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 turn her away when she has only a phone transaction history list as 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. 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 to the shower stall to have sex; but 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 here 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
She is also shown exercising caution on her way home one evening, concerned that Aaron may be right about killers being on the loose. After she is captured and nearly killed, she agrees to testify what she knows. However, she warns Aaron that he'll be on his own from that point onward in delivering the evidence they gathered to the FBI. She decides that as long as nobody else at Gleeful-N'-Young or Sleet Mountain besides Chris Kennal, George Lawence, and Kyle Tugrass knows about her family; she is not going to risk endangering her family any further.

After she was knocked out, Chris moved her to a location in the woods separate from where Aaron was left. This was intentional: he didn't want Aaron to know exactly what happened after he was knocked out. The fear that Monica is filled with upon finding herself in a strange location also keeps her from wanting to help Aaron out further. Otherwise, the novel follows the miniseries very closely in regards to how Monica turns out.

Death
See also: Sodality (series)

During the events in Sodality, the new Ameristani regime under Halal Affadidah has Monica as one of many who are at-random rounded up and sent to death camps. She was executed by beheading on the tenth anniversary of when Chris spared her life.

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.