The doomed friendship of Betty & Veronica

• Chapter 1 •

"Mama! No where are they taking me!! Please don't leave me!! Mama!! Mama!! Polly help me!!" Betty cried out as two strong men were dragging her out of the house. She was only 9 years old, and she didn't weight nearly enough to fight back under their strong hold. Her older sister Polly looked at both her little sister and her mother and seemed terrified. "I'm so sorry Elizabeth. This is the only way. This is for your own good baby I swear! Be a good girl will you? I love you!" Alice said with a tear running down her cheek. "No mama!! Why are you doing this?! Mama help me!!! Don't let me go!! Mama please!!" The helpless little girl kept screaming as the front door behind her was shut and she had been dragged outside. The intense crying made her breathing harder and she tried to gasp for air as she saw her mom and her big sister watching from the window. Her little head was overloaded with confusion and fear. What had she done wrong? She had been as good as can be. She had helped her mother and her sister in any way possible and she had never gotten into any kind of trouble, if you don't count the times she had come inside with Archie soaking wet after water fights on hot summer days.

This day could be one of those days. July was extremely warm and this saturday afternoon felt just like one of those afternoons where her next door neighbour Archie would show off his climbing skills and climb through his window to land in her room. Then the two kids would go and fill water balloons and throw them at Betty's back yard. But instead.. Now, she was being dragged into the unknown. She was hoping that little ginger boy would see her and come to help. He had done that more times than Betty could count. When she fell down with her bike, Archie had been there with a band aid, when she fell down from a tree, Archie had been there to comfort her.. But the Andrews house was quiet and empty, perhaps the family had gone for a afternoon walk to the park. The little girl was shaking as the men put her into the car that was waiting in front of her house. "Don't worry doll. Sister Woodhouse will take care of you", the other man said as he sat on to the driver's seat. Betty didn't want sister Woodhouse whoever that was, she wanted her mother.

As they arrived to the sisters of quiet mercy, tears started rolling down her cheeks again. The building looked like a prison from the outside. Grey tile walls and a fence going around the area. There is no way out of here, the little girl thought to herself as she felt the firm hands wrap around her skinny arms once again, when the men dragged her inside. "Sister Woodhouse, this is Elizabeth Cooper." The man announced as they walked up to this motherly looking lady. "Oh hello my child." The sister smiled as she looked at the blonde girl. "don't be scared my sweetheart. We are not going to harm you. You are in good hands here. We will make you better little girl." Better? What did that lady mean with better? Betty's hands were trembling as she hid them under her sleeves. "Plea...please. I'm sca..scared. I want my mom.." The sister took her hand and studied her. "Oh don't worry my child. You will get used to it here. Oh look at that messy hair of yours." She pointed out Betty's messy golden ponytail that was almost escaping from the loose hairband. "Let me show the way to your room and we'll help you get changed and make your hair nice and clean."

She took a few steps back. "I.. I'm not gonna stay here. I've never been away from my mama please I wanna go home s...sister Woodhouse." She had no say in what was going to happen and she knew it. "Come. Elizabeth. It's gonna be fine. In here, you follow our rules, okay? We thought it would be good for you to have some company since you are new here. So you have a roommate. A nice little girl, same age as you. " The sister talked while she quided Betty down the hallway to one specific door. She pushed the door open and Betty saw a plain, grey room with two beds, a night stand and a closet. On the other bed, she saw a little raven haired girl, who was reading a book, sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. "Elizabeth, this is Veronica, Veronica, this is your new roommate, Elizabeth." The raven haired girl looked up away from the book. "Hey" she said, with a high pitched voice which was very kid like but still firm. Betty was still filled with horror, and she just stared at the girl blankly, unable to say anything.

"Get changed Elizabeth. Your clothes are on your bed. Then, brush your hair and put it on a tight ponytail. It's almost bedtime. You have a long day tomorrow." Sister Woodhouse commanded and left the room. The little girl went quietly up to her bed and let out sniffs and heavy breaths as she cried and picked up a blue dress with a white collar, next to that she saw white pyjamas. "We need to wear the blue dress everyday. It's the order. On sundays we have another outfit. It's in the closet. The collar needs to be down and the sleeves can't be rolled up." She heard Veronica inform her from the other bed. Betty looked at her with teary eyes but once again stayed quiet. This place felt like a prison. And she wanted to go home, sleep on her warm bed, play outside with Archie, hug her mom.. She got changed, brushed her hair with the hairbrush that was left on the night stand for her. After that she quietly went under her covers. The sister came to turn off the light soon after and Betty started crying harder. She had always been afraid of the dark and that's why she always had an angel night light at home.

"Elizabeth.." She heard a whisper. "It's gonna be okay.." Veronica climbed out of her bed and went to sit next to Betty's bed. "I was scared too. When I came here.." She gave a small calming smile and even tho it was dark, Betty still saw it. "Here, you can take this with you, if you want. My mom brought it for me when she visited. She visits sometimes.." Veronica handed her own teddy bear to Betty. The blonde girl hesitated for a while but took the teddy and hugged it. "If we open the curtains a little bit the moon will create some light in here, if that makes you feel better. I used to do that." Betty nodded and Veronica reached for the curtains. It helped a little bit. Now she saw the raven haired girl. Her hair had been made into this flawless braid and her pyjama shirt was tucked into the pants. "Thank you.. Y-you are nice.. How l-long have you been here?" Betty mumbled. "Almost six months now. My mama brought me here on my birthday."

"W-why..?" the blonde girl sniffed out loud. "I don't know.. I guess I did something wrong. Guess I wasn't being good enough.." Maybe that was the same with Betty. Maybe she wasn't good enough. Maybe her mother loved Polly more. "I wanna go home.." she burst into a helpless cry and the other girl sat by her and wrapped her arms around her. "It's gonna be okay Elizabeth.. We will be fine.. Just do what they tell you to and don't break the rules so you won't get punished. I'm here with you" Betty leaned in more to the raven haired girl's hug and felt a bit more safe. "You can sleep with teddy tonight. Or as long as you want to. He is the most cuddliest bear ever." Veronica giggled a bit and that made Betty smile. "You can c-call me Betty." Veronica nodded. "Good night Betty. And you can call me Ronnie." Betty took a big breath. "Good night Ronnie." The night was long but at some point, Betty finally drifted into her dream land. A land that was safe and where she had all her loved ones. Who knew what the next day would hold inside.