Chapter 11: The Origin of Vernita
That morning, Nicki made a decision. She was now 14, and her anger had been festering for ten years. Screw growing up, she couldn't wait any longer. She was going to go after this Beatrix and kill her. However, she had a little problem. All she knew was the woman's first name and what she looked like. That wasn't going to get her very far, so she had to somehow find out more. The one sure way to do this would be to look into her mother's past.
After having this thought, it occurred to Nicki that she didn't know her mother's maiden name. While she was alive Nicki was too young to be interested, and ever since she had never asked her father. Dr. Bell was hit very hard by the murder, and had become an alcoholic. He now worked as a janitor, scraping up just enough for he and his daughter to live on.
Dr. Bell stumbled into the house, having just come off the night shift. Typically he went to sleep for a few hours after this, but Nicki couldn't wait any more. She stopped him at the door and pointedly said, "I want to ask you about mom."
He visibly crumpled at the question. After a few seconds he responded, "What the hell kind of way is that to greet your old man?" Nicki could smell a faint hint of liquor on his breath, though luckily she'd caught him before he got too drunk to be helpful. She said, "It's been ten years. All this time, I've known nothing about Jeanne Bell. I just want to know something, is all."
Her father staggered over to his favorite armchair. "All right, have a seat. The question is just how much you want to know. I found out a few things about her, but they'll hardly make the mourning process easier, if that's what you want out of this." Nicki replied, "I want all of it. Right now."
"Well, to start with, her name wasn't really Jeanne. It was Vernita. Her maiden name was Green. Now what I'm about to tell you will be hard to believe; I know I didn't believe it when she told me. She said she'd kept it inside her for too long, that she needed to tell it to someone. That was the day before..." He trailed off, stifling a sob.
Nicki took his hand in hers. "Please, go on. I just have to know." Her father regained his composure, and continued the story. "She grew up homeless, along with her parents. They lived in the Bronx, doing anything they could to get by. Eating out of garbage cans, begging for money, the works. One day, a martial arts school opened in the neighborhood, and Vernita took an interest in it. She know she could never join, but she looked through the window every day. Eventually, she started picking up on some lessons, and practiced them herself.
"When she was ten years old, she and her parents were attacked by some tough guys that had just moved into their turf. One of them pulled a knife and stabbed her father right in the heart. Next he came after Vernita, but she was ready. She stepped aside as he lunged, grabbed his arm, and hit the bottom of his hand. The knife flew up and behind his head, where she caught it. Then she held it to his throat, and demanded that the whole group leave her alone. They ran away, then she let the guy go. However, when she looked at her father's body she couldn't hold her rage in, and threw the knife between his shoulders. It went through the guy's spine and paralyzed him, so she walked over, took it out, and finished the job.
"Then she realized what she had just done. She also discovered that she had enjoyed it."
Nicki couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother, the pure, innocent woman she had seen destroyed before her eyes, was a killer herself? She knew that couldn't be all there was to it. She listened to the rest of the story.
"Unknown to Vernita, someone had witnessed the entire incident. The next day, this man visited her. He told her mother that he wanted to take her with him, and to give her the opportunities that she would never get where she was. Well, her mother knew she would be lonely without any family, but she realized it would be best for Vernita, so she agreed. The man began walking away with a reluctant Vernita in tow. Before they left, her mother called out, 'But what's your name?' He answered, 'Bill.'
"Under Bill's guidance, Vernita learned far more than she ever could have watching through the window of that karate school. She was taught how to wield a samurai sword, and when Bill felt she was ready, he gave her one made by Hatori Hanzo, possibly the greatest sword maker in history. However, her preferred weapon was always the one that she used to make her first kill: the knife.
"When she was old enough, she joined Bill's group of hired killers, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. The code name given to her was Copperhead. She was unhappy with this, and asked to be called Black Mamba. But there was someone else in the group who already had that name: Beatrix Kiddo."
At the mention of the name, Nicki's eyes lit up. "Beatrix? Could that be the same Beatrix that killed her?" Dr. Bell replied, "No. Beatrix Kiddo's dead. Bill thought she was killed on one of her missions, but it turned out she was pregnant and left without telling him to get married. That didn't sit too well with Bill, so he and the rest of the vipers killed everyone who was at the wedding. After that, though, Vernita had had enough. Killing one of her comrades brought home to her just what it was that she was doing, and she didn't want to do it anymore. So she asked Bill's permission to leave, and he agreed. Then she met me, you were born, and the rest you know."
At this Dr. Bell stopped talking, and Nicki could tell the long hours had caught up with him and he'd fallen asleep. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Just then, she remembered something that Beatrix had said to her: "I had a little girl once. She'd be about four now." If the Beatrix that her mother had worked with was pregnant when she was killed, then maybe she wasn't killed after all. And she had said her mother had it coming. Now Nicki had accomplished the first step on her journey. She knew the name of her target, and she knew what she would do when she found her.
That morning, Nicki made a decision. She was now 14, and her anger had been festering for ten years. Screw growing up, she couldn't wait any longer. She was going to go after this Beatrix and kill her. However, she had a little problem. All she knew was the woman's first name and what she looked like. That wasn't going to get her very far, so she had to somehow find out more. The one sure way to do this would be to look into her mother's past.
After having this thought, it occurred to Nicki that she didn't know her mother's maiden name. While she was alive Nicki was too young to be interested, and ever since she had never asked her father. Dr. Bell was hit very hard by the murder, and had become an alcoholic. He now worked as a janitor, scraping up just enough for he and his daughter to live on.
Dr. Bell stumbled into the house, having just come off the night shift. Typically he went to sleep for a few hours after this, but Nicki couldn't wait any more. She stopped him at the door and pointedly said, "I want to ask you about mom."
He visibly crumpled at the question. After a few seconds he responded, "What the hell kind of way is that to greet your old man?" Nicki could smell a faint hint of liquor on his breath, though luckily she'd caught him before he got too drunk to be helpful. She said, "It's been ten years. All this time, I've known nothing about Jeanne Bell. I just want to know something, is all."
Her father staggered over to his favorite armchair. "All right, have a seat. The question is just how much you want to know. I found out a few things about her, but they'll hardly make the mourning process easier, if that's what you want out of this." Nicki replied, "I want all of it. Right now."
"Well, to start with, her name wasn't really Jeanne. It was Vernita. Her maiden name was Green. Now what I'm about to tell you will be hard to believe; I know I didn't believe it when she told me. She said she'd kept it inside her for too long, that she needed to tell it to someone. That was the day before..." He trailed off, stifling a sob.
Nicki took his hand in hers. "Please, go on. I just have to know." Her father regained his composure, and continued the story. "She grew up homeless, along with her parents. They lived in the Bronx, doing anything they could to get by. Eating out of garbage cans, begging for money, the works. One day, a martial arts school opened in the neighborhood, and Vernita took an interest in it. She know she could never join, but she looked through the window every day. Eventually, she started picking up on some lessons, and practiced them herself.
"When she was ten years old, she and her parents were attacked by some tough guys that had just moved into their turf. One of them pulled a knife and stabbed her father right in the heart. Next he came after Vernita, but she was ready. She stepped aside as he lunged, grabbed his arm, and hit the bottom of his hand. The knife flew up and behind his head, where she caught it. Then she held it to his throat, and demanded that the whole group leave her alone. They ran away, then she let the guy go. However, when she looked at her father's body she couldn't hold her rage in, and threw the knife between his shoulders. It went through the guy's spine and paralyzed him, so she walked over, took it out, and finished the job.
"Then she realized what she had just done. She also discovered that she had enjoyed it."
Nicki couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother, the pure, innocent woman she had seen destroyed before her eyes, was a killer herself? She knew that couldn't be all there was to it. She listened to the rest of the story.
"Unknown to Vernita, someone had witnessed the entire incident. The next day, this man visited her. He told her mother that he wanted to take her with him, and to give her the opportunities that she would never get where she was. Well, her mother knew she would be lonely without any family, but she realized it would be best for Vernita, so she agreed. The man began walking away with a reluctant Vernita in tow. Before they left, her mother called out, 'But what's your name?' He answered, 'Bill.'
"Under Bill's guidance, Vernita learned far more than she ever could have watching through the window of that karate school. She was taught how to wield a samurai sword, and when Bill felt she was ready, he gave her one made by Hatori Hanzo, possibly the greatest sword maker in history. However, her preferred weapon was always the one that she used to make her first kill: the knife.
"When she was old enough, she joined Bill's group of hired killers, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. The code name given to her was Copperhead. She was unhappy with this, and asked to be called Black Mamba. But there was someone else in the group who already had that name: Beatrix Kiddo."
At the mention of the name, Nicki's eyes lit up. "Beatrix? Could that be the same Beatrix that killed her?" Dr. Bell replied, "No. Beatrix Kiddo's dead. Bill thought she was killed on one of her missions, but it turned out she was pregnant and left without telling him to get married. That didn't sit too well with Bill, so he and the rest of the vipers killed everyone who was at the wedding. After that, though, Vernita had had enough. Killing one of her comrades brought home to her just what it was that she was doing, and she didn't want to do it anymore. So she asked Bill's permission to leave, and he agreed. Then she met me, you were born, and the rest you know."
At this Dr. Bell stopped talking, and Nicki could tell the long hours had caught up with him and he'd fallen asleep. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Just then, she remembered something that Beatrix had said to her: "I had a little girl once. She'd be about four now." If the Beatrix that her mother had worked with was pregnant when she was killed, then maybe she wasn't killed after all. And she had said her mother had it coming. Now Nicki had accomplished the first step on her journey. She knew the name of her target, and she knew what she would do when she found her.