Authors Note: Oh my... I'm terribly sorry, I've had this chapter written out for a long time but I kept forgetting to upload it. I hope you all can forgive me, I'll keep updating this, don't you worry.
Claudia sat staring at Alessa's small burned body. Dahlia had told her everything, the reasoning for the fire, why Alessa was still alive and how Alessa still might be able to wake up. Claudia was having a hard time believing what she was seeing. Dahlias words scared her. She had burned her own daughter to bring forth the God inside her. "She can't wake up just yet Claudia." Dahlia warned her.
"Why not?" She questioned.
"Her soul has been split. The fire had caused the split, and currently I am trying to locate where the rest of her soul went." Dahlia explained the final pieces of the puzzle.
Claudia rested her face in her left hand and closed her eyes. "If you join us at the church like you wanted to, you could help me locate her." Dahlia said.
"Me?" Claudia was confused at what she could possibly do.
"In the scriptures, it states a disciple, a close companion to the mother of God. The disciple has the ability to see things no one else can, I know you can do it, I've watched you since that day you fell in the lake." Dahlia explained.
Claudia looked down, this was true, Claudia was special, but she didn't like to think of it that way. "If Alessa's soul really is split in two, it would want to return here one day wouldn't it?" Claudia suggested.
"That's highly possible. I just hope you're correct." Dahlia said looking at her daughter again.
"I would ask you join the Church next month, we will be leaving for a few months to teach the newcomers, this is the best way to teach, to take away all distractions." Dahlia informed her.
Claudia looked down, Vincent wouldn't be able to see her if that happened. "How long is it? When would I come back?" Claudia asked.
"At the begging of second semester you would be returned." Dahlia explained.
Claudia looked around. She didn't want to leave, but she wanted to learn of how to join the church. "I'll go." Claudia made up her mind.
"Good, I'll prepare you closer to the time. If you would like, we could work on more of the teachings if you feel you have the mind for it still." Dahlia offered.
Claudia shook her head. "Not tonight, I need some rest." She decided.
Dahlia nodded. Claudia stood up slowly, she was afraid to fall over due to shock. She walked towards the door, looking at the nurse. She now understood why the beautiful nurse held such a sad face. Claudia lowered her head and marched out of the building.
On her way home, Claudia began to slowly see things in a new light. The sky was beginning to get dark, she felt as if she'd been walking forever.
She didn't know how long she had been walking, or where she was going, but she needed to think. The new information in her brain was the cause of such a long walk. She didn't believe what was going on. Was this as evil as it felt? Who would burn their own daughter for a God to come? Claudia wasn't sure she wanted to know the reasoning behind the madness but perhaps it would be clearer and less evil in her eyes if she joined the church.
Dahlia was a good woman; she always wanted to help Claudia out. Dahlia was the head of the Church, why would a church lady do something so cruel if not for a good cause? Perhaps God was more important than humanity. Claudia wanted to know. No, Claudia needed to know.
"Claudia?" A male voice called out.
She looked up to see Vincent. Claudia looked around to see she was standing on his street in front of his house. "Vincent." She tried to smile.
Vincent's eyes sunk. Something was wrong and he knew it. Claudia knew he could tell before he even made his way over to her from his porch. Vincent placed his hands on her slender shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Please don't…" Claudia said tearing up.
"What happened?" He wondered, now concerned.
"Nothing, I'm fine." She lied to him.
"Dahlia did something to you, and I want to know what." He demanded.
"Vincent, stop." She said seriously through the tears.
Vincent didn't speak, but he stared her down. "I just feel sad because, this summer I'll be leaving for two months for Church and, I'll really miss you." She said.
Vincent seemed to buy this. His expression softened and he hugged her. "Claudia, don't worry, I'm going back to London for the summer as well, and I was feeling the same thing." Vincent said.
Claudia felt terrible for lying but she felt better just letting him hug her. Vincent offered to walk her home, but Claudia wanted to go on her own.
Vincent gave her a kiss. This made her melt even in her times of struggle. Claudia smiled a real smile, despite how goofy it looked from his kiss. He let her hand slip out of his before letting her make her way home.
Claudia walked faster to get home; she didn't want to get attacked by anyone. She walked up to Dahlias door and walked inside. She closed the door and locked it behind her. Dahlia was drinking a glass of white wine. Claudia felt as if she wanted some too. She shook her head at her own thoughts. Wine made people violent, as she knew from her father.
"Claudia, I hope I didn't upset you. If you need to talk about anything, I'm here for you." Dahlia said to her comfortingly.
Claudia walked over and hugged her. "I hope by the end of my teachings at the Church, I will have a better understanding of why these things have to be." Claudia whispered still hugging her.
Dahlia stroked her hair. "You will my child, and you'll understand better than anyone." Dahlia said to her.
Claudia let go feeling slightly better. Claudia walked to her new room and took off her buttoned top and her skirt. She looked at herself in the mirror. She still didn't see her own beauty. How come Vincent saw it? Claudia put her night things on and lay down on her new bed. She fell asleep under its comfort.
Claudia woke up to the sound of Dahlia knocking on her door. "Yes?" Claudia asked groggy.
"I've made you something." Dahlia said.
Claudia could smell food. "Oh, that's not necessary." Claudia said shyly.
"No, I insist, I wouldn't let Alessa go hungry and a certainly won't let you go hungry either." Dahlia said to her.
Claudia still felt sick at the mention of Alessa, but decided not to let it ruin her appetite.
Claudia got out of bed and walked down the stairs. She looked at the table to see eggs and bacon, nicely prepared for her. "I wasn't sure how you ate your eggs, but I felt boiled was a good choice." Dahlia said to her.
"It's fine, I love boiled eggs." Claudia said so not to worry her.
Claudia ate her breakfast and was so happy to finally be living in a normal home. Her father always made her cook and never thanked her for anything. She was glad that here, in Dahlias house she was appreciated.
"Thank you." Claudia said once she finished.
"Today I was planning on taking you to the Library." Dahlia said.
"The Library?" Claudia wondered curiously.
"I wanted you to sign out some books on our towns past; it should be able to give you some insight on why Silent Hill is a special place of worship to our Church. Even in our towns history it's foretold how God has impacted on this place." Dahlia said to her rather poetically.
Claudia gazed at her in wonder. She wanted to know this. It sounded so interesting to Claudia.
"When are we going?" Claudia asked.
"After lunch, but I suggest you make what you want of the hours between then and now." Dahlia smiled.
Claudia nodded and took her plat to the sink. The water poured onto the plain white platter and began picking up egg and ketchup particles under the taps current. Claudia watched the plate for a second before turning the water off. Claudia walked out the door without her shoes and locked it behind her. The birds were singing and the sky was bright. She wanted to know if Vincent was around. After walking a few blocks down the road, Claudia came across his house. Vincent's lawn was always beautiful. Strangely, Claudia found his grass to be the same emerald as his eyes. Those eyes were what she wanted to see once she knocked on his door.
"Claudia, how nice to see you." His mother smiled.
Claudia smiled. "Is Vincent here?" She wondered.
"He's in his room; you can go up if you want." His mother said to her.
Claudia could hear the radio once she walked up to the door. She never heard him listen to the radio before. She listened at the door and could hear heavy breathing. Claudia never took Vincent for the type to exercise, but perhaps that was how he kept in good shape. Claudia knocked. Vincent made a strange noise of panic and turned the radio off. Claudia heard some rustling before Vincent's head poked out the side of the door. "Claudia." He smiled.
Claudia read a look of stress on his face. "What's wrong?" She wondered.
Vincent looked her up and down as he shook his head. "Nothing." He smiled slightly.
Claudia stepped inside his room. She looked around to see everything seemed about normal, other than his vampire novel was open on his bed. She sat down on his bed and smiled at him. "So, what brought you here?" Vincent asked calming down slightly.
"Well, I'm going to go to the Library with Dahlia a little later and she told me to do what I wanted with the time I had before noon." Claudia smiled.
"I was just thinking of seeing you today as well, I'm glad you came." He smiled.
Claudia walked over and hugged him. She giggled. "I take it you weren't exercising before I came." She noted.
Vincent blushed. "Maybe you shouldn't have hugged me." He suggested.
Claudia kissed him. "Tomorrow, after school, I want to see you." Claudia said to him.
"Yeah, I can do that." He smiled.
"Good, I wanted to go for a walk up to the lake again, I like it at sunset." She said to him.
Vincent nodded. "Is anything else on your mind? You see to want to tell me something." Vincent said to her.
"Well, no, I just can't believe I'm in the Church group now." She lied smiling.
Claudia sat down on his bed and picked up his vampire book. "I wouldn't…." Vincent warned.
Claudia read the page he was on. She smiled and threw it at him. Vincent began to laugh as he caught it.
"Vincent." Vincent's mom said opening the door slightly.
"Yeah?" He asked holding the book behind him.
"I have to get some things at the grocery store, did you need anything?" She asked.
"Uh… Peaches." He said.
She smiled. "Ok, I'll be back in a few hours; I have to go to the bank as well." She informed him.
"Ok." Vincent said as she closed the door.
Claudia listened to his mom walk down the stairs and then out the door. Once Claudia heard the door lock Vincent smiled deviously. Claudia felt a smile creep across her face. "Two hours." He said plainly.
"No." She said smiling.
"Two hours." He said again coming closer.
She giggled and threw a pillow off his bed at him. He caught it and smiled even more deviously. Claudia ran out of his bed room laughing as he chased her down his stairs.
Claudia hugged Vincent; it was time for her to go back to Dahlias before going to the Library. "See you tomorrow." He smiled at her.
"Meet me at my locker." Claudia said to him.
Claudia walked up the street smiling as the sun beat down on her. She was excited to learn new things about Silent Hill and the Church in the process. She could hardly wait until she arrived at home. Dahlia was standing in the kitchen when she walked in. "Are you ready?" Dahlia asked.
"Yes, I am." She replied.
Dahlia picked up her purse and headed to the Library with Claudia.
Lying in bed, Claudia read through some of the history of the town, Dahlia had placed paper in different parts of the book so that Claudia could be explained where to stop for information. Claudia had just read about how the Town had disappeared after it was created by the settlers in the 1800's.
Claudia wondered why it had disappeared, but she assumed it was because of the Gods displeasure of people using the sacred ground to live and destroy in their own ways to make a community. Claudia wondered where the town had gone. No documents have ever been recovered or so her book had told her. Claudia was willing to bet Dahlia knew something about this.
These were interesting facts. She was hoping she and Dahlia would be taking more trips to the Library, reading was something Claudia loved to do.
It was late; Claudia knew she had to sleep so she could be up in time for school tomorrow. She and Vincent would be spending time together after school. She didn't want to miss that.
Claudia shut off her light and went to sleep.