Project Element

Project Element (Chapter 6)

Chapter 6:

Claire felt the first rays of sunshine hitting her eyelids, and let out a little yawn.  

Another early morning, she thought grumpily to herself, her internal alarm clock ringing.

She had an interview today, a television appearance, a council meeting, a lunch, a photo shoot.  Who was she kidding?  She loved it.  Absolutely basked in the attention.  But she was also enjoying the late night scene.  Every night was a party in Central City, the streets packed, and Claire was always a part of it.

She often didn't get back to her mansion until four in the morning, and then had to be up six thirty to start her day.

Claire blinked open her eyes, her lips pursing at the figure lying in the bed next to her.  Her mind flashed to the night before.  The drinks all blurred together.  The man with the deep gray eyes pulled her onto the dance floor.  They danced for hours.  They laughed.  They kissed.  She remembered bringing him back to her bed.  

She couldn't remember his name.  

He didn't have a shirt on, and she stared at his muscular body.  With a start, she realized she didn't have clothes on.  She moved stealthily out of the bed, taking careful care not to disturb him.  He didn't budge, a soft snore escaping him.  

The clock read six forty five and she cursed at herself, already behind schedule.  Why had Savannah not come to wake her up?  Claire glanced back at the man in her bed.  Stupid question.

She tiptoed across the plush carpet into her huge walk in closet.  Oh, the perks of being on the council.  No expense was sparred, and she admired her extensive wardrobe.  She chose a deep blue top with a ruffled front, a black pencil skirt that clung just above her knees, and a pair of black high heels.  She then snuck over to the bathroom, releasing the breath she had been holding.

She was ready within an hour.  She had recently cut her hair into a more appropriate length, just below her shoulder blades.  Today she curled it and then clipped it back, allowing a few strands to fall free.  She applied a golden eye shadow, a line of eyeliner, and shiny lip gloss, after brushing her teeth.  She turned around to access her jewelry closet, choosing a pearl choker and a gold watch.

Perfect.

When she left the bathroom, the man was still sleeping.  She found a pen and a piece of paper, and wrote him a quick note.  

"Had to work.  Hope you slept well.  Show yourself out.  XO"

She left her room, pulling the door softly closed behind her.  She soaked up the beauty of her mansion once again, the deep red carpet, the expensive artwork on the walls...All hers.  She walked down the hall to Savannah's room, giving it a sharp rap.  Savannah answered almost immediately.  She was ready for the day, her lips a deep red, dark make-up around her eyes, and her hair straight and severe around her face.  She was wearing a business suit, and had a clipboard in her hand and a pen behind her ear.

"We're running a little late." Savannah said sharply, pulling her bedroom door shut behind her.  She began walking down the hall, Claire beside her.  "Elliot is waiting with the car out front.  We're supposed to be at Ally Ray by 8:30.  It's eight now, so we really have got to get going."  

Claire nodded.  They got into the car together, and Elliot took off, only slowing down for a second for the gates to open.  Savannah continued to give Claire the play by play of her day.

Meanwhile, inside the house, the man was just waking up.  He stared around the empty room, his mind focusing on the beautiful and obviously rich girl he'd met the night before.  He could hardly believe his eyes when they'd arrived at her house, nor could he believe what had happened.

Their kisses had become so heated that keeping their clothes on just seemed illogical.  He remembered sliding his hand down her slender body, and he shivered.  Where the hell was she?

He'd felt a connection last night.  He wanted to see her again, to see if it was real.  

He got out of the huge bed, gathering his clothes.  The room was massive and painted a deep blue.  There was a flat screen TV, three dressers, a walk in closet, a computer on the desk.  He whistled at her obvious wealth.  He found the note on the dresser, and frowned.

She hadn't written her name.  He wasn't sure if they'd even told each other what they were.  He wrote his response.

"Had a great time.  I'll be seeing you again. -Zach"

Then he showed himself out.

Savannah still hadn't fully absorbed what had happened since Aria and Blaze had left.  The night Claire had killed her brother, she'd come back to the hotel room a different person.  Savannah noticed the change as soon as Claire's eyes had met hers.

She wasn't a child anymore.  She'd been alive for quite some time, and had been there from the moment Claire had been brought into the lab.  She knew her.  She realized she had always been hiding something, and knew the time would come when Claire would tell her.

Now was that time.

Claire told her about how she had maintained her memories.  That's what hurt Savannah the most. They'd been the only two in the hell hole for thirty three years, and Claire had never shared the most important part of her.  There was also a twinge of jealousy. Oh, how Savannah wished she could remember.  

Then, Claire told her about her brother.  About whom her father was.  What her plan was.  With each new admission, Savannah could feel herself becoming more and more amazed.

She knew she'd do whatever Claire had asked.  They'd always been in this together.  She wasn't going to abandon her friend now.  She needed her.  Not to mention, a life of luxury didn't sound so bad.

They'd shown up at Claire's father's office late one night.  He'd seemed so broken; once he absorbed that it was his daughter he was looking at.  The pain in his eyes was audible, along with regret.  He tried to explain, tried to say sorry.  Claire wasn't having any of it.  She made her demands, if he wanted forgiveness.

He called a meeting, and the other four council members were there within the hour.  He explained how after the experiment, Claire had maintained her memories.  She was still his daughter, but he'd been embarrassed over what he had done to her, and kept her locked up in the lab.  

He was hoping to die and forget, but her being here made him realize how wrong he was.  This was his daughter.  His son had drowned.  His time had come.  She would be stepping up in his place.

No one argued.  He was the oldest member.  Everyone introduced themselves to Claire and it was decided that other than their group, no one else was to know what had been done to her.  She was a daughter that Hank had later in life.  She was his next in line.  She'd been at boarding school.

They set everything into motion.

Hank was dead within the week.

Savannah could hardly believe the power the council had.  Once the decision was made, it was carried through flawlessly, down to every last detail.

Now, Claire was a superstar.  Everyone wanted to know her story.  She was called the long lost daughter.  People couldn't get enough.

Claire was thriving in the attention.  Savannah herself preferred working in the background, doing what she could to make Claire's life easier.  Sure, she felt a little bad about Blaze and Aria.  But Claire explained that Aria would try to stop her.  Aria would want the power for herself.

And Savannah trusted Claire.  She thought a little angrily of the man Claire had brought home last night.  She didn't want anyone else to have Claire.  Claire was hers.  

She loved her.