, "make yourself comfortable. I've got a long story to tell." Chapter 12 "Trent, when we first met about two years ago, something amazing happened. I liked you. I thought it was just a brush of hormones, so I shook it off. Then we met again, and I got that feeling again. I was so paralized I couldn't really talk. I guess I was in denial since I never liked a guy before or maybe I thought that since you were considerably older than me and I'm not exactly attractive like my sister or anything, you wouldn't be intersted anyway. Anyway, when we started talking I got a little more compfortable around you and hoped, if anything, you would see me as a friend. Don't think that I just saw having you as a friend as a consolation prize, Trent. I honestly enjoyed our friendship since, besides you, all I ever had was Jane and probably Jesse. I loved our talks, hearing you laugh, the times we spent together. Anyway, when you started dating, I was hurt. Then I figured, 'Trent is still my friend'. So, I stayed as your friend, finally thinking that maybe we were better off that way anyway. I honestly felt saddened with each of your breakups since you were so happy before each one. When you were happy, I was happy. If I was like my sister, I'd probably try to 'steal' you, but I'm not like her and I wouldn't take advantage of you when you were upset. I'd rather help you. Well, now that we have a limited time to live, I guess I can say what I should've said long ago: I love you, Trent Lane, even if you don't love me." Trent couldn't be more stunned. It was like he was dreaming. Yet, it -was- real. Daria loved him but respected their friendship by not telling him. It was so...something. He couldn't find an approprate word for how it felt. He didn't really feel compfortable about telling her how -he- felt. Sure, he understood her perfectly, but how would she take -his- story? Would she even believe him now? Even if she did, she would probably hate him now for not telling her when they could have -done- something about it. Still, she -deserved- to know she was loved, even at Trent's loss. "Daria, I don't remember exactly how it happened or when, but..., -gulp-I love you too." He expected her to slap him. Instead, he felt her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered, "I guessed that by the way you were acting tonight, but it seemed too good to be true." Trent smiled for the first time in a while. He tried to kiss her. "Uh, Trent?" "Yeah, Daria?" "I don't kiss on the first date." "Oh." Just then, the air conditioners went out. Chapter 13 "What was that?" "The power went out." "You mean..." "The air conditioners are dead. Now we'll suffocate instead of starve." Daria and Trent held each other closer. "Daria, I thought you would hate me for keeping my feelings secret so long." "Trent, we're -both- at fault. I should have told you too." "But, I mean, we could have -been- something...!" "We can -still- be something." It was all in the little things they did. They held each other, felt through each other's hair, looked in each other's eyes, whispered private jokes to each other, and just plain loved each other. Daria did let Trent kiss her, just so she wouldn't kiss him, even though she secretly wanted to. ----- Helen couldn't stop crying. She had lost her little girl, her first big accomplishment. She always loved Daria even though she never understood her. She thought of all their talks and arguments...especially the last one: "Sweetie, since you're graduating, why don't you get a new hairdo or something." "Why?" "Well, Quinn was going to do the same and I did on my graduation..." "Why do you always want me to be like Quinn?" "Well, she's had so many relationships and friends and you always seem so lonely..." "Look, I'm not lonely. I have three friends and that's more than Quinn ever had." "What about the Fashion Club?" "They -act- as her friends but the truth is that they would kick her out the moment she would wear her hair down on a day when they would all be wearing ponytails." "Now, Daria, don't be jealous..." "-Jealous-?! If I was jealous, I'd be competing with her to be popular. I'd rather be -me-. What's there for me to be jealous of? All her relationships have been one night stands. Ask -anyone- who dated her. Why do you think you've never met her boyfriends? It's because she's afraid you'll ask why it's a different guy from last week. She's been pulling this on you for 16 years. All that time, I've been waiting for you to figure -me- out, but if you knew -Quinn- better, you wouldn't be so quick to judge me. Maybe you should have at least -tried- to find room in your schedule for your family." Daria went to her room and Helen sat, lost in thought. She was so bothered, she didn't answer the ringing phone even though she knew Eric would call. Now, her daughter was gone. Helen never really knew her. She didn't really try. Helen's heart was broken by what Daria said to her, but not in the way one would expect. Helen was upset because Daria was right. She should have been suspicious of Quinn. She shouldn't have tried to change Daria. But, Helen wondered, why -did- she want to change Daria in the first place? What was the real reason? Then Helen realized it. She wanted to relive her youth through Daria. ----- "Jodie?" "Yeah, Mack?" "Is all this creeping you out?" "Well, -yeah-! I'm mean I worked my butt off to support this place and now its all falling apart, my town's in danger, my best friend just died...!" "Woah! Sorry. It's just that, well, you were so quiet until now. I was worried about you." "I...I'm sorry, Mack. I...shouldn't have lashed at you. It's just that...you're right. I'm scared. My whole world is dying in just a few hours. It bites." The young couple were quiet for a minute. "Jodie, did you...just call..." "Yeah...-yeah-. I...I guess I never really noticed before. Daria was my only real female friend, probably because she was the only one who knew what I said or wouldn't run off to check their eyeliner." Mack held Jodie closer. "You know, she was my friend too." ----- "-cough--cough-Daria?" "Yeah, Trent?" "I think it's happening." "What do you mean?" "I...think I'm...suffocating." "Oh, God..." "Daria, tell me, do you have a...last wish?" "What?" "Earlier, I promised myself that you would be happy. So, ask for something, anything." "Well, there's something but...no. It's too juvenile, too...personal." "What? You can tell me." "I...want to see you naked." Trent blushed. That was understandable. "Okay." Daria was -not- expecting him to respond that way. "So, what do I do?" "You really want to do through with this, Trent?" "If you want me to, yeah." "Well, just...just drop 'em. Nothing fancy." "Okay." Trent removed his shirt and his pants and Daria enjoyed every minute of it. She interrupted him with, "Trent, keep the boxers on. You look cute in them." Trent smiled. ----- This was not the way Linda Griffin had planned her evening. She was going to take Sandi home, relax, get some wine, and would hope that the boys don't make too much noise as they whale on each other. Now she was going to stay trapped in this blasted earthquake! She would sue the rescue team for being late once they would show up. Linda needed something to take her mind off things, hopefully alcohol. She found the teachers' lounge and raided the refrigerator. She found some beer bottles. They were cheeper than what she was used to, but hey. If her head would get dizzy, that would be enough. After finding a bottle opener, she opened one and took a swig. It tasted lousy, but what did she expect from a teacher's salary? Still, Linda felt better. She turned around and saw Helen Morgendorffer in the doorway. "Uh," asked Helen, "is this a private party?" "Yes," answered Linda, "but...I want to complain to someone and it might as well be the last person I can stand." "Next to last person in my case," said Helen, "I just had a fight with Jake. Things have been worse lately. He just won't listen to me anymore!" Helen took one of the bottles and almost downed it. "I mean, he used to -fake- listening, but now he can't even do -that- anymore. "Linda smirked. Helen sure knows how to pick 'em, she thought. Still, the situation reminded her of her husband. Thy guys topped being interesting a while back. As far as Linda was concerned, the man was invisible. Too bad she still needed his income, it would be great to be a swinging single again... ----- Well, Angela Li finally made it back to her office. She needed something to get her mind off all that destruction. She felt safe within the confines of her office. Nothing could hurt her there. She sat at her desk. Everything was quiet. It was almost too quiet. Li thought of all the times she faced Jane Lane and Daria Morgendorffer in the first year alone. First, she thought them as troublemakers, but they soon turned out to be the greatest challenge of her career. Before Daria, Li was always able to break the wills of the strongest students, or so she thought. Actually, she hadn't even met the strongest students before those two. They would always question whatever the school would be doing to raise money, always asking about the ethical nature of what she was doing. Li figured that they had no right to judge her. She was doing things for the greater good of Lawndale High! Li thought of when it all began for her, when Ms. Morgendorffer and Ms. Lane were taken to her for not selling chocolate to a woman who would have paid enough for the coffeehouse they were planning on, "She was hyperglycemic. The chocolate would have killed her". Li thought of when Daria humiliated her in front of Mr. O'Neil's class when she announced how agents from a modeling agency came to solicit students, "Isn't modeling a career based on your youth and your looks, both which are declared over by age 25?". Li thought of when she helped censor Daria and Jane's work for an art contest, "If you change that line, it will applaud the same thing it criticized before. -Don't you see that-?". No matter what she did, Daria would criticize it and find some way to thwart her. Daria was too clever for her own good. Li shook it out of her head. None of this mattered anymore, Daria was -dead-. Despite what some may say of her, Li did feel an amount of sorrow for the student. Daria was a persistent opponent. Li shook it off again. Why was she even thinking of Daria right now? She had to worry about the quake! Well, maybe she should have called for help when she got to the office? ----- She lost her sister. That's why she was upset. It hurt the more Quinn thought of it. Despite what some would say, she loved Daria. Without her, things would have been lonely and, other times, hard. She almost never admitted that. She never understood Daria's taste in clothing or anything else about her, but that didn't matter now. Sometime back, Daria did Quinn the favor of her life, she convinced her to leave the Fashion Club because it was taking away her individuality. "Look, you depend on them too much and you've admitted to me that you don't like them, so leave. You'll find another way to spend your afternoons." Quinn then realized that Daria had done all sorts of favors for her over the years and was never thanked. She probably saved Quinn's life during that time in the woods alone. Some people saw them as enemies and they were right to an extent, but they spent so much time trying to avoid each other that they didn't understand each other enough to be friends -or- enemies. True, she probably knew Daria better than most, but...was that enough? Maybe if Quinn -let- herself know Daria, maybe she would've understood her better, know why she always said that Quinn was ruining her life. Chapter 14 "Daria, I...I think I'm dying..., getting...short of breath..." "Trent, please, don't say that..." "No, it's true. I...can feel it..." "Then...why aren't I dying?" "Maybe God likes you more than he does me." "Trent, don't say that. Your one of the best guys I've known. You have a reason to live." "You're the best woman I've ever known. Tell Janey that I love her and that Jesse was the best friend I could ever have." "I will". "I love you, Daria." "I love you too Trent, and I'll always remember you." Daria was on the verge of tears. Trent put his hand on her cheek. "Don't cry, Daria. I want to see the Daria I always knew...," Trent stopped himself. "Daria, would you do me a favor?" "Sure Trent, what...?" Daria realized the door she opened when she asked Trent to strip down. "Would you take off...your glasses?" "Huh? Oh, sure." She did. Trent pu this hand up to her cheek again. He smiled. "You're beautiful." That did it. Daria leaned over and kissed Trent on the lips. "I...I thought..." "We've known each other for a long time, Trent," said Daria, "This isn't our first date." Trent smiled. "Heaven...won't have angels...as good as...you..." Trent's eyes shut. ----- "Is it...hot in here?," asked Linda as she removed her jacket. "...or is it just you?" said Helen, finishing Linda's question. She chuckled. "I'm sorry, Linda. I just needed to forget what's going on for a second. You look great, by the way." Linda sat down, "Your not so bad yourself, Morgendorffer". "-sigh-I don't know, I've been really getting worried about my looks lately. I...I'm not as young as I always said I was." Linda simply took a swig, for once, she didn't feel like bashing Helen. Helen was too vulnerable now, her daughter died. People always saw Linda as a power grabbing executive and her and Helen as rivals and to an extent they would be right, but if Linda ever lost Sandi, her world would die. Right now, she could only imagine what Helen was going through. ----- "Well, it's not much but it's all we got." Ms. DeFoe and Mr.O'Neill entered the teacher's lounge. They were surprised to see two mothers of their students raiding the refrigerator of its alcoholic content. "Mrs. Griffin, Mrs. Morgendorffer?" "Well," said a slurred Linda, "we -had- to get away from the 'quake." "I, er, understand that," said an unsure Timothy. "Uh, we'll leave you alone then..." "Actually," said Linda, "its hard to -be- alone in here." "What do you mean?" Linda took another swig and asked, "Do you have a hammer?" Ms. DeFoe handed them a hammer she was carrying just in case. Linda took it, went the closet, smashed the metal detectors, went to the empty coffeepot, smashed the surveillance camera and microphone, went to the couch, smashed the silent alarm, went to the copying machine, and smashed the panic alarm. She turned around and saw the other three adults staring at her. "Ms. Li got drunk one night when we were talking and gave me a tour of the place. I've been wanting to do that ever since". Everyone else nodded in agreement. ----- Li was still having trouble trying to forget Daria. She couldn't believe she was spending so much time contemplating a student, a student she wanted -out- of her life for two years! She reached under her desk and found a special bottle. It was properly marked "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL MS. MORGENDORFFER LEAVES". Li had kept it there for two years. She thought that she would be happier when that day came. She thought of the saying, "the more you fight someone, the more you know them". Still, did she ever know Daria? The kid was always one step ahead of her, even though Li never admitted that. One of the reasons the fundraisers were always constant and usually mandatory was that she wanted to be ahead of Daria before she ruined another one. There she went again, thinking about Daria! Couldn't she put it through her skull that it was over? It was almost like she was haunting her. Li chuckled at that thought, a haunting -indeed-! In this moment of amusement, she attempted to open the bottle. She couldn't. She figured she needed some practice with her fingers so she opened her desk and activated her secret surveillance console. Almost suspiciously, she couldn't access anything from the teachers' lounge. It was just as well, she figured, since no one would be in there. ----- She lost a sister. That's what kept going through Quinn's head, she lost a sister, a sister she barely knew. No, Quinn thought, that wasn't entirely true. She knew Daria, she knew her better than almost anyone. She just never really -understood- Daria. Why didn't she? Quinn could figure out almost anyone else. Quinn lived with Daria, was ignored by Daria, ignored Daria back...that was it. She ignored Daria. That's why she didn't understand her. Her sister died and Quinn ignored her to the end. Quinn felt so bummed out. ----- Jake couldn't feel more bummed out. His daughter died, he had a fight with Helen, and he couldn't find Quinn. Jake sat down. His whole life was falling apart. He had spent most of it competing with his father, even after his death. The thing Jake put the most pride in was his wife and daughters, but that seemed to be falling short. He sat down to talk to someone who may not listen, but was worth a shot. "Hey, kiddo. I...know you didn't always want to listen to me and...I guess I didn't listen enough to you either but can we talk now. Well, you were great. You were smart and all. I always thought you would win a pultzer or something. Anyway, you were the best. You made me laugh and you stood up for yourself at times when it meant so much...," he began to choke on his tears, "You were so wonderful...," the tears came. He broke down right then. Daria was so smart, so strong, everything Jake wasn't. His creation, his flesh and blood, was gone. "Forgive me, Daria, forgive me for being such a lousy dad..." ----- Sandi was depressed. The 'quake was scary but now that it had settled, it had gotten boring. There was nothing to do but wait for the rescue teams. She couldn't find her Mom, Tiffany, Stacy, or Quinn. Even Quinn would provide some companionship right now. Even if they argued, it would give Sandi something to do and let Sandi feel superior to someone. As Sandi walked through the hallways, she saw the female bathroom. She decided to do what she normally did. ----- Tiffany had been talking to Stacy for the last hour or so and was getting tired of it. She told Stacy that she needed to go to the bathroom. She didn't really, but she could check her makeup while she was there. When she got there she saw Sandi doing her usual thing. Ick. "Uh, hi Sandi." Sandi turned from the mirror and pulled her paints back up. "Uh, ur, um..." "Relax, I've seen it before." Tiffany went to the mirror and put her makeup on. "Is it..., like, better than Quinn's?" asked Sandi. "Much better." ----- "I'm afraid all I've got is the sleeping bag, Timothy," said Claire. "That's okay," said Timothy as he sat down. As he did, Claire opened one of the last few drinks from the refrigerator. She handed it to Timothy and opened another one. They sat down on the bag and looked at each other. It was strange. They had known each other for so many years and even visited each other's offices but never really had anything more than a professional relationship before. Now, everything was changing. Claire only hoped that someone else was having a similar experience throughout all this. ----- Daria was crying. She had finally broken down. Trent was still alive, but his pulse was stopping and there was no hope left for him. The man she respected the most, the man she loved, was dying. She felt Trent's chest. Daria looked back at her life, from being born in Highland, to Quinn's birth, to moving to Lawndale, to the past two years. She tried to find something in her life to be proud of. She did. She never gave in to pointlessness. Even at times she probably did, it was short- lived and quickly forgotten. She never wrote a novel or became Queen of some foreign land, but at least her -real- goals were more realistic than Quinn's or a lot of people. Earlier, she and Trent were discussing about their funeral and wither or not they would be remembered. Trent told her that her family and their friends -would- remember her, and he was probably right. She had done things that would be very difficult to forget and, despite what some may have said of her, she knew that her family loved her. Besides, near the end, she finally fell in love, and that was what she might have needed at the time. She smiled and held Trent close to her. All she wished was there their could have been a time when she and Trent would...would...it's amazing what type of circumstance would allow someone to have dirty thoughts of another. Daria figured that she deserved the pleasure at least one sinful thought if she couldn't have the reality of it. That thought was interrupted when Daria felt another earthquake around her. Chapter 15 Li couldn't believe it. She -still- couldn't open the bottle! It was almost like Daria was still around and keeping her from fulfilling the prophecy. Li smacked her self on the head. There she went again! Where was she getting those ridiculous "haunting" ideas? Li was never superstitious. In fact the only thing she -ever- believed in was the greater good of the school system. That's what she based her entire life doing and what better way to promote that philosophy than to exercise on security. This reminded her, she had better check the other monitors to see how everyone else was faring. ----- Sandi had gotten tired of Tiffany asking if she looked fat, so she left to find, well, anyone. It just didn't go for a popular student to be so alone. Then, she found Quinn, sitting down with her face hidden. "Quinn, hello? Quinn?" Quinn lifted her head up. She looked almost like she had been...crying. "Quinn, like, what's the matter?" Quinn almost sputtered the words, "She's...she's dead." "Who's dead?" Quinn put her head down again, "Daria..." "Who? Oh, yeah. Your weird cousin..." "She was never my cousin, Sandi. She was my...sister..." Sandi could not be more shocked. There was some silence. "You mean that you've always been LYING to me?" "I never -said- she was my cousin, Sandi. -You- did since you didn't know the connection between us. For the sake of my popularity, I...went along with it for...two years..." "Oh, well, I see that you were never quite -honest- with me and, after all, I certainly see why you wouldn't -want- us to know that you were the sister of someone so -boring-, -ugly-, -depressing-, and..." "Stop it, -stop it-, STOP IT!!!" Quinn was now standing up with her fists clinched. "Look, Daria was -never- one of those things, okay? She was smart, realistic, funny, and she never even -needed- make up! She knew things, okay? Things I was always too busy to learn! I was always doing my hair or getting dates while she was reading and being okay being herself!" Sandi couldn't believe that this was -Quinn- talking...! ----- Quinn couldn't believe that this was -her- talking! Still, she meant every word and wasn't finished yet. "She was honest! She spoke her mind! The reason why I didn't follow her was...was..." She couldn't remember. She and Daria had been rivals so long, she couldn't remember how it started. She tried to think back. She thought of Highland. She thought of herself and Daria as children. She remembered wearing pink and enjoying herself while Daria would wear green and brood. However, that was -Daria's- way of enjoying herself. Quinn never saw that until now. She looked a little more backward in her memory for the answer. She saw Daria reading books and answering a question for Jake using big words at an early age. Quinn was impressed by that and thought that, being her sister, it would be easy to be just as smart, strong, and funny as Daria was. It didn't work out. She couldn't learn as fast as Daria and she couldn't think of anything that could match that sarcastic humor. However, she was good, as her parents pointed out, at mastering the art of being cute. She figured that she could compete with Daria -that- way. However, Daria, who didn't know that Quinn wanted a friendly rivalry, said that Quinn was just wasting her time and she would never amount to anything worthwhile if she kept it up. Quinn was upset and tried to prove her sister wrong. She spent the rest of her days working on being attractive, popular, and getting more dates than her sister. Soon, Quinn forgot altogether that she once admired Daria and only worshiped the book of "Waif". The more detached she became, the more negative she got as well. Quinn eventually thought that being popular was the only thing worth being on the planet and that her sister was an inferior creature because she now seemed to be Sandi had just mentioned. Sandi was wrong. Until now, Quinn was wrong. Quinn sat down. She never realized it. Her entire life was a lie. She always -did- like Daria, but she couldn't -be- Daria, so she became something else, something... -less-. Quinn wanted to cry again. All she ever was was a voice that said, "I can't compete". Quinn's life was a failure that she didn't want to admit, even to herself. Her friends were egofreaks who hung around her to be popular and her dates were one night stands that -she- broke up. Daria was smart, strong, had -real- friends and the reason she didn't get any dates was only because she didn't -want- one, not that she couldn't. Now, Daria was gone and Quinn had a messed up life just as her sister had always predicted. Quinn didn't feel attractive and popular, she was ugly and alone. ----- She was a referee. That's what Daria was, a referee. She was always trying to warn Brittany about Kevin. That's why she was always blowing that whistle to scare away Kevvy. That's why she was always joking about Kevvy. It was all a friendly warning. Maybe not on purpose, but that's how it turned out. The truth was, Brittany actually liked Daria. She just didn't hang with Daria because Brittany wanted to keep her popularity. Looking back, maybe hanging with each other would've helped Daria's popularity. Now, Brittany felt like she betrayed a friend. Chapter 16 Daria had moved herself into a corner when she saw the next earthquake destroy the roof. She shielded Trent and tried to brace herself from the debris. Soon, the shaking stopped. Daria slowly picked her head up and saw that the roof had collapsed. The night air was coming in. They were going to live! Now if only...Trent would make it. "Trent?" No answer. "Trent, wake up. Please." ----- Trent felt air reaching his nostrils. He slowly opened his eyes. He saw the night sky, filled with stars. I must be in Heaven, he thought. Strange, he continued, I expected clouds. Well, maybe it was night. Then he saw a familiar angel look down on him. This is so cool, thought Trent, now Daria and I can be together forever. "Trent, you're alive!" "I...am?" He got up. It hurt some to get up, so he -must- have been alive. "Woah, Daria. Remind me never to lock myself in an airtight chamber." Daria grinned. "I won't, Trent. Now, let's try to get out of here." ----- The rescue teams were certainly taking their time. Angela Li had called them a little earlier. Afterwards, she was -still- trying to open that blasted bottle! She felt like a break, so she went to her filing cabinet and looked for some interesting student files. She chuckled to herself as she found some interesting cases: Mr. Thompson, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Landon, Mr. MacKenzie, Ms. Morgendorffer...she stopped. Daria's file was bigger than all the rest. Only Ms. Lane's was even close to that size. At an early point, Daria had taken Angela's attention and Angela kept tabs on Daria ever since. They were -all- there, every situation where they had crossed paths, time and time again. There would never be such a challenge to Angela Li's authority. Angela tried to shake that thought out of her head. It was -over-! Then..., why was she still thinking of that student? Maybe she should have looked in Ms. Landon's file. She took that file to her desk and started to look through. Jodie was more obedient than Daria, so this was a good change of pace. However, with Jodie's nearly perfect record, this file was rather dull. Then, halfway through, she came across hall monitor reports of Jodie in the company of Daria. Angela shut the file. She would get another one that would have -nothing- to do with Daria. ----- "So anyway, Daria said that I should just ignore Kevin and even try to get some comic relief out of him." "-chuckle-Good one, Mack. She...was something, wasn't she." "She was." Mack looked at Jodie. A while back, Daria had convinced Jodie to try to find more time for Mack. In Mack's eyes, her whole quest for perfection was pointless. Jodie was smart, funny, cute,...she already -was- perfect. Mack couldn't believe Mr. Landon couldn't see that in her own daughter. He must have been short sighted to see that virtual angel that was now in Mack's arms. All, the time however, Mack was suffering. If only he could go back and not only -save- Daria, but also -thank- her for delivering this girl into his arms. ----- Daria and Trent had managed to climb out of the hole in the roof of where they were. Fortunately, it was a low ceiling. They groggily made it back to the main building. Trent was more groggy than Daria. She hoped they could find help for him soon. When they opened the door, they found Jane and Jesse hugging each other. They both reacted at the sight of Trent and Daria. "You...you're ALIVE!" "Barely." Trent collapsed. The other three surrounded him. "I'll...I'll be okay, Daria. You...find your family." "Okay, Trent. There are a few things I want to do anyway." She leaned over and kissed him. "'Bye. I'll see you later." As she left, she heard Jane ask Trent, "It...happened? Say, did you guys..." "No." ----- Daria, -Daria-, DARIA! In every student file Li had looked at so far, there was at least -one- reference to Daria Morgendorffer. It was insane! It was like there -was- a haunting! No, she only paranoid. There was no haunting. There -couldn't- be a haunting. Just then, the power went out. In the dark room, Li tried to find a way out. She accidentally opened her personal storage room. The painting that Daria and Jane made fell out. The "no" sign that they added to it, because Li had altered it to match her whims, was glowing brightly. Li was terrified. Daria was haunting her. The student she had dedicated herself into humiliating was striking back at her from beyond to her own office. Li was, literally, in her own personal hell. ----- Daria entered Ms. Li's office. It was darker than usual. A light bulb must have burnt out. There was a vaugly familiar light left. It was on the floor. It was from that painting that Daria and Jane made two years ago. Jane had used glow-in-the dark paint for the "no" sign. Daria saw Ms. Li cowering by the painting. "Ms. Li, are you..." "AAAAHHH!!!" "...cold?" "Stop haunting me, Daria Morgendorffer! Okay, MAYBE, you were right that my security was a little much. MAYBE I didn't make the school friendly enough, but all...this...you're...you're -everywhere-! You're...YOU'RE STANDING ON MY NECK!" Li went to her desk and got out some papers. "Here! This is your graduation certificate. Heck, here's -all- of your peers certificates. Look, as of right now, I'm -retiring-! Now please LEAVE!" "Well, okay. 'Bye." ----- After Daria Morgendorffer left Principal Angela Li's office one last time, LI tried the bottle again and it opened. ----- The first person Daria found was Brittany. "Daria, you're alive!!!" Brittany hugged Daria. "Uh, thanks Brittany. Um, here's your graduation certificate. Good luck." "Daria." "Yes." "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me." "Excuse me?" "You always knew that Kevin was all wrong for me and you were always trying to warn me! That's why you scared him away from your locker every morning. That's why you were always insulting him. I always thought you were just jealous but I was wrong." Well, thought Daria, you got that part right. "Daria, you...sure you don't want to come to my makeover party?" "Yes." "You mean yes-yes or yes-no?" "Just live happily ever after, okay?" "Okay." The next person was Quinn. "Hey, Quinn, You okay?" Quinn threw herself at Daria and hugged her. "DARIA!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!" "Uh..." "DARIA, YOU WERE RIGHT! I WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A STUCK UP GIRL WHO NEVER HAD A REAL RELATIONSHIP! I'M SORRY BUT I WAS ALWAYS JEALOUS OF YOU! YOU COULD DO SO MUCH THAT I COULDN'T SO I MADE UP FOR IT BY BEING CUTE! I'M SORRY, I'M SO..." "Quinn..., you're...choking me..." "Oh, sorry." Quinn let go of her sister. "Anyway," said Daria, "I have something here for Sandi..." "So do I..." They soon found Sandi who was shocked to see Daria. "You're -alive-. Well, I guess Quinn was worried over nothing. I can also see that she was worried -about- nothing, too..." "Shut UP, Sandi!" Look, -this- is my sister and I'm -proud- to have her as my sister! So what if she doesn't fit in? It just proves that she's an -individual-. I lost -my- individuality in your Fashion Club and there was only -one- good person in that club and she lost -her- individuality, but first you'd better apologize for everything you said about my sister!" Sandi was completely tranced. She slowly walked up to Daria. "Um, Quinn's sister..." "Say her name..." "Um, Dara..." "It's -Daria-." "Well, I...-look-! I don't have to apologize to you! I'm leaving this school and when I do, I'm getting away from, like, -both- of you losers!" "Gee, that's too bad. I was going to give you you're graduation certificate, but since you're so hostile..." Sandi got on her knees and begged the Morgendorffer sisters' forgiveness. Daria gave her the certificate just to shut her up. After they left Sandi, Daria said, "Quinn, I have to say, I was impressed with you back there." "You...-were-?" "Yeah, it looks like you...grew up today." "I...I guess I -did-. Well, I have to find a friend of mine. I have some...unfinished business." "So do I." "Oh, Daria?" "Yeah?" "Thanks for coming back." "...Thanks." ----- Daria found Jodie and Mack embracing each other. She wouldn't admit it, but she had always been happy for them. She figured that the two of them had something special, unlike Kevin and Brittany who were apparently all physical. Daria secretly hoped there would be a similar relationship involving herself in the future. Fortunately, that future was now. Anyway, she didn't want to interrupt them but..."Excuse me?" Jodie looked up. "Daria? You're...-alive-!" Jodie got up, ran to Daria, and hugged her. Daria didn't like the hug, but she returned it for the heck of it. Mack walked up and said, "Daria?! We thought you...y'know..." "I almost did." Daria got out a free hand. "Here, these are your graduation certificates. Enjoy." "How did you get these?" "I was getting mine but Ms. Li gave me several to get rid of me. Come to think of it, I should've tried that years ago." The three of them laughed. "Daria, I...I just want to say..." "Yes?" "Thanks for being my friend, my...best friend." "What?" "I...I know that you probably don't agree but, well, you were one of the few people besides Mack and Jane that I could talk to without breaking up big words." "I see. Well, I guess it was either me or Jane and...I'm glad you picked me." "Really?" "Yeah. I like you too Jodie. I just don't want to admit it. I have a rep as a recluse that I don't want to lose if someone finds out that I like someone who's popular." Jodie giggled at that. Daria smiled. ----- Stacy was lying in pain. Several minutes ago, she tripped and sprayed her ankle. She couldn't move and no one was nearby. She needed help and there was no one in ear shot. She needed a friend like the Fashion Club or...Quinn. Stacy had missed Quinn since Quinn left the Fashion Club. She felt so...abandoned and Sandi and Tiffany weren't really that nice to her lately. Quinn was always nice to her if a little...nervous or something. Right now, Stacy felt like crying. "Stacy?" That voice..."Stacy were are you?" "Right here Quinn." "OhmyGod! Stacy, what happened?" "I...sprayed my ankle." "Don't worry, I'll get help. I...oh, I don't want to leave you alone! Wait!" Quinn ran off. "I'll get help!" she shouted over her shoulder. ----- "DARIA!" Daria turned form Jodie and Mack and saw Quinn run toward her. "Yeah, Quinn?" "Daria, it's Stacy! She's hurt!" "Oh, God." "Will you watch her while I get help?" "Sure." Daria turned back to Jodie. "Could you pass these certificates to whoever's left? I probably wouldn't know them all anyway." "Sure. It's about time I did something for -you- anyway." "Well, next time Miss yearbook." As Daria started to leave, Mack called to her. "Daria?" "What?" "Thanks." "For what?" "For Jodie." "Uh, you're welcome." ----- Stacy was about to abandon hope until she heard two pairs of footsteps. She perked her head up and saw Quinn and that weird girl she was sometimes with. "Daria," said Quinn to the weird girl, "stay here. I'll try to get the school nurse." Daria sat next to Stacy. Stacy decided to make conversation. "So," started Stacy, "you're...what...Quinn's cousin?" "No," said the girl, "That was just a rumor started by Sandi. The strange thing is that everyone thinks Quinn started that rumor." "Then...who are you? Quinn's friend or something?" "Actually...I think I'll let Quinn tell you." "Okay. Y'know, I've...missed Quinn since she left the Fashion Club. Sometimes I think...it was because of me." "Why?" "Because I was her biggest fan and I was always bugging her because, well..." "What?" "Well, she was my favorite and she wasn't mean to mean to me like Sandi and Tiffany were. Well, actually, Sandi was mean when I took Quinn's side and Tiffany was only mean when Sandi was around..." Just then, Quinn appeared with some bandages. "I couldn't find the nurse, just a note she left that said, 'Earthquakes weren't in my job description, I quit,' so I just got these." Quinn tended to Stacy. "Thanks, you do...whatever you were going to do...sis." Daria smiled and left. "Sis?" "Yeah, Daria's my sister. I kept it a secret to...keep my popularity. I'm...sorry, Stacy. If...there was anyone I didn't like lying to, it was you." "Why, Quinn?" "Because," Quinn was beginning to choke, "I was so shallow and conceited, I had the -worst- value system..." "No, I mean, why did you mind lying to me." "Because...I...-like- you Stacy." "Wha...-what-?!" "I...like you. I know I never showed it, not really, but...well, you were nicer to me than Sandi and I'm still not sure about Tiffany. I...admit you kinda spooked me with your sucking up to me and all but...I think you were my only real friend then." Stacy was completely tranced. "You...you mean it?" "Yeah, I...I think so...yeah." "Wow." There was some silence. "Anyway, I wanted to warn you. I think I've messed up my life. I just remembered that the whole reason I wanted to be attractive and popular was to compete with Daria because, well, she's smarter than me, but instead of being as -good- at being popular as she was being smart, I became, well, less than a person." "Gee..." "Yeah, well, the whole reason I came to find you, Stacy, was to warn you. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Being popular isn't everything, not when you compare it to -real- friends and dating guys you actually -like- and not just because he has a ski house or something." "Wow. So, what are you going to do now?" "Well, I was hoping the two of us could still be friends and do things together and maybe I would start dating again but for the sake of starting a relationship." "Quinn?" "Yeah?" "I -do- want us to be friends and...I admit I've been having doubts about the Fashion Club. I...think they were pretty mean to both of us." "Yeah." They hugged. ----- It was when Jake was at the limit of his despair when he heard a familiar, and wanted, voice, "Jake?" Jake looked up and saw her. She was...as beautiful as the day he first saw her. He kept looking at disbelief at her. Was it her? Did she survive? In a life where things continually seemed to go wrong that would have seemed to be too much to hope for. However, she was there. Jake ran up to her. It -was- her. There were some scratches and bruises on her, but she was -alive-! He hugged her as if she would disappear in the next moment. "Uh, Jake, I'm glad to see you too, but I think you're overreacting." Jake smiled at this as his eyes began to tear up. She almost -always- thought he was overreacting. That was one of her best qualities, which were -all- good. "Jake, are you listening?" She also always thought he never listened and she was right, but now...now they had a second chance. Now...he would -always-listen to her..."JAKE!" "Huh, oh. Sorry, kiddo." "That's okay, Jake I'm glad you're okay, too." They just held each other for a while. ----- "you say my mom's in here, Stacy?" "Yeah, I think I say her..." Stacy was interrupted by the sight that faced both her and Quinn. Quinn had been carrying Stacy while her ankle healed and attempted to find Helen. What they found were Helen Morgendorffer and Linda Griffin sitting in front of the refrigerator of the teachers' lounge. They were both passed out, apparently drunk, and smiling. Quinn looked mortified but, apparently not too worried about her popularity anymore, not embarrassed. She just sighed, put Stacy down, and tried to put Helen on the couch. Later, Sandi came in with Tiffany, without a word she went to her mother and gasped. "Oh, God, what did you do with her?" "Nothing. I guess they became drinking buddies." "Sorry Sandi," said Tiffany. She went to Quinn. "Sorry Quinn." "BLAST IT TIFFANY! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" exploded Sandi. Tiffany looked like she was in a trance. "Uh, your's. I mean, Quinn's, I mean..." "You just took the side of whoever was with you, didn't you?" Tiffany looked down. "Yes." Later, Stacy noted that helping the mothers of Quinn and Sandi out of the high school was the last official act of the Fashion Club. ----- Daria knocked on the door of the room she heard DiMartino would be in. He poked his head out the window with lipstick smudged all over his face, his tie undone, and...-smiling-! "DARia?!" "Yeah, I'm alive. Say, Mr. DiMartino, I just want you to know that even though we always got on each others nerves, I like to think I won." "Nooo. -I- did! You were NEVER a MATCH for my superior COOLNESS and INTELLECT!" "Uh, right. Sorry I was mistaken. Take care now, Mr. DiMartino." "Oh, I will. Good LUCK, Daria." Daria left thinking how good it would be to get away from that guy. Daria later met Jesse and the Lanes again. "Is Trent okay?" "Oh, yeah. He's fine." Daria kneeled to face Trent who had his back propped up to the wall. "You okay, Trent?" "Yeah. I was talking to Janey and Jesse. We were going to get some pizza afterwards. Wanna come with?" Daria smiled. "I don't think I'm gonna be far from your side for a while, Trent." ----- EPILOGUE Daria awoke in the middle of the night covered only by her blanket. She looked at the ring that had been on her finger for the past five years. The said ring was placed there five years after the earthquake. Earlier that evening, she and Trent had just had the most romantic night of their lives. She turned to him and his eyes opened. He grinned his killer smile. Without a word, Daria reached for her husband's hair. She felt like singing but would not allow it. Instead. Daria simply smiled and let a tune be thought in her head. La la LA la la, she thought, la la LA la la. THE BEGINNING