because of you

I never stray too far from the sidewalk, I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt. Erica Cruz 25 years old Mother Shifter

[erxcacruz]

Erica had started to feel like herself again. Now that Gunn- her husband- had come back to her, now that there was hope to find their daughter, she could finally breathe again. It felt like she'd been lost, that she hadn't been here at all for months on end. The world had continued to spin around her, Erica had stayed still. She still felt a little unsteady on her feet and she wasn't used to the stares and the whispers. It would get better, though. That much she was sure of.

She wasn't caught up yet on everything that was going on underground. She didn't know who was here or not, who was up or down. The last person Erica had expected to see when she turned the corner was Lowe Morrison, but she had never felt more relieved when she did. Her sweet friend who she had missed so dearly... Erica felt her heart squeeze and her feet move faster until she was almost within touching distance. "Lowe. I-... It's so good to see you." @itslowemorrison

[sophiachambers]

"It's almost like...it's a party."

[erxcacruz]

"Right. Ha... I guess I hadn't expected the whole town to be here. My own fault, really. It- Any- Anyway. Are you here with someone?"

[robbie-wilson-hih]

"Veronica! Wow, you ask the big man for a miracle and he sure delivers. Come admire the assortment of fruit no one's gonna eat."

[erxcacruz]

"There was surely something better you could have asked for, Robert. I... Okay, sure. I mean, if no one else is going to do it."

[blairfisher]

He glanced around. "If you go left, it's shorter, but you would have to dodge two ice sculptures. How fast a runner are you?"

[erxcacruz]

"Knowing my luck, I'd go running right into them and cause an even bigger catastrophe. I-..." she looked down at her feet and then back up to him, "Did not wear the right shoes for this. Maybe we could cause a distraction?"

[n-oahdeluca]

In all honesty, Noah wasn't all that interested in big town-wide gatherings, but he never missed a single one. He might now have a wife and a son to focus his attention on, but he would drop everything for just one glimpse of her–anything to know that she was safe... that she was happy. Veronica never did seem to leave the house anymore though, so all events would lead to him hanging with his school friends and returning to his reality. He loved Bex, he really did, but thoughts of his dearest friend and how quickly everything changed had him in knots.

He was quickly giving up hope that this would be the event that she would finally make an appearance, when her quiet voice reached his ears. "Roni?"

[erxcacruz]

Veronica had become a shell of the person she once was. Year by year, piece by piece, until she didn't recognise her reflection anymore. She thought about Noah De Luca all the time. He was her best friend, he was her favourite person. When she needed something to hold onto, something that was hers alone, she thought about him. Veronica had fallen so far into a black hole, she didn't know how to get back out of it. Felix was never out of town... until he was. Until tonight. In the pit of her stomach, she knew something was very wrong but she wasn't ready to face it yet. Alone. God, she was so alone...

He said her name and everything just stopped. Veronica had pushed everyone away, she had become so isolated from anyone else who loved her, including him. Most of all, him. Veronica knew that Noah would see right through her and she couldn't stomach it. "Noah... I-...," she faltered, of course she did. "You look nice."

[k-eithsalvatore]

"Were you expecting something different?"

[erxcacruz]

"No, I-...," but she didn't have answer, not really. So she deflected, unkindly, as usual. "What were you expecting, Mireya?"

[blairfisher]

"Tell me about it. I'm not sure if it's a party or a zoo."

[erxcacruz]

"Do you think it's too late to make a break for it?"

[erxcacruz]

"That... is a lot of people." @havensdalestarters

[erxcacruz]

Welcome to 1999, Veronica Cruz-Olivera!

Name: Veronica Cruz-Olivera Age: 27 years old Species: Shifter Hometown: Havensdale, CT FC: Andrea Chaparro

Veronica was married young to who she thought was the man of her dreams, Felix Olivera. What she didn't know, is that over the years, he would start taking little pieces of her. Barely noticeable at first, but then before she knew it, she was isolated from her friends and family. She didn't recognise the person that she had become. She used to be funny and sharp as hell. Veronica used to push herself, chase her dreams and never back down.

This year, things have only got worse between Veronica and Felix. He's away more, answers his phone at all hours of the night with hushed conversation. The things he says... The power he's clearly chasing... Veronica has a never-ending feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, she just hasn't figured it all out yet.

Felix is out of town this December, leaving Veronica free to attend the Montgomery Winter Ball if she wants to. Among so many other things, she does want to.

Notable Connections

Erica and Rose Cruz: Children, aged 8 (born 1991) and aged 2 (born 1997).

Felix Olivera: Husband.

Robert Wilson, Karen McReid, Ethan McArthur: Childhood best friends who she hasn't spoken with properly in years. Robert especially as the Wilsons are her next-door neighbours. @broho-jesse @robbie-wilson-hih

Mr De Luca: Veronica's oldest, dearest friend and biggest will they, won't they from high school. @n-oahdeluca

[r-ickgunn]

Gunn hadn't been back to the underground since he left more than half a year ago, so he had to rely on Lily opening the door for him. People acknowledged him when he entered, trying to start up a conversation with him, but he had already been away from her for too long. Barely even looking at another person, he made his way thought the familiar corridors until he reached Erica's door. Maybe he should have knocked, but Gunn simply had no patience left in him. The door flew open and his heart almost stopped; he was home, she was safe... it was crippling how much he had missed her. "I found her."

@erxcacruz

[erxcacruz]

Erica had crawled back into her shell since her brief appearance on prom night. The sound of the alarms underground were still echoing in her head as she stared up at the ceiling. Erica thought today might be the day, the one where she could get up and be again. Like maybe the light would turn back on. Her light. Ruby had come back to Corey, she'd heard that by now. It gave her hope, but it had been a long time since that had been enough for her. Erica almost didn't lift her head when her door came flying open, but when she did, her whole world stopped. He was home. He came back to her. Erica had sat up - stood up - staring at him like she wasn't sure if he was real. Was he real? When he spoke, her heart dropped. Her throat was dry, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and unfamiliar, but it was a start. "You found her."

[c-alliecooper]

"Oh my god... They're all-..." Callie couldn't breathe. How had she not noticed any of this? She hadn't paid attention to all those graduates sneaking into Havensdale High School and she certainly hadn't noticed the bad guys moving the weapon. Had someone messed with her cameras? They were working fine now, but there was definitely footage missing. "Everybody, listen up." She spoke into all the earpieces, trying to keep the emotion from her voice. "It looks like four people made it out and are hiding out by the bleachers. One seems to have split off, but she's not looking good. I'm working on ID's, but if someone could get over there..."

@havensdalestarters

[erxcacruz]

Erica hadn't left her room in... She didn't know. The days, months, had blended together a long time ago. The last time she had felt even remotely herself was on the day Gunn left. The day he promised that he would fix it, that he'd be back. Erica had smiled, she had believed him. She said she believed him. With him gone, she crawled into a black hole and nothingness. But the alarms had never gone off like that, for this long, before. Whatever possessed her, whatever reason took hold of her, she'd gotten up. She'd left the room. She'd shuffled all the way to the main floor, walking by frantic agents in a haze. That's when she saw Callie. Erica hadn't known she was still moving until she was beside her. "What- What happened?"

[erxcacruz]

Erica Cruz

She/Her

25 years old

Shifter

Neutral - Resistance Ally

So What Happened?

Erica had already more or less accepted her life wasn’t going to turn out the way she hoped. Leaving Havensdale, attending Yale (pre-med, you know), having a somewhat normal life... Screw it. It just wasn’t in the cards for her. Erica and Rose’s father made sure of that when he tried to kidnap Rose. That’s when Erica dropped out college and moved home full-time.

Bitter and scared, the last thing she wanted was some jackass flirting with her at the bar of Franks’. There was something about Richard Gunn though. She hated to admit he was charming but, y’know. They had a bond. A magnetism. Chemistry. Erica was stubborn but after their first kiss, she was hooked.

Things were good just in time for Gunn to show up on her doorstep bleedin’. Bitten by a werewolf. Her heart was in her throat the whole night, hoping he would survive this. Thankfully, he did. Erica didn’t want to mess around anymore, she didn’t want to keep her feelings for him to herself. She kinda loved him.

Which is a good thing because what happened next was unhinged. Erica was pregnant! Okay, right? Scary but normal. Only then she was really pregnant. THEN, it was Prom Night and she was giving birth to some supernatural gremlin. Only, she wasn’t a gremlin. She was a baby - her baby. Erica and Gunn’s, no matter how it had happened. Erica suspects it was a warlock - some dark magic gone wrong - that caused the pregnancy. But they were still parents.

Their kid was growing too fast when Founder’s Festival came around and everything went wrong. Someone took her. Someone stole their kid and disappeared her! Erica screamed and the world came to an end. What’s more, with her father loose in Havensdale, she had to go underground with Rose.

At first, Erica tried to keep hope. And then she got bitter. Then she got really, really, numb. Too sad, too exhausted, too devastated... Too tired of losing everything that was so dear to her, Erica gave up. She didn’t move, she didn’t exist. She couldn’t do it anymore.

Gunn told her he couldn’t do it anymore, he had to go after their baby. But he promised he wasn’t leaving her, he loved her. They got married the night before he left - it was small, just the closest to them - and for the first time, Erica felt hope. But that was almost 9 months ago.

[lizzie-saltzman]

MELISSA BARRERA as SAM CARPENTER in SCREAM (2022)