Post by silent.lullaby on Oct 15, 2009 13:49:06 GMT -5
Boot Camp For Terribly Twisted Teens [Chapter 50] The Tides are Changing
“Does anyone have anything they would like to say?” Janet asked.
Everyone sitting there, minus Hiro, Leon and Nick. Claire laying in the casket. Lily sobbing into her husbands chest. Daniel looked around, everyone was quiet, sobbing to themselves. He stood and got to the podium. “Claire, she was an amazing person. She was fearless, determined, refused to give up despite what the odds were.” He looked back into the coffin. His mother had died her hair back to blonde. It looked more like Claire that way. “She was a great friend, very protective. Claire was a great dancer, she loved music, lyrics and the stories in them.” Rubbing his temples he willed himself not to give into the breakdown that was sure to come. “She was my baby sister,” he whispered his voice cracking.
The back doors opened and Daniel turned to see Nick walk in with Caitlyn behind him. He wanted to face-palm. Why didn’t I think of that? He thought. Caitlyn looked around, searching through the crowd.
“Who is she?” Josh whispered.
“A necromancer,” Lily responded quietly.
“Claire?” Caitlyn called out.
“She wouldn’t talk to me,” Lily sobbed, “she’s gone.”
“Take me to the medical ward.” Caitlyn demanded, and Nick started leading the way, Daniel running to catch up to them. “Claire is one of those protective people.”
“Yeah, so?” Daniel asked.
“Who needs protection right now?” Caitlyn asked as she walked with great strides. “Who does she love that’s in danger?”
Nick turned looked down but kept walking. “There are two people still in the ward. Hiro, and Leon.”
“Who did she have the strongest connection to?”
Nick turned to Daniel who answered, “Leon.”
Caitlyn stepped into Leon’s room. “There you are.”
Claire kept her transparent hand on Leon’s as she turned to look at the doorway. “It’s all my fault.” Claire whispered. “Everything is my fault.”
“World hunger, natural disasters, famine, break-ups, cancelled tv shows.”
“What?” Claire asked her faint eyebrows raised.
“You’re blaming yourself for everything, I figured I’d blame you for everything you hadn’t thought of yet.” Caitlyn responded stepping into the room. “You look nice.”
Claire looked down at herself. The burns were gone, so were the bites, the scratches, the scars, her long blonde curls were back too, her true self shining through. “I mean, everything bad that’s happened to my friends, it’s my fault. It’s my fault I hurt Danny, I didn’t mean to! It was just, he hurt Nick, and I couldn’t stop the shadows, it was like they had a mind of their own. And it’s my fault Nick got hurt, my fault Leon couldn’t run fast enough. I told him to leave me. WHY DIDN’T YOU LISTEN!?” Claire shouted at the unconscious Leon.
“Maybe because he’s like you. Both would do anything and everything to protect those they care about. Claire, it’s not a bad trait. You and your friends were sucked into a bad life, you made the best choices, they are all here today because of you, alive because of you.”
“Had I never gone to Kennedy...”
“Someone else would have, their world was fragile Claire. Please understand that. Had it not been you to come, to give hope... who knows, it could have lead to everyone’s death or capture. You’re a special woman.”
“Claire?” Claire looked down and seen Leon trying to sit up. She tried to push him down but her hands went right through him.
Caitlyn stepped forward and pushed him down. “Stay calm Leon. Would you like a doctor?”
“No, where is Claire?” He asked.
“Right here,” Caitlyn said pointing over her shoulder.
Leon looked and seen nothing and then back to Caitlyn, “I don’t understand. Who are you?”
“I’m Caitlyn Parker.” Caitlyn responded quietly. “I have a similar gift to that of Claire’s though less powerful.”
“Like... Claire...” Leon seemed to catch the meaning and put his hands over his eyes. “I didn’t save her. I tried, I tried.”
“I know you did,” Caitlyn responded.
“Tell him not to worry, it’s not his fault, it’s mine. I knew what I was doing.”
Caitlyn relayed the message.
“I should have protected you better Claire, I’m so sorry, so, so, so sorry.” Tears welled and fell down his face.
A loud smash brought them all out of their conversation. “What the hell?” Nick asked turning. “Was that the front door?”
Gunfire started ripping through the halls. “Holy shit!” Daniel grabbed Nick’s arm and pulled him into the room.
“Didn’t think Kennedy would go down that easy,” Caitlyn whispered.
“I hoped,” Claire responded quietly.
“They need you Claire.” Caitlyn spoke her voice filled with conviction. “They need you to lead them.”
“I’m dead.”
“For people like us, the term is a little skewed.” Caitlyn responded. “You have the choice, to go to the light, to move on. Or, you can choose to stay here, and I’ll put you back into your body.”
“Claire?” Leon whispered, “please stay. I know this life sucks, and it’s hard, and there is a lot of battles, and death, and fear, but... you make this life worth living. Please stay.”
Claire looked to him, then to Nick, Daniel and finally to Caitlyn. “How do you intend on getting past all those people with guns?”
“Your brother is pretty damn fast.” Caitlyn responded as she grabbed onto Daniel’s arms. “To the coffin.”
Claire touched Leon’s hand, and then went over to Nick and touched his face lightly. “Being dead is way easier than being alive.” She whispered. “What am I going to do about the two of you?” She zapped her spirit over to the coffin and Caitlyn and Daniel were already waiting, Nina at the door pushing air out at the gunned men. “This war isn’t going to end anytime soon, is it?” Claire asked.
“No,” Caitlyn responded. “What’s your final decision?”
“I choose life.”
“Does anyone have anything they would like to say?” Janet asked.
Everyone sitting there, minus Hiro, Leon and Nick. Claire laying in the casket. Lily sobbing into her husbands chest. Daniel looked around, everyone was quiet, sobbing to themselves. He stood and got to the podium. “Claire, she was an amazing person. She was fearless, determined, refused to give up despite what the odds were.” He looked back into the coffin. His mother had died her hair back to blonde. It looked more like Claire that way. “She was a great friend, very protective. Claire was a great dancer, she loved music, lyrics and the stories in them.” Rubbing his temples he willed himself not to give into the breakdown that was sure to come. “She was my baby sister,” he whispered his voice cracking.
The back doors opened and Daniel turned to see Nick walk in with Caitlyn behind him. He wanted to face-palm. Why didn’t I think of that? He thought. Caitlyn looked around, searching through the crowd.
“Who is she?” Josh whispered.
“A necromancer,” Lily responded quietly.
“Claire?” Caitlyn called out.
“She wouldn’t talk to me,” Lily sobbed, “she’s gone.”
“Take me to the medical ward.” Caitlyn demanded, and Nick started leading the way, Daniel running to catch up to them. “Claire is one of those protective people.”
“Yeah, so?” Daniel asked.
“Who needs protection right now?” Caitlyn asked as she walked with great strides. “Who does she love that’s in danger?”
Nick turned looked down but kept walking. “There are two people still in the ward. Hiro, and Leon.”
“Who did she have the strongest connection to?”
Nick turned to Daniel who answered, “Leon.”
Caitlyn stepped into Leon’s room. “There you are.”
Claire kept her transparent hand on Leon’s as she turned to look at the doorway. “It’s all my fault.” Claire whispered. “Everything is my fault.”
“World hunger, natural disasters, famine, break-ups, cancelled tv shows.”
“What?” Claire asked her faint eyebrows raised.
“You’re blaming yourself for everything, I figured I’d blame you for everything you hadn’t thought of yet.” Caitlyn responded stepping into the room. “You look nice.”
Claire looked down at herself. The burns were gone, so were the bites, the scratches, the scars, her long blonde curls were back too, her true self shining through. “I mean, everything bad that’s happened to my friends, it’s my fault. It’s my fault I hurt Danny, I didn’t mean to! It was just, he hurt Nick, and I couldn’t stop the shadows, it was like they had a mind of their own. And it’s my fault Nick got hurt, my fault Leon couldn’t run fast enough. I told him to leave me. WHY DIDN’T YOU LISTEN!?” Claire shouted at the unconscious Leon.
“Maybe because he’s like you. Both would do anything and everything to protect those they care about. Claire, it’s not a bad trait. You and your friends were sucked into a bad life, you made the best choices, they are all here today because of you, alive because of you.”
“Had I never gone to Kennedy...”
“Someone else would have, their world was fragile Claire. Please understand that. Had it not been you to come, to give hope... who knows, it could have lead to everyone’s death or capture. You’re a special woman.”
“Claire?” Claire looked down and seen Leon trying to sit up. She tried to push him down but her hands went right through him.
Caitlyn stepped forward and pushed him down. “Stay calm Leon. Would you like a doctor?”
“No, where is Claire?” He asked.
“Right here,” Caitlyn said pointing over her shoulder.
Leon looked and seen nothing and then back to Caitlyn, “I don’t understand. Who are you?”
“I’m Caitlyn Parker.” Caitlyn responded quietly. “I have a similar gift to that of Claire’s though less powerful.”
“Like... Claire...” Leon seemed to catch the meaning and put his hands over his eyes. “I didn’t save her. I tried, I tried.”
“I know you did,” Caitlyn responded.
“Tell him not to worry, it’s not his fault, it’s mine. I knew what I was doing.”
Caitlyn relayed the message.
“I should have protected you better Claire, I’m so sorry, so, so, so sorry.” Tears welled and fell down his face.
A loud smash brought them all out of their conversation. “What the hell?” Nick asked turning. “Was that the front door?”
Gunfire started ripping through the halls. “Holy shit!” Daniel grabbed Nick’s arm and pulled him into the room.
“Didn’t think Kennedy would go down that easy,” Caitlyn whispered.
“I hoped,” Claire responded quietly.
“They need you Claire.” Caitlyn spoke her voice filled with conviction. “They need you to lead them.”
“I’m dead.”
“For people like us, the term is a little skewed.” Caitlyn responded. “You have the choice, to go to the light, to move on. Or, you can choose to stay here, and I’ll put you back into your body.”
“Claire?” Leon whispered, “please stay. I know this life sucks, and it’s hard, and there is a lot of battles, and death, and fear, but... you make this life worth living. Please stay.”
Claire looked to him, then to Nick, Daniel and finally to Caitlyn. “How do you intend on getting past all those people with guns?”
“Your brother is pretty damn fast.” Caitlyn responded as she grabbed onto Daniel’s arms. “To the coffin.”
Claire touched Leon’s hand, and then went over to Nick and touched his face lightly. “Being dead is way easier than being alive.” She whispered. “What am I going to do about the two of you?” She zapped her spirit over to the coffin and Caitlyn and Daniel were already waiting, Nina at the door pushing air out at the gunned men. “This war isn’t going to end anytime soon, is it?” Claire asked.
“No,” Caitlyn responded. “What’s your final decision?”
“I choose life.”