A new school year, a new student, a new villain; just another ordinary day for the students of Sky High.

Yay for new chapter! Please check out my profile. Originally, it was just one video, but now it's one okay video and one pretty awesome (my opinion) video that can be considered previews for this story! It features the first scene at the Paper Lantern, the lunch scene between Warren and Claire, a scene from this chapter as a remembrance of what Claire used to be like. Please check them out and review them, especially if you want a general idea of what Claire looks like. Other than that, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Still not owning it.

Broken – Chapter 5

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It was mid-October, with Halloween just around the corner. Homecoming had produced many couples around Sky High; most people were betting on only three from the dance making it to the next one still as a couple. Warren and Claire never spoke of what had happened at homecoming. Now, the two sat together nearly everyday at lunch. Claire talked barely a bit more than she had earlier in the year. Josh Martin had been nowhere to be seen since the homecoming dance. That was how Warren preferred it, personally. He still spent his Friday nights reading or listening to music in his room. This Friday was no different as he sat on the window seat, reading. He glanced up, reaching for his water bottle, but something outside the window caught his eyes. Warren watched as Claire crawled out the window on to the porch roof, towards a tree and climbed down it. Warren grabbed his jacket and headed out of his room.

"I'll be back soon Ma!" he called as he went for the front door.

"Okay!" Sara called back.

Warren walked down the street, following behind her at a healthy distance. Eventually, she ended up on a swing set at a nearby park where Warren had spent a fair amount of his time growing up…that is, before being able to use his pyro ability. He quietly came up behind her.

"Just came out for a Friday night swing?"

Claire turned around, and then back, speaking softly. "Just couldn't stay there anymore."

Warren took a seat on the swing next to her. "Another guy?"

"Uh huh."

"You could have called."

"I can defend myself." Claire looked over at him. "I do appreciate it, but I need to know that I can do it myself too."

Warren shrugged. "So, why here?"

"I don't know…I guess it's because parks always remind you of your childhood…playing at them…"

"Played at this one when I was a kid."

"It must've been fun…"

"Except for all of the kids staring at me because I didn't look normal." Claire nodded a little. "Okay, look, we haven't talked about this much…the whole homecoming and Josh thing…"

"Oh, that," Claire dropped her voice lower. "It's like I said…I didn't know what I was thinking…I never…it was sort of a…first…"

This time, Warren nodded. "I was never very fond of him to begin with."

"Really?"

"Had a thing about bugging me about my father's past."

"I'm sorry…"

Warren shrugged. "It's nothing. He was just a jerk."

"Then I guess it's a good thing he's gone…" Claire remarked. They sat in silence for a while, slightly swinging back and forth. "So…how'd you know…where I was?"

"You may wear all black, but I can still see you crawling out of your window at night." Warren smirked a little. "That's a new way to escape your house."

Claire let out a small laugh. "I guess…"

Warren leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees in the typical guy position. Claire held on to the chain, barely swinging while dragging her shoes through the sand. A breeze barely blew through the trees and the playground. Warren looked over and watched Claire. She glanced over.

"What, is there something on my face?" Claire asked.

Warren laughed a little. "No…there's nothing…." Claire looked down at the sand shyly, smiling the slightest. "What's that? Is the completely introverted Claire smiling?" Warren teased. Claire giggled slightly, her minuscule smile growing wider. "We might even see something beyond a smirk this evening…."

Claire laughed again. "Okay, I can smile, I can smile! But what about you? I have yet to see you crack a smile."

Warren looked at her mischievously. "That I can't guarantee."

"God, it seems like forever since I've smiled," Claire looked out over the empty playground. Warren watched her curiously. "After I was sent back here by my parents when I was six, I lived with Abigail until I was almost twelve. Then my grandparents took me to live with them…after I turned thirteen, we were in an accident…both of them were killed…I went back to live with Abigail. That was the last time I had actually, full out smiled."

"Must have been hard."

"Things just seemed really odd about it…like it was planned and not an accident…" Claire shrugged. "Oh well. Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Warren nodded. The two sat on the swings for a while, occasionally talking, but it was mainly spent in silence.

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"Warren! Time to get up!" Sara called from the bottom of the staircase.

"It's Saturday, Ma!" he shouted back without moving from his bed.

"You know what I'm talking about, Warren." Warren rolled over in his bed, refusing to get up. He and Claire had stayed at the park until at least three in the morning. Sara sighed and headed up and opened the door to his room. "You need to go."

"No, Mom."

"Please, Warren?" Sara asked calmly. "It's only once every few months."

"You know I hate it." Warren pulled the covers over his head.

"Will you do it for me?" Warren didn't respond. "Warren, please, this is all I ask of you."

Warren sighed angrily. "Fine. I'll go."

Sara smiled a little, shutting the door behind her. Warren threw back the covers and dragged himself out of bed, throwing on a pair of jeans, a shirt, his gloves, his leather jacket, and yanked on his shoes. He went down the stairs unhappily and sat at the kitchen table, taking a sip of orange juice. These Saturday mornings were his least favorite things in the world. Sara sat some food in front of him.

"No thanks."

"You're not going to eat anything?"

"The sight enough makes me sick."

"Warren…"

"How long do I have to stay today?"

"At least fifteen minutes."

Warren rolled his eyes, gulping down the last of his drink, and got up. "See you in about half an hour." Warren took off down the street, heading for a building on the edge of town. A woman sat at the front desk in the building and looked up, smiling and reaching for something.

"Morning Warren," she beamed, holding out a badge.

Warren clipped the badge of the end of his jacket. "Morning," he grumbled.

"Excited to be here, I see." Warren rolled his eyes. "Go on back."

He headed through a hallway on the right. The guards paid no attention to him; this was fairly typical. When he reached a door in the middle of the hallway, he looked at the guard. The guard opened the door and let Warren in, shutting it behind him. Everything in the room was stark white; the walls, the bed, the table, the chairs. A man with unruly hair in an orange ensemble sat in a chair, glancing up at Warren. "Is it that time already?" Warren didn't answer. "Glad as ever to be here I see."

"I only come here because Ma wants me to."

"Is that so?"

"If it were up to me, I'd never have seen you to begin with."

"Just as hard headed as before." Warren grumbled under his breath, leaning against a wall. "So, how's school?"

"Don't act as if things are normal between us!" Warren shouted at him. "You know they aren't and they never will be!"

"Hard headed and angry I see."

"Just stop talking…"

"Even your mother couldn't talk you out of being angry?"

"Shut up Baron!"

"I'm your father, whether you like it or not, and that's how you'll address me."

"I'll address you however I please!"

"Is that so?" Warren glanced at his watch. Ten more minutes to go; he sighed angrily. "What? Counting the minutes?"

"Personally, I don't want to come here. I never have. Would it really shock you to find out that I counted the minutes?"

"So, any girlfriends? Or friends for that matter?"

"What do you care?"

"Well, I'm afraid that my conversation is lacking," Baron began sarcastically, "considering I never see outside this room."

"And rightly so."

"Apparently you're still reading avidly, taking after your mother…"

"Don't talk about her that way!"

"What, going to try and break the anti-power barrier in here?"

Warren glared at him, standing up straight and heading for the door. He knocked on it. A guard peered in through the small window and then opened the door, letting Warren out. He tossed the badge on the front desk counter as he left the building. He'd only been in there for about seven minutes total. Warren took his time heading home, making up for the extra eight minutes he'd skipped out on.

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Fairly shorter than the other chapters. Hope you enjoyed! Please review! Next might be a rather large event, but I'm content to string out this little time period for a while.