Claire Littleton sat at a table in a small and very greasy smelling café. It reminded her of the Fish and Fry back in Australia, not only the smell but the food was just as bad.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles Claire had become a mess. She really was now convinced that she was crazy. She had listened to a psychic who had changed his mind after all. Were they allowed to do that? First he told her that there was danger surrounding her baby, and she had to raise it herself. The suddenly he tells her that there was a "good family" in Los Angeles who would look after her baby, and before Claire even got a second to protest he had thrust a plane ticket and a wad of money in her hand. Against all her better judgement Claire decided to take the ticket nad money, it wasn't as if she really had anything left to lose.
And then it turned out this family didn't even exist, which left Claire stuck with a dwindling supply of money, no friends and no where to go. She supposed she could go to some sort of Women’s Aid center, but how could they help her? Claire now wasn’t sure if she wanted anyone to help her, even though she desperately needed it. First Thomas told her he no longer wanted a child and left her, then the psychic…
Sighing slightly Claire glanced down at her very pregnant stomach. She ran a hand over the lump, how could a baby of all things be dangerous? terabithia LESLIE BURKE
Leslie had no idea where she was or why she wasn't wet. She'd been swinging across the river, like she'd done hundreds of times before, determined to fetch something from the tree house in the area she and Jesse had dubbed Terabithia, when the rope had snapped. She remembered feeling the jerk of the rope, feeling water splashing around her, and looking up at sun shinning through the surface of the water as she moved through the river. There had been a sharp feeling on the side of her head and then--well, she didn't know what happened after that. Surely, someone had pulled her out? Jesse, perhaps?
But then, where was here? This was obviously not the small town that her parents had moved to. And that smell definitely didn't belong to any food from the few restaurants that were there.
Shrugging her shoulders, Leslie wandered in through the door, looking around at the crowded room. Her stomach gave a flop or two and she stuck her hand in the pocked of her jacket, pulling out a bundle of crumpled fives and tens that her parents had given her that morning under the impression that she was going into town to occupy herself.
Looking around again, Leslie spotted a free chair at a table housing a blonde pregnant woman. So, putting on her best friendly smile, she waltzed up to the table.
"Hi, is this seat taken?" lostaussie CLAIRE LITTLETON
Claire glanced up, slightly surprised at being spoken too. Her expression relaxed into a smile when she saw it was a young girl who had spoken. Sitting up a bit straighter and smiling she shook her head.
"Um, no, it's all yours."
Claire took her hand off her stomach and rested it on the table instead, wondering if she should even bother with the food. She ran a hand through her hair before smiling at the girl again. Maybe some company would cheer her up, and take her mind off everything.
"I'm Leslie, and thanks for letting me sit here," Leslie said with an appreciative smile, taking a seat across from the woman. She still hadn't a clue as to where she was, but at least the first person she'd spoken to seemed nice.
"That's an interesting accent, if you don't mind me saying. Is it...something from the England area?"
She hadn't had much exposure to TV, being that her parents didn't own one, but she'd seen a documentary in school about the Revolutionary War and her accent sounded similar to the one the British spoke with. lostaussie CLAIRE LITTLETON
Normally Claire would have gotten annoyed at someone mistaking her for coming from England. But the last few days had put such an emotional toll on her, she didn't think she was capable of it. That and there was something about Leslie, that convinced Claire she could never possibly be mad at her.
"Oh, no problem" Claire smiled. "It's nice to have someone to sit with."
"I'm from Australia actually" Claire smiled, poking at her salad slightly with a spoon. "Are you from here? Because...no offense, you don't really look like you are."
Leslie was a contrast to the surroundings Claire had seen in LA. There was something almost different about the girl, and it calmed Claire slightly to have the girl at her table. terabithia LESLIE BURKE
"Australia?" Leslie echoed, her smile growing brighter. "Wow! That's awesome! And no, I'm not from around here. I'm from Virginia. I..."
She trailed off, unsure of what to say for a moment. But fortunately for Leslie, she was a good lier. The things she had got people to believe? Ha. Jesse even believed she was a pro suba diver until she told him otherwise.
Picking up a spoon and twirling it in the air some, she said: "Here on vacation with my parents. They're off looking at buildings to be used as the setting for their new book. They're authors." lostaussie CLAIRE LITTLETON
Claire felt a small pang in her stomach, when Leslie said the word 'parents,' and it wasn't the baby kicking. Maybe it was the memory of Thomas telling her they could be parents, that her becoming pregnant would be the best thing for them. That was of course, before he realized that being a father wasn't really what he wanted, leaving a very pregnant Claire, with very few options.
"Authors? That's really cool" Claire smiled, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Would I have read any of their stuff?"