When Jason Blossom is presumed dead, Riverdale shifts on its axis. Letting in the horror, and darkness that had been held at bay.
Archie, Veronica, Clary, Jughead, and Betty grapple with desires, love, drama, and murderers all while coping with the...
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Clarissa Cooper
I JOLTED AWAKE WITH A GASP AT THE LOUD BANG ECHOING DOWNSTAIRS
Glancing nervously at my bedroom door, I crept out cautiously, making sure not to make a sound. Betty appeared in the hallway, her expression mirroring my concern. Together, we descended the stairs quietly, only to find Mom standing there with a gun in her hand.
"Did you hear that?" Betty whispered to me, her voice tinged with alarm.
Mom hushed us urgently, her eyes focused ahead. I couldn't help but ask in a hushed tone, "Mom, what are you doing with that?"
"Get behind me. Be ready to dial 911," Mom instructed firmly. With hesitant steps, we followed her down to the basement. Mom leveled the gun at the intruder, while Betty had her phone poised, ready to call emergency services.
"Don't move. Hands where I can see them," Mom commanded, her voice steady despite the tension in the room.
The figure turned around slowly, and to our shock, it was Dad.
"Don't shoot, Alice," Dad said, raising his hands in surrender.
"Dad!" Betty and I exclaimed simultaneously, relief flooding through us.
"Hal!" Mom groaned, lowering the gun with a mix of frustration and relief.
We gathered around the dining room table, the tension thick as Sheriff Keller's files lay scattered before us. Dad had retrieved them from the basement, where he had been clandestinely collecting evidence.
"These are Sheriff Keller's files from the Blossom murder investigation," Dad explained, his tone serious.
"How did you manage to get these, Dad?" I asked, flipping through a file in disbelief.
"I broke into his house the night of the last drive-in and took them," Dad admitted, a hint of guilt in his voice.
"Well, FP Jones already confessed to the murder. Why would you risk this?" Mom interjected, her voice tinged with concern and frustration.
"I needed to make sure no evidence led back to us, to Polly," Dad explained, his gaze heavy with remorse.
"But why would FP confess to something he didn't do?" Betty questioned, looking puzzled.
"I'm not concerned about FP right now," Mom said dismissively. "I want to know why your father is stealing and destroying evidence in a murder investigation."
Dad took a deep breath before revealing, "I was afraid Sheriff Keller would uncover the connection between our family and the Blossoms. After the murder of my ancestor by a Blossom, our family severed ties with them and changed our name to Cooper."
My head spun at this revelation. "I'm... a Blossom?" I stammered, feeling the weight of the revelation sink in.
"Polly is a Blossom too," Mom added, her voice solemn. "Which means she and Jason were relatives by blood. That's why you wanted to..." she trailed off, the implications hanging in the air.
"Yes, Alice. That's exactly why," Dad confirmed, nodding gravely.
"Oh my God, Hal. If you're willing to send our daughter away to protect her from Jason..." Mom started, her voice trailing off in concern.
"How far would the Blossoms go to keep them apart?" Betty finished, as Mom stood up abruptly.
"We need to get Polly out of Thornhill," Mom declared urgently, and without hesitation, we all rushed out to the car, beginning the journey to Thornhill.
Mom pounded her fist on Thornhill's door until Clifford Blossom answered, surrounded by his family.
"Don't bother calling the cops. We're not staying. Polly!" Mom pushed past Clifford, and we all entered. Dad and Mom hurried to Polly while I stood near Cheryl.
"What's happening, Alice? It's the middle of the night," Clifford demanded.
"We're here to bring Polly home," Mom explained.
"She chose to live here with a stable family," Cheryl protested.
"I know all about your family, Penelope. And the incest," Mom retorted sharply.
"What incest?" Polly asked, bewildered.
"Hal's grandfather wasn't just murdered by your grandfather. They were brothers, making Hal a Blossom, just like me," Mom revealed to Clifford.
"So what?" Clifford shrugged.
"So everything, starting with FP's confession, has holes," Mom retorted. "He's being manipulated by someone with a motive, like hiding incest."
"You were disgusted Jason and Polly were dating because they're related," Mom continued, glaring at both Blossoms as Cheryl squeezed my shoulder.
"What's wrong with you people?" Dad interjected angrily.
"Spare us the middle-class morality," Clifford snapped. "It's not like they were brother and sister. They were third cousins."
"Do you think I killed my son?" Penelope asked Betty.
"That's it. Polly, we're leaving," Mom declared, grabbing Polly's hand. "Enough of this breeding and eugenics. It's over!"
"Betty, let's go," Dad urged.
"I want my daughter back, Alice!" Penelope wailed, halting us.
"What daughter?" I interrupted, staring at the Blossoms.
"Clary, dear, let's go," Mom urged, passing Polly to Dad.
"No, what does she mean?" I demanded, looking at Penelope, who began crying.
"What daughter!? What's going on?!" I persisted. Then it hit me—the connection with Cheryl and Jason, Penelope's funeral comment, our similar features and hair color, the way they invited me to every event, my face was plastered around Thornhill.
My face fell as I realized the truth.
"Clary—" Dad started, but I pulled away.
"I'm not just any Blossom... I'm a current-day Blossom, July 18th 2001, aren't I?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"That's my birthday," Cheryl added softly.
"Yes, Clary... you're a Blossom, your Jason and Cheryl's twin" Penelope confirmed, taking my hands.
"Okay, that's enough! You're not taking my daughter from me!" Mom shouted. I stumbled back, my heart pounding.
"Tell me the truth!" I demanded. "Am I the third Blossom child?"
"You are," Dad admitted finally, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Clary, come on, let's go home," Betty said gently. "You're still a Cooper."
"I-I—" I stammered, leaning into Cheryl's embrace.
"It's up to Clary where she stays," Clifford interjected. I glanced at both families, then back at Cheryl.
"Cheryl," I whispered, stumbling back to her. She hugged me tightly.
"Fine! But you've made your choice, Clarissa. Whatever comes of it," Mom said, pulling Betty out the door. It slammed shut, leaving me bewildered with the Blossoms.
"What just happened?" I murmured, looking up at them.
I stepped down the stairs slightly and looked at the picture of Jason on the wall. Clifford pulled me into a hug and a whispered "welcome home"
