An unfinished drabble meant for the abitofclaireity blog.
Claire is learning how to be alone.
The shock and betrayal and rage that dogged her heels for so long after her father first disappeared has given away just as surely as her hope that he’d come back. She got him back once; a second time is impossible. So she stomps on the last shards of her hope and packs her father away. She takes her first step.
The terror that had gripped her when her mother vanished has faded away. She yet hopes that she’ll get a response to her messages, but at this point it’s more likely her messages will bounce back to her when the service is finally cut off. That realization is the second step.
The third step was the month by herself in Missouri. As much time as she spent worrying and panicking and just generally being miserable, she was also learning how to take care of herself. It helped to build up something of an independent streak, and her confidence in herself grew when both her hitch-hiking adventure to Kansas City and the bus trip to Odin turned out fine.
She doesn’t regret making that trip.