Veronica Stone

Pt. 3

“Alright ladies it’s time to get dark we’ll be within the zone in 5 minutes!”, Veronica reminded her squad.

She creaked shut the grey battered tough-box, half-filled with backup ammunition, O.B.E’s, and an assortment of medical equipment she was sure they wouldn’t have to use. She clicked her oxygen mask in place around her face and gave some reminders to the crew, mostly to test the mask’s mic signal to the intercom. 

“Persaud, what are you saying?”

“We all good here Maam, de boys on dey shark, lizard feet ready, Madness have de dolphin ready too, they ‘oppin on all now. ‘Ow you holdin up?”

Veronica paused, the question threw her off. It was typical for Trevor to check in on her, tell her something sweet for her confidence before they moved in, but with how everything was today, it gave her a feeling that crawled down her spine in the most unsettling way. How did he mean “How are you holding up?”. Was there something wrong with her? Did he see something wrong with her? She was fine. Yet her grinding teeth betrayed her. 

“Good stuff Persaud.”, Veronica chose to ignore the question. She quickly tapped the earpiece for Madness’ line, “Everyting good? Dey strapped up an everything?”

The line beeped just before Madness replied, Veronica ignored it.

“Straight!! Me bwoys ready fi ride an rumble!”

The line beeped again. Ignored.

“I like de sound ah da, cyan wait to see you in action girl!”

It beeped again. 

“Hol’ on Madness-Yes?”

“Ah ask if you okay, you been funny whole day ah nuh say nuttin but me want to know yuh good before we dive in babe.”

“Maam.”, Veronica rushed to correct before he could continue, the line was just between the two of them but that spinewalking feeling…
“Dis is wat ah talkin about, since Madness come ahm not to kiss yuh nor ride wit yuh nor talk to yuh...really talk to you.”

Veronica swallowed hard, she could hear him fighting back the pain just from the sad song his accent sung. She didn’t know what to say. She just stood there, a sad silent tower on the whaleshark’s back. Trevor was silent too, until he spoke again after a deep inhale, “Is it Madness? Veronica? Is this about her?”

The sick feeling had Veronica by the throat now, the words just wouldn’t come. Images of the final exam flashed in front of her. The embarrassment. 

“Veronica, are you ashamed of us? Is that what it is? I don’t understand, Madness is so chill I-”

“Trevor...I’m sorry I just...I don’t know...I don’t-”, her eyes throbbed holding back tears. She could feel everything falling apart and this thing just pinned her down forcing her to watch helplessly. 

If a single tear fell from Veronica’s face into the Atlantic and Trevor was in the Indian Ocean, he would hear it and find his way to her in a heartbeat, so there was no point in trying to hold back her distress, she was an open book to him. 

“Love, ah don’t know wuh goin’ on between y’all two but you know I’ll endure fuh you. Ah just want yuh to be safe out dere, not in yuh head you know?”

Veronica could almost feel him caressing her cheek with his thumb. She felt that visceral warmth and it hurt so much to have to push that away. 

“Thanks-”

She paused, swallowed and scrambled to gather up the tears like the memories she tried to hold back. He’d experienced it too, he didn’t know everything, maybe didn’t understand fully, but he had to have felt it at least. The sick feeling molted into a voice in her mind, dangerously similar to her own.