Day 35: The Bookworm

[miracle_grow]

[ Coming from here.]

Claire stepped into the bookstore, relieved to be out of the chilly autumn air. Her sweater was warm, but the weather outside was still cool, and she guessed it had to be very late autumn, at the very least. Where were they? And when

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[miracle_grow]

"She's back home still?" Claire asked, casting him a sympathetic glance as she shifted sideways into one of the aisles. "I know how that is. My mom and younger brother are back there, too. Lyle's a bit of a pain, but I still worry about him."

[miracle_grow]

"I'm sorry," Claire apologized, seeing his hands ball into fists. He really was worried about here. "I'm not sure if that's better or worse. She's not here, but you're not with her, either."

She moved deeper into the aisle, sliding her fingers carefully along the bindings of the shelved books, glancing idly at the titles. Some were ones she'd had to read for English Lit, but a lot she'd never heard of before. "Pretty close, yeah," she answered, flashing him a small smile. "We've been through a lot, I guess you could say." Which made her wonder again about what had happened to her dad and where he'd been last night? Was he alright?

[miracle_grow]

"We'll find a way out of here soon," Claire replied, pausing and glancing over her shoulder at him. "We'll find a way out, and then find a way back home. I'm sure she'll be glad when you come home again."

"What about your parents?" she asked curiously, turning back around., tilting her head to the side and tucking her hair back off her shoulder.

[miracle_grow]

"Well, I was adopted," Claire admitted with a small, sympathetic smile. "So yes, I guess I was pretty lucky. Although my parents thought I'd died when I was a baby. I'm sorry you don't remember yours, though. I bet that makes you and your sister even closer, then."

[miracle_grow]

"Yeah, a friend of mine helped me track my mom down," Claire answered with a smile. "There was a bad fire when I was little and my mom thought I had died in it, and she didn't known I'd been rescued. The man that saved me from it didn't think my mom had survived, so he took me home and he and his wife raised me." Which was about as close to the truth as she could get without explaining all the weird discoveries that had come to her finding out about her past.

"Last year, me and a friend started looking into it and I found out my mom was still alive, and it was through her - sort of - that I met my birth dad and the rest of my family."

Claire cocked her head to the side at his words about his sister, looking curious. "How can you understand her if she can't talk? Do you mean sign language?"

[miracle_grow]

"Wow, you must really be close, then," Claire answered, leaving the books and coming back to him once more. She laid a hand on his shoulder, guessing he must miss her a lot. "I'm sure we'll find a way out of here soon, and find a way back to our families again. There's no way they could keep us here for long."

Not with the people here now, right? Something had to give soon.

[miracle_grow]

"Me either," she agreed with a slight nod, glancing back towards the window. "And yeah, I think I am." Seeing him fidget made her smile and she nodded her head towards the door. "Thanks for keeping me company. If you ever need any help with anything... well, I can't do much. But I'll try if I can," she offered with a small smile. This place was even worse when you were here all alone.

[miracle_grow]

"Alright," Claire nodded, returning his grin. "Good luck with that. I think I'm going to wander around the town a bit more and explore some before lunch. I'll see you around again soon?" she asked, looking hopeful.