Author: Ditty Tbaski
Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars.
A/N: This is my first fan fiction and it is completely non-beta'd. Please review and be gentle!Chapter
1: Friday
Neptune High
My name is Lillian Mars Case. Everyone calls me Ani. This is my school, Neptune High. My mom always says that if you go to school here your parents are either millionaires or they work for millionaires. She tends to exaggerate. My mother is Veronica Mars. You may have heard of her. She is a pretty famous investigative reporter. She went to school here. So did my uncle Wallace. He is still here as an incredibly popular History teacher and basketball coach.
"Ani! Ani! Earth to Ani!" I look up and see my best friend Alyson Nance strolling across the school parking lot on the arm of her latest conquest, Eric Lowe.
"So, when did this happen?" I ask with a knowing smile as I gesture between them.
"Last night. Oh, and this morning. And in the parking lot about 20 minutes ago." Aly says with a wicked smile.
"TMI. Why do I even ask?" I laugh as we walk to our lockers. I unpack my books and prepare for first period French as Aly and her new boy perform a different sort of French lesson against her locker. "Hey, the bell rang. I'll see you at lunch." They don't move but I do here a muffled grunt so I know they heard me.
Lunch TableI sit at what is considered the popular table for lunch. When I reach our table, the pizza someone ordered has already arrived as have most of the usual people. Aly and her new guy Eric are connected at the lips. Olivia Schmir, she is on the cheerleading squad with me. Her father is the CFO of a Fortune 500 company. Then there is Betsy Rimes she just wants to be, Olivia. Her father is our state senator.
As for guys, they fall into two groups. They are either jocks or computer geeks. I don't know when being a computer geek became cool but I am sure it was about the time people figured out their future net worth. Melvin Malco. His father owns half the Real Estate in town. You are only allowed to call him Malco by pain of death. He is a running back on our football team and plays point guard for my Uncle. He is exactly as big a jackass as you expect anyone named Malco to be. Next is Alex Russell, an ex-boyfriend of mine. No big deal. It was no great love affair. Alex's parents are old money. He plays basketball and writes custom code for computers in his spare time.
The unofficial leader of the guys is Bennett Durgan. He is gorgeous, varsity quarterback, and son of the founder of Durgan Electronics. Unfortunately, he hates me. Which of course means, all the guys hate me. Last month I wrote an article for the school newspaper that exposed half the guys at my lunch table for hacking into the school computer and selling A's. Hey, I'm my mother's daughter. My article has lead to awkward lunches. If it weren't for Aly, I probably would have been exiled. As it is, I will not be dating anyone remotely eligible in the near future.
I'm sure you are wondering how I've come to sit at this very elite table for lunch. It's because of my Mom. We may not live in a mansion like the rest of the kids at my table. She does write scathing exposés on the upper class for the LA Times and appears on television at least once a month because of it. Fame and fear has its perks.
The conversations around our lunch table centers on the party Saturday at Dog Park. Discussions of when you're arriving, whom you are going with, and what you are wearing.
"Betsy isn't your birthday party coming up soon?" I ask.
Betsy blushes looks at the table as she replies, "Yeah. The party won't be that great though. I mean, my parents are throwing it."
"It will be great. You have unlimited Skist soda which always makes me happy. You have a huge screen TV for the guys to play video games. You have a large number of unattended guest bedrooms for young lovahs. Guaranteed successful party." I tell her.
"True. Don't you think it's about time for you to graduate from soda to lovahs, my bff?" Aly asks with a mischievous grin. "I could definitely recommend someone for you?"
Before anyone could make a comment about how well informed her recommendation would be, the guys at our table say, "Hey Mr. Fennell!" in unison. I see my uncle looking concerned.
"Ani, I need to speak with you." I get up from the table and walk to him. It's weird to see him looking so serious. "Honey, your mom's been hurt. She's in a coma. I need to take you to the hospital."
"What happened? She was fine this morning. Is she going to be okay?"
"Someone beat her up pretty bad. I don't know much more than that. Your Grandfather called and asked us to meet him at St. Vincent's." I nod. I cannot think. I turn back to my lunch table and grab my book bag."
"Aly, I have to go. My mom is at St. Vincent's. She's in a coma."
"What can I do?" Aly asks. I just shrug. "Mr. Fennell driving you?" I nod. "Give me you keys. Call me as soon as you know anything." I hand her the keys and follow my uncle to his car.
St Vincent's HospitalGrandpa Keith and Alicia are sitting in the waiting room when we arrive. They look tense and tear streaked.
"Can I see her?" Grandpa Keith stands up and hugs me.
"Sweetie, she is going to be okay. She is stable. Everything is going to be okay. I promise." His words and voice are calming.
"Who hurt her? How did it happen?"
"I don't know. We think she was following up on a story. The police are working on it." Grandpa continues to hug me. "Just so we are clear here, you are going to let the police handle this." I nod against his chest. "Good and Ani, always take Back Up."
We stay at the hospital for hours. When I finally see my mom it's awful. She has a black eye, broken nose, arm, ribs, and countless other body parts. I start crying hysterically. Uncle Wallace has to carry me from her hospital room. He sits next to me until I finally calm down.
"I just wish I could do something or say something."
"Me too." I feel so helpless. I want her to wake up, for things to be normal, and to know what happened to her.
"Oh, no. You are not going to investigate this. Your Grandparents, mom, and me will not allow it. One tiny blonde in the hospital is one too many."
"I know."
"Ani. Mr. Fennell." Aly walks across the waiting room. "How's your mom?"
I try not to start crying again. "Coma."
"Sorry. Well, your car is safe at your house. Back Up went for a nice jog around Dog Park. He also has been fed and watered."
"Watered?"
"You know what I meant. I talked to my mom and if you want you and Back Up are welcome to stay with us." Uncle Wallace nodded.
My House"Alright, you need clothes, makeup, hair care products, food for Back Up, his dishes…anything else?" Aly says heading straight for my bedroom.
"That sounds about right. Could you pack that for me? I want to look around." I head straight for my mom's room. I immediately find what I am looking for, Mom's laptop. I boot it up only to realize everything is password protected. I try any password I can think of like my name, birth dates, and nothing works. I search her room and cannot find a password written anywhere. During my search I do find her dream journal. Mom has nightmares. She doesn't talk about them but I know she has them. Six months ago she read an article that recommended keeping a dream journal. She thought it was kooky but it seemed to help. I grab it, the laptop, my Mom's address book, and a Taser I found in the nightstand. "Aly, are you ready?"
"We really need to take you shopping. I never noticed how boring your wardrobe is. Why do you insist on hiding your hotness? Is it too late to stop by the mall? You need some short skirts and cleavage shirts stat!" I cannot help but smile.
"Do I even want to know what you packed for me?"
"I didn't have much to work with here but you should be happy. Let's go!"
Aly's HouseI have dinner with the Nance's. I have eaten at their place nearly as often as I eat at my own. Dinner was comfortable. It was easy to pretend that things were normal. Mom was just away on assignment not lying unconscious in a hospital bed. When Aly goes to sleep, I try password after password for the files on Mom's laptop. No luck. I turn my attention to the journal.
Mom's dreams seem to fall into three categories, fire, small spaces, and Logan. The dream journal mentions someone named Logan over and over again, almost every night. Mom never mentioned anyone by that name to me. I go through Mom's address book and no one is listed with the last name Logan. That leaves first names so I start at the A's and work my way through it. Mom has lots of contacts. Logan Echolls. Mom's dream guy must be Logan Echolls. He is the only one in the address book.
"Now what?" I say out loud in frustration. The clock on Aly's night table reads 3:07am.
"Hey" Aly says. Her voice is heavy with sleep. "You should sleep."
"I know. Sorry I woke you." Aly sits up in her bed.
"So, what do you know?"
"A name, an address, and a phone number." I say with a deep sigh.
"Whose name?" I shrug and hold up my Mom's address book. "Well, you could call the number I guess or Google it." Aly gets out of bed. "I vote for Google." She heads to her laptop. "You take a nap and I'll do research."