"Do you know what today is?" Clara turned to her father who stood at her doorway. His cold blank stare made her skin form goosebumps. "Today has no importance." He responded obviously ignoring what his daughter was hinting at. Clara turned back to her window. Sitting in her reading nook that she made next to her balcony, she pulled her knees up to her chest. "How can you forget that this is the day mom..." Clara started but stopped remembering the rules. Don't mention her mom. She was the past and a past not to be revisited. "Judge Frollo! Gypsies are trying to escape the jail!" A guard interrupted the conversation. Frollo nodded and turned to leave. "Do not leave Clara, your curfew is in less than ten minutes, I expect you to be studying when I return." He said over his shoulder. "Of course sir," Clara responded. He left. The guard looked to her and gave a bow of his head "Miss Clara Frollo." Clara waved her hand and he left. Yep, she was the daughter of the one and only Judge Claude Frollo. And her mom? Who knew who she was. Being only five when Clara's mom sacrificed herself for Frollo to come back, Clara had very little memories of her. All her memories were being in this mansion being raised by her father, and being a villain, who she was met to be. If she wasn't in the mansion, she was at church or beside her father in the public to represent their power. But that's only the day. In the night, she snuck out, she went to bars, she went running in the streets and she sometimes even went to the graveyard.
Checking the time, Clara gave a small smile. Going into her closet, she found her purple and black party dress. "Partying here I come!" Clara laughed. Grabbing her black booty heels she got dressed. Going to her bathroom connected to her room, she got some purple and black makeup and then styled her straight dark brown hair. It was a simple style, only braiding one small piece of hair. "Now this is what I call a party style." She says to herself giving a small twirl. Grabbing a small black pocketbook, she opened it and put her cheap flip phone in and pulled out a wallet-sized picture. It was her and a boy, black, with a purple jacket, his normal shirt, a necklace similar to what his father had, and his flat grey hat. He had his cane in his hand that showed his scar, slightly looking like a spade. Clara in the picture was rolling her eyes at his goatee. No one ever said she was nice. "Shane Facilier you better be in Paris tonight!" Clara muttered putting the picture in her purse. Grabbing a rope she hid under her bed, she went onto her balcony and tied to the rain. Then carefully, even with the heels and purse, she climbed down. "I'm getting good at this!" Clara said to herself. Making sure the coast was clear, she ran. She had placed to be.
Clara stared at the graveyard. Her mom was there, buried. The only thing telling her where she was, was a small rock, the only word carved in, "Sacrifice". Being five when Clara's mom sacrificed herself for her father, Clara couldn't remember her mom's name. Sighing, she looked towards the lake she stood next to. Her purple and black makeup really did match her purple and black outfit perfectly. She planned on getting slightly drunk tonight. She hated her mom's birthday. Meanwhile, a young man watched from the shadows, unbeknownst to Clara. He was quiet as a mouse as he observed the grieving.
Checking her flip phone, Clara checked the time. Giving a quick look around, she gave a small groan. "If I'm going to get drunk, I need to leave soon. If father finds me gone..." Clara paused. She hated it when she talked to herself even though she couldn't help it. Putting her phone back in her pocketbook, she looked back to the graveyard. "Dang it, mom, why must I have memories of you?" "Be glad you even have memories of her," says a voice from the shadows. "I don't have any memories of my father. I was rarely around him. My mother didn't really want me to be influenced by his methods. I don't even know his name." Clara turned to the shadows that talked. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Now you show up! I've been waiting for twenty minutes! I was going to go to the bar without you! Now hurry up and come on! Free drinks on me!" Clara gave a small flip of her long hair. Emerging from the shadows with a smirk on his face, Shane says, "Aren't you a bit young to be drinking, Clara?" Rolling her eyes, Clara gave a small groan. "As long as I'm a villain, I can do whatever or get whatever I want. And besides, who cares if I'm twenty-one or not. If I want to get drunk, I get drunk. I've been telling you, Shane, villains are better than heroes. Maybe it's time you listen to me for a change." Clara turned from the graveyard and started off towards the city where the bar was. Shane sighs and leans on a nearby tree. "The day I start listening to you is the day Ariel admits that she dyes her hair red to hide grey hairs. Besides, being a villain isn't for me," he says. Turning back to her friend, Clara says "You're a villain's son. How is being a villain not for you? You're more confusing than... I don't know, I lost my train of thought. But whatever. Alcohol! I want, I need! Let's go!" Shane rolled his eyes and sighs. "Fine. Wanna go the fast way?" "More than anything!" Clara went up to Shane. Her eyes showed eagerness. She liked alcohol way too much. By the time she is twenty-one, she could already be an addict at this rate. But she ignored that fact, being drunk was fun. "This girl is absolutely wild," Shane thought. "She'll learn to be good one day. I just know it." Shane grabs Clara's hand and says, "Brace yourself," as they slowly sink into the shadows.
The moment they got to the bar, Clara went up to the bartender. The citizens pretty much jumped out of the way as she came up. Sitting on a stool that one of the people jumped out of. Looking at the bartender, Clara smiled an evil smile. "First of all, I want my usual, ASAP! And have the cops been around?" The bartender started preparing her drink, "No ma'am, no sign of them tonight." He said nervously. "Good, keep it that way or I'll make you regret it. Hey Shane, what do you want to drink?!" Clara called over as she turned slightly to Shane as she got her drink. Shane rests against the wall and says, "No drinks for me. I value my health." Shane wasn't much of a drinker. "You're boring. Just one drink. And I'll leave you alone. And as my father says, God is on our side. Well, my side, his side, stuff like that. Father doesn't like you." Clara says, gulping down a sip of her drink. Always so eager to get as drunk as possible. Especially on this night. Her mom's birthday, the same day she sacrificed herself. "Mom liked you right? You have more memories of her being as you're a year older than me. Have a drink for mom and how she sacrificed herself to bring back Father." Clara said raising her glass some before taking another sip. "He's really trying to convince you that it happened that way, huh?" Shane whispered. "My decision is final. No drinks. Besides, it's basically be a waste of money. Money which should be spent on some delicious beignets." Clara gave a laugh. "You and your beignets. Fine don't drink, but you're dancing tonight at least." Clara finished her first drink and ordered another one. Suddenly a loud siren came from outside. Clara choked on her drink. "You got to be kidding me!" She thought out loud. Leaving her drink, she went to a corner and hid slightly in the shadows. A cop came in and went to the bartender. "Message from Judge Claude Frollo, there was a post online of his daughter, Miss Clara Frollo, at this bar. Where is she?!" He asked. "Just missed her officer." The bartender lied. The cop turned to leave and caught sight of Shane. "You're Miss Clara Frollo's forbidden friend, the Facilier kid. Were you with her? Do you know where she is?" The cop questioned. Shane, acting quickly on his feet, decided to act completely wasted. "Officer, why'd you come here causing trouble? We're all here to have fun! Isn't that right fellas?!" he said slurring his words together. The entire bar filled with the affirmative shouts of drunks as Shane leaned against the officer. "If I know Clarissa..." said Shane. "Clara," The officer corrected. "She's probably at the graveyard. After all, it's her mother's birthday-slash-death day, right?" The cop gave him a look and started leaving when he turned back around. "If Judge Frollo, finds out you lied he will come after you. Maybe you should go back to New Orleans." Then he left. Clara came out from hiding and downed her nearly full drink in a matter of a few seconds. "I'm dead. Might as well get wasted. Give me another!" Clara commanded. The bartender passed her another one. "Get another one ready." Clara ordered as she turned to Shane giving a sigh. "You sure you don't want a drink?" Shane narrowed his eyes. "If I was drunk, I wouldn't have been able to do what I just did. You're welcome by the way," he said. "And I can't believe the officer really thinks I'm afraid of your father. What's he gonna do? Throw holy water on me?" Shane cackles mockingly. Clara, already getting tipsy, laughed. "More like burn you on the stake. And I never said you had to get drunk. That's my job. I said take one drink." Clara explained as she started her fourth drink. The bartender started making her fifth looking to Shane, obviously hoping Shane to cut her off soon. Clara's fourth drink was gone and she started her fifth. The bartender slowly reached to make her sixth. By now, Clara was starting to feel drunk. "Shane, have some fun, grab a drink with me, you're a villain kid, be bad for once." Clara pleaded. She seemed to be trying to hide her fear that showed in her eyes. Shane walked up to the bartender and says, "Give me a small drink. Nothing too much. Just so we can get out of here." The bartender shouts, "Small drink for the young man!" Shane sits down, then sighs. "I really worry about her sometimes. She's my best friend, and I don't want to lose that, but she needs to know the truth about her father," he says. "Ain'tcha worried that Clara's gonna hear?" asked the bartender. "Nah, look at her. She's hardly paying attention to this matter." "I'm going dancing, I want my seventh ready when I come back. Shane, join me when you're done. Not to mention, I think I might be having a little fun tonight!" Clara says pointing to her lips. She was drunk. She didn't like kissing people most of the time, only when she's drunk. "See?" said Shane, grabbing his drink. "There is one upside to her being drunk though. She feels like she belongs here. Like this place is her element. Really makes you wonder why she seems to never be her true self when she's sober, doesn't it?" Shane notices that the bartender is nowhere to be seen. "Oh, you're gone. Well, might as well take Clara's seventh drink to her," Shane says
Clara ran up to Shane, grabbing his arm, she pulled him out of the bar and practically threw him into an alleyway filled with shadows. "Run!" she whisper shouted. Shane caught off guard by the sudden shift in tension, looks around with panic in his eyes. "What's going on?!" he asks. "I saw one of my father's guards, and he saw me. I think he might have seen you but I'm not sure. Drunk or not, I don't need you getting caught. If you aren't in Paris, I can argue you weren't with me! I'm going to hide somewhere till morning when I'm not as drunk. Hopefully, father doesn't know of you yet." Clara explained. She gave Shane a quick hug and started to leave the alley, keeping her eyes out for guards when she turned backs around. "Or I'll hide here till father leaves the area," Clara muttered just loud enough for Shane to here. Frollo was with other guards looking. Clara went behind a garbage dump, muttering "happy birthday mom." "Okay. Stay safe Clara," said Shane as he slowly sank into the shadows. "Yeah, you too," Clara whispered in response watching her best friend disappear.