For the Heart of the Sun
Chapter 1: Winter
It was winter again. Veronica hated Winter. Well, not even that. She had a love/hate relationship with winter. She liked it when thin little branches were encased in ice, and when little snowflakes fell onto her nose and face. But she hated how cold it was, and how her bony hands would get frostbitten more often than none. She also hated it because that meant it was extra harassment at school.
Veronica was an 'oddball' to say the least. Everyone was so into "the now", and so current with their fashions and juicy couture purses. Veronica was a hippie, an outsider. She liked things like melon ice cream and collecting smooth skipping stones. She liked clothes and dresses with laces and frills. When she was young, the kids her age were afraid of her because she didn’t care too much for plastic things. Everyone wanted barbies and yo-yo's. She wanted rocks, or jewel beetles, or a voice trapped in a bottle. She liked collecting oyster seashells for their glossy pearlish insides. For being different, and loving what others didn't, she was picked on constantly, and it hasn't changed a bit since childhood.
Now, here she was in High School, taking certain routes during different times to avoid harassers. She never ate lunch in the lunch room, and she never went out the front entrance when school let out. Yep, this was the life she had become accustomed to. Veronica Passaro Miroiu was an outsider.
It was a Friday night, and school had let out a couple hours earlier. Veronica stayed after and volunteered to help clean up the music room. There was one girl leading this army of harassers and abusers, and her name was Gretchen Kale. They used to be friends somewhat in 1st Grade. But then Gretchen discovered Barbies and Boys. Veronica didn't care for those things at all, and in fact, found them repulsive at the time. The boys didn't like Veronica at all, so Gretchen assimilated and hated her as well. As you could see, the whole "hate" thing had officially stuck into the high school years. The only thing that was different was instead of pulling her hair and stealing her crayons, she and her friends would steal her gym clothes and shove them into toilets. They would write obscene things aimed towards Veronica on bathroom stalls, and they would openly call her "ugly" and "freakish" in front of everyone. They chanted things like, "Vero's a Zero! She's no hero! She can't even save her looks! Oh!" Stupid things like that. Every day these things would pick and scratch at the Violet and White haired wonder, but she kept moving forward. That's all she could do until she would be able to someday summon the courage to tell them all off.
"Vero!" A female voice chirped out. Veronica turned around as she set up the last chair on the student desk. An Asian girl with badly crimped hair and huge glasses came running up to her. Hyun Ki was her name, and she was a transfer student from Korea. She smiled brightly as she dug through her hello kitty bag and pulled out a little plush toy.
"Isn't it cute?" she chirped, "I found it at a little shop in Chinatown. They were selling all sorts of things!"
"That's wonderful, Hyun," Veronica sighed, "We'll have to go there sometime."
The asian girl furrowed a little and jutted out her lip.
"What's wrong, nuna?" She asked curiously. Veronica looked down at the floor while brushing some hair behind her ear. She then looked up at Hyun Ki and smiled lightly.
"It's nothing really," She lied, "I'm just tired."
Hyun Ki looked at her for a second and then flashed a grin.
"Ohhh, okay!" She chirped, "Well then let's get home, eh? You can stop by my room later and see the Lolita Dress I picked out for the Tea Party!"
"Sounds great," Veronica chirped. Hyun Ki clapped lightly in excitement and linked arms with Veronica. The two of them marched out of school together, confident and happy about today's results; Bullies: 0, Veronica: 1.
"I'm home mom," Veronica called out, shutting the apartment door. If you hadn't already guessed it, she lived alone with her mother. While Veronica was at school, her mom was busy sleeping during the day, and working the Diner at night. Her thin haired mother had hair like Veronica's: chemically altered with a color that clearly was fading. Underneath that was a beautiful pale blonde, a certain gene passed down from mother to daughter for at least 4 generations. Her mom had a sort of 50's pinup/housewife look about her: slick, loose curls, bright red matte lipstick, and shining white pearls around her neck.
"There you are Ronnie," Her mother spoke out in a rush, "It's so nice to see you home. No bruises or scratches I see."
Veronica looked down at her arms and then back up at her mother with a smile. They were used to the routine of her coming home with some sort of abuse mark on her. Her mother walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, leaving a bright red lip mark behind.
"I'd help you with your math homework, but my boss wants me in early," She replied while tying on her apron, "Stupid old biddy. I hope tonight's tips aren't as bad as last weeks. What a nightmare!"
"It's okay mom, you'll do fine," Veronica assured. Her mother smiled at her lovingly and gave her a tight squeeze.
"You are such a sweet peach," She sighed, "I wish all girls your age were like you. The world would definitely seem much brighter."
Veronica smiled at her as she unwrapped her arms. Her mom perked up suddenly and looked over to the window.
"Oh! That's right," She chirped out, "Ronnie, the new neighbors just moved into the flat next to us. I made them an Apple Pie as a welcoming gift, but I won't be able to give it to them personally. You'll be a dear and give it to them, won't you?"
"Uhhh...sure," Veronica replied. Her mother gave her a bright grin and a quick peck on the cheek. She grabbed her scarf and coat and quickly headed out the door.
"See you later!" She called out before shutting the door. Vero waved to the door solemnly and sighed, turning back to stare at the pie.
"Alright," She sighed out, "Let's get this over with."
She walked over to the cabinet next to the fridge and pulled out an old gift basket her mom had recieved last winter. She placed it on the table and covered the bottom with a cloth to set the pie onto. She then walked over and grabbed the oven mitts from the cabinet. She slipped them onto her bony hands and opened the oven that was set on very low heat. She pulled out the pie and looked at it with a smile. The golden, flaky crust was sprinkled with shiny crystals of sugar and cinnamon. The center of the pie revealed but a bit of the brown, gooey inside of the pastry. The scent of apples filled her nose and danced around her senses. The smile on her face grew wider. Nothing could make a sad person smile more than a bit of her mother's apple pie. The saddest man in the world could eat this, and the brightest grin would be stuck on his face for days.
She delicately placed the pie in the basket and covered it with another nice looking cloth. She slipped the handle into her forearm and carried it off outside. She walked out of her room and kept the door partially open, seeing that she forgot her key on the table. She cautiously walked over to the room next door and stood in front of it. She curled her fingers inward and knocked on the door lightly.
She sucked in a breath nervously as she waited to see who would answer the door. Who could her new neighbor be? Perhaps he was a simple businessman, a loner who's going through a nasty divorce with his gold digger wife. Or perhaps he was a suffering artist, a failed writer who writes romantic novellas that just can't seem to tug the heartstrings of lonely women. Maybe he or she was a painter, a bohemian who's paintings were so explicit that he/she was banned from art galleries all around the U.S.
All of these obsurd ideas began to flood Veronica's wild imagination, creating a hopeful and excited grin on her face. She was so lost in her thoughts, her senses were thrown off when the door swung open and a man clad in black appeared before her. She yelped a little at the sight of him. Long black hair, eyes dressed in eyeliner, and a shirt that had a bloodied corpse on it, the words 'Suicide Silence' written across the chest area. She put her hand to her heart as her big, doll-like eyes looked at him like a deer in headlights. The tall guy (who looked like he was in his 20's) looked at her up and down before speaking.
"Yes?" He asked out. Veronica opened her mouth to speak, but no words were coming out. This man looked so...so...dark, and emo.
"Uh-hh..." She stammered while holding up the basket, "M-my mom made this pie to...to w-welcome you. W-we live next door to you."
The guy looked at the basket curiously and pulled up the cloth. Just then a voice called out from behind him.
"Matt! Who is it?!" it sounded like a girl. The guy named Matt turned his head to his room.
"It's some neighbor chick," He called back. Veronica continued to stare at him as he looked back down at the basket. He had the most curious pair of blue eyes. The reminded her of the ocean. He suddenly made eye contact with her and she perked up nervously. A pale pink blush appeared on her cheeks as he slid the basket off her arm.
"Thanks," He muttered, shutting the door without saying goodbye. Veronica put her hand to her heart and let out a sigh of sadness. She walked back to her room to grab her coat, mittens, and hat.
"Who was that?" Sandra asked, putting away the last stack of books on the shelf. Matt walked into the kitchen area and set down the basket.
"The neighbor that lives next door to us," He replied, "She brought over a pie."
"Are you serious?!" Ashley piped up, poking his head out from the bathroom. Matt nodded lightly and pulled it out, showing it to him. Just then, Jake and Jinxx swung open their bedroom doors in unison, poking their heads out.
"I smell apple pie!" Jake yelled out.
"Neighbor brought it over!" Matt yelled back. A set of footsteps thumped through the hallway before the two boys appeared before him. Their eyes lit up in happiness as they stared at the golden work of art. Sandra and Ashley walked into the kitchen as well. The five of them looked at the golden pastry, their happy expressions fading into sadness.
"So...what do we do with it?" Sandra asked. Matt let out a sad sigh and shrugged.
"Throw it out I guess..."
"AUGH!" Jake whined out, "GODDAMMIT! Why?! Can't we have a bite?!"
"Do you wanna die?" Matt asked.
"If i say yes, do I get a bite?" Jake asked in a hopeful tone. Matt let out a chuckle and shook his head no. Jake shook his head and threw his hands in the air.
"Throw it out then!" He called out, "But just so you know, I hate my life!"
"You're making a family of Racoons very happy!" Sandra called out with a laugh.
"Fuck the Racoons! I want pie!" Jake yelled, slamming the door shut. The four of them let out a laugh as Matt tossed the pie into the garbage. He wiped his hands and put them on his hips. He then turned and looked at the four with a smile that quickly faded into a stare.
"Where's Six?" He asked curiously.
Veronica was an 'oddball' to say the least. Everyone was so into "the now", and so current with their fashions and juicy couture purses. Veronica was a hippie, an outsider. She liked things like melon ice cream and collecting smooth skipping stones. She liked clothes and dresses with laces and frills. When she was young, the kids her age were afraid of her because she didn’t care too much for plastic things. Everyone wanted barbies and yo-yo's. She wanted rocks, or jewel beetles, or a voice trapped in a bottle. She liked collecting oyster seashells for their glossy pearlish insides. For being different, and loving what others didn't, she was picked on constantly, and it hasn't changed a bit since childhood.
Now, here she was in High School, taking certain routes during different times to avoid harassers. She never ate lunch in the lunch room, and she never went out the front entrance when school let out. Yep, this was the life she had become accustomed to. Veronica Passaro Miroiu was an outsider.
It was a Friday night, and school had let out a couple hours earlier. Veronica stayed after and volunteered to help clean up the music room. There was one girl leading this army of harassers and abusers, and her name was Gretchen Kale. They used to be friends somewhat in 1st Grade. But then Gretchen discovered Barbies and Boys. Veronica didn't care for those things at all, and in fact, found them repulsive at the time. The boys didn't like Veronica at all, so Gretchen assimilated and hated her as well. As you could see, the whole "hate" thing had officially stuck into the high school years. The only thing that was different was instead of pulling her hair and stealing her crayons, she and her friends would steal her gym clothes and shove them into toilets. They would write obscene things aimed towards Veronica on bathroom stalls, and they would openly call her "ugly" and "freakish" in front of everyone. They chanted things like, "Vero's a Zero! She's no hero! She can't even save her looks! Oh!" Stupid things like that. Every day these things would pick and scratch at the Violet and White haired wonder, but she kept moving forward. That's all she could do until she would be able to someday summon the courage to tell them all off.
"Vero!" A female voice chirped out. Veronica turned around as she set up the last chair on the student desk. An Asian girl with badly crimped hair and huge glasses came running up to her. Hyun Ki was her name, and she was a transfer student from Korea. She smiled brightly as she dug through her hello kitty bag and pulled out a little plush toy.
"Isn't it cute?" she chirped, "I found it at a little shop in Chinatown. They were selling all sorts of things!"
"That's wonderful, Hyun," Veronica sighed, "We'll have to go there sometime."
The asian girl furrowed a little and jutted out her lip.
"What's wrong, nuna?" She asked curiously. Veronica looked down at the floor while brushing some hair behind her ear. She then looked up at Hyun Ki and smiled lightly.
"It's nothing really," She lied, "I'm just tired."
Hyun Ki looked at her for a second and then flashed a grin.
"Ohhh, okay!" She chirped, "Well then let's get home, eh? You can stop by my room later and see the Lolita Dress I picked out for the Tea Party!"
"Sounds great," Veronica chirped. Hyun Ki clapped lightly in excitement and linked arms with Veronica. The two of them marched out of school together, confident and happy about today's results; Bullies: 0, Veronica: 1.
"I'm home mom," Veronica called out, shutting the apartment door. If you hadn't already guessed it, she lived alone with her mother. While Veronica was at school, her mom was busy sleeping during the day, and working the Diner at night. Her thin haired mother had hair like Veronica's: chemically altered with a color that clearly was fading. Underneath that was a beautiful pale blonde, a certain gene passed down from mother to daughter for at least 4 generations. Her mom had a sort of 50's pinup/housewife look about her: slick, loose curls, bright red matte lipstick, and shining white pearls around her neck.
"There you are Ronnie," Her mother spoke out in a rush, "It's so nice to see you home. No bruises or scratches I see."
Veronica looked down at her arms and then back up at her mother with a smile. They were used to the routine of her coming home with some sort of abuse mark on her. Her mother walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, leaving a bright red lip mark behind.
"I'd help you with your math homework, but my boss wants me in early," She replied while tying on her apron, "Stupid old biddy. I hope tonight's tips aren't as bad as last weeks. What a nightmare!"
"It's okay mom, you'll do fine," Veronica assured. Her mother smiled at her lovingly and gave her a tight squeeze.
"You are such a sweet peach," She sighed, "I wish all girls your age were like you. The world would definitely seem much brighter."
Veronica smiled at her as she unwrapped her arms. Her mom perked up suddenly and looked over to the window.
"Oh! That's right," She chirped out, "Ronnie, the new neighbors just moved into the flat next to us. I made them an Apple Pie as a welcoming gift, but I won't be able to give it to them personally. You'll be a dear and give it to them, won't you?"
"Uhhh...sure," Veronica replied. Her mother gave her a bright grin and a quick peck on the cheek. She grabbed her scarf and coat and quickly headed out the door.
"See you later!" She called out before shutting the door. Vero waved to the door solemnly and sighed, turning back to stare at the pie.
"Alright," She sighed out, "Let's get this over with."
She walked over to the cabinet next to the fridge and pulled out an old gift basket her mom had recieved last winter. She placed it on the table and covered the bottom with a cloth to set the pie onto. She then walked over and grabbed the oven mitts from the cabinet. She slipped them onto her bony hands and opened the oven that was set on very low heat. She pulled out the pie and looked at it with a smile. The golden, flaky crust was sprinkled with shiny crystals of sugar and cinnamon. The center of the pie revealed but a bit of the brown, gooey inside of the pastry. The scent of apples filled her nose and danced around her senses. The smile on her face grew wider. Nothing could make a sad person smile more than a bit of her mother's apple pie. The saddest man in the world could eat this, and the brightest grin would be stuck on his face for days.
She delicately placed the pie in the basket and covered it with another nice looking cloth. She slipped the handle into her forearm and carried it off outside. She walked out of her room and kept the door partially open, seeing that she forgot her key on the table. She cautiously walked over to the room next door and stood in front of it. She curled her fingers inward and knocked on the door lightly.
She sucked in a breath nervously as she waited to see who would answer the door. Who could her new neighbor be? Perhaps he was a simple businessman, a loner who's going through a nasty divorce with his gold digger wife. Or perhaps he was a suffering artist, a failed writer who writes romantic novellas that just can't seem to tug the heartstrings of lonely women. Maybe he or she was a painter, a bohemian who's paintings were so explicit that he/she was banned from art galleries all around the U.S.
All of these obsurd ideas began to flood Veronica's wild imagination, creating a hopeful and excited grin on her face. She was so lost in her thoughts, her senses were thrown off when the door swung open and a man clad in black appeared before her. She yelped a little at the sight of him. Long black hair, eyes dressed in eyeliner, and a shirt that had a bloodied corpse on it, the words 'Suicide Silence' written across the chest area. She put her hand to her heart as her big, doll-like eyes looked at him like a deer in headlights. The tall guy (who looked like he was in his 20's) looked at her up and down before speaking.
"Yes?" He asked out. Veronica opened her mouth to speak, but no words were coming out. This man looked so...so...dark, and emo.
"Uh-hh..." She stammered while holding up the basket, "M-my mom made this pie to...to w-welcome you. W-we live next door to you."
The guy looked at the basket curiously and pulled up the cloth. Just then a voice called out from behind him.
"Matt! Who is it?!" it sounded like a girl. The guy named Matt turned his head to his room.
"It's some neighbor chick," He called back. Veronica continued to stare at him as he looked back down at the basket. He had the most curious pair of blue eyes. The reminded her of the ocean. He suddenly made eye contact with her and she perked up nervously. A pale pink blush appeared on her cheeks as he slid the basket off her arm.
"Thanks," He muttered, shutting the door without saying goodbye. Veronica put her hand to her heart and let out a sigh of sadness. She walked back to her room to grab her coat, mittens, and hat.
"Who was that?" Sandra asked, putting away the last stack of books on the shelf. Matt walked into the kitchen area and set down the basket.
"The neighbor that lives next door to us," He replied, "She brought over a pie."
"Are you serious?!" Ashley piped up, poking his head out from the bathroom. Matt nodded lightly and pulled it out, showing it to him. Just then, Jake and Jinxx swung open their bedroom doors in unison, poking their heads out.
"I smell apple pie!" Jake yelled out.
"Neighbor brought it over!" Matt yelled back. A set of footsteps thumped through the hallway before the two boys appeared before him. Their eyes lit up in happiness as they stared at the golden work of art. Sandra and Ashley walked into the kitchen as well. The five of them looked at the golden pastry, their happy expressions fading into sadness.
"So...what do we do with it?" Sandra asked. Matt let out a sad sigh and shrugged.
"Throw it out I guess..."
"AUGH!" Jake whined out, "GODDAMMIT! Why?! Can't we have a bite?!"
"Do you wanna die?" Matt asked.
"If i say yes, do I get a bite?" Jake asked in a hopeful tone. Matt let out a chuckle and shook his head no. Jake shook his head and threw his hands in the air.
"Throw it out then!" He called out, "But just so you know, I hate my life!"
"You're making a family of Racoons very happy!" Sandra called out with a laugh.
"Fuck the Racoons! I want pie!" Jake yelled, slamming the door shut. The four of them let out a laugh as Matt tossed the pie into the garbage. He wiped his hands and put them on his hips. He then turned and looked at the four with a smile that quickly faded into a stare.
"Where's Six?" He asked curiously.
Update!!!
7/5/14