Swifter Than Wind

Story V

Chapter One

By Michelle Malfoy

There were four of them. Four sisters, that would soon change the world. First came Bridget, the clever one, always shining above her peers. She learned how to read when she was two years old, and put on her first puppet show when she was two-and-a-half. Her first friend, Monica, had never quite been on Bridget's level, but close. Soon, however, Monica's family moved to the states, leaving Bridget alone, with nobody to read with or put on puppet shows for. That changed soon enough, however.

After Bridget was Gina. Gina had dark hair in contrast to Bridget's dirty blond. She was born two weeks early, hence her smaller size. Though she wasn't quite as intelligent as her sister, she excelled in another area. She could run faster than her parents, despite her smaller size. She could throw Bridget's belongings forcefully enough to shatter a window. And she could throw temper tantrums loudly and noticeably enough to disturb an entire supermarket.

Crystal followed Gina. Though Crystal was indeed born on time, she was just as small as her predecessor. Her hair was silky blond, though none of her parents happened to have that appearance. Oddly enough, however, all three of the sisters had the same silver eyes. Their mother, however, had green eyes, while their father had brown ones. Crystal, however, was different from her sisters. Her talent was not in academics, nor athletics. She was, quite simply, gorgeous. And with her beauty came performing arts skills. So when a movie director strolled through the village one day and set his eyes on the third Daresson girl, he knew at once that she was gifted. After speaking to Crystal's parents, Adam Bruchman had a new star of a diaper commercial: Crystal.

Following Crystal was the baby, Diana. Diana had auburn hair and those same silver eyes. Diana was quite different from her sisters, however. Her skill was not in acting, nor in exercise, nor in intelligence. Diana was gifted with the art of music. From an early age she was able to shake a rattle and create a gorgeous pattern resembling the music playing in the background of Crystal's first commercial. Then, after discovering Bridget's toy keyboard, Diana managed to play a song different from the banging most children were capable of creating. She played something very similar to the lullaby Mrs. Daresson sang to her daughter's every night. After hearing this, four-year-old Crystal came up with a skit to go along with this music, while six-year-old Gina created a dance. Bridget wove lyrics into the tune, and with time, the Daresson girls had written an entire play, which was soon performed for their entire elementary school, with Gina's friends as backup dancers, Bridget's friends as the backstage crew members, and Crystal's friends as co-stars.

The four girls were all extremely gifted, but never did they imagine what began to happen soon.

Diana was three on the day of Bridget's ninth birthday, and as Mrs. Daresson placed her delicately in a high chair, she seemed to decide that she did not wish to sit there. She struggled in her mother's grip, as all toddlers occasionally do when faced with the prospect of doing something they do not want to do, and after shrieking loudly and attracting everyone's attention, something incredible happened. Diana squirmed out of her mother's grip and blue sparks hovered around her as she proceeded to throw one of the Daresson girls' famous temper tantrums. As she banged the floor with her fists, the high chair crumbled to the ground.

Mrs. Daresson insisted that it was the fault of a screw coming loose, but deep down she could not explain the blue sparks. And somehow she knew that a screw had not come loose on the high chair, for each of the party guests had searched for it to no avail. In the end, Diana sat on her father's lap, observing quietly as five-year-old Crystal and seven-year-old Gina ran around, having fun with their friends as well as Bridget's friends.

When it came time to sing "Happy Birthday," Bridget's friend Katherine squealed loudly. "Hey, look at Di!" she yelled, pointing to Diana. Everyone spun around and saw the auburn-haired three-year-old hovering about two feet above Mr. Daresson's knee. Shrieking, Mrs. Daresson grabbed her and sat her back in Mr. Daresson's lap. After the guests calmed down a bit, Bridget quietly suggested that perhaps that had been part of the pre-scheduled entertainment, and that maybe Diana had been connected to those flying ropes she had been attached to in that diaper commercial. Though Bridget evidently did not honestly believe this, everyone else seemed to buy it, and they ceased fussing over the youngest Daresson girl.

Only one person seemed to not fall for Bridget's story: her so-called "boyfriend," Randy. Though he didn't say anything, the expression on his face - solemn and otherwise expressionless - convinced Mrs. Daresson that somehow, this clever, attentive boy seemed to believe that Di had genuinely been flying. Randy had had a history of being placed in gifted classes and getting all A's, and yet he apparently could not differentiate fact from fiction. In second grade, Bridget had been playing on the monkey bars, when Randy had quietly commented that what with the sweat on her hands, she was bound to fall. Sure enough, she tried to reach the next bar and slipped, straight into Randy's outstretched hands. Giggling, they had begun to engage in a conversation, and before they knew what happened, the entire class was convinced that they were "going out." They had shrugged and gone along with it, always choosing each other as partners in science and language arts, and dressing up in matching costumes for Halloween. So now, to Mrs. Daresson, Randy's apparent belief in Diana's flying prompted worry for the son she never had.

Randy remained quiet for the rest of the party, and when his parents came to pick him up, he walked over to Diana and began writing fiercely in his notebook. "What 'cha doing?" Bridget asked, walking over to him.

"Nothing," he sighed. Then he ran his hands through his reddish-brown hair. "You didn't really believe that, did you? About the flying ropes? 'Cause there aren't any attached to her."

"No, I didn't," she agreed. "It was mainly to shut Suzie up, so she won't go to school on Monday and start talking about how my sister can fly." She grinned, revealing cerulean braces on bright white teeth. "So how do you explain it?" she asked.

Randy shrugged. "Magic, I guess. You know, like in that book we did our last book report on? Who says it only happens in books? 'Cause in books, the people who don't have it - they don't know it exists. So why should it be any different in real life? I mean, it makes sense. People don't like what they don't understand. So they automatically jumped all over Diana just 'cause she has - has magic. Or might have." Then he looked up at Bridget, then down at her youngest sister. "You know you look so alike, you and Di? The same eyes. Gina and Crystal, too. But your parents - they don't have 'em. And when you're angry, your face doesn't show it. Your eyes do. Same with Gina. I dunno about Crystal, 'cept that whenever she does one of those commercials, her eyes light up, and they're more visible than anything else on her face, and I think that's what attracted ol' Bruchman in the first place. Probably that's also why those diapers are so popular. 'Cause of the way her eyes light up when she talks about 'em."

Bridget, who had really been enjoying Randy's monologue, looked up again and saw that he honestly believed that Diana might be magical. "Randy," she said softly, "I think you're right. About the magic, I mean."

"And something else," he interrupted her. "Why is it that whenever Di wants something - like wanting to not sit in the high chair - something mysteriously happens so that she gets whatever it is she wanted? And when she was so happy for your birthday, she started flying. Maybe her magic - if she has any, that is - is activated by emotion. Like Gina, in that Run-A-Thon we had last year at school. She was ten feet or so behind Amanda, and was probably feeling really competitive, and then all of a sudden she was just... there. And none of us saw her run there; she just appeared there, right at the finish line. And like the way Crystal was in that debate thing she had against Cotsoft Diapers? How she got all fierce at the end, when the score was thirty to six? And how at the end she won? Don't'cha think that's magic? If that's not magic, what is?"

"I dunno," Bridget said honestly. "I really don't know. I guess I believe you, Randy... I mean, I do... magic, I mean... do you have it? Do you think you have magic?"

Randy grinned. "It's possible," he said. Bridget looked up, trying to see the expression on his face, but he was gone. And what's more, so was his mother.

________ *~*~*~*

The Daresson girls spent the evening at Chéz Magnifique, a fancy restaurant that they usually attended only on New Years', Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Tonight, however, was Bridget's birthday, and thus it was up to her to decide their dinner plans. Predictably, she selected the fanciest, most expensive restaurant she could, due to the fact that her birthday only occurred once a year, after all. In addition, Crystal was surrounded by adults - mainly parents with very young children - and was compelled to sign autographs, despite the fact that she wasn't all that well-known as an actress - just the Diaper Girl. Jealously, Bridget insisted that Crystal stop her "I'm so famous" act, get inside the damn restaurant, and eat her dinner. In the end, the waiter requested an autograph, which led to a very upset birthday girl and a complimentary order of stuffed shells.

As the waiters and waitresses of Chéz Magnifique sang "Happy Birthday" to Bridget, Diana once again began to hover slightly, but Gina, who had been prepared for this, grabbed her sister and shoved her back down on the seat before anyone could notice anything. She shot a Look at Crystal, who had also been prepared for oddities on Di's part, while Bridget hummed loudly, pretending nothing had happened. In truth, something had happened: a light had flickered on in her brain, alerting her to the truth of Randy's words. No longer did she doubt what he had said; quite the contrary, she was determined to prove him right. After the song, Bridget ordered strawberry cheesecake with whipped cream, resigned to becoming extremely full, because Randy had said that any emotion should trigger the magic.

She didn't even have to wait for her cheesecake, however. A very cute boy - probably about eleven years old - approached their table tentatively and looked at Crystal. "Hey," he said. "Aren't you Crystal Daresson? I've seen you on TV. You're really pretty."

Despite the fact that this boy obviously liked Crystal just because he probably had a sibling using Princess Diapers, Bridget was extremely jealous. So with that jealously, she clenched her fists, glared at the boy, and with the force of an encyclopedia hitting a fragile vase, three windows shattered. It didn't stop there, however; she clenched her fist tightly around her glass and it crumbled, too. Then the boy she so detested seemed to engorge, his limbs forming the shapes of distorted balloons. Moments later, he had exploded.

Exploded. Into a zillion pieces all over the ground. Bridget grabbed Gina's left hand, Crystal's right hand, and stuffed Diana into Gina's arms. Then they ran, leaving their parents behind.

________ *~*~*~*

"Bridget, where are we? Why did we run? Where are we going?" Crystal questioned, tugging on her older sister's sleeve. The four sisters had quickly escaped the restaurant and were now in a village they had never seen before. Bridget did not answer. "Bridget?" she repeated. She was scared. All of them were. They were in a dark village, it was probably long after midnight, and none of them had any money, nor a cell phone.

"Yes, Crystal?" Bridget sighed. "I don't know where we are. We ran because I was scared. And we're going... well, I don't know where we're going." Thinking she saw a light up ahead, Bridget raised her hands high in the air -

And the light came closer, closer, with a loud rumbling sound along with it. Suddenly, a large purple automobile stood before the four petrified girls, and a gangly teenage boy stepped out of it. Before he could say anything, however, Bridget spoke. "Wh--who are you?"

"Stan Shunpike," he answered. "Welcome to the Knight--"

"Can we have a ride?" Crystal interrupted. Bridget tried to shush her, remembering all those "Don't talk to strangers" lessons, but in truth they had no other choice.

"That depends on where you wanna go," he replied. "Can't do nuffink underwater. Oh, 'n' you need t'pay us."

"P-pay?" stuttered Bridget. "We don't have any money."

Stan's eyes widened. He turned to the driver. "Four girls, ain't no older than nine. Don't got no money, Ern. What should I do?"

"Let 'em on," the man replied. "They're obviously runaways. You girls runaways?"

"Yes, you could say that," Gina answered. Then she turned to Bridget. "Where should we go?"

"Where's the safest place you can think of?" Bridget asked Stan.

"'Ogwarts, o' course," he scoffed. "Get on the bus and we'll get yer there."

Gina raised her eyebrows. "Ogwarts? What the... never mind. And Bridget, are you sure this is a great idea?" she asked in a whisper to her older sister. "'Cause, well, I don't really think... I mean... getting into this car with Crystal, I mean, it's easy to see why someone would want to kidnap her..."

"It's not a car, it's a bus," Bridget pointed out. "Everyone gets on buses, regardless of child celebrities tugging along after them. And might I remind you, Gina, she is not that famous! One diaper commercial..."

"On or off, girls," Stan said wearily, as though he dealt with tentative young children on a daily basis, including stars of diaper commercials, softball teams, self-written plays, and musical prodigies.

There was a long pause. Then Bridget let go of Crystal's hand, hoisted her into the air, and entered the bus. "Oh... my... gosh," breathed Gina as she stepped on, clutching Diana tightly. She had good reason to be astonished, in fact. The bus was cluttered with rackety beds as opposed to the comfortable leather seats she was used to, as well as many sleeping passengers, the majority of whom were elderly.

"Excuse me, sir?" Bridget asked softly to Stan, awestruck. "What is this?"

"The Knight Bus," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Duh."

Visibly shaken, Gina took a seat on one of the beds, cringing as the bus leapt into the air and galloped, for lack of a better word, down the street. "Hold Diana tight," Bridget advised, heeding her own advice in that she clutched Crystal forcefully.

"Good idea," the seven-year-old replied, tightening her grip on her sister by a considerable amount. Then: "Um, Bridget? Are you scared?"

The expression in those silver eyes was that of genuine fear. Fear mixed with worry, exhaustion, and a glittering emotion Bridget couldn't quite recognize. What she additionally didn't recognize was the fact that all of her sisters saw that same unknown emotion in each of the others' eyes, including Bridget.

Bridget sighed, which led her sister to wonder if the eldest had in fact heard her. In truth, Bridget had no idea what to say. Perhaps she was scared, but she shouldn't be. It was her fault they had left in the first place, plus the fact that she was the oldest, and was supposed to be the leader, the one who set an example. After all, Mrs. Daresson never showed visible fear in front of her daughters. Since she wasn't here right now, Bridget, as the oldest, should show her emotions. And yet, Mrs. Daresson had never lied to her children either, claiming the act of deceit to be unlawful as well as dishonest, plus the fact that it was an unholy act. Though the Daressons were very unreligious, they rarely committed acts defying the set laws anyway.

Just as Gina opened her mouth to repeat her question, Bridget sighed. "Yes, Gina. I am scared."

Just then, a shriek from Diana signified the end of the journey; the bus clattered to a halt, jerking each child forward in their seats, and bringing Crystal close to tears, while Diana shrieked openly. "'Ogwarts!" bellowed Stan, and hoisting her favorite child star into her arms, Bridget exited the automobile, closely followed by Gina and Diana.

Each of their mouths dropped in awe. Before them stood the most magnificent real-life castle they'd ever seen in their lives. Simultaneously, Gina and Bridget leaned over and pinched each other, eyes lighting in delight as neither awoke from a dream. Even Crystal giggled a bit, and tugged on Gina's skirt. "Geeee-na," she sang, "What's that?" She pointed vaguely towards the castle up ahead. Laughing, Bridget scooped her younger sister into her arms and raced forward to the castle, shortly followed by Diana and Gina, both of whom were giggling uncontrollably.

That is, until a tall, greasy-haired figure stood in their path.