Claire & Theo

11.

Claire felt disturbed in her short-lasting sleep. She heard two low voices that were trying to whisper but were quite loud. Nothing, Clarie had sensitive abilities to hear and smell. Now, she was fully awake and heard Theo asking Lucas to switch seats with him, but Lucas was talking about Anastasia that caught her attention.

"Excuse me?" she questioned, "What do you mean by you 'frightened her'?"

Theo was shocked by her awakening and stared at her, but she tried her best to ignore the fuzzy feeling in her heart. She only glanced at him, and he gave a small squeeze to her hand that he was already a hold of.

Lucas's eyes widened with a hint of hesitation, "I accidentally... erm... kissed her on the cheek. I was just being affectionate you know; it is in my Italian genes! I could not help it because she looked..."

"Oh Anastasia!" Claire had panic in her voice, "Just stay away from her, please Lucas!"

She stood up and went back to Anastasia to spend the next 10 hours in the plane with her.

-

Claire's personal chauffeur from her family home in Canada arrived to separately take her and Anastasia on a private drive away from the two males who they confidently left at the airport. She could not believe that Lucas could not control his seducing behavior with Anastasia. When she found Anastasia at the back of the plane, her whole face was flushed, and it might be because of Lucas's unnecessary kiss on the cheek. All Claire could do was comfort Anastasia on her own way as it was slightly impossible to calm such a frantic woman.

"Do you want any water?" Anastasia held a bottle of water for her.

"Oh, no thank you!" Claire smiled warmly and looked back at the window which showed a beautiful scenery of snowfall.

She was being taken to her main family house in Canada, since she was born and raised there in the cold city of Toranto, Canada. Claire loved the winter here and it reminded her of sweet memories in white snow. Yet, at the same time, there were bitter memories that lay in the very same place.

The car went to a halt, and it seemed to Claire that the drive was too short to be counted. It must have been her nerves to meet her family. Her grandmother knew that Claire was coming, and the sweet old women was eager for her arrival. Also, her grandfather loved Claire so much that she heard that he left work early just to meet his lovely granddaughter, commented her grandmother over the last phone call they had in Italy. She completely considered her grandparents as her own parents, since her real ones were never available...

The chauffeur opened Claire's door and smiled nicely, "Miss Young, I will set your bags in your room. Please seek to enjoy your time here with your family!"

"Thank you, Reginald!" Claire smiled back with equal kindness.

Claire and Anastasia walked up the grand entrance of her grandparents' extravagant estate. All of it was covered in soft snow slowly piling up as well. A servant opened the door welcoming Claire inside with her anxious assistant.

Claire missed this homely smell.