Claire approached her normal lunch spot at Union Wells High days after Sylar killed Jackie. She kept her eyes on her feet avoiding the stares she received from random people. She could feel their eyes looking right through her and hear their whispers. She tried to avoid letting it get to her. Zach was not there, he was off filming most likely.
A girl younger than Claire watched her. She felt like she knew Claire even though she was sure Claire didn't know she existed. Britt sat towards the top of the stairs as Claire came towards her. She sat near her, but not really close. Claire kept her eyes on her food and didn't look anywhere else, nor did she eat. Britt pulled a sketch pad out and began to sketch random images of a man in a black hat. She saw him staring at the trophy case the night of Homecoming. Britt didn't look popular; she was vice-president of art club and very rocked out, wearing a black My Chemical Romance shirt and torn jeans along with a black hoodie and converse. Someone that Claire would have considered a freak months before.
Claire, who sat alone now, she'd lost all of her friends and it seemed like the cheerleaders blamed her for Jackie's death. She took her eyes off her tray and looked up around her. She saw the cheerleaders all talking silently and then to the football players, with Brody who was still in a wheelchair. Claire looked behind her at a girl who was studying the people below like she saw right through them. There was something about this girl's eyes, they were weird, and she immediately looked away.
Britt's golden eyes scanned the crowd, she had enhanced vision, she saw everything differently. She could look through things, zoom in on things, night vision, and infra-red vision. Claire was right, her eyes were weird. She grabbed her bag and walked down the hall after her last class that day, and walked outside. Zach met her outside and they walked off campus.
"I've been having the weirdest dreams." Zach said, wiping some dirt off his lens.
"Like what?" Britt asked looking at him.
"Claire Bennet's in them, like she's jumping off a water tower and I'm filming it. She got back up and like was fine."
"What?"
"I know its weird, but theres another where we're chasing her brother and we're after
some tape." He paused and looked at her, "It's like we're friends in them"
"You? Friends with Claire Bennett? Yeah." Britt smirked and looked down the sidewalk ahead.
"They're all like that! I was filming her run into a burning train, or I was in her bedroom talking to her. It's all weird."
"Wait. Burning train? You mean the train that Jackie saved the man from?"
"What?"
"You don't remember that?"
"Nope."
"Because… Jackie ran into a burning train car and saved a man."
"Well if that did happen, I dreamt Claire did it."
"Well, I think you're crushing."
"On Claire?"
Britt giggled, "Yeah."
Claire walked down a path towards her house separate from Zach and Britt. She felt so alone, there was no one to talk to on the way home. No more cheerleaders, no more Zach… no one. She came out and into her neighborhood and spotted the two walking ahead. She really wanted to speak to Zach. But that girl was with him so she thought the best of it. She watched Zach stop off at his house and bid goodbye to Britt. Britt walked off toward her house. Claire walked up to her.
"Hey, uhh…?"
Britt turned around shocked to see Claire walking behind her. "Claire?"
"Yeah… I was wondering about Zach… has he… mentioned me?"
Typical Claire. Britt thought. Always about herself. "Yeah, he has." She replied.
"What has he said."
"He said he wonders what happened to your popularity." She lied.
"Oh." Claire said sadly. "I'm not that person anymore."
"What?"
"Can you keep a secret?" Claire asked, putting total trust on this girl.