"Jupiter Stone?"
The past forty eight hours has felt like such a blur to me. Clarissa placed her hands on me, and I felt like I was being roasted over a fire like a marshmallow, about to be turned into a smore-
I know that's a terrible comparison, but my brain can't even process what I'm looking at right now. Who I'm looking at.
"Mhm! I heard you were a fan. Big fan!"
"Do you… know me?"
I think I'm having hallucinations from this mysterious illness, because the world's most adored singer-turned-actor is somehow standing right in front me.
"Am I dying?-"
"Don't be silly! Goodness, aren't you just in here for a fever?"
"... Yes?"
It might be the shock of meeting one of my favorite celebrities, but I'm quiet. Of course I've met well-known and powerful people thanks to my father, but they didn't really play much of a role in pop culture.
Not like Jupiter Stone. Not revolutionary.
"Are you going to stare at me all day, haha? How about we take a selfie!"
"Sure?
She takes a few steps towards my hospital bed, then wraps her arm around me and winks while snapping a photo.
I think her motivations have just clicked for me.
"Hey-"
"Hmm? Do you need any assistance, Dylan?"
Should I be honored she personally said my name? I feel more… freaked out than anything.
"Isn't Clarissa directing a movie that you're starring in?"
She's silent. So am I. Did I ask the wrong question?
"Oh, Dylan! You're such a genius! Yes, Clarissa is the one that told me my presence might lift your spirits, after… what she did to you."
"You're phrasing it like she did something to me-"
"I think couples should work together to solve their own issues! I shouldn't get involved any more, my apologies…"
"It's okay, Jupiter."
We have a few more selfies together, and she gives me a signed album with some merch. Oddly generous.
"Wow, this is the only album I didn't have yet in my collection-"
"I have to get going now! Goodbye for now, my adoring fan~"
Huh. Is it a flex to say I just spend an hour with Jupiter Stone? Alone…
No. I would've been happier if Clarissa was here.
Luckily, I get to go home a few days later. Max gets me ice cream to celebrate.
"There's other people that were working with my kidnapper- Clarissa got stabbed by one of them."
"What?"
Is he trying to put me back in the hospital from a heart attack? He didn't even mention any of this while I was in there!
"Promise me you'll be safe."
"I… promise."
I can hear the hesitation in his voice while I hug him. But at least that means he thought about it before answering. I know he'll try his best to keep it, and that's all I need.
Twenty minutes later, I hear a ring from my doorbell.
"Clarissa!"
"Dylan!"
My lips curve up in a smile, and her hair is so soft when it falls against my chest.
"I think I may have missed you, cupid."
She seems to hold onto me tighter at the last word, but she lifts her head up and chuckles quietly.
"I visited you every day, you know? But yeah, I missed you too."
She really tries to put on an elaborate performance in my kitchen when she's just making us grilled cheese sandwiches, but it's amusing.
"You really don't need to show me each piece of bread so close up- I can see it from here, haha."
"Are you sure you don't want me to take a look at all the ingredients I'm using? I could be giving you wheat bread while telling you it's white bread."
"Well, I trust that you wouldn't do that-"
"Why do you trust me?"
Is this the punchline to another awful joke about cheese? Yet, she looks conflicted.
"Clarissa?"
"I- I hurt you, Dylan."
What Jupiter Stone told me a few days ago makes itself known in my head, and my grip on the counter tightens.
"Did you do it on purpose?"
"What? No, I would never-"
She seems to stop her own sentence herself.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm just thinking."
Alright. The rest of the preparation for the food is silent. I get up to help.
"I kind of envy Max."
I admit quietly, and she finally turns back around to look at me. She almost doesn't believe me.
"Why would you be jealous?"
"It looks like he has more of the story. Both of you do. Some of the pages might be a little ripped or worn, but you guys wouldn't freeze up when being asked to present what you've read."
Did the accident impair my ability to make any sensible analogies from now on until the end of time? I continue, though.
"I feel like the kid that's somehow managed to survive by reading online summaries of each chapter. But I still feel lost. Confused. If you asked me to explain literally anything important that's happened, I wouldn't know what to say."
Clarissa's hand reaches out to grab mine, and it's warm. Her eyes brim with tears, and I suddenly grow more worried.
"Clarissa?-"
"Can I just… say everything? And you listen, even to the parts that don't make any sense?"
"Why wouldn't I do that for you?"
Our plates are empty now. Her head is in my lap as I massage her scalp.
"That Dominic guy sounds like a real punk."
"He does, doesn't he?"
"I guess I'm the guy with the better D name then?"
"Of course."
I think changing my perspective helped me put the pieces together. This isn't supposed to make sense to me. But I can help her process everything.
"Did you tell Max that you were…?"
"I did, a few nights ago. Things are obviously a little awkward, but he doesn't completely hate me."
"That's definitely progress."
"I feel like I've been talking for so long now. Has anything happened in your life? Besides- you know."
"Well, Jupiter Stone did visit me in the hospital on one of those days."
Clarissa lifts her head up from my lap and I almost flinch back.
"Don't move too quickly-"
"Jupiter Stone? When was this?"
"Why do you seem so shocked? Didn't you ask her to see me?"
"... No. I didn't."
Oh. Was it supposed to be a surprise or something? Wait.
"Woah, we did not-"
"I trust you, Dylan."
"You do?"
"You're the crazier one for trusting me, honestly."
She plops her soft head back down into my lap, and I let out a soft sigh.
"I was happier when you came later that day."
"I know you wouldn't cheat on me, Dylan."
"But…"
I lean my head forward to look at her eyes, and I'm pretty sure she's already smitten over my pleading expression.
"You've gotten real bold, mister- I really thought you were gonna die, and now you look like you wanna make out with me."
"I guess you're a pretty solid reporter, hmm?"
"Come here."
A few days passed by quickly, and things have returned to normal. Almost.
"I didn't expect you to be the one to initiate a hangout, Alphonse! When are the other parents coming?"
"They're not."
Huh? The atmosphere suddenly feels a lot more ominous.
"Clarissa was like an older sister to me."
"Older?!"
Repeating it in my head makes that sound even more crazy. Not to shade on Alphonse's skincare routine or anything-
"Yes, she's older than me. Don't worry, you absolutely did not offend me by your surprised remark just now. And I don't consider her to be my sister anymore. That would make the prophecy seem questionable."
"What prophecy?"
"Clarissa hasn't told you?"
Why am I even here again? I came here for free coffee and to talk to actual normal people.
"No, I didn't hear anything like that. How is- was she your sister?"
"Her grandmother took care of me when I was young. Told me how miserable her own daughter was because her granddaughter was too nice for her own good. She got hurt."
This is certainly a development. I guess I really hadn't known who Clarissa's parents were, but I didn't think it mattered.
"I wanted to protect her, even if she wasn't aware of my existence. She left her family after turning eighteen and never came back. But I never really asked her why, or what she wanted. I did what I thought was best."
"So you separated her and Dominic."
"... Not at first. Dominic was a friend of a friend, and I introduced him to Clarissa without using any powers. I separated them far later."
The shame in his voice sounds way more obvious now. Honestly, I thought this guy was an apathetic robot.
"She never found out it was me, though. Not until recently, and she had blamed you before that."
Oh. I did remember her crying one time… blaming me for something I didn't understand.
"Why didn't you do anything about Max?"
"Because I disliked him. All I saw in him was the insignificant and pathetic human that hurt my sister, especially since he didn't possess any powers at that time."
Well, that's a little harsh. I suddenly feel a little more hostile than a moment ago.
"You know your son is dating him, right?"
"I know, and I support their relationship."
"But what if Max didn't have these sorts of powers? What would've happened?"
My voice is firm. I'm sick of being left out of the important things. Like they're all in their own little world where the context was already given and I showed up late-
"Max is my son too, Alphonse. I'll ask him what the prophecy is myself. But I don't need to know what it says, or for it to be fulfilled, to support his feelings."
He's quiet for a moment, and so am I. I feel a little irritated at how he seems like the kind of guy who orders a black coffee every morning. The kind of guy taking life way too seriously.
"Your son only got his powers because I allowed my home, my sacred place of refuge, to have every room soundproofed! So they could…"
"So they could what?"
"I don't know, okay? The prophecy doesn't specify! Just… do something… I don't want to talk about this matter anymore! It's an invasion of our children's privacy!"
"So you admit it, huh? Guess you're my future brother-in-law, haha- woah! You didn't even give me a warning before you just did that!
Alphonse has literally just taken one eye out of its socket. A fake one, though admittedly I thought that was real.
"The one who makes the prophecies never vanishes. They watch. Connive. Find enjoyment in our conflict."
"Well, "the one" sounds like a real ass. And why are you changing the topic?"
"I lost my eye because of the prophecy."
"... What happened?"
"I wanted to end the fighting between us. All of us with powers, and the humans who were aware of them."
"There's others besides the cupids and anti-cupids?"
"Yes… my-"
He doesn't finish my sentence, but I don't think it'd be any use trying to dig deeper. If there's one thing I know about Alphonse, it's that he only shares what he wants to. But not without reason.
"Was it worth it?"
"My feelings have shifted. I felt hopeless, and defeated after I realized I had been tricked. However, I don't think losing an eye is as bad as almost dying like you."
"I'm literally walking and talking just fine in front of you. I think that's better than basically being half-pirate."
His expression morphs into something more confused. He's bewildered, and I find myself chuckling because of it.
"Aye aye, matey!"
"... because of my powers?"
"What? Seriously? No. Because of your eye! You could wear an eyepatch with a skull on it."
"Is that an insult?"
"Of course not! Just trying to be a little playful, you know? Since we're sort of an alliance now?"
"Alliance? Where did you get that idea from?"
"Well, we both have a few things in common. More than I initially thought."
"Like what?"
"We both want our sons to be safe. For this supernatural nonsense fight that's been going on for centuries to end with us. With them."
I reach my hand out, with a half-hearted smirk. Alphonse's my pathway to finding out more about this. I know he hasn't told me everything yet.
But something tells me I'm pretty good at changing people's minds if I got a cupid to fall in love with me.
I don't need to be a mind reader when I have these scattered pieces. I just need to keep chipping away at the full puzzle.
"... Fine. But there's no backing out of something like this, Dylan. I have a feeling you're already on their radar."