Summer Lovin' (Claire)

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

Pink seemed to brighten her mood, or so she told herself as she staired out at the sea and clutched her shoes in one hand. She'd been drawn to this place as if there was a sense of urgency that she be here. She'd chalked it up to her instint to be out of the house more because her father was becoming less able to control his urges. He was avoiding striking her and had only bruised her when he grabbed her too quickly. It was progress on one point and a backsliding on another. She inhaled then exhaled slowly and bit her lip.

Who was she to be a cupid? She had half the freaking world trying to kick her ass or fuck her senseless without any regards to what she said about the matter. She felt like a piece of meat with how she'd been tossed around by folks and she was tired. Still, she knew she needed to meet Claire here. Call it cupids intuition but she knew the time and place to be and miraculously fate was complying.

She ran a toe into the water, its pink polish gleaming in the light as she hummed to cheer herself up some. Her eyes sparkled an her curls blew in the breeze as she felt the sun warm her skin.

[Claire Diastone]

Claire couldn't help but keep being drawn to the same place she had been with Wes that night, the night they were together, the night they kissed... The night she even had freaking sex with him! She couldn't stop her thoughts being overwhelmed by just images and feelings of that day, still overwhelming her, the look in his eyes when he looked at her, the love in it, for her... And now, where was he? Probably back off with Kyra, doing God knows what, she had this bad feeling, and it was almost literally eating away at her.

For quite a while Claire had just sat on the beach, looking at the sea where the first kiss had been, where he had taken her in his arms, where all that coldness she had felt when coming in the water just disappeared. She had closed her eyes, trying not to cry, not being some hysterical confused love struck girl that didn't know what she had to do. So when it had become too much, she had gotten off her feet, and only without her shoes, but the rest of her clothing on, she had gone to the water and into it.

Now she was still there, having found almost the right spot where they had stood that night, and she just stood there, keeping herself above water as good she could, and thinking about that moment, but mostly about what she could do, what she had to do. She wasn't just going to give up on him, not after everything he had said to her, the looks in his eyes, but why was he just off again? Why hadn't she heard anything like she didn't matter again anymore? She closed her eyes frustrated as she was and as she eventually slammed into the water with her fists, more water came up than she had wanted because of how frustrated, confused an conflicted she felt, she had controlled her telekinesis from coming through and creating a much more small explosion like splash that swallowed her for a moment. When she finally came above water again, coughing, she closed her eyes and just barely contained herself from screaming as she let her hands run over her face and into her hair that was now pretty wet too. 'Wes... Where are you? What can I do now?' She whispered somewhat desperately to herself.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

Mari looked out to see and saw a familiar blonde head bobbing in the water. Even from this distance she could feel the torment of the girl. She even felt a bit of...discomfort. Oh goodness the girl and Wes had.... She blushed and wiggled before she sighed and did her best to wave the girl in. "Claire! Come on in! I can't swim that well." she called to her. Her eyes showing her concern as she tried to be cheerful.

"I need someone to talk to." she admitted as she tried to find a middle ground. She prayed Rodney didn't see her like this. She could only imagine what he would say if she came up out of the water like Aphrodite. She'd probably have to club him and call Axel to drag his ass home. She knew he was a good guy but even she knew better than to get this dress wet. That was just asking for trouble. She exhaled and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Please?" she said plaintively as she felt the sand in her toes.

[Claire Diastone]

Somehow it just felt right to stand here in the water and feel it splash over her, with which she would mostly be happy that she had the right clothes on that wouldn't look too bad when they were soaking wet, but right now all those thoughts didn't care, almost everything was about Wes and how she felt broken every time she thought about him and that he wasn't here, with her.

Claire looked up once a voice came to her and once she looked up, she saw Mari in the distance looking at her and waving her in, with the message that she could use someone to talk to, which Claire could too, she just didn't know what to say, she didn't want to seem too desperate either, not more than she already was, she knew how a lot of people thought about her feelings for Wes.

After a moment of just standing there, contemplating of going to her or just keep standing her, Claire bit her lip, sighed but then made her way to Mari. Once she was close enough to the girl, she smiled weakly but it was as best as possible at the moment and shrugged. 'Hey, I'm uhh...' She swallowed and bit her lip again a little uncomfortable as she looked at her clothes, realizing how it looked being all soaked with most of her clothes still on. 'What's wrong?' She then asked, at first hand trying to get her thoughts off of herself, but she couldn't help the painful feelings still inside her, in her stomach, in her chest...

She really didn't know what to say, and she was afraid that once she really started to talk about it oud loud, she would even freak out more and break completely. She was still so sure that it was real what she had seen in Wes his eyes, how real it had felt together with him, his lips against hers, everything... But now that he wasn't here, how could the thought of the possibility of him just having used her or just having forgotten about it not go through her head?

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She felt her body cramp and she forced herself to remember that it wasn't her in pain it was Claire. The girl was really torn up about Wes and what she had done. It wasn't Catholic guilt it was just the thought that he was gone. She didn't know why those thoughts were coming so clearly to her. It was like she could understand something about Claire without having to dig, "I...my life just got a lot more complicated and I don't know what to do about it. I think the guy I like saw a friend of mine in the past and it kinda breaks the girlfriend dating rule." Go mean girls. She didn't get much out of that movie but the dating rule was one she had lived by. She sighed, "And the other guy that I kinda like is...well he's hated by my family. Its all very tragic and stuff and I suppose if I was different I'd be eating all this up but I just want to understand what is going on in my life. Its just so nuts right now. I want...things to slow down in my life."

She looked at her and placed her hands behind her back, "I'm afraid I'll make a mistake. That I'll do something and find out it wasn't what I thought it was. I mean if I was just casually dating I wouldn't sweat it but my dad...he's so ancient its a wonder he has a pulse and he's old school." She sighed and brushed her hair out of her face as she flopped down on a towel she had laid out for such a purpose. "I've known both guys for 2 almost 3 months. We met on the same day and they are both so different its just hard. I mean I'm an A class nerd. You can't get much more nerdier than a librarian but these guys...well its like they see me for a real person. So its hard."

She looked over at Clair and rose offering the towel, "So, you wanted to see if Flipper got out this far or do you just like splashing around?" she kept things light to keep the stress down. Her smile soft as she relaxed.

[Claire Diastone]

Claire very slightly laughed weakly when she noticed the mean girls reference and then shrugged with an apologetic look in her eyes as she looked at Mari. 'I'm sorry to hear that... I wish there was something I could do.' She said honestly, but right now at the moment with how she felt, she didn't even know how to even begin helping herself with the pain she was feeling in her stomach, in her chest and her heart, so how could she help Mari with problems she didn't even know anything about?

'Yeah... I get that, but it's almost always the things that we want that turn out differently than we hoped or just thought.' Claire said as she sighed and bit her lip before looking in front of her and letting her eyes look over the ocean for a moment. 'But... All I know to say right now is to take it one step at a time.' She said carefully, looking at Mari, again with a weak smile on her face, but it was the attempt that counts right?

So Claire just listened again when Mari continued on about the guys and her Dad and closed her eyes because of the mistake part, finding out that it wasn't what she had thought it would be, something that Claire on one hand couldn't understand any better than now but... No, no she was sure it had been real, it couldn't just have been that spell or whatever she had heard about afterward, it had to be more! 'The best you can do is follow your heart, I know it's the biggest and oldest cliche of them all but... Right now? It's a miracle I'm not just telling you to give it all up, because a part of me is feeling like that...' She said before closing her eyes while sighing again.

Claire took the towel from Mari when she offered it with a thankful look and started drying herself off as good as possible with the clothes on and bit her lip because of the question that followed. 'Trying to remember... To hold on..' She admitted softly before shrugging again and biting her lip somewhat harder. 'It's Wesley... I was sure, I wouldn't have done anything like that with him on the same night i I didn't believe it had been real, the love I saw in his eyes but... Now he's back, with her!' She said as she angrily narrowed her eyes again and barely kept herself calm from making a hand gesture and using her witchy powers again with it.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

"You're talking to me. Its helping." She exhaled and nodded as she streched. "You're cramping up. I'm an empath and can feel it. You might want to try a few deep cleansing breaths and try clearing out your chakras it helps me a lot when my dad is yelling." she admitted as she tried to take care of what she could.

"The heavens give us what we need and not what we want." she murmured as she dug around in her bag and plopped down on her blanket, "Trying is all anyone can do. Believe me. If you did your best then I'm sure the powers that be will know it."

"Well if you love something the best thing you can do is set it free. It may not know what you are doing but if you are patient and trust it and the love it will find a way back to you. The threefold rule applies here as much as it does anywhere, Claire. Perhaps moreso." She offered the girl some sunscreen so she wouldn't fry in the heat.

"Sometimes things aren't what they seem, Claire. Maybe he's trying to protect you. And end it with her as drama free as he can. I'm sure Wes would be here if he could be. There is good in him. I mean he thinks I'm a weirdo but even I can see it. You're his best chance at humanity and redemption. Don't give up on him just be patient and let yourself heal a bit. Do you want to get some ice cream? I mean it won't make everything go away but sometimes we overthink things and just need to relax." She didn't know how the girl could stand being in salt water. She herself would never have done it so soon after her first time.

[Claire Diastone]

Claire smiled slightly because she was a little happy to hear that it at least helped Mari a little that she was talking to her. When she heard what Mari told her then she bit her lip and looked at the sea again with another sigh that followed over her lips. 'I'm cramping up because my heart aches... I don't know how to explain it, in a way, letting that pain in, and thus cramping up for instance, it keeps me sane, because it at least reminds me that it was real and not some dream...' She admitted softly, even though it might sound weird probably, or just plain desperate of course.

'No kidding..' Claire couldn't help but say a little bitter about what the heavens gave them and then lowered her head again as she sat down next to Mari. 'Honestly? I don't think I did my best, I just put myself out there for him to see, with making his homework, and then only a spell shows me what's really inside of him, and then when it breaks and he seems to forget, I can't even stop feeling sorry for myself.' She sighed with a slight sarcastic laugh that followed against herself.

Claire listened to Mari again then and shrugged with her shoulders before looking at the sky and thinking about it for a moment. 'You're right...' She said before falling quiet again, looking down at her feet and then taking some of her clothes off to dry and at the same time put the sunscreen on that Mari offered her. 'And I do love him, like REALLY love him... But that's the point, I can see what they're doing to him, what she's doing to him! If I just let him go, if I just let him be with her and hope for the best that he'll turn around, he'll do something stupid, something unforgivable, but mostly I'm scared, because I know that if anything like that happens, he won't look that deep inside himself anymore and I will have lost him...' She said before shaking her head and putting her hands up desperately with that kind of look at Mari for a moment. Purple]'I can't do that Mari! I can't take that chance! I-I just can't!' She said as she gave the sunscreen back finally and then closed her eyes as she lowered her head again.

Claire shook her head pretty adamant about what she was going to say to Mari with what she was so sure about with Wes. 'No, he wouldn't, now that the spell has worked off, I have the feeling that he forgot, or that he's put it away deeply again, focusing on Kyra, on power or something...' She shook her head and bit her lip tightly before looking back at the girl next to her. 'There is good in him yes, but he told me himself, with almost all the other people around him that he listens to, it's the complete opposite, and Kyra is the worst of it, with her ultimate talent for being a power hungry bitch that I'm sure wants to be the best and maybe even only one of us. She then looked surprised anyway when she heard what Mari said about being sure that Claire was his best chance at humanity and redemption. 'You really think so?' She asked softly, with a slight new wave of tears welling up in her eyes. 'Then how can you ask me to sit by and do nothing but wait?' She asked as her voice dropped to a soft tone and a few tears dropped from her cheeks before she removed them with the back of her hand.

'I guess that could be good for a moment...' She said softly with a weak smile that was mostly forced when Mari proposed about the ice cream, which Claire could honestly REALLY use at the moment, but she still couldn't just keep doing nothing and being patient like Mari said, the risks of losing him completely were too big, she had to figure out something, she had to fight! She got up on her feet again and grabbed the clothes she had taken off before looking at Mari for a moment and thinking she would probably be surprised of going into the salt water after her first time, but didn't really go into that, honestly she was way too preoccupied by the thoughts of Wes and trying to come up with something to really notice much of any pain she felt, just like some parts of her skin had already been burned slightly by the sun, at least with the sunscreen Mari had given her she would prevent that going any further, but even that she didn't even feel yet.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

"I feel that. I'm a Cupid so I can pick up on your pain." she says softly as she put her hand on her belly and felt the vague reminder of the werewolf scratch. She didn't have the scratches left but it stung more from memory and the feeling of Claire's pain. Her body was manifesting the pain of others. "I can try to heal it. Make it easier for you to figure out what you want to do." she said as she had her instincts kick in.

"Sounds to me like giving yourself to someone for a first time is doing your best. You may not feel like it but you are giving someone a precious gift and that should be cherished. I'm sure once he gets a chance to talk to you he'll see that." she said softly as she hugged herself and felt a chill for some reason. A twinge of something not right. She shivered and closed her eyes then and felt her father touching her thoughts.

"Then fight for him and make him know you love him. Don't let Kyra win. The only reason she gets what she wants is she has the confidence to take it. Take back your power and fight for your love and for him. If you feel it in your soul then do what you know is right and good and save him from himself. You have the power inside you if you know how to look for it and have the courage to face it. Love is the strongest power there is and no distance or obstical can stop it from happening."

"I want you to be careful and think and not just act on instinct. I want you to truly know yourself and your heart. It is that which guides us in our choices and makes life sweeter. But it is a great responsibility so before you act you must think. Don't let Kyra wheedle her way into things. Don't play her game play your own by your rules. Let her show her true colors and let her make the mistakes."

Mari on the other hand was wiggling uncomfortably. She was feeling every twinge and ache as if it was her own. Maybe it would help her cope when she finally had her first time. Not that she knew where or with who that would be with how her life was." she sighed and felt her father touch her mind suspiciously. He was not certain if she had given herself to someone given that he was picking up her body. She opened her mind to show him that as usual she'd been a good. He relaxed and mentally retreated. She was relieved that he wasn't angry with her.

"Ice cream will help you. If nothing else it will give you a few minutes to relax." she said as she moved to an ice cream stand slowly. Her legs were wobbly and sore and she just wanted to relax. She knew there was more that needed to be done with Claire but she also knew that talking was healing her even as it draining Mari herself. She would finish this and then go home to soak in a long warm bath.