Editing Verona Hayward (section)

== Personality==
Verona is a middle school student in [[Kennet]], [[Ontario]]. On top of dealing with the usual frustrations of being a teenager, she has a massively dysfunctional family (see [[#Relationships|relationships]]). She is somewhat more skeptical and imaginative than her two friends.<ref>“Why were my eyes last to open?” Verona asked  “That doesn’t seem right.”<br><br>“It’s a good thing, Verona.  Those things that let you hold onto what came before, like skepticism, imagination?  They’re going to be things that make you an excellent practitioner, should you follow through here today.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/05/09 Excerpt] from [[Lost for Words 1.1]]</ref>

Verona is artistically creative, and does crafts as well as drawing. Verona doesn't do well in her regular school classes, due to lack of interest, but excels at learning the [[practice]].

She cares more about having clothes that she likes deeply and are "hers" than having a lot of clothes, or having clothes in good condition.<ref name=":0">Her mom had been so frustrated when she hadn’t wanted to buy a lot of clothes.  It was Verona’s preference to have things that were very precisely hers, instead of a lot of things that kind of worked.  To those ends, she had two pairs of jeans she wore, this low cut pair of skinny black jeans, and acid-washed jeans with holes at the knees.  She had three sweaters, all with broad horizontal stripes, two of which were black and white, and then tops she tended to wear under the sweaters. The sweater she was wearing now had a hole in the elbow.  The other elbow had had the same problem, but she’d patched it with black moleskin.  There were some loose threads of wool near the collar, too. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/05/09 Excerpt] from [[Lost for Words 1.1]]</ref>

She dislikes the repetitive, never-ending nature of cleaning.<ref>She’d decided.  She really, really hated cleaning.  She hated how insurmountable it was, she hated how cleaning off a surface often meant getting other things dirty, she hated every step in the process, and now that she was as close to done as she could get, she felt next to no satisfaction.  It would just get dirty again, and she hated that.  Hated that she was cleaning up a mess that would get made again and again for the next… however many years.  Fifty.  Seventy.  Crumbs and dust and gross food on gross plates, over and over again.<br><br>She stood in the doorway of the living room, surveying it all, and felt her dissatisfaction grow until she had to turn away. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/05/09 Excerpt] from [[Lost for Words 1.1]]</ref>

Verona has expressed a desire to become [[Other]].<ref>Verona looked out over Kennet.  The singing was growing in intensity.<br><br>“I heard that and I ''knew''.  I don’t want to be human anymore.”<br><br>"I suspected." - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/06/02 Excerpt] from [[Lost for Words 1.8]]</ref> [[Miss]] suspected this, and it may have been one of the reasons Miss chose her to become a Kennet practitioner.

===Relationships===
====[[Kennet Trio]]====
Verona has known [[Lucy]] since kindergarten, and considers her her best friend.  Verona is able to make stark emotional confessions to Lucy,<ref>“My mom doesn’t want me,” Verona said, her voice small.<br><br>Lucy gave her friend the tightest hug she could, but she didn’t know what to say to that.<br><br>“You’re the most important person in the world to me,” Verona said.  “I don’t mean to order it like this. Like it’s because everyone else doesn’t-”<br><br>“I know.”<br><br>“Because even if I had a cool dad and a mom who wanted me, and Jeremy and a great relationship with all the Others, and friends, and whatever else, you’d be the most important to me.”<br><br>Lucy hugged her friend tight.<br><br>“Same.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/leaving-a-mark-4-3/ excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.3]]</ref> while holding everyone else (including her parents) at arm's length.

[[Avery]] is a recent friend. <ref>'“I made them an offer, five weeks ago.  The two girls were friends already.  I pointed them to the third because three makes a good number."' - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/05/09/lost-for-words-1-1/ Excerpt] from [[Lost for Words 1.1]]</ref> The three of them [[Awakening|Awoke]] together to form the [[Kennet Trio]], the official [[Practitioner|Practitioners]] of the [[Kennet Others]] community.

====[[Brett Hayward]]====
Verona lives in Kennet with her abusive father [[Brett Hayward]],<ref>“Hi, Brett Hayward.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/12/31/7-8-spoilers-cwtatg/ excerpt] from Gone Ahead 7.8 Spoilers</ref> who has full custody of Verona.  Their relationship is toxic and awkward.  Verona's dad demands constant emotional support from his daughter, including bouts of crying multiple times per week.  He exhibits signs of depression, and claims to have migraines, as well as "an STD" (unspecified) which he says he received from Verona's mother before their divorce.<ref>In the light of his television, she could see the moisture in his eyes.  The tears started flowing.<br><br>“I’m so alone, Verona.  I’m trying so hard and I have nothing to show for it.  No friends, no wife- your mother gave me an STD from someone she cheated on me with and then left.  I can’t convey how ''alone'' I am.”<br><br>She remained silent, standing in the doorway.<br><br>Her father sat there on his bed, sobbing. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/06/02/lost-for-words-1-8/ excerpt] from [[Lost for Words 1.8]]</ref>

When Verona leaves for summer classes at the [[Blue Heron Institute]], her father ends up in the emergency room for a partial obstruction of the small bowel,<ref>“What happened?” she asked.<br><br>“I nearly passed out from the pain, is what happened.  I got a ride to the emergency room from a coworker I am ''not'' a fan of, and I had to wait ten hours, getting told it shouldn’t be much longer, it shouldn’t be much longer, except people kept coming in, needing to use the machine before me.  And all the while, I’m trying to call you.”<br><br>“What was it?”<br><br>“It’s not fun, wondering, is it?  Imagine how I felt, for those ten hours.  With ''nobody'', not a single soul, to turn to.  Not even my own daughter. ''Especially'' my own daughter, who is ignoring my calls when I ''really'' need the support.  It was a partial obstruction of the small bowel.”<br><br>“You’re constipated?”<br><br>“''No'', Verona! No.  It obstructed and my intestine twisted.  They put a tube down my nose, and they had to give me fluids by IV, because I’ve been throwing up from the pain and everything else.  There’s a very real possibility I’ll have to go into surgery.  They’re saying it’s fifty-fifty, but every hour that passes, the odds of surgery rise, and it’s been a bit.  If I do end up needing surgery, I won’t be able to handle things on my own.  I’m going to need you to put down whatever you’re doing and come home, just in case.  I literally have nobody else who can help handle these things.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/09/19/leaving-a-mark-4-9/ excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.9]]</ref> and demands that Verona return home immediately to care for him.

The full extent of her father's 'brokenness' is not known yet, but it is inarguably abusive.<ref>[http://redd.it/jph9hk Verona - a thank you to Wildbow for representation.]</ref>  What is known about him indicates several possibilities:

*[[wikipedia:Major depressive disorder|Depression]]
*[[wikipedia:Codependency#Family_dynamics|Codependent parent]]
*[[wikipedia:Narcissistic parent|Narcissistic parent]]
*[[wikipedia:Parentification|Parentification/spousification]]
*[[wikipedia:Munchausen_syndrome|Munchausen syndrome]]

====[[Sylvia Hayward]]====
Verona's mom, [[Sylvia Hayward]]<ref>“Sylvia Hayward,” Verona’s mom said.  She shook his hand. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2021/05/04/dash-to-pieces-11-2/comment-page-1/#comment-6455 excerpt] from [[Dash to Pieces 11.2]]</ref> lives "between two and a half and three hours" away<ref>[https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/22/leaving-a-mark-4-2/ cited] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.2]]</ref> in [[Thunder Bay]]<ref>[[Leaving a Mark 4.2]]</ref> and works for the Canadian government.  She visits or communicates with Verona rarely.  Verona would probably prefer to live with her mother, but her mother refuses to relocate closer to Kennet.<ref>“It’s really not great,” Verona said.  “He’s kind of intense, and Lucy isn’t even coming over because of it.  So I was thinking, like, I don’t want to leave my friends, or school, or anything like that, but how possible would it be for you to move closer?”<br><br>“It’s not really a consideration, Verona.”<br><br>“But if you moved closer and I moved in with you?”<br><br>“No.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/22/leaving-a-mark-4-2/ excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.2]]</ref>

====[[Jeremy Clifford]]====
Verona has a close friendship with classmate [[Jeremy Clifford]], with whom she shares an interest in art, cats, and doing "rude stuff" together. However, Verona has no interest in being in a relationship, preferring to have "no strings attached".

Jeremy and Verona rescued and cared for [[Sir]], a kitten they found in the neighbourhood. Since Sir was adopted by their classmate [[Melissa Oakham|Melissa]], they have become friends with Melissa also.

====[[Other]]s====
Verona is very close with [[Tashlit]], and has invited her to be Verona's [[familiar]]. She also is fond of [[Peckersnot]], whom she named, and who does errands for her in exchange for rude drawings.<ref>“In the interest of not taking advantage of you, I would like to acquire your services, as a general errand lad and lookout.  Stuff like me asking you to go run and find Tashlit, so she can come with me tonight if she wants.  Or watching my back in the Undercity of Kennet while I get a trap or something set.”<br>
He nodded.<br>
“I know you like my art.  So if we take a piece of art that took me forty-five minutes to draw, the sort of stuff you like, and factor in value, talent, side benefits like me paying you in snacks and fun stuff while you’re hanging out… we should probably account for the time costs of me having to do extra laundry because you got me snotty…” - excerpt from [[Playing a Part 15.1]]</ref>

Verona also has a connection with [[Matthew Moss]], whose shitty living situation with [[Edith James]] is relatable to Verona's living situation with [[Brett]].<ref>''Same page as you, Matthew.  Different scales of intensity though''.<br>
It was a hard and bitter circumstance, to be caught trying to change the mind of someone like this.  Whether it was Edith’s imagined future, her dad’s imagined past, or this Resident’s imagined reality where he thought he stood a chance, they lived in fantasy, in delusion. - excerpt from [[Playing a Part 15.1]]</ref>