Author's note: After 18 billion years, I finally updated.
Chaotic – Cool ka lang, nagbibiro lang naman ako e.
Hotaru – Actually, you don't review as much as you project witty, random side comments, but hey, that's why I love you.
Tifa – Why not? Hugging is such a great thing.
Daniel – Thanks dude.
Dragon – There are tons of great fics here, they just aren't given enough attention because all the recognition goes to the fics with a bloody pairing.
Molotov – Rehearsing helps if the girl is hot and especially more if she thinks I'm hot, so it wasn't at all too hard. But come on, this is a fanfiction, it masterpieces are like, Les Miserables or The Children.
Serena – Glad to hear that it hurts, I think.
Claire-Redfield – Yes, I will write more, this is proof.
Chapter 6: "Lightning Sharpens"
Claire angrily put down the receiver, and rubbed her temple with her free hand, an act that she found herself doing repeatedly now. She was at a payphone, just in the block in front of the blue creek apartment complex. The young woman was sick of having Sherry hear her shout and mope about in hopes of finding answers to her problems. Her hand was still firm on the black receiver, as she stared past the glass and to the window of her room. "In a few days, she won't be there with me anymore…" she thought sadly. "No! Snap out of it! I am not some weakling…I'll get through this."
Her mock optimism was ill suited however, especially since she couldn't procure any more money to pay for a law firm that claimed to help the economically unstable. With a deep breath, she pulled herself away from the phone booth. She wore a red, collared shirt and a pair of black denim pants that were already faded.
"Claire Redfield!" came a short woman whose aged was indeterminable from the layers of withered skin upon her face. It was a miracle she had the strength to even blink, more so shout in her shrill voice. She wore a sweater and a blouse that covered her up to her ankles. Both articles of clothing were sickly blue.
"Yes, Ms. Acorn?"
"I saw you on my way…"
"Oh?"
"And I wanted to show you this personally." She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Claire. "Oh God." Claire could already read the black, bold print through the back as she unfolded the piece of paper. "Just wanted to give you an early start to pack your things. That is if you have any." The woman said as she snatched the paper back.
"You can't…please Ms. Acorn, give me a few more days!"
"I've given you three weeks, and look at where you are now."
"But…things are looking up! Really, they are!"
"Oh? Then why the suicidal look you had in the phone booth?"
"That…was just a misunderstanding I had with a friend…"
"…"
"Please! Ms. Acorn, please!"
"You can't ask for extensions forever. Everything has a deadline."
"We have nowhere else to go!"
"That isn't my problem."
"Ms. Acorn…"
"Listen…Claire, God knows you look like a strong, responsible woman, but out here…we have to look out for ourselves. We all have to make a living."
"…Just a few more days…"
"…Claire, if I listened to my emotions more than my head, then I'd be out of business by now."
"…You know…if it were otherwise?"
"…"
"You might actually have somebody come by your deathbed." Claire bitterly remarked, walking past the elderly woman who could do nothing but gasp.
Leon sat on a swing, unmindful of the piercing raindrops that stabbed his skin. He didn't let any thought race through his mind as he stared into blankness. At that moment, he didn't want to know whose fault it was. He didn't want to think of how he could make it up or how it could turn out worse. Leon turned leaned his head upwards, watching the gray clouds march through the equally dark skies.
Rachel sat at the table, still like it was half an hour since he stormed out of their home. The food was already cold, and everything was motionless. Her gift, still wrapped, was by Leon's plate. She stared at it, painfully reminding herself of what has just happened. Her face was red and moist, and her nails dug onto the wooden table. "It's happening again." She thought. Rachel coldly remembered what has happened two years ago, but quickly tore the memories away before it got out of hand.
She stood up and began to clear the table, putting the uneaten food in the refrigerator and wiping the surface with a small towel. "Maybe this was meant to be? Am I in control of my destiny?" The phone rang, cutting her train of thought. It rang about three times before she was able to pull herself off of what she was currently doing to get it.
"Hello?"
"Rachel?"
"Emily, hi."
"You sound…"
"…"
"So you asked him?"
"Yeah…"
"And…"
"I feel terrible."
"Oh God. Want me to come over?"
"No, no thank you, I think…I just want to be alone…"
"…"
"Do you think that, maybe this is a test?"
"A test?"
"You know, something like God would give?"
"I'm not a religious person."
"…"
"But if it helps, I do know for a fact that hardships are there to make us stronger."
"…Then I must be like the Incredible Hulk by now."
"You…have more of a ghost rider thing going on."
"Shut up, Emily."
"…You know what you should do?"
"Apologize like hell?"
"That comes later."
"…"
"Find her."
"Claire?"
"Yes. You told me that you heard them right? Do you still remember the address that was given to him?"
"It's…he put it in his wallet."
"Then go get it."
"I don't think it's a good idea."
"You're not just going to let this unknown woman ruin your life will you?"
"…"
"Well?"
"I'll…talk you later, okay?"
"Do the right thing."
"What is the right thing?" Rachel thought as she put the receiver down without even any goodbye. It was hard to keep etiquette in check when all hell breaks loose. She didn't move from where she stood. "Should I do it?" she thought to herself as she pulled down her hair. This was the same phone that she heard Leon talk it over with some other person. That night, she felt like she wanted to tear it away from his hand and throw it away. Then she realized that she was being selfish. She hated that feeling.
"God, why did I have to shout!?" Leon screamed to himself as he walked along the drenched roads. Sensibly enough, he was the only one out in that weather, with the exceptions being the few passersby who gave the young man a look of curiosity as to why he was braving the rain. He stopped for a moment, and stared across the lawn and into the window of a neighbor's home. It wasn't at all a grand achievement of architecture, but it provided plenty of walls and a roof. A warm, red glow came from the fireplace, and a child was sitting by the window, no older than six. His mother was teaching him how to tie his shoelaces.
Leon brushed his hair back and went on his way, before anyone would misconceive him as some sort of stalker. If Claire had never called him, he would be on his way to having and sharing the same warmth and security that the family shared. "No, don't blame her." He thought, even though he was in a desperate search for somebody to pin his grief on. His childhood consisted of bullies and users, something not common to children who didn't hope for a future higher than they should. He always had the luxury of putting the blame on somebody. Raccoon city taught him otherwise, now life is once again trying to teach him to turn back to his old ways.
He didn't want to think about it. "…Should I apologize? For what? I didn't start anything! Did I?" Leon bit his lower lip, not even noticing the rain dissipate. The sky was opening up to light once again, with only a slight drizzle being the precipitation's last sigh of protest. "Can't Rachel just…leave me alone about this? This isn't her god damned business!" It was only after the rain that he began to feel the chill run down his spine, though at the time, he wasn't entirely too sure if it was because he was drenched or because he openly blaming the girl she loves. "I…should head back. But what do I say to her when I do?"
Rachel sat on the side of the bed, right to the wall. Her fiancée's wallet was sprawled on top of the mattress, with the address of Claire Redfield open beside it. She was already dressed in a violet, v-necked shirt and a black blouse. A rectangular, brown leather case was also on the bed, neatly filled and already closed. Rachel's hands were on her laps, and she began to look down, her hair covering the sides of her face. She held a rosary in her right hand. Her family never did bring her up in faith, but the moment that her life was saved, she knew that it must have been something from Heaven that was sent to help her. Now, she feared that Heaven was calling him back.
Leon opened the door, dripping wet, and stepped inside the house. The table was already free from any sort of dinnerware, as if it wasn't set up just moments ago. "Rachel?" he called, even though he had no idea what to tell her if ever she came down. He didn't bother taking off his clothes, even though they felt like they pulled down his body. "Where is she?" he thought out as he began to walk up the stairs. He looked up as he climbed the case, his heart racing with each step.
Author's note: Incredibly short still, but the later chapters would last longer, promise! Well, that should give you a "it's over?" kind of feeling. Well, hope you enjoyed the ever wallowing ocean of pity I've thrown these people in. Until next time.