After My Death, I Became A Genius

VERONICA

I walked to the door, feeling nervous as hell. The hallway outside my classroom was already crowded as usual, students gathering around rows of blue metal lockers that lined the long corridor.

I, however, feared stepping out there, knowing what would happen if I tried to make it to my locker through the crowd.

I usually arrived earlier to school to avoid this situation, but today, I was late.

I had half a heart to escape, but nothing I could do. If I failed to get to class, the school office would call my father and report that I had skipped again.

Now, my father's punishments were like a taste of hell on earth. Considering my two options, I would rather face the embarrassment from my school mates than get beaten up by my father.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, 'get it through Veronica, it's not the first time...'

I clutched my bag tightly against my chest and took a deep breath before stepping into the crowd. Students brushed past me as they talked loudly about classes, sports practice, and the latest gossip spreading around campus.

I was so focused on trying to slip quietly through the hallway that I didn't see the foot that had been stretched out deliberately in front of me.

As a result- my shoe caught it.

I tripped instantly, my body pitching forward before I could even react. I landed face first on the cold tiled floor with a loud thud that echoed down the corridor.

For a brief second the hallway went quiet.

Then- laughter exploded around me.

Students burst into hysterics. Some quickly pulled out their phones, eager to record whatever humiliation was happening.

I remained on the floor, refusing to move from my spot.

I fucking hated life.

Today was my 19th birthday but I still had to suffer like this.

"Aren't you going to move, fatty?" David, my worst tormentor, mocked.

He stood over me wearing his letterman jacket like he owned the place.

"How can you expect her to move?" Anna, another girl, mocked while flipping her hair dramatically. "Her weight is too much for her to carry. Poor Veronica."

"When she fell, the foundation of the school shook," Michael added loudly, causing another wave of laughter from the surrounding students.

The three of them were my nemesis.

David was one of the football team's most popular players, Anna was one of the cheerleaders, and Michael followed them around like a loyal guard dog.

I hated them with everything in me but I couldn't speak against them as they ruled the school.

"What's with her clothes though?"

"Did she even take a shower this morning?"

"Her clothes are so dirty! How can she even wear it!?"

"Ewww. I'll kill myself if I was as dirty and fat as she was!" - These were words I used to. Words I heard every day.

Not only from my tormentors but also my family.

It hurt every time that I heard it. But there was nothing that I could do about it. Years of bullying and abuse had slowly killed every fight left inside me.

"I saved this just for you," I heard David's voice.

Before I could realise, a cold liquid splashed over me.

The smell hit immediately. It was stale and disgusting, churning my stomach violently.

The liquid soaked into my hair and clothes while dripping down my face onto the floor beneath me.

Laughter exploded again, even louder this time.

I could hear camera shutters clicking and see flashes from phone cameras as students recorded the moment eagerly.

I hid my face as much as I could but it didn't do much though.

The bell rang suddenly, echoing loudly through the hallway and signaling the start of first period.

One by one, the students began leaving the hallway, hurrying toward their classrooms before they were marked late.

"Fucking bitch," David muttered before kicking me in my side.

Pain shot through my ribs and I groaned quietly, still laying on the floor in the filth.

There was no time to change out of my clothes into the spare ones I kept in my locker. Ignoring the pain in my side, I slowly carried myself toward the classroom.

The teacher was already inside when I arrived.

With only as much as a brief look of disgust in my direction, the teacher turned back toward the whiteboard and continued teaching as if nothing unusual had happened.

I dragged myself to my chair at the very back of the classroom. My usual seat.

"Must we have class with her? She stinks." Becky muttered loudly from the front row where she sat with her group of friends.

There were murmurs of approval from the others in the class.

Becky was the head cheerleader and one of the most popular girls in school. Her father was a wealthy businessman and have a good position within government who donated money to the school's athletic programs, especially the football team.

Everyone listened to her, and that's what I feared the most.

I silently prayed that our teacher wouldn't listen to Becky and ask me to leave the class because of the offending smell coming from me.

"Let her be." Damon spoke calmly from across the room, and the class instantly became silent.

I looked at him and our eyes met briefly, and before I could thank him, he looked away again.

Damon was the star football player of the school.

Although he came from a wealthy family and had everything most students dreamed of, he behaved nothing like the others from his social circle.

The only person who behaves kindly to me.

After he saved me from the bullies that one time behind the gym, I also fell in love with him.

And I had always wanted him to know.

I knew he would never reciprocate my feelings. Not when he had someone as beautiful as Becky.

But this was my last year in high school. And if I never told him how I felt, I would never get another chance.

I barely focused on the lesson today. My mind was occupied entirely with Damon and how I would tell him my feelings.

All through the day, I couldn't get him alone. He was always surrounded by teammates or friends, laughing and talking about football practice later that afternoon.

I stayed away. But after school finally ended, I found my chance.

Most students had already left campus and the hallway near the locker rooms was much quieter than usual.

The football team had practice soon.

I cautiously walked into the locker room, Damon was the only one there.

He had just finished changing and was pulling on his shirt.

I froze at the doorway for a moment, my heart raced as I watched his athletic body, the result of years of intense training and practice.

"Veronica?" His sudden voice snapped me back to reality.

"Damon..." I gasped.

"Do you- need something?"

"Yeah. I-I..." The words got stuck in my throat.

"Veronica?" he asked again gently.

The kindness in his voice gave me the courage I needed. "I-I like you." I blurted out without thinking.

Damon stared at me for a moment. For a brief second, I thought I saw something soften in his eyes.

"You... like me?" he asked slowly.

"Yes!" I replied breathlessly. My heart started beating faster, hope blooming painfully inside my chest. "You're a good person and you're the only one who has ever been kind to me and..."

His lips curled into a smile. And then, suddenly, he started laughing, cutting me off.

I froze, blinking.

"I-Is something wrong?" I asked weakly, my voice barely above a whisper.

But he only laughed harder, clutching his stomach.

"I can never like someone as disgusting as you!" he said finally, wiping the corner of his eye. "You're so ugly, you're fat, and honestly... the sight of you alone makes me want to puke."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My mind went completely blank... This was not what I expected.

"You thought I saved you because I liked you?" His voice was dripping with ridicule now. "That day was a fucking mistake. I felt sick about it for days afterward!"

I stared at him in shock. The Damon I thought I knew- the kind boy who once helped me when no one else would, had disappeared completely.

Instead, stood someone cold and cruel, someone who looked at me like I was nothing more than a garbage.

"Did you seriously think I would like you back?" shaking his head with a laugh.

More laughter suddenly echoed through the locker room.

And my heart dropped.

I slowly turned around, only to witness his friends walking in through the second door of the locker room.

"Did you get that on camera?" Damon asked.

"Of course I did," David said proudly, waving his phone. "Every second."

My head spun. Didn't they leave earlier? Why were they here?

"I had a feeling you'd do something this stupid," David said.

"It's his fault for being nice to her," Becky said sharply, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nice planning, Becky," David laughed. "This is even better than I thought it would be."

"The students are going to lose their minds over this video," Anna added excitedly from behind them.

"Looks like her defective brain still hasn't yet figured out what's happening," Anna snickered.

Becky stepped closer to me slowly, tilting her head slightly. "Let me make this very simple for your pathetic brain cells... Damon doesn't like you."

Her lips curled in disgust. "He's disgusted by you."

I shook my head weakly.

"N-No." No-no... this couldn't be real.

Why did I believe Damon was different?

Why did I think he was a good person when he spent every day with people like them?

"Stupid bitch." Before I could react, David grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head backward.

Pain shot through my scalp as he slammed my head against the metal locker behind me, with a loud clang.

My vision blurred immediately.

"Let's not forget our birthday gift for her," I heard Damon's voice before something cold and heavy smashed into my face.

The smell hit instantly. A spoiled cake.

Laughter exploded through the locker room again. Phones flashed repeatedly as they recorded everything.

"Happy birthday, fatso!" someone shouted.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. Blindly, I ran out of the locker room and into the hallway. Eager to go away from all this.

Students were still lingering around the building, waiting for sports practice or rides home. The moment they saw me, the laughter started.

Phones appeared everywhere. Someone must have already uploaded the video.

"Yo, isn't that the girl from the video?"

"That's her!"

"Dude, she really thought Damon liked her!"

"Holy shit, look at her face!"

I ran faster, my vision blurred by tears. My chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe.

I wished I could disappear. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

Anything would be better than living through this moment. The humiliation felt endless.

I ran past everything and eventually stumbled into a narrow storage closet near the janitor's room and slammed the door shut behind me.

Darkness surrounded me instantly. The noise of the hallway faded and my legs finally gave out.

I slid down against the wall, my back hitting the cold wall as my entire body was shaking.

The smell of spoiled cake still clung to my clothes.

Tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably. I buried my face in my arms and cried... I cried until my throat hurt and my chest burned.

No one loved me. Maybe they were right, for someone like me didn't deserve to be loved at all...

VERONICA

Fists banged on the door, their laughter coming from outside, echoing within the walls. I covered my ears with my hand, tears slipping down my cheeks. 'Please, please, God. Help.' I kept praying within.

I didn't dare to move from the spot. I couldn't.

My clothes stank and I was covered with filth. The small space was also starting to smell bad, churning my stomach. But I preferred it over going out. I had to wait until the school was empty. If I ran into any other person from school, perhaps I wouldn't survive this time.

I didn't know how long it had been, but eventually my tears dried. I placed my head against the wall, replaying the torments of my life.

Damon turned out just as vile as the rest of his friends. It was foolish of me to even consider him as a good person when all his friends were so vicious.

I wanted to cry again but no tears came, instead my eyes burned. It was so bad and slowly my eyes turned heavy and I didn't realize when I fell asleep.

I woke up with a nightmare of drowning in rotten cakes. My heart raced heavily as I sat up straight.

I blinked, confused at first, but slowly, I realized I was in the closet. Then reality crept in, aching my heart. I wished all of this was a nightmare as well...

Thankfully, there was no sound coming from outside. I waited for another moment before stepping out cautiously.

However, the moment I stepped out, panic kicked in. It was dark outside!

How long was I in that closet? How did I manage to sleep for such an extended period? I had completely forgotten to prepare my father's meals. I must return home as soon as possible!

I rushed to the exit gate, but it was already locked. Luckily, the fence wasn't too high, but climbing over it with my weight would still be twice as hard.

However, there was no time to spare. I needed to return home promptly. I could only hope that Father had remained out late today. This would afford me sufficient time to prepare his meal before his return.

Otherwise, it was going to be... 'No! No! Don't think anything stupid!' I reminded myself. 'It'll be fine. You'll be fine.'

I grasped the top of the fence and hoisted myself up. As I placed one leg on the ledge, it creaked under my weight, and I prayed hard so it would not give way. I certainly did not need any additional difficulties.

I threw one leg over the edge, and holding on tightly, I crossed my leg to the other side. My pants caught in the tip and as I struggled, it ripped my pants and cut my leg.

"Agh!" I let out a squeal when I landed with a thud on the floor, scraping my elbow in the process. Not only was I a dirty, smelly mess, but I was also injured now...

I dragged myself home through the night. I was nervous as hell because I knew the implication of what I had done.

God, how could I be so stupid?!

The light on our front porch was on and there was no sound coming from inside. Papa would still be outside. There was usually chaos inside the house whenever he was around.

The front door was open and I stepped inside. Mama and Ethan were sitting together when I entered.

"V-Vero.." Ethan called. It was difficult for him to speak because of his deformity.

Born crippled and with a speech deformity, he didn't get basic treatments or speech therapy. Papa turned his eyes away from him as soon as he saw that he couldn't be the child he wanted. His attitude towards mama also changed. She was a shadow of her former self but she still loved papa and worked hard to pay off his debts...

"What happened to you?" Mama asked, bringing me back to reality. Her eyes darted between me and the door.

"Why are you home late? Where did you go?" My elder step-sister, Elena barked, suddenly appearing in the staircase.

"I didn't go anywhere." I murmured.

"What is wrong with you?! We were going to have a quiet day if you just came home early." She was angry. At me, of course. She didn't care about my appearance or the injury I had.

"Where the f*ck have you been?" I heard my fathers voice and I froze. He wasn't supposed to be back home!

Before I could respond, he grabbed my hair and dragged me deeper into the house.

"I didn't go anywhere" I screamed but he only tightened his grip.

"That's a lie. She tried to seduce a boy in school and left with another!" I heard Elena's voice.

"It's not true" I sobbed but papa paid no heed.

He slammed my face into the wall repeatedly until everything started numbing within me.

"I'm not going to raise a fucking whore" he spat and let go of my hair.

I heard the sound of his buckle coming undone...

The first crack of the belt on my back felt like hell, I remembered what had happened in school and I even felt more pain. When Dad was done with what he called 'discipline' my back hurt as hell.

"Go back to wherever you're coming from. I don't want you in the house!" He snarled.

"Where do you want her to go this late?" Mum's voice came to my ear.

"I don't care." He hissed. "She can go to hell! I don't care for any whore!"

I was sobbing on the ground, torn and broken, and Elena only came to add fuel to the fire...

"That serves you right. Who do you think you are? Confessing your feelings to Damon. Who are you to even have feelings for anyone? Damon is now with Becky, but soon would be mine! I only wished dad would have killed you!" she mocked and left me.

"V-vivi" Ethan called but I wasn't listening to him.

"Veronica" my mum tried calling me too but with the last ounce of strength in me. I dashed out of the house.

As I ran, I thought about how my life was a living hell?

"Why did you have to bring me to this earth to suffer, Lord? What did I ever do to make everyone hate me so much? Why am I not perfect like other people?"

"Fuck my dad! Fuck Elena? Fuck school? Fuck everyone who has ever mocked me?" I cursed loudly as I kept running. I climbed the fence to the school just as I had initially done. I wanted to hide in the closet again. That was the best place for me!

I ran upstairs, as I was running I missed a step and I tried my best to stop the fall, yet I failed...

My head smacked on something hard and my movements grew weaker.

My vision blurred. I could hear screams, they were fading. The flash of the light, it was darkening.

Mama's helpless face flashed before my eyes. Her efforts and helplessness.

Dad's angry face replaced hers... If I survived this, he would say it was my fault.

He would say I embarrassed him again.

Yesterday floated within me. About mustering my courage. About saying "I like you."

I had always waited. Waiting for kindness. Waited for someone to choose me. Waited for things to change.

Yet, they never did...

My chest hurt so much I thought it would explode. Everything was darkening before my eyes.

I tried to move, but I couldn't.

I wished I could do it again. If I could, I wouldn't beg. I wouldn't hope. I wouldn't wait for anyone.

I would be strong. I would never let anyone push me like this.

If only I had another chance, I wouldn't live like Veronica.

Darkness closed in. The pain faded, going far away from me, and the world went silent...

---

THIRD PERSON POV

(ABYSS) 2ND HEADQUARTER, NEW YORK – 9:30 PM

"Is everyone safe?" Hunter asked as he moved through the people who had been removed from the building.

"Savanna" Lena cried frantically. "Savanna didn't make it out."

Hunter couldn't believe his ears. Nothing could have survived that explosion. If Savanna didn't make it out with the others, then there was no way she could survive it. And that was a huge problem.

Savanna was the best they had in Abyss.

"We found a body!" one of the men yelled and Hunter ran in that direction. Lena was not far behind, going to see if the body indeed belonged to her best friend.

The body was burnt beyond recognition. Hunter hoped that it had just been another person and Savanna made it out in time.

But when Lena started sobbing again, his hopes dipped. "The necklace" Lena went closer, taking it from her neck.

He recognized the necklace very well. It belonged to Savanna. Ever since he knew her, she always had that around her neck. She never took it off.

"My friend is dead!" Lena dropped to her knees, grieving while the others watched.

"I have to call Master." Hunter muttered and moved away from the scene.

Master was the head of Abyss and he had been away when the explosion happened.

He needed to know that Savanna was dead. He would be furious, yes, but he must know.

This was going to be a huge problem for their organization...

---

CAMPUS CLINIC, BRONX, MOTT HAVEN- 9:45pm...

The unmoving body of Veronica remained on the bed. Her mother was still in shock and her father was absent.

She didn't expect Veronica to bleed so much and pass out. The tears wouldn't come no matter how long she stared at the corpse of her daughter.

It was her fault. She should have done something but she watched Veronica suffer. And now, she left them forever.

Ethan sobbed beside his sister's unconscious body. He knew what happened. He knew she was gone and he would never see her again.

He wished he had stopped it. He wished he could do something.

"M-Mom" Clara turned at the sound of her son calling out to her. But she was even more surprised when she saw Veronica sitting up in bed with a strange look in her eyes...

SAVANNA

When my eyes opened, I felt confused. I didn't recognize the faces of the people around me. I was in a strange hospital, with a splitting headache throbbing in my head.

"V-Vero," a voice called out and I turned, only to find a boy. His eyes were wet with tears and yet there was a wide smile on his face.

"V-Vero," he called again.

Vero? Who's that!? Why does he keep looking at me that way? Who is he?

Damn! Where am I!? What the hell is happening here!? ....

I had a million questions. And sitting at one place wasn't going to get me the answers I needed.

I tried to get up but I was stopped by a small woman with a surprisingly tight grip.

"Stay here. I'll go get the doctor." She let go of me and dashed out. I wasn't one to take orders though. Much less from a person I didn't know.

Ignoring her words and the little boy, who was still beside the bed, I left the bed, even though it ached like hell. But no pain could have ever stopped me.

I walked towards the first door and it led me straight into a bathroom. Blinking, I turned around to leave, but something froze me. My head snapped toward it, and- What the fucking hell?...

There, through the mirror, staring at me was a strange face of a girl. I stepped forward, eyes on the girl as disbelief crawled within me like a tyrant.

This wasn't me...

I touched the face slowly.

"What just..." Nothing came out of me.

I tried to remember what happened. What could have led to this situation?

Did an experiment go wrong?

No... We weren't working on any experiment that I could remember. The harder I tried to think and remember, the worse my headache became.

Suddenly, the door flew open while I was hunched over the sink and a doctor entered with the same little woman from before.

"Come back to bed Veronica. Let the doctor check your head." She said, "You hit your head hard in the car accident."

Car accident? I touched my head, and a splitting ache made me hiss.

"Let me check you young lady. It's a miracle you're awake."

"What?!"

"You died. For thirty minutes. We were about to move you when you suddenly woke up. In all my years as a doctor, I've never seen anything like this."

If there was one thing I didn't believe in, it was miracles. I was a woman of fact and reality. There was nothing like a miracle to me.

But the man's words enlightened me on what had happened. The owner of this body... Probably named Veronica had died for thirty minutes.

In that time, something must have happened to me and I was transported into this body. If that was the case... then this girl was currently in my body!

"How far are we from Manhattan?" I asked suddenly. The doctor and the little woman frowned.

"Manhattan!?"

"Yes. I need to get there now." I couldn't hide the urgency in my tone. I do need to know what happened.

"No. You need to get your head checked." The little woman gasped. "You were badly injured. Besides, you've never been to Manhattan!

"Calm down madam. She must have hit her head really hard and it may be disturbing her slightly." The doctor spoke. "There's nothing a check up and some rest cannot fix. Your daughter will be alright."

So this woman was my... no, Veronica's mother. I didn't have a mother. None of us at the Abyss did. We were all nameless children picked up from the streets.

A sudden memory hit me and I clutched my head. I remembered being at the lab and then I discovered something... something shocking because I was in a hurry to tell Lena about it. I remembered seeing Lena and we were having a kind of exchange before everything blew up.

Shit! Lena.

I pushed past the two people in search of a television. If there was an explosion, it would currently be broadcast now.

Like I expected, in the waiting hall there was a huge television and they were talking about the explosion at the Abyss headquarters.

My real face was displayed on the television and the caption underneath shook me.

'Savanna was dead.'

'The war goddess Savanna was dead.'

But I wasn't dead. I was alive and in another's body. I staggered on my feet. What was really happening!?

"Let's take her back to bed," I heard behind me but I didn't register it. I let myself be led away and into the room I had awakened in.

What could have been the cause of the explosion? The building was secure so it couldn't have been an attack. There was nothing being done that could set off an explosion. Unless... unless somebody from the inside did it.

I had told myself countlessly not to trust anyone within the walls of that organization. Every single one was evil and selfish. Especially Jacob. He was the origin of evilness.

Then what about Lena? Had she been hurt?

"The Abyss. Was there any other death recorded?" I asked.

Veronica's mother stared at me in awe. Her expression told me she wasn't expecting such behaviour from her daughter.

"Hello?" I waved my hand before her eyes.

She blinked and shook her head. "Savanna was the only one who died. The others were evacuated safely."

That made things even more suspicious.

I tried to think more, desperate to figure out what exactly happened, but my headache sharpened again, and I clutched my head... This time, some fragments of strange memories were creeping into me.

Creepy Laughters... Fatso... You're a shame... Whore... Sorrows... Accident... Blood... Fire...

Those things jumbled in my head, shaking me violently.

"Ver... Ver, what's wrong?" The woman's voice came again, but I wasn't in the situation to answer her.

I didn't know how it was happening, but the memories of this body were within me now and only these two people- I glanced at Veronica's mother and brother... These two were the only ones who ever loved her.

The rest- only bullied her.

"You okay?" Veronica's mother asked again.

"Hmm..." I slowly nodded and her face relaxed.

Veronica's spirit wasn't exchanged. But, I am in Veronica's body... I glanced at the two people beside the bed. They looked happy knowing their Veronica is alive, yet, it was hardly the truth.

Besides- there were things I still need to figure out. How did everyone get out of the lab but me? Was it a targeted attack? That would explain a lot of things.

I leaned against the bed. My brain was calculating each part of the situation.

I was here now, I didn't really die. For now, I could keep low in this body and investigate until I discovered what really happened at the organization.

And for Veronica- My fists clenched tightly as the ache of hers slipped through my nerves.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. If they try to cross the line again, this time, they have to go through me first..."

---

NEW YORK, MANHATTAN, CENTRAL PARK SOUTH, VICTOR ABRAHAM'S HOME - 11:45 pm...

VICTOR

Cassius, my trusted assistant, walked through the spacious living room.

Typically, he would pause to appreciate the magnificence of my home. Each corner of the house was adorned with expensive decors of a high-taste. Custom-made items were incorporated into its design. Only the most exquisite of everything could be found within.

But today wasn't the day...

He expected me to already be upset because of the news that shook the world... Savanna was dead. Killed in a lab explosion.

I wouldn't hide the fact that I was, but- that wasn't for them to know. I had learned hiding my emotions way before I had grown understanding because this world demanded only domination.

I walked into the living room with my usual calm and coldness.

My eyes were as cold as Arctic ice at the moment, making the whole house feel like an ice cellar.

Good, they should be aware of it.

Cassius immediately lowered his head, hiding his gaze, his expression turning submissive.

"Boss..." Cassius greeted with a shaky tone. "As the news said, Savanna is indeed dead. I've confirmed it with our guys and confirmed that the lab doesn't have any exits to escape."

"...It's been blown to rubble there," he added hesitantly as he glanced at my hardened face.

"I know." I responded eventually, my voice was calm, yet a warning coldness was evident.

I waved him off.

Cassius immediately backed away, not daring to stay another second. Anyone who had ever known me knew that the quieter I was, the angrier I was.

I was still staring at the computer screen in the study. Precisely, at the woman on the screen.

She had many amazing identities - a genius assassin, a talented doctor, and even a top hacker.

But what made everyone remember her was always her stunning beauty and her confidence that she looked down on everything.

No one believed that she would die like this.

But I knew well the ability of my subordinates to do their job. The information would not be wrong.

My gaze once again returned to the top of my father's case.

"It's a shame," I whispered, "Dad's sickness might not ever find someone to cure him again."

"Cassius," I said out loud toward the door.

And he immediately appeared in front of me, lowering his gaze. "Boss..."

"Contact everyone we have put in the organization," My command fell coldly, making him flinch a bit.

"We must find Savanna's murderer. If necessary, then eliminate everyone to give her a proper burial..."