walking blind in the dark [wendy]

July 2003

Benny was walking with purpose as he crossed the quad and headed toward the girl's dormitories. He was headed to find Wendy because he had so many questions about the short story she'd let him borrow two nights ago. She said it was an epic action story with dragons and sword fighting and all of the things he thought sounded cool but it had been so much more. "Wendy are you in here?" He asked, stepping up the little stairs that led to the open door of Bunkhouse number three. A few shrieks and something being thrown at his head gave him the answer he was looking for and he backed up quickly.

He wished they had written the names on the doors or something. He knew which cabin Tomie was in, but that was only because she had dragged him there three times already to show him things she'd created in the science workshops or little trophies she'd won from Quidditch scrimmages. Not that he minded, of course. But all of the cabins looked so similar he wasn't sure which one was Wendy's.

"Hello, looking for Wendy Willbond?" He shouted from the ground into the next doorway, not daring to climb up the stoop.

@Wendy Willbond

Wendy had finally gotten to the battle scene she had been anticipating since chapter one of the novel, her eyes widening in complete interest as she grew anxious at the idea that the main character might actually die this time around. But if the whole series was named after the character, it made no sense for him to die so fast, right? Or—just thinking about how this might be the author’s way of doing something extreme made the butterflies in her stomach flutter again. She was so into her book in fact that she could not hear anything outside of the words she looked over, until one of her cabin mates gave her shoulder a pat to get her attention, pointing outside.

She looked confused for a moment, setting the book down begrudgingly as she made her way over to the window, waving at Benny before realizing he might not be able to see her. Wendy moved to the door, opening it with a smile on her face, her high ponytail moving from side to side as she made her way over to him. “Hey Benny!” she said, “Did you finish the book I gave you? I started the next one in the series, it’s so good! I’ll lend it to you when you’re ready to read it,” she said, then realized that might not why he came over.

“What are you up to?”

He hadn't seen her at the window but when she opened the door he waved back, a smile on his face, and the book she'd loaned him still in his waving hand. "Hi Wendy," he returned her greeting and was happy nothing had been thrown at his head in this cabin. He was excited to hear that she had started the next novel. And that he could borrow it when she was finished. Because even though he was a little put off by all the romance it would be a lie to say he hadn't been glued to the story cover to cover.

"Yeah I just finished it." He told her softly, holding it up as evidence of what he was saying. "And I have questions." He gave her a serious look. Well about as serious as a twelve year old could muster when talking about fantasy stories. He was about to start walking, heading to a bench that wasn't far from her cabin, so he could dive into the questions he had and then he realized he wasn't being very polite.

"Are you busy right now? Do you have time?"

“Really!?” she replied, probably a little more excited than she intended but it was hard not to be when someone else had read the book she just had and she could finally talk about it. At times Wendy had a hard time containing her glee about the novels she read, it was obvious as she often would lend books to her peers and actively ask them about whether they had finished it or if they minded if she spoiled the ending. She couldn’t stand spoilers but Wendy also didn’t take an eternity to finish books like some of her friends did. Then again, she tended to get a little over enthusiastic about her favorite fantasy stories.

“Wasn’t the ending just great?” she added, almost ready to immediately start talking to Benny about it. She blinked at him at his question between nodding enthusiastically. “Oh yeah, definitely, especially if it’s about books,” she clarified though he probably knew that already. She walked alongside him, assuming he was headed where they could talk.

“So question you say?” she smiled, turning to him, “Ask away, I’m an expert.”

He wanted so badly to talk to her about the ending, and the middle, and the beginning, and all of the parts in between, but first he had to make sure he wasn't interrupting her. She had mentioned the second book in the series, and he wouldn't want to stop her if she was on a roll. When she said she was free though his tanned face burst into another bright smile. "Oh great," he said excitedly. "I don't really get the ending..." He confessed as they started walking. He held the book up so he could point at the characters that were illustrated on the cover. Of course, the illustrations didn't look anything like what he pictured the characters looking like, but they never really did.

"First of all, why would they jump into a cauldron? Especially if they knew it was a trap?" He didn't get it. He pointed at the male lead and then he continued. "And why would he let them, I mean.. isn't he supposed to be the hero? He should of stopped them." Benny always rooted for the little guy, for the second in command, for the best friend, because those roles spoke to him the most. He shrugged and took a seat on the bench and waited for her reply with an eagerness he couldn't contain.

He liked talking to Wendy about books because she loved the stories as much as he did, probably more so actually, and she didn't give him a look when he seemed interested. Benny was almost thirteen and there were certain things that were expected of a boy his age and being way too involved in Romance Adventure series was not really on that list. That was supposed to be a girl thing.

“Because they have to face their fears in order to unlock their powers,” she explained, taking a seat next to Benny. She could almost remember the great, old wizard’s words to the characters in the story. “Plus it only seems like a trap,” she started, but didn’t want to get too deeply into the. The second book went back and forth explaining how the hero had gotten his own powers. “Remember the part where the wizard tells them that riddle? Well it’s kinda like them finally solving it,” she added. In the next book, Benny would find out that the cauldron was a portal to an alternative universe in which they would find the items necessary to save the friend that was in trouble. But she didn’t want to tell him that right away.

“That’s what makes Casimir so cool,” she explained, pointing to the hero on the cover of the novel, “he’s not afraid of anything!” she noted, having already fallen for him since the first chapter of book one. Wendy had a tendency to get attached to characters relatively easy. “I hope he and Clara  get together,” she said with a dreamy smile. They were the ultimate couple material in the series, always helping each other out but never getting in each other’s way. “Did you remember the part about the necklace? I think Clara’s secret is going to be revealed soon,” she added. There was something mysterious about the item, many of the characters had alluded to it already. It was just a matter of time she figured.

“What was your favorite part?” she asked excitedly. It had to be the part Clara confessed to her friend that she might have feelings for Casimir. Wendy literally read that part over and over but she wouldn’t tell Benny, he would think she was weird.

Benny understood what she was saying, but he still gave her a puzzled look. "But... what if they had died? Then what good would it be to unlock their powers you know?" He wasn't looking at the whole picture. He was so fixated on the fact that they had jumped into the fire thinking they were going to die. He could never see himself doing such a thing, despite being caste into the Gryffindor house. He'd do it if one of his friends was in danger though, so maybe he needed to think of it that way. After all they were doing all of this to try and find a way to save Travas, the little wizard who had disappeared at the beginning of the novel. Benny wondered if they would find him in the next one, but not so much that he would ask Wendy to spoil the second book. He was eager to read it though.

"Wait with Casimir?" He asked, clearing his throat and trying to clarify exactly what Wendy was hoping for. As always Benny was rooting for the best friend, and not the leader of the group, to get the girl. "But what about Jonah? You can tell she loves him too and he would be such a safer choice." Benny didn't understand that safe and love rarely went together. He was too young to put those pieces together yet. So from the outside looking in Jonah seemed like a much better option, he made good choices, did the research, didn't run to a dragon fight wands blazing.

Benny made an enthusiastic face at Wendy when she brought up Clara's necklace and he bounced on his chair. "What do you think it is? Wait no don't tell me if you already know... How far are you in the second one?" He didn't want to accidentally ask a question that told him too much. Benny might not have been as serious about it as Wendy but he was pretty serious when it came to spoilers. He'd finished the first book in the series in two days, granted it was the smallest in the series, but still.

"Oh man... probably the part where they fly the Griffins over the ocean. Or no! When they fight the Chimera in Greece... or when Jonah gets transformed into a duck." He laughed at the last one. He couldn't pick just one moment. That was the thing with epic journeys, there was always so much going on, how could he pick just one moment.

"How about you?"

“If I tell you, I’ll have to spoil the story,” she warned, but Wendy had been surprised by that part in the tale as well. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on the second volume to find out what exactly had happened and if the characters had survived or had died trying to find the little wizard. Wendy was relieved to find out that it had not been the case but had had a hard time sleeping until she could figure out the truth. “But you know if they don’t try to unlock their powers I don’t think they’re going to find Travas because they won’t have the powers to do it,” she explained. Travas had not yet been found in book two and Wendy had no idea if they would ever find him but she also knew that there was one more book left in the series so hopefully it would have a happy ending. She didn’t like sad endings, especially not when she had been so invested in the characters.

“Jonah’s okay,” Wendy said with a shrug, “I think Clara sees him as more of a friend, plus you know, they’re supposed to end up together as the main characters,” Wendy said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It was in her fictional universe. Casimir was everything that Jonah wasn’t, he was bold, adventurous, and went in without thinking twice. He was the active one, the rebel, and he was absolutely dreamy. Wendy thought that the image on the cover didn’t do him justice, in her head, he was much more handsome. “If it was up to Jonah they wouldn’t even go looking for Travas, he’d just want to wait around for a plan, Casimir isn’t afraid of anything!” she restated, clearly having chosen a favorite pairing from the beginning.

Wendy smiled, she wasn’t sure yet but she had a good idea, “I think we’ll supposed to find out where Clara actually comes from!” she said excitedly. She didn’t know yet but she suspected that Clara was not completely human, maybe she was half veela or elf or something like that.

“The chimera in Greece was awesome! And Clara made such a cool speech,” she added, Wendy had almost memorized it by heart and would sometimes repeat it herself while she was distracted brushing her hair. Wendy idolized Clara, she was the best heroine she had met yet. “I liked the part they went to the village and met the thief that turned out to be Casimir’s kid sister, that was so unexpected,” she said, her mind going miles a minute as she considered what other parts she liked. “Or when they find the parchment where Travas leaves a message in code, I spent so long trying to figure it out but no luck, I think they’ll find the code breaker in the second book,” she offered.

“I’m halfway done though, the scene I just read, you’re going to love it!”

"No no no don't do that." He said swiftly, holding his hands up to her like he was trying to get her to stop from crossing that street. Benny wanted to know what happened, like realllyyyyy wanted to know, but he was dedicated to waiting and reading it from the book. And then they could go over all the details. "Oh I didn't think of it that way." He said when she spoke about having to unlock their powers in order to find Travas. "I though Travas was taken because they were about to unlock their powers and the wicked evil faction wanted to stop them before they did." He nodded along, pulling his leg up so he could sit with one foot on either side of the bench and not have to turn to look at her. "You know before they were able to complete the magic circle, having all of the elements. They can't do the big stuff with out Travas right?"

And then they were on to talking about Jonah and Clara and Benny huffed at her when she spoke truth. He knew it was right, but he wanted the best friend to find his heart too. Clara deserved the best and honestly Benny still thought that was Jonah and not Casimir. "Agree to disagree on that one." He said, using a line he'd heard his mother use on his father in his endless attempt to seem cooler. He shrugged though, followed by a smile, because even though they didn't see eye to eye on this point he knew she was right. Casimir wasn't afriad of anything and that bravery was what they would need when it was time to rescue Travas. It reminded him of his friendship with Tomie. She was always daring, ready to go, and he was always trying to hang back and make a plan first only to follow her right into the fire anyway. Benny was brave, but not like Casimir, not even like Tomie.

"No way really?" He asked her, enthralled by the idea of finally finding out where the heroine was from. He had picked up on the subtle clues that she was different from the rest of them but he hadn't figured out the mystery yet. He hoped it was a good answer! Especially after building up the intrigue. "Where do you think she is from?" Benny asked her before realizing she might already know. "I mean if they haven't found out yet!" He knew she would respect the no-spoilers unspoken agreement they had made but in the haste and excitement of the moment he wouldn't blame her if she accidentally let too many details spill.

"That code was bonkers." He told her as his hands went up to his forehead and he leaned backwards, showing off the near physical exhaustion he felt from trying to figure it out. "Wait your already half way through?" He asked her with a great big smile, that meant she was half way closer to finishing the book and letting him borrow it. "Maybe we can read the last one together?" He asked with wide hopeful eyes, if he was lucky she'd agree, but if she preferred to read alone he could wait until she'd finished. Either way he knew he'd be speed reading through the second book in order to get ready for the third. He could not wait.

“Right, if they can’t get Travas back they can’t finish any of the rituals to go back home,” Wendy nodded in agreement. She had been devastated when Travas had been taken, especially when he was starting to grow on her as a character. He hadn’t been the easiest character to like especially with how annoying he had been from the very beginning but with the challenges presented to the group he had really matured. “But I think they’re going to have to look for a way soon,” Wendy offered instead, not really sure that Travas was going to be rescued anytime soon if the author had anything to say about it. Or if this was tragic and Travas was lost forever, would they be forced to live there for the rest of the series? How would they even adjust? None of it sounded fair at all.

“Wait ‘till you get to the second book,” Wendy said in her own defense. The second book focused on their journey and had plenty of scenes that seemed to support her idea that Clara and Casimir were a match made in literary heaven. They were too proud to admit their feelings but it was so obvious in the way they protected each other that this romantic pairing was going to happen at some point in the series. Wendy liked Jonah, too, and he had been very helpful so far but it was hard to ever see him with someone as powerful and confident as Clara. But Wendy also knew that Jonah had the potential to change so if relaxed a little, maybe Clara would let him into her heart as well.

“But you never know, in another series by the same author the main heroine fell in love with the villain and decided to marry him for the sake of her people’s happiness and her own. It was weird but I kinda liked it?” she shrugged it off. The whole series had been twice as long and three times as adventurous. The girl had even left the main hero for the bad guy claiming it was true love. Wendy had been a little disappointed but also trusted that when a girl knew, she knew.

“I think she’s from the clan of sorcerers that the villain is from,” she explained, but certainly wasn’t sure as the book hadn’t gotten that far into it yet. “But hmm I don’t know, if she’s from that side, I feel like all of the magic they’ve been trying to practice would cause her more damage than good, it’s all supposed to be white magic,” she added, trying to figure out whether this was a major plot hole or some clues to a very interesting twist ahead. Wendy was all ears if Benny had a better interpretation, he always seemed really good at piecing these parts together. Wendy was more into the romantic connections, but wouldn’t really admit it. Her friends would probably think she was weird anyway. “Yeah! Definitely, I’ll wait for you,” she said excitedly, a big smile on her face as she thought how fun it would be to talk about it as they read, then she wouldn’t have to worry about spoiling it for him. “You wanna borrow the second one when I’m done? I’ll catch up on some of the comics I got from Tomie while you read it!” she continued.

Benny was so swept away by this story that he had a permanent smile on his face while they sat there talking about it. He was dramatic and moved his hands as he spoke to further his thoughts. He couldn't help it. The story had everything. Action, fighting, bravery, magic, and even romance though he cared less about that last part than she probably did. But still! He knew it had a place in the story because in the end it all came down to love. Even if it was just friendly love like the kind that the group had for Travas. It was what kept them moving forward, the reason they kept fighting, and he understood that. He'd go to the ends of the Earth if Wendy or Tomie or any of his friends was taken. Nothing would stop him.

"Okay okay I will wait." He said quickly as she told him to and he exhaled a deep breath. Waiting was easier said then done but he had to be patient. He had only just finished the first one after all. He needed to pace himself or it would be over way too fast. "No way really?" He asked her quickly at the idea of another series and the heroine and the villain getting together. "Grossss~" he said as he shook his head. "Why would she do that though I don't get it...." Benny didn't understand the sacrifice, he needed more information.

Leaning back where he was sitting he brought the two sides of his sweater together and zipped it closed as a bit of wind blew through the camp. "No wayyyy!! Oh if she is from that clan that wouldn't that mean...." He had to shake his head, no way couldn't be possible, "That would mean that her and Silas are related?" Silas was one of the villains in book one, she'd left him to die in the desert after he betrayed the group. Benny wondered if Clara knew.. or if she was about to find out. "Maybe that is why she gets really sick on the way to the city? Because of the white magic? But you'd think they could chose what kind of magic they did... I don't know... seems crazy that she'd be bound to only be allowed to practice what her parents did right?" Benny hoped not, for Clara's sake but also for the parallels he was pulling from his own life. He didn't want to only do what his parents did, he wanted to do more.

"Wicked! Yes please!" He said to her with some intense head nodding as she offered to let him borrow the second one when she was done. "Oh don't look at the pictures in the one about the girl with the spiralled face... they will haunt. your. dreams." Benny warned her, a serious looking coming over his eyes as he shivered. He was still trying to get those panels out of his head. It wasn't working.

"Hey do you wanna' go get a snack?" He said abruptly, noticing their back was to the woods and it was starting to get closer to sundown. He certainly wasn't scared or anything, but he wasn't trying to get haunted or anything either. The mess hall was way safer than this bench, he expected.

Wendy shrugged at his response, smiling at the way he had said Gross but wholeheartedly agreeing with his statement. “I guess for her family? I don’t know, I would never marry a villain no matter what, yuck,” she responded. In reality, Wendy had never given marriage or dating any serious thought apart from the appreciation she gave the romantic scenes in her favorite novels. They always happened in picturesque settings, the boy and girl surrounded by fairies or in the middle of a life or death situation when the boy would suddenly confess his feelings for the girl and they would eventually get married and live happily ever after. Sometimes they would kiss, too, but Wendy didn’t really know how she felt about that bit. It read nicely in the text but the thought of kissing any of the boys in her year seemed a little weird if not completely gross. “But the story is really good, you should read it too! The battle scenes are so fun!” she added.

The romantic aspect had always been what she focused on the most but the other parts, the adventure and the fantasy were fun too. “I think she is related to Silas! I completely forgot about him,” Wendy said suddenly, surprise evident in her face as she started to see how the pieces were working together. “Benny you’re a genius!” she complimented his insight, starting to understand what route the author might be taking with this tale and how it might all tie up neatly at the very end of the story. Wendy loved a good resolution, especially if it meant that her favorite characters got the ending they wanted and the villains were defeated, preferably without anyone dying in the meantime but some authors were more at ease with killing off characters than others. “I kinda felt bad for Silas though, I mean if he has to practice what his parents practice then that’s not really his fault, so that’s not really fair that he’s made the bad guy,” she continued, thinking about how she might react if her close friends made some choices she wasn’t particularly happy with. Hazel was sometimes not very nice but Wendy felt bad holding it against her, it might have just been who she was because of how she was raised. Wendy didn’t think Hazel ever meant any harm anyway.

And then there was JR, who sometimes was too competitive about things but then considering his family and background, it didn’t seem right to hate him because of how he had been raised. “Maybe resisting the black magic helps her overcome it or something? Like maybe at some point they all get a choice? I don’t know the author doesn’t really talk about it much so maybe he doesn’t know either…” she suggested, that was completely possible as well. But it was fun for the young girl to discover these things together with the author as the books were written. “The girl has a spiraled face? What?” Wendy turned to look at Benny, the image that popped into her head when he said it something that came out of nowhere but was completely creeped out by it. “Tomie only gives me the ones with romance in them,” she laughed, “Unless the girl with the spirals finds her soulmate at the end of the story?” she offered.

Wendy wasn’t sure about all the genres that Tomie read but she had introduced Wendy to her first and favorite comic books.

“Yeah!” she agreed, standing up and stretching her arms over her head, regretting that she hadn’t brought a sweater with her now that it was getting chillier. It was alright, the mess hall was probably warmer. “You think they’ve got those granola bars with honey on them? Those were sooo good last time, and I haven’t seen them since.”

Benny smiled as she gave him praise, he felt inflated by it, sitting up a little straighter. He listened along as she spoke more on the books, and he agreed with everything she'd said. Benny wouldn't like it if the characters were forced into doing certain types of magic and having zero choices in the matter. He hoped in time the story would reveal some sort of twist or loophole to get them out of it, but he knew he'd have to wait and see. He was eager to read the next installation, eager enough that he considered cutting their impromptu review session short so she could hurry off and finish the second book. Of course, he liked hanging out with her too much, so he didn't.

"Oh no, it's uh... it's not a romance." He said slowly, eyes growing a little wider as he realized what Wendy was saying. He'd never seen Tomie read any of the cuter comics; they were always pouring over the horror ones together. Sometimes he half wondered if she picked the ones with the most terrifying pictures on purpose, just to see if she could scare him. The idea of Tomie enjoying the romantic ones too made him smile. "It's really scary and gory and stuff," Benny told her with a nod of his head, still in Gryffindor protecting mode and finding the need to warn her.

He stood up quickly and mirrored her stretches before the started toward the dining hall. "Oh yeah, those were good, if they have any I will grab an extra for you." He told her with a little smile and then spoke suddenly. "Race you?!" He called out before he set off in a run.

“Oh bummer, I really like the romance ones,” Wendy muttered, not particularly pleased with herself for limiting her interest to one genre but also feeling particularly strongly about what she liked. “Horror is fun too it just—gives me nightmares,” she explained. She had tried to read horror stories in the past too, but Wendy had been cursed and blessed with a very vivid imagination, one that turned monsters into horrible things that would haunt her dreams for days at a time. Just the thought of reading a book with actual pictures of those terrible things only sounded worse.

“But Tomie is fearless, that’s what makes her so cool,” she added, fond that her friend was so brave that she could even read horror tales without any problems. Wendy wished she could be brave like Tomie too. “Sometimes when I read something really scary, I try to look at picture books before bed, that helps me fill my head with nice things,” she stated, offering it as a suggestion that he might try as well.

“Hey! That’s not fair,” she said with a laugh, taking off right behind him, as her hair blew carelessly in the wind. Even if in a ponytail, Wendy had ridiculously long hair that always found a way to make itself a mess. She wasn’t as fast as Benny but she had gotten mighty close at some points, stopping as they reaching the door to the mess hall, resting her hands on her knees as she bent over to catch her breath. “You’re so fast,” she said in between breaths, her heart still pounding in her chest from all the adrenaline. If she was cold before, she certainly had warmed up now. “But I basically let you win,” she teased, opening the door and letting herself in before she kept it open for him to reach for it. The mess hall was not yet full but had plenty of people in it, Wendy wondered if they’d even spot some of their friends. “What’s your favorite horror comic then?” she asked, “Without all the gory details,” she added with a smile. She was curious but certainly didn’t need any nightmares. 

Benny raced along the beaten path that wound from the cabins up to the dining hall and howled with laughter. His cheeks were pink, and his breath was heavy by the time he reached the doorway, and his hands found their way to his hips. He exhaled loudly as his breathing mixed with laughter. "Oh yeah, suuuuure you did." He teased, sticking his tongue out at her playfully. He'd had plenty of practice racing, what with growing up next door to Tomie, and then spending a year with over competitive JR. He'd certainly gotten better at it with all the extra challenges.

Following her inside, he went to where they collected a tray to start putting things on and set it on the little sliders. "Hmm..." he thought out loud when she asked what his favorite horror story was. "I don't know if I have a favorite, mostly I just like the ones where the bad guys get what's coming to them in the end, ya know?" Benny was scared of the pictures, but he wasn't about to tell Wendy that, naturally. Instead, he skirted the question slightly. The little Gryffindor eyeballed the food behind the glass ahead of them and hoped they would have something other than weird meat dishes. Everything at Hogwarts was so bland, but he'd found a couple of good, spicy options since they'd been here. It was nothing like being at home, but he kept hoping one day he'd see something he recognized behind the glass.

"Don't see the honey bars..." He mumbled as he slid his tray and pointed at a saucy dish with noodles and some kind of gravy. "Know what that is?"