Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns most of this stuff, but Claire is mine…and so is Gavin, and all his family members belong to me too, so don't take them from me!! If you do, I will kick you in the face!
"There are people here investigating the killings! What if they figure it out? What if they already know?" my father was nearly shouting.
"Calm down, Edward," Esme said, grabbing Edward's hand and pushing him into the chair in Carlisle's office.
"They won't figure it out if they're mortal, and if they already know then that's why they asked Claire today. If they already know, then they've already pinned it on us and just need an excuse," Carlisle said, his always logical mind coming up with the answers as always.
"Good point," Edward sighed, massaging his temples like he always did nowadays.
"And if they already think it's us, they'll be watching us," Carlisle finished. "So, in that case, we need to watch them as well. Claire," he said. I looked up, into Carlisle's eyes. I didn't know why, but I trusted him more than my own family members, possibly because he would never lie to me and because he was the first person I saw in my new life. I wasn't really sure though. "I need you to keep an eye on those two you have classes with. Caleb and Keira are strictly business, so don't become friends with them. You know how to act even better than the rest of us, so please, act. Do not actually develop a relationship with either of them. If you do, the plan will be ruined."
"I got it," I said softly with a glance at my mother. She was worried about me…worried because as soon as she saw the boy, she thought that I would end up dating him or something. I guess she could be right in a way, but I knew better. She approached me, leaning down slightly to whisper into my ear.
"He did smell like dog…Edward said he couldn't get a good whiff from the kitchen. I have no idea what they are, but be careful not to let anything slip around them, alright?" she asked.
"Bella…why are you whispering…they can hear you anyway," I said with a laugh.
"Oh…right," my mother said before walking out of the office. I wanted to talk to Carlisle. It was important after the last thing I extracted from Alice's mind. It was just one flash of an image…an alley, and at the end of the alley was my body all bruised and battered. I wanted some sort of explanation.
"Edward…Esme," I began, looking at the others in the room besides Carlisle and myself.
"Yes?" Esme answered, looking up.
"Can I talk to Carlisle alone please?" I asked, looking from Edward to Esme with a swift glance of pleading.
"Sure, kid," Edward said, leaving the room. Esme lifted her hand to her mouth as though to bite her nails, but she stopped. Her maternal instinct wanted to know everything now that I was the family's baby. "Come on, Esme," Edward said, grabbing his mother's hand and pulling her out of the room. I laughed as I watched them leave, content with my family as I had always been.
"Now. What is it that you wished to talk about?" Carlisle asked, sitting down in the chair behind his desk. I sat down across from him, thinking about how to word my answer.
"I want to know where I came from, and why I can't remember anything at all of my human life when the rest of them remember something," I answered, looking at my hands resting on the top of his desk. "I trust you to be honest with me more than the rest of them, which is why I asked them to leave. I have asked Bella and Edward a million times to tell me, but they won't. So, please, tell me," I pleaded, looking up into his golden eyes.
"It's not my place to tell you. Only Edward and Bella have the right to say," he answered.
"Then can you answer some other questions?"
"Such as…"
"Why are my eyes blue when everyone else has gold or black eyes and the rogues we meet have red? Why did the piercing in my nose stay when Rosalie and Bella's pierced ears disappeared? Why do I not crave blood as often as you?"
"Most of those questions I can't answer."
"Why?"
"Because I have no idea myself. You were a wonder when you first came into this family. You had so much potential to be the greatest and most powerful of our race. Look at you…you're faster than Edward and I have never seen anyone beat him. You have the strength to match Emmet…no one has ever been able to match that. Your eyes are blue…why? I have no idea. You can bend light into solid objects, and I question the possibility of that as well. Your nose remains pierced and scars from the transformation still stay on your body when everyone, including Bella's faded within two days of end of the transformation.
"I cannot pretend to understand why you are the way you are. How you can possibly blend in as well as you do, why your eyes stay the same icy blue they were while everyone I have met has lost their vibrant eyes, including Edward's bright green ones. Claire, please, believe me when I say I have no idea why you are the way you are. I have no idea why you don't remember. When we found you, you had lost most of your memories already. You're the youngest of my family now, and we all feel protective of you, which is why you must trust me when I tell you it isn't time to tell you the state we found you in."
I searched his mind frantically, but he was guarding his thoughts from me…I couldn't even detect my own presence in his mind. Damn, he must have gotten good at that when Edward was living with him.
"I just thought you would tell me. I thought I was always ready. I pulled a thought out of Alice's head today and it made me question whether or not you've been telling me the truth my whole life or not," I said simply, standing up.
"Where are you going?" Carlisle asked, his voice holding the concern it always held when he spoke to me.
"Out," I answered simply, opening the door to his office and walking past the rest of my family and out the front door.
Bella's POV
"What did she say?" I asked when Carlisle emerged from the office. "Why did she storm out of here?"
"Calm down, Bella," Edward said, his hands on my shoulders trying to soothe my chagrin.
"Calm down!? My daughter just stormed out of here and sprinted back to the house. Goodness knows where she's going to be!" I shouted.
"She wanted to know about the day we found her," Carlisle answered simply.
"You didn't say anything did you?" Edward asked.
"Of course not. It's your decision to tell her or not," Carlisle replied. "Although I think she's ready. I know she's ready. You are just afraid of what she'll do to humans if she finds out what society did to her."
"I told you it was time the moment she woke up and was a vampire," I yelled at Edward, turning around to face him.
"She'll freak out," he said simply, his seriousness not escalading to anger quite yet.
"She deserves to know. She needs to know not only how we found her, but also what we found out later on when we researched it. She needs to know why she's different from the rest of us. So what she may hate humans for a while and have to go on a break to Denali like you had to and Carlisle did and Esme and Jasper and the rest of them. She has a right to know," I said angrily.
"Then she can remember it herself," Edward replied.
"What if she never does?" I asked sadly.
"Then she'll never know," he said softly, his hand stroking my cheek as he leaned down to kiss my lips. At that moment my argument dissolved. The scent of him filled my lungs and I could barely breathe, even when I didn't really need to.
"What was I saying?" I asked when he pulled away.
"Nothing," he laughed.
"I hate it when you do that. You said you'd stop trying to 'mess' with my memory," I retorted angrily. "Now should we go and find our daughter?"
"No, she'll come back when she cools off," he replied.
"I hope you're right," I said softly.
Claire's POV
I slid onto the midnight blue Ducati, my helmet laying on a table inside the house and revved the engine before lifting off the break and shooting out into the night. As I drove I thought about the image I had pulled from Alice's mind and the answers Carlisle had given me. They didn't answer any of the questions I had. Angry, I pushed the bike faster, the wind rushing through my blonde hair as I made it to the place I was looking for. I stopped it and guided it over to a spot and set the alarm before walking over to the man behind a table. There were scantily clad women hanging off of him. I shrugged out of my riding jacket.
"Claire! Good to see you back here. You know, until you get your license back, though, you could get me into way more trouble than I would normally for running the races. You know I can't afford a bust right now," said the man.
"Tony…seriously. Let me run and I'll double what's in the pot right now," I said with a smirk.
"Deal," he said. "Babe, you sure are an idiot. That'll be four thousand dollars," he said with a smirk. I hated his obnoxious New Yorker accent. Well, he came from there, so I couldn't really hate it that much, could I?
I was already wearing my biking pants. They were by Icon Motors, and I loved them. They were so comfortable and sleek. I looked at him and handed him my money.
"Did you pick up everything I asked for?" I asked him, lowering my voice.
"Yeah. I mean seriously, how badly would parents freak if they found out you bought the superbike?"
"So, is it in my locker?" I asked impatiently.
"Yeah. Oh, here's the jacket and the boots, and the gloves too. You said you needed more racing gear, right?" he asked. I smiled.
"You get the winnings when I win, alright, Tony?" I asked with a smirk. "I paid for the bike, this is payment for the gear. You really are great," I laughed.
"No problem," he said with a laugh, lifting a huge shopping bag over the table and pushing it towards me. I opened it to find the brand new black Ducati jacket and racing boots and runner's gloves.
"This is exactly what I asked for. They're all optimal speed right?" I asked.
"Of course. You think I don't know you well enough by now?" he asked. "I got the helmet too. Want that?"
"Of course. Where is it?"
"Waiting with bike. Here's the key to your locker, kid. Go get the fastest bike in the world. It's cherry-red just like you asked. I mean seriously that thing was expensive. She's gonna make you cross the finish line first though," he laughed.
"Are there any cars in the race tonight?" I asked warily.
"Yeah. Two a guy and girl. One's brought a Lambo and the other has a viper. You can smoke them though, so don't worry about it."
"But aren't Vipers the fastest cars on the road?" I asked warily.
"Yeah, but you have the fastest bike on the road. And if you lose tonight, you'll owe me a lot of money," he said, suddenly much more serious. "So, better get ready, the race is in ten minutes."
"Alright," I said, snatching the key from his hand and taking the bag with me. I dropped my cruising jacket with the blue bike and walked over to the locker on the end of the lot and opened it. Inside sat the fastest bike in the world. It was the Ducati superbike, cherry-red. On the handlebars rested the newest 800-euro helmet. I let out a sigh of contentment. If Bella and Edward found out about this, I would be dead. If I lost, I would be dead. So, the options I had are as follows: Don't lose, don't let Bella and Edward figure it out. Come back in a week to earn back all the money I would lose tonight from giving it to Tony. Sounded easy enough, right? I let out a sigh before pulling on my new jacket and putting the helmet on my head. It was a very comfortable attire in comparison to the last set of Ducati clothing to be released. I mounted the bike and started it before driving off the ramp and out of the locker and through the small lanes before getting to the line.
I lined up with the other bikes and the cars before lifting the face shield on the helmet. I could feel a breeze as my blonde hair whipped around behind me.
"Hey princess! Don't expect us to go easy on ya because you're a chick," said the guy on the bike next to me. I stayed tensed to the motorcycle, leaned over and poised. I turned my head though.
"You might want me to be taking it easy on you, old man," I said sarcastically, patting the bike beneath me right where the number was pained to show what kind of bike it was. I saw his face make a grimace before he flipped down his own face shield. I looked at the two cars. One was a bright yellow while the other was a beautiful blue with two white stripes going up the front of it. I looked back ahead of me.
A woman dressed in motorcycle gear came out from an area where no one was parked and had a bright checkered flag in her hand. She lifted it and everyone revved their engines, I watched as everything in my mind slowed it all down as she lowered the flag and I stepped on the gas pedal and shot forward. The truth was I would always have the best reflexes. If I was running I could beat them all easily, but that wasn't the case. I needed speed and I pushed the bike forward, feeling like I was flying. I looked to my mirrors and saw the motorcycles and the yellow car behind me. When I turned my head the blue car was right next to me. It was a convertible, but the driver wasn't paying enough attention for me to notice any detail. I could only see that he was a man. I swore under my breath before pushing the bike harder, and the car matched me.
I pushed the face shield up and looked back at the man before noticing the traps that had been set this time. We were going through an alley at them moment. I had the course memorized. I saw flares of fire ahead and noticed a piece of plywood on top of a cinderblock. I swerved and went up, jumping the fire. I saw the car just speed right through the fire.
"Asshole," I muttered under my breath before speeding up even more. I was already pushing one-twenty. The car began to fall behind as I looked back ahead and saw the tunnel we had entered. There was a bunch of spikes on the ground and the tunnel was perfectly round. I swerved to the side and went up the wall, going all the way around the ceiling before coming back down ahead of the spikes. I saw the car go overtop of them. Hmm…of course, specialized tires. As I looked forward again, I saw the finish line and sped forward, but the car was catching up and I pushed even more to be at one-sixty, barely making it over the line first.
I circled around and came to a screeching halt. I took the helmet off and shook out my blonde locks before looking at the viper that had remained on my tale the entire way.
"Nice race," I said, not looking at the driver.
"You too, Claire," said a familiar voice. I looked up. Could this day get any worse? It was Caleb. Of course…I rolled my eyes before pulling off my gloves and shoving them into my pockets and pushing the bike over to the table. Caleb ran after me.
"I had no idea you were so idiotic," he laughed.
"Shut up," I said angrily, signing my name on the check and handing it to Tony before walking off. That check signed all my winning over to him from today.
"What was that?" Caleb asked as I wheeled my bike towards the locker. I pushed it in and took off the jacket and threw it inside along with my gloves and helmet. I was standing there in a black spaghetti-strap top and my biking pants and boots. I took the boots off and threw them in before picking up my cruising boots and pulling them on.
"I owed him money and a favor, if you must know," I said, knowing how snobby I sounded.
"For what?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. I was sitting on the locker ramp and I looked up at him, a glare on my face.
"Picking up a bunch of stuff, orders, parts. I was paying him back from a while ago. He sent in the order for the bike, but I had paid for that. He bought my helmet, which cost him about a thousand dollars, and he bought the jacket that was about five hundred bucks. Should I go on? You know how much Ducati stuff costs people nowadays," I said caustically, standing up and walking past him before lifting the ramp and locking the huge locker. I began to walk back towards my parking spot when I felt a hand grab my wrist and keep me from walking away. He didn't pull me back towards him, but just kept me still. I wasn't going to pull against him though.
"Can I help you?" I asked angrily, looking back at him.
"Yeah, you can tell me what you're doing here. Why are you doing idiotic stuff like this? Your family doesn't need the money or anything," he asked, letting go of my arm. I crossed my arms over my chest. I was completely aware that my toned stomach was showing, but I didn't care at the moment.
"Don't pretend to know anything about my family," I said angrily.
"I don't have to pretend. Everyone knows how much money your father makes as a surgeon. Your grandfather too, but no one has ever seen them, only your mother, and she looks way too young. What about my other questions?" he asked expectantly.
"I'm here because I am angry. This is what I do when I get pissed. There's a way for everyone to get anger out, you know. I was just doing what I do. The same goes for the idiotic question. Now why are you here? New kids never know about this stuff without a source."
"My cousin and I have been street racing since we were fifteen. In cars only, but still."
"Which cousin was in the lambo?" I asked, eyebrows raised.
"You do notice details, I'll give you that," he assessed. "It was Keira. She's the only one besides me who gets a kick out of the speed we get when racing."
"Well, go find her. I bet she's looking for you," I replied angrily.
"I know where she is. She lost, so she already drove home. She knows where I am too. So stop trying to get rid of me and just talk to me."
"Why are you being so nosy?" I asked, recalling what Carlisle had said about the possibility that they might know. I should probably be trying to get rid of him, but he did say I had to watch him…what better way to watch than to be with him. Maybe he just wanted to get to know me.
"Because I know you know something about the murders," he said flatly. Never mind, he didn't want to get to know me at all.
"You're unbelievable," I said angrily before walking away.
"Come on, just let me have on conversation with you," he said, running ahead of me and cutting me off. I glared at him. "Want to go get some coffee?"
"I don't like coffee," I said honestly. The truth was I didn't like any food, not when I had to cough it back up later because my digestive tract didn't work.
"A movie?" he said with a smirk.
"This late? Get real," I said with a glare.
"How about we just go sit somewhere and talk?" he asked hopefully.
"Hmm…maybe another time. I really should be getting home. My parents don't know I'm here."
"And they don't know this place exists either, do they?"
"I'm sure they know it exists…they just don't know I know it exists," I laughed.
"Oh, look, I made her smile!" he joked.
"I made myself smile, don't get cocky," I said, walking past him, my shoulder brushing up against his. I felt a small spark as our skin touched. I couldn't help but notice how muscled he was and how flawless his skin was. Okay, I needed to stop thinking of that stuff. I didn't need anyone in that way any time soon…if at all ever.
"Can I give you a ride home?" he asked with a smile.
"And what will we do with my other bike?" I replied sarcastically.
"I can call Clark to drive it to your house," he offered.
"Can Clark drive motorcycles?" I asked, trying to imagine the huge and muscled boy trying to drive something as small as my bike.
"Usually," he said with a laugh.
"Then hell no!" I replied. I treasured that bike too much to let an amateur drive it.
"Alright then…how about I drive you home from school tomorrow?"
"But…"
"Good, see you then," he said smirking. I stamped my foot as he walked over to his car. I couldn't believe him. What was his problem? The other day he acted like I smelled bad and now he couldn't keep himself away from me! Grr…this boy was getting more and more aggravating by the minute, but what I hated the most was that I sort of was looking forward to seeing him. I stomped back to my motorcycle only to be intercepted by Tony. He handed me a stack of bills.
"What's this?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The extra from when you paid me off. There was about a thousand left. Take it, I don't need it. A few people entered after you and it doubled the pot, so here, have it," he said.
"Thanks," I said, smiling. I rolled up the money and pushed it into my pocket before pulling on my boots and jacket and mounting my bike. "See ya next week," I said before turning the bike on and revving the engine and peeling out of there. By the time I got inside the house it was already midnight and I could hear my mother's frantic thoughts coming from the house. I walked in, waiting for the worst.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Bella's scream bombarded me. "You went for a drive without your helmet! You are grounded forever!"
"Bella, calm down," my father soothed her. She leaned back into his arms. I looked at them with a sigh.
"Why are you covered in soot?" my mother asked angrily. "Why is that black stuff all over your beautiful face?" she demanded. I touched my cheek and pulled my hand back, seeing the ash all over my fingers. It was only where I had kept the facemask up.
"I fell," I lied.
"You fell? You never fall. You can't fall. Tell me the truth," my father said, sounding calm as usual.
"That is the truth, I hit a patch of loose gravel the bike slipped out from under me and I thought I had brushed off, but seeing as I didn't have much of a mirror, I couldn't really know that there was still dirt all over my face," I said, not looking at them.
"Tell the truth, Claire," my father repeated.
"I was racing," I said, looking up at them. There wasn't a hint of regret in my tone. "There are you happy?" I asked before walking past them up the stairs and to my room and slamming the door.
Bella's POV
"We have to tell her or this will keep happening," I said softly, sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. "This is the second time this month she's been racing. Last time she was caught doing it in broad daylight and the officer took her license. If she keeps doing this she'll go to jail. We can't let her drive to school anymore. We should take the bike away," I finished thoughtfully.
"You want her to be even more of a rebel?" Edward asked rhetorically.
"No, but I don't know how else to solve this problem," I admitted, looking at my hands. "She can't be tamed, we should just get used to it. The longer we lie to her about her past, the longer she'll push us away. I don't want to lose our daughter," I said softly.
"We'll tell her when she has the maturity not to do the stuff she pulled tonight. I don't even know where she raced. I want to know if she does it for money and if she does I want to know whom she races under. She needs to grow up, that's her problem," Edward replied.
"It's not a maturity issue, it's her personality," I replied.
"Maybe you're right. Perhaps she'll never quite outgrow that stage of her life. I don't know how else to control her though. She only stays here to get answers I think. If we tell her, she'll get angry and leave and she might not come back," Edward said softly. I placed my hand on his and our fingers twined together.
"You're a good father, don't ever think you aren't. You gave this girl a second chance at life. Don't forget that. We were young when we adopted her…we were; well I was young and an idiot," I said softly and honestly. "She deserves to know. It's her life, and if she reacts the wrong way then we can sit her down and try to explain it to her. We both have seen human cruelty in our lives; we know what it can do. She hasn't seen it before, and she trusts them. Whichc is why if we tell her, she may go nuts, but the longer we wait, the bigger risk it is."
"I still say that when she shows the maturity not to act like she did tonight, she can know. It's like grounding, only more cruel," he said with a small smile on the corners of his lips.
"You're bad," I laughed.
"I know," he said with a smile.
Claire's POV
"They can't control me," I said under my breath as I packed a suitcase and tossed it out the window. It landed softly on the ground and I leapt out. I had to get out of here, just for tonight. I couldn't take a car though; it would alert them that I was leaving right away. I couldn't stay here tonight though. I was too angry to be in the same house as them. I slid out of the front lawn silently and entered the city of Forks before picking up a familiar scent and followed it.
A/N: Due to popular demand, there was some Bella's-point-of-view in here. If you want me to answer your questions you need to get at least ten reviews in a chapter. I will put the answers on an FAQ page as soon as you guys get it together and start reviewing, haha. So, interesting chapter huh? I bet you wanna know what the Cullens found out when they researched Claire, eh? Well, if you review enough, I might be able to tell you, if not, you have to wait!! Haha, I'm evil I know!!