(AN: This story is just a random idea. I have no idea where I'll take it. I'm starting with this chapter, and if I get good feed back, I will write more.)

Nothing is wrong. I'm fine.

Claudia sighed and twirled a piece of hair between her fingers as she leaned further back in the chair. The chair morphed a bit to form around her. For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Claudia felt her thoughts drift between her memories, feeling, and dreams.

As she thought about what she'd lost and gone through her entire life. Yes, she was the spunky, strong-headed tech, but inside, she knew it wasn't entirely her. She always tried to tell herself otherwise, and she had begun to believe it was her. But deep in her heart and mind, her conscious told her she was softer, that her current appearance was just a mask. That inside, she wanted to wear a couple of frills once in a while. Maybe lighter colors. Maybe, just maybe, reach out of her comfort zone and grab a cute skirt.

But she also knew she was afraid that even bringing out a small part of her softer side could cause her entire wall to crumble, the wall that she'd spent her entire life building up, blocking out the real emotions. She was afraid of what the rest of the world would think about cute, pretty Claudia instead of rocker girl Claudia. She was especially worried of what her adopted family would think of her. She couldn't loose them like she almost did Joshua- she wouldn't.

Claudia shivered, feeling cold despite her dark blue jeans and leather jacket. She pulled her legs up to her right side, squishing the seat of the chair. She was currently sitting in one of the two chairs on the patio of the B&B. The night air was warm, considering it was late July. It was beginning to get a little chilly, but tonight was a nice night. She knew she should have had been in bed by then, but she couldn't sleep. She had dragged herself from her room to sit there after about a thirty minutes of tossing and turning.

Wrapping her right arm around her legs, Claudia used her left hand to fiddle with the hanging pendant around her neck. It hung medium length, but because she never wore low-cut necklines, she always managed to hide it in her jackets or shirts without taking it off. She didn't want anyone to see it. She could imagine her friends' responses. They would scoff at her, call her a girly-girl, and crack jokes about how she's getting soft. A tear slid down her face as she thought about it.

But no matter how afraid she was of being ridiculed, she couldn't bring herself to take it off. She didn't want it off. It was what brought her comfort in the worst of times when nothing else could. It was a deep purple-blue crystal heart, with a laced metal top. It hung on a small, thin, silver chain. The heart itself, too, was thin. Thin enough that you couldn't see it if it was underneath a shirt.

Feeling for it, she felt the cool crystal touch the tips of her fingers and she grasped it. She didn't remember how or when she got it, but it was important to her. The only part of the real Claudia she actually walked around with, and acknowledged it's existence.

As held the heart, she thought back to the time she lost Steve. She remembered relying on the necklace to keep her stable. Or, at least as stable as you could be standing in front of your dead best friend.

She looked at the black and silver watch on her wrist and took in the time. 1:32. She winced.

Claudia looked up at the sky, staring at all the little stars. She forced herself to think about them instead of her painful memories. She began to attempt to count them, feeling the need to do something simple. After a while she began to feel the affects of sleep drag her eyelids. 99, 100, 101, 102, 10... Counting a final number, she allowed darkness to cover her, escaping from the waking world, at least for a few hours.

(AN: If you're wondering what the pendant looks like, go here: listing/94801855/violet-blue-heart-necklace-sterling. Also, please give your opinion on the story. This is only my second Fanfic, I'd like to know how I'm doing. Thanks for reading, and stay awesome!)