Birds of a feather

Chapter 1

Claire 'Lightning' Farron smiled the same smile she has for the past two months as she watched her class of fifth graders walk in. None of them said hello or good morning to her, expect one. A girl with long silver hair named Nora Estheim.

"Hello Miss Farron how are you." She smiled and waved as she spoke. Claire Farron smiled a genuine smile at the girl. "Morning Nora. Im just fine this morning how about you?"

"Oh Im fine. Thanks for asking." She is such a sweet girl she thought as she watched Nora take her seat. Miss Farron stood and began to teach the class. All and all it was a good day she thought as she taught her class. Nobody was rowdy. Everybody was getting along. A good smooth sailing day and on a Monday no less.

Then lunch happened.

Sweet little Nora got into a fight with another girl. Not a slap tossing hair pulling fight, oh no. Little Nora broke out military style take downs. Needless to say the other girl lost. Hard.

She watched as the principal reprimanded the two girls and issue them a suspension. Well it would have been a suspension but Miss Farron suggested a better punishment, one that was dished out when she was in school; following the janitor around for a few days cleaning vomit and all other nasty things. Loser girl screamed how that's not fair and Nora just looked down at the floor. Now was the fun part the parent teacher meeting with Nora's parents to find out where she learned those moves.

It was around 4:30 when both of Nora's parents arrived. Nora was in the library waiting as Claire talked to her parents. She had met the mother, Vanille, once during the start of the school year. She was slender and pretty with pale pink hair and dressed to the nine's. The father, Hope, she had never met but could tell without a doubt Nora took after him. He was handsome and casually dressed with the same bright green eyes and silver hair as Nora. She really didn't know much about these two other than they were divorced.

"Hello Miss Vanille Im sorry to have meet again under such Circumstances." She was deliberate in not calling her Miss Estheim. "Mister Estheim Im sorry our first meeting is less than ideal."

"Yes I had hoped to never attend a meeting like this. Nora is such a sweet girl I don't know what could have come over her." Vanille spoke in an accent that Claire couldn't quite place. It sounded kinda Australian.

"Yeah it's a shock for sure. Oh yeah just call me Hope, I get enough mister Estheim at work." Vanille cut a glance at him that seemed to say 'You're not taking this seriously'.

"Yes well anyways I'm here to discuss everything with you." Claire straightened up and put her hands in her lap. "I spoke to the girls about what started it and it looks like Rebecca was saying rather mean things about Nora's father." She hoped saying 'Nor's father' instead of Hope or mister Estheim would avoid it seeming like she was picking a side.

"I will definitely talk to her that's no reason to fight someone." It was Hope who spoke.

"Oh don't act all high and mighty. She probably got the idea its ok to hurt people over such things from you." Hope let out a small sigh at his ex-wife's retort. She needed to regain control before this turned into a yelling match.

"There is the matter of the moves she used. They were military and she very well could have severely injured that girl. She needs to understand that those moves-

"Oh you did not teach MY daughter that stupid fighting stuff!" Vanille spat at Hope as she waved her finger at him.

"I did. I figured she needed to know how to defend herself. Believe me I am going to get on to her for this. I told her to only fight to defend herself never out of anger."

"Oh whatever! You'll just pat her on the back for winning the fight! That's all you care about! That she used your little moves to beat a kid!"

"You know that's not true. Heh you're just mad because she stuck up for me instead of going along with the girl." A slight victory smirk came to Hope's face as Vanille's twisted in anger.

"Enough! Both of you shut it!" The two looked her in surprise as Claire shot up. "Her punishment is the same as Rebecca's, they get to follow the janitor around and clean vomit. Here." She slapped down a small bundle of papers. "this is a copy of the lessons she'll miss so she don't fall behind."

Vanille took it "Thank you miss Farron." She stood and shot a hideous glance at Hope. "She wouldn't be acting like this if you had been around." She stormed off her high heels clacking on the floor. Hope sat there defeated.

She looked away from him. She heard him let out a deep sigh and looked back to see him run his hand through is hair. "She's right I should have been there." He sat back up in the chair.

"Nora really likes you know. Your hair especially." Claire touched her pink hair at hearing this revelation. "She needs a good female role model in her life. As her father I can't relate to what a girl goes through. And her mother well….She loves Nora but she has a constant string of boy toys coming and going. Im afraid it could screw up her perception of relationships. Im trying to raise her in a Christian home, but I don't I just worry is all."

She stared at him. He was very open to someone he just met. What did he mean role model?

"You don't even know me and you think im a good role model for Nora?" a grin escaped her lips. "I could have a string of boy toys too you know."

"Nah after Nora's first day of school she said 'Ive got a good feeling about her' that's enough for me to go by." She held out her hand to him as he stood to leave.

"Well Hope lets 'you' we meet again under better circumstances. Oh and you can me Lightning." He shook her hand as he said "Now that's an odd name."

"Daddy always said it was my call sign. My real name is Claire, but only a couple people can call me that." Wait she just said daddy instead of father. She only said daddy when talking to her daddy or mom and sister.

Hope smiled at her a gentile smile. "Well lightning it has been a pleasure to meet you." he let go of her hand and walked off. " Just out of curiosity what did that girl say about me?"

"She wouldn't come clean and Nora wouldn't tell me either."

"Ah oh well. It's no big deal just thought I'd ask." She watched him leave. There was something about this man. She wasn't sure what it was but she felt comfortable around him. She was looking forward to meeting him again someday.

Author's Note

Hey there I hope you enjoy the story! It's made to be fast and loose in terms of writing. That doesn't mean I'm going skip out on proof reading or editing before publishing, it just means I'm not hitting it with a fine tooth comb. Also chapters are going to be fairly short. Anyways let me know what you think! And thank you for reading.