Blind Love

Unrealistic Reality

Veronica was gobsmacked when Cheryl started pulling out masks which had realistic people's faces painted on them.

"Cheryl, Halloween's over," she bewilderedly commented.

"Yes, Halloween's over, but it's 365 days a year we pretend to be someone that we're not," Cheryl returned, throwing her a mask and a wig.

"Hate to admit it, but Cheryl's got a point," Jughead caught his mask and wig as well.
"What are these really for, though?"

"FP foresaw we'd be tracked. He deliberately put us on the wrong train, this train is to Chicago and once we get off, we immediately hop on the train to Toledo. FP already bought tickets for us online and he chose this train because when we get off this train, the train to Toledo will be having last calls. That way, by the time they find out we've disappeared, we're already long gone. Also, your dad also said there would be a lot of trains departing the same time as the Toledo train, so they're gonna have a good time guessing where we went," Cheryl explained.

Veronica teared up a bit at Cheryl's explanation. FP had done so many things for them to ensure their safety. He was such a good father to Jughead and a fatherly figure to other children of Riverdale.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Jughead put his mask on quickly, probably to mask his emotions. They now looked like totally different people, as the goal was to throw their stalkers off. Jughead looked like an old man, while Cheryl had decided to dress Veronica as a young teen due to her small frame. Cheryl was a middle aged woman who looked slightly plump due to the small pillow she had stuffed under her clothes.

"Thank you for travelling with us. You have arrived Chicago," as the announcement was made, the trio calmly made their way off the train orderly and separately.

They blended right into the crowd and they did not draw any attention to themselves as they walked off the platform to another platform for the train to Toledo. Veronica walked at a normal pace, but her heart was racing. She sure hoped they wouldn't be caught again.

Veronica was the first to board the train. She found a seat towards the back, where the emergency exit door was. Cheryl then boarded, then sat at a seat with some distance from Veronica to pretend they did not know each other in case their stalker suspected something. Jughead then hobbled onto the train last, hunching his back and sitting on a seat near the train door.

Veronica Lodge held her breath as the train departed. Only when the train rolled away into the city, far away from the train station, did she dare breathe again. The three of them stayed seated at their respective seats just in case.

Her favorite thing to do during car or train rides was looking out the window. She liked how everything passed by her in a blur. It reflected her reality: everything was constantly changing and quick fading. She thought her life was so unrealistic, yet it was actually real. She laughed at how ironic it was. An unrealistic reality. Everything was so ironic about this train ride. They were going at high speed, yet she was extremely calm, sitting on the train, watching the city flash by. It was as if time passed differently on the train. She is reminded of one of Elizabeth Bishop's poems, 'Sandpiper'. She feels like the lines 'The world is a mist. And then the world is minute and vast and clear.' describes her life perfectly. It was crazy how everything could change with a blink of an eye.

"Hey, you're doing it again," Jughead's voice startled her out of her thoughts.

She turned and looked. Jughead was no longer an old man. He was back to himself again. Then, she noticed Cheryl was sitting next to Jughead as well. Wow. She must have been zoning out and thinking really hard to have not seen them coming over.

"We're safe now?"

"Yeah, you can be Veronica again," Cheryl replied, motioning for her to go change in the toilet.

After Veronica got out of her disguise, she took a short nap leaning on the windowsil. She was exhausted after two train rides and fast-beating hearts for fear of being caught.

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"Wake up, we're almost there," Veronica was nudged awake.

She found herself in a cab.

"Five minutes till we reach my mom's house, I sure hope she's not home," Jughead muttered, tapping his feet in an aggravated fashion.

"How are we gonna go in if she's not home?" Veronica questioned in her weary state.

"A key, duh," Cheryl sassed. "But of course you wouldn't know, you have a butler at your beck and call."

Veronica ignored Cheryl's sass. She was way too sleepy to respond to Cheryl. Maybe another time.

She checked her phone, where there were several messages. She clicked her mother's messages first.

Hermione had sent her beautiful photos of London and was asking whether she was fine and to tell her when she reached Gladys' house. 
Veronica smiled at the photos of Big Ben, London Eye, Buckingham Palace and other scenic spots. It also made her nostalgic when Hermione sent her photos of big high-end stores in London. This reminded her that her days of shopping at these stores were long gone.

"And we're here," Jughead announced, paying the driver.

Veronica stepped out into the paveway. In front of her stood a small but cosy brown house where they would be living temporarily.