The Secrets of Clara Hayes

The New Boy In Science

Little four-year-old Clara Hayes quietly crawled out of her bed and padded down the hall when she heard voices coming from downstairs. She clutched her brown teddy bear, Bear, in her little arms as she stepped over a squeaky board near her daddy's room and continued to the staircase. The voices were quiet and sounded worried, two of them she didn't recognize, one of them she knew as her daddy's. She gently stepped down the first three steps before sitting down and peering through the bars of the staircase, her free hand holding on to one of the wooden bars.

From where she sat she could see straight into their living room, where she saw her daddy sitting in his favorite armchair, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. Clara wondered why her daddy was sad. Two others sat beside each other on the couch, a pretty lady with long curly red hair and a man with glasses. Clara liked the lady's hair and wondered if she asked nicely, the lady would let her touch it. She saw a foot sticking out from beside the couch on the floor but couldn't see whose it was because the wall was in the way, and Clara leaned back and craned her neck, and saw that it belonged to a little boy with dark brown hair who was quietly playing with a little blue metal car.

"I'm sorry, Parker." The man with the glasses said, his voice low. "We tried to get her out, but they overwhelmed us and we are a few of the only ones who got out."

Clara saw that he had bruise on his face and wondered if he had fallen.

She also saw that the lady had scratches on her arms and her face, and the little boy had a swollen hand. Their clothes were also ragged, which made Clara confused. Why were they so dirty and hurt? Did someone hurt them?

"There are still dozens of children still in there. Kayden here is one of seventeen we managed to get out." The lady said, reached down and gently ruffled the little boy's, Kayden's, hair.

Clara's daddy made a sighing sound before lifting his head and looking at Kayden, who stared back with unblinking blue eyes.

"What can you do, Kayden?" Clara's daddy asked, his voice a bit scratchy, as if he had been crying.

Kayden didn't say anything, and suddenly the brown lamp that sat on the small table beside her daddy's chair rose into the air, and her daddy watched it calmly, seemingly not surprised at all. Clara on the other hand, had to cover her mouth as to not make any noise when she saw the lamp move without anyone touching it. She saw that Kayden was staring at it and wondered if he was somehow moving it. He flinched suddenly, and the lamp came crashing down on to the table, shattering it. Clara jumped and she heard the boy mutter an apology.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Kayden," Her daddy said gently. "You have a great gift."

He smiled a small smile at the boy who made the lamp move without touching it and turned to the two people sitting on the couch.

"What about Clara?" He asked, his voice sounding strained. "When will her gift emerge?"

Clara frowned slightly, wondering why they were talking about her, and she began climbing down the stairs, feeling left out.

"It really all depends on the person." The man with the glasses began. "She is-" He stopped talking when he saw Clara peeking around the corner of the wall.

Everyone in the room looked at her, and she slowly shuffled out from behind the wall, wondering if they were mad at her. Her daddy stood up from his chair and walked over to Clara, who looked up at him with big brown eyes and held her arms up to him, wanting him to pick her up. He leaned down and picked her up, holding her firmly against his chest. She contently leaned her head against the side of his neck and looked at the other people suspiciously.