Hey again guys! :D Now, this is a little different from all the other chapters... I thought to put in a little twist :P Now, to the question Night-Weaver 369 asked, I cannot reply directly if you do not have an account... But Claudia is based on a mix of people from my personal life and myself, and I have also grabbed inspiration from TV shows, books, films and stuff like that to bring Claudia and this story to life :) Hope that answers your question! Now, without further or do, I give you chapter 25! :D
Rick Hammond had always hated that brat by the name of Claudia Thatcher, right from the beginning. He had hated her before the death of her parents and after. He hated her before because of how false she seemed, looking far too innocent and naive. He hated the dark looks she would give him without realising it, those ocean blue eyes holding many doubts. He had thought she could see through him, see that he was so much more than what he seemed. He had never anticipated to feel such hate toward Martha's sister, but it wasn't until after the murders that he couldn't hold back his loathing.
He had always liked a good fighter. Challenges were his specialty. But he loved beating that girl to a pulp, for she really knew how to push his buttons. However, over the last few weeks, she had changed. Her old self was emerging, and she was making things so much harder. She had convinced Martha to turn her back on him, and now she wouldn't let him get anywhere near Martha. Once upon a time, those sisters had hated one another, but now, now things were not going well at all. He needed Martha. He needed her money.
And that little bitch was getting in the way.
For the last week, ever since Jacky and his crew had beaten the crap out of her, he had been watching her from afar. She was getting cosy with two other teens, a brunette boy and blonde girl. The blonde had been the girl from that night, the one who had ruined everything before the Crawler entered the scene. She would have to pay for a start. The boy, however, remained a mystery to him. All he knew about him was that he was strong, for he had been in the apartment one night and defended poor little Claudia. The two of them followed Claudia as if they were her body guards, and they were beginning to get on Rick's nerves. He needed to get Claudia alone, or Martha, he didn't care which. But he mainly wanted to deal with Claudia himself.
He needed to get into the apartment. He needed to get his prised possession from there, but there was no way he was going to get it if the sisters were playing happy families.
But Rick Hammond always got what he wanted.
The relationship between Claudia and the boy troubled him the most. He had seen them alone, walking away from crowded areas before slipping their hands together. Were they together? Had Claudia actually fallen for someone? That wasn't good. If that were the case, she was never going to be seen alone, not like she used to. It was really beginning to piss him off.
It was Saturday, and Rick was watching his little friend hopelessly trying to flip a skateboard under her feet. It was closing in on sunset, and the skate park was completely empty apart from Claudia and her two friends. The blonde was lying on the floor, soaking up the last of the rays, whereas the boy was laughing at Claudia's terrible attempts. Rick hated how happy she looked. She deserved to be miserable. No, she deserved to be dead.
He touched his cheek, replaying how the now healing claws marks had appeared there. He remembered the pain when Claudia had lashed at him, tearing through his skin in fury. He had always loved him confrontations with her, for she never held back. It made her interesting, if not all the more exciting. He wanted the final confrontation with her to go down with a bang, for she had ruined all of his plans. He found himself glad that his men hadn't killed her there in the street, for he could torment her beyond madness. Clearly, these teens meant something to her as did Martha, and he was happy to use them against her.
He couldn't help but pick up on the longing gazes between his girl and the boy, especially when the blonde wasn't looking. They shared secret smiles, touched whenever they got the chance. It was obvious that something was going on between them, making things all the more interesting. He watched as the boy placed his hands on his girl's hips, steadying her on the board. She was laughing. His girl was laughing! She shouldn't be laughing. She should be miserable. She deserved misery for ruining all he had worked for.
The Thatcher family were wealthy bastards, truly they were. Mark and Ashley Thatcher, the parents, had been so very wealthy. They were the talk of the neighbourhood. Mark had been working as a surgeon, Chief surgeon actually, and Ashley had been a brilliant journalist/photographer. They flood in the cash, giving their two daughters the life of luxury.
But Rick Hammond had had to work all his life. His father had owned a corner shop, that's all, and his mother had been unemployed. When his father went to work, he had to put up with the violence of his mother. Rick had had a terrible childhood, suffering beatings from that beastly woman. He always got picked on at school, forced into smoking and drinking. But he had pulled through. He had left that house at the age of sixteen and moved in with his grandmother, and then moved on at the age of twenty. He was now twenty six and was getting by, or at least he was. He had found Martha, learned about her family, and then planned on sharing all of her money.
Martha, the perfect woman. Naive, beautiful, wealthy. She had been so easy to wrap around his finger, pulling her into a false sense of security. He pretended to offer her protection, love and a marriage. But his real plan had been to marry her, stay married for a year, and then leave her with half of the money. But things were never that simple. But he thought that once the parents were out of the picture and all the money was handed down to the sisters, all would be perfect.
He never anticipated Claudia being part of that picture.
The blonde was talking now. She was saying that she needed to get home to help her mother with her work. His girl and the boy insisted on taking her home, and the dynamic trio left the park in complete harmony, unaware of Rick's presence. He watched as the boy swung his arm around Claudia's shoulder, laughing and joking with them. Claudia playfully shoved him away, and then the three disappeared around the corner.
She was too happy for her own good. Damn that blonde and fancy man. They would both have to pay. Rick was going to get that money that the girls had not earned. He wasn't even sure if Claudia knew about the money her parents had left her. But he needed that money, for himself and for his growing business. His illegal business, he might add, but that was all part of the fun. It was amazing what you could get away with in the city, from robbing banks to dealing drugs.
He considered following them, but he could wait. Let her feel safe and secure, and then shatter her would once again. Oh, she was so weak. She should have known better than to start trusting again. She should have seen sense and not fall to the power of love. Because it was love that would destroy her.
And he simply couldn't wait.
Gwen's house was pretty damn pretty. She let me and Peter inside, saying we could stay for a while. I looked around in awe, embracing its space and feeling far too unsophisticated to be in here. It was so bright and open, immediately making you feel at home. But there was a dark tint to it, the remainders of the hurt atmosphere left behind by the death of her father. She had left me and Peter standing in the hall way, insisting that we waited for her to get her mother to meet me. While I looked around, gawping at the photos on the wall and embracing the warmth, Peter's fingers kept touching mine discreetly. I rolled my eyes, for he was always insisting on touching me, but I secretly enjoyed it all the same.
Gwen came back with a woman. I suddenly felt a little self conscious, and I wanted to suddenly run away and hide. I had always hated being put on the spot.
"Mom, this is Claudia Thatcher." Gwen said sweetly. I swallowed, forcing a smile to the pretty woman before me. She looked normal enough, but the faint pain in her grey eyes was unmistakable. My heart instantly went out to her. Judging by the photos around us, she had to raise four children by herself, three boys and Gwen. I couldn't imagine how difficult that must be for her. She smiled at me and held out her hand, and I gingerly placed mine in hers in a handshake.
"It's lovely to meet you, Claudia, Gwen has been speaking so much about you." she said. I instantly liked this woman, for she didn't even glance at my cheek, but stared straight into my eyes. I instantly felt respect for her.
"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs Stacy." I said softly. She released my hand and looked at Peter, who nodded his head and smiled politely. She smiled back and touched his cheek playfully.
"Would either of you like a drink?"
We stopped for an hour or so. All the boys of the family were out, leaving mother and daughter with a night to themselves. I felt as if we were intruding, but Mrs Stacy insisted on us staying for a while. She was very fond of Peter, that much was easy to tell. And the way she spoke of her late husband had me wanting to comfort her so much. She had loved that man with all her heart. He was her entire world next to her children. I listened intently to her stories of him, for I was both curious and I knew that she just wanted people to confide in. And, in return, I ended up telling stories of my own family, and another tonne was lifted from my heart.
Peter and I said our goodbyes to Gwen, promising to meet up over the weekend. Once she closed the door, Peter took my hand in his and led the way out of her building.
"I'm glad you and Gwen are friends." He said. "She adores you, you know."
"She's okay I guess." I said jokingly, earning a chuckle.
"Have you thought any more about going to that dance yet?"
"Nope, and the answer is still no." He laughed, kissing my temple.
"We'll see." He said. We left Gwen's neighbourhood, the muggy air uncomfortable now. However, it didn't take me long to know that Peter was taking me in the opposite direction to my home.
"Where are we going?" I asked, looking up at him curiously. Mischief clouded his eyes, and his grin had my stomach fluttering with nerves.
"My house, as long as we're having family meetings, you might as well meet my Aunt May. She's been dying to meet you." he told me, laughing at the shock on my face. "She's not going to kill you, you know."
"Have I ever told you how pushy you are?" I said.
"Yeah, once." He laughed. I rolled my eyes. I let him lead the way through the quiet neighbourhoods, the sun now settling behind the clouds and darkening the world around us. We walked past a row of houses, all connected with lovely porches which were now being lit by automatic lights. Finally, he pulled me up the steps of door thirty six.
Once again I felt a little nervous, for more pain went on behind this door. But there was something about the way Peter spoke of his aunt that made me want to meet her. Perhaps it was curiosity. Either way, I wanted to make a good impression on the woman who was Peter's world. Smiling, Peter tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, squeezed my hand, and then opened the door to his world.
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