A New Start

"I'm not there yet!"
 This page contains ***major spoilers*** for the series. If you're not caught up, stay back! Av's not gonna be too thrilled if you react to spoilers prematurely...

## A New Start

### Director

Potato Flakin

***A New Start*** is the seventh and final chapter of *Two-Sided*.

## Synopsis

Daniela works hard to prove that she has changed, managing to get a job and new passions - but she still needs to make amends with the duo she wanted to dispose of in the past.

## Transcript

*Dear Diary,*

*It's been a little while now since the day I talked to Amira and Winter, and dang, they were right! I feel so much happier having put my past behind me. I don't need to have a pain addiction to combat pain. And I don't need to fight others for my own benefits. I'm finally the person I want to be.*

*Recently, I've been wanting to do more than just prove I've changed. On one day, I polished up the entire house and made Rex her breakfast, much to her surprise.*

*"How is the house so clean? And... You just made breakfast?" She asked.*

*"Heck yeah I did. Helping out is fun. And I'm wanting to do more to help others."*

*"Now that's serious dedication, Dani. Do you have any interests?"*

*"Well... Uh... I like animals." I admitted with a small smile on my face. Mya flashed into my mind; she was a huge animal lover and frequently gawked over Evie's cat, Holly, a lot.*

*"You could volunteer at the local animal shelter, honey. I have a feeling they'll love you."*

*"Really?"*

*"Of course. And that's because I trust you with all my heart. You've put your past behind you, and you've moved forward as a better person. Never let anyone drag you down, my little sunshine of a daughter."*

*She soon took me to The Haven, the nearby shelter, in order to ask if I could be a volunteer. The male intern immediately took a liking to me, and made me into a caretaker for cats. To be honest, I fell in love with every cat that passed in and out. Some didn't like me, yet some did. Seeing me being appreciated by both other people and animals really made me smile.*

*One day, though, I was faced with a tough task - an adoption. In the staff room, I looked into the mirror, nervous. Letting my hair fall down, I tightened my green shelter apron over a green-and-white striped dress my mom purchased for me. Finally, I walked out, and met the person looking for a feline friend - a teenager with tan skin, a freckled face, and long brown hair, with lovely golden-brown eyes.*

*"Hello!" I greeted her politely. "Are you looking for a cat?"*

*Noticing me, the girl looked down, and chucked. "Oh dang, you're a very small one. Volunteer, I would presume?" She asked.*

*"Yeah. My name is Daniela, but you can call me Dani. You?"*

*"Rexy Jones, local seventeen-year old who's currently on a mission to please her little brother. He wants a cat, and my mother gave me permission to go out looking for one. Mind showing me, little lady?"*

*"You betcha! By the way, did you know my mother is named Rexalia and you're Rexy?"*

*Rexy laughed. "Wow, I'm impressed." She followed me to where the cats were. "You have so many..."*

*"What does your little brother want the most in a cat?" I questioned, curiousity burning in my amber eyes.*

*"Decker wants a patched cat, a very detailed one, one with many patterns in its fur. I don't know what it's called, but he has an obsession with bright patterns."*

*"A tortoiseshell!" I exclaimed. "Rexy, we have one tortoiseshell. In fact, she's right next to you!" Surprise, Rexy turned to find a smoke tortoiseshell looking at her with one blue and one green eye. Picking up a small ball in her cat bed, she walked forward and pawed at the door, wanting to be let out. I opened it, and she jumped down, placing the ball at Rexy's feet. From a look in her eyes, I could tell Rexy was smitten off the bat.*

*"This is Mara. She is a huge people person and has a huge love of little children. Since she's only three, she's young and energetic. Indoor cat only."*

*"Dani, she's perfect!" Rexy replied. "She's so cute and loving, and Decker is going to love to play with her..."*

*"Alright. You can forward your adoption process to a senior employee, and they'll get you started."*

*"Actually... I'd like to stay with Mara for a bit and get to know you, Dani. For someone as young as you, you seem so hardworking and dedicated... I wish to have your willpower in high school sometimes."*

*Surprised at her words, I gaped at her before snapping out of it. Looking away from her and at the ground, I said, "I wasn't the best person in the past. Scratch that, I was a* horrible *person... I was so toxic to other people, I hurt them for my own gain, I rebelled against my teachers, inflicted pain on myself for pleasure, had vendettas... I almost murdered a person..."*

*"Girl, you almost* killed *someone?"*

*"My ex-girlfriend, Winter. We were just young lovers, an average sixth grade relationship. But I forced her to come out too early, and it caused a chain reaction of events that... Broke me. I blamed her soon enough, my mind was corrupted from bullying, panic attacks, and inner demons. My emotions controlled me, and in the end, my attempts to kill Winter landed me in juvenile prison. I lost my mind, all sense of concentration and control of myself... Only in the end did I learn why I behaved so aggressively."*

*Rexy looked thoughtful, then spoke up. "You're bipolar, aren't you, Dani?"*

*"I am. It wasn't something I was proud of at first, but Winter and her new girlfriend, Amira, changed my mind. They forgave me, became my two new friends. You see, Rexy, I've learned a lot. I've learned to have respect for everyone, I've learned that my past can't harm me, and I've learned that I'm not scarred. Sometimes, when you reflect on your past, you only see the bad and dangerous person you are, and you feel so confused and lost. But most of the time, you see a new person, a beautiful new one, who wants to make things right and overcome new challenges with a changed heart. That is the most important thing to me now."*

*"You know what? I was a bad person in my earlier years in high school. I rebelled against everyone in order to do my own thing. When you're the daughter of a Latina family... Yeah, my mother did* not *like my slacker attitude. But to me, I* wanted *to be a better sister to my little bro Decker... He wants the world. I changed for him, and to be honest, I like how I am today. It's better for me, and also, better for my family."*

*"Dang, Rexy. I relate to you on that."*

*"And I relate to you as well."*

*After talking for a quarter of an hour more, Rexy finally left to speak with a senior staff member about adopting Mara.*

*Following that day, I realized that I still had two people I knew that hated me. I didn't know if these two would forgive me or not, considering they were some of my greatest rivals and were the two that stood with Winter as she defeated me. It was a nagging thought that wouldn't leave me alone, so eventually, I told mom that I was heading out to make amends. Seeing two things in my room, I hid them in my satchel and took them with me.*

*Remembering where she lived from that Christmas plot ages ago, I quietly walked to Evie's house, thinking about what to say to the girl. I had to be careful, as Evie was prone to being very irritable and snappy. Knowing her demeanor toward me pretty well, she was going to be frosty and unwelcoming.*

*Reaching her house, I knocked on her door nervously, standing back. Regret stabbed at me, and I tried to not shake as I prepared for her to answer any minute now. There was no way I could mess this up.*

*After what seemed like forever, it finally opened to reveal Evie standing there. As I guessed, she was angered and had a cold glare in her dark green eyes. "Get* out*," she spat at me. "I don't want to see you around after what you did."*

*"Evie... I can explain!"*

*"Oh, please, does it look like I care? There's no way I'm trusting the* freak *that is you, Daniela. You bullied Mya, you had an entire vendetta against Winter, you-"*

*"I get it, okay?" I retorted before calming myself, sighing. "Sorry, didn't mean to lose it. I know you can be hard to reason with sometimes."*

*"I still don't have a reason relating to trusting you."*

*"Which I understand, Evie. But I just want to talk with you, please. You're only seeing the one side of me, the bad side. You aren't seeing* both *sides of the story here. There's more to me than just being defined as a bully - and I'm* not *like that anymore!"*

*"And how do I know you're not lying?"*

*"Evie, I could never bring myself to fully hate you. I've always had a mutual respect for you! You're smart, you're bold, you're talented, and you're such a good fighter. You're honestly a good person to tussle with because you won't back down. I like your strength and your determination... I should have never tried to kill you to get what I wanted, or did anything I did in school... I owe you a long, overdue apology." To prove my point, I let my hair fall down, dropping the buntail entirely.*

*Evie looked at me in shock, seeing how honest I really was being with her. She took a step back, nervously looking around as if someone was going to jump out and grab her. Then she sighed, taking my hand and dragging me inside. "You're lucky; my parents aren't home right now. Come on, we can talk in the living room."*

*Following her to her sofa, I sat down next to her, seeing the potted plants dotting her living room and a bowl of fruit on her coffee table.*

*"You comfy?" Evie asked me, and I nodded. "Ignore all the potted plants - that's mom buying every plant from Vietnam and getting it here to make this house more... Vietnamese."*

*"Your mom seems obssessed with culture."*

*"She is, and it's irritating," Evie admitted. "She isn't really the best cook when it comes to Vietnamese food... On one Christmas, she nearly gave us all food poisoning."*

*"I'm sorry," I began to tell her, and she looked at me again, wanting to tell more.*

*"My mother was more problematic than just that, Daniela. Ever since I was young, she's left with me with little say in my future, and she already pushed me into working to the extreme before I was even six. She wanted the* perfect *daughter with no rough edges, she wanted a daughter who put education above everything else. At least she let me have Mya as a friend."*

*"Your mother seems abusive..."*

*"Not in my opinion, Daniela. Opal's problem is that she's a tiger parent - tiger parents want a child to have high standards and high grades with absolutely no flaws. It's a crushing mindset that wears you down. She also made me keep it a secret from everyone, and made me request more work when I- I didn't want that. I love the other half of my culture, it's really cool and part of what makes me unique, but I don't want a path already made for me by my mom. Mya and Winter were the only ones to understand what I was going through behind the scenes."*

*Sympathetic, I placed my hand on Evie's shoulder. "It's okay. I've dealt with my own share of issues, to say the least."*

*Reaching into my satchel, I pulled out the container containing my bipolar medication, and gave it to Evie, who gasped upon reading the label. "You had bipolar disorder this entire time?"*

*"I was diagnosed with it in juvenile prison. It was a nightmare there, and the atmosphere messed me up bad. I was really manic, I never got sleep, I acted like an animal and flared up around everyone. I went insane, Evie. But the thing is, being diagnosed as bipolar never gave me true clarity. True clarity came from my two new friends who helped me see how beautiful I was, inside and outside."*

*"You already made friends?"*

*Chuckling, I responded, "Well, Amira and Winter know a certain she-devil was way worse than I was. Yeah, they forgave me. They helped me see a lot about myself that I didn't see. They made me lose the inner demon that haunted me for ages."*

*"Wow... You've truly gone through hell, haven't you?"*

*"You could put it that way."*

*Suddenly, I heard a meow, and a sleek black cat donning a brown collar jumped up onto the sofa. She stretched, rubbing her head against Evie and purring.*

*"That's Holly, isn't it?" I asked.*

*"Yep," Evie nodded. "She's really friendly and sweet. Here, Holly, go say hi to Dani." She gently pushed her toward me.*

*Using my prior experience with the cats at the shelter, I gently stroked Holly, who immediately warmed up to me. She then crawled up onto my lap, purring heavily and placing her paws onto my stomach. Evie gaped before regaining her composure. "How in the world did you just get her to love you?"*

*I volunteer at the local animal shelter. It's really my home, but away from home. I really like animals, if you're wondering..."*

*"That's fine by me. And hey. You're right - you have changed. Sorry for being frosty earlier, I know-"*

*"You're easily irritated."*

*And so we went on for some more time, chatting about life and relatable things and so on. Then, I headed out to my next destination: The house on Malamute Drive that had the one person I still needed to make amends with.*

*I was worried about what Mya would think if I showed up at her door. The girl suffered heavily when I was around, and regret poked at me for what I did to her. Like me, she was sensitive and most likely wasn't going to react well with my presence.*

*Minutes later, I arrived at her door, glancing at her colorfully decorated lawn full of petunias and bellflowers. I crept forward quietly, then rung her doorbell, trying to get my thoughts together. I had to keep calm if I was going to make a good impression.*

*"Hello, who is this?" A male voice called. That was Mya's father. Quickly, I stated, "Need to speak to Mya!"*

*Not recognizing my voice, Mr. Heartley called for his daughter, who I heard run to the door. "Dad, this better not be an act to get me to socialize with telemarketers. Alright, you and mom stay clear, I might ramble for a long time."*

*Opening the door, she saw me, and she became livid. "Does it look like I talk to freaking **BULLIES**?" She spat. "You tormented me at every corner, there's no reason to talk to you, **GO AWAY**."*

*"Mya, I'd just like to talk with you. Out here."*

*"I'd rather talk with a telemarketer from who knows where than you! Beat it, Daniela. You've already done enough damage to my family."*

*"Mya! Give me a* chance*!" I pleaded. "I promise I can explain. I just want to make things right between us!"*

*"Oh, and snails fly!" Mya snapped, flicking her auburn hair aside. "This is obviously some plot so you can take advantage of me again. I'm not buying any of this* nonsense *you're saying. Put on the innocent act all you want, we're done here."*

*I was beginning to get frustrated with Mya, but I needed to remain calm in order to reason with her. "Mya, I know of people worse than me! I know Shetani went after all of you and that you all defeated her. I have my own story to share as well! I know I can't excuse what I did in the past, and I understand! But you need to see that I'm not just a one-sided person!"*

*"I don't trust you. Leave. You aren't welcome here."*

*"I trust her," a voice interrupted. Startled, Mya turned around to find Winter behind her, leaning up against the door. She winked at me briefly.*

*"Winter... Hello... Don't tell me you're playing a joke on me! You know what Daniela did-"*

*"Mya, I know. You have a right to be mad at Dani because she bullied you. I was mad at her when she unexpectedly surprised me and Amira recently. I acted just like you - but Dani* has *changed. Give her a chance to explain herself, and you'll understand what she's been through."*

*Finally, easing down a bit, and trusting Winter, Mya sat down and gestured for me to sit next to her. "Okay," she started warily. "So what's your story?"*

*I then explained everything from my point of view to her, all the mental turmoil to the darkness in my heart, and how I had worked to prove I had changed.*

*"Mya, I should have never bullied you like I did. You're such a beautiful person with an amazing sense of humor, you're confident, and you're willing to put yourself out in the line of danger to protect those you love. What you did, deflecting that killing blow in front of me - you did that like a champion. A true warrior, if you ask me. I'm sorry, and I understand if you won't forgive me."*

*Mya looked at me, and her leaf-green eyes were no longer narrowed in suspicion. Instead, she seemed relieved and more sympathetic. "I won't fully forgive you just yet, Daniela. I have a lot to mull over. But - it's a start. A good start, if you ask me," she said.*

*Smiling, I put her hand on her shoulder, making her blush. "Thanks. I'm glad to have worked on making amends with you." Pausing for a moment, I then continued on. "We actually have a lot in common, have you noticed that?"*

*"Well, we're both sensitive, and we like animals."*

*"We also have a very vivid imagination," I added. "And we enjoy drawing."*

*"Okay, but I'm the superior artist. Known fact, girl."*

*"Says the person who gawks over her favorite music artist every few seconds."*

*In that moment, we both bursted out laughing and laid on the lawn. I began to relate to Mya on a spiritual level; she was a really hilarious person with a cute look and a strong nature. She was going to be a great friend.*

*Getting serious again, I turned to face her and asked a question. "Do you enjoy being a gay person?"*

*Mya nodded. "Well, duh! Being bi and having an attraction to both genders is one part of the many fragments making up me. And when those fragments come together, I feel whole. Evie may have not been the first person I've crushed on... But she's definitely the best. We know each other so well, we have a deep connection to one another, and we'd work ourselves to the death to make things right in Pineshadow. Stopping you was one thing, and stopping Shetani was another thing. I'm ready to take on more, and so is my girlfriend."*

*Taking a breath, I decided to be more candid with her. "Sometimes, I don't enjoy the feel of being bisexual. Like, every time a cute boy or girl passes me by... I blush at them. Especially when they get so close to me. It embarrasses me and god knows that is one of my worst fears. It just sometimes reminds me of failing Winter as a girlfriend..."*

*Suddenly, Mya dragged me upward, wobbling me a bit. "Daniela, being biseuxal is one of the most special traits that you have! It's okay to love both genders, and it's okay to sometimes get flustered. Trust me, when I realized I had a crush on Evie, I panicked just as badly as you, and feared I was going to be rejected for being bi. But I was accepted with open arms, and Evie soothed me, allowing me to be happy with who I was. You're not being held back by anything here. Just be yourself, and remind yourself that you're single and most certainly* not *ready to mingle." She laughed a small bit, and taking in every word of her advice, I hugged her.*

*"Thanks, Mya. That means a lot. Oh, I have something to give you."*

*Reaching into my satchel, I gave her a small hairclip which I had owned for a long time. It had a glittery blue, pink, and purple sequin in the middle that resembled a heart - with the colors of the bisexual flag. Mya put it into her hair gleefully. "It's so pretty. Thanks, man."*

*Winter then rejoined us. "Hey Dani, would you like to hear more of our misadventures?"*

*"Wouldn't mind at all, Win."*

*And so I learned about everything that happened while I was in prison, Winter's adoption, the romance that bloomed between Evie and Mya and Winter and Amira, everyone stopping Shetani and fighting the fight of their lives, and finding comfort in standing by each other's side. It just made me more happy by the minute.*

*Jesus, how long have I been writing in this thing? I need to sign off and see how many pages I have left here.*

*Yours truly, Dani Burton Vunquist*

Closing the diary, I placed it on my shelf, flopping back down onto my bed.

I thought about how far I'd come since I'd changed for the better, and looking back on everything - I was really proud of myself. My mother was proud, and I'd made amends with the four I'd hurt the most. I had regained my life back and made it better than ever, making friends and being in a state of solitude, one which I embraced with open arms.

They say there are two sides to me. And I couldn't agree with that statement more.

## Cast

* **Eden Riegel** as Daniela
* **Nora Dunn** as Rex
* **Gina Rodriguez** as Rexy
* **Peyton Elizabeth Lee** as Evie
* **Dana Terrace** as Holly
* **Trent Garrett** as Patrick
* **Dakota Fanning** as Mya
* **Mae Whitman** as Winter

## Trivia

* This chapter marks the first and only appearance of Rexy and Mara. It is also the first appearance of Holly since Season 1.
* It is revealed that:
	+ Daniela owns a diary which she writes in.
	+ Daniela now works as a volunteer at The Haven, a local animal shelter in Pineshadow.
	+ Daniela, like Mya, is a huge animal lover.
	+ Opal had been pretty controlling of Evie's life since she was six.
* When arguing with Daniela, Mya mentions snails flying. This is a reference to the *Warriors* phrase *Oh, and hedgehogs fly!*.
* This chapter marks the third time Rihanna has been spoofed as "Gleanna" in the series, though Daniela does not refer to her by name and only alludes to Mya being one of her biggest fans.