The Serpent Queen

7.2

Betty, Jughead, Cali, and the others gathered near Evergreen Forest, trying to piece together Polly's potential escape route. They discussed various possibilities, each one hoping to find some clue that would lead them to Polly.

Betty pointed out, "Okay, the Sisters of Quiet Mercy are due north. The getaway car was west, on the Old Route 40."

Jughead added, "The closest bus station is east, headed towards Sweetwater. If Polly wanted to leave Riverdale without anyone seeing her, she probably would've left through-"

Betty finished his sentence, "Right here. Evergreen Forest."

Determined, they began their search for Polly in the dense forest.

Jughead noticed the distress on Cali's face and decided to ask her about the incident at her locker. "Hey, I saw your locker earlier. What happened?"

Cali sighed and gestured to the back of her jacket, where the title "The Serpent Queen" was embroidered. "Read the title on the back of my jacket."

Jughead looked at the jacket and assumed it was a symbol of pride. "The Serpent Queen. That's a good thing, right?"

Cali explained the reality of her situation, "You may think so, but not according to Riverdale High students. And plus... it kinda feels weird because this is my mom's jacket, and she was the Serpent Queen..."

She then shifted the conversation to Jughead's family, showing concern for him. "Speaking of parental issues... how are you? Whenever I see your dad at The Wyte Wyrm, he's always in rough shape. My dad alongside him."

Jughead's expression grew somber as he replied, "They're gonna get better. I know they will. They're just going through some stuff right now. But we can't give up on them. I'm not."

Their conversation was interrupted when the Blossom family arrived on the scene, bringing an air of tension and suspicion with them.

Cali noticed their arrival and warned the group, "Looks like we've got company."

Penelope Blossom immediately confronted Alice Cooper, demanding answers about Polly's whereabouts. Alice, seemingly clueless, retorted, "You think if I knew that, I'd be out here with the mosquitoes?"

Cheryl, ever eager to point fingers, accused Polly of Jason's murder. "Face facts, Mommie Dearest, Polly killed Jason."

Cliff Blossom added fuel to the fire, suggesting that Polly had escaped from the asylum before, possibly committing the murder on the day of Jason's death.

Alice defended her daughter, despite their strained relationship. "The noose is tightening around your murdering daughter's neck. I know it, Sheriff Keller knows it."

Sheriff Keller, trying to maintain order, interjected, "Hold on now."

Penelope issued a chilling threat, "And I promise you, when we find her, and we will find her, the entire town of Riverdale will know too."

The tension in the forest escalated as they searched for Polly, with the Blossom family's presence adding to the uncertainty surrounding her disappearance.

***

In a dimly lit corner booth at Pop's, Cali's troubled expression was met with Sweet Pea's reassuring grip on her hands. The scent of burgers and fries filled the air as they shared their deepest concerns.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. I haven't talked to my dad since... y'know," Cali confessed, her eyes teary with a mix of hope and uncertainty.

"Hey," Sweet Pea said, his voice filled with reassurance as he gently clasped her hands. "We're gonna find out where your mom is. I promise you."

Cali nodded in response, her emotions running high.

"I've been thinking," Sweet Pea continued, "we need to bring back your mom's diary. If it was written in code, it has to mean something. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," Cali agreed. "Here, I carry it in my purse just in case."

She handed him the worn diary, its pages filled with cryptic symbols and drawings. Sweet Pea flipped through them with a sense of intrigue.

"Wait," he suddenly exclaimed, his gaze locked onto the diary's pages.

Cali looked at him, curiosity in her eyes. "What?"

"This is written in snake code," Sweet Pea revealed, a small smile forming on his lips.

Cali's brow furrowed. "Snake code? What is that?"

With his smile intact, Sweet Pea explained, "All these 'symbols' are snakes."

Intrigued, Cali retrieved the diary and began to flip through it, her curiosity piqued. "Well, do you know what they mean?"

Sweet Pea nodded. "Yeah, my dad made me learn it before he passed."

"Okay," Cali said, determination in her eyes. "Let's start deciphering, I guess."

***

Cali's room was dimly lit by the soft glow of her desk lamp. Sweet Pea sat across from her, watching intently as she twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers. He had just finished deciphering the journal entries they had discovered in her mother's diary, and the weight of their revelations hung heavy in the air.

"And, done," Sweet Pea declared, handing over the sheets of decoded entries.

Cali accepted them with trembling hands and began to read. As she delved deeper into her mother's words, one entry in particular caught her eye:

*July 3, 2016*

*Tonight, under the cover of darkness, I make a decision that has been tearing at my heart for days. The time has come for me to step away from the world I've known since childhood, to leave behind the Serpent family, if only for a while.*

*The weight of my secrets has grown unbearable, and I fear that my actions, my choices, have put not only myself but those I love in harm's way. The Serpent jacket, with its spikes and rhinestones, feels like both armor and chains, and I find it hard to breathe beneath its weight.*

*There's a longing inside me, a need to discover who I am beyond the Serpent Queen, beyond the code and the secrecy. I've watched the consequences of our way of life, and I can't let it consume me any longer.*

*Tonight, as I pack a small bag and make my way to the door, I leave behind a piece of my heart with the Serpent family. I know the road ahead will be fraught with uncertainty, danger, and the constant fear of being discovered.*

*But I must do this, for my sake and for the sake of those I care about. This diary will remain my confidant, bearing witness to my journey into the unknown.*

Cali's voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes glistening with tears. "That's the last entry?"

Sweet Pea nodded solemnly. "Yes."

Cali's mind raced with the implications of her mother's words. She looked up at Sweet Pea with a mixture of shock and realization. "So she was planning on leaving?"

Sweet Pea's eyes met hers, and he nodded again. "Seems like it."

A sense of profound understanding washed over Cali. Her mother had been torn between the life of a Serpent and a longing for something more. The weight of her secrets had driven her to make a choice, a choice that had ultimately led to her disappearance.

"Oh my god," Cali whispered, her heart heavy with newfound knowledge.