(9 years and 5 months ago-A week and two days after the Career Opportunities Camp Incident)
In the home of Alice Grainger, Maria and Carmela are in Alice's office; they are trying to convince her to join them and a parents group to help the victims of the Career Opportunities Camp Incident; they want to help all the kids and teens who were tortured there. However, she wasn't willing to help them.
"My answer is no." Alice said after turning her chair to face Maria and Carmela.
"Why not? For someone who wants to help children "not become someone like you" I thought you would be on board with helping the victims of the Career Opportunities Camp." Maria said with an angry look on her face
Alice said "I am helping the victims; at the very least I'm helping the victims that want to come to me for help."
Carmela said "If that's the case you should join us; help these children and teens recover.".
Alice explained "By joining another concerned parents and teachers group that's sole focus is making the victims simply forget about what happened. I'm not going to be a part of the same problem that caused their pain."
"The H Laws caused everyone pain." Carmela said, clenching her fist in anger.
Alice further explained with an eyebrow raised "That's true but the concerned parents and teachers convinced themselves that sending kids to their facility was the best choice instead of dealing with the problem themselves. Given the list of victims, a lot of them didn't need to go there in the first place; mixing them in with actual delinquents in the first palace doesn't help their case in wanting to help. Goes to show that a lot of the parents must hate their kids and are just covering their asses under the guise of healing; or rather they're trying to force them into being something that they weren't going to be. Carmela, I thought you and Emiliano accepted Frida for who she was. Did you change your minds as she got older or were you simply lying to yourselves?
Carmela started to cry but Maria held her hand. She then pointed to Alice and said "Now you're just being overly hurtful and insulting."
Alice retorted "No, I'm being truthful and realistic. Why does it matter to you anyway? Manny wasn't even a victim and….. You were going to send him there, weren't you?".
Maria shouted "Of course not!"
Alice said with a devilish smile on her face "You were thinking about it; before the reveal that the facility was dirty it was on your mind."
"Are you using your powers on me?"
"Don't need to. Even though you know that's not how it works first hand, I can still read your body language and eye movement. Never would have thought you would want to stop Manny from being El Tigre via torture devices."
"I would never do that, you bitch!" Maria shouted as she's about to punch Alice but a force field prevented that from happening.
Carmela said afterwards"Calm down, Maria. Don't let her get to you.".
"Alright." Maria said, calming down for Carmela.
Carmela asked Alice "Let me ask you this: are you helping Frida?".
Alice said "She hasn't come to me for therapy but she is seeing someone. I'm not telling you who it is but I can assure you her therapist is really good; the kind that Frida needs.
"Even though you've had sessions with her?" Carmela questioned, as she remembers Frida had sessions with Alice in middle school
Alice said "I can't help her if she doesn't want me to help her; she said that my methods weren't what she needed right now."
Carmela asked "How is she?".
Alice got up from her chair and said "I'm not answering that. Just because I know things about Frida doesn't mean I'm going to help you get in touch with her; she doesn't want anything to do with you or Chief Suarez right now. I would suggest that you tell your husband to be prepared to be renounced by her cause that's where she's probably going with this."
"Go to hell." Carmela said before she left the office in a huff.
Maria said to Alice with an even angrier look on her face "I know you won't feel anything by me saying this but it's still hard to believe that Rodolfo is friends with a heartless person like you.".
Alice retorted "It's probably the same reason why he even married a half hearted, shortsighted, spoiled, naive lover like you."
Not wanting to start another insult war with Alice, Maria left the office to go find Carmela. Once outside, she found Carmela crying on a nearby bench. Maria sat down next to her and gave her a hug.
Next to Task Force Cross, I've neglected uploading chapters for Maria's story simply because her story is the true definition of a side story; one that doesn't need to be addressed as it would not affect the story as much at a certain point. However, doing a short for what she was doing in this section of Villainverse that relates to the Career Opportunities Incident side of the story along with show how she and Alice, my oc, have grown to hate each other to an extent.
Side Note: To give you a better idea of what the Career Opportunities Incident was like look up an episode from Batman Beyond called The Last Resort; I based this incident off that episode.