Chapter 11

When Claire wakes up the next morning, she's welcomed by a massive headache. Great. She climbs out of bed and gets some spare clothes before heading into the bathroom for a shower. She spends about half an hour in the shower, hoping that, somehow, the water will manage to wash away all her problems for her. But she knows it won't. Eventually, the water runs cold.

Crap! Eve's going to kill her!

She sighs and climbs out of the shower, changing into some denim shorts and a blue long-sleeved T-shirt before returning to her room, leaving the bathroom a cloud of mist.

After dumping her old clothes on her bed, she heads downstairs.

'You look like crap,' Eve says when Claire enters the kitchen.

'Thanks, love you too,' Claire mutters before rummaging through the cupboards for some painkillers.

'What's wrong?' Shane asks.

'Headache. I usually get them when a whole lifetime decides to resurface in your memory as a dream.'

'Wait,' Michael says as he enters the kitchen. 'So, that's it now, you've remembered your first ever life?'

'Oh, yeah,' Claire sighs.

'That bad?' Eve asks, looking sympathetic.

'Worse,' Claire replies, taking the painkillers.

'Want to talk about-'

'Nope,' Claire says, cutting Eve of midsentence. She sits down at the table and rests her head on her folded arms. 'I feel like shit.'

'Yeah, you can kinda tell,' Michael laughs.

'So,' Eve starts, 'what's the plan for the day? I mean, me and Michael haven't got work. So we could go to the cinema or something?'

'Can't,' Claire sighs. 'There's something I've got to do, someone I have to see. Sorry.'

Eve sighs. 'Never mind then. We can always do something later. Who are you going to see?'

'Nobody important,' Claire says, standing up and heading for the back door. 'I hopefully wont be too long.'

'Claire…' Eve says. Claire stops walking and turns to face her. 'Please don't keep anymore secrets.'

Claire sighs. 'I'm going to see Drake. Like I said, nobody important.'

'Why?'

Claire looks over at Shane and then quickly away again. 'I'll tell you later,' she promises before turning and leaving the house.

She pulls out her phone and texts Drake saying,

'Where R U? I need 2 talk 2 U!'

It's not long before she gets a reply saying,

'Meet me Common Grounds?!'

She heads for the coffee shop, not really sure what she's going to say but, she knows that whatever she says it'll be calm and collected…

'Why the hell didn't you tell me?' She half screeches before she's fully even sat down. So much for the calm and collected.

'Tell you what?' Drake asks innocently.

'Drop the crap, Drake. I remember.' Drake sighs.

'Look... I wanted to tell you, but - I don't know… everything has to-'

'Don't even try and give me that BS about everything happening in its place because I don't care!'

'Claire, I get that you're pissed but-'

'Pissed? PISSED! You bet I'm pissed! I only found out LAST NIGHT that I used to be head over heels for a guy that I've hated my whole life!'

'What was I supposed to say? Oh, you're going to die when you're eighteen and, by the way, you used to be in love with me?'

Claire sighs. 'This isn't your first time though, is it? Explaining it all to me, I mean.'

'No. No, it's not. It's one of the last things you remember but… you still remember it. And, when you do? You're always completely pissed.'

'So... how come I don't remember this conversation when I remember my other lives?' Claire asks confused.

'Because I don't let you, it's the one thing that I use my power on you for… to stop you remembering this conversation that we have every lifetime.'

'You - You fuck with my memory?' Claire asks in disbelief.

'Yeah…'

'Why?'

'Because... It's easier.'

'For who?' she asks. 'Me… or you?'

He doesn't answer.

'Yeah, I thought so,' Claire snaps, standing up. 'Stay the hell away from me, Drake.' And, with that, she walks back outside.

She's only taken three steps down the road before she hears the door to Common Grounds go behind her.

'Claire, wait!' he calls after her, grabbing her arm and spinning her to a halt.

'What?' Claire snaps. 'What do you want, Drake?'

'Let me explain-'

'Explain what? WHAT can you possibly explain to me that'll let you of the hook for FUCKING WITH MY MEMORY? I mean, Jesus Christ, It's hard enough as it is to try and piece everything together!'

'I'm still in LOVE with you, Claire! I have been for centuries!'

Claire doesn't reply... She doesn't know how to. She shakes her head and lets out a hysterical laugh.

This can NOT be happening!

'I know that this is weird and awkward… THAT'S why I messed with you memory!'

'Oh my God… I really can't deal with this right now!' Claire sighs in frustration. What the hell's supposed to happen now? She's in love with Shane, not Drake!

'Look, Claire, I know that messing with your memory isn't right but, well, would you really rather it be super awkward from the start? I mean, I have to live and watch you die, come back, fall in love with someone else, and then die again… then it just repeats itself! Have you got any idea what that's like? To watch the girl you love fall in love with all these other guys and it not be you? Hell, you wiped out our entire species for one of those guys! And now… now it's Shane!' Claire doesn't know what to say to that… but then a thought hits her.

'Wait... if I wiped out my entire species, and the old ones didn't return but new ones were created… then how can you be standing here right now?' She asks in confusion.

Drake sighs. 'Doesn't matter,' he mumbles.

Is it just Claire, or is he starting to sound like her?

'No, you're keeping secrets. What's going on?' Claire demands.

'It doesn't matter,' he says through gritted teeth.

'The hell it doesn't! Tell me or I'll-'

'Or you'll what, Claire? Hey? What CAN you do? Nothing.'

She slaps him... Hard.

'I'll refuse,' she spits at him. 'I'll watch as our whole species dies and it'll all be because of you!' She knows it's a cheap shot, but she's fed up of not knowing things.

'You wouldn't…'

'Try me...'

He backs her into a wall and places his hands either side of her head, leaning in so close that their lips are almost touching. She freezes, memories of her first life flooding back involving her and Drake.

'You're not the only one living with a curse,' he whispers.

'What do you mean?' Claire asks.

'After Sondra put the spell on you that bound you to a life of death she turned to Samuel for comfort. What she didn't expect, however, is that Samuel was just as repulsed at Sondra as Tristan or Felicity. Samuel pushed her away, made her even more of an outcast and, well… we both know what Sondra Harness was like…

She put a spell on Samuel, making it so that if he ever had a son, his son would be in love with you throughout all your lives. Standing on the side lines, watching in pain and horror as you fall in love and die all over and over again.'

'You're... Samuel Mamorio's SON?!' Claire asks in disbelief.

"Yeah," Drake replies. He takes a few steps back so that they're not as close.

'And... You're immortal?' Claire asks in confusion.

He laughs. 'I guess you could say that, although I thought immortality would be much more fun than this. I never age, never die and, as a result, I get to watch everyone I love suffer and die.'

'Like me.'

'Exactly.'

'Oh.'

'Yeah,' he says. 'Oh.'

'I'm sorry... I didn't-'

'I know you didn't.'

'What now..?'

'What do you mean, 'what now?', now we carry on like normal. You're in love with Shane, I'm in love with you, you die. End of story,' Drake says, she winces at that.

You would've thought that she'd be used to talking about her death by now but… apparently not.

'There must be something. We could find a cure for this. Make it all stop,' Claire says.

'No,' Drake says. 'We can't. I've looked, trust me. There's nothing to be done but for us to accept it. You're going to die… and I'm not.'

'This is so messed up…' Claire sighs.

'Tell me about it.'

Claire sighs and looks down at her feet. Why her? Why does this all have to happen to her? It is so not fair. Why do she and Drake have to pay for something that happened so long ago between people that they don't even know?

Claire can't even remember knowing Tristan or Felicity now, the only parents she can remember are the ones that always have to die because of her. And Drake probably can't remember Samuel Mamorio. All this time having to live on his own like he has been… Claire actually feels sorry for him.

'You should get back to Shane,' Drake says. 'We both have things to be doing. It's nearly your seventeenth and you still have a decision to make. I'll see you around, Claire…"

And, with that, Drake walks off, leaving Claire stood outside on the pavement wondering how the hell her life just managed to get even more complicated.