I know I should be writing the next chapter to The Risk of Mending a Broken Heart, but I just like this story so much and I just love my characters!
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December 18th, 1996
"You can't send Clara out at this night!" Grandma Roza's russian accent was always thick, even thicker when she got angry. "There are bad spirits! Haunting the wood!"
Clara's mother, Kaylee rolled her eyes at her mother. "She will be fine. mother! Stop scaring her with your talk of spirits and bad omens!"
The grandmother huffed at her daughter, shaking her head vigorously. "You do not listen, daughter! You never have!"
The thirteen year old Clara stood to the sidelines, fully dressed to walk into the snow to go get the dog that had escaped from their backyard. It wasn't uncommon for her mother and grandma to be fighting like this... What was uncommon? Roza talking about spirits in front of her brother's best friend; Jack Avery.
"Mrs. Volkov?" Jack stood up from the couch, his dark hair loose. "If it would make you any happier, I can go with Clara."
Jack was about three years older than Clara, he was the captain of the football team. He was the only person Clara would willingly talk to.
Looking between her granddaughter and Jack, Roza was about to refuse once more, but her daughter stepped in front of her with a gracious smile. "Oh, you don't have to do that Jack! Clara is completely able to do it-"
"It would make me sleep better at night knowing that I didn't let her travel in the woods alone, Mrs. Harris." The football player cut off Kaylee with a smile.
"It's your funeral, dude." Daniel said from the couch, playing with his new violin. "The geek will probably talk your ear off with one off her new 'ideas'."
Clara balled her fists and glared at her older brother, glad that they didn't share any resemblance to each other. "It's called research!"
Holding back a laugh, Jack walked forward and put on his jacket and snow shoes. The old woman caught his arm before he could put on his hat. "I beg you, do not let my little star out of your sight..."
Looking into the old woman's gray eyes, the sixteen year old swallowed as he saw the terrified look in her eyes. "I promise."
"Thank you," Roza smiled and turned to her granddaughter as Jack opened the door. Clara smiled up at her, holding a large flashlight in her hands. "Little Star... Do you remember the chants I taught you?"
"Yes, Mama." The young girl nodded.
Sighing, the grandmother hugged her grandchild. "If you should find danger, sing them... They will protect you."
"I will, Mama." Clara smiled as she walked past her grandmother and closed the door behind her.
Turning on the flashlight, the two teenagers started for the dark woods, the snow crunching underneath their feet as they walked.
They didn't talk until they were quite a distance away and it was Jack who spoke first, as though he didn't want Mrs. Volkov to hear him. "Your grandma... Is she normally like that?"
"More or less," She said, her eyes straining to see any clue for the missing dog; Pongo. "Mama Roza was born in Russia and was raised in the Gypsy ways like her mother and grandmother before her, so you can say she's very... Insync with the world and beyond."
"So she can sense spirits and demons?" Jack raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
Shrugging, Clara looked around for clues about where Pongo went. "I think they are more feelings than actually seeing them... Though she never freaks out like this when you're around."
"Why?"
"Because Daniel told her that he won't be embarrassed by his 'crazy' Grandma when his friends come over." Clara had a bitterness behind her voice, it would have gone unnoticed, but Jack spent a lot of time around the younger girl to know when she was upset about something.
Jack chewed his lip... He felt guilty. "I'm sorry that you brother can be a jerk sometimes-"
"Sometimes?" The girl whipped her head to Jack, her blonde hair swinging over her shoulders. "Do you know how many times I had to redo all my notes for Physics, Calculus and Chemistry just because he thought it was funny to throw them out the car window or burn them up? Or how many Science Fairs I had to forfeit because Daniel had sabotaged my experiment? Daniel is always a jerk to me and it doesn't help that my-"
A loud howl made Clara to stop her ranting immediately... It was Pongo.
The two teenagers looked at one another before sprinting off where the sound was coming from. Pongo's howling turned into vicious barking, as though he was trying to warn them away from him. But Clara didn't stop, she just ran faster and faster.
"Clara! Wait!" Jack tried to keep up with her, but she was just running too fast for him. "Clara!"
Getting closer and closer to Pongo's barking, the girl ran into a small clearing. She saw her German Shepherd standing tall and growling. Clara followed where her dog was looking and her body froze.
Only about five feet away from her was a many dressed in all black, leaning over a young girl... Clara knew immediately who the girl was. Clara didn't know her name, but she knew that the girl was a freshman who was on the cheerleading squad. She only knew this because Jack pointed her out one day and said that they looked alike.
The man stood up slowly, his face turning towards Clara; revealing a man with purples eyes. He studied her up and down, only then did she see the ancient norse markings that had been carved into the girl's naked body.
She couldn't speak, fear choked her and made her immovable. She was terrified that she would suffer the same horrible fate that Alice got.
"And who might you be?" The man took a step forward, his aura murderous. "No matter... I don't need to know."
He grabbed Clara by the neck and lifted her off the ground; her flashlight falling out of her hands as she struggled to breath. The blackness started to cloud her vision, luckily Pongo attacked the mysterious man before he could kill Clara; she landed on the ground with a groan.
The man threw the dog off him and was about to finish the job, only to be stopped by someone yelling at the top of their lungs.
"Clara!" Jack was only a seconds away.
The man's eyes widened at the name and looked at the girl in front of him. "Your Clara Kinsley Harris?! You can't be! I killed-"
Jack's thundering footsteps cut the man off, causing him to growled at himself and ran the other way; Pongo going after him to make sure the man didn't hurt his master again.
Clara couldn't breath... The man knew her name, her full name.
Jack was in front of her in seconds, placing his hands on her shoulder and shook her. "Clara!"
But she wasn't responding to him, only focusing on trying to breath; she pointed to behind him. "He killed her..." Jack followed where she pointed and gasped as he saw the familiar cheerleader laying there. "And... He tried to kill me too."
Jack whipped around to Clara, her words rang through his head as though she just said them. He tried to kill me too...
Bone chilling panic ran through Jack's body... Without a second thought, he picked up Clara and ran back to the house. He ran faster than he ever thought he could and it was because of the fact that Clara was in danger.
Slamming the door close, Jack yelled for anyone's name blindly as he put Clara down on the couch. "Daniel! Mrs. Volkov!"
"Jack, what's wrong? Your sound like the Devil just grabbed your ass, man." Daniel came down the stairs, looking to see what was going on; his grandmother and parents behind him.
Jack took off his jacket and looked at Clara, making sure she was okay. "Call nine-one-one! I think she's going into shock!"
Roza was next to her granddaughter, she was chanting something in her native language but Clara didn't respond. "What happened?"
"I-I don't know!" Jack paced the room, trying to work off the adrenaline. "One minute, we were running towards Pongo's barking, the next I find Clara on the ground barely breathing a-and a dead body with all these symbols carved on there skin!"
Running to the phone, Daniel came back a minute later. "Police and an ambulance is on it's way!"
Slowly turning to the boy, the old woman placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Calm yourself... Because of you? My Little Star lives, you protected her when no one else could."
Jack nodded, taking comfort in the russian accent. He took a breath and sat down next to Clara. Her honey eyes seemed too wide and too frozen to be real... She reminded Jack of a doll; unable to respond or move. Sighing, Jack too her hand in his and squeezed.
Feeling Jack hold her hand, Clara met his eyes. "He knew my name... H-How could he know my name?"
2011, Three Days Before Avengers
"Clara! Did you get those result?" A man of impressive physique walked through the door, his dark hair combed back, his sea green eyes extra happy and a small smile on his lips
Rolling her eyes, the blonde held up the folder with a grin; not looking away from the microscope. "I always do, Detective!"
Walking up to her from behind, the detective yanked the girl away from the microscope and turned her around. "Do I have to beg?"
"It wouldn't hurt..." Clara laughed, enjoying the closeness she was having with the detective. "Would make me feel more appreciated for all the work I do around here."
Laughing, the detective got down on one knee; still holding the chair in place. "Please, Goddess of the Lab? Would you grace me with your findings?"
Pretending to thinking it over, Clara finally nodded. "Remember the powder that was found on our victim's fingers? Well, I tested it and turns out it's a hair dye, but not any hair dye! Surya Henna Hair Treatment, and who is the-"
"Julia!" The detective grinned, placing a kiss on Clara's cheek. "You're a genius!"
"You're only finding this out?" The medical examiner laughed.
Standing up, the detective shook his head. "Of course not! Pick you up for lunch at one?"
"Goodbye, Jack!"
"I'll take that as a yes!" He said, running out the door, leaving to arrest yet another criminal.
So yeah... I hope you like it! Tell me what you think and if you wanna get more of my writing just follow me at tumblr! dontlookatmeitwas!