Tagline: N/A
Back tagline: Don’t play with fire
Summary: Springwood High sophomore, Colleen Martini is plagued by a recurring dream… of being burned at the stake.
When a psychic tells Colleen that she was Joan of Arc in a previous life, she begins to suspect that her history book report on the same topic is more than just a coincidence.
Fueled by fear, Colleen desperately searches the library to find the truth.
Engulfed by an inferno of mysterious accidents, she soon hears a death knell summoning her.
Knowing she must solve this mystery before her fate is sealed, Colleen comes to understand that sometimes the line between truth and fiction can be deadly…
First impressions: This doesn’t sound super interesting, but I’m sure I’ll be pleasantly surprised considering how much I’ve enjoyed the series so far. Not sure how I feel about the whole Joan of Arc thing, but hopefully it won’t be boring. Colleen Martini is a great name too!
This time on the cover we’ve got presumably our heroine dangling off a building or bridge or scaffolding or something along those lines, looking terrified as a huge fire blazes below her. So far in the series we haven’t had any of the covers depict a scene from the book, but maybe things will change with this one. Let’s find out!
Recap
Roll call:
Colleen – Our heroine who’s unwillingly trapped in a love triangle.
Kirk – Colleen’s best friend who’s pining after her.
Lance – Kirk’s older cousin and Colleen’s boyfriend.
Ricky – Kirk’s horror aficionado best friend.
Vicki – A major bully who’s always picking on Colleen and wants Lance for herself.
Melina – Vicki’s friend who also loves to bully Colleen.
Tish – Vicki and Melina’s friend who’s not as into bullying as them.
Mrs. Wodell – Kirk and Lance’s boss at the library.
Denny – A disfigured, mentally challenged library worker ostracised by Springwood.
As usual we begin with a prologue and this time Freddy’s doing some light reading of the biography Marquis de Sade. Freddy fancies himself somewhat of an author — ‘I add a few twists and turns to sad, storybook lives before bringing them to their unexpected endings.’ He also has a real page turner for us, handing us a book:
Notice the quality of the leather cover? Human skin, specially tanned. And each dark brown letter is printed with the blood of victims from this very tale of terror!
Novel concept, don’t you think?
But make sure you return this book before its due date. At this library, the fine for an overdue book is a killer!
[OK, I’m definitely more intrigued after this prologue] The main story begins with Joan of Arc being bound to a stake by an angry mob, accused of being a witch. She doesn’t struggle, having accepted her fate already, and forgives her murderers as they set the pile of books beneath the stake ablaze and condemn her to a fiery death. The torch bearer is a bald man with a horribly scarred face, which I’m sure will be relevant somehow. This turns out to be the dream of our heroine, Colleen Martini, [Love that last name] who’s telling her pudgy, glasses-wearing friend Kirk Newman all about it toward the end of history class. The pair have been close friends since seventh grade, and Kirk has what he calls a permanent crush on Colleen and every six months or so, he declares his love for her. She rejects him every time, since he’s not her type, and their friendship is uncomfortable for a while until he gets over it. [This sounds like a very annoying friendship. Drop him, Colleen] Kirk’s seems particularly nervous and fidgety today, so Colleen suspects he’s gearing up to ask her out. Colleen’s at least got a boyfriend as an excuse now, because she’s dating his cousin, Lance Matthews, a freshman in college. [She likes them older, Kirk! You don’t have a chance]
The class has to write a paper on a historical figure of their choosing, and Colleen’s doing Joan of Arc while Kirk will be writing about James Dean, who he’s kind of obsessed with. As much as he’d like to take on James Dean’s cool demeanour and image, Kirk doesn’t resemble him in any way and according to Colleen, is more like Elvis in his Vegas years. [Lolllll rude] It seems like Kirk’s getting ready to ask something, so Colleen mentally prepares to let him down for the 20098657843th time, but luckily she’s saved by the bell. As she heads to her next class, bad egg Vicki Stratton, flanked by her cronies Tish Hughes and Melina Carlton, attacks the back of Colleen’s neck with a plastic novelty shark on a stick. We know Vicki’s a bad girl because she’s wearing black boots and super-tight black jeans and has about five piercings in each ear, while the other two are cheap knock-off versions of her.
Vicki taunts who she calls Colleeny-Weenie about the hickey she’s just given her with the toy and jokes that they’re reading a book about Colleen and her boyfriend in English — ‘”It’s called Of Mice and Men!”‘ Mr. Klusky, the history teacher, comes to Colleen’s rescue, hitting Vicki with a brutal ‘”I didn’t know you could read, Miss Stratton, judging from your grades in my class.”‘ [Hahahaha] He sends Vicki and her friends off to class and offers a supportive ear to Colleen, who appreciates his concern but insists she’s fine; she and Vicki are just very different people who rub each other the wrong way. [No, Colleen, this is bullying] She scurries off to her next class feeling sorry for herself.
Colleen heads to the public library after school to work on her history report, but is finding it hard to concentrate because of her dream. Being surrounded by flammable books is making her feel unsafe, and even the presence of Kirk and Lance, who both work here, isn’t helping. At least Vicki’s not around, although Tish is sitting a few tables down. By herself, Tish is actually a sweet girl and Colleen thinks they could have been good friends under different circumstances. Colleen understand why Tish worships Vicki, though; rumour has it Tish’s father is abusive and her mother is either unable or unwilling to protect Tish and herself, so Colleen suspects Tish is drawn to Vicki because she’s powerful and strong, unlike her mother.
Kirk appears and plops himself down at Colleen’s table to ask her on a date to Wide Awake, a coffee shop first seen in Virtual Terror, and Colleen politely explains she’s going out with Lance tonight. Kirk complains they go through this routine every time, [So take the fucking hint and stop pestering her?] and Colleen reminds him that they’re best friends, but she’s romantically into Lance; Kirk was the one that introduced them in the first place! Kirk jumps up to storm off but is stopped by Mrs. Wodell, the librarian, who’s as old as the building itself and smells just as musty. She points out that he’s not finished with the cart of books he was told to put away and reminds him that books can’t be found and read if they’re not on the shelves ‘”and an unread book is the saddest type of orphan!”‘ Satisfied that Colleen has also heard this poetic nugget of wisdom, Mrs. Wodell disappears into her office, and Kirk heads off back his cart, telling Colleen it’s no big deal and just another battle lost. This is a different response than usual, and Colleen wonders if the fact she has a boyfriend now has changed things, or if he’s feeling sorry for himself for introducing her to Lance.
A short while later, Colleen asks Mrs. Wodell for help locating a certain book about Joan of Arc, which turns out to be in the basement’s reference section. Mrs. Wodell claims to be too old and frail to go up and down those stairs, so she suggests Kirk be Colleen’s chaperone in an extremely obvious attempt to get them together. She’s not buying Colleen’s protests that they’re just friends because back in her day, if a boy and girl sat so close together it mean that were sweet on each other. Colleen decides she won’t need assistance and ventures on down alone, passing by Kirk on her way to the stairs who gives her a friendly wink, so at least he’s not too upset by the rejection.
Down in the creepy, dark, smelly basement, the book Colleen needs is on the furthest possible shelf from the stairs leading back up to the main floor, naturally. She braves the maze of shelves and eventually finds it, but then hears a noise behind her as a shadow passes by. She accidentally drops the book, startling herself even more, and ends up knocking a few more books of the shelf. As she’s cleaning the mess, ‘two scarred hands reached for the remaining books.’ Yelping with fear, Colleen stumbles backward as the figure towers above her, wearing a dark jumpsuit. In the dim lighting, she recognises the scarred, monstrous face — ‘It was the face of the torch bearer in her dream.’ And he’s reaching for her!!!!
She kicks out at the man, scaring him off, but then realises it’s just Denny, ‘the Springwood equivalent of the village idiot.’ [That’s not very nice] He’s been mute since birth and ‘had been dismissed long ago as retarded.’ The poor guy had been abandoned at birth and shuffled around foster homes, receiving only the most basic education, and it was determined early on by a social worker that he was only capable of the most menial labour. These skills may have allowed him a decent existence, but the hideous scars covering most of his body prevented that. Rumour has it that a sadistic, alcoholic foster father ‘punished Denny for some minor offense with a bath of battery acid’, and ended up getting off lightly because apparently Denny doesn’t deserve the same human rights and justice as everybody else. His disfigured appearance assured him monster status in Springwood, and he’s feared by most of the town’s children because parents use him in place of the boogeyman in bedtime stories. [I wish we’d heard of him before now]
Mrs. Wodell is the only one that treats him like a human being and gave him the job of custodian, but of course she was fought on it because the townspeople thought he’d scare away the children. Mrs. Wodell shamed them into a compromise, and Denny was hired on the grounds that he’ll mostly stay out of sight during business hours. Of course, this only increased his ooky spooky reputation because he became ‘the rarely glimpsed fiend who who lurked in the library basement.’ Colleen was scared of him up until recently, when she observed him fixing up a shelf, unaware she was nearby. Seeing him do something so normal humanised him in her mind, and before she knew it she was moving closer for a better view, but gave herself away. He retreated as soon as he noticed her, and Colleen realised that he had expected disgust and mockery, which is the only thing he’s known. Since then, she’s vowed to do better, but this was her first encounter with him after that, so it hasn’t gone well.
Anyway, after she calls out an apology to Denny, he timidly returns and helps her put the books back on the shelves. She thanks him and extends her hand for him to shake, and he’s nervous at first but eventually shakes it with a smile. He stares at their clasped hands, amazed, but then suddenly becomes fearful and scurries off, disappearing into the shadows.
A short while later, Colleen heads to the counter to check out her books and waits in line as her boyfriend serves Tish. She doesn’t have her library card with her, so Lance looks her account up and we learn she lives on Elm Street. Unfortunately, she’s got an outstanding $2 fee for overdue books so can’t borrow any more until it’s paid. Tish tearfully begs, promising to bring the money tomorrow and explaining her parents will think she lied about going to the library if she doesn’t come home with some books. I thought Colleen might step in and pay for her because she seems like that kind of girl, but Lance decides to let the fee slide for now, and Tish is super grateful. In swoops Mrs. Wodell, though, who’s not about to let that happen, and Tish flees the library in tears.
Mrs. Wodell appreciates Lance’s sense of chivalry, but young people need to learn responsibility! Before Colleen can be served, an embarrassed-looking Tish returns, followed by Vicki and Melina. They’ve loaned her the $2 she needs, but now Mrs. Wodell wants to see her library card. Vicki barks that Tish’s card and license were stolen when she was here a few weeks ago, probably by ‘”your Mongoloid janitor.”‘ [Omg can Vicki die first plz] She also tells Mrs. Wodell to drop dead when she tries to defend poor Denny, warning that Tish will fail her class without these books, and Mrs. Wodell agrees to let Tish have the books, but bans Vicki from the premises. Vicki departs with an encouraging ‘”Have a nice heart attack,”‘ to the elderly librarian. Colleen finally checks out her books and confirms dinner plans with Lance when he finishes work at 9pm. [That is a very late dinner]
That night, Lance takes Colleen to the Jaguar diner where the waitress, Wendy, practically drools over Lance and literally ignores Colleen as she sits them in a booth. Colleen’s a tad jealous, which Lance notices when Wendy disappears, so he explains that Wendy’s just some sorority girl from college who’s keen on him; he’d forgotten she works here. Colleen asks if he’s in a fraternity, because they actually haven’t known each other long and she only knows three things about him — he goes to the local community college, Kirk got him the job at the library and he’s the nicest boy she’s ever met. [High standards, I see!] Lance is no frat boy, but he does attend their super-cool parties where you have fun and meet lots of people. Some, he says pointedly, nodding toward the kitchen at Wendy, are not his kind, and some ‘”that you don’t even meet at parties like that, are your kind.”‘ [Cute] Colleeny-Weenie’s jealousy quickly dissipates and a short while later they’re digging into some food, despite Wendy nearly walked away after taking only Lance’s order. [The only descriptions we’ve gotten of him so far is that he’s tall, thin, handsome and kind, so I have no idea what he actually looks like. I wanna know what makes him so hot!]
Over dinner, we learn that Lance wants to go to medical school but can’t afford to transfer to a school with a good undergraduate program, the stepping stone he needs. He’ll likely need a scholarship, but they’re tough to get. Colleen knows he can do it, and as they hold hands and gaze into each other’s lives, Colleen has a sneaking thought that she just might be falling in love. [Girl, how!?!? You only know four things about him]
This little cringe-session is interrupted by a few spit balls hitting the back of Colleen’s neck, courtesy of icky Vicki, who’s just arrived with her two cronies. Melina crawls into the booth behind Lance while Tish sits opposite her and Vicki lingers at Colleen’s table. Vicki and Melina flirt with an uninterested Lance, while Tish seems reluctant to join in after Lance had been so kind to her earlier. Vicki demands to know if Colleen has anything to say, and our little Weenie simply says, ‘”I forgive you, Vicki”‘ and starts crying. This absolutely tickles Vicki and Melina who really can’t believe that’s how she’d respond, and Lance finally drags Colleen out of the diner.
They drive to Springwood Park and take a walk, despite Colleen’s reluctance. She’s stayed away from the park ever since a girl was murdered here not long ago, [RIP Pam] and they’d even closed it after dark for a little while. Lance promises to protect her, but encourages her to stand up to Vicki. Colleen reasons that yes it’s upsetting, but she can’t change Vicki and wouldn’t want Vicki to choose another target if she fights her off. Lance thinks Colleen’s been reading too much about Joan of Arc [I’d argue the opposite, because Colleen says that Joan was younger than her when she was killed, but a quick google tells me Joan of Arc died at 19 and insists she doesn’t have to be a martyr like her. Maybe if Joan had stuck up for herself, she would have ‘”lived long enough to meet a nice guy”‘ and have some fun. [Lance knows what women want! Lol]
Anyway, this whole time, Colleen’s been hearing noises nearby and suspects they’re being followed, and sure enough, that pesky Kirk jumps out at them, along with his friend Ricky Santana, a pale horror movie buff who aspires to write and direct the ultimate horror movie. Lance isn’t impressed about being spied on and storms back to his car with Colleen, complaining that his cousin needs to grow up as he drives her home. Meanwhile, Kirk laments about how much he likes Colleen to Ricky, who compares the situation to a movie by explaining Kirk’s in part two of a three-part situation – boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and finally, boy gets girl. There’s plenty of time for the last stage to happen, but Kirk isn’t so sure and announces that he hates Lance. Ricky advises his friend to just mellow out about the whole thing and tells Kirk to leave it with him to think of some way to help him attain Colleen.
Later that night, Mrs. Wodell’s having a cup of tea and thinking about how disrespectful many of today’s children are, especially Vicki. To her disdain, Mrs. Wodell’s noticing that more and more of today’s youth are like Vicki, who’s behaviour is unforgiveable — ‘Girls in my day didn’t dress like that unless they were prostitutes.’ In bed a short while later, Mrs. Wodell’s just finished reading a short story from a thick book and is about to start on the next one when her face twists into an awful snarl and the book drops to the floor:
Involuntarily Mrs. Wodell’s eyes crossed. Panic gripped her, and she tried to scream. But she could not. Mercifully, she blacked out just as her thoughts turned traitor, becoming an agonizing, unintelligible secret code.
[Did she take Vicki’s advice and have a heart attack? Or some kind of stroke, maybe? If there’s anything we learned from the last book it’s that David Bergantino has no interest in giving us a clear cause of death] Around noon the next day, Colleen gets a call from Kirk at the library, who explains that Lance just called to inform him that Mrs.Wodell had a stroke and is in the hospital. [OK, glad we cleared up whatever that was. And glad she’s not dead! Yet…?] She never showed up for work this morning and when she didn’t answer the phone, Denny took the bus to her place and back again, and Lance was able to figure out that something was wrong. He drove Denny back to Mrs. Wodell’s house where they could see her tangled up in bed. They broke in to find that she was unconscious, so they called 911. That’s not the only reason Kirk is calling, though, apologising for his behaviour yesterday and inviting her out to a surprise tonight that he’s organised with Ricky. Lance is invited too, so it will be the four of them. Colleen forgives him and is down for the surprise as long as Lance is, looking forward to whatever it is because Kirk sounds excited.
Colleen’s the last to be picked up that night and Lance explains that Mrs. Wodell is doing reasonably well and will be going home tomorrow. Someone will be there during to day to cook and care for her, and Denny will be temporarily moving into the spare room to ensure she’s OK overnight. Lance, ever the hero, proudly yet humbly has volunteered to go over in the evenings to help with her therapy and read to her before bed. Ricky and Kirk tease him about this, but Lance points out that it just makes sense — it’ll be cheaper for Mrs. Wodell, and he’ll get some experience before med school. He might even get some sort of school credit for it!
Colleen and Lance eventually realise Kirk is driving them out of Springwood, and grow a little nervous, with Colleen even having the vague feeling they’re being kidnapped. [I have no idea why, I’m sure Kirk has never exhibited any dangerous behaviour towards them before] Kirk and Ricky remain secretive until they finally reach their destination: a ramshackle house just off the highway with a flashing neon sign that reads FORTUNES TOLD. Colleen and Lance aren’t that interested, but Ricky’s apparently been to Madame Xaviera before and insists it’ll be fun, so in everyone goes. [Have Kirk and Ricky paid her to tell Colleen that Kirk is who she should be with, not Lance?]
The front room is elegantly decorated and a young Indian woman mans the front desk. After hole-punching Ricky’s loyalty card, which has scored him this free visit, the woman leads the foursome through a beaded doorway and instructs them to sit at a table decorated with fortune-teller tools. Madame Xaviera walks in from the back room and takes her seat at the table, acknowledging Ricky who can barely contain his pride at being recognised. Colleen is pressured by the group to have her fortune told first and although reluctant, agrees to a simple reading so she can see how it works.
After Colleen shuffles a deck of tarot cards and places them in three piles, Madame Xaviera scoops them up into one stack and lays nine cards face down. The first three, Colleen’s past, reflect a happy childhood, a kind-natured, dependable, charitable woman, which reflects Colleen’s personality, and in the very recent past, problems with someone at school. Despite her initial scepticism, Colleen finds herself having fun and admits that everything is true. This third card is upside down from Madame Xaviera’s perspective, and she explains that this reversed position indicates that the tormentor won’t leave Colleen alone unless made to by someone more powerful, suggesting she go to an adult about the issue. Colleen is sure she can handle it and we move on to the three cards representing the present, which shows a new man in her life and a deep, intimate relationship, both presumably referring to Lance, much to Kirk’s chagrin. The third card is Death, but Madame Xaviera assures the group that it’s a positive sign when right-side up, and only means destruction when it’s upside down. The card signals the end of one situation and the beginning of something new, which the fortune teller assumes is the recent relationship.
Lastly, we look at Colleen’s future cards, which suggest a great battle with a cruel, powerful and merciless opponent where ‘”Friends, loved ones, others, will be lost.”‘ [Oop] Madame Xaviera warns that they’ll all be touched by this enemy and there’ll be fire and blood, and Colleen suspects the torch bearer from her dream. [Wasn’t that Denny, though?] Madame Xaviera flips over the final card, which is another Death, but this time upside down.
Madame Xaviera is completely shook; there’s only one card of each in a tarot deck, and it can’t have come from another deck because she only has one! [Is this part of Kirk and Ricky’s “surprise” and this extra card is part of their plot to help Kirk get the girl?] The fortune teller scampers through the beaded doorway and our foursome can hear her arguing quietly with the Indian woman. The group quickly leaves, and Madame Xaviera warns them to beware of the darkness that threatens them. As they reach the car, Ricky doubles back to settle their bill, and a few minutes later they’re on their way home, with Colleen hoping against hope that her fortune won’t come true. Kirk beats himself up over the outcome of the session and Lance and Colleen assure him no-one’s to blame and they appreciate the gesture after the crap he pulled last night. Lance is certain Madame Xaviera was just trying to get a rise out of them, but Colleen’s not so sure, and even Ricky seems rattled by the experience.
Despite the boys’ pleas for her to stay out with them, Colleen is dropped home and in bed by 10:30pm, only to have a nightmare about the torch bearer from her previous dream, who seems familiar to her. [Obviously the torch bearer is Freddy, right? I’m confused as to why she recognised Denny as the torch bearer when we first met him in the library, but hasn’t mentioned it since. Maybe Denny’s scarred face and her fear at the time just connected those dots in her mind, but we’re to assume she was mistaken?] He sits across from her in a brightly lit room, and while his face is shrouded in silhouette, light would occasionally bounce off his wounded, purulent flesh. Trapped in a corral between them are doll-sized versions of her Lance, Ricky, Kirk, Vicki, Tish and Melina, all trying to escape the enclosure. The final bet has been placed, and the stakes are high; Colleen’s playing for their lives.
Luckily for her, she’s got a royal straight flush in hearts! But unluckily for her, the torch bearer has five of a kind, and they’re all Death cards! They burst into flames in his hand and he tosses them into the enclosure. A large book suddenly appears in Colleen’s hands and without thinking, she begins beating at the flames until they’re finally extinguished. The torch bearer is cackling this whole time, and Colleen quickly realises why — not only has she crushed the flames, she’s squashed the people inside the corral too! Realising the laughing torch bearer had planned for this the whole time, Colleen wakes up screaming.
By the time Colleen goes to bed the following night, the encounter with Madame Xaviera is a strange but harmless memory and she’s completely forgotten about the nightmare. A few blocks away, Tish has the phone to her ear, begging Vicki to pick up. Vicki eventually does, but is an absolute cow when Tish explains she’s had a fight with her parents and asks to come over for a bit; ‘”I won’t bother you or anything.”‘ Vicki tells her to just deal with her own problems for once and hangs up, [What a great friendship] and Tish cries into her pillow for a while. She decides to run away, this time for good. In the past, she’d always wanted to be found, but it’s clear now more than ever that her family and friends don’t care about her. She waits for her horrible parents to go to sleep before quietly packing a bag and slipping out the front door, vowing that no-one will find her this time — ‘And she was right: Tish Hughes was never seen again.’ [What, no death scene? Anyway, poor Tish. She actually seemed nice, at least in comparison with her asshole friends]
Walking past Tish’s house on her way to school on Monday, Colleen spots a police car in the driveway but isn’t surprised; between Tish’s habit of running away and her father’s awful temper, it’s a common sight. Later in class, she learns from Kirk that Tish’s backpack was found in a gutter not far from Colleen’s house — she may have been kidnapped! Although Vicki looks completely unbothered, Colleen kindly tells her after class how sorry she is to hear about Tish. Icky Vicki really doesn’t care if Tish is OK or not, although the tremor in her voice hints otherwise. She calls Colleen a freak for being so worried and it appears she’s gearing up to hit her, but Kirk swoops in to save the day, declaring that Colleen was just trying to be nice. Vicki retorts that ‘”People get hurt that way,”‘ and stalks off, and I guess that response hints as to why Vicki is so awful.
Kirk walks Weenie to her locker where a Death tarot card falls out, and she immediately blames him, livid. Kirk denies it and says he’ll find out if Ricky’s behind it, but has to laugh because Colleen’s never stood up for herself like that before. He insists Vick will leave her alone if Colleen arks up like that to her, but as usual Weenie defends the bully; ‘”Vicki can’t help the way she is.”‘ [She most certainly can, Weenie]
That night, Lance picks up Colleen to meet Kirk and Ricky at Wide Awake, but a storm starts coming in straight away and they need to leave, since they’d promised Colleen would be home before the weather gets too bad. Ricky promises that the card in Colleen’s locker wasn’t him, and on their way out, Colleen notices that Vicki and Melina had been nearby the whole time, staring at her. Outside, Lance tells her not to worry about them because they’re just high school girls, which offends Weenie because he must think of her the same way. He protests that she’s not like them, and she accuses him of considering her an easier mark than girls like Vicki. [Whoa, calm down, Colleen!] Lance gets all lovey dovey and insists high school has nothing to do with why he likes her and in fact, a college guy’s friends rake him over the coals if he’s caught dating a high schooler. He’s finally able to smooth things over by admitting he doesn’t have many friends at college and even if he did, they’d have to accept his younger girlfriend or else they wouldn’t really be his friends. [Okeh]
Back in Wide Awake, Melina wants to know why Vicki’s dragged her in the first place; she’s all for tormenting Weenie when they bump into her, but Vicki seems to be actively seeking her out. Vicki reveals she’s planning to break the happy couple up and snag the college boy for herself, and tells Melina to mind her own business when she points out that bullying Lance’s girlfriend isn’t gonna make him fall for her. Vicki’s been acting kind of creepy lately and hasn’t even mentioned Tish; and Melina doesn’t think she’s even worried about their friend. Vicki argues that Tish was constantly throwing herself to the wolves, so she won’t feel bad that she’s finally found one, and somehow Melina realises that Tish would have called Vicki that night for support. Vicki’s flabbers are ghasted at Melina’s audacity to stand up to her, but Melina keeps going, pointing out that Tish definitely would have called Vicki because she looked up to her, ‘”Like I did. Or used to,”‘ and Vicki probably told her to get a life. Icky Vicki will absolutely not be held accountable for her behaviour and pretty much tells Melina to fuck off before storming out, leaving her stranded at the coffee shop.
Melina doesn’t recognise anyone else here so can’t scab a lift home and ends up taking the bus, which takes a very long time, so two hours she’s finally stepping off the bus at the stop closest to her house. Lightning strikes a powerline nearby, cutting out the streetlights, so Melina has to take the 10-minute walk in the dark. Her only source of light is several flashes of lightning, one of which shows a dark figure walking towards her who’s disappeared by the time of the next strike. As she nears home, Melina decides she’ll warn Colleen about Vicki’s designs on Lance, but this small act of redemption never comes to fruition because Melina’s strangled to death 10 yards from her front door. [At least we actually see this death. Also, could Tish still be alive and getting revenge on her awful friends?]
Melina’s body is found by the paperboy the next morning and many kids are kept home from school, but Colleen insists on going because she’s a nerd. At the end of the day, she finds a Death card taped to her locker and angrily calls Kirk’s house, since she hadn’t seen him at school. His mother tells her that he’s at work, and Colleen rushes over there to accuse him of being behind the Death cards. He denies it and, realising that a card showed up after Trish’s disappearance and Melina’s death, Colleen wonders if maybe Vicki found out about the fortune teller and is using it to her advantage. It’s a pretty big leap to make, so Kirk warns Colleen not to confront Vicki unless she has actual proof she has something to do with it all, and he promises to do some digging to find out if Vicki’s up to something.
Since she’s already at the library, Colleen ventures down to the basement to tell Denny how much everyone appreciates his help with Mrs. Wodell. He eventually pops up, startling her, but he seems distressed and grabs her wrist when she offers a comforting pat on the shoulder. Before she can really react, heavy footstep come pounding down the stairs and several officers appear, their guns drawn and pointed at Denny as they order Colleen to step away because he’s wanted in connection with a kidnapping and murder. Colleen insists her friend didn’t do anything, but the cops take him away while a female officer explains that a tip-off led the police to Denny’s apartment where they found, along with Tish’s and some other IDs, photos of young girls like Colleen, who may have been in danger. When the police leave with Denny, Colleen tells Kirk what happened and then heads down to Denny’s basement office, which is really a closet, to check something. She’s back upstairs within 10 minutes but tells Kirk to go check for himself when he has a break, promising to discuss it with him tomorrow and leaving us wondering what she found. [Boooo]
After dinner that night, Colleen heads to the police station and is somehow allowed to visit Denny, who’s in a holding cell. She tells him she knows about the photos and thinks she understands why, [So that’s what she found in his office? More photos?] but needs him to tell her he’s not involved in Tish’s disappearance or Melina’s murder. When she asks if he knows anything about what happened to the girls, Denny nods, which shocks her. He inexplicably lunges at her through the bars but an officer comes to the rescue, and that night Colleen relives the scenario in nightmare form, only this time Denny breaks through the bars and gets her.
At school the next day, Vick confronts Colleen for being friends with Denny the freak. Weenie won’t tolerate her bullshit anymore and turns to walk away, only for Vicki to grab her by the neck from behind. To the crowd’s surprise, Colleen elbows her in the stomach and then shoves her away, announcing she won’t be taking her crap anymore. As she storms off, Vicki calls out that Colleen has fewer friends that she thinks, [What do you mean, Vicki?!] and Colleen goes and cries in the bathroom.
That night, Colleen and Lance meet Kirk and Ricky at the Jaguar where they all discuss Denny. Lance won’t admit that he thinks Denny’s guilty, but points out the way he used to stare at girls and mentions the rumours that the photos he had were dirty ones. Colleen argues that all guys stare at girls; it’s just harder for Denny to get away with it because his appearance makes everyone uncomfortable, After Kirk confirms that the photos in Denny’s office were totally innocent, Weenie theorises that Denny likes staring at the photos of girls because photos can’t flee in disgust like girls do in real life. The poor guy is just lonely and doing what he can to help with that. [I mean, he’s still an adult staring at teenage girls, right? It’s still weird. We don’t know how old Denny is thought, tbh, I don’t remember it saying. He could be late teens, but to meit’s seemed more like he’s in his 20s or older]
Colleen acknowledges that the pictures don’t really prove anything either way, but points out that it’s just easier for everyone to blame Denny than to consider anything else. She wants the boys to help her think of a way to help Denny, but they’ve got no ideas other than to offer their support. This riles Weenie up and she accuses them of just wanting to do the easy thing like everyone else and let an innocent man rot in jail. She insists once again that Denny’s 100% innocent and storms out.
Lance meets her at the car to drive her home, but he wants to drive past Mrs. Wodell’s place first; he’s moved in to care for her since Denny was arrested, but has left her in the care of a neighbour for a few hours. The house is surrounded by emergency vehicles, so Colleen and Lance leap out of the car just as a body covered by a white sheet is wheeled out the front door on a gurney. A heavily scarred arm flops out from beneath the sheet, and the pair realise it’s Denny. An officer explains that back at the police station, Denny faked an injury and overpowered an officer he lured into the cell, then came straight here and locked the neighbour in a closet. After an anonymous tip, the cops arrived to find Denny strangling Mrs. Wodell, who’s survived. [I assume they shot him, but it doesn’t say].
The police seem satisfied that the murders are now over, and Lance quickly drops Colleen home so he can come back. Her parents are watching the news, which is reporting that Denny the monster’s reign of terror is now over. By morning, the whole town has declared the case closed on Denny, with one news story even citing a police tape that shows Denny confessing. Weenie realises it must be referring to her visit and how Denny had nodded in answer to her question, but looking back, she understands it wasn’t a confession, he just admitted to knowing something about what’s going on. [Did she not already realise that?? If she previously thought it was a confession, why was she so sure he was innocent?] Colleen knows no-one will believe her, though, and even if they did, she can’t explain why Denny escaped from jail and tried to kill Mrs. Wodell. [I’m assuming that Mrs. Wodell actually did die from her stroke, and Freddy’s inhabiting her body to use it for murders because who would suspect an ailing old woman. If I’m right, it’s kind of annoying that Feddy’s M.O. has been the same in every book, but I guess the circumstances are different each time]
That afternoon, Ricky is stalking people in Springwood Park, something he does often to prove his theory that people really are as dumb as they are in horror movies and oblivious to potential danger. He likes to hide in the shadows until someone passes, then he’ll follow them at a distance, gradually getting closer and closer until he’s able to make the theoretical kill. He doesn’t actually harm anyone, of course; he just likes to prove that if he were a murderer, he would have easily been able to kill the person before they’d notice he was there. [What’s the bet this same thing is about to happen to him, only Ricky will be murdered?] Kirk had joined him the other night to scare Lance and Colleen but he’d been horrible at it, making way too much noise. We also learn here that the double-Death-card tarot reading and the Death cards Colleen’s been finding are indeed part of Ricky and Kirk’s plans to steal the girl away from her boyfriend; Ricky had paid double to ensure Madame Xaviera would cooperate. The cards been planting for Colleen to find were originally supposed to be the Lovers cards, but after Tish’s disappearance, Ricky switched it. Kirk wasn’t aware of the change so his initial reaction had been genuine, and he thinks it’s a bit overkill so won’t let Ricky plant a Lovers card on Colleen’s desk on Monday, the final part of the plan. Kirk would have made a deal with Vicki to step up her bullying of Colleen, [Wooooooow, so that’s what Vicki meant by Colleen having less friends than she thinks], and then he’d come to the rescue, which would undermine Lance’s relationship with Colleen and strengthen Kirk’s. Ricky’s still ready to stick with that plan even though Kirk may not be; the cracks were showing in Colleen and Lance’s relationship last night, so it’s clearly working!
Anyway, after being spotted by a happy couple before he could get too close, Ricky hides in the shadow of a tree and patiently waits for another couple that’s approaching. A creature stirs in the leaves behind him, and he kicks out at the bush to scare it off so his position won’t be compromised. [I bet it’s the killer] The couple finally pass, unaware of the boy lurking in the shadows, and once they’re far enough ahead, it’s time to move:
Just as he began to step onto the path, a strong hand clamped over Ricky’s mouth. An arm wrapped around his waist, pinning his arms to his sides, and he was pulled violently back into the brush. A snap of a twig was the only indication of a struggle, which ended as Ricky went still a minute later. But the couple ahead on the path heard nothing. They were talking about the stars and thinking about each other.
Ricky’s body is found floating in the small lake in the middle of Springwood Park the next morning and school is cancelled for the day. Kirk’s phone seems to be off the hook so Colleen hasn’t been able to talk to him, and later in the day when she turns on the TV to distract herself, a news report comes on with the reporter standing in front of the lake where Ricky’s body was discovered. Apparently the police are staying unusually tight-lipped on the situation, and at the end of the report the camera zooms in on the lake for dramatic purposes, giving Colleen a glimpse of a Death tarot card floating on the surface. [!!!]
Colleen quickly phones Lance to tell her about the Death cards’ connection to the murders, and he’s angry that he wasn’t made aware of the cards sooner. He’s also pretty rude and dismissive about her belief that Denny was never guilty, and the conversation ends with them both in a huff. Knowing Kirk will listen to her, Colleen races over to his house, and he agrees to see her despite how upset he is. After expressing her sympathies, Colleen tells him about the Death card on the lake, realising in the process that someone might be targeting her for some reason. Kirk tells her the card probably fell out of Ricky’s pocket when he was killed and fills her in on their entire plan to steal her from Lance. He apologises and understands if she never wants to speak to him again, and a speechless Weenie just stands up and leaves.
Elsewhere, icky Vicki waits for the police car in Mrs. Wodell’s drive way to leave before pulling up herself to enact her plan to steal Lance from Weenie. Shes given herself a total makeover, discarding her punky outfit and hair for something more plain, and Lance does a double take when he opens the door. She looks stunningly different ‘and not at all unattractive,’ and she feigns self-consciousness as she admits that the murders and fighting with Colleen have got her thinking and wanting to try new things. Lance still seems a bit suspicious, so she steps up her game, lying that she wants to make peace with Colleen and was wondering if he could pass on an apology. Lance falls directly into her trap as she finesses an invite inside, and soon they’re sipping tea in the living room. Vicki casually mentions the police car, and Lance reveals something strange; the anonymous phone tip the night Denny was caught here came from this house, and the call came through long before he’d even broken in, like someone knew he’d come here. The neighbour here at the time denies making the call, which just adds more confusion. [Maybe the omniscient Freddy called, knowing Denny knew the truth and would try stop him]
With no-one else to turn to, Colleen heads to Madame Xaviera’s place, believing she’s not a total fraud despite going along with the boys’ plan. The wide-eyed Indian woman at the front desk [Oooh, maybe she’s Freddy’s host body?] takes her into the back room, and feeling guilty for tricking her, Madame Xaviera gives Colleen a free reading. Taking her hands, the fortune teller senses that Colleen’s been having nightmares about the evil being she’d warned her about last time. Colleen also has the gift of premonition, intuition and compassion, and mastering these powers will bring her the answer she seeks about the murders. Madame Xaviera also reveals that Colleen was Joan of Arc in a past life, burned at the stake because she had visions. Amazed at the coincidence, Colleen explains she’s doing a report on Joan of Arc for school, and the fortune teller slyly admits she might have just picked that out of her brain because she can sometimes read minds like that. [OK, so she might not have been Joan of Arc? Speaking of, I thought this book would have more to do with Joan. And fire, going off the title and cover] To Colleen’s dismay, Madame Xaviera is unable to tell her who the evil man haunting her dreams is because pinpointing a specific mote of evil is like ‘”trying to locate an individual drop of water in the ocean,”‘ and Colleen leaves after a final warning that she’s very close to the evil.
On the drive home, Weenie racks her brain to come up with a new theory about the murders since the Death cards have nothing to do with it. So what connects all the deaths? Could it be that all the victims share a history teacher, although not all in the same classes? [I fkn hope not, bc that will have come out of nowhere if he’s the killer] She dismisses that idea and continues to think. Excluding Denny, who was killed by the police, each victim’s circumstances are pretty different — Tish is still missing, her death only supposed, Melina was strangled, and the police haven’t fully explained Ricky’s murder, only that he was found in the lake. There was no mention of drowning, so maybe he was dead before he hit the water. Sure that Ricky’s cause of death is the key to the mystery, Colleen races over to Kirk’s house to see if he knows, pushing his little scheme to the back of her mind for now.
Kirk reveals that Ricky bled to death, which is quite a coincidence because his report for Mr. Klusky’s history class was on Vlad Tepes, [AKA Vlad the Impaler!] the inspiration behind the legend of Dracula. [So history class really is the connection? Surely Mr. Klasky isn’t the murderer. I do like the idea that the kids’ deaths parallel the life/death of their history reports, though! That’s cool] Colleen realises her earlier hunch might be right and wants to know who Tish and Melina chose for their reports. Kirk remotely logs into the library’s database and first confirms that Ricky had recently borrowed some books about Vlad. [OK, Mrs. Wodell 100% died and is being used as a vessel for our favourite burn victim] Tish’s recent history shows that she borrowed a book on Amelia Earhart, [Who disappeared without a trace! Tish’s backpack was left behind, though, so there’s some trace of her…] and Melina was researching Isadora Duncan, a pioneer of modern contemporary dance who was strangled to death when the scarf she wore got tangled in the spokes of the vehicle she was in. [Some brief research of my own shows that her neck was broken as she was yanked from the car, rather than being strangled] Since Melina was strangled to death too, Colleen and Kirk are sure the murders are connected to their reports, so the killer is either Mr. Klusky or a library employee, because no-one else would have access to the information. [I bet Mrs. Wodell won’t even be one of their suspects! I guess Lance could be the killer too, killing everyone who’s gotten on the wrong side of him and Colleen, maybe. But Mrs. Wodell would be more of a twist so I’m going with that]
Colleen orders Kirk to print out a list of everyone in both of Mr. Klusky’s history classes and the books they’ve borrowed while she heads off to Mrs. Wodell’s place to tell Lance what they’ve learned. Kirk’s a bit jealous, but agrees with her logic after she points out that someone not directly involved should know what’s going on in case something happen to both of them. Before she leaves, Kirk tells her who Vicki’s report is on — Marie Antoinette. [Ooooh, Vicki’s getting beheaded! It couldn’t happen to a more deserving girl x] On the car ride, Weenie wonders how Denny fits into all this; he could barely read, let alone use a computer or plot a string of murders. He admitted to knowing something about the murders and was shot attempting to kill Mrs. Wodell, so he wasn’t just a victim of circumstance. She can sense an answer in front of her, but evidently she hasn’t mastered her powers yet.
Meanwhile, Vicki’s rinsing the teacups at Mrs. Wodell’s place while Lance reads to the old woman in the bedroom. She’s been having a good time getting to know Lance and hopes that Colleen will call or show up unannounced so she can cause more of a rift between them. But if not tonight, there’s always the next. Or the next. Or the next. There’s a loud thump in the bedroom, and soon Vicki hears quiet footsteps behind her. Assuming it’s Lance, she pretends not to hear him and wonders if he’s going to kiss her. [Girl…] When she senses him right behind her, she turns around with a big grin, and ‘Vicki Stratton was still smiling as the blades of a large pair of gardening shears bit into her neck.’
Meanwhile, Kirk’s gotten bored of printing out lists of his classmates, figuring that they won’t be useful until after the fact anyway. What he really should be searching is the suspects’ names; Mr. Klusky and the library employees, including Lance. Soon, he uncovers the killer and prints off a page, then dashes to his car to hopefully stop Colleen before something bad happens. Speaking of Weenie, she can tell something’s wrong as soon as she pulls into Mrs. Wodell’s driveway. The house is completely dark, Lance’s car is missing, and the front door is ajar. She goes against her better judgement and pushes the door open all the way, then clicks on the light switch to reveal ‘directly in front of her, resting atop a vase that had once held dried flowers, the severed head of Vicki Stratton’ staring at her. [Woo!]
Sensing the house is empty, Colleen flees in her car and heads for the police station, realising that Lance must have been the killer. [No] Soon, another car coming in the other direction starts swerving all over the place. It’s Kirk’s car, and the poor boy has completely lost control after hearing a popping sound from the steering column. Colleen can’t do anything but watch as Kirk’s car hops the curb, hits a fire hydrant, rolls several times and smashes into a telephone pole. Colleen rushes to his aid but it’s immediately clear her best friend is dead, having suffered a broken neck just like the subject of his history report, James Dean. [Poor Kirk! This series is giving us some surprising deaths, which is good] Colleen notices the papers spilling out of the broken glove compartment and takes a look at the lists his printed. One list is particularly noteworthy, being two pages of books devoted to violent crimes, serial killers and other macabre topics, borrowed by none other that Clarise Wodell. [Knew it. But wouldn’t she have been borrowing these since before she was taken over by Freddy?]
Realising Lance is in danger, Colleen flees the scene and goes straight to the library, where she knows Mrs. Wodell will have taken him. The library unlocked and dark, except for the basement where someone’s turned on all the lights. Weenie knows it’s a trap but refuses to fail Lance like she’s failed everyone else and ventures down there. She finds him on a study table at the back, starting to regain consciousness. He’s confused by his surroundings but doesn’t ask questions when Colleen tells him Vick’s dead and they need to go. He’s dizzy and off-balance, so Colleen supports him as they make their way back to the stairs, only to be greeted by the smell of smoke and flickering orange light coming from the upper floor. Colleen leaves Lance and sprints up the steps to see if they have an exit path from the quickly spreading fire up there, but Mrs. Wodell appears at the top. Colleen can tell it’s not really the old librarian but some other force masquerading as her, and she ends up falling down the stairs when Mrs. Wodell reaches for her.
The demonic thing cackles as it descends the staircase, announcing it’s time for Colleen to ‘”die the martyr’s death you picked for yourself.”‘ [Now the title makes sense. I wonder if the cover image will happen? Probably not, just like the other books] Lance and Colleen start running to the back of basement, but something compels Weenie to turn around, which is a bad idea because now she’s transfixed as Mrs. Wodell lifts up a cabinet that bursts into flames at her touch, then smashes it on the floor. Old file cards spill out, each one ablaze, and Lance has to drag the Colleen the stunned mullet to safety behind a bookshelf. Mrs. Wodell pushes the first one over, creating a domino effect as the shelves topple over that sends the pair back into the main aisle. They flee to the back of the library where there’s several small windows leading outside. As Mrs. Wodell approaches, taking her time because the fire will surely kill the pair, [That’s a lot of confidence for an antagonist that’s been foiled countless times] Colleen moves a ladder used to reach books on the upper shelves beneath a window. She forces Lance to go up first, insisting he’s stronger and will be able to pull her and her up if needed, whereas she won’t be able to do the same for him.
Colleen follows him up the ladder and is almost out the window when Mrs. Wodell grabs her foot. Lance latches onto Colleen, but Mrs. Wodell only tightens her grip. Colleen ends up kicking her in the face, causing the old woman to let go, but the ladder goes tumbling down with her, leaving Colleen dangling. [The cover!!! I’m shocked. Although in the image it looks like she’s dangling from a bookcase rather than a window. Close enough I guess!] Lance apparently isn’t strong enough to haul her out, allowing Mrs. Wodell to grab onto Weenie’s waist. Not wanting Lance to be pulled down with her, Colleen orders him to let her go, but he refuses to and demands that she fight. The pain of this tug of war is too much, and Colleen begins to black out, much to Mrs. Wodell’s delight.
The blackness enveloped her completely. But she wasn’t alone. Others milled about in the darkness. A sourceless light came up, revealing Tish, Melina, Ricky, and Kirk in a group. Even Denny was with them. They all looked at her with pleading eyes. It was Denny who spoke for them all, in a clear, deep voice:
“Give up on yourself, and you give up on all of us.”
The light was extinguished an instant later. Colleen smelled smoke once more. And felt pain. And heard Lance calling her name.
[Is Vicki’s spirit not there as a last little “fuck you” to Colleen? Hahaha] Realising Denny is right, Colleen kicks out at Mrs. Wodell with all her might, and the librarian falls back. Despite being too weak to do it minutes ago, Lance somehow has the strength to pull Colleen through the window, and before she’s fully outside, Colleen kicks out at a bookcase, send it toppling onto Mrs. Wodell. [Oh, so there’s a bookcase under the window? I guess the cover is accurate] Colleen watches through the open window as the trapped Mrs. Wodell is consumed by fire, melting into the form of a horribly burned man with a clawed right hand. Colleen instantly recognises the infamous Springwood slasher, Freddy Krueger, and the bookcase quickly becomes his funeral pyre. The main story basically ends here after revealing that Colleen and Lance struggled to explain what happened, especially because no body was found in the ruins of the basement.
As usual, the whole story concludes with an epilogue, and Freddy Krueger isn’t too bothered that Colleen escaped because he has plenty of other recruits for his summer reading program! We shouldn’t feel too bad for this latest group of victims, either, because Kirk’s at the wheel of his very own Porsche Spyder, the same car James Dean died in! Vicki’s beside him in the passenger seat, and Ricky’s sandwiched between Tish and Melina in the back, and they all live ‘happily ever afterlife.’ Except for the concrete wall Kirk smashes into at 150mph, over and over and over again because the group have become eternal crash test dummies. The book finally ends with Freddy’s take on a classic historical murderer:
Now it’s back to my current book, the complete story of Jack the Ripper. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a classic fairy tale with a happy ending. What’s surprising is that some people were actually afraid of this Ripper character.
Between you and me, I consider him a hack.
Final thoughts
Another great Tale of Terror, although it might be the weakest one so far. They’ve all been very slow to get to the main murder plot but this one felt like it took the longest, although that might be because it’s the fourth one in a row. Even though I enjoy the characters and the world-building, it can be a bit of a slog to get through when the murders don’t start until halfway through the book. This story also had the biggest disconnect between the blurb and the actual story; based on the description you’d think the whole Joan of Arc has a big role in the plot, but Colleen’s direct connection to the historical figure could be completely removed and it wouldn’t make a difference to the story. She finds out about the connection way too late in the story to actually have any relevance. The character development has been pretty consistent in this series, even if a lot of it is done in the same chapter the character is killed in. I kind of like that, though; it makes the deaths more impactful.
There was a tiny amount of continuity with the previous book, with Wide Awake and the reference to Pam’s death, but there could have been more to help the series feel more connected. I don’t think Bergantino will be circling back to Bruce Richards’ characters or plots at all, which sucks.
I’m getting bored of Freddy utilising someone else’s body to carry out his evildoing, but I don’t see that plot point changing at all. Even though we didn’t get much of him, the Freddy in this story felt the most like his movie counterpart, where his method of murder is some kind of reference to the victim. But here, rather than the deaths being related to a character trait like in the films, (e.g. in ANOES4, Debbie hates bugs and is turned into a cockroach, Sheila has asthma and has the air sucked out of her) the murders were based on the students’ report topics. I thought that was a pretty cool plot point that helps this book stand out from the others. I wonder how the next two will differentiate themselves.
This was still a good read, so 59 Death cards showing up at your locker out of 78!
Check out my recaps for the rest of this series here or by clicking the corresponding tag to the right.
