Chapter Text
Day 4
Veronica had just lost everything .
And maybe gained something?
When she had decided to get herself out of that curse, the trio introduced themselves. That was after she had calmed. She recalled, Shenze, Heather Chandler. Jadroid, Heather Duke. Lifeboat, Heather McNamara.
Admittedly, Veronica was taken back by their names. All of them being called Heather wasn’t something she expected.
To a certain extent, Veronica found it shocking that they were all dating. If she squinted her eyes at their interactions when she was there, it was quite possible to assume that they were all dating and were quite used to hiding it.
God how would that work in marriage? All 3 Heathers having the same surname?
When Veronica had lost her powers, freed herself from her own curse, the trio granted her freedom. Let her go back into the city to live a normal life.
Veronica was delightfully surprised. A chance to be reimbursed back into society as a genuine human being. They had mentioned going back to her hypothetical family, to which they had no information on. Veronica had no place to stay. Her only other choice was to go back to the mysterious figure? It would be stupid.
She extended her worries to the trio. They responded in kind, offering her a room in their large mansion. Needless to say, she was touched. Veronica had only been there for three days, causing them unnecessary headaches, yet they were still so compassionate to her when she posed no threat.
Would it be easy for Veronica to adapt to this calmer life? Absolutely not. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked the life of chaos, the life of fighting for something she believed in. This time she wanted to do it for the right reasons.
“Veronica!” A voice called from downstairs. “Get down here! Lunchtime!”
She glanced at the clock on the wall. 1p.m. sharp. She trudged down the stairs, silently wondering why they were so hospitable to her. She appreciated it, and yet wondered how they could treat her in such a way.
When Veronica came down, they were seated at a rectangular table. Neither of them sat at the shorter side of it. Chandler was seated next to Duke. There was an empty chair in front of the red-clad woman which was also next to McNamara.
Veronica walked over to the chair as it seemingly called her name. She held it as if she were to pull it out. She looked at the three women for confirmation, they nodded in response, only then did Veronica take her seat.
The meal started quietly, slowly building up into long conversations about themselves.
Apparently, Veronica reminded the Heathers of someone they knew in their high school. They had similarly scruffy hair, a similar build, the difference being in their name. Her name was Winona Ryder.
Strangely, that name felt so close and yet so far from Veronica. She shrugged it off.
The Heathers were in the same clique, the most powerful one as well. They ‘ruled the school’ (in Duke’s words). Winona had joined in their junior year while she was a senior. She was useful to them and they let her in, granting her protection in exchange for her services.
The story of how the three of them got together was something that was nothing less than humorous.
The trio went to a party (as they always did) and Chandler got ‘ absolutely wasted’ (in McNamara’s words, to Chandler’s betrayal). Duke drove them all back to their place and Chandler kept flirting with both McNamara and Duke on the ride to Chandler’s.
That’s when it slipped from her mouth that not only did she like one of them but both . The three Heathers talked about it in the morning and got together. It’s been working since, but not without its own form of hardships.
Evidently, after that story was told, Chandler’s face was heating up and looking away from the others. That stifled a laugh from everyone in the group.
Veronica lacked those fun stories to tell them. Hers were only full of misery, full of blanks and confusion. Could she even trust her own memory?
“Aw… I really hoped that Chandy’s power would get rid of the memory wiping” McNamara slumped in disappointment.
“I hoped so too.” Veronica sighed. “I mean, there’s not anyone that I really know now, do I? It’s a fresh start for me at least.”
A moment of silence filled the room. Their meal was finished but all remained seated to talk. “So” Veronica started. “Speaking of powers, I never really got to understand yours, Heather.”
“Which one?” All three of them asked with varied tones of voices.
Veronica’s eyes widened. “Right,” she laughed at herself in a desperate attempt to break the tension on her. “Chandler. I understood that McNamara’s power works based on energy and Duke’s body is partially mechanical. I never got to understand yours when reading your battle notes.”
Chandler laughed at Veronica's bluntness. “Well, it’s not that easy either. I’ve been trying to figure it out since I was six! And unlike these 2 lucky ones, I haven’t even fully unlocked my powers.” She nudged Duke.
“Well, my powers are based on the Chinese zodiac. My birth year is in the year of the rat according to the Chinese calendar. It makes it the easiest to use and master. With it, I can grow or shrink in size. Truthfully, it doesn’t help much in combat, but it’s good in rescue situations.
After that, it’s all down to compatibility. It would be easier for me to learn the powers of dragon, ox and monkey and my worst is the horse and goat’s powers.”
Veronica’s head whirled as Chandler continued explaining. It wasn’t an easy power to understand, even less so have. It had its own limitations as well.
“Ox lets me get physically stronger, monkey grants me fire bending and dragon gives me explosive abilities. It’s good to have its powers in battles but it’s really risky and could cost the city. I am not having the city’s downfall under my name.
Rabbit makes me levitate, snake is that hypnotism-like power. You know, the one I used on you during interrogation.” Veronica nodded. “Great. Rooster gives me probability bending. So I’m more likely to succeed or fail based on it. Dog and pig’s powers are similar. Healing. But they’re so much more different in battle. Dog lets me heal others while I have better rejuvenation when using the pig.
Now my absolute worst is horse and goat. Super speed and earth bending. So I don’t really use them unless I absolutely need to.”
“But they’re more simple than something like explosives. Why can’t you learn them as easily?” Veronica clarified.
Chandler shrugged. “It’s like my body rejects it.” a pause. “Oh right! They work on percentages as well. Simple really, higher the percentage, the stronger its use. Buuuuut, if my human percentage is below 15, there will be traits of the major animal that show up.”
“Like the tail?”
“Exactly like the tail.”
“Huh. That’s really confusing.”
Chandler nodded. “That’s why I always have to verbally remind these two what specifically I can and cannot do. Changes based on the year it is as well.”
“It’s 2057 this year. What changes?” Veronica asked.
“It’s the year of the ox. It’s easier for me to use its power and it becomes stronger this year.”
Veronica nodded her head in understanding.
The information flew as words in her head. Rat, change size. Ox, strength. Dragon, pyrobending. Or was it explosive abilities?
The trio laughed at the sight of the dazed Veronica.
“You’ll get used to it over time.” Duke said nonchalantly
“Uh-huh. Yeah. Sure” She replied monotonously.
After a while, Veronica was able to feel much more comfortable. Chandler had lent her some of the extra clothes they had. She claimed that they “belonged to Winona” but Veronica was unsure on how much she could believe them.
They were in her exact favorite shade of electric blue after all. It sparked a sense of curiosity within her. What happened to this Winona girl?
Veronica managed to feel more at-peace and found it easier to sleep after having a very comfortable dinner with the trio. She got quickly accustomed to the innocent flirting at the table, the perfectly timed sex-jokes and McNamara literally glowing when she gets excited.
Chandler and Duke said that it happens often. Her happiness transfers a lot of energy from the outside world to her body. All that she really needs to do is ‘give it back’ as potential energy again and she goes back to normal.
A while after the meal, Veronica extended her concerns about the Dean coming after her. The only thing she could clearly remember about him was the final moments that she saw him. His final words being, ‘Stay safe, babe.’
Veronica didn’t want to stay useless. She wanted to change the world. She still wanted to. She still craved that feeling of satisfaction when she had won a battle. So, Veronica headed to Chandler and asked if she could help.
“I want to help you all. I want to be able to do something in return for all the trouble I've caused you. Is that so bad for someone to want to do?” Veronica pleaded.
“Veronica. Once I drained your power, you’ve become a normal person who lives in this city. There is no way we are dragging you into the line of fire and endanger you! I know you might think that my healing is enough, but no it’s not. I had to use the rooster just in case . It could have turned out so much worse if the healing went wrong or if we weren’t lucky enough.” Chandler argued back.
“It was only a few minutes of that. Please…”
“It took hours, Veronica. Hours. You were so drained you passed out afterwards. Just trust us. You’re going to be safe here.”
Veronica sighed, nodding in understanding. Her perception of time wasn’t the very best. So they were probably right.
Veronica laid awake in bed, questions spurring through her mind. So many questions that she had that would be left unanswered.
‘Who am I? At the core of it all, who is the girl I stare back at in the mirror? Is that me? A projection of me? Truly me ? If not a hero, what am I? If not a villain, am I a hero? Was I truly a hero? No. Was I truly a villain? Is the Dean truly who he is in my memories? Am I where I’m supposed to be? Am I at the right place? Where is the right place? Where is the place I call home?’
Only four days had passed, it was barely midnight of the fifth and alarms blared throughout the house. The lights faded on and off in a reddish tone. Veronica froze. She could hear the people scrambling outside. She could hear Chandler’s hurried footsteps, Duke’s mumbled curses and McNamara rambling worries.
She worked up the courage to open the door. “Please! Let me help you!”
“No! Stay here. Stay safe and wait for us to get back.” Chandler ordered.
Veronica knows she can do better.
Veronica knows that she can help them
Veronica knows that she can defeat whoever it is.
Veronica may not have her powers, but it’s not like her skills have totally drained. She was still a mechanic expert at heart. Not a master, not a builder, but a skilled user. There was so much tech that she could use that was blocked off.
“But-”
“Just stay here, God!” Duke cursed.
Veronica walked back into her room, slamming the door behind her as she slumped into a corner. If there’s one thing they could do, it was fight them off. A deep sense of dread filled her gut. There was something not good that was going to happen.
The trio had already left, Veronica locked the door for them. She was going to be safe, she was going to stay in her haven. The guest room. Her room?
Then the window broke. Glass shattered into the room she resided in. The glass gave her cuts on her arms as she made a desperate attempt to spare her head from maor injuries. Veronica felt herself being picked up and carried away from the place where she was kept for days.
“You’re safe with me now, babe.”
She looked up. It was the Dean. The oh-so familiar face that haunted her memories. The face that plagued everything she had believed in and had lived out.
Veronica froze. How was she supposed to react when the same man that brought her to power, stripped that power from her and made her lose her memories held her in his arms?
Caught in a momentary trance, Veronica’s only coherent thought became her reply. She stared at the Dean. “Who are you?” She questioned, a tinge of hatred in her voice.
The man turned away, not allowing Veronica sight of his facial expression. He passed from house to house, every step he took taking her further away from the only thing Veronica was willing to call home. The place where the Heathers had promised her safety. He muttered to himself with a bit of a sour tone in his voice. “You’ll know, I promise.”