Chapter 1

Claire sighed as she flopped on her childhood bed, and wished she were still back at college. It was the beginning of the fall semester, and unlike almost everybody else, she was not excited. Her freshman year had been perfect. After four years of mediocrity, and less than intelligent people, college was a godsend. Independence suited her well, she had decided during her first week there. After summer, she had felt so ready to go back, it hurt. Unfortunately, she was unable to get the loans she needed, and so she was at home, working for the semester. Unsurprisingly, Claire was not looking forward to three months of chores, a loud house, and her new job at the local department store.

Her school was only an hour away from her house, but it was a whole other world. A better world, in her humble opinion. After she had been dropped off at school with many kisses, hugs, and wishes of good luck, Claire had begun what she considered her adult life. College was fantastic. No curfew, hanging out with friends at odd hours of the night, the parties, and of course her first experiences with being thoroughly drunk. And although she didn't miss the homework and tests, she even enjoyed the feeling of being responsible for her schoolwork.

Now, after getting her hopes up about going back, she had three more months before she could immerse herself in her tiny world of bliss. After a summer of hanging out with friends, Claire felt bored already. She mused on all the possibilities of activities she could do. Reading? Didn't feel like sitting around. Working out? Ha! Didn't feel like moving that much. Cooking? That sounded decent. Claire wasn't a particularly good cook, but she wasn't horrible either. At least she would get a good snack out of it. Getting out her laptop, she pulled up a website for recipes. On the front page was a recipe for 'Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies.' Perfect.

As she walked purposefully out of her room, her mom stopped her in the hallway.

"Hey Claire Bear. Could you unload the dishwasher for me, please?"

One of the reasons she disliked being home. Was the request unreasonable? Absolutely not. If she was going to live in her parent's house, she knew she had to do her share of the chores. That still didn't mean she liked it.

"Sure," she grumbled, and headed for the kitchen

She quickly unloaded the dishwasher, and then eagerly started collecting the ingredients for her masterpiece.

Thirty minutes later she pulled them out of the oven, inhaling the delicious scent of magic and chocolate.

"VOILA!" she bellowed, quite pleased with herself.

Her mom bustled into the room, and looked at her creation.

"Let me know when they're cooled."

Claire narrowed her eyes. What a scoundrel. Of course wanted her cookies. This is how artists must feel, Claire mused. Used and unappreciated. Shrugging, she leaned over her cookies again, and started wafting the scent to her nose.

After her mom had stolen a cookie and a half, Claire looked out the window and decided a walk was in order. After her successful cookie heist, she was feeling much more energetic. She quickly packed up her cookies in a Tupperware container, and filled a thermos with milk.

After telling her mom she'd be home in a few hours, Claire set out through the woods, her bag of deliciousness on her shoulder. It didn't take long for her to zone out, and reflect on the memories of the past year.

She said she loved school because of her independence, but if she were being honest with herself she knew that wasn't completely true. Her parents still paid for most things. It was an illusion of independence. It was an illusion that her parents let her hold and carry on.

Bless them.

Lost in her thoughts and memories, an hour or two went by, and after a while she decided to sit down for a breather. After searching around the forest floor, she found a good log. She pulled out her baked goods and the book she had brought along. She was soon lost in the world of Khals, knights, and dragons.

Claire's eyes slowly rose from the page as the feeling of being watched crept up her spine. She scanned the trees for any sign of a person…or animal. She didn't want to think about that. The forest looked empty though. She was probably being paranoid. Just like when she used to run up the stairs at night because it felt like someone was behind her. Rolling her eyes at her ridiculousness, she turned to her bag to grab another cookie, and shrieked.

The fattest squirrel she had ever seen was staring at her, frozen, his paw stretched out as if to grab a cookie. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Suddenly, Claire burst out laughing. The squirrel jumped about three feet in the air, and scrambled up the nearest tree. That just made her laugh harder. The laughter wouldn't stop, and tears streamed down her face at the scene she had just witnessed. It looked like her instincts weren't so bad after all, even if she had over exaggerated the threat level. A girl has got to be on her guard. Self-defense 101.

After the interruption, Claire decided it was time to go back home. She knew the general direction of her house, however, there was no marked path, so she'd have to make her own. She doubted she could remember exactly the way she came. Squaring her shoulders, she set off.

She hadn't walked far, when all of a sudden she stepped into a clearing, and got a major shock. In front of her was a huge house. Long ago, it must have been beautiful. Now, it was in ruins. There must have been a fire years before. The tall walls stood charred, and the windows were broken. It was a perfect picture of abandonment and destruction. Whether Claire stared at the house for a minute or an hour, she didn't know.

She walked over to the house, the newly fallen leaves crunching under her feet, and stepped cautiously onto the porch to test the sturdiness. It seemed safe enough. Her curiosity rising, she grabbed the brass knob, and opened the front door. She heard herself inhale sharply. It was even more hauntingly beautiful on the inside. In the center of the foyer was a grand staircase and as she looked up she noticed an intricate chandelier, blackened and burnt.

Stealing herself, she walked further into the house and turned to her left. She stepped into what she supposed was once a sitting room. She could feel more than see that there was a lot of history in this room. It made her sad. Who had lived here? Had anyone died in the fire? Was the fire even an accident? As she looked around for any clues about the people who once inhabited the magnificent house, Claire noticed a good portion of the furniture was either smashed or broken. Probably teenagers. She began to slide her hand across one of the old side tables.

"What are you doing here?" an angry male voice yelled.

Claire screamed and shrunk away from the noise, her hands shooting up to cover her face. What a stupid reaction. She quickly removed her hands, and turned to face whoever was in the room with her. Standing in the foyer was a large man with dark features. She couldn't focus on any of this other features because the expression that he wore was absolutely murderous. Without thinking about the situation, or why this strange man would be in this dilapidated house, she started stammering.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I did-," she swallowed, "I didn't know you lived here. Sorry…sorry."

Her eyes were filling up with tears. The mixture of the adrenaline coursing through her veins, the mortification, and the pure fear at the expression he wore was distressing her greatly. Claire hurried toward the front door. She didn't want to know what he would do to her if she stayed any longer. As she passed by him, he sidestepped so that he was standing right in front of her, their bodies less than an inch apart. She took a step back and instinctively knew he was trying to intimidate her by getting so close. She looked down, frightened by the raw anger she had seen in his face. He grabbed her chin, roughly or gently, she couldn't say, and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. Some of the anger in his face had gone, surprisingly. He could probably tell she wasn't just some kid come to screw with the house. Even without the anger, though, he still looked extremely intense as he said, "Don't ever come back here again. Understand?"

Claire gave a miniscule nod, just ready to leave this horrid place, and he released her. Trying to hold on to what remaining dignity she had left, Claire forced herself to walk out of the house. Once she was off the porch, she began to run into the woods in the direction of home.