Monica Shelly (Cataclysmic Gerosha)

Monica Shelly is a character in the the comic remake of Blood Over Water. She is a friend and ally to Aaron Stefflin, a romantic interest for Sleet Mountain employee Vance Lingolin and Big Rapids townie Hank Froli, a younger sister to Betsy Shelly, and an aunt to a young Annabelle Shelly.

Early life
Monica was born on February 27th of 1987, to parents Craig and Marissa Shelly, living at the time at 8244 Monroe Ave. in Munster, IL. She was the youngest of three children, with her brother Steve being born first on April 18th of 1982 and her sister Betsy having been born on November 3rd of 1985.

The family lived mostly peaceful lives early on. However, the peace and quiet was slightly disrupted on June 7th of 2000, when Betsy gave birth to her daughter Annabelle. The family tried to get in contact with Annabelle's father, Curtis Morenz. However, he had simply vanished. Monica wasn't overly concerned, as she loved being an aunt. The Shellys lives were further thrown into chaos on September 11th of 2001, when Craig and Steve were returning from a vacation to Jamaica. They died in a field in Pennsylvania, and the female Shellys were each given a cash settlement.

High school
Getting ready to start high school, Monica started turning more and more to her sister for comfort and advice. Marissa spiraled downward into alcoholism, compelling the Shelly sisters to want to seek a new life away from the greater Chicago area. Marissa realized that her daughters and granddaughter were finding her alcohol problems difficult to live with; so she decided to help them get a rental home in Howard City. Betsy completed her senior year of high school at Tri County, and then immediately found work at the Michigan First Credit Union in Grand Rapids in early 2003.

Monica spent whatever time she had free by watching Annabelle, while Betsy drove to and from Grand Rapids. However, Monica discovered that much like Betsy, she found herself turning to sex as a means of coping with stress and tragedy. In her senior year, Monica began to develop a reputation among male students for being willing to sleep around. She tried to contain any potential scandal; but found it difficult to keep Betsy in the dark about her 18 different partners.

Arrival at Ferris State
Monica arrived at Ferris in the fall of 2006, eager to begin her life as a college student. She took a part-time volunteer position as a nurse's assistant at the Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital, while also studying forensic biology on campus. She made several male friends right away. However, she was especially fond of two particular ones: Vance Lingolin, who treated her better than any man previously ever had, and Aaron Stefflin - who was religious and highly moral, yet still made time to be a friend. Aaron especially became a confidant to her, as he was slow to judge and unwilling to expect too many favors from her.

Monica all the same began to seek out a wide variety of sexual encounters with various male students, accruing about 29 new unique partners in only two years' time. To save time getting to work and class, she rents herself a home at 430 Spring St. When not watching Annabelle, this also grants her and her extracurricular activities some much-needed extra privacy.

Getting serious with Vance
Monica's remarkable prowess leads to her being granted significant amounts of after-hours lab access. Around this time, she has been enjoying a regular friends-with-benefits relationship with two men for most of 2009: Hank Froli and Vance Lingolin. However, Vance develops strong feelings for Monica, compelling her to consider him for a more serious relationship. Monica is further embarrassed into considering it when she is barely able one day in August to get Vance out of the way, as Betsy drops off Annabelle for the day early. Betsy and Annabelle nearly walk in and find Vance. Even so, Betsy comments on Monica's wearing a bath towel and having messy hair - and a distinct, familiar scent. Monica tries to change the subject, lest Annabelle hear anything inappropriate.

As things progress at Sleet Mountain under the new leadership of Clyde, however, Vance keeps Monica updated on his at-work concerns. By mid-September, Vance's attitude toward Clyde begins to turn sour. Around this same time, Monica begins developing strong feelings for Vance in return, and suggests they upgrade their relationship. Both of them begin to notice some strange vehicles in the area; but no one seems able or willing to explain what these vehicles are doing in town. Monica shares her concerns with Aaron about it, and he postulates that it could be the Hebbleskins. However, the only lead he has on why the Hebbleskins would be in Big Rapids, is that they must have heard rumors that there were Flippos visiting the Celestine household. He later discovers some strange vans and crews investigating 514 Marion Ave. well after Wanda and Meredith have moved out, seemingly confirming his suspicions that the Hebbleskins were looking for Flippos.

Investigating Vance's disappearance
Monica's world and attitude about life are abruptly transformed one tragic night, when Vance makes a panicked phone call to her. He insists that Clyde is up to something sinister involving environmental fraud with the plant's cleanup, and that he wants to prove it. He has quit in a rage, and vowed to destroy the entire cabal of crooks that were his former coworkers at Sleet Mountain. However, he also states that he fears he's being followed. The vehicle behind him begins ramming him several times. Monica urges Vance to hang up with her and call the police. The phone call cuts out shortly after he and Monica profess their love to each other. Unbeknownst to Monica in that moment, Vance is knocked off the road and into a tree by George Lawence, just shortly before the intersection of Old State Rd. and Northland Dr. on the south side of town. George steals Vance's lifeless body, ignites the crashed vehicle, then flees the scene.

Monica, grabbing some pepper spray in the event that she is ambushed, drives south until she reaches the scene. She is shocked to find that the fire truck still hasn't arrived yet. She gathers Vance's plate, some blood samples, and some debris, loads up her car, then drives further south. She drives past Sleet Mountain, then takes another road back to Big Rapids. She hears fire sirens arriving about half a mile behind her as she turns onto 8 Mile Rd.

Monica informs Aaron of what happened, and Aaron inquires of Mark if he knows of any reason why Vance's vehicle would be found burning just off the road. Mark claims that Vance protested Clyde and quit shortly beforehand; but that he needs more evidence before he can say for certain that the two events are connected. Much to Monica, Mark, and Aaron's dismay, Fox 32 Cadillac runs a story that insinuates that the fire was insurance fraud; and that police are investigating Vance as a suspect on the run.

Monica attempts to go to the police about the phone call Vance made to her; but the city detectives ignore the photos she took of the bullet holes, the bullet remains she found in the grass, and her phone transaction history. They simply refuse to review any evidence. She is doubly insulted when they inquire about her other phone calls with other students, asking her if she's a prostitute. She gains Aaron's emotional support, though Aaron doesn't know how else to help her at first. She instead sets to work using her forensics knowledge to analyze the evidence she gathered from the crash site.

Assisting Aaron
In mid-October of 2009, Ashley's file on Rev. Campelli goes missing. This prompts Mark to begin investigating further into what would have led to Vance going missing. What Mark uncovers, however, is the hidden murder porn video archive that Clyde had been keeping in a room at the Sleet Mountain plant. Fearing the excessive heat, Mark instead decides to steal evidence of the cleanup fraud scandal - and hope that the government will discover the illegal porn room by accident. Not being as careful as he thought he was, Mark is seen on a security camera making photocopies of key documents.

He plants the copies in a fake folder, and then takes the original documents and folder home inside an envelope - which he later stamps with a "Confidential" label and hides below a strip of carpet beneath his bed in his apartment. Clyde suspects which folder Mark may be making copies of, and has George and Kyle try to bully Mark into returning the original file. When Mark refuses, this leads to a deadly confrontation. Earlier that evening before the confrontation, Mark arranged to go on a fishing expedition with Aaron - and to talk about the envelope he'd been storing below the bed. His tone suggested that "fishing expedition" was code; but Aaron prepared his bait and tackle just in case.

Aaron arrives at Mark's apartment when there's no response on the phone. However, he discovers the hidden folder amidst a ransacked apartment - with the bedsheets missing. Aaron attempts to go to the police about this; but the officer he speaks to turns Aaron away. Aaron confides in Monica, and she agrees to use a new ink type separation technique to reveal redacted text on the Sleet Mountain "confidential" files, in the hopes of helping Aaron reveal what is underneath. She urges Aaron to learn whatever else he can about Sleet Mountain; but to watch his back while doing so. And to trust no one at the company - not even Chris!

Turning to Hank
Desperate for help with her case, Monica reaches out to her old friend with benefits, Hank Froli, asking him to meet up with her for a bite at the Szot's Bar and Grill. He examines the case files and evidence she has; but tries to change the subject. Ignoring Aaron's warnings, a hurt Monica asks him to comfort her. The two of them head back to Monica's house, then go to the shower stall to have sex. However, Monica is unable to concentrate; too distracted by missing Vance and by fear of what's coming. The couple get dressed and decide to plan regarding whom else they can trust, if not the local police.

Hank has meanwhile been hearing rumors of women and children going missing from town. Little do either of them realize that the raids by Gleeful-N'-Young have hit Morley, Stanwood, Howard City (where Betsy lives), and also parts of Grand Rapids. Right as Monica begins to deduce that Betsy and Annabelle may be in trouble, raiders attack Spring Street. Hank looks out the living room window to see armed men in black armor going door-to-door across the neighborhood.

Hank urges Monica to hide in the basement, in a hidden compartment in the wall in Annabelle's bedroom / play room. He attempts to call the police - only he gets no response. The Meceola Dispatch Center was one of the targets, and all staff and operators have already been killed. Hank attempts to arm himself; but he's quickly overpowered by rifle fire into the home when Gleeful-N'-Young operatives force entry. The goons raid the house, and they find evidence of Monica's lifestyle. They also ransack Annabelle's bedroom; but they don't find the hidden wall compartment.

Monica crawls out of her hiding place after she's certain that the armed troops have left her home. However, she then calls Aaron to inform him that she has a body to clean up. In spite the lack of a local dispatch, police begin searching the area for victims, having become aware that Meceola Dispatch has been hit. Monica rushes out to inform police of what happened. To her dismay, they place her under arrest, assuring her that "the investigation won't take long." Monica is released from jail three days later, with no charges filed against her.

Given that Hank made himself a martyr to protect her and her investigation, this only makes Monica that much more determined to discover the truth.

The search for Annabelle
Monica is baffled by how the news has an almost total blackout regarding the disappearances of so many; and finds that many on campus are being discouraged from talking about it. She learns from a quick trip to Howard City that Betsy's house had in fact been raided. An officer in the house pulls a gun on Monica, and Monica quickly convinces him that she's related to Betsy, and used to live at the house. She's there for answers. The officer threatens to arrest Monica, but she informs him that she didn't force entry. She has a key, and Betsy welcomes her there any time. Monica informs the officer that if she is to be carted off a second time, the officer will need to have her formally charged with something first. She states that police have been behaving strangely in Big Rapids, and that she is not inclined to trust anyone in that moment.

The officer lowers his gun, and informs Monica that Betsy is at the Kent County Jail, along with some woman named Kylie Drimmon. Monica asks to know why her sister is locked up; but the officer is unable to come up with a reason.

Monica asks the officer to get her on the line with Kent County, to have Betsy call her from the jail. She learns about both Betsy and her cellmate, Kylie. Both women claimed that they'd been abducted, and were unsure what charges they were being held on. Kylie was pregnant, and claimed the father was one Chris Kennal. Betsy, finally able to get on the phone with Monica, bemoaned that Annabelle was gone.

In desperation, Monica takes the officer's advice, and checks for conspiracy theory blogs. She discovers that a witness with access to one blogger posted about seeing some strange figures attack a Gleeful-N'-Young van, and make off with the children. These newcomers to the scene appeared to be dressed like the Straggele from European folklore. The witness claimed to overhear one woman in their rank say something about taking the children who showed the most will to join "the academy." The rest would be presented to "Lord Krampus," for further determination regarding their fate. One girl screamed that her name was Annabelle, and that she would avenge her mother one day. The witness fled before he could hear anything else.

Further research suggested that there were rumors of a secret "Kingdom of Nordreichdun rumored to be located in the northernmost parts of Greenland, which consisted of Inuit locals who preached a cult-like allegiance to Krampus. Monica was horrified by the implications that her niece may have been abducted by cultists to be brainwashed into their fold; and quit her search.  She shared her results over the phone with Betsy; who had trouble believing any of it.

Testing the water tubes
Two nights before Monica's arrest, George discovered Aaron's car parked in the driveway of 516 N. Michigan Ave. He put a tracer on it, then fled. On the same evening that Monica visits her sister's house, Aaron tries to call George's number, to see if he knows anything. George mistakes the voice for that of Mark, and suggests they meet up to discuss "something important;" yet he wouldn't specify. Aaron tells George to meet with him at the McDonald's in town if they wish to talk.

Instead, George tracks down Aaron's car in traffic, and he fires a tranquilizer dart through the window - as he is under orders from Clyde to interrogate before killing, in order to learn of how Chris could possibly have failed to kill Mark. The car is given an EMP blast, resulting in the car crashing. Aaron awakens inside the Ewigleben Sports complex basketball court, with George and Kyle interrogating him. A security staff member overhears the commotion, and his investigation leads to George and Kyle chasing after him with their guns. The showdown is swift, and Kyle is wounded with a nick to his left forearm. However, George kills the security guard. Amidst the scuffle, however, Aaron is able to free himself and escape.

Aaron tests the pond water in the pond indicated by George and Kyle, and then infiltrates the building with Mark's old security card. He heads directly to Chris' office, and inquires Chris if he knows anything. Chris feigns ignorance; and instead manipulates Aaron into saying where he and Monica will be later that evening. Aaron's mistake, however, is in trusting Chris with the truth.

Monica later meets up with Aaron at a study room in the Starr Building, to test the water tubes Aaron supplies her with for pollutants. Early results suggest to her that she needs to get the remaining samples into an actual lab at Ferris as soon as she can. However, the two of them are interrupted by Chris and Kyle waving guns in their faces.

Capture by Sleet Mountain
The two are escorted to an SUV, where the villains taunt them about how they're about to die. Aaron pleads for Monica's life, but is mocked for trying by George and Kyle both. Chris insists that Aaron's "snooping around" is to blame for what's about to happen next. Aaron asks Monica to use her family as an argument to plead for her own life. But to everyone's surprise, she refuses. Instead, she reveals that she leaked to someone on the dark web a link about all the evidence she had on Vance - along with copies of her copies of the paperwork that Aaron shared with her. She argues that the cat is out of the proverbial bag already; and that killing her and Aaron will be for nothing. She also points out that Gleeful-N'-Young already destroyed her family, so she doesn't have one to plead on behalf of.

When Aaron tries to plead that the three of them have bigger issues to worry about than two college students, given what Monica stated, George and Kyle urge him to keep his mouth shut. As Chris leads Aaron to the execution spot near Lot 47, George escorts Monica. Kyle tries to shoot first, but his gun jams. With the only remaining gun, Chris knocks out Aaron and Monica, and pretends to shoot them. He makes sure they're just out of the light, so George and Kyle can't see what he's doing. Chris, to the surprise of both George and Kyle, turns around and turns the gun on them. With both George and Kyle dead, Chris leaves a note for Aaron - along with evidence of the Gleeful-N'-Young illegal porn operation. He then flees the scene.

Turning over the evidence
Monica and Aaron awaken to discover the note and evidence. Upon analysis, they learn that Officer Yorming is a Gleeful-N'-Young plant. Monica decides that her safest bet is to go to Lansing - and to turn over her evidence to the state level investigations bureau. As soon as he is able to, Aaron leaves Big Rapids. He heads to Nashville, and turns over his evidence against Clyde to the FBI. He returns to Big Rapids only to finish class and collect his graduation certificate.

Incarceration
Shortly after completing her degree, and after her sister has been released from the Kent County Jail, Monica moves back in with her sister in Howard City. The two of them discuss moving back to the Chicago area. However, a no-knock raid arrives at the girls' door one day. A prosecutor decided to go after both sisters over Monica having taken evidence from the crash scene. The goal is to pin both sisters for having a role in the death of Vance; but the case quickly falls apart.

Her lawyer notes that she tried to warn everyone of Vance potentially having been murdered before Clyde's files leaked to Monica via Chris and Aaron revealed this was the case - and where to find the body. However, the town instead tried to investigate the missing Vance - on unfounded allegations of arson with intent to insurance fraud! As such, Monica's lawyer is able to argue leniency on behalf that she could establish grounds for incompetence from official investigators. It's also pointed out that while she did take things from the crime scene; her extractions did little to impact the overall nature of the evidence.

Monica is finally convicted on a lesser charge of crime scene tampering; and is sentenced to a year in jail. She is more bothered by the complete lack of willingness by authorities to look into Annabelle's disappearance, and their insensitivity toward Betsy losing her daughter.

New life in Chicago
Monica returns to her old life in Illinois, finding a position at an urgent care center in Chicago. She tries to lead a quiet life, and avoid the spotlight. She tries to get back into dating; but quickly gives up when the men only want sex from her. She instead remembers Aaron, and tries to find a church to join that he'd approve of. She feels that it's her soul that she needs to fix, not her body. Nothing else will help her heal from the trauma of the abuse she endured in Big Rapids.

Death
See also: Sodality (series)

During the events in Sodality, the new Ameristani regime under Halal Affadidah takes over a large portion of America, rebranding it "Ameristan." His brute squads capture Monica during one of their purges. She is sent to the South Bend Concentration Camp, and beheaded. She dies on the tenth anniversary of when Chris spared her life.

Personality
Monica likes to lead a fairly quiet life most of the time, not bothering anyone if she can help it. However, she is also very caring toward the few she is willing to open herself up to. She craves affection; yet is afraid to let anyone get too close. This is due to the psychological damage done by her mother becoming an alcoholic. In spite having some conscious awareness that her sleeping around is unwise, and sets a bad example for her niece, Monica gets into a habit of casual flings. She develops a talent for keeping most of them at bay, making it hard for her to reform, and to wean herself from these habits.

She can be reserved and timid; but she has her limits. If pushed too far, she portrays a passive-aggressive side - and becomes defiant to the end. Her hidden depths come off as a shock to everyone around her - including Aaron - when she reveals herself to not be as weak and helpless as her appearance may initially suggest. Not even Aaron was prepared to hear her be so willing to play the role of martyr if need be. However, her newfound vigor and determination is also a coping strategy for dealing with loss. She'd rather get angry than be forever just sad. While losing Vance sets the stage for her in this direction - and also encourages her to be less selfish in general - it's losing Annabelle that transforms Monica almost past the point of no return.

Trivia

 * Most changes to Monica in this version revolve around giving her more to do, more overall plot relevance, and expanding on her Classic counterpart's line about "having a family" - by making sure that family is named, and also relevant to the plot.


 * Her relationship with Vance was created in this version to provide additional character motivation, to explain why she'd want to take the risks involved in helping Aaron - a plothole in the original miniseries, as her motivation there was never addressed.


 * Monica's rental home in this version is 430 Spring St. in Big Rapids. She originally wasn't specified with having a home at any location.  In the original miniseries, her counterpart's home is never assigned.  The actress, Cassie Tyler, was staying in the Puterbaugh / Henderson Hall complex back then.


 * This Monica's defiant streak as George and Kyle believe Chris is about to kill her demonstrates that she not only gets significant character development over the course of the story; but that she also is made of tougher inner resolve than her Earth-G5 counterpart.
 * The original begged over and over again to be spared on behalf of her family, and was almost in tears at the thought of dying. But since this one's family was already destroyed, the initial pleas and begging script made no sense.
 * Instead, it was replaced with Monica trying to demoralize her captors by showing them the futility of their actions.
 * The original's lines were half-baked, as scriptwriter Angelica McClary was already losing interest in the project, and wanted the class to be over. The lines for this new character interpretation seek to correct the original's lazy writing via any means possible.
 * Due to many of its limitations, Blood Over Water itself can't tell every single detail of Monica's story. Instead, most of her life journey before and after are detailed in the mock-gossip magazine Blood Over Water: Dirty Laundry.
 * Monica's AI art, generated with the app Wonder, features in the video The Gerosha Chronicles, According to an AI, from November of 2022. It is showcased alongside other art of her, including images of Cassie Tyler portraying her Classic Gerosha counterpart.