"Wow, you weren't kidding," Jane said, staring at the mail bag that had D for Detriment written in red type across it. It looked heavy, to say nothing of how full it was. One lump in the side even looked like a parcel, rather than a regular letter.

"And that's just the old-fashioned kind. There's a website where people can write in online too," Daria said, opening the mail bag and grabbing a few letters off the top.

"You actually read all of these?" Jane demanded, shocked.

"Amazing as it seems, yes. I have a gallon drum out the back of the house that I burn a lot of them in, but I do actually read them all. I wouldn't like it if someone passed over what I had to say, so I show the same courtesy by not passing over what other people have to say to me. I even read the hate mail," Daria explained.

"You get hate mail? Daria, I'm surprised at you!" Jane joked, scooping up a couple of letters herself and looking at them.

"Usually from people like Tom's parents, saying that they don't approve of my attitude towards something that they deem important," Daria said, clearly not bothered by the mail. "I have a standardised letter that I send back, explaining that if they don't like what I'm saying, then they are free to listen to someone else saying what they want to hear. It's in the constitution after all, that I am free to say whatever the hell I want."

"Damn right! Hey, can I read some of this stuff?" Jane asked, holding up an envelope to the light and squinting at it.

"Go ahead, there's more than there usually is, so some of this is probably addressed to you anyway," Daria said, checking the letters in her hand. "Here, this one's addressed to you," she said, handing over the letter.

"Wow! I have fan mail! I'm already doing better than Trent!" Jane exclaimed, holding the letter high and twirling around a bit before ripping into it.

"Well, the Spiral is still recording. They don't make their début until next week." Hopefully you won't get fan mail to the house. If they fans find out where you live, you're gonna have a hell of a time."

"That's why your fan mail comes to the studio?" Jane asked.

"No, that's a business thing. The persona D is joint property of myself and the studio, and by the fan mail being sent here, it gives them a good idea of how popular the show is, and what sort of music they should schedule for my show. It's all feedback. That my parents don't have to deal with the whole mailbag just for me, and that fans can't find me, is just a bonus."

Anthony DiMartino was sitting by the radio, marking history essays as he listened to what he suspected was the only radio personality to actually have one.

"Well, management has mentioned to me recently that, since I get so much fan mail, I should probably respond to some of it on air," D responded to J's question of what had been happening lately.

"You mean pick out a letter from that big ol' sack and give your honest, genuine, cynical response to whatever was written inside? I thought management knew you better than that by now."

Anthony chuckled. He had sent in a couple of letters himself, when he could sneak the stamps off of Ms Li's desk.

"You would think. It's alright though, just this once."

"Hey, come on D, it could be fun enough that you'll want to do it again all on your own."

"Doubtful J, but we'll see. The jury is still out."

Jodie and Mac put aside their homework for a moment, hoping D would answer the petition they'd sent in for her to come and talk to LHS.

"So, where's the mail bag for you to pick out a nice random letter to answer on the air-waves?" J asked, evil anticipation in her voice.

"Behind you," D answered.

"Ooh, does that mean I get to pick out the first one?"

"Sure."

There was a brief pause and the sound of paper being rifled through and ripped open.

"Letter number one! Dear D, I love your show. Please go out with me, I've enclosed a picture, your adoring fan -"

"And for the sake of their anonymity, we aren't going to read out who sent that," D interrupted. Jodie and Mac laughed, pretending to themselves that it was from Up-Chuck.

"Do you wanna see the picture D?"

"No thanks J. You know perfectly well that I've got a boyfriend with whom I am almost unreasonably happy, so why bother?"

"So there you have it, sorry listeners, D is taken, I'm the single one. Shall I pick out the next letter?"

"That's the way it goes for the show today."

"Okay, this one I think we can say who it's from, since it's from a group, rather than a single person."

Jodie and Mac held their breaths and leaned closer to the radio.

Ms Li had the radio turned on while she looked at the latest security catalogues. The public rejection of a love letter had made her snort out her little laugh while she turned a page, but she was almost lost to the sounds issuing from the little black box as her spectacled eyes latched onto the latest system for electrical fencing.

"Let me see it. Oh, from Lawndale High School."

That snapped her out of her security catalogues. HER establishment had been named on the radio program. Oh, the publicity!

"Requesting that I appear and talk about what motivated me to become a radio host, and where I want to go in the future."

"Got signed by a lot of people. Looks like you're popular at LHS, D."

"That's too bad, cause I don't do public appearances. I do radio, where nobody sees my face but the people I work with. I am called D so that nobody knows who I really am. I like it that way."

"Besides, I don't think anybody has ever liked high school. Certainly not making a show of themselves while there."

Jodie sagged at that.

"Hey, it's no big deal, right?" Mac said, trying to comfort her. "If she'd come, you'd have had to write a welcome speech, tried to make Lawndale look good, and all that stuff you don't like doing anyway."

Jodie smiled faintly.

"Thanks Mac."

"So while I refuse to speak about myself in front of anything more than a microphone, I will still answer the questions posed. I got into radio because I was in the right place, talking to the right person, and it sounded right for me. For now I see myself continuing with the show with my friend J in a regulated manner. At some point in the future, I may have guests on the show, but that is likely to be far future. I have not approached any celebrities, and none have approached me. J, the next letter."

"Well, she answered my questions anyway," Jodie sighed. "It would have been really cool to meet her though."