Damn, Katz hadn't been exaggerating. She looked horrible - not that she'd ever admit that to him. Her blonde hair, which was typically thick and lucious, was stringy and grimy. Her skin had dirt from more than just today on it. The bruising started to form around her neck and on her upper arms from where Katz had manhandled her. Her lips were cracked and her fingernails had dirt caked under them. When Clara took off her clothes, which definitely needed to be washed four or five days ago, she saw hints of her rib cage under her skin. How had she gotten so bad?
But her eyes...her blue eyes were the most alive thing. They were an electric blue, full of a storm of emotion that she could never release fully. It startled her to see them looking back at her when the rest of her seemed so...dull. Francis wouldn't be pleased to see her like this. With that last bit of guilt, Clara started the hot water and got into the shower. Her legs, however, proved to still feel weak so she turned the shower into a bath and sat in the tub.
The water was almost hot enough to burn her, but that was what she needed. Once the water got midway up, she picked up the dry bar of soap and started to scrub at her skin. Every inch was scrubbed until she saw pink. She dumped a large amount of shampoo in her hand and attacked her hair and scalp, wincing under her own doing. She scrubbed her face and then, at long last, turned off the water. It was nearly at the edge of the tub.
Clara stayed like that, soaped up and sudded, for a few minutes. She could hear faint noise downstairs in the kitchen. Inhaling slowly, deeply, she leaned back and dipped herself under the water...and stayed. The only noise that filled her ears now was her own heartbeat, slow and could hear some whining from the pipes, the pipes that she didn't own evidently, and the softest hint of a gurgle, suggesting a minor leak of the tub. She stared up through a film of suds, soap,and grime to the ceiling. And Clara simply...stayed under water.
It felt as if she could steal a moment of peace and freeze time like that. In this bath of water, Francis wasn't dead, Katz hadn't infiltrated her home, and she was secure, safe, and free. She was happy, content, and excited for what life brought to her in this moment under water. It was like a bubble that reality couldn't burst…
Until her lungs burned. Clara shot out of the water with a gasp, the water splashing and sloshing over the edge and onto the floor. She ran a hand over her eyes and winced at the sting of them. A quick look around showed that she had watered the floor. Sighing, she pulled the plunge-stopper and grabbed a towel. So much for that…
By the time she had dried, dressed, and cleaned up her mess, it was dark outside. Clara didn't want to go downstairs. She really, really didn't. To have to face Katz again, to talk to him, to listen to his shit…? There were many questions she needed to ask still. How did he find her? Not just now, but before, at Mad Dog's? What was his plan long-term? How safe was she really with him? A quick reflection reminded her that he had only attacked her when she started or provoked him. But that was just for now.
Clara waited at the top of the stairs, unsure of herself. She looked back at Francis' closed door and hoped for strength before walking down to the kitchen. There at the table was Katz with what smelt to be a vegetable soup for himself and her. Clara titled her head and looked around, suspicious.
"I hid the rat poison already, come eat." Katz's words dripped in sarcasm.
"If your cooking skills are anywhere near your charm…" Clara shot back as she sat down. Her stomach growled - traitor. He nodded towards the bowl he made for her and she resisted. "Let me see you eat some first." She slid the bowl over.
Katz gave a scoffing noise, but he seemed amused if that half-grin were any hint. "Fine." He took his spoon and dipped it into the soup. He blew on it once before eating. After a moment, he said dryly, "Now that you've seen me survive such a harrowing ordeal, will you eat?"
Clara said nothing, but ate what was likely to be the first real meal of substance for the past week or so. And, though she wouldn't tell him, it was pretty tasty. It wasn't too heavy a meal on seasonings or content, given her state, but it was enough to restart her hunger without making her sick. The pair didn't talk.
She did, however, wonder why he was...helping her get better, at least physically. It had to be something with money. Men like Katz, people like them, revolved their worlds around money. It wouldn't be anything like prostitution...she thought. She would refuse. But it had to include her involvement. It just had to be.
Once they were done, Katz took the dishes and set them in the sink. Clara wasn't sure what to do, and she felt a fool for that indecision. She stood and walked to the living room, but the damage was done already, Katz had seen her hesitate and wait for his cue. She'd have to break that quickly.
It wasn't even a full day and she was beat from this man invading her home. How was she to put up with the future? Clara rubbed her eyes and looked at the time. It was late enough to sleep, she reasoned. Katz stepped out and looked at her. "Tomorrow we will clean this place." He stated calmly.
Clara glared at him. She was too tired to tell him to choke on a feather duster, but damn was it tempting. "I'm going to bed." She started up the stairs to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She would need all the rest she could get if she was going to deal with Katz tomorrow. She wasn't the sort to sit under anyone's thumb. If there was a way to turn the tables, she would find it.
Just as Clara stepped out of the bathroom, she heard a door open to her left. Looking over, she gasped and snapped, "Don't!" Katz had opened Francis' bedroom. She all but sprinted and nearly tackled him, grabbing his arm to keep him from walking in any further. "Don't! You can't go in…"
For his part, Katz didn't fight back, but let her pull him a step away from the doorway. It would have been annoying to see him so calm when she herself became worked up, but she was too focused on other things. It didn't take a genius to realize why he was forbidden to step in the room. "It is late, girl, and I require a bed. Either you sleep in this room or you can sleep on the couch."
Clara blinked, processing the nerve the cat had. "Wait, what?! No, you will sleep on the couch and I'll sleep in my bed. No one sleeps in his bed." Her tone was stern at the end.
Katz shifted and shook her hand off his arm, crossing his across his chest. "I will not debase myself to sleep on a couch."
"Well you sure as hell can't sleep in his bed and I'll be in mine, so that leaves just one option," Clara smiled sweetly, "you can sleep on the floor." She shut Francis' bedroom and started to her own.
However, it was Katz's turn to stop her in her tracks, not with touch, but his words. "Then we will be sleeping together if you insist. Neither of us will be using his bed nor the couch, so that, logically, leaves one option that is reasonable."
Clara spun around and felt her face warm. "You vile, disgusting cat!" There was no room in her queen size bed for him.
And much to her surprise, Katz actually reacted. Pink filled his cheeks and he seemed startled. "No, no, that isn't at all what I meant!" He insisted with a hint of quickness. "You insolent fool. Nothing would occur...after all," he seemed to regain some composure by sneering, "you're a human. It would seem though that the couch is not good enough for either of us, as is the floor, and one bed is off-limits. The only reasonable bed left is big enough for the pair of us - to sleep." He emphasized.
Clara noted that he seemed to at least respect Francis' space, and her wishes in that regard. Why couldn't he respect the rest of her wishes and just leave? "Sleeping arrangements seem to be your problem, as you invited yourself into my life. Whether it be in your car, the roof, the floor, or in the trash, I don't actually care. All I know is that I sleep alone and will keep sleeping alone."
"Have you forgotten the deed to the house?"
"Have you never learned what consent is?" Clara was getting tired of this, as was Katz.
The pair stared each other down to the best of their ability. Finally Katz scoffed and walked past her. He entered her room without pause, even when she snapped at him, and picked the side closest to the window. "I will be sleeping in a bed. It is up to you to decide if you will also be sleeping in this bed...or in your late partner's."
Clara's throat felt thick with rage. She needed rest to put up with this for the next few days at minimum though. Francis' bed was out of the question, as was the couch and the floor. Sure, she had fallen asleep all around the house, inside and out, and even on the couch during her uninterrupted grieving period, but those hadn't been peaceful, full sleeps. And more so, this was her bed, not his. There was a matter of property and dominance.
"Then sleep with one eye open, cat," she said with disdain. It was a threat and that was all she could do for now. Katz only smirked and got under the blankets.
If Clara thought she had been in a waking nightmare with Francis dying, she wasn't sure what to call this living situation with Katz. For the next few days, they fell into something of a routine. Katz cooked all their meals, of which Clara ate regularly more and more as she could, they would clean, and they would sleep. In between, it was a bunch of nothing. He would read a book, a newspaper, or write. Clara had taken to playing the radio just for background noise. His very existence prompted her to keep up her hygiene this time - plus she got to escape his existence with an hour-long bath.
The sleeping situation, which had started as alarming, had shifted to being just uncomfortable. Clara was able to ignore him mostly, often so tired from all the emotional spending throughout the day that she fell asleep easily enough. There were a few nightmares she had, but she couldn't recall if she woke up or if they just phased out of her REM cycle.
With each day that passed, Clara knew that Katz was preparing her for something. He was trying to get her back to some semblance of 'normal' for some reason. She didn't like not knowing what that, his, reason was. What all did she know of Katz, from Katz' Motel?
She wished she had access to a computer or a phone to look up more information other than what little she learned from five years ago. Five years was a long time, what did he do in that span? It was then that she wondered about Courage. Courage was her friend, her lifeline to sanity. Courage also had a computer. So far, Clara hadn't tried to leave so there hadn't been great detail in whether she 'could' or not.
On the fourth morning, Clara said casually, "I'm going to visit my neighbor today."
Katz glanced up over his book with a raised eyebrow. "Your 'neighbor'?"
"My neighbor." Clara repeated with confidence.
He seemed amused as if he were humoring a child talking of their imaginary friend. "And who exactly do you live next to in the middle of Nowhere?"
Unbothered by this, she smiled and said matter-of-factly, "Actually, they're in the middle of Nowhere - I'm nearly in the middle. And for your knowledge, though it's none of your business, they're a dog and an elderly human couple. They will be worried about me if I don't."
The two locked eyes and entered a staring contest. "Have fun." Katz finally said, leaning back into the chair and going back to his book. Clara blinked, not expecting such an accepting statement. Sensing her distrust, he added, "You have a brain - at least you should - use it."
Clara rolled her eyes. She thought about it for a moment, determined to figure out why he didn't seem bothered by it. And...it came to her so obviously. He didn't feel suspicion of her because she would return to the house. She would because it was hers, in essence if not by paper. And if she were to tell anyone about Katz, she would have to explain everything...which, similar to calling the police, she just wouldn't do.
Scowling, Clara got up and got her keys. "Asshole." She murmured under her breath as she left. She knew he had heard it because his ears twitched.
A heavy weight lifted from Clara the more she got away from Katz. Sure, she was leaving her house, but she'd be back. This was a break...and a mission. She wanted to research and find a way to get rid of Katz. Clara thought back to her bank accounts and cash. It was dwindling, of course it was, so she needed to pull something soon. That meant she also couldn't hire someone to get rid of Katz either.
By the time she got to Courage's, Clara felt...clear headed. She parked and sat there for a minute. Much to her annoyance, she did have to admit that Katz had gotten her back from the edge of possible death. She was clean, well-fed, and doing more than just lying around. The pain was still there, that ache and emptiness, but it wasn't as pressing as before. The grief didn't take up all of her vision, for she saw something of a future now. It wasn't much, but it was something.
It took no more than two knocks for the door to fly open and for Courage to be standing there. "Clara!" He squeaked before hugging her. A soft 'oomph' left her as she felt the lavender haired boy's arms tighten around her. She hugged him back and felt emotions catch at her throat. "I was hoping you'd visit." Courage stepped back and looked up at him. "I was worried...but Muriel said we should let you have some time...and...here, come in, come in."
The pair walked in and after a round of greetings, she heard Muriel putting on a pot of tea in the kitchen. Clara had to remind herself to keep it cool. The last thing she needed was Courage to find out about Katz...about how Katz lost a spider to Francis and her...how it was a common, frequent thing, the thievery and worse. No, she had to give Courage no reason to suspect or she'd lose her only friends.
"I was wondering," she said to Courage, "do you think I might be able to use your computer? I wanted to order a phone...and look up some stuff."
Courage blinked. "Oh, yeah, of course. I'll bring the tea up in a minute if you want to head up? Seat should still be warm." He smiled. As Clara started up the stairs, he added, "Uh, also...Clara? You look...you look like you're doing okay. I mean, you look healthy."
She smiled a little and thanked him, but couldn't get the damn thought out of her head that this wouldn't be so if it weren't that troublesome cat. Which gave her all the more reason to research him and find out his ulterior motive. Once she got to the computer room and sat, noting that it was indeed warm, she got to work. She looked up every database, records, and newspaper she could think of regarding Katz - which was unsurprisingly hard given his lack of a last name.
Interestingly, there were several businesses that he owned. Katz Motel, Katz Cruises, Katz Kandy Store, and more. They were all small businesses, noted by paying pitiful taxes and not much success in sales. No doubt that was on purpose. If she had to guess, knowing Katz as little as she does, it would make sense that these many businesses were a front.
To her surprise, or not really, there were no arrest records on Katz. She shook her head. There were also no marriage, divorce, lawsuits, or other legal documents on him. He didn't even own the land his businesses were on. Unless...Clara frowned. Unless he used a different name. Did he have a family name? Or family that he used? She dug deeper. The rabbit hole she fell down was deep, but it was worth it.
Clara's lips parted in shock. Finally she had found one track on this man, and it was a news article about a woman - named Kitty.
"Sorry for the delay, Muriel made us some Happy Plums and...Clara? You okay?" Courage had just pushed the door open with his shoulder and walked in backwards, holding the tray of tea and plums. Clara exited quickly out of the screens she was on, leaving just the phone she was going to order by mail.
She turned and smiled, trying to ignore the feeling of sand through her limbs. "Just fine...sorry, I was surprised at the cost of the phone - so affordable!" And if she sounded breathless at the end, Courage was kind enough to ignore it. The way he glanced up at her suggested that he didn't believe her. She was impressed if that was the case because it suggested that he had gotten to know her well, that she had let him get to know her the past several months.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter much if it doesn't work all the time out here in the middle of Nowhere." He lamented as he placed the tray on a nearby table. He brought two cups to Clara, one of tea and one of happy plums with extra cream. Though she had gained some weight the past couple days of eating regularly, she suspected she didn't look entirely like her old self, hence the extra calories. She didn't complain though.
"You're having trouble with your phone?" She asked as Courage sat in a nearby chair with his treats. She tried her best to focus on the present and not the pressing information she had just discovered.
Kitty as in Kitty that Bunny from Mad Dog's had mentioned. The place that Katz had first found her, Mad Dog's casino. Kitty. The pair had to be related, obviously, with names like that. But what had she found out about Kitty? She wanted to read more...she needed to read more.
"Mostly when the weather is bad or it's really cloudy." Courage made a face that lasted just for a second, his nose twitching. That displeased expression shifted to one of contentment as he took a bite of a plum. "My literary agent said he was trying to contact me about a draft, but I never got the call. The moment the clouds parted, I had twelve voicemails!"
Clara tsked. "No wonder you all still have a landline. Though I suppose that's used more for the internet than for conversation, Mr. Author." She teased softly.
Courage blushed softly. "Only during work hours." He drank some tea. "And you? Have you...been keeping busy?"
Having just taken a sip of tea herself, cueing off Courage, Clara swallowed hard. She thought of Katz and how he had been irritating to her the past four days. What had she been doing all this time? Existing. Eating. Bathing. Cleaning. She had been kept busy by just trying to live...and live out of spite against Katz. How could she tell her friend that an annoying cat had moved in against her will with the threat of the deed to the house, going as far as to share a bed because he was a twat?
In short, she couldn't.
"In a sense...it's been hard." She admitted, wondering if there was something in these plums that made her speak a bit more open than she typically would. "I think having the cell phone will help, being able to connect with the outside world again I mean." She took another bite.
Courage had just finished his last plum, licking at his fingers with pleasure. The feeling was short-lived though as he re-focused. "Are you sleeping well? Eating?"
It wasn't lost on her that he was asking very direct questions - a show that he was comfortable with her and she with him. She shifted in the computer chair. "I'm eating at least twice a day, yes. Real meals, not snacks. And I sleep…" She had nightmares. Of course she did. He knew it and she did too. She just...she just couldn't recall what happened to the nightmares. Did she sleep through them or did she wake and not recall waking? Strange how she had found herself weary emotionally from dealing with Katz than tired physically since he had moved in. Was he drugging her to sleep through the night, maybe?
"That's good," Courage said, bringing her attention back, "Is there anything I can do? I'm always free for a sleepover again…?"
Clara had to bite her tongue to keep from responding too quickly. She tried to sound and look thoughtful before speaking, "Not for a while, I think...but maybe I can come visit for the night over here?" She needed to keep Courage from finding out about Katz. It would open too many questions and she wasn't ready for those answers.
"Absolutely!" He smiled. "Any time, Clara. I'll need your eyes to find all my grammar errors soon, just so you know."
She found herself returning the smile, unable to resist. "Soon." She promised. She just needed a handle on Katz first.
"Are you done? Here, I'll take these downstairs and you can finish purchasing the phone." She wondered if the look he gave her as he took the empty mugs from her meant something. But no...it couldn't have. This was Courage, not a partner in crime. Courage was innocent and trusting, naive almost to a fault. He trusted her and saved his thinking of suspicions for his books.
"Yeah, thanks." She had to remind herself that he wasn't like her, like Katz, or like Francis. Courage was...Courage. So when he left the room, she felt only a second of guilt before curiosity took over. She turned back to the computer and looked up the article she had found mentioning Kitty's name. It took seconds to find again and a minute to read it all.
The article entailed a woman named Kitty being assaulted by an unnamed group and the article called for any witnesses to step forward. It was dated four and a half years ago. Clara frowned. Four and a half years? An unnamed group? She wondered if Mad Dog or Bunny had been connected to it. But more importantly, she wondered if Katz had come to Kitty's side. This was, of course, assuming they knew each other or were related. But four and a half years...that would have put Katz out of one spider and a large sum of money. Had his personal life gone to shit for a few months after Francis and her visited his motel?
And then she saw it, the thing that confirmed it all.
'A large reward is being offered for information on this case by Katz, owner of the Katz Cruises.'
"Holy shit." She sat back in the comfortable chair. So they did know each other! Whoever had hurt Kitty, Katz had been involved shortly after losing a spider and some money. Did Katz want payback for his start of bad luck? But if this was the Kitty that Bunny knew, the same Bunny that Clara had run into at Mad Dog's a lifetime ago...she exhaled sharply. It wouldn't be much of a stretch then to assume Bunny and/or Kitty had recognized her somehow...and somehow told Katz? Maybe Katz had told them about her and her partner and that was how he 'saved' her that night? Or had he set up Mad Dog's gang in order to 'save' her? Which led him to her now when Francis had been murdered. Had he been involved somehow in that? If he had tracked her down, if Kitty and Bunny had told him about her, then they must have known she had a partner. Or maybe Katz had realized she had her partner still working with her and...and…
Clara's head was spinning. This information made for more questions than answers. She winced and covered her eyes, taking deep breaths as she tried to steady herself. She felt dizzy and sick. The plums and tea threatened to revolt in her stomach. What did it all mean? All of it, every bit of it, could have connected to so many other paths, any paths, and it was too much for Clara to think of.
She must have started to lean and fall from the chair because the next thing she knew, she felt a warm, thin, lithe body against hers, holding her up. "Whoa! Clara, are you sick? Hey, it's okay. Come on, you can lay down over here. Can you stand? Lean on me."
It was Courage. She opened her eyes and put her hand down on his arm, the room still spinning a bit. She inhaled deeply and made a noise, a whimper of sorts. She stood just enough to step away from the chair and, with Courage's support and balance, managed to lay on the floor.
Had Katz poisoned her that morning? Was it reacting with the stress, the plums, or the tea? Or was it all in her head? Clara heard Courage faintly speaking, "Take a deep breath...it's okay." She tried. She tried to take a deep breath, tried to stop the spiral she had been on. All she knew for sure was that Kitty and Katz knew one another, intimately to say the least if he had offered money back then for info, and that was it. She had run into Kitty and Bunny and Kitty knew Katz...and that was all she knew.
Somehow, someway, Clara managed to break the dizzy spell. It helped to feel Courage's hand in hers and hear his voice. She latched onto the sound, mentally clawing her way out of the spiral. Within a few minutes, all was quiet and calm. Clara tilted her head to the side and looked up at the lavender-haired man next to her. She was aware of the warmth of his hand, slightly sweaty from the situation no doubt. "...Sorry Courage." She murmured softly, feeling exhausted from the emotional outburst.
He looked relieved, his grip slackened a bit, and he offered a shy smile. "Anytime, Clara. Are you alright now?"
She wondered how to respond to that. The truth was, no, but a lie was too heavy to tell. So she settled for a third option. "I should get home."
By the way Courage's ears twitched and he tensed, she may as well have suggested she walk on the roof and try to fly. "What?! Nooo! You should stay here. Just for a bit longer. What if you feel sick again while you're driving? You could crash! Or, or, or I can take you home! I can always pick you up tomorrow to get your car or...or…"
Clara squeezed his hand, silencing him. For him to bring her home would be dangerous. Katz' car was there and the infuriating cat might actually step out on the porch just out of spite. But to leave on her own would make Courage worry...possibly enough to follow her now or later. So she made a decision. "I'll stay a bit longer." She agreed. "Just a bit though."
Courage all but deflated, glad that she wasn't going to try and drive. "Oh, thank goodness. Here, can you stand now? You'd be more comfortable on the bed."
To anyone else, laying on his bed may have been...an intimate act. But given that Clara was unwillingly sharing a bed with a cat she loathed and was uneasy with, resting in a friend's bed meant nothing. She nodded and, with his help, sat up. Her stomach didn't feel like rebelling anymore, but she felt wiped out. With Courage's help, she got to his bed - she swore this was his office and not his room, but what did she know? - and laid down.
When Courage stepped away, she felt the exhaustion weigh on her. With everything happening the past week and still being in midst of recovering, Clara couldn't help it. Her eyelids felt heavy and, within minutes, she was asleep, completely forgetting about the news article that was up on Courage's computer.