Chapter Five: Lacy’s Place by Tina Semanas 2 weeks of horrific nightmares, Ara couldn’t sleep, nor could she get the images of Dia’s dead body lying in cold blood out of her mind. How could Dia be dead? Her faithful and loving caretaker, her... mom... gone? Ara’s whole world imploded, reduced to charred dust and ash, all because of a phone call. All because she thought she could go toe to toe with her ruthless teacher, Duenna Black. Since that fateful call, Ara no longer had a place to call home. According to the NWP’s swift retribution for violating community codes, their house, her house, was marked for immediate incineration. The Sisters believed a peaceful community could only be achieved by using the most terrible means available. The sooner a cell of resistance was removed, the sooner peace was achieved. After Ara came home on the night of her caretaker's death, she was given 15 minutes to accumulate some clothes and gather up her valuable school textbooks. The rest of her things, including toys, keepsakes, furniture, posters, and coloring pens, were left to be burned with the rest of the house. She would never forget the helpless feeling of being forced out of the only place she ever knew, dragged past the broken front door, and being led into a nearby tan rover waiting to bring her back to the Girl’s Development Institute. Two small suitcases, that is all she was allowed. As she sat in the back passenger seat, one of the grim faced NWP agents slammed the rover door and motioned for the driver to move out. Ara watched through the side window as Clay Parker opened a massive hose torch full-throttle sending out giant red-and-orange flames of hungry fire upon her childhood sanctuary. The house on Pine Avenue, her house, gave no resistance to its fiery fate. Ara squeezed her eyes tight not wanting to show any fear or let out the swelling rage that was clawing at her chest trying to escape. She mustn't let it show, she couldn’t, she had to be strong. One small salty tear sneaked past her lid and rolled down her cheek only to be quickly wiped away by her long sleeved blouse. As the rover drove away, the neighborhood she once loved, faded away into the blurred distance. So did her many memories: the kids she played with, the parties she attended, the brother she laughed at were now all gone. Like her house, her once buoyant childhood went up in smoke. The rover picked up speed turning right onto a busy highway leading out of the Carmel community. Ara looked back, there was a black cloud of soot rising in a cloudless blue sky. It was the end of a beautiful day. ------------------------------------------------------ “No way lady, I am not taking any new charge no matter how bright of a student she is. I never wanted to be a caretaker and no silly law of ‘nearest kin’ can force me to do this. You can tell The Sisters yourself to screw it!” Lacy Dias stood up quickly in an angry huff heading straight for the door. “Get back here!” demanded Duenna Black. “You are walking on dangerous ground. And don't think I am threatened by your act of bravado in the least. Sit back down Ms. Dias, we have much more to discuss.” The jugular vein in Lacy’s neck was bulging, like a half-pulled cork in a champagne bottle, she was about to blow. “Now listen Ms. Dias, your sister Dia has been found aiding and abetting her felon of a son. Though young, he was a dangerous agitator, and of no use to the Carmel community. As a result he has been detained and his worthless caretaker, your sister Dia, has been summarily dispatched. Her remains have been disposed of like common refuse down a recycling vent and she leaves behind a daughter named Ara. Your niece.” “Even though she is insolent and has a strain of rebellion in her Dias blood, she also has enormous potential and use to The Sisters. The local Vitup board is highly impressed by both the scores of her tests and video footage of her classroom debates. They believe, with the right conditioning and behavior modification, she could put our small Midwest training institution on the map. We are willing to do anything to impress The Sisters.” Duenna Black folded her hands and calmly continued, “Now Ms. Dias...” “Call me Lacy!” The large angry woman said with arms folded over her massive torso. Duenna Black nodded in recognition. “O.k. Lacy, if you work together with me on this, I am sure we will both win merits before the regional tribunal. I know all about your falling out with the Regina in charge of the National Termagant Corps, something about a sucker punch to a superior? Well if you perform well with your new charge Ara, it is well within my power to sway the tribunal in your favor. Are you willing to work with me?” Duenna Black bit back a triumphant smile knowing she had held this monster of a woman at bay. Lacy stood back up kicking over the chair she was sitting on trying to control her rage, “Let me get this straight? I have no way out of this? My stupid sister got herself in trouble with her kid, and I have to clean up her mess? I have to raise a 12 year old Vitup know-it-all?” Seething with a guttural growl, Lacy shot back, “I could kill you right now with my hands.” Leaning forward with both hands on the desk she glared at the conceited woman smiling before her, “Tell me my dear Duenna, what’s in this for you? How do you benefit out of this?” “Simple,” Duenna Black responded, “if Ara turns out to be as special as the Vitup board believes, I may get a second chance to appear before the Doyenne Conclave.” When Lacy heard the phrase Doyenne Conclave, the savage beast inside of her was silenced. The Doyenne Conclave, the secret chambers leading to The Sisters' arm of power. Lacy sat back down giving Duenna Black a chance to continue, ”The first time I was placed before the Conclave’s inquisition board I was not prepared to answer their questions, I was too green, too nice. But these last ten years I have looked for a chance to get out of this hell hole, and when Ara Dias first was put in my care I knew she was different. I knew she could be my ticket. If she excels and qualifies for the national Vitup debates, it will put me back on The Sisters' radar.” And then speaking softer but with a more earnest air she continued, “Lacy, I need this! And I need you to help me. I understand from inside sources your medicine tab has expired. I could get you all the T-patches you need, and want.” Lacy swallowed hard, knowing Duenna Black was much more dangerous than she first realized. Rubbing her temple, she relented and asked, “What exactly do you want me to do with the girl?” Duenna Black let out a small breath knowing she won this battle, and so she gently replied, “Feed her, make sure she is on time for her training and that’s it. You will be compensated.” ---------------------------------------- Ara’s bags were packed and waiting for her outside the office of Duenna Black. Ara heard muffled voices and wondered where she was headed and who was in there talking to the Duenna? The dorms at the Girl’s Development Institute were over-populated and she was pretty sure this meeting was her new assignment, a new caretaker. Hopefully this change would be good? As she sat waiting to hear from the Duenna, her heart couldn’t escape the torment of losing Dia. And what about Drew? She never saw her brother’s body being removed from the house. Maybe he was still alive? There was always hope. Duenna Black’s door slowly opened and following behind her was a mountain of a woman towering over the Duenna. With Spiked black hair, and wearing black combat attire with a black tank-top, cargo pants and combat boots, the large woman reached out with a massive muscular arm grinning revealing a golden grill of teeth. Shaking Ara's small hand, the strong woman said, “Ara Dias, I’m your aunt, Lacy Dias, Dia’s sister.” As she looked into the face of this intimidating mass of a human being, Ara couldn’t take her eyes off of the half skeleton tattoo inked on the right side of Lacy’s face. It gave a grotesque look to her perfectly angular profile . Ara hesitated, and then replied with a breathless response, “Ah, hi. You’re Dia’s sister? You know she’s dead don't you?” Lacy laughed knowing her imposing size caught Ara off-guard. She liked having the upper hand with her new charge, so in blase’ nonchalance she answered, “Yeah, so, everyone dies. Dia was always a fool. I hope you prove yourself better than she. Grab your bags and let's go, you're staying with me.” Ara had no time to answer. Looking back to Duenna Black to receive some reassurance, she only responded in stiff silence. Duenna Black stood stone cold, and without saying a word, turned back into her office closing the door leaving Ara with this strange woman alone. Lacy told Ara to get in her black rover, complete with flames of red fire stickers on the side. “So Ara, you’re going to be a Vitup, huh? That is quite an honor. Duenna Black called me because I am your next-of-kin. The school can’t house you anymore so I am the unlucky one to take in your sorry butt.” Lacy reached over Ara and opened the glove compartment pulling out a small pack of white sticks. Taking one out, Lacy turned to Ara and said, “Camel cigarettes. You can only get these at the underground novelty shop. The Sisters outlawed these things 80 years ago, but I run in circles that live to disobey those rotten b's...Oops, sorry, you will be a Vitup someday and words like that could get me 20 years cast away - - I still think they are b's.” Ara didn’t know what to say and for the next 15 minutes the conversation went static. Lacy pulled her giant rover into a driveway with a sign saying “M. Sanger Luxury Condominiums.” As Lacy pulled in Ara noticed the ancient look of the architecture. “What is this, a castle?” Lacy replied, “No, it was an old hospital converted into apartments. You’re lucky, my roommate of 10 years just moved out so you have a room to yourself. But don't get too comfortable.” As they walked into the massive brownstone building, Lacy took a final drag off of her dwindling cigarette and flicked it into some nearby grass. Then she gave a quick offhanded comment to Ara, “You know your sister had so much potential. You’re probably just as smart as she was, but the fool ‘fell in love.’ So stupid.” This poked at Ara’s interest, “What do you mean?” Staring daggers down at Ara, Lacy replied, “Phen! Your male mentor? She allowed her emotions to be swayed by his primitive lies. I told her only weak souls believe in male companionship. I never needed the shoulder of a dirty MCP. You would do well to stick to your studies and keep advancing. The ancient philosopher Darwin was right, 'the fittest are the ones who survive in this sick world'.” “Here we are, room 217. If you stay to yourself and keep quiet I think we will make it just fine.” Ara entered into the spacious living room that had a picture window looking over the vast expanse of Lake Eve -- a deep blue fresh water lake that reached all the way out to the northern horizon. Looking out to Ara’s left the sun was just setting over the water, casting long shadows off the far away bordering cliffs. Lacy grunted a command pointing to the room in the back, “You can put your crap in that back room, but you first have to move out the workout equipment. I'm making roasted chicken for dinner. You best like it because you have no other choice.” Ara went into the back windowless room. There was a wall length mirror on the south wall, workout pads were lying on the floor with neatly organized dumbbells stacked in the center of the room. Ara could barely lift half of the weights, straining to put them over to the closet of the main living room. Lacy laughed to herself, “Stupid girl.” After a good hour all the workout equipment was finally moved, and then Ara unpacked her two small bags. Three school uniforms, a few pairs of pajamas, jeans, ten shirts and blouses. As she stacked her clothes on the bare shelves she noticed a picture of Lacy smiling arm in arm with another woman, a woman she immediately recognized. “Hey,” Lacy yelled from the small kitchen dining room, “if you want to eat warm food, you better get your butt over here now.” As Ara came to the table, she worked up the courage and finally asked Lacy, “There is a picture of you and another women in the room I was cleaning. Is that Beck Paris the famous celebrity vlogger?" Lacy shot out of her chair and charged to the room taking the picture off the shelf. Walking into the kitchen, Lacy threw the picture hard against the tile floor shattering the glass and frame into a million tiny pieces. Screeching in anger, Lacy yelled directly into Ara's face, "Listen to me Missy: Never, ever, mention that witch's name in this apartment again! Do you hear me? Never again or I will throw you out on your can! Now clean this mess up, and I am going out to eat, you made me lose my appetite."
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