just_1_word prompt 26 [underestimate]
When people looked at Claire, they only saw a few key traits. Blonde curls, a small smile, a petite body and that she was pretty. They underestimated her because of it and she learned eventually how to use that to her advantage. Why not do so? She had learned that people didn't care much about age, size or how you looked when they wanted to win something. When they wanted to prove they had more power. They were willing to run over anyone, even someone like her.
It's because they never expected her to fight back or retaliate but it's in her too. Others have seen a glimpse of it, that little darker side that caused her to not think twice when she wanted "justice" for something.
Brody underestimated her; he never saw it coming when she drove his car into the wall. Well, sure, he saw the wall coming at them as she pressed on the gas pedal a little harder but he never expected that she would risk herself just to punish him. He thought that maybe he could finish what he had started a few nights before; he thought that he could take advantage of her as it wouldn't be hard to pin her down and have his way with her. That was on his mind as they got into his car and because he underestimated her, he let her drive. That was the fatal mistake that he made and now he was paralyzed, with no memories, because of it.
Claire continued to use it to her advantage; she used it against the puppet master who thought that a bullet to the chest would stop her, she used it to help capture bad guys and she even used it to bury a shard of glass in someone's head all because he didn't see her coming. She could be just as ruthless as the rest of them, all because she wanted to prove that she was grown up and because she wanted to impress her family. When it came time, she used it again because no one believed that she would marry her enemy after he emerged with no glass where she had left it. A gentle nudge from a grandmother who told her that sometimes sacrifices had to be made helped her decision and so she settled into her life as the wife and mother of a somewhat broken family.
Perhaps it wasn't the route that she would have chosen for herself originally but that didn't mean she would allow someone to come in and do them harm. Whether it was a physical attack against someone in her family; or a reporter spreading lies about inappropriate behavior between her husband and their daughter. It simply wouldn't do. So she was behind their lawyers as she asked that the company that ran the story be sued and destroyed. She urged for a statement to be made and she knew there would be plans later to get more actively involved in organizations about child abuse and stopping it. But it wasn't enough.
No one knew when she went out that she had made contact with the reporter and she knew that he would keep it quiet, all because he underestimated her. All he saw was the chance to get her alone and to get a juicy story out of her. He would never consider that she had something in mind for him, that another game was afoot and that he was actually the one being cornered at the moment. She met him in an empty lot where she sat in the back of a non-descriptive black car; it really could have belonged to anyone. She sat quietly, her ankles crossed and her hands folded in her lap as she waited for him to sit beside her.
"Mr. Lange, I wish I could say it was a pleasure to meet you." Her voice dripped with ice as she turned her head to look at him.
"Your hair is dark." He pointed out to her, blinking.
"Of course, I didn't want anyone to recognize me." A quick curl of her lips into a smirk before the supposed humor faded. "I read your article, about my husband and my daughter." She picked up the magazine from beside her and then dropped it in his lap as though she might get dirty just from holding the thing.
"It's a good piece of work, isn't it?" He seemed proud of himself and she wanted to hurt him just for that look alone.
"It's a work of lies, written by a sad little man who thinks he'll make his career by destroying the President." She gave him a pitying look, shaking her head a little. "Too bad it won't work."
"It's the truth; my source saw inappropriate actions between the President and his daughter. She says it had been going on for awhile."
"She? Interesting." A small chuckle as she nodded ever so slightly. "But still, you have to understand why I can't let you continue on your smear campaign. My husband and daughter are very special but they think I don't know what they're up to, what they've been doing." She toyed with the gloves on her hands, straightening them a bit as she knew that she had his attention.
He was still underestimating her.
"But I have an idea since I'm not nearly as oblivious as they think. I'm sure they think I'd run if I knew but I made a vow a long time ago, to stick things out. After all, in the long run, my husband and I will need each other as time goes on. So I'll protect him the best I can, my daughter as well." She fixed her eyes on him once more, "You know, she hurt herself because of you. She cut herself bad enough that she needed stitches."
She could see his eyes lighting up as he thought that she had just given him quite the tidbit of information. The President and his daughter were up to something and the daughter was a cutter. He had stumbled across the jackpot but he didn't know she was about to snatch it all away from him.
"I imagine you'd love to go home and write about all of this but unfortunately, you're going to have a stroke." Another slow smirk, one that her husband would have been proud of as it mirrored his trademark one.
"A...what?" He gave a bark of incredulous laughter, "Lady, I'm in the prime of my life. I'm healthy."
"That's the funny thing about strokes." It was her turn to laugh and she sounded genuinely amused as she nodded her head ever so slightly. "Strokes can happen at the strangest times, even to healthy people." She watched him begin to squirm as he could almost taste the malice on the air.
"You're kind of crazy, aren't you?"
"It wouldn't the first time I've been called that." She had heard it from certain people in her life when they found out what she had agreed to just a few years earlier.
"I'm out of here. Hope you liked the White House." He started to open the door but as soon as he did, it was wrenched open and out of his hand.
Claire watched as someone reached in, grabbing the startled reporter as he was hauled out of the car and thrown to the ground. She scooted over just a bit, leaning out the door a bit as he scrambled back and looked up at the short man standing near him. From around the back of the car, a tall Haitian man seemed to melt out of the shadows, no expression on his face though there was a curious glint to his eyes. Claire always thought of a black panther when she saw him.
"What is going on?" Mr. Lange demanded, sitting up.
"I told you, you're going to have a stroke." She sounded almost apologetic but there was something a little too sweet about her words as though she were faking the sympathy. "And you're going to be in a coma for awhile and when you come out, if you come out, you're going to have no memories."
"W-what?" He squeaked, his eyes widening as he started to realize that he was in a lot of danger. He tried to scream when the small guy lunged for him but his entire body stiffened as the man's fingers curled around the back of his neck.
"You're a lucky man, Mr. Lange." Claire decided as she started to shut her door, "If my husband and daughter had gotten to you first, it would have been a lot worst for you." She paused then, looking up at her friend. "Hollow him out. I don't want him to even be able to remember his own name." A nod was her confirmation. "Be sure they find him in his apartment."
The Haitian shut the door for her as she sat back a little, waiting for things to be finished as she watched another figure or two appear out of nowhere. A few minutes later, the driver's side door opened and closed as she glanced at her watch. "Let’s stop and grab ice cream from somewhere, I'm sure my family could use a treat." Again, all she got was a nod before they drove away.
Sometimes it was good to be underestimated.
It's because they never expected her to fight back or retaliate but it's in her too. Others have seen a glimpse of it, that little darker side that caused her to not think twice when she wanted "justice" for something.
Brody underestimated her; he never saw it coming when she drove his car into the wall. Well, sure, he saw the wall coming at them as she pressed on the gas pedal a little harder but he never expected that she would risk herself just to punish him. He thought that maybe he could finish what he had started a few nights before; he thought that he could take advantage of her as it wouldn't be hard to pin her down and have his way with her. That was on his mind as they got into his car and because he underestimated her, he let her drive. That was the fatal mistake that he made and now he was paralyzed, with no memories, because of it.
Claire continued to use it to her advantage; she used it against the puppet master who thought that a bullet to the chest would stop her, she used it to help capture bad guys and she even used it to bury a shard of glass in someone's head all because he didn't see her coming. She could be just as ruthless as the rest of them, all because she wanted to prove that she was grown up and because she wanted to impress her family. When it came time, she used it again because no one believed that she would marry her enemy after he emerged with no glass where she had left it. A gentle nudge from a grandmother who told her that sometimes sacrifices had to be made helped her decision and so she settled into her life as the wife and mother of a somewhat broken family.
Perhaps it wasn't the route that she would have chosen for herself originally but that didn't mean she would allow someone to come in and do them harm. Whether it was a physical attack against someone in her family; or a reporter spreading lies about inappropriate behavior between her husband and their daughter. It simply wouldn't do. So she was behind their lawyers as she asked that the company that ran the story be sued and destroyed. She urged for a statement to be made and she knew there would be plans later to get more actively involved in organizations about child abuse and stopping it. But it wasn't enough.
No one knew when she went out that she had made contact with the reporter and she knew that he would keep it quiet, all because he underestimated her. All he saw was the chance to get her alone and to get a juicy story out of her. He would never consider that she had something in mind for him, that another game was afoot and that he was actually the one being cornered at the moment. She met him in an empty lot where she sat in the back of a non-descriptive black car; it really could have belonged to anyone. She sat quietly, her ankles crossed and her hands folded in her lap as she waited for him to sit beside her.
"Mr. Lange, I wish I could say it was a pleasure to meet you." Her voice dripped with ice as she turned her head to look at him.
"Your hair is dark." He pointed out to her, blinking.
"Of course, I didn't want anyone to recognize me." A quick curl of her lips into a smirk before the supposed humor faded. "I read your article, about my husband and my daughter." She picked up the magazine from beside her and then dropped it in his lap as though she might get dirty just from holding the thing.
"It's a good piece of work, isn't it?" He seemed proud of himself and she wanted to hurt him just for that look alone.
"It's a work of lies, written by a sad little man who thinks he'll make his career by destroying the President." She gave him a pitying look, shaking her head a little. "Too bad it won't work."
"It's the truth; my source saw inappropriate actions between the President and his daughter. She says it had been going on for awhile."
"She? Interesting." A small chuckle as she nodded ever so slightly. "But still, you have to understand why I can't let you continue on your smear campaign. My husband and daughter are very special but they think I don't know what they're up to, what they've been doing." She toyed with the gloves on her hands, straightening them a bit as she knew that she had his attention.
He was still underestimating her.
"But I have an idea since I'm not nearly as oblivious as they think. I'm sure they think I'd run if I knew but I made a vow a long time ago, to stick things out. After all, in the long run, my husband and I will need each other as time goes on. So I'll protect him the best I can, my daughter as well." She fixed her eyes on him once more, "You know, she hurt herself because of you. She cut herself bad enough that she needed stitches."
She could see his eyes lighting up as he thought that she had just given him quite the tidbit of information. The President and his daughter were up to something and the daughter was a cutter. He had stumbled across the jackpot but he didn't know she was about to snatch it all away from him.
"I imagine you'd love to go home and write about all of this but unfortunately, you're going to have a stroke." Another slow smirk, one that her husband would have been proud of as it mirrored his trademark one.
"A...what?" He gave a bark of incredulous laughter, "Lady, I'm in the prime of my life. I'm healthy."
"That's the funny thing about strokes." It was her turn to laugh and she sounded genuinely amused as she nodded her head ever so slightly. "Strokes can happen at the strangest times, even to healthy people." She watched him begin to squirm as he could almost taste the malice on the air.
"You're kind of crazy, aren't you?"
"It wouldn't the first time I've been called that." She had heard it from certain people in her life when they found out what she had agreed to just a few years earlier.
"I'm out of here. Hope you liked the White House." He started to open the door but as soon as he did, it was wrenched open and out of his hand.
Claire watched as someone reached in, grabbing the startled reporter as he was hauled out of the car and thrown to the ground. She scooted over just a bit, leaning out the door a bit as he scrambled back and looked up at the short man standing near him. From around the back of the car, a tall Haitian man seemed to melt out of the shadows, no expression on his face though there was a curious glint to his eyes. Claire always thought of a black panther when she saw him.
"What is going on?" Mr. Lange demanded, sitting up.
"I told you, you're going to have a stroke." She sounded almost apologetic but there was something a little too sweet about her words as though she were faking the sympathy. "And you're going to be in a coma for awhile and when you come out, if you come out, you're going to have no memories."
"W-what?" He squeaked, his eyes widening as he started to realize that he was in a lot of danger. He tried to scream when the small guy lunged for him but his entire body stiffened as the man's fingers curled around the back of his neck.
"You're a lucky man, Mr. Lange." Claire decided as she started to shut her door, "If my husband and daughter had gotten to you first, it would have been a lot worst for you." She paused then, looking up at her friend. "Hollow him out. I don't want him to even be able to remember his own name." A nod was her confirmation. "Be sure they find him in his apartment."
The Haitian shut the door for her as she sat back a little, waiting for things to be finished as she watched another figure or two appear out of nowhere. A few minutes later, the driver's side door opened and closed as she glanced at her watch. "Let’s stop and grab ice cream from somewhere, I'm sure my family could use a treat." Again, all she got was a nod before they drove away.
Sometimes it was good to be underestimated.