Claire rubbed her eyes, waking up from the sun, hitting her eyes. It took her a moment to open her eyes, before staring at the foreign ceiling of the room she was currently staying in with her family.
Getting up, she ran a hand through her long brunette hair. Looking around at the bare military room, she sighed, "I still can't believe it's only been several months since that night." She remembered how they had arrived home after visiting Star and Moon Studio, being greeted by the military and the Lamia Division.
Looking out the window next to her bed, she saw the usual near-empty neighborhood they lived inside. They had been assigned to the current living area after several weeks of their arrival in the fort.
Even from their assigned home, she could see the protective wall.
Feeling her stomach rumbling, Claire placed a hand on her stomach. "I guess I might as well get up and make myself something to eat."
As she got out of her bed, she rearranged the bedsheets to conform to the military protocols inside of the base. Though she wasn't a messy person, she still had received several tickets for failing to follow military standards.
"Even though I'm not in the military, I still have to follow their ridiculous rules," Claire grumbled.
Feeling a little rebellious, Claire didn't even both putting on clothes, just walking out of her room in her undergarments. In the past, she'd have been horrified by such behavior, but being in the stifling environment had changed her personality.
In the central area of the small house, Claire was greeted by silence.
"I guess mom and dad are both working at the lab already...," It wasn't an unusual sight, considering the work they were performing in trying to figure out a way to fight off the modified humans.
Walking into the kitchen, Claire headed towards the refrigerator. Claire felt the cool air as she opened the door to the appliance. The flickering of the light inside of the old device was an added reminder of the conditions she found herself in.
"It looks like I'm going to have to stop by the PX and grab some food. The only thing we have left is some eggs, butter, and half a loaf of bread." Claire grabbed the carton of eggs, feeling the weight and guessing it only had a couple of eggs left inside.
Placing the carton on the counter and going back for the bread and butter, she proceeded to open up one of the cupboards where the pots and pans were stored.
Grabbing a pan, Claire placed it on the stove, the pan making a metallic sound as it was placed on the coils. The sound rung throughout the lonely home, a reminder of her current life.
Turning the dial, to heat the pan, Claire went to grab a knife from the drawer. With the knife in hand, she opened the wrapping around the stick of butter. Cutting a portion away from the stick and dumping it into the pan, she tossed the knife into the sink near the stove.
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Grabbing the pan, she began tilting it to get the pan ready for the eggs. Going to the carton, Claire saw the remaining three eggs. She reached for the first one and proceeded to crack it open into the pan. By the third egg, there was a sound of popping and hissing as the hot pan began cooking the eggs.
Opening a different drawer where the spatula was kept, she held it in hand as she waited for the eggs to cook.
As she waited, her mind wandered to what Han was up to and whether he had safely escaped from the invasion of Modified Humans. She still couldn't forget the look of the female creature and how it behaved that night.
Sometimes, when she slept, Claire would remember the events of that night. She'd had nightmares of the Modified Humans creeping into her room during the middle of the night.
The smell of burning eggs pulled her out of her thoughts. "Crap!" Claire quickly grabbed some bread, and with the spatula, she slid the bread under the eggs.
"That's what you get for not paying attention," Claire chided herself.
Smelling the bread being toasted, she went to grab herself a plate.
Plate in hand, Claire turned off the coil and lifted the pan before sliding the content onto the plate. Setting the pan on a cold coil, she made her way towards the dining table.
Sitting and reaching for the sandwich, she enjoyed the taste of the eggs on top of the bread. It was a simple dish she had picked up as she would often have to cook her own meals since her parents and siblings were always out the door before she woke up for school.
"If it wasn't for the fact that I don't need to head off to school, I'd think the world hadn't changed," She chewed on the food, as she reminisced about her days going to school and hanging out with Han, Hannah, and Alex.
Thinking about Han and Alex made her mood sink down. With how they were rushed out, there was no chance to warn the two about the Modified Humans that night.
Thinking about the night also made her remember what Raven had given both Hannah and her. Not knowing what effects the injections would have, but considering it would only help, Hannah and her had decided to keep the information to themselves.
"I wonder if Hannah is up yet?" Claire thought about her friend as she finished the remainder of her breakfast.
With breakfast finished, Claire proceeded to clean the mess she made. Living in the base, they were expected to keep the apartment clean at all times.
Finishing with the dishes, she let them dry on the dishrack. "I should see if Hannah is awake," Claire headed to the phone. Dialing the number to the apartment that Hannah's family was assigned to, Claire soon heard the ringing as it tried to connect.
"Hello?" Hannah's voice was soon heard through the speaker.
"Hannah? It's me, Claire." Claire said. "I was wondering whether you were awake yet."
There was a sound of Hannah eating food, "Yeah. I'm just finishing up breakfast. You?"
"I already finished and cleaned up the place," Claire answered, chuckling at how their behavior was so similar. "You have plans?"
"Plans? You mean aside from just sitting on the couch with nothing to do?" Hannah laughed. "This place is mind-numbingly boring with how little there is to do. My parents just wake up and go to work and come back just before I get to sleep."
"Yeah. My parents are the same way. Even when I do see them, they look exhausted and head straight to bed. If I ask what they've been doing, they tell me it's not for me to know." Claire sighed.
"Same. They tell me that I should just go out and play when I tell them there's nothing to do." Hannah grumbled.
"Want to head to the PX and do some shopping? I'm running out of food in the fridge." Claire offered, knowing it was likely the most exciting thing they could do.
There was a moment of silence as Hannah was eating the food she made. "Sure!" She answered in an excited voice, likely relieved to have something to do.
"Want to meet up at the usual spot?" Claire suggested, happy to know she wouldn't be shopping by herself.
"See you there! I just need to hop in the shower and get ready. Just wait for me if I'm not already there." Hannah said.
"Me too. I'll see you there then!" Claire hung up the phone.
Making her way to her room, she began getting ready, looking forward to doing something instead of just walking around doing nothing.