Love in Georgia

Clarisse Ricci had seen many things, but the sight of her mother’s work, burned to a crisp, was something she never wanted to see. She stood with her sister, Camille, as they studied the building, their expressions pale.

“Why did this happen?” Camille murmured, struggling not to cry.

Clarisse swallowed, trying to keep her expression stable for her sister’s sake. She stared at the ruins, her eyes hard.

“I don’t know, but we must bring them to justice.”

Camille nodded.

“Not just for us, but for our parents, too.” She squeezed Clarisse’s hand.

Clarisse’s gaze hardened.

“That’s right.”

The culprit would soon discover what it meant to mess with the Ricci women.

A few weeks earlier......

“Papa, show me the comet,” Clarisse muttered, searching the sky for the comet’s light.

She could hear her dad’s deep voice chuckling in her head. Could feel his arms surrounding her, pulling her into his chest. He would then guide her gaze to the sky.

“Mia Stella, be patient. It’ll show up,” he would say.

“I want to see it now," Clarisse said, her impatience growing.

A light breeze blew past, answering her. She sighed, leaning into its embrace.

“Okay. I got it.”

Clarisse sat on a chair with cushions surrounding her, providing support. Her backyard, usually full of color, was dull. The pink tulips and red roses that made up her mother, Isabelle’s, garden would not revive until the spring sun melted the frost.

Further in the yard, the pool and hot tub reigned inside their enclosure.

Clarisse’s dark eyes moved behind the telescope’s eyepiece, looking for the faintest light. Her other hand wrapped soft, thick quilts around herself.

Earlier that year, she stumbled across an article about a recently discovered comet. The article said the best time to view it was in December.

Start of Flashback

“Mamma!” Clarisse had exclaimed, running over to her mother, Isabelle, while holding up an article. “Look!”

Isabelle, in the middle of cooking lunch, paused.

“What’s that?”

Clarisse grinned, her dark curls bouncing.

“It’s about a recently discovered comet. It’ll make its closest approach on December 12th.”

End of Flashback

Her mother had listened, a look of interest in her bright eyes as Clarisse babbled. It was as if Lorenzo hadn’t died.

Clarisse shook her head before refocusing her attention on a constellation. She zoomed in on it, studying its features. She was staring at it so intently that every sense except sight seemed to turn off. She didn’t register the back door opening or Camille’s footsteps padding across the concrete, followed by their German shepherds, Luna and Zeus.

Zeus, Camille’s black and tan male, stayed by her side.

Luna, who was smaller and with silver and black fur, bounded over to Clarisse. Her eyes locked on her, intent on getting her attention.

Camille shook her head when she saw Clarisse buried in her telescope. When she didn’t receive acknowledgment, she cleared her throat.

Clarisse jumped, tearing her gaze away.

“What’s up?”

“I came out to see if you’ve seen the comet,” Camille replied.

“No, but it’ll be visible soon.”

Luna barked, making both girls laugh.

“Of course, the dogs wanted to come out too,” Camille added.

Clarisse smirked.

“I bet Luna was about to tear the door down.”

Camille giggled and nodded.

“How’s my girl?” Clarisse crooned, scratching her behind the ears.

Luna panted, content with her owner’s affection. She rested her head in Clarisse’s lap, her eyes closing.

Clarisse turned to Camille.

“Anyway, is there anything else?”

“Yes. Mamma wants you to come inside when you’re done out here.”

Clarisse rolled her eyes.

Their mother, Isabelle, meant well, especially since Lorenzo, their father, had died last year. It was just that whenever they went out, their mom would be protective.

“Where are you going?” she would ask.

“I’m going to the store, Mamma,” Clarisse would reply.

Speaking of protectiveness, Clarisse frowned at Camille’s attire of flannel pajamas and slippers.

“Camille, why did you come out here without a coat?” she asked, shaking her head in disapproval before grabbing blankets from the basket beside her feet and pushing them toward her.

Camille rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

A chilly wind blew through the yard, ruffling the trees. Clarisse wrapped her quilt around herself.

Camille shivered, her teeth chattering so much that Clarisse could hear. Her lips were blue, and her fingertips were frozen.

Clarisse glared, speaking in a tone that left no room for argument.

“Go inside and grab a jacket.”

Camille waved her off.

Clarisse opened her mouth to argue, but Camille snatched up the blankets and wrapped herself in them. The older girl sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Camille smiled, feeling her temperature rise from the warmth surrounding her. She grabbed a vacant chair and sat down, tilting her head upwards. She squinted, craning her neck back. She could only see the brightest celestial bodies, like Jupiter.

“Clarisse, have you found anything?” She tilted her head.

“I’ve found the farthest galaxy we can see from Earth,” Clarisse replied.

“Cool. I wish we could get there,” Camille said.

Clarisse sighed, her gaze wandering, leaving Camille to her thoughts.

She leaned down, peeking at Clarisse’s paper. Her eyes scanned the contents.

-Andromeda galaxy (inside Andromeda, near Alpheratz)

-Jupiter’s Galilean moons (Ganymede, Io, Callisto, and Europa)

-GN-z11 (farthest galaxy we can see with a telescope)

-Sirius (brightest star, Canis Major)

-Polaris (North Star, the Big Dipper)

“It baffles me how you can find any object with your telescope. I must rely on apps,” Camille remarked, running a hand down her face.

Clarisse reached for her hand to squeeze it reassuringly.

“It has taken me a long time to get to where I am today. Does that mean I’m an expert? No, and I’m okay with that.”

“You have a good point. Grazie.”

“Ovviamente,” Clarisse chuckled, her face crinkling. “You’ve been speaking Italian more often.”

“It’s our native tongue,” Camille quipped.

“It’s one of them. We speak French too, thanks to Maman,” Clarisse said smartly.

The girls’ laughter increased until bright light flooded the yard. Their mother’s door opened, and Isabelle stepped outside.

“Hey, Maman!” The girls turned to smile at her.

“I have an important meeting with buyers for La Belle Figlie in the morning. Wrap it up, please,” Isabelle replied, covering a yawn.

“Is that the painting of us?” Clarisse raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

Isabelle wore a thick, fur-lined jacket, gloves, and a scarf around her neck. Her boots clicked on the concrete as she marched toward them.

“Ok. We’ll come inside after we’ve seen the comet,” Clarisse replied.

“Is that alright?” Camille chimed in, her eyes on their mom.

“Yes,” Isabelle nodded, standing behind them. “I want to see what the fuss is about, too.”

“Fair,” Clarisse grinned.

Camille clapped, making their mother shake her head.

“What am I going to do with you two?”

“You love us,” Camille replied cheekily.

“That’s debatable,” Isabelle remarked jokingly.

“That’s mean!” Camille argued, pouting.

Clarisse ignored them, lighting up when she heard her phone beep. It said, “Comet is overhead.”

Camille punched her mother in the arm, and she squealed. Isabelle grabbed her, trying to put her in a headlock. Camille kicked Isabelle, loosening her grip.

When she squirmed out of it, she started tickling her. Isabelle laughed, trying to escape. She grabbed Camille, hoisting her over her shoulder.

Camille let out a surprised squeal, making Clarisse notice her sister’s predicament. She laughed.

Isabelle held her higher, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“I won fair and square,” she smirked.

Camille squeaked, grappling at her back. Her green eyes were wide with protest.

“Never!”

Clarisse was dying from laughter, her face red.

“You two are going to make me pee!”

“Have fun with that!” Isabelle snickered.

Clarisse shook her head, fixing the telescope to align it toward the horizon. She busied herself with the task, occasionally laughing as her mother and sister teased each other in the background.

Isabelle then put Camille down. They shoved at each other, rushing to get to her side.

“Really, you two?” Clarisse’s lips tilted upward.

Camille smiled innocently.

“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s look at the sky,” Clarisse replied.

The women saw a faint streak of white light toward the horizon. It followed a dimmer blue trail of gas, dust, and ice.

Camille turned to Clarisse, her eyes sparkling with delight. She put a hand on Clarisse’s shoulder, making the older girl’s gaze meet hers.

“Now, I understand why you were excited.”

“Yes,” Isabelle added, her eyes glassy from tears.

“I’m glad you were here to witness this,” Clarisse said, preparing to take a picture.

The device developed the image, and the photo exited from the side slot. The head of the comet was a brilliant white, and the tail streamed blue-green from ice, gas, and dust.

“Wow, the picture turned out great!” Camille cheered, studying the picture with pride.

Isabelle smiled in agreement.

“It’s magnificent, sweetheart. You should make a copy for your Zio Tommaso, Zia Athena, and that boyfriend of yours,” she added, feeling a heaviness to her limbs that came with fatigue.

“I plan on giving them a copy when they come for Christmas. Joseph will get his in a few days,” Clarisse said proudly, staring down at her picture. “I’m going to post this on my socials.”

Isabelle made a face.

“Social media is useful for publicity, but I hate it.”

“Well.... it isn’t for everyone,” Clarisse said, shrugging.

“That’s true,” her mother laughed, another yawn escaping. “Anyway, I’m going to bed. Either of you coming?”

“I am.” Camille jumped up, discarding the blankets in the bin before turning to her sister briefly. “Thanks for showing us the comet, Clarisse.”

Camille shot inside, while Clarisse remained where she was.

Isabelle raised an eyebrow at her daughter curiously.

“I need to clean the lenses and put up the telescope, Mamma,” Clarisse explained.

“Okay.” Isabelle kissed her head, leaving Clarisse alone.

Clarisse grabbed one of her wipes and cleaned off the lenses. She got every speck of dirt. She did not want to scratch them. Replacing them would be expensive.

Clarisse then took it into the sunroom. She saw the discarded cover on the floor. She was about to cover the telescope when she looked at the sky.

She glanced through the lens, and her eyes widened at what greeted her.

A massive, fiery cloud of stars exploded in the heavens, making it seem like the sky was on fire.

The death of a supernova.

An eerie feeling washed over Clarisse, her thoughts leaving her catatonic.

This was a premonition of events to come.