“Wonderful dinner, isn’t it?” Juliette asked through a tight grin.

Cling! Anne eased her fork onto the plate. Scarlett snapped upright. “Oh, yes.. of course.” They said swiftly. Anne, Alex and Juliette all stared.

“I know it isn’t my business, but you’re exhausted.” Anne bluntly remarked. Juliette’s happy demeanor melted. Alex couldn’t get any more tense.

“Well.. Scarlett, I know I told you, spends so much of their time looking for Jack.” Juliette began gloomily.

Anne quickly returned to eating the stew. Scarlett looked down at their bowl. The scent of what seemed like the world’s finest herbs delighted their nose. Warm steam puffed onto their face. “Just like old times.. isn’t it?” Juliette squeaked. Scarlett flashed a friendly smile and returned to their meal. Oh how savory it was. It made Scarlett question why they just didn’t get hungry.

Before they could count to ten, the meal was finished. Juliette sat on the sofa, trying to start some conversation with Alex. Scarlett put the last dish on the drying rack. The smell of the meal still lingered heavy. “Hey.” Scarlett jerked back to see who is was. Anne stood in the doorway. Dim, draining light cast onto her from behind.

“Hello.” Scarlett said politely before turning back around.

“Do you need help with that?”

Anne’s voice grew closer. She stood beside Scarlett, who tensed a bit. “I will be fine, but I appreciate your consideration.”

“You look like you’re about to fall asleep. Just let me help you.”

“I am finished, but thank you again.”

Anne furrowed her brows. “Can we talk for a second?” She asked, a bit of frustration hiding under her blanket of calmness. Scarlett turned to face her. Did she really know anything about Jack? Was she behind it? Scarlett shushed their racing thoughts swiftly. Maybe another nap would’ve helped.

“Of course.”

“You know, I distantly knew Jack.” Anne quickly said.

Scarlett’s eyes widened for a moment. They composed themself. “I know Jack is important to you.. so I’ll tell you what I remember to maybe help you out with your investigation.” Anne smiled. “I know it isn’t going to be much.. but I’m doing my best.”

“Thank you-”

“Don’t thank me yet.”

Scarlett nodded. “So I met Jack a long time ago in Paris at a coffee shop.” She began, leaning against the counter. “He was very smiley..” Anne gazed into the distance. “We shared a little chat about the weather and I asked if he wanted to meet up again, so we did. It was the next weekend, we started chatting and he told me some things about his life.”

Anne’s stare retreated to the floor. She scratched at the back of her neck. “So.. a few days later we met up again on a Sunday. He told me that he was looking forward to the next party he attended even though traveling made him weary.” Her grin disappeared. She locked eyes with Scarlett. Everything peachy keen about her vanished.

Scarlett fought themself not to raise a brow. “W-When was this?” Doubt slipped into their voice. Anne’s stare grew piercing. A grave look conquered her face.

“Does the name Nanè sound familiar to you?”

Scarlett slowly nodded. A barely readable smile ran across Anne’s lips. “You’ve been seeking a Nanè, haven’t you?”

This was it. Scarlett had to have been sleeping at the table, right? Was this even reality anymore? How did Anne have any idea? Their mind raced as they did their best to keep their collapsing composure. How did she find out? Anne stood up straight and stuffed her hands into her dress pockets. “Tell me, Scarlett.”

“What is it to you?”

“What do you think?”

“I do not wish to play these games with you, Anne. Could we get straight to the point?”

“What if I told you your friend Jack was involved in far more than you could ever imagine?”

“Was he not?”

Anne chortled. “Oh he was. He knew that Nanè you’ve been searching for.” She said, her smile twisting into a grin. “What do you think now, Scarlett?”

“And I’m guessing you know that Nanè as well?”

“Oh I do.” She gladly stated. “I look at her in the mirror every single day.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Scarlett glared down at it. Their eyebrows tightly furrowed. Nanè unfolded it. A cloud of dust shed from the thing. She opened her palm and held it out for Scarlett to see. The page was torn unevenly. The writing had faded out to being barely readable.

“Take it.”

Scarlett did as they were told. They held it in the light. The coarse feel of it seemed so familiar. They narrowed their eyes in an effort to adjust them.

Nanè.

Who was that? Johann and I headed behind the bush afterward. I saw not a sign of her

It was undeniably their handwriting.. Scarlett’s mind flooded with a thousand questions. They read the entry as many times as their eyes would let them. Nanè stood, watching like a hawk. “Would you believe it if I told you this was from a hundred years from now?” She asked calmly. Scarlett looked up at her with widened eyes.

“I wouldn’t believe you.”

“Fifty?”

“I still wouldn’t believe you. I-It’s.. not possible.”

She rolled up her sleeve. “I’d like to show you otherwise.” Scarlett stared as she held out her hand. “Take it.” She told firmly. Scarlett took a deep breath. What harm could it really do? They rested their hand on hers. She then pressed down on her own wrist.

It felt as if the entire world had turned to nothing but a blur. Scarlett grew dizzier by the second. They stared down at their feet.

Beep! Beep!

She let go. Scarlett’s hand swung back to their side. They shook their head. A million questions filled their void mind. “What the hell..” Scarlett muttered, running a hand through their hair. They looked up. She smiled.

“Congratulations. You’ve got the location. You’ll show up at ten, won’t you?”

“I-..”

Nanè disappeared.