Hey everyone, here's chapter 9 of The Misadventures of Vee. You probably saw this coming, but this chapter will center around Vee and Dani only… and I'm sure we all know why. Anyway, here's chapter 9.
A Few Months Ago…
"Sum-mer cam-p?" Vee sounded out the foreign words.
She took in the rather primitive, tiny, log huts sparsely spread out amongst the woods. The Human Realm was supposed to be less advanced than the Demon Realm, but Vee'd thought they'd least have indoor plumbing. Dozens of young humans were there with their adult caretakers, dragging suitcases and backpacks past the rather dull banner that read in soulless gray letters, "Welcome to Reality Check Summer Camp. Prepare to do Taxes. T_T"
"Bueno, that's everything," the human who had transported her here in the strange metal carriage said—Camilla, she recalled—and placed a backpack on Vee's shoulders. "Be good, mija. Te amo." Then the human did the oddest thing. She pressed her lips to Vee's cheek and made a "Mmmwah!" sound.
Vee had no clue what this meant, but when she saw Camilla getting back in the carriage she started to panic.
"Wait!" Vee croaked. "You're leaving me here?!" Her sudden turn made her messy hair flop in her face. Had she been bad? The long conversation Vee had shared with her had been a happy one, hadn't it? Had Vee accidentally taken the place of a human who was to be abandoned in the wild for dead?
"Cálmate, I'll pick you up in a few weeks, Luz," Camilla said soothingly, combing Vee's hair back.
"Really? You promise?" Vee whimpered, fearing deception.
Camilla cooed and did the odd lip thing to the top of Vee's head. This time, now that she was expecting it, the act surprisingly made Vee smile. She felt the warm love and adoration pouring from the human. "If you miss me, write to me. Tell me all about your time here," Camilla suggested.
"Okay," Vee readily agreed, amazed she'd found such a kind human.
A rumble shook the metal carriage and it began to carry Camilla away. "And try to make some friends," the woman called.
"I will," Vee called back, no clue what a friend was. When the carriage vanished around a bend, Vee took a deep breath, combed her unruly hair back, chose a log hut at random, and started her life as a human. "Friend," she muttered to herself as she entered the structure. "Friend, friend, friend, what are friends made of and how do I make one?"
"Any friends yet, Dani?" a commanding voice asked, catching Vee's attention. She followed it to a human girl in the hut who was talking to a device that resembled a scroll back in the Demon Realm.
"Ugh, not yet, mom," the girl groaned in the rudest possible way. "I've been here literally only two minutes."
"No excuses," scolded the stiffly dressed woman on the device's screen. "Two minutes is more than enough time to network. When I was your age, I could make a hundred connections in one elevator ride. Your father and I sent you to that camp to get you away from your distracting pretend games and to learn how to be a proper businesswoman. We expect results. Isn't that right, Jin?"
A second feed of a man in a completely different location than the woman appeared on the screen long enough for him to say, "Listen to your mother, Dani," then was gone.
"Well, you know what?" Dani said, gritting her teeth. She glanced around the room until her sights landed on Vee. In a flash, she grabbed the basilisk and squished her to her side. Once again, the sudden movement flopped Vee's messy hair in front of her face. "In the time it took for you to say all that I made a friend," Dani bragged.
"Wonderful, Dani," the woman said. "What's her name?"
"Name?" Dani blanched. "Uh, her name is…" She prodded Vee.
"Luz…?" Vee said.
"Luz. Such a pretty name," the woman commented with an out of nowhere sweetness. It was gone in an instant. "Now onto taxes, scheduling, table etiquette, business etiquette, informal etiquette, and etiquette theory. No slacking, Dani."
"Yes, mom," Dani grumbled and made the little woman disappear. She collapsed face first on the bed next to her and stayed there.
"Ummm… are we friends now?" Vee asked with hope.
Dani leveled an annoyed glare at her. Then that glare morphed into a mischievous sly grin. "Friends? Ooh, I don't know. We should definitely consult the Fates first." Drawing a stack of cards from her bag, Dani gave them a shuffle.
"The Fates?" Vee asked, astonished. "Wait, you can do Oracle magic? A human?"
"The cards never lie," Dani proclaimed loudly. "What tides will carry you to which lands? Where do the roads lead? Whose paths will you cross? Wherefore art thou, destiny?"
All the kids near them rolled their eyes and ignored the performance, but Vee was enraptured. She'd never seen a human perform magic before. In quick succession, Dani placed several cards before her on the mattress. She flipped the first.
"Aha, I see," Dani said. "You came here seeking sanctuary, to escape and hide."
Vee gasped. "That's right!"
Dani flipped the next. "This you will find and more, so much more than you could've ever dreamed."
Vee gasped again. "I will?"
Dani smirked sinisterly at Vee's elation and flipped the last one. "But the dream won't last long," she warned without even looking at the card. "That which you escaped will follow your trail and destroy everything you've come to hold dear. Your world will crumble to ruin before your eyes and there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can stop the unspeakable wrath that awaits you."
"What?!" Vee jerked back. It couldn't be. She'd been so careful. The Emperor's Coven was going to find her? And destroy her world? Were they going to hurt Camilla too?
"Pffft, hahahahaha!"
Vee stared at Dani, not sure what the human found so funny about her doom.
"Oh, your face!" Dani snickered. "You should've seen your face. It was all like, 'Ah, I'm gonna die!' Hahahaha!"
Then it clicked in Vee's head. "Hold on, was this… pretend?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure, it was pretend." Dani gagged on the p-word, done with laughing. "So, are you gonna storm off now and call me a freak? A jerk? A creepy little witch? Go ahead, I'm used to it."
"A freak? Are you kidding me? That was awesome!" Vee cheered.
Dani blinked. "Huh?"
"You made that all up in your head! Just now! Without even trying! I've never seen anyone do something like that! I was so scared! I had chills!" Vee squinted at her with suspicion. "Are you sure you can't do magic?"
Pride like Dani had never known filled her heart. Her cheeks lit up and she smiled a smug smile. "Well, maybe just a little."
"Do it again! Do it again! Please!" Vee pleaded.
A whistle blew in the distance. "Campers!" someone shouted. "Time for your welcome meeting. Make sure to bring your calculators."
"Aw, man, I guess maybe later," Vee moaned and stood. Once again, her untidy hair spilled into her face. "Gah! How can this be so short and so everywhere at the same time?!"
Dani chuckled. She'd been preparing for weeks to survive this postiviley boring camp. Now, however, she thought maybe with Luz this camp could be interesting. She reached into her bag and held something out to the girl.
"Here," she said.
Vee pulled her hair back and stared at the strip of… something in the palm of Dani's hand. It was so… yellow.
"Thanks," Vee said. "What is it?"
"A hair clip."
Vee didn't respond.
"To clip back your hair."
"Oh! Right! I knew what that was!" Vee grabbed the alien device and experimentally dragged it across her scalp. "It's not working. Is it broken? Did I break it?"
"Come here, you xîjù yānyuán (comedian)." A few seconds later, the clip was in place and not a strand bothered Vee again. "There, you look cute."
"Cuuu-te," Vee sounded out. "Does this mean we're friends now?"
Dani smiled. "Yeah, I guess we are."
Now…
Camilla pulled up to the movie theater with Vee in the passenger's seat. The veterinarian squealed.
"My baby is going on her first date!" Camilla gushed, "I thought I'd be in this situation with your sister, but this is just as good!"
"Yeah, uh-huh," Vee said in a quick, panicked tone while frantically flipping through pages of several books.
"What're you doing?" Camilla asked, a bit confused.
"I'm learning all about Azura and other stuff Luz likes. Since I couldn't stop Dani's feelings from growing, my only other option is to act like Luz since that's who she has a crush on," Vee explained, "I spent all night studying her quicks and mannerisms from stuff I heard around school, and I binge-read Azura fanfics. I think I got Luz's personality down... hopefully," she said as she closed all the books. "Once the real Luz comes back, she and I can switch places and she and Dani can date all they want."
Camilla blinked. Vee's trying to act like the real Luz for Dani because she thinks Dani has a crush on Luz? That seemed a little unnecessary. Especially given the real situation. Camilla chuckled a little.
"Mija, Dani's never even met the real Luz," Camilla pointed out, "It's obvious the one she really has a crush on is—"
Camilla was cut off by the passenger door closing. She looked out the window to see Vee already heading for the building. Camilla sighed under her breath and whispered to her daughter good luck, and then drove off. It didn't take long for Vee to spot Dani standing at the entrance of the theater.
"Oh, hey Luz," Dani smiled at her.
"Dani! Prepare to have a nice night of entertainment with, I, Luzura, warrior of peace!" Vee said dramatically in her Luz voice. Hell, it was dead on.
There was a brief moment of embarrassing silence that hung between the girls. Dani remained silent, unsure how to react, while Vee's cheek started to turn red. The basilisk was starting to feel like a fool with the pose was standing in. This was so embarrassing…
Dani chuckled, "Nervous, Luz?" she teased.
Vee whimpered. She glanced down to see her hand had changed to that of her basilisk. Regaining control, she changed it back to her human hand. Luckily for her, this went unnoticed by Dani.
"Come on, the previews are about to start," Dani said before the two of them headed inside.
The previews were actually already well underway by the time Dani and Vee took their seats. Vee had forced them to stop in the lobby so she could stock up on movie snacks. Her arms could barely contain the mountain of treats.
"Wow, that's a lot," Dani remarked. "You sure you'll be able to finish all that?"
"Y'up!" Vee replied, shoveling popcorn and gummy worms and buncha crunch in her mouth. "You should know that Luz, that's me, gets a little of everything at the movies. Especially chocolate. Luz can't get enough chocolate."
Dani looked confused. "Chocolate? I thought your favorite flavor was strawberry?"
"It is." Vee let out a forlorn sigh, wishing she was eating her precious pop-tarts instead. Then she caught herself. "No! I meant it is chocolate. Luz's favorite flavor is chocolate. Chocolate milk, chocolate ice cream, chocolate candy. Nothing but chocolate." A tuft of her hair abruptly turned to its natural blue. Vee slapped a hand over it and held a strained smile, hoping Dani didn't notice. "Hehehe…"
Dani continued to look confused. Thankfully, though, the house lights began to dim. It was time for the show. The crowd applauded and Dani at last stopped paying attention to Vee, allowing the basilisk to finally relax. A little rough start but so far so good. She just had to make it to the end credits.
Grand orchestral music swelled, announcing the beginning of the tale. But the screen remained blank. Sound effects and characters speaking could be heard yet nothing was seen.
"Hey, what the hell?!" demanded an angry movie-goer.
Up in the projector booth, an overworked teen was fumbling with a broken lens. "Oh man, Mr. Barker is going to kill me!" he wheezed and frantically searched the room's supplies. "How can we be out of lenses on a premiere day? Come on, come on…"
He heard a warbled swoosh and turned just in time for a brand-new lens to drop into his hands.
"Huh? Where did you come from?" He looked up but only saw the ceiling, dirty and stained as always but sporting a new color. Among the muddy browns and toxic yellows was a vibrant, "...blue…?"
"I want a refund!" someone shouted in the audience. More angry voices concurred. Forgetting the stain, the teen twisted the new lens onto the projector and restarted the movie. It worked like a charm. Soon the cries of outrage were pacified. The teen patted himself on the back for solving the crisis and decided that he deserved a break. He never noticed the weird insignia carved in the edge of the new lens. If he had, he would've thought it resembled a hand mirror.
Going to the movies for a date had been a smart idea. Zero talking was required and Vee got to enjoy the latest superhero movie. The only detail she hadn't accounted for was the plot.
"Liar!" shouted Captain Canada. "Deceiver!"
In a dazzle of magic, the Winter Solstice Soldier transformed into Lofi. "Clever, Cap," the trickster said.
Vee shrunk into her seat as the scene unfolding before her started to get too real.
"I thought you were my friend," Captain Canada growled. "I trusted you, I fought beside you. Was it all a lie?"
"From the very beginning," Lofi confessed.
"You fiend! I'll never believe another word that comes out of your mouth ever again!"
Vee's heart stopped and she felt her real basilisk eyes flare into existence. She scrunched them shut, accidentally spilling her bucket of popcorn.
"Luz?" she heard Dani ask. "What's wrong? You okay?"
"Y-Yeah, it's just—" A basilisk ear popped out! Vee covered it. "This scene is just so intense, you know?" Her human nose turned a shade of green! Vee grabbed the bucket and shoved it over her head. "Bathroom!" she whimpered and tripped into the aisle. She didn't stop until she had locked herself in a stall.
Out of breath, she removed the greasy bucket and checked her reflection in her phone. What she saw was a Frankenstein of herself. Patches of Luz and Vee bled into each other, forming an abomination worthy of a horror movie.
"Luz?"
Vee cowered at Dani's call. "I'm fine," she lied. From her pocket she produced one of her few remaining Hexes Hold'em cards. It was already half-eaten and covered with teeth marks. She began to nibble on the corner. "My stomach was acting up, that's all. Too much sugar."
Dani's feet stopped at the next stall. Her voice suddenly sounded so fragile. "Luz, you… you don't have to lie if this makes you uncomfortable."
The forbidden word made Vee choke. "L-Lie?"
"If you don't like me like that, it's fine." To Vee, it certainly did not sound fine. "You don't have to force yourself; we can still be friends."
"No!" Vee nearly burst out of the stall and hugged Dani. Only the fear of terrifying her friend with her appearance held her back. "That's not what's happening, Dani, I swear!"
"Then what, Luz? I know something is bothering you. Please, you can tell me."
*ROOOOOOAAAR!*
The bathroom trembled with the power of the monstrous roar.
"What was that?" Dani gasped and dashed out.
"Dani, wait!" Vee cried. She gulped down the rest of the card and tried to force her disguise back to normal. For some reason, however, nothing changed. Her face was still striped with both Luz and Vee. The chaos just outside was getting worse. Taking a deep breath, Vee donned the popcorn bucket, ripped open an eye-slit, and chased after Dani.
"Why are you wearing that popcorn bucket on your head?" Dani asked as they ran.
"I, uhh… like the smell of theater butter?" Vee replied nervously.
Dani looked at her friend questionably but ultimately decided to ignore her response. The girls returned to the theater that they had been in previously, Vee keeping the popcorn bucket on her head. They returned to see people screaming as they left the room. What had caused the commotion was a cybernetic Raptor dinosaur.
"Oh, damn!" both girls shouted in unison.
The sleek robotic reptile spotted the girls. It hissed and leaped across the tops of the seats. It leaped for the girls, only for them to jump out of the way in opposite directions. If it weren't for the threat of potential death, Vee might find this pretty cool.
"Dani, I'm sorry for how I've been acting. The truth is I—"
"Luz, this isn't exactly the time!" as she dodges a raptor chomp, "I get it. I shouldn't have asked you out without making sure you were comfortable first," Dani said, "I just wanted to spend time with you, you know? And now I've made you uneasy."
"No, no, it's not you, Dani, it's me, honest," Vee replied, "It's me. This is the first time I've done this, and I was trying my best to make you happy," she told her.
"Aww, that's so sweet- AHH!" Dani screamed as the dinosaur ran towards her from the tops of the seats. Looking for something to use against the mechanical creature, she found a cup full of soda. She tossed it at the dinosaur... only for it to phase through its body like it was a ghost, "What the...?" Dani looked on in confusion before rolling out of the way of the beast's attack.
The dinosaur then set its sights on Vee, hissing as it charged at her. Vee shrieked as she ran to the back of the theater room. She turned with her back pressed against the wall. It was at this moment Vee noticed something off about the creature. It just kept running in place, as if it was unable to move any further. She looked around again and realized that the dinosaur stopped her the light of the movie did. Vee then realized that it might not have been the light of the movie, but rather the light of the projector.
"This thing is an illusion," Vee told Dani.
"So, how are we supposed to get rid of it?" Dani asked.
"I'm going to turn off the projector," Vee said before bolting out of the room.
She went around the corner and up the stairs until she found the door to the projector for the movie she and Dani watched. Luckily for her, the employee was gone. They must've been on their break or something. Whatever the case, she didn't need long to do what she needed to do. Vee closed and locked the door behind her. With a quick hand, Vee removed the lens from the projector, shutting off the movie. This, in turn, caused the cybernetic dinosaur to vanish from the theater. Examining the lens, Vee noticed a blue smudge, a smudge that gave off a strong magical scent.
"What is this stuff?" Vee asked herself as grabbed a napkin from a nearby dispenser. Using the napkin, she wiped the smudge from the lens. When the smudge was removed, there was a symbol on the lens. The symbol of the Illusionist coven. "Of course, this lens came from the Demon Realm," Vee muttered with a roll of her eyes.
Vee then noticed that some of that strange liquid had gotten on her fingers. She could smell strong magic emanating from it. Sticking out her tongue, the basilisk licked the strange liquid from her fingers. Vee then started to feel strange. Whatever this magic liquid was may have been powerful because she felt herself change against her will. From a cat to a wolf and everything else in between. That's when she heard a knock at the door.
"Luz? You in there? The robot is gone. Let me in," Dani said from the other side of the door.
"¡Mierda! (Shit!)" Vee swore nervously.
The rest of Vee's words, which were supposed to warn Dani not to come in, were lost in a barrage of barks, neighs, and hisses as she morphed against her will. No less than three dozen mouths, snouts, muzzles, and beaks occupied her face in the span of a blink. The popcorn bucket was torn to shreds. Her veins coursed with powerful magic, making her heart hammer in her chest. This was like a sugar rush times a thousand!
Not prepared to be suddenly standing on chicken legs, Vee tumbled over, starting a domino effect that shoved the projector into the shelves of equipment. The crash was deafening.
"Luz!" Dani shouted. "Are you okay?" The desperate pounding on the door increased.
"I'm fine!" Vee managed to say and chucked the napkin away. It was a futile effort; the magic was in her system and there was just far too much. She couldn't maintain a single form like this. She needed to run! Get away! Hide!
Vee eyed the projector window that led back into the theater and dove through.
The foot meant to cling to the wall and allow her to run down to the floor abruptly became a bat wing and Vee fell. Thankfully, the cushioned seats caught her.
"What was that?" she heard Dani ask, followed by hurried steps coming down the stairs.
Frantically hobbling from leg to hoof to tentacle to hand, Vee bolted for the emergency exit by the screen. She barreled through the door and pressed her constantly shifting body against the brick alleyway wall. Vee took a moment to catch her breath and try to contain the torrent of magic.
"Luz?" echoed from the doorway.
Vee covered whatever was supposed to be her mouth now and held her breath. A second mouth spawned on the side of her head and called out in Luz's voice, "Over here."
Vee gasped and covered that mouth as well, but it was too late.
Dani was coming.
"No, no, no, no!" Vee bolted for the street and actually made it, until her legs decided to be eels and she collapsed in the road.
A car horn blared! Vee looked up to see a car coming right for her!
Only for Liv to float out the road and shriek at the driver. The vehicle screeched to a halt.
"Are you hurt, dear?" the banshee asked Vee.
"Don't look at me!" Vee screamed and slithered the rest of the way across the street.
"Your face is a little… different, dear, are you alright?" Liv called after her.
"Hey, Liv!" Dani jogged to the banshee, clearly worried. "Have you seen Luz? Is she okay? Which way did she go?"
"Oh, uh, um," Liv stammered.
"Her hairclip!" Dani picked up the yellow accessory that laid on the asphalt. "She must've dropped it. Thanks!" She continued the chase.
"Get rid of it," Vee realized as she galloped through a nearby park. "I've got to get rid of all this magic before Dani sees me. Then I'll have control again." Giving up on trying to contain the magic, Vee extended her arms as she ran and concentrated on transforming them as much as possible.
Only a few trees ahead, Tubbles the birthday clown was inflating a balloon. "Okey-dokey, kids, who's ready for balloon animals?"
"Hooray!" the kids cheered.
Vee raced past them.
"Whoa! A centaur!" said one child.
"With bear arms!" added another.
"And a mermaid tail!"
"Was her hair on fire?"
Tubbles the birthday clown's balloon deflated. "Well, I can't beat that."
Even further in town, Jacob Hopkins sat across from his therapist. "Jacob, I'm proud of you," his doctor said. "You've come a long way."
"Thanks, doc," Jacob said. "You were right, the magical creatures appearing in Gravesfield only want a home like us. I shouldn't be afraid of them. That crazy conspiracy theory that they're really here to torch the fast-food joints when our guards are down is just in my head. Haha! Ridiculous."
The Lovecraftian wretch named Vee Noceda smushed against the window, her many claws and feelers left a slimy trail on the glass.
"Burn it! Burn it all!" the thing gurgled through a slobbery fang-lined orifice. Then it was gone.
"I KNEW IT!" Jacob Hopkins proclaimed.
Even further in town, Camilla was staring intently at the text she'd sent to Vee: "Date going well?" No response.
"Breathe, Camilla," she told herself. "Vee is a big girl. You said you trusted her and you do. She'll be fine. She has faced worse than this." Pocketing her phone, she turned to the deli counter and ordered her lunch. She just missed the amalgamation of nightmares cartwheel past the eatery.
"I'm too exposed out here," Vee bemoaned. "I need to get home. Fast. But how?" Then she spotted a little, green, wrinkly child waving her hand at a portal. "Zaya!" Vee shouted.
The boggle turned and recoiled. "What in the name of the Titan are you?!"
"It's me! Vee! I mean Luz! I mean I need you to open a portal to my home! Please!"
Zaya stared at her for a moment then blinked in recognition. "Oh! The basilisk girl, I remember you. What's going on with all… this?"
"Luz?"
A shiver ran down Vee's barbed spine, along with actual shards of ice. That had been Dani's voice. She was still after her? Still?!
"Portal! My home! Hurry!" Vee begged.
"I thought I wasn't supposed to open anymore," Zaya said.
Vee heard Dani's footsteps. "Please!"
"Oh, alright, but this is a one-time thing. I'm not your chauffeur." The boggle waved her hand at a nearby trash can. A thread of gold shimmered into existence along the rim and the can's opening became a portal.
Vee jumped in…
The Noceda House…
Vee shot out of her computer screen. She was in her bedroom.
"Yes!" Vee pumped her lobster claw in triumph and concentrated on transforming her entire body over and over. Every form she could imagine took shape, appearing momentarily only to be replaced by another.
Wendigo, serpopard, goblin, satyr, kelpie, dwarf, mythago, homunculi, bugbear, troll, giraffe.
The magic she'd been infected with from the strange blue smudge seemed bottomless.
Mermaid, kitsune, cyclops, triclops, minotaur, pooka, snoligoster, harpy, manticore, Liv, Harry, Ash, Zaya.
She ran out of Demon Realm denizens and began transforming into every human she could recall.
Dani, Beth, Lance, Vincent, Camilla, Abuela, Jacob Hopkins, Mr. and Mrs. Laurent, Willy the hunter, her teachers, Tracey, Luz.
She saw the end. The bottom was within reach. Forgetting about variety, Vee focused on her last form.
Luz, Vee, Luz, Vee, Luz, Vee, Luz, Vee, Luz, Vee, Luz, VeeLuzVeeLuzVeeLuzVeeLuz, Vee…
That was it. Every last drop was gone. More exhausted than she'd ever been, Vee felt woozy and clung to her bed for support. It was over. It was finally over.
"No way…"
Vee stopped breathing. With dread prickling every inch of her green skin, she turned her very not human head toward the voice. There, standing next to the still open portal, was Dani.
Vee shrieked and quickly slithered under the bed.
"You didn't see anything! I'll be out in a minute. Please leave" Vee said.
Dani simply stood there in silence, her mouth agape. It took a minute for her to process all of this. So, this snake thing... was Luz? This was unexpected. She was a snake creature, she was a shapeshifter, she was...
"You are the cutest thing ever!" Dani gushed with her pupils dilated, twinkles in her eyes.
"Huh?" Vee said, confused as she popped her head out from under the bed, followed by the rest of her body. That wasn't the reaction she was expecting. She expected her to freak out or something.
"Your eyes are so pretty! Ooh, and your scales! And don't get me started on that tail ring of yours!" Dani said, clearly admiring Vee's appearance due to the barrage of compliments she was giving. It was enough to make the basilisk blush… which she did. "Why didn't you tell me this is what you really look like, Luz?" Dani asked.
That name again. Luz. Vee held her head and grunted in frustration. She couldn't take this lie anymore… not with Dani. She had to get this off her chest.
"I'm not Luz!" Vee shouted in her real voice, making Dani flinch a bit. The two girls stared at each other. Vee sighed, "I'm not Luz. I never was…" Vee started, "My real name is Number 5, but I prefer to be called Vee, which is why you heard my mom call me that the other day"
"Your name is Vee?" Dani asked with a tilt of her head. Vee nodded.
"I'm a shapeshifting basilisk and I took the real Luz's place just before camp while she went to my birthplace in the Demon Realm," Vee explained. "I've been lying to you since the day we met and… I'm sorry!" she said, lying on her stomach as she curled up in a ball and wrapped herself with her tail, repeating those last two words in a mutter, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
There was a brief pause in the air. Vee wouldn't be surprised if Dani left at that moment. However, to her surprise, the girl got onto her knees, getting on eye level with the basilisk.
"So, you like strawberry? Not Luz?" Dani asked, the odd question making Vee nod. "And you're not an Azura fan?" Dani continued, Vee shaking her head in response. Dani then reached into her dress pocket and pulled out the yellow hairclip that was once in Vee's human hair. "Was this you too?" Dani asked, Vee nodding once again.
Dani just smiled warmly.
"I gave this to my first real friend. The first person who didn't laugh at me or make fun of what I like." Dani gingerly secured the clip into Vee's blue hair. "And I don't care what her name is or what species she is. That person is and always will be my friend." Dani caressed the basilisk's cheek, "My best friend"
Tears welled up in both girls' eyes and in a second, the two embraced each other in a tight hug. The only thing that could be heard was the soft, joyful sobs of the basilisk and her human friend. For Vee, this moment made her heart swell. Now that one of her friends liked her for who she was, she started to feel truly accepted in the Human Realm.
Sometime Later…
After the girls' little venting session and Vee ate a few of her cards to revert back to her Luz disguise, Vee and Dani were sitting on Vee's bed.
"Sorry again for deceiving you all these months. I was just…" Vee began.
"No, no, it's ok. I understand. I mean, I'd probably do the same thing if I were in your shoes… scales… you know what I mean" Dani said in an understanding tone.
"Yeah," Vee said, and then cleared her throat, "So… I guess me not being human is a deal-breaker for you. Dating-wise, I mean" she assumed.
"Well, let me put it to you this way. I've always been a fan of reptiles…" Dani put her hand on top of Vee's, "And snakes have always been my favorite" she admitted, she and Vee looking away with smiles and nervous blushes.
Later That Week…
The Noceda car pulled up to the curb right by the ticket booth. Behind the wheel, Camilla was a fountain of joyful tears.
"She called you her best friend and hugged you?" she blubbered. "I have never heard something so beautiful. ¡Ven aquí, preciosa ángel! ¡Magnífica heroína!" To Vee's amusement, the woman glomped onto Dani, who was in the passenger seat with Vee, and devolved into neverending Spanish praises. The words were so fast and so many that Vee only grasped about half.
"Uh, thanks…?" Dani replied with a blush, not comprehending the language nor used to the level of affection. She turned to Vee and mouthed, "Help."
"That's enough, mom, let her go, we'll miss the movie," Vee said in her real voice. It was an unexpected relief not having to disguise how she sounded.
"Sí, sí, sí, sorry, ¡ve! Don't let me stop you two." She shooed them out of the car but almost immediately resumed fawning. "Ay, it's so wonderful you can finally be honest with Dani and your friends, mija."
Vee jerked around with a guilty smile. "Well, not everyone yet. Just Dani is enough for now, right? Hehehe…"
"Are you sure?" Dani asked. "We can tell them together. They'll be cool with—"
"Yup, I'm sure!" Vee answered a tad too loudly and awkwardly made her way to the theater.
"That girl," Camilla sighed. "Hey, Dani, try to help Vee with her confidence. That's what girlfriends are for, if you know what I mean," she said with a wink.
Another blush darkened Dani's cheeks and she chased after Vee. She found her in the lobby, scanning the snack bar menu.
"Here," Dani said, discreetly slipping her some still-wrapped strawberry pop-tarts.
A gasp nearly escaped Vee's throat but she covered her mouth and slipped the contraband into her pocket. "Thank you," she whispered.
"No problem. I was actually going to give them to you the last time we were here," Dani admitted. "But you were doing your whole Luz act so I didn't have a chance."
"Right, about that…" Vee looked away uncomfortably. "I'm sorry if this sounds stupid, but are you sure you want to date me, Dani? I mean, so many magical creatures have found their way to Earth already, Luz is bound to show up sooner or later."
"Is that why you were acting like that the other day?" Dani scoffed. "Vee, I've never met Luz, not even once. You're the amazing, caring, brave person I care about. Same person, different name. You're the one I want to date." Dani paused as a thought occurred to her. She looked at the basilisk and asked her in a way that felt… different, "Vee, do you want to date me?"
It wasn't until she heard that question that Vee realized she'd never considered it. Up until she heard that question, Vee thought she'd never be with anybody. Up until she heard that question, Vee had gone out with Dani for Luz's sake. But that wasn't a reason anymore. Dani liked Vee, not Luz. She knew her secret; she knew who she was. There were no more lies. All that was left was that question.
The answer was so obvious it was scary.
Trembling, sweating, and blushing, Vee looked back at Dani and squeaked, "Yes."
Dani was just as much of a nervous wreck as her, maybe worse. She barely got out, "Okay."
Then, both girls shaking like they were about to defuse a bomb, they held hands. It wasn't the first time they'd done this, but now it meant so much more. Together, they strode toward the theater, gaining confidence with each step. What waited for them in the future was still a mystery, but they'd face it as girlfriends.
Meanwhile, in an alleyway, Camilla watched the teenaged movie theater worker empty the trash can into the dumpster. A napkin tumbled with the mess, missed the mark, and landed on the greasy asphalt. The teenager shrugged off the mistake and headed back to the theater. Camilla approached the dumpster and squinted at the napkin. Just as Vee had described, it was stained with an unusual shade of blue…
Pulling out a ziplock, Camilla bagged it.
Ok, that's the end of this chapter. I actually enjoyed writing out this one. This chapter was co-written with I Write Big.
So, as of this chapter, Vee and Dani are now an official couple. So, now both Noceda sisters have girlfriends. As for their couple name, you can either call them Veeni or DanVee.
As of this chapter, at least one of Vee's friends (who is also now her girlfriend) knows who she really is. Will the rest be as accepting? Only time will tell.
If you have any ideas for future chapters, say it in a review or feel free to message me.
Remember to Read, Review and Favorite/Follow.
