Character Study! Claire
Name: Claire Desireé McTavisham
DOB: April 24th
Height: 5’5”
Hair: Light red
Eyes: Light blue
Likes: The ocean, animals, beach combing, painting, History
Dislikes: Snakes, lying or being lied to, blushing, dried seaweed in your hair
Hidden Talent: She can sing really well, but she hates to do it publicly.
Claire and her sister, Christiana, were born as a surprise twin package to their parents, Braeden and Brittany. Since their parents had only chosen one name for a girl (Christiana), Braeden suggested naming their second daughter Claire, which also happens to be Brittany’s middle name. Claire’s middle name is Desireé, which is French for desire. She is naturally pale-skinned, covered in freckles, and has light, golden-red hair (known as more of a Ginger color), and light blue eyes like her grandmother.
When Claire was growing up, she loved spending time with her grandmother, Aislynn, even when Aislynn was having “off” days with her illness. From the young age of six, Claire understood that her grandmother became easily confused regarding the death of her grandfather, and she knew enough not to mention it.
When she was seven, Claire found a piece of smooth, blue glass in the sand and she immediately brought it to her grandmother to show her. Aislynn brought her to her bedroom and showed her all of her beach-glass collection that she’d acquired over the years, saving a specific piece for last. It was a dark cobalt blue, shot through with glittering petrified sand that looked like gold. Aislynn explained to Claire that this was her “lucky” beach glass, because she’d found it the day she’d met Aldis; Claire’s grandfather. Claire was awe-struck by it’s beauty; convinced that if she, too, were to find a “lucky” piece of beach-glass, she would find her future husband, just like Nana had. She started scouring the beach as far as her mother would let her go, and this is when she started her own beach-glass collection, although as she got older, she forgot the original reason that she started searching in the first place.
When Aislynn passed away, Claire had a very hard time adjusting. She went through a period of time where she ate sparingly of the food her parents put in front of her, and she had a habit of absent-mindedly snapping a rubber band against her wrist and hand, leaving angry, red welts on her skin. Brittany and Braeden grew worried, especially since they knew Aislynn’s illness was passed genetically, and they didn’t want their thirteen-year-old daughter to travel down that road at such a young age. They quickly got Claire into a counseling program outside of school, and her therapist worked with her through her grief.
Claire was also diagnosed with Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema and was encouraged to try cognitive behavioral therapy in the form of Tai Chi. She took to the new exercise well, and her therapist was very pleased with the results. Claire used to have to practice Tai Chi every day but as she learned how to control her anxiety and emotions, she began to practice less and less. Her Erythema hasn’t been a problem for her in over three years.
Claire is well known for her stubbornness. When she sets her mind on something, it is practically like pulling teeth to get her to change course. Her family is used to this aspect of her personality and has found ways to get around it, but once and while she will still surprise them with the strength of her will. The only person in her history that has been able to melt her stubbornness was Colton.
She hates to cry in front of anyone; she equates this as a sign of weakness, and after so many years of being teased for her blushing from classmates, she developed a hard outer crust for her emotions. She usually only cries when she is angry, or in private, although there are times that her defenses find themselves breached.
She is - and always has been - very mature for her age; a fact that most people seem to underestimate when it comes to her. She is witty, energetic, and also has a very quick temper. If you get her mad enough, you will no doubt feel as if she’s taken you through a blender once she’s done lashing out.
Apart from her flaws, Claire has an extremely big heart. She cares deeply for her friends and family and would do anything to make them happy. She often has to be reminded that she cannot make everyone happy because she is usually trying much too hard to do so. She is regularly putting others before herself and she hates ever having to do or say anything that would hurt them in any way.