7 YEARS EARLIER, Fall 2011, Amity Park (VALERIE)
A/N: I'm a bit nervous about this chapter, to be honest. This and the next several chapters are going to do a deep dive on Valerie and how she becomes the Red Huntress, and a couple of other things that happen in Danny Phantom. It's going to be a bit before Jason or the other Bats will show up again, but it'll happen eventually!
Valerie gently bopped her head to the beat of her favorite song as she ambled down the sidewalk on an unseasonably warm Thursday afternoon. The sun shone down from above, gently warming her skin and making her wish for sunglasses. A gentle breeze whispered past her ears, tousling the wires of her earbuds and kicking up strands of her hair. Fluffy clouds dotted the robin egg blue sky. It was an unusually perfect day in mid-October.
Good days like this were rare in Amity Park–no freaky creature attacks at the school or anywhere else in town, a perfect score on the biology pop quiz, relatively few homework assignments, and Valerie had plans to see the latest Dead Teacher movie at the theater later that night with Star. Paulina, who had agreed to accompany the girls to the mall to help them secure the perfect outfit for the upcoming Humpty Dumpty concert, might even deign to join them in watching what she considered to be a 'nerdy' film franchise.
As Valerie crested the steep hill leading to her street, she wished that the next two years would fly by. Having to walk everywhere was getting old. Once she turned 16, she would easily pass her driving test, and Valerie was certain that her father would have a brand-new car waiting for her.
He'd just gotten a new contract at Axion Labs two weeks ago. By the time her 16th birthday was here, he would've had enough time to get her a Hellcat–complete with a sunroof and a deep orange custom paint job. Valerie had been leaving printed pictures of the car in her father's home office ever since she'd seen one around town. Every sixteen-year-old in Poulter Heights (the exclusive suburban enclave that most A-listers called home) had absolutely sick rides.
Valerie could just see her front door ahead of her. As she was about to slide her key into the lock, she shivered as an odd feeling overtook her. A subtle churn disturbed her gut, and the delicate hairs on the back of her neck rose slightly. She shook her head once, then continued to unlock the door. Years later, this would be the night that she would point to as the last 'normal' day she'd have for a very long time, aside from the darkest days following her mother's passing.
"Hey Dad, I'm home! I'm going to stay over at Star's tonight after we see Dead Teacher. And there's no homework, the teachers are having review days tomorrow!" Valerie called out as she kicked her shoes off onto the rack and made to bolt upstairs.
"Val, how many times have I said, no running in the house!"
"Sorry Daddy!"
Valerie burst into her room, causing the door to smack against the adjacent wall. After making a beeline to her walk-in closet, she flipped through at least fifteen different tops. Star and Paulina had planned to meet her at the mall at 4PM, and it took at least 30 minutes to get there. All of the A-listers hung out at Amity Mall on Thursday afternoons, and she could not be seen in the same clothes she was sporting in Lancer's class.
With a critical eye, Valerie chose a burgundy crop top and a blood red skirt. At her vanity, she switched out her usual orange headband for a black one and touched up her makeup. A swipe of the chocolate-colored lip liner and darker lip gloss, a few taps of powder to her T-zone, and a woosh of mascara, and she was ready. Swapping her backpack out for a black Coach purse, Valerie dashed out of her bedroom, leaving a gust of wind to swirl around in her wake. Valerie winced at the thumping sound that came from her room. I definitely knocked a few books over, but that's a problem for later, she thought.
Flying down the stairs, she only stopped to slip on a brand-new pair of ballet flats. Her father came out into the hall from the living room, brows raised.
"Valerie, are you okay? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I have to be at the mall by four, Dad. You know it takes forever to get there from here, it's almost 3:15 right now."
"You'll get there just fine Valerie, it's not that far. And you'll have to tell Star that you can't stay over at her house tonight. Even if the teachers are just doing reviews tomorrow, it's still a school night. You know the rules, no sleepovers on a school night. You and your friends can have your sleepover on Saturday. And don't forget to stay after school tomorrow, I'm presenting my new security system to the boss at work tomorrow and signing the big contract, and I want you to be there after school." Damon crossed his arms.
"But Dad–" Valerie whined.
"But nothing, Valerie, I want to see you here by 9PM tonight. No excuses. That contract could be a one-way ticket to a permanent deal with Axion Labs, and it could single-handedly put you through four years at Ivy University!" Damon said.
Valerie huffed. This is so unfair! Star, Paulina, and half of the A-listers are gonna hang out after the movie's done, she thought.
"Fine Dad, I'll be back by 9." Valerie said. Grabbing a jacket out of the coat closet and picking up her backpack, she opened the door, stepping back out into the late afternoon sunshine.
The Amity Park Mall was crawling with teenagers. A-listers, geeks, and goths flitted in and out of stores, chatting with their friends and filling up the narrow walkways. Valerie stepped through the glass sliding doors of the west entrance, taking in the sights and the sounds of the space. The atrium of the mall was cavernous–the second and third floor walkways, visible from the ground floor, were full of shoppers. Teenagers and families cluttered up the walkway, toting shopping bags, drinks, and food as they milled around. The air was sweet with the scent of cotton candy, treats, and perfume.
Warm light streamed in from the skylights, casting ribbons of light down onto the white marble floors and the enormous water fountain that faced the entrance. The fountain was flanked by live palm trees and elaborately decorated stone columns that stretched as far as the eye could see. Colorful banners promoting advertisements for department stores, makeup shops, and many others hung from the rafters.
The noise of a thousand conversations coalesced into a static hum in Valerie's ears. Looking around, she tried to spot Paulina and Star in the crowd. It's 3:55, Paulina and Star should be here already. Where are they? Valerie thought. Sliding around other shoppers, she made her way to one of the stone columns. Waving to some of her fellow A-listers that she spotted in the crowd, Valerie checked her phone again once she reached the column. There's so many people here today, she thought, the girls are probably just caught up in the crowd. After a few minutes, Valerie spotted Paulina's sleek black hair and Star's bright blonde hair in the distance.
"Star! Paulina! Over here!" she called out, hands cupped around her mouth. The girls turned towards her and waved. Star pulled her into a hug when they made their way over to the column.
"Hey Val, I hope you weren't here for too long, it's crazy in here right now!" Star said as she stepped back.
"Yeah Valerie, it's never been so busy here on a Thursday before, I hope we don't run into any geeks." Paulina said.
Scrunching her face up, Valerie nodded. "Ugh, you're right Paulina, I don't want to find out if loser rubs off, let's go, we have to be at the theater for Dead Teacher at 6:30 anyway."
Paulina and Star burst into giggles. "Let's go to Sixth Avenue first, Ashley Boulet told me that they just got the winter collection in, we need to find stuff for the Winter Formal like yesterday." Paulina declared.
I haven't shopped at Sixth Avenue before, Valerie thought. "Don't forget that we need to find stuff for the Humpty Dumpty concert, it's in two weeks," Valerie added.
The girls linked arms, striding off into the swarm of people. After a quick stop at Java House for colorful frappuccinos, they soon stepped through the doors of Sixth Avenue, the trendiest boutique in the city.
Sixth Avenue was luxe and airy. Soft white light shone down from small spotlights, and the air was rich with the scent of floral perfume. Classical music wound through the air at a low volume. Within seconds, the trio was approached by a tall blonde saleswoman in a dark navy-colored jacket and matching skirt. Her white and black name tag, which read 'Janice' was pinned to the left side of her jacket.
"Paulina! Welcome back to Sixth Avenue, I'm so glad that you've brought friends with you today! What can I help you girls with?" Janice flashed a bright smile at the group, her movie star white smile accentuated by her vibrant red lipstick.
"Hi Janice, these are my friends Star and Valerie. I heard that you guys just got the winter collection, and we all need outfits for my party and the formal next month!" Paulina exclaimed.
"Our fall and winter collection is over here to the right." Janice gestured to her right, where an array of mannequins and clothing racks was tastefully arranged. The mannequins sported risque dresses, elegant blouses, halter tops, and a collection of some of the trendiest styles of the moment.
Paulina, Star, and Valerie wandered over to a random clothing rack and began to thumb through the selections. The rack was brimming with tops and blouses of all types and sizes. Valerie spotted a deep magenta short sleeved top sandwiched between two garish pink blouses. She considered it for a moment, rubbing the thick cotton top between her fingers. The blouse appeared to be well made, and the color looked nice against her skin. This shirt would be amazing with that black leather miniskirt that I found at Shara last summer, she thought. She draped it over the crook of her elbow, and quickly picked up four or five other options from that row alone. Star and Paulina followed suit, breezing through the selections and debating which ones looked the best.
"Star, I think that bright yellow top isn't as nice as the orange v-neck on you."
"I don't know Pol, I really like it though." Star hemmed.
Valerie pitched in. "Honestly, I think it would work better if you and Star swapped shirts."
"Ooh Val, you might be onto something!" Paulina cheered.
After forty minutes or so, the teens had worked their way around the store. They'd made it to the fitting rooms, arms piled high with dozens of outfits. The foyer of the fitting room was luxurious, adorned with plush cream carpets, velvety tan sofas, and a relatively modest chandelier glittering high above. What do the fitting rooms look like, if the waiting area is like this? Valerie thought. Janice seemed to materialize out of thin air, breezing by them to slide behind a solid oak desk.
"Have you ladies found everything to your liking so far?" Janice asked cheerfully.
"Oh yes! I had to stop after ten tops and skirts, my parents would be so angry if I took more than that, they always complain when I spend all of my allowance in one day," Paulina said with a giggle.
"Oh my gosh yes, this collection is amazing Janice, I had to stop myself too," Star gushed. Just as Valerie was about to chime in with her own opinion, Janice stepped around the desk, a handful of keys in hand.
"Now girls, I love that you've found so many amazing options. Let me know how many items you want to try on each, and I'll hand out the keys to the rooms!"
Paulina and Star went first, each carting ten items. Janice distributed their keys, and the teens bounded down the short hallway and into their changing rooms. When it was Valerie's turn, she spoke up politely. "I have ten things I want to try on, please,"
Janice's bright red smile suddenly seemed to be forced, pale blue eyes narrowing. "Of course!" She said, voice sickly sweet. "But are you sure that you want to try so many items? Our Fall and Winter collection is our priciest."
Valerie stiffened, unable to miss the implication. Pasting a wooden smile on her face, she replied with the most insincere tone that she could muster. "I'm sure. I'm not worried about the price at all." She took the key from Janice as quickly as she could, strutting down the hall with thinly veiled contempt.
That bitch! She didn't give a damn about how many clothes Paulina and Star wanted to try on, but suddenly she wanted to chat about prices with me?! Fuck her. If we didn't have to be at the theater in an hour or so, I would've left her to reshelve all of this shit. Valerie fumed.
Slipping into a cubicle, she slid her items onto the hook. Reaching for the magenta top first, she finally decided to look at the price. Flipping the tag over, her eyes widened slightly; $578.99. Sorting through the rest of the clothes, she saw $198, $347, $600, and higher. Dad does have that big bonus coming in with that contract he's supposed to get tomorrow. But he'd be pissed if I bought more than two items, even if we can afford it all. But I guess that I only really need a top and a dress for the formal, she thought. After trying them all on, she picked the magenta blouse, a distressed black tube top, and a vermillion strappy dress, determined to show up the snooty saleswoman.
In the hall, Paulina, Star, and Valerie compared their picks. Paulina had picked a number of frilly tops, designer jeans, and a pale pink gown. Star had picked six or seven different dresses. Valerie felt a little self-conscious about the three things that she had ended up going with, Janice's condescending words still ringing in her head. At the register, Valerie decided to go first. Thankfully, the cashier was a bored college student instead of Janice, and it took no time at all to ring up her things.
"That'll be $1,224.58, will you be using debit or credit today?" the cashier asked boredly.
Flashing a smile, she pulled out her father's credit card. "Credit, please,"
Outside of the store, the trio gathered around the nearest map, poring over the options.
"Wow, I can't believe that we spent two hours in Sixth Avenue! It was amazing, right?" Paulina exclaimed.
"Like, it was so amazing, how come we never went before?" Star added.
"Yeah, it's a really cool shop, Paulina, we could've definitely stopped by sooner." Valerie said noncommittally.
"Val, I saw that you didn't end up picking too many things, how come?" Paulina asked innocently.
Taken aback, Valerie responded cautiously. "Ah, you know, it was so hard to decide what to get, so I just got a couple of things for now and I'll definitely come back next week. My dad has this huge contract he's gonna sign tomorrow, so he'll be less upset if I go over my allowance after that." she finished conspiratorially.
Paulina nodded sagely. "That's a good idea Val, my parents were soooo mad that one time that I went over my allowance right before they bought a car for my sister Tina."
"Yeah, I don't want to get him angry when he's so stressed." Valerie said. Eager to change the subject, she added, "So, where do we want to go next guys?"
"It's like, 5:45 right now, I think we could go to one more store before the movie! Pol, it's not too late to change your mind!" Star cajoled. "Your favorite shoe store is on the way, even."
Paulina pouted. "Star, Sayonara Pussycat is like, much better than that nerdy Ghost Teacher movie!"
"Dead Teacher does have that really hot guy that was in that Camp Punk Rock movie you really liked last summer though!" Valerie added. At that, Paulina looked more like she was considering the option even more.
"And it came out two weeks ago, so all of the losers from Casper have already seen it, so we won't be dealing with them at the theater, and we did see Sayonara Pussycat on the first day." Star chimed in.
"Hmm, that makes it a little less nerdy…I guess I could try and see it," Paulina conceded. Valerie and Star whooped.
"C'mon, we'd better get moving now if we want to stop by the shoe store before the movie starts!" Star grabbed both of their hands and whisked them off in the direction of the shoe store.
After the movie was over, Star offered Valerie a ride home with her and her mom. In no time at all, Valerie was back in Poulter Heights, thirty minutes before her curfew. Walking through the door, she saw that her dad was watching TV in the family room.
"Hey Daddy, I'm back from the mall! Star and her mom gave me a ride back."
Distracted by the news report of floating green octopi attacking the supermarket, Damon waved in her direction. "Hey sweetie, what did you end up getting?"
"Well…I ended up getting two shirts and a dress, nothing much," she said evasively. "Do you think these weird creature attacks are going to affect your security stuff Dad?"
Damon huffed. "I don't know sweetie. So far, they've only really gone after places like the mall, the warehouses, and sometimes the school. Axion will probably be alright for now. I suggested that they try to figure out a solution to these creature attacks before we implemented my security system, but the company thinks that they're not frequent enough to be a problem yet." Damon finished with an eye roll.
"They do kind of end up destroying a lot of stuff though." Valerie pointed out.
Damon sighed. "That's true. But I'll keep talking to the boss about it; everyone has been saying that these attacks keep getting worse. Especially at Casper High! If Casper wasn't the only option in this city Val, I would've withdrawn you months ago!"
Valerie rolled her eyes. "Okay Daddy, it's not that extreme." Picking up her shopping bag from its place on the glossy hardwood floor, Valerie started to back out of the room. "I'm gonna wash these new clothes Daddy, see you!"
"Valerie, did you eat dinner when you were at the mall?" Damon's voice called after her.
"Yeah, sure!" Valerie called back.