veronica mars 🔎 (sleuthy) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2019-07-15 15:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | !narrative, c: mariela rodriguez |
WHO: Mariela Rodriguez → Veronica Mars / Mentions of Jude Campbell.
WHERE: Neptune, California.
WHEN: Backdated to early hours of the morning on July 4th.
WHAT: Mariela gets her first complete memory.
RATING: High. Mentions of murder and death.
STATUS: narrative; complete.
Mari should have known better. Things were all going just a little too well, and if her past had taught her anything, it was that the good times never last. Her start in Dunhaven had been a little rocky, as she had expected it would. It was never easy moving to a new place, and even more so when starting a new job on top of that. Then of course there was also the Jude Campbell factor. Never to be discounted. It had been enough to keep Mari on her toes for those first few weeks. She’d been stressed out and tense and always prepping for the worst. Then things had slowly started to change for her. She was killing it at work and her bosses loved her. She’d discovered Miles lived in Dunhaven too and the two had resumed their friendship as if no time had passed at all. She was starting to know her way around town, and even make friends with a few people. It all added up to Mari beginning to let her guard down. What a mistake that was. After solving the Great Tarot Card mystery of 2019, Mari was feeling good. So good in fact that she convinced herself that maybe she and Jude could have a night out together. She invited him out, and was delighted when he said yes. They decided to take a night off of Dunhaven together and went to dinner in DC. The drive up was good with the both of them falling into their trademarked banter without much work. The meal itself was amazing, and the night went by too quickly. Mari pushed bad memories aside for the time and spent the evening really finding out who Jude Campbell was after all these years. Not unexpectedly, she was still enraptured with him. They lingered over their food, ordered extra drinks and dessert, but eventually the dinner had to end. As they drove back to Dunhaven with the top to his convertible down, the stars above them twinkled and the lights of the city making everything glow softly. It was the most content she’d felt in a long time and she couldn’t help but smile at him. When Jude dropped her off at her apartment, she invited him up without a second thought. Hours later, as she dozed off to sleep with his arm around her, Mari wasn’t thinking about the past and the hurt, she just felt happy. Which is exactly when everything went wrong. -- The sun was shining down and the music blared behind her. It was a gorgeous California afternoon as she used a towel to dry off the windshield of an expensive car for their Pep Squad car wash. Lilly was a few feet away from her, enjoying herself and soaking up all the attention while drying the car’s hood. Veronica couldn’t help teasing as Lilly pranced closer. “God, Lilly, I see the Prozac is working.” “High on life, Veronica Mars.” Lilly leaned in conspiratorially. “I’ve got a secret, a good one.” Veronica immediately felt her curiosity rise. She leaned in close, ready to hear Lilly’s secret when their coach ordered them back to work. “Later,” Lilly promised with a grin before she moved on to the next car. Veronica laughed to herself as she went back to the windshield. Her mind was already at work trying to piece together what her best friend's secret was. Later that evening, Veronica sat in the front seat of the Sheriff's car. Her father was behind the wheel and the two of them were laughing and talking about their day while Veronica snuck french fries out of the bags that held their dinner. It would have been a good ending to a typical day in Neptune if it hadn’t been for the call that came over the radio. A disturbance at the Kane estate. Veronica’s heart rate began to rise as her dad turned the car in the direction of the Kane’s. As Keith headed inside, he gave her explicit instructions to stay in the car. She meant to listen to him, she really did. But the moment Veronica saw Duncan, sitting alone and looking distressed, there was no way she could keep away. She slipped out of the car and made her way over to her boyfriend. As she approached him, it was like he couldn’t even see her. She knelt down in front of him so they’d be eye to eye. “What happened? Duncan! What happened?” He didn’t respond. Didn’t say or do anything but rock back and forth and stare at her with haunted eyes. “Where’s Lilly?” His face crumpled at the mention of his sister’s name and Veronica felt her heart drop. “Duncan, talk to me. Please.” When he still couldn’t answer her, Veronica’s fears began to overwhelm her. She pushed herself to her feet and followed the sounds coming from the Kane’s backyard. She’d spent so much time back there before, hanging out by the pool with Lilly, Duncan, and Logan. Parties, cookouts, happy memories all. As Veronica rushed to find Lilly, every happy experience she’d ever had in that yard was obliterated. She spotted Deputy Lamb with the Kanes, trying to comfort a weeping Celeste. And there was her dad, crouched down near the edge of the pool. Veronica ran up to him without hesitation. What she saw as she moved closer would destroy her world as she knew it. Her best friend, Lilly Kane, lay dead on the concrete, her eyes wide open and staring. A large wound on her head showed what had killed her. Her blonde hair was red and matted with blood. Veronica would swear she forgot how to breathe in that moment. It was like all the air had just disappeared along with Lilly’s life. “Oh my god.” She managed to gasp out, which alerted Keith to her arrival. As Veronica began to break down, unable to look away from the body, Keith stood and rushed to her side. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her away. After that, everything began to fade to black. Everything except Lilly’s eyes. -- Mari jolted awake. She didn’t have time to think about anything as she tried to throw herself out of bed. Her feet had become entangled in the sheets and she cried in frustration, tears streaming down her face. After a moment she finally freed herself and hurtled herself into the bathroom. She only had time to close and lock the door behind her before she hit her knees in front of the toilet and began to vomit. One murdered, lifeless body had been more than enough to traumatize Mari for a lifetime. Now she had two. The tears continued as Mari emptied her stomach. Haley and Lilly. Lilly and Haley. Their names and faces floated through her mind over and over again until there was nothing left. When it was over, she shakily stood up and moved to rinse her mouth out in the sink. Well, Mariela she thought to herself, the other shoe just dropped. |