It has been two weeks since Jess has moved in with Clara. Her room originally had a box full of Clara's sister's belongings, a bed with plain sheets, and three black walls with a red wall as a center of focus. It was hideous to Jess, and since then she has redecorated. Mint green walls, a bed with a forest green blanket, a chocolate brown pillow, and mint green sheets. The bunny also has a few religious texts on her bookshelf: the Koran, the Bible, the Talmud, and a few others. I might stick with Christianity, but Buddhism seems appealing too. she thinks to herself. I could always ask Clara about Catholicism. Jess looks up at her poster of a frog holding a cup of wine and smiles. It is a reprint of the same painting from Chamberlain Coffee. She smiles at it, then walks out of her room and into the kitchen.
"Morning, Jess!" Clara says with a smile as her face lights up. "Hey Clara." replies the bunny. The kitchen is lively with the sound of sizzling bacon and eggs, with an occasional "boing" sound from the toaster as fresh bagels pop up. "I made some bagel sandwiches for breakfast." she says as she puts two bacon, egg, and cheese bagels together and hands one to Jess. "Thanks!" The bunny says as she sets it down next to her and pours a cup of coffee to go with the sandwich. Jess then starts eating the sandwich happily. Clara laughs as she watches her, making Jess give her a suspicious look. "What? What's so funny? Did you put something in this?" she asks after swallowing her first bite. Clara shrugs. "No, just bacon, eggs, and cheese. I've never seen a bunny eat meat before though!" she says with a dopey smile, sticking her tongue out. Jess gives her a disgruntled look. "Girl, you saw me kill like twenty chicken wings at the bar last night." says the bunny. "Just because I have rabbit DNA doesn't mean I'm not an omnivore like other humans." She rolls her eyes and keeps eating the sandwich. Clara shrugs and eats her own. "Someone's a hothead." she says as she turns on the television.
"Welcome to Osman Greens, home of the World Golf Tournament!" the sports announcer says on the TV. There are various patrons surrounding a putting green as the camera zooms in on the golfer who is about to make his shot. The golfer is a tall, orange cat hybrid man with maroon eyes. He lines up a shot and sinks it into the hole. "We have a birdie for Reese Palmer, earning him the title of World Champion!" says the announcer as the crowd cheers. Jess perks up and swallows a bite of her sandwich. "Mmmph!" she says after taking a sip of her coffee. "That's him! I didn't know he played golf now!" she says excitedly while gesticulating towards the television. Clara nods, gazing at the TV screen. She looks down and cups her own cheek with her hand, grimacing. He might be in danger. she thinks to herself.
Clara slowly opens her mouth and uneasily says, "Hey...Jess?" She hesitates as she covers her mouth with the side of her hand before resting her chin on her palm. "Your last name is Rimnod, right? Like the scientist who created human-animal hybrids?". Jess shudders and nods, her face scrunching up in disgust before returning to normal. "Unfortunately. Why?" she asks. Clara sighs and looks into her eyes. "You know how the tournament is right here in Osman, right?" She looks at the short rabbit expectantly, half-smiling to try to hide her concern. Jess slowly nods. "Y-yeah. Osman." she says, her tone sounding unsure as she only recently escaped from the lab. "That's the city we live in, I think."
Clara shakes her head and puts on a poker face. "You sound like you just came out of a lab that you lived in your whole life." she says with a neutral tone. Jess's eyes widen as she slowly nods, surprised as she furrows her brow. "That's...actually spot-on." says the bunny. Clara puts her hand on Jess's shoulder. "It's okay. You're safe here." she says in a warm, reassuring tone as she hugs Jess. Again, the bunny's face at cleavage level. Jess looks up at her, blushing a deep red. "Thanks, Clara." she says. She then turns to the TV, still holding the tall woman. "Should we try to find him?" she asks, as the TV shows an interview segment. The interviewer is only asking Reese technical questions about golf. Clara nods. "He actually lives in town. Despite how much he makes through golf, he actually lives in the suburbs." she says with a grin. Jess looks up at her with a furrowed brow, then shrugs. "It makes sense." she replies.
"Oh?" says Clara, looking back at Jess in surprise.
"Yeah! No one would expect a professional golfer to live among the rest of us. You would think he would live in a mansion, but that's the same reason he doesn't. He's smarter than he looks." says the bunny with a proud grin, placing her hands on her hips.
Clara laughs, then looks something up on her tablet. Jess tries to peek over, catching a glimpse of an official-looking website that she has never seen before. As the bunny tries to make out what this secret website is, Clara shoots her an intense look while hiding the screen. "No peeking!" says Clara as she suddenly winks and sticks her tongue out in a jovial expression. "Fine." Jess says as she folds her arms and looks away with a slight pout, rolling her eyes. Clara then nods as she wraps up her task, then shuts down her device. "I found his address. Want to go visit him tomorrow?" she asks, looking at Jess with a blank expression.
Jess looks over at her, surprised. "How did you find it?" she says. Clara shakes her head. "It's a secret. Trust me." she says. Jess looks down, concerned. "But wouldn't that be rude to show up unannounced...?" she begins to ask. Clara cocks her head towards the TV. Jess turns her head slowly towards the screen.
The interviewer crosses his legs on his armchair and asks a question. "If there was one thing you wish you could do differently, what would it be and why?" Reese inhales through his nose briefly, then exhales through his mouth before shrugging and clasping his hands together. "Honestly?" he begins, shaking his head slowly, "I wish I would have kept in contact with my friend Jess. Ever since she graduated, she disappeared. And she became a doctor, too! I worry about her." He then turns to the camera with a genuine look of concern.. "Jess, if you're out there, I hope you're doing well. I wish I could see you again."
Jess frowns as she falls silent and turns off the TV. A tear starts to form at her eye before Clara wipes it away with her hand and dries it on her thigh. "We'll head over tomorrow, okay?" she says. Jess hugs Clara tightly, wetting her shirt with her tears. "Thank you." she says, muffled into Clara's shoulder. Clara chuckles and pets the bunny's head, smiling down at her.
The next morning, Jess and Clara are packing up Clara's SUV with large suitcases filled with clothes and toiletries. Jess looks over at Clara as the tall lady pushes them into the vehicle. She is wearing a light blue, low-cut tank top and skin-tight black polyester leggings. Jess blushes at the sight, admiring the view. After the two of them close the backseat, Clara looks at Jess with her blank stare and nods. The bunny nods back with a determined look as she hops into the front passenger seat, buckling up. Clara enters on the driver's side, swiveling her hips as she sits down. The movements make Jess bite her lip as she blushes, admiring the view.
Clara notices Jess eyeing her and rolls her eyes. "Not right now." she says with a mildly stressed tone. Jess is caught off guard and looks forward, leaning back into her seat. "Sorry. It's in my DNA." says the bunny with a nonchalant expression, putting her hands behind her head. Clara laughs. "If you say so." she says in a cheeky tone.
After what seems like an hour-long car ride, the two pull into Reese's neighborhood. Jess looks out the window with a concerned look on her face. One of her ears perks up, hearing a barely audible buzzing noise. "Uhh...what's that sound?" she asks in a panicky tone. Clara shrugs her shoulders. "I don't hear anything." she says.
As they arrive at the address of the residence, the buzzing sound gets louder. When Clara pulls into the driveway, her face turns to a grimace as she notices that the side door is wide open. The buzzing is getting louder and louder. "Jess…" Clara begins, gritting her teeth, "do you have your blaster?" Jess nods, arming her multi-purpose blaster by setting it to stun. Clara opens up her glove compartment and pulls out a large, sheathed knife. She nods at Jess. "Be ready for anything." she says. The bunny nods, her mouth agape.
They both exit the vehicle and step inside of the house and into the kitchen. "Hello? Anyone home?" Clara calls out. Jess is trembling slightly, as tense as can be. A loud scream comes from the next room as the two rush into it. Clara has her knife drawn and Jess has her blaster aimed into the doorway.
"Jess!?" says Reese. Him, a human man, and an old human woman are tied up, back to back, each in a wooden chair. Next to them is the source of the scream: a white cat hybrid in her early 30s being held at gunpoint by two fly hybrids. Clara takes a deep breath. Jess aims her blaster at one of the flies, scowling angrily. One of the flies aims at the bunny. The human man squints his eyes as he looks at Jess, noticing something familiar. Is that the rabbit I passed by on the way to work the other day? he thinks to himself. "Looks like we're hanging onto a cliff." says Clara with a smirk, knife pointed directly at one of the bugs. Jess cringes at her roommate's comment.
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