Daphne

By Frank DeCaire

Daphne is transferred to a new school for orphans with a troubled past. When she is introduced to her new roommates, she suspects something is amiss. Her roommates are involved in the initiation of a new girl that goes bad. The two roommates try to hide the body, but Daphne catches a quick view before they close the door. Now it's a race to find proof that a murder occurred before her roommates figure out a way to get rid of Daphne.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank DeCaire
• Release date: May 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215833629

Frank DeCaire

Frank DeCaire is a SciFi author with a degree in Computer Science and over two and a half decades of software engineering experience. Frank lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Michelle, who spend many summer days hiking trails in Utah and surrounding states.Frank spent six years of his youth in the U.S. Navy as an Electronics Technician and was stationed in Pearl Harbor on the U.S.S. Worden (CG-18).

Book preview

Daphne

The Chronicles of Daphne Blazefire

FRANK DeCAIRE

Galactic Core Books, LLC

This book is a work of fiction.

All the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 Frank DeCaire

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Visit my website at www.galacticcorebooks.com

CHAPTER 1

Marisa watched as Jenifer balanced on the parapet wall on top of the four-story building. She lifted her left leg and swung it around to put her heel in front of the toe of her right foot. Her supporting leg shook as her body tilted sideways. She held her arms out like a trapeze artist to keep her balance. Jenifer’s fear increased Marisa excitement, though she wasn’t sure why.

The ledge Jenifer balanced on was ten centimeters wide. The width of a shoe. Marisa and Estelle had performed this initiation in the past. The task was about overcoming one’s fear. Marisa put little thought into why they were doing this. It had always been done by students at this school and they were going to carry on the unsanctioned tradition.

A rite of passage.

Estelle uncapped the bottle and poured a double shot of liquor into a small plastic cup. She glanced at Jenifer, then splashed a tiny amount of liquor in the other two cups. Marisa giggled when she saw Estelle remove a plastic bottle of water from under her shirt and top off the two cups with a small amount of liquor in them. All three cups appeared to contain the same amount of liquid.

Jenifer reached the end of the wall and hopped onto the roof with a big smile. I made it. She took a bow and walked to the temporary table that was set up for the event. Estelle grabbed one of the watered down glasses and handed it to Marisa. Marisa smiled as she downed the liquid in one gulp. She walked toward the wall, faking her tipsiness. She wondered if she might be pouring it on too thick.

She put her foot on the half meter tall wall. Then she used her hands to steady herself while balancing on top. The other side of the wall was a straight drop to the ground below. A distance that would be deadly if she made a mistake.

Focusing on the short side of the wall made things easier. She leaned slightly to the right in case she fell. The fall would only be half a meter instead of several stories. She made her legs shake when taking a step to simulate that she was scared of heights, though she wasn’t. Her first steps were deliberately slow, then she increased the pace a bit and finished her trek across the wall.

Estelle downed her glass as soon as Marisa stepped off the wall. Marisa watched from the table as Estelle did her crossing of the deadly balance beam. Estelle seemed to glide from one end to another in one smooth motion. When Estelle returned to the table, Marisa gave her an eye roll to indicate that her performance was so hot.

Jenifer cradled her plastic cup in both hands. She stood near the table, waiting.

Marisa wondered if the girl was going to go. After all, it was her initiation into the club. It’s your turn.

Jenifer looked at Marisa, then turned back and stared at the wall. She lifted her cup to her lips. Then she paused. Maybe she would chicken out. That’s how they weeded out the nerds from their group. The weak ones would always quit early and fail the initiation. The fact that they cheated was never revealed unless they accepted someone into their group. So far, none of the rejects ever knew that Marisa and Estelle didn’t take full shots of liquor before getting on the wall.

The suspense was turning Marisa’s stomach into knots. The sooner Jenifer drinks, the sooner they can get this over with. Marisa crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped that Jenifer would surrender. Then they could go their separate ways and move on.

Estelle was also focused on Jenifer and her cup. Jenifer glanced to one side and saw Estelle staring at her, then she glanced at Marisa and held her cup up in a salute before chugging the hard drink. Jenifer squinted, as the burning liquid must have gone down hard. She turned and dropped the cup on the table, where it landed on its side and rolled off the edge. Marisa watched the cup roll off the table and hit the roof.

When Marisa looked up, Jenifer was already balancing on the thin wall. She was much more tipsy than before. It was her fourth drink, and the alcohol was taking hold of the girl. Estelle glanced over and Marisa didn’t miss the worried look on Estelle’s face. It was the look of: We should stop this now before something bad happens. Marisa took a step toward Jenifer, then she stopped. Let her cross one more time. Jenifer will give up after that, or Marisa could end it.

The thought of being forced to accept Jenifer as a member made Marisa’s skin crawl. The freckle-faced girl was a school-wide embarrassment. If she made the cool-girls’ club, their little clique would suffer. The wall-walk was notorious for forcing girls to drop out. The only girls tough enough to make it through the wall test were ones who were cool.

Jenifer took a shaky step forward, then she turned her head toward Marisa and Estelle. She had a smile that went from ear-to-ear. Marisa knew the girl was full-on trashed now. She took another step without looking down, using her foot to feel where the wall was.

Estelle looked back at Marisa. We better stop this.

Marisa slowly shook her head. Estelle frowned at her while holding her arms out. Marisa wondered if Estelle had the guts to continue being a member of their club. Was she going weak-kneed? That would not be good. They were down to a hand-full of members. Estelle was also Marisa’s roommate. It would be awkward to vote her out of the club. Marisa gritted her teeth.

Estelle watched Jenifer slowly making her way to the end of the wall. The girl was shaky and randomly wobbled from side to side. It would have looked like a clown act, if she hadn’t known about the alcohol. Estelle turned her head and glared at Marisa.

Marisa held her hand out. Relax. If she makes it across, then we’ll think of some other test for her to pass.

Estelle’s voice became squeaky. What if she doesn’t make it?

Marisa shrugged her shoulders. She knew it was cold-hearted, but Jenifer was almost to the end. She would certainly make it this time. There were only two more steps to go. Then they would pour more liquor and see if she gave up then. If not, they could stop her before she climbs on the wall.

Estelle silently mouthed a plea to Marisa. Marisa put up her finger to shush Estelle.

Then it happened. Marisa only saw a blur as Jenifer disappeared from view. Estelle turned and froze. She looked back at Marisa, but Marisa wasn’t sure what to do or say.

Estelle stared at Marisa with her mouth open. Did she just fall off the wall?

Marisa walked forward. Fear kept her from running for the wall. She wanted to know, but she didn’t want to know. Jenifer could not have survived the fall, but freak accidents happen all the time. Maybe the alcohol loosened her up and she survive with minimum damage. A couple of bruises. Maybe a cut or a broken bone.

When Marisa reached the wall, she took a deep breath and tilted her body to look down at the front of the building. Jenifer lay on the ground below. Not moving. Her leg was twisted in a shape that was not normal.

Estelle pulled back from looking over the wall. She put her hands on the side of her face. No! No! She kept repeating the word no as she walked in circles.

Marisa couldn’t think of anything more than the trouble they would be in if someone found out about their initiation ceremony. Many had heard about the ceremony, but nobody knew they were having one tonight.

What would happen to them when they found out how Jenifer died?

CHAPTER 2

Estelle stopped pacing and stared at Marisa. She was obviously waiting for a decision to be made. Marisa wondered why it always had to be her to make the hard decisions? Why couldn’t someone else saddle up and decide what to do when things got heavy?

The patrol is going to come by in… she looked at her timepiece. Twenty minutes.

Estelle’s eyes widened. What? There was a moment of silence as Estelle stared at her. Are you thinking that we need to… She stammered.

Calm down. We need to hide the body before the patrol sees it.

Are you kidding? That would be murder for sure.

Marisa put on her best matter-of-fact face. That ship has already sailed. Now it’s time to cover up the evidence and hope we don’t get caught. Just consider yourself lucky we were able to reprogram the drones to avoid patrolling this area.

Yeah. I’m the one who wrote that program.

Well. We’ve never been caught before.

That’s because it didn’t involve a murder!

Lower your voice. Just act normal and nobody will suspect. Marisa folded the table and collected the cups and liquor bottle. She walked toward the roof access ladder on the other side of the building and dropped the light plastic table off the side and watched it land in the bushes below. When Marisa turned, Estelle was still standing in one place, staring at her.

Marisa waved her arm at Estelle. Come on!

Estelle hustled to catch up as Marisa descended the vertical ladder to the bottom. She jerked the table out of the bushes and walked along the side of the building. When she reached the entrance to the building, she set the plastic table against the wall near the locked doors. A folding chair was already leaning against the same wall. Someone had left the table and chairs weeks ago. Nobody claimed the set, which made it convenient for Marisa’s little initiation ceremony. Estelle caught up but said nothing to her. Marisa rehearsed a few lines in her head