*Cover designed by @arrowgig*
Clarisse Ricci, a fiery and intelligent Italian American amateur astronomer, knows how fleeting life can be. She's come to observe it firsthand, so she makes sure to experience the joys and sorrows of life with the love...
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After hearing Clarisse scream, Isabelle rushed into the kitchen only to stop when she spotted the brown rat in the cake tin on the floor.
"Where did the rat come from?"
Clarisse looked up, her face green.
"I don't know."
Isabelle pinched the bridge of her nose, went to the pantry, and started to pull out and inspect containers of various sizes until she found a medium-sized one.
She then sneaked up on the munching creature, which looked up and ran off with a squeak. Isabelle yelled in frustration and threw the container to the ground. A sympathetic Clarisse came to her side, patting her arm.
"It's okay," she said, "we'll eventually catch it."
Isabelle was about to reply when someone cleared their throat.
"What's going on?"
They froze, then turned their heads only to see Klaus standing a few feet away. He paused when he noticed the crumbling, smeared mess of chocolate frosting and cake. His face turned red from fury, and Clarisse came flying, her arms out to stop him from screaming.
"Onkel Klaus, I can explain-" she began to say but was interrupted by Isabelle.
"There was a rat."
Klaus's eyes became glacier-like as Isabelle continued.
"I'm sorry, but we can remake the cake tomorrow. I need to see if we have the ingredients."
Klaus nodded and went over to wet some paper towels and wipe the mess. Clarisse got the trash can to throw away the remnants. And Isabelle, in the meantime, went over and began flipping through the Lazy Susan. She mentally checked off the flour, sugars, cocoa, salt, vanilla, baking soda, and baking powder before moving to the fridge to see if they had butter and eggs. They did, so she nodded and closed it.
She then left the kitchen and went into the living room, beginning to flip over the cushions, and shone her flashlight under the tables. She checked for potential openings the rat used to get in but couldn't see one anywhere. Grumbling, she went and pulled all their leftover silverware, placemats, dishes, and other miscellaneous items out, leaving the drawers empty, and shone her flashlight in them, checking for any holes. But she still didn't find anything, so she was about to give up when she heard another squeak from the kitchen.
She bristled, ready to rush in, but Tommaso grabbed her arm. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
"If you're quiet, you'll be more likely to catch him," he explained quickly, and Isabelle nodded in understanding.
He then joined her in walking into the kitchen, and they stopped just behind the wall that separated the breakfast room from the kitchen. Isabelle peered out, eyes searching for the rat. It wasn't long before she saw him again. He was sitting in the same spot he had been found, salivating and licking the bits of cake Clarisse had missed.
