Claire
She really couldn't stand this. If she could think of her own personal hell, this would be it. Field trips were so cliché, mundane, and really never taught anyone anything. It seemed more of an excuse to get the teachers off work and the students out of school.
Claire looked out the window, watching the scenery fly by her window.
Ever since TerraSave had opened its own school for orphaned children, she had thrown herself at the chance to help them as much as she could. All of them had lost their parents due to war.
Something grazed the side of her head and hit the window. She looked down at the ball of paper nestling at her feet. There was laughter to her right.
"Damn, sorry miss Redfield!"
There was more laughter. Claire turned her head and looked at them through her thick black glasses.
"Here," Ross one of the students reached out his hand to take it from her.
Claire reached her hand out and gave it back to him frowning slightly. "Learn to aim better, and I've already told you to stop calling me miss, I'm not a teacher".
Claire sighed to herself. Realistically she should have told them off for throwing things, but in reality they are still just kids. Granted it is only teenagers on this trip, which is why Claire reluctantly agreed.
She had always liked working with the younger children rather than the teenage ones, she didn't really know how to help them as much.
"I'm not telling you three again. Stop throwing things or you will be made to stay at the hotel tomorrow!" One of the teachers voice shrieked, furious.
A small smile made its way across Claire lips, "God help us.", she mused.
"I don't care what you think, you're going with them, Claire! The only reason you have not to go is work, and guess what? We have that fucker covered for you!" Moria said squeezing her hand tighter.
Claire looked at the person behind the counter who looked at her strangely.
"We'll just have two green teas to go please," she told the man, while fumbling with her money.
Once she had bought both the drinks, she asked Moria to hold hers while she went to the bathroom.
Claire was still asking herself the question if she should go or not while washing her hands. She looked back into the mirror, she looked tired, she had hardly slept in weeks.
Her night terrors had returned.
It was always the same dream, she would wake up and looking back at her were the deepest red eyes she had ever seen.
"Come on Claire, we need to get back to work! Lunch break is almost over"
She sipped her drink slowly as they walked down the street. "I mean give me one good reason for you not to go?"
She smiled at Moria's commitment to the matter. "okay one, I don't want to be a glorified baby sitter for a weekend. A weekend with moody teenagers who will want to do normal teenage things rather then be dragged around a bunch of museums".
"Well fuck, that's what your doing? That does sound shit. But you are wrong about one thing Claire, you will not be a baby sitter, you would be a chaperone. A very well paid chaperone I might add".
Claire looked at her watch. The bus was scheduled to be at the hotel before dinner time but it was getting late. She looked out the window. The sun was setting, the blue and yellows turning into deep red and purples.
Out the corner of her eye she could have sworn she seen something move extremely fast outside the bus. She focused her gaze outside, scanning the tree line for movement. What was that? It was probably just a animal.
"Are we gonna stop for the night, or what?" One of the girls asked leaning into the aisle, looking at Mrs. Pepper, one of the teachers in charge of the trip.
"Sit tight, Dylan, that's what we're trying to figure out," she responded, pointing to another teacher who was holding a map open.
The girl rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat beside her friend, mumbling something under her breath.
"Eight -nine…ten!" Savannah screamed, turning out the light in the bathroom and stepping out into the living room. The little girls eyes adjusted instantly to the darkness, allowing her to see perfectly.
She stepped around her pink birthday balloons that had fallen to the floor. She saw her princess cake sitting on the counter.
For her ninth birthday, Claire had invited over a few of Savannah's classmates, and the girls foster mother who was one of the teachers agreed as long as Claire helped tidy up.
Pictures and paintings they had made lined the living room floor, torn wrapping paper and birthday cards thrown everywhere.
The girl noticed a small movement behind the living room table. Walking over, she saw a shiny ponytail bobbing about. She walked over quite as she could, before leaping on her.
"Found you!"
"Aw! How did you find me?" Claire fake being disappointed.
"I can see you," the little girl giggled.
In all honesty Claire felt sorry for her. She was there when both her parents and younger brother died, a outbreak had happened in the girls home town. The zombie that got into her house had broken into the cellar where everyone was hiding.
It was shot in the head, before it got to her.
It was Jake Muller who shot it. It was him that brought the little girl to Sherry, who brought her to Claire who placed her in the TerraSave children's home, but she visited her often. Deep down Claire was relieved when she was fostered, she knew how desperately a young girl needed a mother figure.
"We're just going to keep on driving until we reach the hotel," Mrs. Pepper stood up, addressing the bus. Her voice taking Claire out of her thoughts.
"It should only be a couple hours from now. We'll just have to be a little late. I suggest that you all try and get some sleep. We have a early start in the morning." She sat back down in her seat.
Claire leaned back into the seat and looked out the window again, letting herself drift off into thought. Her eyes grew heavy and she soon fell asleep.