Complications

Camilla Brown

"So your box, it's like a car too?"
"Well, where I came from, it's like a sports car."
Clessa laughed.
"So you can travel in time?"
"Yeppers. Also I can travel in space."
"What can't you do?"
Professor laughed.
"I could never knit."
"That's what all the modest people say."
"Do I even look like people?"
"Well Mr. Shadow Searcher you sure do look like a human."
"That's just because I help them. Well, I also help aliens."
"So aliens are real?!"
"Yes. Hello? I am an alien."
Clessa looked at the Professor. He was a mystery, although he just met him and practically learned his life story.
"You really trust me that I a telling you the truth this whole time?"
"Yes, because if the box is true, why shouldn't all of your stories be true?"
"Good point."
The man gestures for Clessa to walk out of the box. Clessa looked around in amazement.
"But we moved. How?"
"I thought you said that you completely trusted me and believed everything I said."
Clessa shrugged.
"That was until I saw it LIVE! This is amazing! Where can I get one of these?"
Professor smiled and looked over at Clessa.
"This was handed down in my family name for generations, and all though many offer to buy it, I always keep it."
"Who offered to buy it?"
"Many. Einstein, Winston Churchill, Morgan Freeman, etcetera."
"Your sure popular."
Clessa laughed along with the Professor. Soon they reached a house that looked untouched for years.
"How many years has it been since Camilla disappeared?"
"One."
Clessa scanned the light blue house, and made notice of every little detail. Three stories, eight windows, and two possible exits.
"There are three stories, eight windows, and two possible exits."
"Don't worry, with me, danger is not an issue."
Clessa smiled and darted to the steps that lead up to the worn painted steps. As she stepped onto one, it creaked. So did the next, and the next.
"Freaky. Sort of like a horror film."
Clessa looked up towards the door. KEEP OUT read in large red letters. Clessa reached for the handle, and as she did, everything that had happened in the past two hours came back and slapped her in the face.
Clessa sooned realized all that had happened. Kissing Simon, her parents disappearing, she felt weak. Soon, her hand dropped to her side, and she felt weak.
The Professor came up next to Clessa.
"What's wrong?"
"I just realized everything that had happened today."
"C'mon inside."
The Professor jumped inside the old house, and Clessa came bounding after him.
"So what are we here for again?"
"Collect evidence on Camilla's disappearance to help solve your parents."
"And why are my parents so important again?"
"You'll learn soon."
The Professor ran his finger over a dusty coffee table. He sniffed it, an then started talking to himself.
"Old, well, not that old."
"Isn't dust made from dead human skin flakes?"
"Yes."
"So just see if there are dust that does not match human skin flakes."
"BRILLIANT!"
The Professor picked up a vile out of the pocket of his long coat, and then ran his hand through his spiked hair.
"Clessa, I'm going to have you collect these. I can't interfere with the data."
Clessa nodded and took the vile.
"Collecting some skin flakes. Fun."
Clessa picked up a little brush, and pushed some of the dust into the vile. She quickly sealed it up, and gave it to the professor.
"Here you are. Dust in a vial."
The Professor nodded his head.
"I'm going to analyze this in the Machine."
"So it's called the Machine?"
"Yes please refer to it as so."
The Professor jogged back to the Machine.
Clessa did not just want to sit there, so she decided to explore. There was a thick layer of dust on at least half of the stuff. She walked into the kitchen, and saw broken glass on the floor.
Clessa walked over to the glass and crouched down. The glass was extremely sharp.
"Better not touch that."
The glass was spread all around the kitchen in little chunks. Clessa got out of the crouching position and walked over to the sink. There was a pot in the sink, and it looked like there was some sort of stew in it.
Clessa walked out of the kitchen and into the parlor. The couches had holes in them, lots holes.
"GOT IT!"
The Professor came running into the parlor with the vile.
"It's one hundred percent human."
"Good or bad?"
"Well good for me, bad for you. Just kidding its good."
"There was broken glass in the kitchen just like my parents."
"Hmmm...how many shards of glass were on the floor?"
"Well, there was about eight big ones...and thirty small ones."
"Interesting..."
The Professor walked around the parlor.
"This picture must be her."
The Professor picked up a picture and showed it to Clessa.
"She looks just like my mom."
"Yes, weird isn't it."
Clessa looked at the picture for a few minutes, and then stuffed it into her purse.
"Hold on, what are you doing?"
"I don't want to go back to my apartment so this is all I have left of my mom. I'll keep this until they are found, or other wise..."
"Alright. But I'll have you know I am COMPLETELY against stealing things."
"And I am COMPLETELY against breaking the rules, but look where that got me."
They laughed.
"Okay, just put the picture back where it belongs."
Clessa sighed and put it back.
"If anyone knew that we came here, police would be all over us. Now, please, let's go upstairs and take a little peeksy upstairs."
"A peeksy?"
"Yes now let's go-sy."
Clessa smiled to herself. She followed the Professor up the stairs and into a pink room.
"This must have been Camilla's daughters room."
Clessa looked around.
"It looks like my room when I was five, except this one is a darker pink."
"Yes because I really care about how your five year old room looks compared to this."
The Professor and Clessa looked around the room.
"Nothing. How could there be nothing? No dust, no anything. It was like no one ever even came in here...ever," said the Professor.
"Funky."
The Professor sighed.
"No evidence, no nothing."
"Only eight pieces of furniture."
The Professor nodded, and they headed out of the pink room.
"And this must be Camilla's room."
The room was unlike the other one, this one was more dark. Black curtains covered the window, and the bed was a very dark color of black.
"Dust in here. I bet the pink made it hard for us to spot dust."
Clessa looked down at the plush carpet.
"Professor, it looks like something was dragged out of the room."
The Professor looked down at the carpet.
"Yes, and the trail continues to the hall..........and down the steps...........and ........," the Professor stopped,"into the kitchen."
"So, whoever this is has a thing about kitchens?"
The Professor nodded.
"And glass. But why do it in the kitchen? Why glass? Why not just take them and run?"
"I've seen crime shows like this. Criminals usually have something that happened to them that motivates them to do something else."
"Whatever it is, it's sure tricky. C'mon Clessa, lets go onwards."
"To where?"
"Your apartment."
The Professor grabbed Clessa's arm and dragged her to the machine.
"I don't think I can go back there."
"Your the most brave an courageous girl I have ever met Clessa Fairway. I know you can do this."
Clessa was silently crying.
"I can't."
"The future is riding on your shoulders and I really need you to do this. If you don't, things could get really bad."
Clessa nodded, and stepped into the starry machine.