Complications

Mom and Daughter

Clessa looked in disbelief at the figure standing over the casket. She smiled down at Clessa, and then embraced her in a hug.
"Where's dad?"
"He didn't make it."
"So he's.-"
"Dead. Yes."
Clessa felt like she should sob, but no tears were coming.
"How did you escape?"
"Well, after Elton killed himself, I ran past him, and thought your father was behind me. He got trapped in the room that was being used to hold us and...soon...his voice disappeared. So I hid, then came here. Knowing you'd be on the trail. Oh my baby."
Clessa let her mother hug her, and hold her close. It was just the two of them now, well, and the Professor. Awkward.
"Um...this is the Professor. He helped me get here."
The Professor waved with a smile. He hopped off of the heater of where he was sitting, and bounced over to shake Angelina's hand.
"Whats your real name?"
"I just go by the Professor."
Angelina warmly shook his hand, and then looked back over at Clessa with her beautiful green eyes.
"What time is it dear?"
Clessa looked down at her silver watch.
"About midnight."
"Where's Simon?"
Clessa bit her lip. And the Professor, seeing her distress, came in to answer for her.
"He is where he belongs. Prison."
"Why?"
"He has been harassing your daughter."
Angelina looked over at Clessa, who would not return the gaze
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Clessa didn't answer.
"Alright, let's leave this topic. Okay, first things first, where you were being held captive, was there another woman?"
Angelina nodded.
"Yes, she looked like me."
"Camilla," whispered Clessa.
"Yes indeed. Did she make it out?"
Angelina shook her head.
"Sad."
Clessa nodded.
"Was there another little girl?"
Angelina tried to think.
"Yes, except she was not being held captive."
"What do you mean?"
"She was with Elton, the whole time. But she looked happy. I think they called her....Stacey."
"That's our gal!"
The Professor ran down the middle aisle and to the sanctuary entrance. He snapped his fingers and the Machine appeared.
"Let's go. Clessa, please explain to your mum everything that has happened on our adventure and what the Machine is so she does not get DREADFULLY confused."
Clessa nodded and grabbed her moms hand. They ran to the newly changed Machine.
"I changed it to Hawaiian paradise. I've always been a summer guy."
Clessa laughed, and followed the Professor to the control panel. The buzzing buttons and blinking blurs of lights made Clessa feel welcomed, and warm.
"B-but it's b-bigger on the outside," said Clessa's mom in amazement.
The Professor grinned. He walked over to the door, and leaned against the wall. Clessa came over beside him and looked around.
"But if it's square on the outside, how can it be a pentagon in here?"
"Well, the premise of space can be changed and put inside of other things. So technically, I just put a really big box inside of a tiny one."
"How is that possible?"
"As the Shadow Searchers."
The Professor walked over to Angelina, who was muttering to herself things like 'bigger', 'alien', etcetera.
"Now, I never really formally introduce myself."
The Professor put on a bright smile and stuck out his hand.
"I'm the Professor."
Angelina looked at the hand as if it was scum found underneath her shoe, and then returned the smile.
"I'm Angelina."
"Now that your mum and I are introduced, let's get back to business."
"What business? We found out who took my parents and Camilla."
"Well, there still is one mystery. Where is young Stacey?"
The Professor and Clessa looked over at Angelina.
"Angelina, I'm going to need you to think long and hard. After Elton passed, where did the little girl go?"
Angelina looked out into space, and then spoke.
"Well, she muttered something about going home."
"Thank you Angelina."
"Please, call me Angel."
"Alright Angel, after the Brown house."
Angel smiled, and walked over to Clessa.
"Are you sure we can trust this man?"
"Yes. I am one hundred percent positive that this man is the man that we can trust."
"But, he's sort of a stranger."
"After you and dad disappeared, he came and saved me."
"Saved you from what?"
"Having to sit there and think and sob and mope."
"Well isn't that what you normally do anyways?"
Clessa grinned towards her mom, and then turned to face the Professor.
"He told me everything about himself I'm sure we can trust him."
"He could have lied."
"The part about the Machine was true."
Angel, running out of arguments, looked back over at the Professor.
"Fine, we'll trust him."
Clessa made a smile at her mom that said thank you. She walked over to the Professor, who was neck deep in controls.
"She trusts you."
"Good, I hate bad apples."
"She is not a bad apple, just, a little stubborn."
The Professor rolled his eyes.
"I know that she may seem stubborn, but under that is so much more."
The Professor walked over to the door.
"Alright, we are at Camilla's...third times a charm."
Clessa walked over to the door that was painted paradise, and stepped out onto the dying prairie grass for the third time today.
"Why does this take three trips?"
Angel was complaining, her boots were getting scratched.
"Because, even I loose or don't see stuff."
"Oh really," said Angel sarcastically.
The three walked into the house, silently. Clessa was the first up the creaky steps and onto the porch.
"Still, the same creaky feeling."
Clessa walked into the dusty house, and listened.
"Too quiet," said the Professor, coming behind Angel.
"It's a *sneeze* dusty place."
Angel has allergies to dust.
Clessa walked into the kitchen.
"Uh...PROFESSOR!"
The Professor came running in.
"What's wrong?"
"The glass, they swept it up."
"So someone... is here..."
The Professor turned around slowly. He started talking in a very low voice that if you were two feet away from him, you could not hear.
"Where is your mum?"
Clessa looked around.
"I don't know."
"I think our little Stacey is following in the footsteps of her dad."
Clessa started walking out of the room, but the Professor stopped her.
"Go behind me."
"Do you have a gun?"
"Guns are killing machines. I have Lavern and Shirley."
Clessa forced a laugh back down her throat, and followed the Professor out of the kitchen.
"I think your mum is upstairs in our special room."
The slowly walked up the stairs, not making a single sound. And that was surprising, because the stairs were so creaky.
As they neared the top of the steps, they heard footsteps behind them.
"What are we doing," asked Angel.
The Professor turned around.
"Where were you?!"
"Waiting for you lot, come on, show me that little girl."
The Professor silently lead the group up the stairs, and soon they were at the end of the hall.
"Clessa, when we left, was that door open?"
"Yes."
"Now it's closed."
The Professor quickened their pace and soon they reached the end of the hall, and the brass knobbed door.
Mumbling was heard from inside. The Professor quietly picked the lock, and mouthed counting down from three.
Three.
Two.
One.
He opened the door.