“Oh, Papa, I wish you were here to see this,” Clarisse sighed. Her eyes stared at the sky before a puff of air left her lips.
Her father had tragically passed away the year before, leaving a stain on the lives of his wife, Isabelle, and their daughters, Clarisse and her sister, Camille. However, she knew he would not want her to be sad for the rest of her life. He would want her to be happy.
Shaking her head to clear away the negative thoughts, she peered at the dark, moonless sky. Its canvas covered millions of bright, twinkling stars of many sizes and hues.
She leaned back, getting more comfortable in the lounger, her mother’s garden with snow-white daisies, pale pink tulips, and dark red roses a few feet away. Typically, they would be lively with vibrant hues. However, since it was in the middle of winter, their colors faded, and the petals wilted, not to be revived until the sun arrived in April to melt the frost.
Clarisse’s eyes went back and forth behind her eyepiece, looking for light. The hulking device was in front of her, its figure sturdy as she moved it with careful hands.
A frigid wind blew through the backyard, making Clarisse shake, her hand wobbling. She moved her hand away from the telescope so she would not knock it over and used her free hand to wrap her quilts around her body. When she finished, her eyes returned to the eyepiece.
Of course, her mind was elsewhere—on a comet. And not just any comet, but the comet Leonard. She had stumbled across an article about this celestial event earlier that year and read about it. She then told everything to her mother, Isabelle, and Camille.
One fact she had found especially interesting about Leonard was that humanity would not see it again for seven millennia after it left. But until then, millions could see it in the early evening sky. And she would be damned if she were not one of those lucky humans.
Back in the present, she zoned in on the Andromeda constellation, and a closer look revealed the galaxy. The galaxy's blue, yellow, and red colors exploded against her eyes, blinding her momentarily. She smiled before using her right hand to write a check mark beside Andromeda.
She stared at it so intently that every sense except sight seemed to turn off. She did not register Camille opening the back door or her quiet footsteps as she approached. Unlike Clarisse, who was still dressed for the day, Camille wore purple flannel pajamas, fuzzy slippers, and copper waves in a messy bun.
Camille perched on the back of her chair and cleared her throat loudly, relishing in Clarisse's startled gasp before Clarisse’s brown eyes met her green ones.
“What are you doing out here, Camille?”
“Well,” Camille said, coming around the chair, “I came to see if you’ve spotted the comet yet.”
“I have not, but it should be visible around 10.”
“Okay, but Mamma’s going to bed soon,” Camille replied.
Clarisse rolled her eyes as Camille brought her hands to her mouth to warm them.
“She thinks she would fail Papa if we weren’t safe,” Clarisse said, her eyes taking on a distant look that she only got when she talked about her father.
“I know,” Camille replied, shivering again.
Clarisse’s gaze slid from the telescope to her sister, her eyes becoming concerned. Clarisse eyed Camille’s thin attire with a disapproving frown.
“Camille, why did you come out in your pajamas?” she asked, protectiveness dripping from her tone.
“There’s no need for you to make a big deal out of-“ Camille began to snark before being cut off by an icy wind sweeping through the yard. Clarisse put her hands in the quilt while Camille stood, exposed, her teeth chattering so violently they were grinding together.
“Camille, I do not want you getting sick from being cold,” Clarisse grumbled, having had enough of Camille’s stubbornness.
Camille, however, merely waved off her concerns.
“I’ll be fine if I borrow some blankets.”
Clarisse was about to argue, but Camille snatched blankets from the brown basket beside Clarisse’s chair. She wrapped them around herself and put her hands beneath them, protecting them from the elements. Frustrated, Clarisse shut her mouth, clenching her fist.
Camille looked ridiculous, with all those blankets wrapped around her body and head like a mummy; only her mouth and eyes were visible. She sighed in relief, feeling her temperature rise from the warmth of the blankets.
She pulled one of the vacant chairs beside Clarisse’s and sat down, tilting her head back to look at the sky. Despite being outside for the past few minutes, her eyes had not dilated, so she could only see Jupiter.
“Clarisse?” she asked, turning to her sister. “Have you found anything?” She tilted her head toward Clarisse curiously.
“Yes,” she beamed before explaining what she had found: “I’ve found GN-z11, the farthest known galaxy humans can see with a telescope. It was so cool, but I doubt scientists could make the necessary advancements in our lifetime to increase the speed of space travel." She sighed and clutched her fist, slight frustration marring her patrician features.
“Obviously,” Camille said snootily, pointing her tongue at Clarisse.
“Very mature,” she laughed.
Each girl was soon deep in thought. Clarisse was worried about the comet not appearing at the right time, and Camille was concerned about their mother being angry with them for keeping her awake.
Clarisse unconsciously started tapping her pen against her notepad, making Camille look at her. Her curiosity piqued, and she sneaked a peek at Clarisse’s notepad.
Clarisse is quite the note-taker. She mused, reading the paper with her eyes.
~Andromeda galaxy (inside the constellation, close to the brightest star, Alpheratz)
~Jupiter’s Galilean moons (Ganymede, Io, Callisto, and Europa)
~GN-z11 (the farthest galaxy humans can see with a telescope)
~Sirius (the brightest star in the night sky; found in Canis Major)
~Polaris (the North Star, found in Ursa Major)
This did not surprise Camille in the slightest. Clarisse was notorious for being incredibly detailed. This made studying for classes more manageable, and she could complete homework efficiently. It was helpful when she created a periodic table of elements, starting with hydrogen and ending with oganesson.
Camille smiled again before addressing her sister.
“Clarisse, it baffles me how you can make notes like this and find any object with your eyes or telescope. I must rely on apps, and I'm not fond of that,” she complained, running her hands over her face.
Clarisse’s eyes regarded Camille sympathetically, and she gently touched the girl’s shoulder.
“Camille, we all have unique strengths and weaknesses, and astronomy is one of my strengths, and writing is one of yours, whereas I don’t read well, and you’re not good at astronomy. However, it’s okay. No one is meant to be good at everything,” Clarisse said gently, reaching down to squeeze Camille’s hand.
Camille returned the gesture, feeling its calming effect on her.
“That makes sense. Grazie.”
Clarisse smiled as well.
“You’re welcome,” she replied, her smile widening. I love that you’ve been speaking Italian more often.”
“Well, it’s our native tongue,” Camille said.
Clarisse laughed fondly.
“Nothing’s stopping you.”
Camille joined her in laughter, and the girls shared a moment of merriment before a bright light from the house flooded the backyard. With a shocked gasp, they flinched away, covering their eyes. Their mother’s bathroom door opened, and she stepped outside, glaring at them. They grinned at her innocently.
“Hey, Mamma!” they chorused. “What’s up?”
Isabelle snorted, coming towards her children.
“I have a meeting with some buyers about my newest piece, La Belle Figlie, so I need to get to bed,” she replied. She wore a thick jacket with a fur-lined hood, a black and gray knitted scarf around her pale, slender neck, and black fur boots that protected her feet from the cold.
Clarisse nodded, giving her mother a kind look.
“Mamma, we’ll go inside after seeing the comet.”
“Now, Clarisse-“ Isabelle was about to interject before Camille turned her large eyes on the older woman, her lower lip out in a pout.
“Mamma, please, I want to see the comet,” she pleaded. “Is that all right with you?”
Knowing that her daughter’s pout was her undoing, Isabelle sighed and nodded.
“We might as well since Clarisse has been talking about this nonstop,” she said, her voice becoming enthusiastic as she stood behind her daughters.
The girls clapped, making their mother shake her head at them, amused.
“What am I going to do with you two?”
“You love us!” Camille giggled.
“That’s debatable,” she replied, but her smile indicated she was only joking.
“That’s mean!”
Isabelle smirked.
“What are you going to do about it?”
Camille responded by letting out a playful battle cry and launching herself at her mother. Clarisse leaned out of the way while focusing on her phone, which beeped with a notification. It said, “Comet C/2021 is overhead.” She then put the device down before facing the telescope with a concentrated expression.
Let’s get this situated, shall we?” she thought, maneuvering the telescope to her liking.
In the background, Camille punched her mother, and Isabelle grabbed her, trying to put her in a headlock. Camille kicked Isabelle, trying to make her loosen her grip. When she managed to squirm out of it, she started tickling her, hands prodding at the woman's ribs. Isabelle laughed, trying to escape the touches.
She grabbed Camille, hoisting her over her shoulder. Camille, not expecting this, let out a squeal. Clarisse noticed her sister's predicament and laughed.
Isabelle held Camille over her head, a victorious look on her face.
“I’ve won. Now give up,” she boasted, causing Camille to squeak.
“Never!”
Still snickering, Clarisse fixed the telescope to align it with the horizon before turning to her mom and sister. Her eyes were alight with mischief as she cleared her throat to get their attention.
“Guys, the comet is overhead now,” she said, smiling.
Isabelle’s eyes widened, and she nearly dropped Camille.
“Really?!”
Clarisse nodded.
Isabelle put Camille down, and they shoved at each other in their rush to get to her side. Clarisse watched them while raising an eyebrow.
They're weirdos. She thought.
The women then saw a faint streak of light toward the horizon, accompanied by a dimmer trail of gas, dust, and ice. They all squealed, and Camille turned to Clarisse.
"Now, I understand why you were so excited.”
“Thank you for sharing this,” Isabelle added, putting a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. She saw the older woman’s eyes filled with joyful tears.
“No problem,” she said before taking a picture with the camera. The device then developed the image, and the photo exited the slot from the side.
Camille glanced over her shoulder at the picture, and a gleeful look came across her face.
“The picture turned out great!”
Isabelle nodded in agreement.
“You should make copies for your Uncle Tommaso and Aunt Athena,” she added, feeling a heaviness in her limbs that came with fatigue.
“I’ll give them the pictures when they come for Christmas,” Clarisse beamed, looking at the picture proudly. “I cannot wait to post this on my socials.”
Isabelle made a face at the mention of social media.
"Social media's useful for publicity, but I hate to be on it. One time, I was on Facebook and saw where Democrats and Republicans argued about their positions on guns," she moaned.
"It isn't for everyone," Clarisse said.
"True," her mother laughed before another yawn escaped her mouth, and she stretched her arms. "Now, I'm going to bed. Are you two coming?"
"I am," Camille said, discarding the blankets before turning to her sister, "Thank you for showing us the comet, Clarisse."
Clarisse nodded before Camille shot inside but remained where she was.
"I need to put up the telescope."
Isabelle kissed her head and left Clarisse alone. She then grabbed one of her wipes from the pocket of her sweatpants and cleaned off the lenses meticulously, getting every speck of dirt. She did not want to scratch them because replacing them would be expensive.
When she finished, Clarisse took her telescope into the sunroom. She grabbed the cover and was about to cover the telescope when she was urged to look at the sky. Glancing through the freshly cleaned lens of her scope, her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her.
A massive, fiery red cloud of stars exploded in the heavens, making it seem like the sky was on fire. It was the death of a supernova. As Clarisse leaned away, an eerie feeling hit her. This phenomenon was not just a supernova.
It was a hunch..... of events to come.
Merci pour la lecture!
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