Clarissa felt her body begin to shake. Something inside her told her to change, to become the monster if that was what it took to protect Fiammetta, her fern flower. The urge inside her mind was almost overwhelming.
A shot rang out. Before Clarissa could process the source of the noise, Opaline, or rather Calu in her form, had vanished along with the cider and cookies. Clarissa immediately looked behind her and was relieved to see that Fiammetta was still there, her eyes wide. She hugged the little girl tight to her. “I could have handled him!” She called out.
“I have no doubt in my mind that you could. I just didn’t want you to have to.” This time Opaline’s voice didn’t sound as if it had been pulled from her memory. It sound like it should have, like a woman fifty years older than that girl.
Clarissa looked up to see her childhood best friend standing in the doorway. She looked perfectly put together, not a stray hair out of place. She couldn’t think of a word to say. Part of her wanted to yell and scream for reasons she couldn’t comprehend; another part wanted to rush to Opaline’s side and ensure that she was okay.
“Jaclyn warned me,” she continued with a sardonic laugh. “I’m down in town and Jaclyn, of all people, shows up in purple velvet, looking like a proper witch stereotype and says to me, ‘You better get home. Clarissa’s in trouble.’ Then before I can beg her to come home, she’s gone again. I didn’t even know that I’d even mentioned you to her.”
“We’ve met,” Clarissa explained half-heartedly.
Opaline nodded, seeming to accept this without further question. She walked over the Clarissa and Fiammetta and pulled the two into an accepting hug. “There will be time to explain,” she whispered. “For now, let me just be happy that one thing I’ve lost has returned to where she belongs.”
Clarissa wasn’t sure at all that she was where she belonged. She belonged at home, in Detroit. Still, she didn’t correct Opaline. She simply took a deep breath and hoped that when all this was said and done, she would be able to get back.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
You can find her online at https://amystilgenbauer.wordpress.com/ and on twitter @Rosainverno
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