2 days later at LA Vega house
"hey so Cat I know Beck being gone is hard on you but in his will he asked something of us" says Derick Oliver
"he was a friend that's it, why would it be hard on me" lies Cat trying to avoid a meltdown
"look in his will he specifically wrote that you would feel immensely responsible for his death, he wrote the will before he died and had a lawyer make it official, I guess he had some sort of crush on you because he said that he'd have died for you if it meant your light could live on" says Derick
"he was my first stage kiss, Jade was very angry, even more so than she was when Tori did basically the same thing….. he said he'd really die for me if it meant my light lived on" says Cat
"to be fair Cat you tried full meal, that wasn't just any stage kiss, Beck and I both knew that" says Jade
"it was acting, I've always liked girls, I didn't know what a stage kiss was, all I knew was what I saw in the movies, you know full on make out stuff, I wanted to create the image of a guy loving girl so nobody would question my being extra friendly with Tori, I knew of her before she joined Hollywood Arts but never been that close to her, I knew I'd wanted to be so I created an alibi, it's not my fault I'm an accidentally good actress" says Cat defensively as Ivy fronts suddenly
"Hello Ivy" says Tori
"ugh what did Beck send you over for, I know he's gone that's not the point" says Ivy annoyed
"she get that scared that fast, maybe I was wrong to say he might have had a crush on her but I didn't think she'd be that scared" asks Derick nervously
"she's afraid of a post death confession of love, if that were the case she'd hate herself for not letting him have at least a little of what he deserved" says Ivy
"believe me that's not what he had us come here for in his will, if he had feelings for Cat he hasn't shown any evidence of such in his last words nor his will" says Derick
"unfortunately in her attempt to create an alibi so she could fancy us girls in secret she let be known how good a kisser she was, that's why Andrew molested her, it was still post school flood days so they hadn't come up with or reinstated any rules to essentially audition for the ability to be in plays we were allowed to make up our own play, Much like how Robbie was after Cat so was every boy, Cat wouldn't give Andrew the time of day as it were so he took what he wanted from her by force, possibly drugging her to do so, as it stands she can't remember how it happened just that it happened, she remembers everything he did in great detail but doesn't remember getting undressed and as it was over four years ago and while he did go to jail for raping her Andrew was let out last month, he'd apparently found a lawyer that was able to argue that she had consented, since she was out of the country she couldn't mount a defence, tonight is the trial where she puts her facts on the line, hence why even the smallest things set her off" says Tori
"ahh I understand, I'm sorry if anything I've said scared her, he wanted her to have a part of his ashes, preferably made into a necklace or something, anyway I hope she does well" says Derick Oliver setting down an urn and leaves
At court later that day
"Catarina, Andrew says you consented to the touching" says Judge Louis
"one moment I'm at my locker and he hands me a latte the next I'm naked and tied to a garbage bin big enough to dislocate my wrists, I like girls not guys, I'd have never consented to touching like that, let alone at school and most definitely not from a boy" says Cat
"any medical records from that day" asks Louis
"several yes, as you can see she tested positive for three date-rape drugs, the doctor said it would give her the ability to remember everything while it's happening but blank the memory right before it, the only thing we wished she hadn't done was have a shower but given she never claimed rape it was less of an issue" says Darrel as David interrupts the trial
"sorry to interrupt this proceeding but there have been three girls aged twelve to fourteen found tied up naked to their family garbage bin for their whole neighborhood to see and one is currently missing, the clothes she was wearing found in the oven of her families home, it's a pattern and I don't like where it's going" says David
"can you prove it was him" asks Louis
"they all identified him from a set of pictures, I played a small audio of his voice and they all cried so yes I can confirm it is him, can you sign the arrest warrant" says David
"I can though I have to wonder why you didn't pick another judge" says Louis taking the arrest warrant form from David signing it and returning it to him
"none of the other judges believed me, said he was out of jail too recently to have the guts to commit crimes that heinous" says David as Cat cries
"ok that's enough trial for today Cat, I'm convinced, I shouldn't have ever let him out" says Louis
"this is because of me, I shouldn't have gotten him arrested" cries Cat
"hold on what" asks Louis
"he said if I told anyone that he'd make me pay" bawls Cat
"this isn't your fault Catarina now go home to your girls, be safe" says Louis
"h-h-h-h-how do you know t-t-t-they're mine" asks Cat
"I've seen the coverage of the school being reopened, Sabrina is my daughter, anyway I could see the love in their eyes when you spoke, you had their full attention, even more than the students did, that says something about the bond you three have" says Louis
"we've been trying to hide it because marriage was my end goal with them and I can't do that legally" says Cat
"I think you'll find that anyone without a trained eye will not notice anything specific about the connection, even me with my years of experience meant I let a bad guy out based solely on an argument his lawyer made, nobody is perfect Catarina I heard England just passed a law allowing it with restrictions, once you're married there there is nothing any American judge can do about it, that was part of the law that was passed, they made it a protected marriage, meaning no judge in the world except for English judges can do anything about it" says Louis sincerely as Cat and Darrel leave
Back at home
"how'd it go" asks Jade
"good I guess, David interrupted us before it got too overwhelming for me, almost like It was planned" says Cat
"my dad would never, he really did try the other judges first, when he didn't have any luck he called me and said 'I don't have a choice but to barge in on the trial, no judge will sign it', he really tried to not seem like he was being biased, did it go that bad" asks Tori
"he knows about us, the trio, he indicated that nobody would notice if they didn't have his level of detail, he's Sabrina's father, it scares me that he's so close to this, I thought we were doing good at hiding it, now I'm terrified everyone knows" says Cat as she starts to hyperventilate
"David assured me we are within our rights, as long as nobody finds out we're engaged we are fine" says Jade as Tori's phone goes off
"what is it dad" asks Tori
"we found the missing girl, she's barely conscious, in Andrew's parents house where Andrew is supposed to live, as per his go to she was naked, we caught him playing with her, which is enough to send him away for a LONG time, anyway I'm bringing her to the house so she can recover, her parents consented as they can't bear to see her in this condition, the hospital is sending a mobile unit" says David
"no issues with consent this time" asks Cat
"no, we caught him red handed, she's thirteen Cat, all we had in your case was medical records I'm not saying what he did to you was ok but having actual physical evidence is another thing entirely, we can finally put him away for a long time, anyway I'll be there in five minutes" says David hanging up
"do you really think he'd kidnap a brand new teenage girl Cat" asks Tori
"he'd evolved Tori, given the fact that only one judge was willing to sign the arrest papers, ya he probably thought he'd get away with it, kidnapping means he planned to groom her, which is way worse" says Cat
"oh god" says Jade
"he had plans to do exactly that to me, I was going to become his mindless play toy, constantly hopped up on meds, the only reason I could even get away was because the bell rang, the last thing he'd said to me was he'd come get me after school" says Cat
"oh god Cat, you really believe he'd do it, granted Andrew clearly isn't sane but still" asks Jade
"I know it, my brother wasn't allowed in the court room but he had suspected Andrew had gotten out of jail, that he'd pick another slave target, as insane as Henry can be with his system, he's never been wrong so far, the only reason he doesn't fuss about you guys being so close to me is that he knows Jade would kill anyone trying to get close to me, here's the thing, if he's drugged her and conditioned her we can't trust her, we aren't doctors" says Cat
"he hasn't had her even seven hours, nobody breaks that fast" says Tori
"Tori I am strong willed you know that, he is the reason I'm a little, I couldn't have been in that closet more than five minutes, had that bell not rung I'd have been his, no question about it" says Cat
"lane said you'd been MIA for six minutes" says Jade
"that proves my point, six hours at that age, would be more than enough to condition her, she could be dangerous" says Cat as David arrives with Valerie wrapped up in a blanket
"Cat says she could be dangerous, that he could have conditioned her" says Tori
"there is a possibility yes, if Cat's smart enough to figure that out before the arresting officer of which I am not then she is smart enough to undo the damage, the conditioning at the very least, my only job was to get her out of there" says David setting her down on the couch
"I need my brother here, I can't do it by myself" says Cat
"I can't bring Henry into this Cat, he's not stable and I promised her mother I would keep her safe" says David
"you misunderstand David, it is Henry who Andrew is afraid of, it is Henry who knows how to fix it, I managed to fall victim to Andrew because at the time I like you believed Henry was dangerous, despite that no doctor was able to pull me out of the drugged state, despite having already cleared the drugs from my system, then Henry chanted something under his breath and I was almost immediately normal again, as much as I've tried to ignore it, my family is one that performs magic, selected by a God to right the sins of the world…. Maybe I shouldn't have been so open just then, you probably want to send me to some mental facility like they did to Henry when he tried to heal someone" says Cat
"look I'll be honest Ivy and I talk, I'm not as close minded as you think Cat, my mother believed that certain people were sent to this earth to make a difference, you being in Tori's life made a believer out of me, never in a million years did I think she'd ever show her face as Velvet Starlight, even if only with a wig and a fake nose, if you think bringing Henry here will fix anything then I will bring him here" says David
"y-you don't think I'm crazy" asks Cat shocked
"the moment I saw you I knew you were special Cat, nobody and I mean NOBODY could get Tori talking like you could, if it were up to me you and Tori would have dated right away" says David
"we more or less were dad, what would you have Cat do with this girl" says Tori
"well then…. Anyway try and keep her calm, don't pressure Cat to do anything she can't do, magic or otherwise, I'll be back in half an hour" says David
"all I can do is keep her calm, my magic is based on water, I can't fix any brain conditioning, trying to would make me lose my mind, quite literally, my magic only works on surface damage, you know cuts, muscle damage, that kind of thing, it can't cross the blood-brain barrier, anyway you should go get Henry, she's going to wake up soon" says Cat
10 minutes later as Valerie wakes up angry
"where is my master" says Valerie furiously
"shhhh" says Cat chanting under her breath
"W-W-why….. you want to kill him don't you" asks Valerie her conditioning wavering slightly
"you aren't special Valerie, he wants to use you he doesn't care about you only your body, he's an evil evil man" says Cat
"no no he cares.. he loves me" says Valerie as Cat chants under her breath again
"I'm afraid he does not Valerie, he drugged you, just like he did to me, he wanted to control you, he will say whatever he wants to get what he wants, that being girls naked so he can molest them" says Cat calmly as Valerie comes closer to cracking
"h-h-he d-d-did t-t-this to you t-t-to" asks Valerie as Cat nods
20 minutes later as Henry walks in
"what's her status" asks Henry
"stable and stuttering but still firmly believes he loves her" says Cat
"ugh he had her for almost seven hours, he probably broke her personality, quickly dress her before I start" says Henry handing Cat some clothes
"isn't it better that she not be, your magic works better with skin contact" says Cat as Valerie falls asleep
"her age requires her to be dressed Sis, I put her in a sleep state, now I'll turn around and you dress her" says Henry as he turns around and Cat dresses her
"ok she's dressed" says Cat as Henry turns back around
"how long is this going to take" asks Jade
"that depends on how broken he made her, at best ten minutes and she is fine just as before he got to her, at worst half a day and she will never be able to live in normal society again" says Henry as he focuses on Valerie and Cat, Jade and Tori back away
"is he serious about the last part" asks David
"very David, chances are high Andrew spent six hours defiling her body at his will, under the effects of the drugs she'd be powerless to say anything but yes to his questions, that would break even the strongest of wills David, mine included" says Cat
"so she'll never be the same again will she" asks David
"he severely corrupted her sense of morality, it will take about an hour or two but I'd highly suggest she not be placed back in a normal school environment, my ability can only do so much, if I can't get it all she will continue his work, if I work too fast I could make her like me and Cat, meaning she'd have an identity disorder, please stay quiet till I finish my work please" says Henry
3.5 hours later as Valerie's mother arrives
"how's my daughter David" asks Delores
"you need to understand the chances of getting her back to normal was slim, he had her tied up naked for hours, defiling her body, no rape mind you but defiled her none the less" says David as Valerie stares blankly at her parents
"what does that mean brother, I'm lucky you were on the clock when I reported her missing" asks Delores Vega
"her memory is almost non-existent, he fried her long term memory, he'd managed to make her loyal to him, made her believed he loved her, her memory lasts maybe five minutes, meaning she can't complete her schooling Del" says David
"wait Del as in Aunt Delores… that means this is Valerie Vega…. Oh God, the hopes she had" says Tori
"remember what mom always said about faith healers Del" says David
"yeah, I always thought it was hogwash" says Delores
"Cat and her brother Henry are the real deal, he'd programmed Valerie to attack anyone who tried to keep her from him, the man who defiled her tried to do the same to Cat at school no less, the only reason he didn't succeed is the class in two minutes bell rang, this was most likely revenge to make Cat feel responsible so she'd give in and take Valerie's place, Cat has a high moral code, his plan would have worked if she was single, thankfully she isn't and had people to ground her logic, if it were up to me if suggest putting Valerie in Tori, Jade and Cat's care" says David
"she's my daughter David, my husband left me because I chose to keep her when she was born, I can't just leave her" says Delores
"you also can't afford to keep her, not in this country, you could barely afford the medication as it was, Tori is Velvet Starlight, she's mega rich, Jade inherited billions and Cat can keep her safe in London, if you can't leave her then go with them" says David
"but I'm the only family you have left" says Delores
"we're family Del, we make sacrifices for one another, I'd move there too if I felt I could get a job there but somebody has to protect that school" says David
"Auntie how about this, I pay off your house and pay someone to keep it clean, somebody I trust and you and Valerie move to London with Cat, Jade and I" says Tori
"but she loves that house" says Delores
"house…. Mom, can I have a hug" says Valerie
"of course baby girl… David I thought you said her long term memory was fried" says Delores hugging Valerie tight
"he should have said her access to it was fried, it's all still there, new memories will continue to be added to it but her automatic recall is gone, it was the only way to save her, had I not severed that connection she'd have gone at you with a knife on sight, he planted some false memories in the most recent section of her long term memory, that's how he gained control of her free will, I removed it" says Henry
"what kind of false memories" asks Delores covering Valerie's ears
"he planted memories of you sexually abusing her, he was only interested in her teen body, he's a serious perv, he made her believe he was saving her from a sexually abusive parent, he had plans to rape her eventually, by doing the stuff he was doing and had done for six hours he made certain she was loyal to him and only him, meaning if David and his buddy hadn't caught him defiling her to the extent that she couldn't handle her body's reaction to it and made her pass out she'd have flatly denied any molestation or rape on his part till the day she died, she would have kept him out of prison" says Henry
"why do I feel this would have gotten worse if Cat traded her life for hers" asks Delores
"Valerie would have either been made to serve him and Cat sexually or he would have killed Valerie the moment he had Cat in his grasp, Cat is the girl he wanted, she has healing powers, meaning Cat could have kept them all alive for as long as Cat's body could handle it, having someone with the power Cat holds would be very valuable to him, though Ivy has more of a grasp on the extent of the powers than Cat does, his first goal had Cat given in would have been getting Cat pregnant so her child would continue the power line of healing, you guys are not safe in LA, at the end of this week Valerie and all of you minus David should leave, he has friends who would continue his work" says Henry
"what is this some sort of cult or something" asks Delores
"no, he practices the dark art of behavior manipulation, basically twisting facts and memories so that in this case that Valerie believed Molestation was love and that Cat wanted to kill them both, he'd twisted things so much she believed she gave consent to let him do what he did to her when he was caught, that six hours of defiling was what true love was, to be honest I wasn't sure I could un twist it all, I thought she'd be way worse than she is now by the time I was done, like I said once Cat's done working with the school this week you let Tori pay off the house and leave with them They'd just bought a house beside Cat and I's cousins house, plenty of room" says Henry
"it's in her best interest isn't it, to leave the place she knows as home to keep her safe" says Delores
"as a permanent home yes, if as I said buy your house it could be transferred into my name or more accurately Velvet Stsrlight's name, we're coming right back for Christmas but I need to record and release music first and I can only do that in London, where all my recording equipment is, the plan is to have this as her second non-tracable home, my home, meaning her location can never be traced back to that house unless someone is spying on us, your face will have to be covered or hidden in some way entering and leaving that house, also we should change the kitchen and her bedroom around so it's not as easy to trigger anything Henry couldn't pull out" says Tori
"agreed, I will sell you the house or to Velvet anyway, Valerie is my whole world, when I came home from volunteering at the homeless shelter this morning and noticed she was gone I didn't know who to call, my worst fears were realized when David called me and explained how they'd found her so I'd run myself a bath as it's the only calming thing I can do alone and kept saying to myself 'everything's going to be fine', I'm honestly just glad she's alive" says Delores letting Tori pick Valerie up
"chanting or repeatedly saying the same thing over and over is actually a good thing especially since she was probably taken from the house, Henry says it would lighten the energy in the house" says Tori rocking Valerie as Valerie giggles
"she's rather light for someone her age" says Cat changing the subject
"she has a rather fast metabolism, six hours tied to a garbage can naked and defiled as her body responds in waves, ya she'd easily lose a lot of weight, she needs to snack constantly, the only thing that ever calmed her down before bed was rocking her back and forth, either in my arms or in that rocking bed Trina helped me make for her last year, she won't sleep otherwise…. Does she remember the trauma, will she be able to sleep normally" says Delores
"that's the main reason I did the work I did, separating her long term memory, he'd already fried her recent memories, I took what I could and fixed it, the most prominent memory is of this penpal Adella Lopez" says Henry
"ahh Adella yes, they're more than just penpals, Adella has a crush on Valerie, the notes they'd sent to one another quickly turned to love so they were allowed to exchange phone numbers, though not their personal numbers, the penpal company didn't want to have the conversation go UN supervised, especially given their age" says Delores as Valerie stops giggling
"can I meet her" asks Valerie
"she lives in Glasgow, her parents moved there for work, you shouldn't expect people to pay for a visit you don't know how it ends Valerie, not that I don't believe you guys really do love one another, it's just meeting them in person doesn't always invoke the same feelings that texting does Valerie" says Delores
"trust me Auntie Del money isn't an issue, if a quick flight to Glasgow puts a smile on her face it would make my day, she's like a little sister to me, Trina always wanted a baby sister, though mainly to see if I'd be as mean as she was to me, jokes on her I don't mind being a middle child, even if only by my own making" says Tori as Valerie hugs Tori tight and won't let go