There is a row of stove tops and a large freezer at the far wall. The refrigerator is next to it. The twins pretty much own this room since the disappearance of the adults.
The school kitchen 1
the school kitchen 2
The school kitchen 3
the school kitchen 4
the school kitchen 5
Eliza was sitting in the kitchen, eating a very unhealthy looking pile of... something. Either she'd applied quantum physics to her food, or she was just a very bad cook. Either way, she was enjoying herself. It felt so good just to not work on the machine, to know it was all complete...
Veronica walked in and sat down next to Eliza. "Hey..." She said softly.
"Hey there Veronica."
Eliza said with a smile to the girl. "You doing alright?" She didn't usually get to spend her time being social, it was good to see people around.
"Everyone's just about ready for this dimension hopping trip. Are.. Are you sure it's going to be alright?"
Veronica asked her worriedly. This was Eliza's machine, if anyone's doubts should be listened to, it was her.
"I've tested it multiple times."
Eliza said with a little nod to her. "Honestly, if there were going to be problems, it wouldn't be at this stage. I would have blown up half the school and sucked it into a black hole... or nothing much would be an issue really." She fixed Veronica with a serious stare. "I made sure that didn't happen."
"I'm sure you did."
Veronica replied with a smile. "I know you've been working extremely hard on it, Liz. I'm just... worried, is all." She sighed and ran her fingers through her thick lustrous hair. "I've lost a lot of people over the last few years. I'd hate to lose the friends I just got back... You know?"
Eliza nodded, reaching over and patting Veronica's shoulder gently. "I understand, really. I wasn't sure if I should reveal my device was finished so soon after our... Mojo incident... But I knew Waya would want to know immediately. Trust me, I'll make sure everyone gets out alright."
"Just be careful..."
Veronica pleaded softly.
"We will be. I will be."
Eliza said with a little nod to Veronica. "You don't need to worry, alright?"
"I can't help it, but I'll try."
Veronica told her with a nod. "Maybe I just need to find something to occupy myself with."
Eliza nodded slightly, rubbing Veronica's shoulder gently, trying to calm to girl down a little "Well, if you really want, I could give you every maths equation I used in the machine to try and occupy your mind."
"Eh.... Math's not my strong suit."
Veronica replied with a grimace. "Maybe I'll see if the others wouldn't mind going shopping with me. You know I haven't had the chance to since getting back..."
Eliza gave a smile and a nod "Jeremy might go with you Veronica, he usually needs to go out and get some new clothes... He really has difficulty because of his size."
Veronica shrugged. "Guess we'll see." She said and leaned back in the chair. She was worried about the others, but she just couldn't bring herself to go with them.
Eliza smiled, then sighed and stood up slowly and stretched "Well, I should go see the others... Get ready." She smiled at Veronica "I'll make sure they get back."
Veronica smiled back. "Thanks."
Eliza nodded slightly, giving another small smile before slipping away to find the others.
Waya appeared out of the shadow of the refrigerator in the corner. She was all suited up in her new, more modest uniform. Eliza was gone apparently, but Veronica was still here. "Was Liz here?" She asked, stepping from the shadow.
"You just missed her."
Veronica replied, pointing towards the door. "She's headed downstairs to meet up with you guys." She couldn't help but notice the change in Waya's uniform. She smiled, seeing how conservative it had become. "I like the suit."
Waya groaned. "I was just down there..." She said, ignoring the complement.
"Waya... Are you sure about all this?"
Veronica asked her curiously. She'd basically asked Liz the same thing.
"You too?"
Waya asked. "The twins basically begged me to call the whole thing off."
"I know you guys have to do it, I'm not asking you to call it off."
Veronica told her and looked at her worriedly. "I'm just... worried something's going to go wrong."
"Something could go wrong every day, Ver."
Waya said. "Trouble seems to find us no matter what we do."
"I know that, damnit. More than any of you, I know that."
Veronica replied coldly. None of the others knew what it was like to have gone through what she'd been through. None of them would really understand what it felt like to be torn to shreds 7 times. She owed Spiral and Mojo her very life, that was the whole reason why she'd suffered through ever single little thing those sadistic creeps had subjected her to in the Mojoverse. She sighed and dropped her head into her hands. "I'm just worried I'm going to lose all of you all over again..."
Waya frowned, feeling sorry for Veronica. She went to her and hesitated before placing her hand on her shoulder. She'd never been particularly close with Veronica. Veronica was perfect, blond, hot and had always been popular. The girl that came back wasn't the Veronica that Waya remembered and she kept forgetting that. Waya had always identified more with Moe, who like her had had physical mutations. "I'm sorry." She told Veronica. "But... you're being selfish..." Waya winced even as she said it, but it was true.
Veronica winced when she said that. She knew it was true, but she couldn't help it. "I'm not the only one." She shot back coldly, glaring up at Waya. The twins were right, their parents all could very well be dead and Waya was being just as selfish by insisting that they find them.
"I have to know."
Waya said, prepared to rehash the argument she had had with the twins.
"And I have to worry that you guys won't come back either..."
Veronica said quietly. She didn't want to argue, not before they were all going to leave...
"How did you feel, trapped in the Mojoverse knowing no one was coming to save you?"
Waya asked.
"As far as I knew, it was you guys who were dead... Spiral saved my life when she pulled me out of the Blood Mercury. I'd already felt myself die seven times, Waya. Seven times in under five minutes..."
Veronica replied, her heart beginning to race with panic as she recalled it.
Waya felt like an idiot. "I'm sorry Ver... I was tying to make a point and I guess I fucked it up."
"Seven times, and knowing you're next.... It was agony, Waya. Then
she appeared. She gave me a way out, a hope, a life..."
Veronica wrapped her arms about herself, almost disappearing into her oversized sweater. "As long as I did what Mojo wanted, I was allowed to stay. I had nothing to go back to, you were all dead... So much... I've done so much..." There were tears welling up in her eyes, and during her last statement, they broke free and started to run down her cheeks.
Waya wrapped her arms around her, knowing how she felt more than Veronica would ever know.
Veronica shuddered and started to cry as Waya held her. This whole situation sucked. She'd just gotten everyone back, everyone she'd thought was dead. And now they were all going to run off to some other dimension, and they didn't even know for sure that they could make it back... And she couldn't find the strength to join them, the girl with the strength of eight, couldn't find any more...
"Ver... I don't know what to do..."
Waya admitted. "But you'll get through this... It... it gets easier. Everything you've been through is still new... it doesn't sting so much after a while..."
Ver clung to her just a little bit. "I'm sorry.. You should be getting ready for the mission..." She mumbled, blubbered even, softly
"It can wait a few minutes..."
Waya said. "You're not alone..." She wanted to tell Veronica, but after Penelope and her shitty little joke to George, she thought maybe she shouldn't. She wasn't very good at girl talk.
Veronica sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. "But what if you guys don't come back?" She asked quietly, her voice trembling with worry.
"We have to."
Waya said. "Liz said there's no reason Junior can't replicate the energy needed to dial in our dimension. If he can do it on this side, he can do it on that side. We'll be fine."
"What about the actual machine?"
Veronica asked curiously. She couldn't remember if they'd covered that in the pre-mission briefing.
"Liz might suck socially."
Waya said. "But do you really doubt her work?" She was super intelligent like her mother and Tom could build almost anything.
"No, I don't doubt that the machine works. But don't you need one on the other side?"
Veronica asked in return.
"Junior is wearing a version of it."
Waya told her. "We'll be ok."
"Can I still be nervous about the whole thing?"
Veronica asked her.
Waya smiled. "Yes." She said. "I'm sorry... about what you've been through. I should... I should have been there for you more than I have been... I... I know what it's like trying to recover from something like that..."
Veronica looked at her a bit curiously. She'd not heard anything like that from Waya before... "You think... Maybe, when you guys get back we could talk?" She asked her quietly.
Waya nodded. "Yeah..." She said. "We'll talk... I promise."
"Ok..."
Veronica replied, nodding her head slowly. She rubbed her eye and sniffed through her nose. "I don't know if I can see you guys off though."
"It's ok."
Waya said. "I'll make sure everyone knows you care."
"Do you think the twins'll be there?"
Veronica asked. She didn't think they'd want to watch it either.
"No..."
Waya said. "They made it pretty clear yesterday that they didn't like any of this."
"I guess I could check on them."
Veronica said with a nod. It would give her something to do while everyone was leaving.
Waya nodded. "You need another hug or are you ok?"
Veronica rubbed her eyes again, then swallowed slowly. "I think I'll be alright. Thanks though."
Waya nodded. "I'll be back." She said, assuring her. "We all will."
"I'll be waiting."
Veronica replied with a nod
Waya gave her a rare smile before clothing herself in shadow and returning to the locker room.
Veronica sighed and lowered her her down onto the table. Everyone was leaving...just like last time, only they were sounding almost happy about it. She would certainly have to find the twins. They weren't going anywhere. She was in their domain here... Maybe they'd show up after a while?
Stumble!