This is absolutely terrific. It could use a proofread, although that’s forgivable given the length and time pressure, and I think the length is necessary for the character development it permits.
What I think is most impressive is that in both your tales to date, you’ve adopted the perspective of the other author’s character, and used Veronica as a foil for them. That is a very challenging approach, but it has been executed extremely well - I feel like I’ve learned more about the characters opposite Veronica, but in a way that respects the original author’s conception.
I don’t know what would upset me more at this stage - if Veronica doesn’t make it to the final of the OCT, or if she does and I don’t, so I don’t get to write her.
