Chapter 1: 2

"You and I have unfinished business. And not a goddamned fucking thing you've done in the subsequent four years, including getting knocked up, is going to change that." -Beatrix to Vernita Green (Copperhead)

2

Volume

1

Number

1

Chronology

7

Centric

Vernita Green

Chapter 1: 2 is the first chapter in Vol. 1. It covers Beatrix's encounter with Vernita Green, who is living in Pasadena California under the name Jeannie Bell. It also includes the death of Vernita, the second of Beatrix's enemies.

Synopsis

Beatrix Kiddo (under the beeper cover which conceals her name, and is simply known as the Bride) arrives in Pasadena, California. She stops at the residence of homemaker Jeannie Bell which houses her, her four year old daughter Nikkia Bell and medical husband Dr. Lawrence Bell.

Beatrix arrives upon the doorstep and rings the bell, bringing the marked Copperhead Vernita Green to the door, who is believing her to be friend Sarah who has the tendency to arrive late at their outings.

Verntta is shocked upon seeing her face, and Beatrix red visions the flashback sequence, focusing on Vernita. After the clearing fades, she strikes Vernitta to the face and enters her home, engaging her in combat.

The two engage in a ruthless fight and destroy the TV room and break several glass items. The fight continues until Vernita's daughter, Nikkia "Nikki" Bell, comes home from school.

Upon arriving home, Nikki enquires to the destruction of the TV room, which Vernita dismisses as her pet dog Barney's mess, and eventually, after a brief encounter with Beatrix, is sent to her room. Vernita then fixes Beatrix a coffee.

While having coffee, Vernita, correctly, guesses that it's too late for her to apologize to Beatrix, but also demands to know if she is going to start anything around Nikki. Beatrix tells Vernita to relax, as she has no wish to murder her in front of her daughter, which Vernita thinks to be more rational than Bill made her think Beatrix is. Beatrix replies that she lacks not rationality, but mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.

Vernita regrets what she had done to Beatrix in the past and understands why Beatrix is here and that she has every right to get even, which Vernita believes means killing just her. Beatrix, however, corrects her by saying that if she wanted to get "even-steven," she would have to kill Vernita, kill Nikki, and wait for Vernita's husband to come home and kill him.

Vernita tells Beatrix that she's a different person, which Beatrix doesn't care about. Beatrix warns Vernita that even though she won't kill her in front of her daughter, parading her around won't inspire sympathy, and nothing that Vernita has done in the past four years, including getting pregnant, changes the fact that they have "unfinished business." Vernita suggests that they have a knife fight that night at a baseball diamond about a mile away, dressed in all black.

Beatrix accepts, but Vernita uses this ploy to suddenly fix Nikki Fruit Loops cereal, which secretly contains a pistol, which upon the remark of weapon choice and codename bestowed by Bill, is fired. Beatrix sends the given coffee cup spiralling at Vernitta, before finally deliveirng her knife to Vernita's chest, making her slide across the glass cupboards and landing upon the floor, bleeding from the mouth.

However, against Beatrix's intentions, Nikki witnesses her mother's demise. Beatrix apologizes for having her witness that, but also assures her that her mother "had it coming." if Nikki's feelings are still raw of what she saw, when she ages, she can come and see her.

Beatrix leaves, as the finishing speech of Hattori Hanzo reemerges, telling that revenge is never a straight line, but a forest.