musesandlyrics prompt set 2.20 [quote prompt]
It was a life she had fought for; a life of just being Claire Bennet and that was it. Not the girl who could regrow a limb if she lost one and definitely not the girl who couldn't feel pain. She didn't want to think about all the things she had seen and the scars they had left even if it appeared there wasn't a mark on her.
Here, at college, she didn't have to be the walking freak show. She could just be another girl who didn't have any special ability. Just a girl trying to figure out who exactly she wanted to be in life. She could be a girl whose only worries were finding a way to balance school and life while dealing with her parents' pending divorce. She didn't have to think about the things her father was doing or what they were all involved in. Awhile ago, her entire family -- adopted and biological -- had wanted her to just go to school and look the other way and now she was only too happy to do it.
So she pretended there was nothing different about her as she walked across the court yard of the campus. Clutching her books to her chest, she flashed a smile at a couple people she recognized as she stepped off the grass and onto a path. She didn't really had plans for the night but there were some parties going on and it was nice to know she could go to one of them instead of having to worry about the world ending somehow.
But even as she thought about how peaceful it was, everything suddenly felt wrong.
The feeling swept over her like a wave, sending chills up her spine and throughout her body. Like she had just fallen down on pins and needles that left her chilled afterwards. The entire world seemed to slow down and freeze around her, all of it fading away except for the creepy feeling that left her trembling almost instantly.
No, it can't be.
For a moment she couldn't breathe because there were only a handful of times when she felt like that and it was all to do with one person but he was supposed to be dead. No, not supposed to be. He was! She had watched Sylar burn and she knew he was gone but she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. So much so that she actually could feel the eyes burning a hole into her back and she was almost scared to turn around.
If he was there, then everything she had fought for would be gone in just one simple turn.
She thought about running. Just dropping her books so they wouldn't slow her down and just running. Not that she thought she could outrun him but she would have a better chance now since she was out in the middle of a huge public area. It wasn't like she was trapped in her home with the psycho.
Stop it, he's dead. You watched him burn.
The little voice in her head hissed at her to get control of herself as she drew in a deep shaky breath while trying to get the courage to turn. When she finally did, she was sure her heart was going to burst out of her chest and explode. But when she looked towards the direction she felt like she was being watched from, there was no one. At least, she didn't seem him. The relief was so sudden that she almost felt sick but then the confusion took care that feeling.
As the crowd parted, she didn't see Sylar but she saw Nathan instead.
Frowning a little, she forgot the sudden freaked out feeling as she started towards him then. At first she had been sure he had seen her but then she wasn't so sure as she got close to him. His eyes remained focused over her head and she couldn't help but notice the distant look that said he wasn't exactly there. He wasn't focused on where he was and she had to wonder where his mind was in that moment.
As she stopped in front of him, she looked up and frowned because she didn't know if it was a trick of the light or not but it looked like his eyes were brown.
"Nathan?" She ventured in soft tones while reaching to tug at his sleeve.
The touch was enough to snap him out of his daze and she could see the clarity as it came rushing back. He blinked a few times before looking around, giving a confused frown. "Claire?" He looked down at her as though trying to place why she was standing in front of him. "Where am I?"
"You're on the campus." Now she looked at him like he had lost his mind. "What are you doing here?"
"I wish I knew." He admitted, sighing. "I just needed to go for a walk after some meetings this morning and....I guess I ended up here."
"Obviously." She touched his arm lightly. "Nathan, are you okay?"
Nathan noted the concerned look on her features and he cleared his throat while straightening a little more, not wanting her to worry. "I'm fine." He gave his best smile then, as though trying to charm her into believing him.
Claire remained skeptical though but she nodded her head slowly. "Okay. You just looked....distant."
For a moment it seemed he wanted to say something to her, like he wanted to tell her whatever it was he had been thinking about but he wasn't sure what to say. Instead, on a whim, he brought his hand up to brush the back of his fingers over the curve of her cheek and he couldn't help but notice how smooth her skin was.
In noticing that, he didn't see the way she tensed in reaction to his touch.
"I'm fine, Claire." He promised her, managing not to sound too uncertain.
"Okay." She still didn't seem like she was buying it but she didn't push. "Do you want me to give you a ride back?" She could take him back to wherever he was having his meetings and make sure he was okay when she dropped him off.
"No, I can call for my car." He smiled at her, dropping his hand to his side. "Claire, we should get together for supper later this week."
Claire hesitated but she hoped he wouldn't notice as she nodded slowly. "Sure, that sounds like fun."
Her agreeing to supper with him caused him to break out in another charming smile though this one was a lot more genuine than the ones he was known for. He almost looked relieved, and maybe a bit pleased, with it too. “Great. I’ll call you and we’ll set something up?”
“Sure.” She nodded, giving a somewhat tight smile as she tried to seem genuine but there was something wrong; something that just didn’t sit right with her at the moment. “Nathan?”
“Mmhmm?” He arched a brow at her.
“What color are your eyes?”
Nathan seemed somewhat confused by that considering her eyes were awfully close to the same shade as his at times. “Hazel. Why do you ask?”
“They just looked brown when I first walked up.”
“Well, probably just a trick of the light.” He glanced up at the branches waving over his head, where the sun was peeking through between the canopy of leaves.
“Probably.” Her answer was non-committal but she quickly shook it off before smiling. “I need to get to class.” She didn’t see the slight shiver he had right after the statement. “So we’ll get in touch later?”
“Yes, of course.” He was already pulling out his phone to call for a car to come and get him. “It was nice seeing you, Claire.”
“It was nice to see you too, Nathan.” She nodded her head, watching him as he called whoever he needed while he walked away. Frowning softly at his back, she hugged her books a little tighter to her chest before turning around to head back towards her dorm. The creepy feeling had faded but she was all too aware of the chill in the pit of her stomach.
Here, at college, she didn't have to be the walking freak show. She could just be another girl who didn't have any special ability. Just a girl trying to figure out who exactly she wanted to be in life. She could be a girl whose only worries were finding a way to balance school and life while dealing with her parents' pending divorce. She didn't have to think about the things her father was doing or what they were all involved in. Awhile ago, her entire family -- adopted and biological -- had wanted her to just go to school and look the other way and now she was only too happy to do it.
So she pretended there was nothing different about her as she walked across the court yard of the campus. Clutching her books to her chest, she flashed a smile at a couple people she recognized as she stepped off the grass and onto a path. She didn't really had plans for the night but there were some parties going on and it was nice to know she could go to one of them instead of having to worry about the world ending somehow.
But even as she thought about how peaceful it was, everything suddenly felt wrong.
The feeling swept over her like a wave, sending chills up her spine and throughout her body. Like she had just fallen down on pins and needles that left her chilled afterwards. The entire world seemed to slow down and freeze around her, all of it fading away except for the creepy feeling that left her trembling almost instantly.
No, it can't be.
For a moment she couldn't breathe because there were only a handful of times when she felt like that and it was all to do with one person but he was supposed to be dead. No, not supposed to be. He was! She had watched Sylar burn and she knew he was gone but she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. So much so that she actually could feel the eyes burning a hole into her back and she was almost scared to turn around.
If he was there, then everything she had fought for would be gone in just one simple turn.
She thought about running. Just dropping her books so they wouldn't slow her down and just running. Not that she thought she could outrun him but she would have a better chance now since she was out in the middle of a huge public area. It wasn't like she was trapped in her home with the psycho.
Stop it, he's dead. You watched him burn.
The little voice in her head hissed at her to get control of herself as she drew in a deep shaky breath while trying to get the courage to turn. When she finally did, she was sure her heart was going to burst out of her chest and explode. But when she looked towards the direction she felt like she was being watched from, there was no one. At least, she didn't seem him. The relief was so sudden that she almost felt sick but then the confusion took care that feeling.
As the crowd parted, she didn't see Sylar but she saw Nathan instead.
Frowning a little, she forgot the sudden freaked out feeling as she started towards him then. At first she had been sure he had seen her but then she wasn't so sure as she got close to him. His eyes remained focused over her head and she couldn't help but notice the distant look that said he wasn't exactly there. He wasn't focused on where he was and she had to wonder where his mind was in that moment.
As she stopped in front of him, she looked up and frowned because she didn't know if it was a trick of the light or not but it looked like his eyes were brown.
"Nathan?" She ventured in soft tones while reaching to tug at his sleeve.
The touch was enough to snap him out of his daze and she could see the clarity as it came rushing back. He blinked a few times before looking around, giving a confused frown. "Claire?" He looked down at her as though trying to place why she was standing in front of him. "Where am I?"
"You're on the campus." Now she looked at him like he had lost his mind. "What are you doing here?"
"I wish I knew." He admitted, sighing. "I just needed to go for a walk after some meetings this morning and....I guess I ended up here."
"Obviously." She touched his arm lightly. "Nathan, are you okay?"
Nathan noted the concerned look on her features and he cleared his throat while straightening a little more, not wanting her to worry. "I'm fine." He gave his best smile then, as though trying to charm her into believing him.
Claire remained skeptical though but she nodded her head slowly. "Okay. You just looked....distant."
For a moment it seemed he wanted to say something to her, like he wanted to tell her whatever it was he had been thinking about but he wasn't sure what to say. Instead, on a whim, he brought his hand up to brush the back of his fingers over the curve of her cheek and he couldn't help but notice how smooth her skin was.
In noticing that, he didn't see the way she tensed in reaction to his touch.
"I'm fine, Claire." He promised her, managing not to sound too uncertain.
"Okay." She still didn't seem like she was buying it but she didn't push. "Do you want me to give you a ride back?" She could take him back to wherever he was having his meetings and make sure he was okay when she dropped him off.
"No, I can call for my car." He smiled at her, dropping his hand to his side. "Claire, we should get together for supper later this week."
Claire hesitated but she hoped he wouldn't notice as she nodded slowly. "Sure, that sounds like fun."
Her agreeing to supper with him caused him to break out in another charming smile though this one was a lot more genuine than the ones he was known for. He almost looked relieved, and maybe a bit pleased, with it too. “Great. I’ll call you and we’ll set something up?”
“Sure.” She nodded, giving a somewhat tight smile as she tried to seem genuine but there was something wrong; something that just didn’t sit right with her at the moment. “Nathan?”
“Mmhmm?” He arched a brow at her.
“What color are your eyes?”
Nathan seemed somewhat confused by that considering her eyes were awfully close to the same shade as his at times. “Hazel. Why do you ask?”
“They just looked brown when I first walked up.”
“Well, probably just a trick of the light.” He glanced up at the branches waving over his head, where the sun was peeking through between the canopy of leaves.
“Probably.” Her answer was non-committal but she quickly shook it off before smiling. “I need to get to class.” She didn’t see the slight shiver he had right after the statement. “So we’ll get in touch later?”
“Yes, of course.” He was already pulling out his phone to call for a car to come and get him. “It was nice seeing you, Claire.”
“It was nice to see you too, Nathan.” She nodded her head, watching him as he called whoever he needed while he walked away. Frowning softly at his back, she hugged her books a little tighter to her chest before turning around to head back towards her dorm. The creepy feeling had faded but she was all too aware of the chill in the pit of her stomach.