Disclaimers:
Gunslinger Girl is the property of Yu Aida.
Danica Vinci is based on an original character created by 'Persona With Many Aliases'.
A Girl Named Harriet
By Sasahara17
Chapter 1: A Dream Named Henrietta
"...and after we took out Mr. Giovanni, Giuseppe took us out for ice cream as our reward. Triela and I practically gorged ourselves on it!"
Henrietta yawned as she thought about what next to put in her diary for the day. It was getting very late by her standards and because of the rather eventful day, Henrietta was feeling exhausted. However the euphoria of finally tying up three months of hard work was still fresh in her mind. Today was one of the best days of her life, and Henrietta really didn't want to forget it.
The final assault on the headquarters of the notorious arms dealer supplying the Five Republics, Mr. Nero Giovanni, went well. Three months of near constant surveillance missions, raids and sting operations culminated in one last climactic event where Henrietta had personally assassinated the man himself without suffering even a single scratch.
Giuseppe had never been more pleased with her.
Henrietta wrote a few more lines in her diary to finish the entry just as Rico, fresh from the medical wing for a check up, came into their shared room. "Hello, Henrietta. Writing your diary entry for today?"
"Just finished. After this I'm turning in. It's been a long day," Henrietta snapped the diary shut and put it on her bookshelf.
"No kidding!" Rico laughed as she settled into the lower bunk. "It's been a while since I've seen Jean so pleased. I do wish I could have gone with you and Triela though. I know you two were having such good food. Say, Jean told me you and Giuseppe are going to Sicily as part of your reward for catching Giovanni."
"Not really. We're just going because Giuseppe thought it's a good chance to relax now that we've bought ourselves some breathing room," Henrietta admitted as she climbed into the upper bunk above Rico, "You aren't coming?"
"Nope. Jean has other work lined up for us. Mr. Giovanni's death really left the Padania reeling, and he wants to, how'd he put it, 'catch them on the back foot'?"
Henrietta sighed sadly. She was really hoping her surrogate sister would come. "Sorry, Rico. I'll be having a holiday and you'll be working."
"It's okay." Rico sleepily assured Henrietta, her voice already indicating she was beginning to drift off. "You deserve your break. Anyway, we can talk about this tomorrow. I'm really tired right now."
"Wakey, wakey, Harriet!"
"Goodnight, Henrietta. Sleep tight."
"Big sister, wake up! Rise and Shine! If you don't wake up, I've got a cup full of ice from the freezer with me!"
"Goodnight, Rico." Henrietta said as she closed her eyes and let sleep take her...
"You leave me no choice. Hya~!"
Fifteen year old Harriet shrieked as a cup of ice cold water was emptied on her face, taking her from blissful slumber to full consciousness in a split second. Failing her arms wildly, Harriet even had to spit out an ice cube that had somehow found its way into her mouth! Despite that, Harriet knew exactly who was at fault for that. "DANICA!" Harriet sputtered.
Rolling on the floor, laughing like a hyena was Harriet's identical twin sister Danica, empty cup clutched in her hands. "Sorry Sis, you were sleeping like a log as usual. If I didn't wake you up, we were going to be late for school! Your breakfast has already gone cold!"
"You didn't have to dump a cup of cold water on me!"
"It's my sisterly duty to wake you up as annoyingly as possible. And I do need to pay you back for how loud you snore at night. I can hear you from a room over..." Quickly ducking below Harriet's furious swipe with a pillow, the younger twin continued her uncontrollable laughter as she darted out of Harriet's bedroom to avoid her older sister's wrath. "See you at school, Sis!"
"Get back here!" Harriet yelled, tripping over her bed sheets in an attempt to get at the troublemaker. She ended up sprawled on the floor for her efforts. Harriet, wet and embarrassed from the manner of waking, could only fume at the knowledge that Danica, undoubtedly already well on her way to school, was outside of her reach.
So much for justice.
"Drat." Harriet sighed quietly to herself. "Times like this, I wish I had a sister like Rico."
Despite waking up late, Harriet arrived at school with minutes to spare. She did sprint the entire way, but Harriet had made what would be a twenty minute walk in record time. Much to her annoyance, Harriet discovered that she was in fact an hour early and that Danica had lied to her from the start.
Given she had skipped her morning shower and breakfast in her rush, Harriet didn't really look her Sunday best. In fact, she looked downright scruffy. Sitting face-down at her desk in her empty homeroom, Harriet made a solemn vow to somehow poison her sister's dinner and dye all her clothes pink. If Danica said that making Harriet's life miserable was her 'sisterly duty', then Harriet would return the favour, tenfold!
"Good morning, Harriet! How are you doing today? Wow, that's some bad bed hair you got there. By the way, how'd your math homework go?" A cheerful voice greeted.
Harriet didn't even lift her head to address the all too familiar chipper voice. "Mimi, please tell me you did your homework this time."
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha... no."
"Maria Michiavelli, what am I ever going to do with you?" Harriet sighed resignedly as she dug though her schoolbag handed the taller girl her notebook. "If it wasn't for the fact you are such a good friend, and we can't win any games without you, I'd let your math grade die. In a fire."
Maria 'Mimi' Michiavelli was Harriet's best friend and fellow teammate on the girl's soccer team. Harriet had been friends with Mimi ever since she had started schooling in Sicily two years ago. Mimi moved to Sicily from Naples at about the same time as Harriet and Davica had moved to Sicily from Rome. The two hit off very well when they discovered a shared interest in soccer. However, despite the two being almost inseparable, Mimi and Harriet differed in the standard of their academic grades. It was as if their team roles were reflected in their life outlook; Mimi was the star striker who was brilliant at one role, scoring. Harriet was the attacking midfielder who was much more balanced.
"You're awfully grumpy today," Mimi observed as she quickly popped herself down in the next seat over and began to copy Henrietta's notes as fast as she could. Math was in first period, and Mimi had but mere minutes to try and salvage some semblance of a passing grade!
"Blame Danica and her plan to wake me up with ice."
"Ohh… she got you good didn't she? No wonder she's hiding from you in that clubhouse of hers. She can't hide forever though!"
"If you want to keep copying off my Math homework, you shall not speak of my sister for the duration of my uncontrollable fury. I will go berserk one day," Harriet threatened, only to illicit a laugh from her friend.
Harriet had just sat down at her usual place in the cafeteria when a loud whoop went out through the entire hall. "Hey Harriet, it's your sister! She's on television." Rowena, another friend of Harriet's, shouted across the room. Harriet's attention, and that of the majority of the crowded cafeteria, was immediately drawn to the elevated television set hanging in the corner of the room.
On the television was the unmistakable face of Police Lieutenant Olivia Vinci. The eldest Vinci sibling was something of a minor celebrity in Italy. Touted by the media as an incorruptible upholder of the law, the charismatic and skilled woman worked tirelessly to put down the ever increasing terrorist activity from northern separatists.
In breaking news today, the Special Crimes Unit has announced the capture and arrest of notorious gunrunner Ciro Giovanni. Mr. Giovanni was a major supplier of illegal arms to the Five Republics fundamentalist group, a well know terror organization responsible for a number of bombings and killings around mainland Italy. Lieutenant Olivia Vinci, head of the SCU had this to say about the arrest.
"Well, I can say that we, here in the SCU, are very relieved that this man is off the streets. The arms he supplied the terrorists were indirectly responsible for the deaths of dozens, if not hundreds, around the country. Mr. Giovanni is undoubtedly a criminal of the worst kind and should be tried as such by our courts. I think the people of Rome, if not all of Italy, can sleep a little better now that this menace is off the streets."
Mr Giovanni is now in police custody awaiting trial. In other news...
But Harriet had long since tuned out the newscast, having other things occupying her mind. "Mr. Ciro Giovanni?" Harriet frowned as she thought back to her most recent dream. Didn't Henrietta kill someone named Giovanni?
"You've got that look on your face again." Mimi noted. "Having those weird dreams about that girl again? What's her name? Hernia? Enrica?"
"Henrietta," Harriet hissed. "And speak softer. I don't want people hearing about it!"
Mimi gave her disturbed friend a reassuring pat on the back, although Mimi did lower her voice. "Harriet, people dream about being larger than life figures all the time. Your father's a Colonel and your older sister's a hero cop, and your brother used to be a commando. No wonder you dream about being a superspy."
"Mimi, need I remind you that Henrietta is a child assassin for a black ops government agency. Not the kind of thing any sane person should be dreaming about," Harriet muttered worriedly. "I don't know, Mimi. Am I disturbed for having such violent dreams or something? I'm pretty sure most girls don't dream about killing people when they're going through puberty."
Mimi raised an eyebrow at Harriet's statement.
"Okay. I do think about strangling Danica from time to time. But that's totally different and completely justified. You know what I mean!"
"If it bugs you that much, maybe you should tell your parents," Mimi suggested.
"I can't. Everyone is so busy dealing with the northern rebels right now, I don't want this on their plate as well. I haven't even told Danica in case she goes to them," Harriet answered honestly.
It was Harriet Vinci's darkest secret. Ever since she came to Sicily, every night without fail, Harriet would dream that she was a girl named Henrietta. While Mimi was correct in saying it would be normal to dream of being someone else who lived a more adventurous lifestyle, Henrietta was a totally different matter.
Henrietta Croce was a preteen cyborg super-soldier that killed people for a living.
She was a tool that had been brainwashed by the government to do their dirty work. Highly trained, and enhanced with a prosthetic body, Henrietta lived in a twisted world where innocence meshed with violence on a daily basis.
Every night, Harriet would dream of a different day in the life of this stranger and remember every moment of the dream like it was her own memories, as if she were watching another person's life unfold in her unconsciousness.
It was a very vivid fantasy. Henrietta had her own friends, her own home, and a 'brother' named Giuseppe she was entirely devoted to. Harriet could remember every training session, every tea party, and every mission Henrietta had ever participated in, even as the cyborg herself had begun to lose her own memories from a degrading mind. Harriet found herself 'living' the life of this girl, watching as an observer but never having any control of what unfolded.
To say the dreams frightened Harriet would not be a lie. In fact, when they first happened Harriet had been very close to telling her father about them. Not wanting to distract him and her siblings from their work, Harriet chose to say silent. However, Harriet had since gotten used to these 'dreams'. If she was perfectly honest with herself, Harriet would even go as far to say she would stay away from anything to do with Henrietta in real life.
Besides, she and Danica worried constantly about their family who were back in Rome fighting the terrorists. The twins collected every news article, every magazine report, everything relating to the unfolding events in mainland Italy, from the 'relative safety' of Camorra controlled Sicily, ironically the one place in all of the country the Five Republics feared to tread since the Camorra's recent change in management. Harriet reasoned 'Henrietta' was in actuality just her own unexpressed desire to join her family in their efforts to safeguard their country and had mostly written those dreams off.
Harriet had managed to put this problem out of her mind for her day to day life. The dream named Henrietta remained just that; a dream. But occasionally something like this would happen, where a major event in Henrietta's life, like the sudden appearance of the name Ciro Giovanni, would somehow cross over into real life and ruin Harriet's day.
And that frightened Harriet more than anything else.
"Suit yourself. I really think you're just reading too much into it," Mimi joked light-heartedly. "By the way, what set you off this time?"
Harriet scratched her cheek bashfully. "Well-"
"'Ello Mimi and my darling sister! Man, Big Sis Olivia is awesome isn't she?"
"I still haven't forgiven you for this morning Danica," Harriet addressed the person in question. Danica merely shrugged and pulled a seat for herself beside the duo.
"We really ought to call her later and congratulate her. This was a really big catch for the SCU!" Danica continued as if Harriet's threat hadn't even happened. "Anyway, I was with those losers, the Literacy Club Girls just now, and you won't believe what they're all crazy about right now."
Both Harriet and Mimi shared a curious glance. Danica was on good terms with the Literacy Club, so why did she call them losers? "What, Miss Anime Club President?" Mimi asked.
"'Breaking Dawn', by Stephanie Meyer. Pfft! How stupid do you have to be to like that crap? Vampire novels will totally mess up your mind," Danica said with disdain.
"But Danica, I think the Twilight series are great books. Didn't you find it romantic at how much Bella and Edward loved each other?" Harriet tiled her head in confusion.
A short silence fell over the three girls when Harriet finished speaking. Harriet was honestly puzzled at her sister for disliking an international bestseller. This had the unfortunate side effect of stopping Danica's heart cold and making the younger brunette turn deathly pale.
"…My own twin sister. I can't believe it. My own twin sister," Danica whispered, clearly struggling to accept the reality before her. "Y-Yo-You actually like Stephanie Meyer? Wh-Why?"
"Err… because she writes good books?" Mimi supplied.
And then it seemed as if Danica's mind had shut down. Tense moments passed as the younger Vinci twin's expression of disbelief stayed on her face without faltering. It was like a computer; 'Danica Vinci does not compute'. She didn't even blink. Harriet waved a hand in front of the frozen face to see if it would rouse a reaction. No luck.
Then Danica Vinci exploded.
"FAIL! You have no TASTE! Mimi, there is no other way to say it, but YOU FAIL at LIFE!" Danica declared, jamming an offending finger at Mimi before rounding on Harriet. "And You! YOU are not my sister! I have no sister! I disown you, you Sparkly Vampire Fangirl!" Danica declared tearfully before she ran away from them with her face in her hands like a heartbroken shojo-manga character that had just been shot down.
Despite the entire cafeteria now focused on them, thanks to Danica's outburst, Mimi and Harriet could only stare dumbly at where the younger Vinci Twin had just been.
"Harriet." Mimi finally managed, after remembering she had a mouth and could speak. "You have got to stop letting Danica read all those Japanese comics. It's completely messed up her mind. Seriously."
Harriet palmed her face with embarrassment. Just as how Harriet's hardworking nature and love for soccer defined her character, Danica's anime and video game obsession was completely out of her hands. "That would be easier said than done-"
"MATILDA? NOT YOU TOO!"
Well if Danica's nervous breakdown in the cafeteria had done anything, Harriet now felt a little less concerned about Mr. Giovanni. After all, the quandary of having Danica as a sister far outweighed the possible implications of some stupid dream.
Following lunch, the rest of Harriet's day passed uneventfully. It was just another day of classes followed by a few hours of soccer practice, mostly for the upcoming game between her school and local rivals. Their play had been on top form, and they were already the favourite to win, so Harriet had returned home in good spirits.
As with their usual routine, Danica did the groceries while Harriet was practicing and had even prepared dinner in their small yet comfortable apartment. Despite her earlier threats, Harriet had all but forgotten the morning incident due to her enthusiasm at the upcoming soccer match, and the two sisters shared a quiet but homely meal together.
The apartment used to belong to their aunt who had been killed in a terrorist bombing while on holiday in Venice. Because their parents and older siblings were in Rome pursuing more dangerous ventures, the two girls lived alone in Sicily. Despite their youth, and Danica's apparent immaturity at times, the twins were very independent. The two girls mostly took good care of themselves.
They had almost taken up part time jobs when their father had stepped in and told them not to. "Sicily may be safer than mainland Italy right now." He'd said, "But while the new Camorra heads may present themselves to be better than their predecessors, I still don't like them enough to let you out after dark!"
They divided the housework between themselves, responsibly pursued their schooling and other activities, and basically looked out for each other. All in all it was a typical day for the Vinci twins, all aside from an auspicious phone call.
When Harriet answered the lone telephone in the main living room, she was overjoyed to discover who it was. "Harrick!" Harriet happily greeted her brother over the phone.
Twenty five year old Harrick Vinci was Harriet's older brother, and was the only member of her immediate family currently not involved in the law enforcement field after a near fatal incident that prematurely ended his military career. A strong and jovial man despite a ruined knee, Harrick was probably closer to the twins than their parents were.
"Hey kid! How's life in Sicily treating you?"
"Danica's in the shower right now. I'll let you talk to her when she's done." Harriet replied.
"Rats. I finally bought that thing she wanted me to get for her a few months back. Some newfangled gadget or something. Don't even know what it is. All I know is it's not an iPod."
"It's a Creative ZEN player, I think. She hates iPods with a passion for some reason. Anyway, there's been something I really need to ask you about! I hear you've got a new job."
Harrick laughed. "Ha-ha! Olivia must have told you. It's just this children's welfare thing the government has put together, nothing really special. I've actually been at the job for about three months now, so it's not that new. I figured I should get something mild after all that trouble in the Col Moschin."
"Nice to know you'll be doing something safe for a change."
And Harriet was happy indeed.
Harrick Vinci used to be one of the rising stars in the Italian army, right up until a shootout between his squad and a separatist cell shattered the young commando's left kneecap and tore up several muscles. His wounds were so severe that it landed him in the hospital for four months. Harrick had wanted to return to active duty; however, his wound was so severe he was eventually given an honourable discharge from the military for health and safety reasons.
Forced to forever walk with the assistance crutch, it was a crushing blow to Harrick. Yet in true Vinci fashion, the young man picked himself up and found something new to do, Social Welfare.
It was very peculiar for an ex-commando become a social welfare worker. Harriet for one had thought that her father, Colonel Leonard Vinci, would surely have not approved of his son's career swap when she'd heard of the news. However, Leonard had actually given him the go ahead with full approval, something that bewildered Harriet's sister Olivia when the two of them last talked over the phone.
Harrick seemed happy enough, and that was good enough for Harriet.
"Well it's not as if I can save the world with me knee all messed up. I'll have to settle on doing something smaller for the time being. Anyway, I like my new job. And the co-workers are nice... Except for this guy named Joseph. Biggest loser I've ever met. Can't believe he's still on the payroll, or even that he's related to my boss. No way am I letting him near the kids..."
"Kids? You deal with children?" Harriet giggled. From commando to the kindergarten cop. Only her brother could do such things!
"Yeah, I have to do lots of babysitting. Mostly this one girl who... but I have plenty of experience with that after what you and Danica put me through."
"Meanie."
"Hey don't give me that. You two had me running in circles when you were younger!"
"... I think we have a very good chance at beating St. Abigail's at the match next Sunday. Just to be safe though, I'd better put in more effort in making sure Mimi doesn't get in detention or something. We need all the practice we can get. All in all, it was a pretty normal day." Harriet finished aloud as she ended the day's entry in her brown diary. She paused, considering whether 'pretty normal' was a proper way to end her entry.
Harriet reconsidered. Crossing out the last line, the teenager penned something else.
"Today, Olivia arrested Mr. Giovanni, a man I'd only heard about when I dreamed about Henrietta. It was odd, since in my dream I was pretty sure he ended up dead. Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but maybe this might mean something."
Harriet stared at the line she had just written for a very long time. Very rarely, such as a day like this, Harriet would actually put something about Henrietta in her diary. It was risky. Someone could sneak a peek and find out about her secret delusions, and then Harriet would be in a world of trouble. After all, Henrietta's world seemed like the ravings of a madman, with conspiracies, experimentations, killings and other nefarious deeds mixed in with childish innocence.
If it wasn't for the fact she had somehow grown apathetic to this, Harriet would have checked herself into a mental institution the first chance she got.
However, much like the girl of her dreams, Harriet still found some small comfort in putting her experiences in paper. Perhaps it was just a way of giving her reassurance that her dreams were real, and that they were not delusions. Simply putting those words down in her diary made Harriet feel better.
Harriet snapped the diary shut. She would keep the entry as it was. Carefully placing the tome back in its hiding place on her bookshelf among the 'invisible-to-Danica' romance novels she had bought just for that purpose, Harriet quickly changed into her nightclothes. She would keep that memory of Giovanni, and perhaps one day make sense of it all.
Settling into her comfortable bed, Harriet closed her eyes and allowed her mind to slowly drift away. Before long was sound asleep. Sure enough, as with every other night before that, Harriet soon found herself living another life in her dreams...
The life of a dream named Henrietta.
To be continued...