Chapter 1 Gone
At first, thanks if you take a moment to glimps at this story. It's my first crossover, and English isn't my mother language, but I'll do my best to propose something correct.
About the story: It's set in an alternate universe for Orange is the new black, it's canon compliant for Veronica Mars. There are some references to my last fic, "Epiphany" from the Veronica Mars verse, but no need to read it, I'll explain everything as I go.
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DAYANARA
She's woke up by the birds song, and needs a few seconds to remember where she is. Here, the noises are different. No furious honking, or subway rolling always in the background . Everything is more immobile.
She searches for her phone, realises that he has fallen between the couch and the wall. She thinks she slept too late, has forgot to program her alarm clock. It's a good thing actually. She hasn't slept late for a long time.
Then, considering the blue numbers on the screen, she remembers that we're on Monday, and that she should be already up . It's 7:30 a.m. and Armaria isn't nearby. Concentrating a little, she hears her voice, small clear sounds coming from the kitchen.
She thinks about everything she has to do for the first thirty minutes of her day: folding up the sofa puting the blankets away, getting dressed, dressing Armaria, getting Lucy ready for school.
Grabbing her jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt from a chair , she thinks of the other couch, the one in the apartment in New York. She wonders if one day she will forget this little apartment that smelled of coffee and the vanilla lotion she used for her hair. It's been 4 months since she left it now, right after John has gone.
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"Mom."
From her high chair, her daughter reaches out to her.
"Hi baby." Daya grabs her. Ria is now nusteled to her, and they share their first cuddle of the day. "What are you doing here? Are you sweet with Christina?"
Her sister looks up from her bowl of cereal.
"She crawled over here. I think you didn't hear her."
"Yeah, I was sleeping."
Daya rests up her daughter in the high chair, takes a glass next to the sink, the bottle of orange juice.
"It is empty," she observs.
"Sorry," Christina absently replys.
"You could have thrown it away."
"I have a test to prepare. Why do you think I'm here before everyone will come up?"
Daya smiles at Armaria. Her daughter, frowning, tries to figure out how she can get out of her chair. Then she returns to the sink, fills her glass with water, drinks it slowly.
"I'm going to go buy orange juice, and some other stuff. Can you pick up Lucy and take care of Ria after school? I have to work."
"Again?"
"I'm at the bodega this afternoon, but I'll be home tonight if you want to go out."
Daya sees a smile on Christina's sulky face.
"There's this guy in high school who asks me every day if I want to go for a milkshake. Maybe I should accept."
"A milkshake, it's probably better than a beer," Daya replies, grabbing Armaria again, propping her on her hip.
"What time did she come home, mom?" asks Christina.
"Late that night. She forgot we sleep on the couch with all the fucking mess she made, I think."
"Why I'm not surprised?"
"I'm going to The Hu's." Eva will take Lucy to school.
Christina nods, returns to her book.
XXX
Daya never takes the bus near her mother's house. She prefers walking untile the stop which is a little further, in the street lined with trees. It's long and smart, with a perfume of sap and flowers all around.
She watches the houses, the cars parked in front, the peaceful women entering and leaving. In their attitudes, theirhairstyles, she looks for the detail that could make the day more cheerful.
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The store is almost empty. Daya handles up the stroller down the different sections. She choses goods, puts them in the bag which is hung behind. She fills it on more and more and it swells like a white sail.
Armaria has fallen asleep. Daya runs her fingers over a fraich bottle of Sunny Delight. Sudenly, he she wants to drink some sips there, right away. She's going to pay for that, anyway. The cap makes a little dry noise when she opens it. On her tongue, the liquid has a sweet, tangy taste, that of the Californian dream, far from the current return at her mother's. Lost in thought, she barely notices the sound of another bottle opening. When she looks across the aisle, there is a girl, also drinking Sunny Delight. It's a little blonde, dressed in shorts and a pink T-shirt. She hasn't taken off her sunglasses in the store, and her hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail. Another element of the California dream. She is surprised when the girl smiles at her, as if she was knowing her. So, she smiles back.
XXX
VERONICA
Thirst brought me back to The Hu's. Thirst, and the fact that this is the only store where you can shop in Neptune when your "annual income" is below 5 figures. Strangely, Logan had less difficulties to return in the scene of the drama and he assumed this aspect of our domestic life during the two months following the hostage taking. But, Logan is gone. He is now on an island, in the middle of the ocean, or in a country at war, any place where the Navie needs his services. And I'm here, to buy a bottle of water after my morning jog. But, finally, it will be sunydelight. I don't know if it's because I drink it straight from the bottle, leaning against the display, but it's better than usual. Nobody sees me anyway.
Except the girl I glimpsed that day, before Carlos take out his weapon. Focused on my tasting, I hadn't noticed her before. Still long brown hair, now tangled, wide eyes watching the world from afar, and her little girl asleep in a stroller, she stoods a few steps away from me. Both of us smile at each other, our bright orange bottle in hand, even if she doesn't recognize me. I cross the driveway.
"We had the same idea", I begin, to break the ice.
"Yes," she whispers, surprised that I'm coming to talk to her.
"I... We've met before, the morning of the ostages taking.
She shakes her head. "Yes. You're the girl, who was with the two guys."
The two guys, Logan, Weevil.
"Yes. I came with only one guy, actually. We needed muesly, and the day didn't end very well.
She seems to remember..
"Ah yes, your boyfriend is the son of this movie star..." She sees that I don't answer. She continues, unconfortable.
"Sorry, they talked about him in the magazines for a week after. As I was here when it happened, my mother bought all of them. She never go to the grocery, but she does buy magazines."
"My mom does that too." I just could replace magazines with wine and beer.
"The newspapers talked about you too. They said you're PI, right?"
"Yes. That's maybe the only exact thing in all they have write that famous week."
"Is it like being in the police?" she asks me shyly.
"It looks like it, even if sometimes people like us even less than the police."
The little one babbles in the stroller and the girl gently rolls her in place, back and forth. I remember Pony, who waits for me in the car.
"I have to go." I end with a banality: "I was happy to see you in a more normal context. And... I'm Veronica."
"Okay. I have to go too," she respondes, putting the bottle of Sunydelight in her bag. I close my own bottle and head to the "checkout area."
"Veronica." I turn around. She is motionless, her arms crossed, elbows on her hips. :
"If you are PI, can you find someone?"
XXX
1/ The characters: Dayanara has four brothers and sisters, between 14 and 6 years old. Logan is Veronica's partenair, curently away for a mission in the Navy. Pony, their dog. Weevil a character we will come across later in the plot.
2/ In "Epiphany", Veronica and Logan go to The Hu's for Veronica's job. Veronica remarks Daya and Armaria. A hostage taking takes place, but Daya is quickly freed. She leaves the store with her daughter.
3/ PI, private investigator, but some of you probably know this one better than I'm doing