| Chapter Two: Proper Introductions |
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| Disclaimer: The only thing I really own is Veronica. Everything else is just fun to play with. And boy, the fun I’m planning on having. ;) |
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| The pounding in my head woke me up. I don’t know how long I had been asleep, but I wished it had been longer. I tried to open my eyes, but it was difficult. My vision was blurred and the light just made the pain in my head worse, making me groan. Never in my life had a hangover been this bad.
“How are you feeling?” I shot up, and fell back down as dizziness washed over me and the pain in my head throbbed. “You should not do that.” His voice was laced with amusement. “I have brought you some water. You took quite a beating last night, and, by the smell of your clothes, probably have a terrible hangover.” I slowly tried to open my eyes again, and could make out a dark figure beside me. I tried to wet my lips, but my tongue was dry. “Who…?” “Hush for now. There will be time for proper introductions later. For now, drink and rest.” I felt the brim of a cup touch my lips and drank the water gratefully. My eyes fluttered closed as the pain in my head was replaced by the overwhelming desire to sleep. Before I succumbed to the darkness, my mind dimly registered he must have drugged the water. |
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| The next time I gained consciousness, my head was no longer pounding, but I could tell I wasn’t in my own bed. The one I was lying in was far too soft for the regulation beds that everyone had. I slowly opened my eyes, expecting the onslaught of pain that accompanied the light, but it never came. After my vision cleared, I looked around, and sure enough, I was someplace I had never seen before. The first thing I noticed was that the bed I was in was huge, larger then any I had ever seen before, and the sheets were soft and a beautiful rose red. Three of the walls surrounding me were decorated in beautiful artwork, mainly of nature scenes, and the fourth wall had ceiling to floor bookshelves, overflowing with books. I scrambled out of the bed to look at the titles and almost gasped at some of them. There were some of the normal classics, but there were also many titles that were on the black list, books like Brave New World, Pride and Prejudice, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, books I had only heard rumors about but never seen in person.
I am a self-admitted book nerd. I love to read everything I could get my hands on, which is probably why I did so well in University, and also probably why I decided to continue into a profession in academia. I was an assistant to Professor Thornton, an English professor with a special interest in modern literature. He would probably give an arm just to be able to touch the books I had in front of me, and who knows what he would do to be allowed to read them. My hand reached out on its own accord, and gently stroked the book spines. I ran a finger over the titles, and finally pulled one out, a brightly colored book called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I remember that book from my childhood; my mother had loved it and told me stories from it after the book was banned. She also told me that the first protest she went to was to keep that book off the black list. Then she would laugh and say it was because of Harry Potter that she was who she was today. I opened it reverently, tenderly touching the words my mom had read and loved. I turned to the first page, and began to read. I don’t know how long I had been standing there reading, but I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a gentle cough behind me. I snapped the book shut, spun around, and saw a shadow standing in the doorway. “You know, most people, after awaking, would have left this room, trying to figure out where they are, not pulling black listed books off of a stranger’s bookshelves for a light read.” I couldn’t help but blush furiously. The man chuckled. “Do not worry. I am glad my library is appreciated by someone other then myself. It is not every day that I have a guest to show off my acquisitions to. Which title caught your eye?” My blush deepened. “Harry Potter. The first one.” The man took a step forward, out of the shadows. My eyes grew wide. He was dressed in all black, from his boots to his pants to his shirt to the leather gloves on his hands. His hair was ebony colored, smooth and long, hitting him to about his shoulders. But of course, the most distinguishing feature was on his face. He was wearing a mask. Not just any mask, but a Guy Fawkes mask. I recognized him in an instant: it was the terrorist V. I had seen him on the television the day the Old Bailey was blown up, talking about how our government was screwed up and how he meant to blow up Parliament a year from then. My eyes swept over him. Yes, it was him. At least he wore the same mask and had the same voice. And what a voice it was. “Ah, Harry Potter, a personal favorite of mine. Have you read it before?” It took me a second to collect my thoughts. No matter who this man was, he definitely had a presence. One that made my head spin. “No, but my mom had. She loved it. She knew the story by heart and would tell it to me some nights as a bed time story. She always wished I could have read it. She actually had a copy of it for a few years after it was banned, but my grandmother burned it once she found out. Said my mom had enough reason to fear without any books helping out. Said it was for my mom’s own good.” Oh shit, I was babbling. I always started to babble when I was nervous. I quickly shut my mouth, blushing again, glancing away from those masked eyes down at the book in my hands. “I’m sorry, my mouth sometimes gets away with me when I’m nervous.” “Please, do not be nervous. Your mother sounds like a fascinating woman. I would love to hear more about her. Maybe over some dinner? You have been asleep for about three days, and I am sure you are famished.” My stomach decided at that moment to let out a loud growl of hunger. God, how embarrassing. He chuckled as I blushed again and gestured for me to follow him. “Come. You can bring the book, if you wish.” I walked behind him silently as he led me through a hallway with more beautiful paintings hanging from the walls. He had quite a collection. The hunger gnawing at my stomach was the only reason I didn’t stop to gaze upon their beauty. While we were walking, I tenderly touched my forehead, feeling the large bump that had grown while I had slept where the Fingerman had bashed my head into the ground. It hurt when I touched it, but besides that it was fine. I must have slept through most of the pain. We passed by a couple of doors before the hall opened up into a large domed room with a kitchen off to one side. He led me to a table that was already set for one, delicious smells making my mouth water. He pulled out a chair for me and I sat down gratefully. I waited politely for him to sit down before digging in to the potatoes and beef he had fixed. It didn’t even cross my mind that the food might be poisoned or something, I was just too hungry. After a few minutes of rudely wolfing down food, I was able to slow down enough to look up at my host. He wasn’t eating, just watching me. The silence felt awkward. But what else would you expect between two strangers? I gulped down the large bite of meat I had just taken, washing it down with a sip of water, before I tried to speak again. “So what happened?” His hands folded in front of him on the table. “I assume you mean in the alley, when I found you.” “Yeah. The last thing I remember was that Fingerman on top of me, hitting my head against the ground.” Anger welled up inside of me. “What a bastard.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Well, he will no longer bother you. I pulled him off of you and…” he paused for a second, his voice becoming more guarded. “I took care of him.” I looked at the man in front of me long and hard. Not being able to see his face was going to get really annoying really fast. I couldn’t see the emotion hidden behind the mask. “You killed him, didn’t you?” “Do you want the truth or a lie?” “I always want the truth.” His head tilted to the side, considering me. “Really? Always?” I nodded emphatically. “Yes. My mom always told me to search for the truth, no matter how scary it is. It’s better to deal with it up front then finding out about it later and having to deal with the truth and the sense of betrayal.” “I think I would have liked your mother.” I looked down at my food and picked at the potatoes, a sudden lump forming in my throat. “Yeah, you would have. She was an amazing woman.” “What happened to her?” The potato I was picking at fell apart. “She was black bagged. When I was nine. She was…” I bit my lip. I had said too much. It’s hard to keep the tears back when I say too much. I looked up into the nothingness where his eyes should have been. His voice was soft. “She was different, wasn’t she?” I nodded as a tear escaped. Taking a deep breath, I tried to get my emotions in check. “Yeah. Anyways, thank you for saving me. I would probably be dead if it wasn’t for you. Thank you.” I took another breath and wiped the tear off of my cheek. “So what happened after you took care of that Finger?” He carefully folded his hands in front of himself. “I could not take you to the hospital because as soon as they started to miss him, they would have looked at the security cameras and would see you in it. Then they would have you captured and would question you about me since I would also be on that tape. I figured you had had enough beatings for one day, so I brought you here instead.” He gestured his hand, taking in the surroundings. “Welcome to my home. I call it the Shadow Gallery.” “It’s beautiful. I love all of the art. Are you a collector?” He nodded. “I collect all beauties that our government thinks should be hidden.” “You mean all of this is black listed?” I couldn’t believe it. It was all so beautiful, so precious. Why would anyone want to hide this? “Yes. As are most of the books in my library.” I nodded, and started working on my food again. The silence this time was more companionable, probably because of my big mouth rambling on and on. That always seemed to put people at ease. And hell, he saved my life. I couldn’t be awkward around him for too long. I looked up at him, chewing thoughtfully. He was still only watching me. “Why aren’t you eating?” “I ate before you woke up.” “Well, it’s very good, thank you for preparing it for me. Sorry if I was being rude earlier, just digging right in like a rabid wolf.” “No, no, you were hungry, I understand. I know what it is like to be hungry. I am just glad you enjoy it.” Silence fell over us again while I continued to eat and he watched. Some time passed before I finally set my fork and knife down and leaned back, a satisfied smile on my lips. “Delicious.” He stood up and took my plate into the kitchen. When he returned, he stood beside me and offered me a hand. “Would you like to retire to the sitting room so we can properly introduce ourselves?” I took his hand carefully, making sure I had my book with me when I stood up. He led me back into the large domed room, where I noticed a couch and two comfortable looking armchairs sitting around a beautiful oak coffee table in front of a television. I sat down in one of the armchairs while he sat in the other, facing each other. A couple of moments passed before I could find my voice. I could still feel where his hand had gripped mine. After a second, I burst out, “You’re V, aren’t you? The terrorist who blew up the Old Bailey a couple of weeks ago?” V nodded his head slowly. “Yes, I am.” I leaned forward in my chair, looking at him closely. “Did you mean everything you said on the television that day?” “Every word.” I smiled shyly. “I was hoping you would say that.” Whatever he was expecting, it obviously wasn’t that. “Why do you say that?” I spread my hands out in front of me, like it was obvious. “Well, you’re right, there is something wrong. People shouldn’t be in fear of their government. Governments are meant for the people, created by the people, and if the people don’t like it, they should be able to destroy that government and start over.” I shrugged a little. “I don’t think anyone in Britain can say they are happy with this government, and I’m glad someone finally stepped up to do something about it. I mean, there used to be protests and stuff like that, but now most people are even afraid to do that. Someone needed to grow the balls to really do something.” My voice faltered. Damn it, I was rambling again. “Sorry.” “No, it is fine. You have obviously read some Thomas Paine. I will admit I am curious how you came by such texts, but you seem to have an understanding on what I am trying to accomplish.” His head tilted a little, and it felt like he was studying me, even though I couldn’t see his eyes. It was a little disconcerting. “What is your name?” “Veronica.” “Veronica.” The way my name rolled off his tongue made my skin tingle. I shivered a bit in my chair. God, what a voice that man had. “What a beautiful name.” I smiled and started fidgeting with the book in my hands. “Thank you.” A couple of moments passed before a thought crossed my mind. “V, you said that when they saw me on that tape, they would come looking for me, so you brought me here instead, right?” He nodded once. “Correct.” I frowned a little. “But when I leave, they will still be looking for me. In the alley, I didn’t see you at all, I knew nothing about you. Now, I know who my savior was and how you decorate your home with illegal items. I would never betray you, but didn’t you basically give me more information that could be used against you?” V remained perfectly still, his hands clasped in his lap. It seemed he was thinking how best to phrase his answer. “Veronica, even though you knew nothing, they wouldn’t have believed you. They would think, ‘Why did a terrorist help someone whom they knew nothing about?’ They do not think I have a heart. So they would assume you did know something and were just lying to them. They would have killed you without a second thought.” My frown deepened. “But what about now? Now I do have information. They would be right in saying I was lying to them and they will still kill me. I will do all I can for what I believe in, but I still don’t want to die.” “You do have information now, but you are here with me. This is the safest place I know of and they will not find you here.” Something in my head clicked. My frown disappeared, being replaced by a look of shock. “You’re…you’re not going to let me leave, are you?” There was no hesitation in his voice when he uttered the word that sealed my fate: “No.” |
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