Tangled: Stardust and the 12 Zodiacs (Varian Fanfiction)

Chapter 20: Clara Lune

Stars. That's what all Samuel saw after he was struck on the back of his head. The man was walking home from his shift in the museum when someone hit him from behind. He didn't know who it was, but he did see its shadow.

"Looks like they got you too, huh, Sammy?" A voice spoke next to him.

"Huh - WHAT?!" Turning to look, he saw a black-haired woman sitting on the corner, her back leaning on the wall behind her. "CLARA? WHAT - BUT YOU? HUH?"

"Hello." Clara greeted flatly, waving her hand. Samuel stood there, shocked, still processing what he's seeing. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"What are you doing here? No -, how long have you been here?" Samuel cautiously asked, his voice low. The woman shrugged, her green eyes staring at the man with a bored expression.

"I lost track after four, and that was after we all celebrated Henry's birthday." Clara replied. Samuel's face paled at the woman's answer. Henry's birthday was four days before Eugene and his friends arrived here. Counting the days that have passed...

"You've been here for three weeks?" He gasped.

"That long? Heh, no wonder I was starting to lose my mind." The woman responded, not really bothered by the fact that she was stuck in an unknown place for a long time. Samuel stared at the woman softly. Now he remembers what felt off that time the imposter called him to her office. Clara was never serious or seductive, unlike the woman he spoke to. Clara is a very laid back and sensitive person. She often lazes around the museum, usually found near the old weapon section of the museum. Despite being super attractive, as the male staff would say, Clara was never one to care for her looks or how she dresses, making Samuel fall for the woman more. Clara's temper is also known around the staff. That's why no one bothered to disobey the woman, scared to face her wrath.

"What are you looking at?" Samuel snapped out of his thought at the woman's question.

"It's nothing, it's just that I remember now what made you different from the imposter." He answered, shaking his head.

"Huh? What's that?" Clara inquired, raising a brow.

"When I was absent one day, you didn't lash out at me. In all honesty, I was already prepared to face your wrath, but it didn't happen." Samuel lied. Well, half-lied. There was no way he would let the woman know what he really remembered. It would make it too evident that he has feelings for her.

"Hah!? You were absent?!" Ahh.. There it is.

"Be mad at me next time, but first things first. Where are we?" The blond man queried, scanning the room they were in. The room was plain and bare of furniture. The only light source in the room was a small window, high enough for the people trapped in the room not to escape. The entrance to the room was a heavy metal door locked from the outside. And since the door was made of metal, it would take extreme strength and a long time for them to bust down.

"I don't know, and I'm not sure." Clara answered truthfully, leaning back on the wall, her arms behind her head. The room was silent for a bit when Clara spoke up again. "Zhan Tiri's henchmen."

"What?" Samuel asked.

"For someone who protects the temple, one might think that you know about Zhan Tiri's shadow henchmen." Clara sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes.

"I know about that, but what're Zhan Tiri's henchmen doing around the orbs? I thought that demon wants the Moonstone opal and Sun drop?"

"Aiya, did you not hear the news?" Clara asked, raising her brow at the blond man who was shyly shaking his head no. Sighing, the dark-haired woman proceeded to explain, "The Sun drop was used to heal Corona's queen years ago and its power was transferred to the princess. About a year ago, the princess, Rapunzel, was her name? I can't recall, anyways, she successfully combined the Sun drop and Moonstone opal to defeat Zhan Tiri, sending the demoness to limbo. So now, Zhan Tiri is looking for the orbs to wish herself out there."