Chapter 25: The Rival Arrival
John Utonium parked the rental car by the curb just a block away from the Kubelik house. Sarah Bellum was in the passenger seat, trying to steady her heartbeat before stepping out and following Utonium. He didn't seem as worried as she clearly was. "So how are we going to do this?" she asked. She waited for a response, but Utonium simple stood in silence as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the time. Sarah continued. "Well, I was thinking I ought to do most of the talking. I'm much better with people than you are. I think I'm better suited to getting the point across about how important this is for the girls and for Townsville in general."
Utonium stood silently for a few more seconds until he was sure Sarah had finished. He turned around and tossed an ID card at Sarah. "You're plan won't work," he explained. "This family not only lost their eldest daughter, but her body mysteriously disappeared from the morgue as well. They're not going to listen to an unemployed scientist and a local politician for a city they've never been to."
"Then what's your plan?"
"Look at the card," he urged. Sarah saw the card tossed to her was an FBI card with her picture on it, with the name Sarah Madison written on the bottom. "That's the plan," Utonium continued. "We are from the FBI. We are going to confiscate the locket. That will be the end of the story."
"Really?" Sarah asked. She was actually a little thrilled at the idea. "FBI? Like Moulder and Scully?"
"Who?"
"X-Files?"
Utonium just shook his head.
"Never mind. Just lead the way."
Utonium did as she suggested and knocked on the door. A man answered after a few second. He was about the same height as Utonium, though a little larger around the waist. He was wearing a white, button up shirt with the top button undone. His hair was a slightly receding widow's peak and horn-rimmed glasses sat on his face. "Hello," he said nicely. "How can I help you?"
Utonium flashed his fake FBI Id and introduced himself. "Howard Kubelik? I'm John Weston with the FBI. This is my partner, Sarah Madison. Do you mind if we come in?"
"No, not at all," Howard said as he stepped out of the way and allowed them to enter. "Please. Sit down. My wife is in the kitchen. I can have her bring you two a drink if you'd like."
"I'd like that," Sarah spoke up before Utonium could reject the offer.
Howard peaked his head into the kitchen and said, "Honey, two agents with the FBI are here. Could you make them some coffee, please?"
"Sure!" she called back.
Howard sat down in the chair across from where Utonium and Sarah had sat down. "So," he began. "I must say, this is a surprise. I haven't heard a word from the FBI in months and here they are. What's so important that you had to come out here to Sherwood?"
Sarah immediately looked at Utonium, hoping he had a prepared answer. "Unfortunately, we have not made any progress in locating your daughter's body. Whoever took it was very meticulous in his execution."
"You give him a lot of credit," Howard replied. "The agents who were here last said the guy just got lucky the cameras in the morgue were malfunctioning that day." Utonium crinkled his nose at the comment, though Howard didn't notice as he continued. "Well, that does lower my expectations, but it does make me wonder what could have brought you out here to Sherwood."
"It's about River," Utonium explained. He stopped as Howard's wife, a blazing read head in a colorful dress, came in with a tray of four cups of coffee and a container of sugar in the middle. She placed it on the table and Sarah was the first to get her cup. Howard took his and his wife took hers. Utonium didn't even look at the tray.
"Agents," Howard said, "This is my wife, Sunset. Honey, the agents said they have something so say about River. What is it?"
"What could it be?" Sunset asked rhetorically. The tension was killing Sarah.
Finally, Utonium gave his response. "At the gymnastic competition, River displayed that locket of hers to the camera during her interview. I've come on behalf of the bureau to ask River to refrain from showing Flower's picture to the camera anymore."
"Why?" Sunset asked. Her question was directed at Sarah, who initially stammered in her answer.
"We're not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation," she finally blurted out.
"I don't understand," Sunset continued.
"I understand perfectly!" came an irate voice from the other room. In seconds, River storm out from the hallway and into the living room. "How dare these agents try to tell me what to do with my locket. I will show Flower's picture to everyone in the world and there is nothing they can to do stop me."
"River, calm down," her father requested.
"If River doesn't comply," Utonium said, "I will have to confiscate the locket."
Sarah glanced at River, who seemed just about ready to explode at the thought the her locket might be taken away from her. River hurriedly pulled the locket from her pocket and dangled it from the end of her finger. "You want the locket? Come and get it! I dare you!"
"I think it time to do some breathing exercises," Sunset said as she led her fuming daughter out of the room.
Utonium addressed Howard. "You must understand my position Mr. Kubelik."
Howard shook his head and he stood up and opened the front door. He motioned for them to go out, which they begrudgingly assented to. "I lost my eldest daughter a year ago, and when her body was stolen, I almost lost River, too. That locket is the only thing that keeps her grounded. If you take that locket from her, it will destroy my family, so please understand my position. I understand that you have a job to do, so I don't blame you personally, so I hope you don't blame me personally when I fight to the end to save my family. Have a nice day, agents."
Howard shut the door, and the two of them walked down to the end of the driveway. "That was a bust," Sarah lamented. "Now what?"
"You heard River," Utonium explained. "Come and get it. That's exactly what we're going to do."
"This has got to stop," Buttercup insisted as she entered the living room from the kitchen. As she entered, she was immediately disturbed as she saw Blossom painting Priscilla Moore's nails. Over the last couple days, the two had bonded over their respective hatred for Justin Bradley and had become quite friendly. Buttercup couldn't take it any longer. "Have you even talked to Justin since then?"
Priscilla gagged at the mention of his name, which made Blossom smile. "In a way," Blossom replied. "He texted me and I didn't respond. He called me and I didn't answer. Gina-Marie called me to request that I answer him calls, and I refused to comply. I saw him entering the Corner Shop and I flew off. I think I've done more than enough." Priscilla nodded with a victorious smile.
Buttercup groaned. "I can't believe you! Bubbles! Talk some sense into your sister!"
"I'm not getting into this," Bubbles said from the stairs. "This is a very personal issue, and I think Blossom needs to deal with it on her own."
"But she's not dealing with it on her own," Buttercup retorted. "She's dealing with it with Priscilla Moore. The brat is going to be a bad influence on Blossom, and the last thing we need is Princess meddling in Powerpuff affairs."
"You want to try saying that to my face, Dandelion?" Priscilla urged as she jumped up from the couch and got directly into Buttercup's face.
"What are you going to do about it?" Buttercup continued as she derisively placed her index finger on Priscilla's choker. "You're on a leash."
A ringing sound suddenly filled everyone's ears, but no one moved to answer it. Blossom hardly ever moved from the couch, and Buttercup and Priscilla were too fixed on their staring contest to even consider answering it. "The phone is ringing," Bubbles told the room to no avail. "Never mind. Bubbles will get it." Bubbles levitated from the stairs into the living room and answered the Powerpuff phone in the corner. "Hello?"
"Bubbles?" Meyer's voice asked. "You never answer the phone."
"Everyone else is a little preoccupied," she explained. "What's up?"
"I'm really glad you answered the phone, actually. There's some kind of disturbance at Andros Mall. I wasn't really getting a clear explanation of what was happening, but the description of the man causing the disturbance matches Jeremy Flint from head to toe."
"Are you serious?"
"Cross my heart and-" Bubbles hung up and flew to Buttercup's side. "I found Jeremy! He's at Andros Mall. There's some kind of disturbance. I don't know what's going on and I don't really care, but we can't let him get away, not this time."
"Are you coming, leader?" Buttercup asked Blossom.
"I'm not going anywhere," Blossom replied, as she had always replied after being asked for the last few days.
"Fine," Buttercup said. Without wasting another second, the girls were out.
Bubbles and Buttercup arrived at the mall in a matter of minutes, and it wasn't difficult to spot where the police cars were congregated and the people were fleeing out. Buttercup landed over by the police officers, but Bubbles didn't waste any time in going in. Buttercup looked beside her and spotted Lieutenant Gedge coming over to her. "What's going on?"
"It's Flint," he explained. "I don't know how he's doing it, but he's repelling us every time we get close. I think it might have something to do with the hotspots Lucas was talking about?"
"Are better question is why he's doing this," Buttercup pointed out. "Jeremy Flint is just a common thief. What the hell is he doing? Lead a team in after me in five minutes. Understand?"
"Understood, Buttercup. Good luck."
Buttercup nodded and dashed inside and stopped at the entrance to the store, where Bubbles had stopped as well. "He's in there," she said. "I'm going in." Bubbles ran in and Buttercup followed. They followed the path in the emptied out department store until finally coming across Jeremy in the women's clothing section. There he was, in a pair of Capri jeans, T-shirt, and red jacket that he had just taken off the rank in front of him. He turned to face the girls, and it was clear that we was wearing a small amount of black eyeliner as well.
"Trying out a new look, Flint?" Buttercup joked. "I know it's been a long time since you've actually had to pay for something in a store, but guys still buy stuff from the guys section."
Bubbles didn't seem to notice the clothes. "Jeremy! Where have you been! I have been searching for you for over a month! What happened to you?"
Jeremy turned his entire body toward the girls and smiled. "My oh my," he said. His voice was drastically different, and both girls noticed it. It had risen several octaves since Bubbles had last heard him speak, and it had a certain sarcastic quality to it. It wasn't quite a falsetto, but it wasn't far from it either. "I've been waiting quite some time to see you, Bubbles. I apologize that it's taken me so long to see you, but I didn't want you to see me until I was ready."
"Ready?" Buttercup asked. "Okay. This is getting weird. It's time we ended this already." Buttercup tried to moved, but found that her feet were frozen in place. "This is even weirder. What is going on?"
"I'm not interested in talking to you, Buttercup," Flint explained. "Be quiet. This is between me and Bubbles?"
"What?" she shouted. "Are you insane?"
"I'm confused," Bubbles answered. "What is there between us?"
"I'm not sure, either," Flint replied. "But you must feeling that there is something, right?"
"I do," Bubbles said as she began to step forward.
"Wait!" Buttercup shouted. "Bubbles, you can move? Punch him in the throat already! I want to go home!"
"Just wait a minute!" Bubbles replied.
Flint suddenly shifted his glance toward Buttercup. "She thinks you're weak," Flint said of Buttercup. "She thinks that you are a detriment to her ability to fight crime. She thinks the Powerpuff Girls would be better of without you, Bubbles."
"That is a lie!" Buttercup defended.
Flint then turned back to Bubbles. "She thinks you don't care about her," Flint said about Bubbles. "She think that you don't care about anyone but yourself and that you're reckless and cruel. She wishes you would take her feelings into consideration more often, but she feels you never will because you're heartless."
"Liar!" Buttercup continued.
"Actually," Bubbles said. "I do feel that way."
"Stop listening to him," Buttercup insisted. "He's just trying to mess with your mind. How the hell are you doing that, Flint?"
"Jeremy Flint isn't in right now," he replied, "but I'll be sure to give him the message."
"Who are you?"
"I'm just a visitor in your world, a visitor who wasn't provided with his own body, so he had to make use of someone else's. I must say, Jeremy Flint has been a most gracious host."
"He's manipulating you, Bubbles!" Buttercup repeated.
"With what? The truth?" Now Bubbles was in Buttercup's face, and Buttercup couldn't move at all. "Would you prefer if I were dead, Buttercup?"
"This is nonsense, Bubbles!"
Just then, footsteps could be heard. They looked and saw Gedge coming in with a handful of officers behind him. Buttercup cursed under her breath, having forgotten that she told him to come in after five minutes.
"I told you to stay out!" Flint screamed. His voice changed again. It had gone from a near-falsetto to a gravelly baritone. He snapped his fingers and immediately disappeared into the thin air. Simultaneously, Buttercup was released and the building began to crumble. Debris began to hit the ground and the officers began to retreat. Buttercup caught a large piece that nearly fell on Gedge, and Bubbles created an exit in the wall for everyone to escape faster. They all made it a safe distance just as the mall began to crumble to the ground.
Gedge, sitting on the ground, managed to catch his breath. "Flint did all that?"
"No," Buttercup replied. "That wasn't Flint." Bubbles didn't say anything. Her eyes were fixed on the rubble that remained.
"Why did I agree to do this?" Sarah mumbled under her breath. She had successfully climbed up to the second branch on the tree and was having difficulty reaching the third. That branch was just outside River Kubelik's window, and that was the branch she needed. Although she was now regretting having agreed to this, she was previously excited about the idea of sneaking into the Kubelik house and stealing the locket. The excitement had long since run out.
Sarah leaped up and grabbed onto the third branch. She pulled herself up and waited until her heart rate rested before inching closer to the window. Luckily, River kept the window slightly ajar, and so Sarah simply pulled it open completely, pulled back the curtain, and slid into her room.
She surveyed the room, which looked like the room of any 14-year-old girl so into gymnastics as she was. The room was dark, but the light from the hallway was enough for Sarah to see River sleeping in her bed with the locket around her neck as she slept. Sarah tiptoed closer and tried to move her hand around the chain.
River moved. Sarah held her breath. Finally, she stopped and Sarah released her breath. Sarah continued to fiddle with the chain until it finally came loose and she was able to pull it out from under her neck without waking her. She slowly moved back until reaching the window. She was still sound asleep, and Sarah moved ever so slowly until she was back out on the third branch and the window was as it was.
"Hey!" Utonium shouted from the ground. Sarah shook from fright and nearly slipped out of the tree, managing to hold on to the branch at the last second. "Would you stop playing around, Sarah? We have to go!"
Sarah just sighed and shook her head. "No respect," she mumbled.
"I think that just about settles it," Meyer said, speaking to the others in his office. "If what Bubbles has just told us is true, and I have no reason to doubt it with Lieutenant Gedge's testimony to verify it, this means we have a demon loose in Townsville. It looks like were weren't as successful in stopping the Gangreen Gang as we thought."
"Sorry," Bubbles said, standing in the corner.
"It's not your fault," Kathleen replied. "If we had told you about the Gangreen Gang sooner, we would have been able to stop them before the summoning. We're all at fault here, and we need to do something about it."
"What exactly do you propose?" Captain Osborn asked derisively. "I don't really know anything about your time with the Devon Group, so I don't know if you've come across anything like this before. If Reese Baum is any indication, you guys at the Devon Group probably released demons all the time."
"Reese Baum and I are nothing alike," Kathleen defended. "This has nothing to do with the Devon Group, but it does have something to do with the Anacoluthon Codex. I'll look through it, but the problem is that I don't know what I'm looking for. The codex is a massive book. It won't be an easy search."
"Well," Gedge spoke up, "There is one thing we could try."
"That is not an option, Lieutenant," Osborn immediately shot down.
"Is he a member of the PST now?" Meyer inquired. "I just need to know so I can get him a membership badge."
"I never got a badge," Kathleen said.
"Captain," Gedge continued. "This could be our only hope in stopping thing thing. If this thing could level a building with a snap of a finger, there's no telling what else it could do."
"What are you talking about?" Meyer asked.
"Lucas Neuwirth," he explained. Osborn crinkled his nose at the name, but Gedge continued. "He was one of the Gangreen Gang members, one of Xavier's right hand. He predicted that the demon was loose, and predicted the hotspots. He knows the most about this demon. If there is anyone who might know what to look for in the codex, it would be him."
"So what's the plan?" Kathleen asked. "You want me to stop by the prison every so often to get Lucas' opinion?"
"No, we need to have him released."
"Lieutenant!"
"It's the only way! We're desperate, Captain!"
The room fell silent. Suddenly, everyone looked at Bubbles, who had been mostly quiet. "What about Jeremy?" she asked.
"The Anacoluthon Codex might indicate how to expel the demon from his body. He's not lost."
"Then get Lucas out," she insisted. "Whatever it takes to save Jeremy."
"He'll need an immunity agreement from the governor," Osborn said. "Meyer, can you get that?"
"I'll call him first thing in the morning."
"Good," he replied. "I don't like this, but I guess it's what we have to do."
"I don't think you fully understand the gravity of the situation here!" Buttercup yelled as she paced back and forth in the living room trying to find some way to garner Blossom's attention. Nothing was working. "Okay. You remember that there was this big building called the mall, right? It's not there anymore! This is what I'm talking about! This is what we're dealing with! Are you seriously going to sit there and pout about Justin Bradley while a demon threatens the safety and security of everyone in Townsville?"
Blossom looked at her sister. Buttercup was hopeful that this was the first step in getting her attention, but this hope was quickly shot down. "Buttercup, could you move please? You're blocking the TV."
"What?"
"You heard her," Priscilla mocked as she reentered the room. "Also, you got a package from some guy named David Wilson from New York. You don't know anyone in New York do you?"
"Yeah. Give it here."
"Make me."
"Fine," Buttercup replied. "Hold it for a few more seconds."
"What are you talking about-AAH!" Priscilla threw the bag as it shocked her, and Buttercup got it before it hit the ground. She took it out of the thin bag and showed Priscilla that it was a videotape."
"You're a little bitch, you know that?" Priscilla complained as she left the room.
Buttercup saw that Wilson had left a note with the tape: Most of the footage was useless, but I've sent you something that you really need to see. Buttercup shrugged and popped the tape in. Blossom groaned, but didn't really do anything to stop her. "Let's see what we have here."
Buttercup and sat as she watched the grainy footage of David Wilson running through the chaos during the summoning at Millennium Park. At wasn't long until it was clear what Wilson wanted to show her. A gust of wind caused Wilson to fall over. He managed to stand and point the camera in the direction of the wind gust. There, agonizing in pain against a tree, was Jeremy Flint. He groaned in pain as the wind and fog rushed into his body. It was at this point that the camera lost power.
"Demonic possession," Buttercup said. "That settles it. Blossom, we need you."
"You're a Powerpuff Girl, aren't you?" she asked indifferently. "Handle it yourself."
The next day couldn't come quick enough for Utonium and Sarah. River had an interview with the local station in the morning, and the two were there with their fake FBI IDs just to see how the Kubelik's would react to the missing locket. Much to Utonium's surprise, none of them seemed to be showing any outward distress as they arrived at the station. Sunset and River noticed the two of them standing backstage, but continued walking to get ready for the interview. Howard made the detour and greeted them.
"Morning agents," he said with a wave and a smile. "I'm glad that you both are here, actually. I wanted to apologize for the way River behaved yesterday. Flower is still a touchy subject in our house, but that doesn't excuse the way she acted. She knows that she is supposed to show people of authority the respect they deserve. I just wanted to extend a heartfelt apology on behalf of the entire Kubelik family."
"That's awfully kind of you, Mr. Kubelik," Sarah said while shaking his hand. "I suppose we came off as rather brisk the other day, so we are to blame as well."
Utonium didn't say anything. He nodded slightly to indicate he had heard Howard, but didn't say anything in return. They waited together backstage until it was time for River to have her interview with Dan Segallos. River took her seat across from him and they exchanged pleasant greetings before the cameras began to roll again.
"Good morning, Oregon," Dan began. "We're back with our special guest this morning, River Kubelik. River, you've become something of a minor celebrity around town, haven't you? How have you adjusted to that?"
"It wasn't easy at first," she explained. "I remember when I used to go to the mall and hang out with my friends. Now if I go there, I have store owners shouting my name, just hoping that I'll pop in because it'll help their business. They're not wrong, either."
"So in just a few weeks, you'll be competing at Regionals. Are you prepared?"
"Beyond prepared. I've been waiting for this day for over a year, Mr. Segallos."
"Now I hope you don't mind me asking, but I have never seen you without your locket around your neck unless you're competing. Do you mind me asking why you don't have it on?"
"I thought you'd never ask," she said with a devilish smile that worried Sarah and vexed Utonium. "Yesterday, my family was visited by two FBI agents who told me I couldn't show my locket on TV anymore. If I refused, they would take my locket away. I refused, so they broke into my house last night to steal my locket."
"They stole your locket?" Dan asked, shocked.
River shook her head. "These guys are idiots. I wore a dummy locket last night and they fell for it." River fished into her pocket and pulled out the locket. She popped it open and jumped over the desk so the camera could get a better look. "Keep trying, agents!" she shouted. "If you want to take this locket away, you're going to have to do a lot better than that!"
"What ever happen to respect?" Sarah asked.
"A little rebellion is good for a teenager," Howard explained. "Please don't take it personally, agents. I'm just doing what's best for my family."
"Can you believe this, John?" she asked.
Utonium, however, was no longer by her side. He had run off just second before after spotting someone on the other side of the studio. He gave chase, but lost him as soon as he turned the corner. Utonium didn't doubt that he actually saw him, and it solidified what he had been worrying about since Reese's death. "Ryan Parker. The Devon Group is here."
Once more at the observatory, Kathleen Keane looked on Mojo Jojo, still half expecting him to move. In the dead silence, the sudden sound of her phone ringing sent her heart racing. She answered it, never once dropping her eyesight from Mojo. "Kathleen," Utonium said rather urgently, "It looks like what Reese said may be true. She was hiding the girls from the Devon Group. Now that she's dead, they're on to us. I saw Ryan in Oregon. I couldn't catch him, but I know he was here, and if he is here, that means someone is most certainly watching you in Townsville. Watch you back."
"I will," Kathleen replied. "When are you getting back?"
"I'm not sure. The Kubelik family is being a lot harder to deal with than I anticipated. I'll try to wrap this up. Any longer and this might get out of hand. Be careful, Kathleen."
"I will, Ken," she said, hanging up. She took a deep breath, then looked to her left where Malcolm Jules was standing.
"I'm glad you didn't tell him I was here," he said.
"I don't know how he would have reacted if he found out I was talking to Mojo's representative. I'm not sure how he feels about Mojo, but I know he wants you dead."
"But we can't have that, can we? We need to find Sudhir Bachchan."
"We do," Kathleen assented, "and new developments have come up. It turns out that the Gangreen Gang was somewhat successful in summoning their demon after all. If I recall correctly, you're the one who funded the Gangreen Gang, so I should be making you deal with that."
Jules brushed off his hands slowly as a symbolic gesture that he was absolving himself of any responsibility regarding the demon. "I have nothing to do with him. I trust the Powerpuff Girls will be able to deal with him in due time. My focus is on getting that Chemical X. Do we have a deal, Kathleen?"
Kathleen hesitated, but finally assented and shook his hand. "This is only temporary, Mojo. As soon as this demon is dealt with and Sudhir is found, it's every man for himself."
"Or monkey, for that matter," Jules added.
"Fine," Osborn said as he spoke on the phone in his office. "I understand Mrs. Neuwirth. Thank you for your time. Goodbye." Osborn hung up, and breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up, took a couple papers from the desk, and exited his office and joined to other officers in the main room.
He spotted Lieutenant Gedge on the phone across the room, waving him over and he finished his call and hung up the phone. Gedge noted something down on his pad before addressing Osborn. "I know this isn't exactly a pressing matter, but I just got a call from Detroit Metro. Norman Lumpkins was spotted leaving the scene of a tenement fire that erupted last night. The police haven't been able to find him since then."
"Do they think he started the fire?"
"The evidence is inconclusive, but arson is likely. First responders were able to rescue everyone except one person." Gedge paused to find the name he had written down on his pad. "A teenager by the name of Kevin Carpenter. His body was never recovered either, but his mother swears he was right behind her when they were going down the stairs. Police think Lumpkins may have taken the body."
"What would Lumpkins want with a body?"
"I'm not sure, sir," he replied. "What's the latest on Neuwirth?"
"Meyer got the signature, but Lucas' parents have completely disowned him. They will not take him back into their custody. I'll try to find out what to do with Lucas. You keep talking with Detroit and see if we can get a lead on where Lumpkins is heading next."
"I'm on it, sir."
"Princess!" Buttercup yelled. "'Would you please put the volume on your TV down?"
"No!" she shouted back. "It's my TV! I had it brought from my house! I can have it as loud as I want!"
"Priscilla," Blossom said from the kitchen, "I'm getting ready to go to bed, so could you turn the volume down?"
"Sure thing, Blossom," she said, lowering it to an acceptable level. Buttercup just groaned and returned upstairs. "I'm watching a talk show if you want to watch it with me. I can't remember the guy's name. It's the Scottish one."
"No thanks, Priscilla."
Priscilla shrugged and returned to the TV. "By the way," the Scottish guy said, "did you hear about what happened in Oregon today? Of course you didn't. You've never even heard of Oregon. I'll tell you. Apparently, two FBI agents broke into a girl named River Kubelik's house in order to steal her locket with a picture of her deceased older sister in it, but the girl, on live TV this morning, proudly proclaimed that the agents stole a fake one while showing the real one to the camera. Do we have that clip? Let's play that clip. No, that's a picture of Margaret Thatcher! Play the clip, Geoffrey."
The clip from that morning played, starting from the point that River leaped over the desk with her locket. "Keep trying, agents! If you want to take this locket away, you're going to have to do a lot better than that!" Priscilla immediately scrambled for the control remote and paused it.
"Blossom! Get in here!" Blossom dashed in. Priscilla didn't say anything. She just pointed at the TV. Blossom looked, stood shocked, and looked at Priscilla for an explanation. "It's some girl named River in Oregon. That's apparently a picture of her dead older sister, but you have to be blind not to see that's a picture of you, Blossom."
"The professor went to Oregon," Blossom reasoned. "This must be what he went for. I have to go." Without wasting another second, Blossom ran out of the house.
Priscilla was left standing there. "You could have at least said thank you, you little-AAH! (the remote control). Damn it! I hate this house!"