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Chapter Three: Operation Fall Gelb

“The kitchen window was open,” Clarissa dryly explained to the gang that had suddenly surrounded her. As her senses finally returned to normal, she saw that Alex, Jonas, and Nona were all around her like puppies to their mama. Looking down at herself, she held her beloved lighter in her right hand, and an old photograph in her left. A young Maggie Adler and Annie tinkering with some mechanical/electrical box. Maggie held a flashlight, while Annie did the actual work. It reminded Clarissa of too many group projects.

Alex approached her after a few moments. “Do you know who they are?” she wondered, no malice or wit in her tone.

“How should I know?” Clarissa blurted out without thinking. “I mean, one of them has to be Maggie Adler, right? I don’t know, Alex,” she sighed. Exhausted, sweaty, throat parched, she popped the picture frame open and nearly tore the picture apart trying to get it out of its holding pad. Looking on the back, she read aloud, “February 23, 1951. Maggie Adler... and Anna Shea.” Trailing off at the end, Clarissa felt a slight shiver as she tossed the photograph onto the couch.

“Cool,” Alex awkwardly complimented. Hands behind her back, she scraped some sand off the bottom of her shoe as she swiveled it around on the carpet. “They’re awfully cute together.”

Sighing, Clarissa looked Alex in the eye. “Can we do this another time? I’m really not in the mood to deal with you after tonight.”

“Neither am I,” Alex shot back, tired but bored. “I just want to get through this part, but we can at least avoid fighting each other this time.”

“Oh, you wanna get along? Here’s a tip. Don’t go spitting in my face,” Clarissa snidely remembered. Hopping off the couch, she decided that she’d help herself to some dead person’s food.

Sighing in exasperation, Alex threw her hands into the air as she went back upstairs. “When did I ever spit in your face, Clarissa?!”

Knuckles clenching white, Clarissa nearly screamed, “I told you! I’m not in the mood to deal with you, Alex!” She focused her anger on making the best sandwich-burrito-burger she could manage. She was even feeling nice-ish and was going to compliment the girl on her shorter hairstyle, but that went out the window with her good will. And after that, she was going to have a long, satisfying cigarette to end her meal. Not because she needed it, but because she wanted it really badly.

She found a comically large loaf of French bread, which she took a knife to and made a tunnel through its entire length, careful to leave two-ish inches at the far side. With the massive cavern in the bread, she assembled her main ingredients. Leftover steak, cold chili, and chopped up hot dog bits served as the main course; and it was all accompanied by varying sizes of sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato slices, and sprinkles of onion like it was snowing.

She shoved the cut-out pieces of bread back into the top, making a giant edible thermos. Taking advantage of the empty kitchen, Clarissa found a suitable frying pan to hold the bread, mostly. Setting the burner on maximum heat, she planned to quickly toast it all.

Nona came in, a tired smile on her face. “I heard you yelling.”

“It’s what I’m good at,” Clarissa acknowledged as she let the sandwich cook on the pan. She raised her hands out to Nona, who did the same. The two met and, after what had felt like an eternity, embraced. Both had gotten used to the height difference long ago.

“Comfy?” Clarissa joked as she puffed her chest out to emphasize the pillows Nona always got to have in their hugs.

Giggling, Nona nodded. “Feels like I haven’t seen you in ages. I didn’t even know if I’d see you again at all.”

“I’m not that easy to get rid of,” Clarissa reminded her good friend. “Buuut, you can help me get rid of this masterpiece I just made.” Motioning to her beautiful sandwich getting toasted, she took Nona’s hand into her own and gently tugged her along to the kitchen island. “I’d eat it all myself, but my sexy figure is like one of five things I have going for me.”

“Only five?” Nona scoffed as she bent down to smell the toasting bread. With a smile growing on her face, she looked back at Clarissa. “What could the mighty Clarissa have going for her?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Clarissa let go of Nona’s hand and stretched. Yawning, she decided, “My intelligence, charisma, agility-”

“You’re just quoting video game stats,” Nona called her out, playfully punching her in the arm.

Chuckling, Clarissa bowed before Nona. “You caught me. I feel like I haven’t eaten in ages, though, so let’s eat. I think this is done, and I don’t care if it’s not,” she firmly switched topics as she shut off the burner.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages,” Nona both admitted and repeated as Clarissa carefully touched the sandwich, testing its temperature for holding purposes. “We were on the beach, and then you were gone. I was alone,” she trailed off, sorrow creeping into her tone.

Tearing into her sandwich, Clarissa took a few hearty bites, mixing toasted bread with the heated internal components. She would have killed Alex for some salt. Or some paprika. Though her mouth was full, Clarissa wondered, “Didn’t I... didn’t we see each other in town?”

Nona looked at her in confusion. “I never went into town.”

Shaking her head, Clarissa reiterated, “No. We were in town.” Shoving the sandwich into Nona’s hands, she swallowed hard and wiped her mouth across her sleeve. “Here, try it. I think the cheese really pulls it all together, but it could use some extra punch. But no, we were totally in town, I remember it. We were playing ‘Truth or Slap’, and I-”

Nona, with her mouth full, pulled the sandwich away from her lips. Shaking her head, she explained, “We did it on-”

“Yeah, yeah, we did the game on the beach,” Clarissa acknowledged. “But we also- but we did it twice?” Pausing, Clarissa ran a hand through her hair and exhaled hard. “That doesn’t make sense. But I remember...”

There was a long pause between the two.

Nona finally asked meekly, “Clarissa? Are you okay?”

Slowly nodding, Clarissa answered, “I think so... but I’m trying to remember stuff... I need you to answer this question I have, and I need you to do it without thinking about it, okay?”

Without realizing it, Nona started to hold her breath. She nodded anyways.

Taking a deep breath, Clarissa thought it through. Looking Nona in the eye, she asked, “What’s my dog’s name?”

“Charlie...” Nona nearly whispered. She tried to turn her head away, but her eyes were still locked on Clarissa.

Clarissa hadn’t noticed. She was racking her brain. She could have sworn it was Chopper. She figured she should ask for more details.

“You haven’t called me by my name,” Nona meekly mentioned.

“Nona,” Clarissa fired back without hesitation. Clutching Nona by the shoulders, she stared the shorter girl down. “You are Nona, my best friend, my only friend, and I’d hug you if you weren’t holding my sandwich right now.”

Smiling, Nona took another bite. “Yeah, about that,” she said as she chewed with her mouth covered tactfully by the remaining part of the sandwich. “I think it needs less onion.”

“No!” Clarissa gawked, aggressively rubbing her hands up and down Nona’s arms. Grinning, she demanded, “It needs more onion, if anything!”

They shared a smile and a laugh, only for their tender moment to be interrupted by Ren obnoxiously groaning, “My ‘thank you’ wasn’t directed at you. I was just saying it.”

“Stuff a sock in it,” Alex ordered without missing a beat, yanking the front door open.

Rolling her eyes, Clarissa growled as she tightened her grip on Nona. She loved the Adler Estate, but she just wished she wasn’t within earshot of Alex and Reginald. Before she realized it, a fuzzy feeling tingled at her fingertips and traveled through her arms, into her body, into her mind. Everything grew numb, and for a while she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. It was warm and fuzzy, full of static, but it was also clear. Nice. She kind of didn’t want it to end, but then Alex got really smart and outmaneuvered her. She felt Alex’s aggression constricting her, making it harder and harder to breathe. Eventually, a hand let go of her neck, and she fell back to the floor, but she fell in an endless void, her stomach flying up into her brain.

Description
Chapter Three: Operation Fall Gelb

“The kitchen window was open,” Clarissa dryly explained to the gang that had suddenly surrounded her. As her senses finally returned to normal, she saw that Alex, Jonas, and Nona were all around her like puppies to their mama. Looking down at herself, she held her beloved lighter in her right hand, and an old photograph in her left. A young Maggie Adler and Annie tinkering with some mechanical/electrical box. Maggie held a flashlight, while Annie did the actual work. It reminded Clarissa of too many group projects.

Alex approached her after a few moments. “Do you know who they are?” she wondered, no malice or wit in her tone.

“How should I know?” Clarissa blurted out without thinking. “I mean, one of them has to be Maggie Adler, right? I don’t know, Alex,” she sighed. Exhausted, sweaty, throat parched, she popped the picture frame open and nearly tore the picture apart trying to get it out of its holding pad. Looking on the back, she read aloud, “February 23, 1951. Maggie Adler... and Anna Shea.” Trailing off at the end, Clarissa felt a slight shiver as she tossed the photograph onto the couch.

“Cool,” Alex awkwardly complimented. Hands behind her back, she scraped some sand off the bottom of her shoe as she swiveled it around on the carpet. “They’re awfully cute together.”

Sighing, Clarissa looked Alex in the eye. “Can we do this another time? I’m really not in the mood to deal with you after tonight.”

“Neither am I,” Alex shot back, tired but bored. “I just want to get through this part, but we can at least avoid fighting each other this time.”

“Oh, you wanna get along? Here’s a tip. Don’t go spitting in my face,” Clarissa snidely remembered. Hopping off the couch, she decided that she’d help herself to some dead person’s food.

Sighing in exasperation, Alex threw her hands into the air as she went back upstairs. “When did I ever spit in your face, Clarissa?!”

Knuckles clenching white, Clarissa nearly screamed, “I told you! I’m not in the mood to deal with you, Alex!” She focused her anger on making the best sandwich-burrito-burger she could manage. She was even feeling nice-ish and was going to compliment the girl on her shorter hairstyle, but that went out the window with her good will. And after that, she was going to have a long, satisfying cigarette to end her meal. Not because she needed it, but because she wanted it really badly.

She found a comically large loaf of French bread, which she took a knife to and made a tunnel through its entire length, careful to leave two-ish inches at the far side. With the massive cavern in the bread, she assembled her main ingredients. Leftover steak, cold chili, and chopped up hot dog bits served as the main course; and it was all accompanied by varying sizes of sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato slices, and sprinkles of onion like it was snowing.

She shoved the cut-out pieces of bread back into the top, making a giant edible thermos. Taking advantage of the empty kitchen, Clarissa found a suitable frying pan to hold the bread, mostly. Setting the burner on maximum heat, she planned to quickly toast it all.

Nona came in, a tired smile on her face. “I heard you yelling.”

“It’s what I’m good at,” Clarissa acknowledged as she let the sandwich cook on the pan. She raised her hands out to Nona, who did the same. The two met and, after what had felt like an eternity, embraced. Both had gotten used to the height difference long ago.

“Comfy?” Clarissa joked as she puffed her chest out to emphasize the pillows Nona always got to have in their hugs.

Giggling, Nona nodded. “Feels like I haven’t seen you in ages. I didn’t even know if I’d see you again at all.”

“I’m not that easy to get rid of,” Clarissa reminded her good friend. “Buuut, you can help me get rid of this masterpiece I just made.” Motioning to her beautiful sandwich getting toasted, she took Nona’s hand into her own and gently tugged her along to the kitchen island. “I’d eat it all myself, but my sexy figure is like one of five things I have going for me.”

“Only five?” Nona scoffed as she bent down to smell the toasting bread. With a smile growing on her face, she looked back at Clarissa. “What could the mighty Clarissa have going for her?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Clarissa let go of Nona’s hand and stretched. Yawning, she decided, “My intelligence, charisma, agility-”

“You’re just quoting video game stats,” Nona called her out, playfully punching her in the arm.

Chuckling, Clarissa bowed before Nona. “You caught me. I feel like I haven’t eaten in ages, though, so let’s eat. I think this is done, and I don’t care if it’s not,” she firmly switched topics as she shut off the burner.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages,” Nona both admitted and repeated as Clarissa carefully touched the sandwich, testing its temperature for holding purposes. “We were on the beach, and then you were gone. I was alone,” she trailed off, sorrow creeping into her tone.

Tearing into her sandwich, Clarissa took a few hearty bites, mixing toasted bread with the heated internal components. She would have killed Alex for some salt. Or some paprika. Though her mouth was full, Clarissa wondered, “Didn’t I... didn’t we see each other in town?”

Nona looked at her in confusion. “I never went into town.”

Shaking her head, Clarissa reiterated, “No. We were in town.” Shoving the sandwich into Nona’s hands, she swallowed hard and wiped her mouth across her sleeve. “Here, try it. I think the cheese really pulls it all together, but it could use some extra punch. But no, we were totally in town, I remember it. We were playing ‘Truth or Slap’, and I-”

Nona, with her mouth full, pulled the sandwich away from her lips. Shaking her head, she explained, “We did it on-”

“Yeah, yeah, we did the game on the beach,” Clarissa acknowledged. “But we also- but we did it twice?” Pausing, Clarissa ran a hand through her hair and exhaled hard. “That doesn’t make sense. But I remember...”

There was a long pause between the two.

Nona finally asked meekly, “Clarissa? Are you okay?”

Slowly nodding, Clarissa answered, “I think so... but I’m trying to remember stuff... I need you to answer this question I have, and I need you to do it without thinking about it, okay?”

Without realizing it, Nona started to hold her breath. She nodded anyways.

Taking a deep breath, Clarissa thought it through. Looking Nona in the eye, she asked, “What’s my dog’s name?”

“Charlie...” Nona nearly whispered. She tried to turn her head away, but her eyes were still locked on Clarissa.

Clarissa hadn’t noticed. She was racking her brain. She could have sworn it was Chopper. She figured she should ask for more details.

“You haven’t called me by my name,” Nona meekly mentioned.

“Nona,” Clarissa fired back without hesitation. Clutching Nona by the shoulders, she stared the shorter girl down. “You are Nona, my best friend, my only friend, and I’d hug you if you weren’t holding my sandwich right now.”

Smiling, Nona took another bite. “Yeah, about that,” she said as she chewed with her mouth covered tactfully by the remaining part of the sandwich. “I think it needs less onion.”

“No!” Clarissa gawked, aggressively rubbing her hands up and down Nona’s arms. Grinning, she demanded, “It needs more onion, if anything!”

They shared a smile and a laugh, only for their tender moment to be interrupted by Ren obnoxiously groaning, “My ‘thank you’ wasn’t directed at you. I was just saying it.”

“Stuff a sock in it,” Alex ordered without missing a beat, yanking the front door open.

Rolling her eyes, Clarissa growled as she tightened her grip on Nona. She loved the Adler Estate, but she just wished she wasn’t within earshot of Alex and Reginald. Before she realized it, a fuzzy feeling tingled at her fingertips and traveled through her arms, into her body, into her mind. Everything grew numb, and for a while she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. It was warm and fuzzy, full of static, but it was also clear. Nice. She kind of didn’t want it to end, but then Alex got really smart and outmaneuvered her. She felt Alex’s aggression constricting her, making it harder and harder to breathe. Eventually, a hand let go of her neck, and she fell back to the floor, but she fell in an endless void, her stomach flying up into her brain.