Chapter 24
This morning, it took me forty-five minutes to put in my new contacts, but as I step outside into the clear winter day, the payoff is totally worth it! Bright blue sky, dark green evergreens, even the rocks on the driveway have texture and shading. And, best of all. No reporters.
The bus is right on time, and although the yellow paint is dull and faded, today it looks like the Magic School Bus. I push my shoulders back and step on, ready for my adventure. Ms. Candy stands to wrap her arms around me.
“Come here, you!” she says, folding me up in a hug. Her parka smells like cigarettes and peppermint gum. It’s awkward, and I stiffen at first, but then my arms slide around her. Coughing slightly, I step back.
She grips my arms like she’s checking to make sure I’m really there. “Look at you,” she says. “You’re gorgeous!”
A couple of kids clap. Someone whoops from the back. “Welcome back, Darcie!”
“Hey—are you okay?”
“What happened to your hair?”
“Were you really kidnapped, or—oof.”
“Alright, that’s enough.” Ms. Candy pulls the lever, closing the door. “Give her some space.”
They don’t really; everyone wants to know what happened. I squeeze down the aisle, bumping into backpacks and shoulders. They’re all looking at me. Not in a mean way—just—their eyes make the bus feel tiny.
I slide into my seat and pull my backpack against my chest. Breathe, Darcie, breathe. ‘A lot of people just see the line and the fact that it got crossed.’
A whisper comes from across the aisle, “Oh my God, Darcie. Were you really held in a cave? I wonder if he took other kids there?”
“What?” I gasp. “No! I mean, yes, we were in a cave, but no! There weren’t others.”
“How do you know that? He’s the Shadow Man. That’s what he does, right?”
Swallowing, I scoot toward the window; for once, thankful for assigned seats. People aren’t going to believe me.
A comforting voice cuts through the questions as Stuart climbs on a few stops later. “Do you mind? Move.”
He drops into the seat beside me, blocking me from view like a human wall. “You okay? You look a little pale.”
I snort. “I guess so. Fame by near death experience. Would not recommend.” Scrunching down into the seat, I lean against his side.
“What do you expect? Rumor has it you took him down all by yourself.” He pulls out his phone. “Look.”
The screen is full of messages with my name in them. I shake my head. “Oh no. Are those memes?”
“Yep, you know middle school gossip.”
“Stuart? I can’t do this. Promise me you’ll stick with me.”
“These memes aren’t against you.” He holds the phone up so I can see. “Look. You’re a superhero. Takin’ down the man!”
“Taking down the man? Stuart…it isn’t true! He saved us. I can’t let them think Grover is the bad guy. You know that.”
The bus jerks to a stop. Outside the window, a cluster of kids has already turned toward us.
Stuart nudges me. “I’m just teasing. Ready for this?”
“I thought I was, but now...” Sliding my backpack onto my shoulders, I take in a huge breath. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
As the bus doors fold open, the noise doubles in volume.
“Darcie!”
“She’s back!”
“Whoa. She looks totally different.”
People crowd closer before I even make it down the steps. Hands grab my arm, and I jerk away. Flashes of color blow by me, and the wind whips my face. Everything is too close. “Stop!” I yell, but the others drown my voice out. Questions come from everywhere, overlapping so fast, I can’t answer them.
Stuart’s hand finds mine and his fingers latch on. “Give her some air,” he calls. “You’ve got all day.” We push through them to the front doors and into the hallway, but it’s not much better inside. Lockers slam shut, sneakers squeal on tile. Voices bounce off the walls like the echo inside the cave. It’s too loud—too bright. My knees buckle.
Catching me, Stuart pulls me to the side. “Darcie?”
“Yeah. It’s just…Give me a second.” I press my fingers to my temples until the noise settles into something I can stand. When I look up, a couple of sixth-grade girls are staring at me. They lean over, talking behind their hands, like I can’t hear them.
“That’s her.”
“She looks…normal, I guess.”
I almost laugh. “At least I look normal.”
The first bell rings, and I turn toward class. Stuart catches my arm. “Wait. I… Um. I’ll see you at lunch, okay?”
“Yeah.” I give him a thumbs-up.
He hesitates, then leans in.
“I’ll see you at lunch.” I say, running my thumb across his hand.
Everything looks the same inside Mr. Farnswiddle’s classroom. Dry-erase markers line the tray on the whiteboard, always in the same order: red, blue, black, green. Seven rows of desks, each one touching the back of the one in front of it. I swallow and will my hands to stay steady. Five Peaks huddle in the middle of the room, whispering. I duck my head and move toward my usual seat—near the front, by the windows — and slide in.
“No way—Darcie?” someone says. It’s not unfriendly. Just…careful. But it breaks the silence. The room fills back up with noise, but it’s different from the hallway.
“Whoa, you look really different. But, like, good.”
“You didn’t miss anything while you were…uh…”
“Darcie.” Mr. Farnswiddle places his hand lightly on my shoulder. “We’re all so happy to have you back.” His eyes search my face. “You gave us quite a scare.”
“Than…Thank you.” It’s all I can manage to say.
He gives my shoulder a squeeze, then turns to the class. “Alright, everyone—settle down. We do still have math to get through.”
A few groans ripple through the room, but I’m grateful to have things back to normal.
“Two-step equations,” Mr. Farnswiddle says, writing across the board. “Easier than they look. Just remember: do the opposite.”
I copy the first problem. 2X + 5 = 17. Do the opposite. That should be my life’s motto. Like, don’t sneak out. Don’t take your brother into the cabin. Don’t get involved.
Dad’s voice drifts back to me from this morning. ‘Not everybody’s gonna look at the why.’ Everyone wants the story, but people are gonna believe whatever they want, anyway. The faces around the room are mixed. It’s not gonna be easy—especially with the rumors floating around. The kid who’s always flanking Amelia raises an eyebrow when I accidentally catch his eye. Maybe I should just leave it alone. But what will happen to Grover if I do?
The girl behind me leans forward, “Is it true the Shadow Man is the one who took you?”
“Yes…uh, no…he didn’t—it’s complicated.”
The classroom door opens and the school nurse, Mrs. Bryant, pokes her head in. “Have you got room for one more?” She says, a big grin on her face.
Mr. Farnswiddle holds the door as she backs in, pulling a wheelchair through the entryway. Amelia.
A cheer erupts in the room, and everyone rushes forward.
“Amelia! You’re back!”
“Hey man, sit by me.”
“Here, let me help you.”
Someone taps my arm. “Bet you feel invisible, huh?” Then he laughs.
“Let’s all have a seat now.” Mr. Farnswiddle says, moving the front desk to make room for the wheelchair. “We’re indeed happy to have both our girls back with us.”
Amelia slides her gaze to me, then quickly looks away.
“Amelia. Darcie says the Shadow Man saved you. Did he?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugs. “Can we just do math? I don’t want to talk about it.”