A Soldier's Will (Transformers Prime Fanfiction)

First Day Tension

Claire woke up early, getting dressed in a black long sleeve shirt, skinny jeans, and black combat boots. The shirt extended past her hands with holes for the thumbs to go through, making it almost look some form of a glove. After getting dressed, she put her hair up in a simple ponytail before grabbing a gold locket. She would look at it for a moment before opening it. Inside the locket, there was a picture of her brother. She smiled at it, rubbing her eyes to hold back tears.

"Today's my first day of school," she said gently to the locket. "Wish me luck mon frère. I hope I won't let you down..."

She closed the locket and put it around her neck. She would look at herself in the mirror. It was strange for her to not be in a military uniform after wearing it for so long. She frowned.

"This feels weird..." She thought. "I wish I was allowed to wear my uniform in school, so I may scare people away..."

Claire sighed before she got her green military backpack, emptying its contents of weapons and other materials. After she did that, she would pack it with school-related items. She felt quite uneasy about going into a school environment after not being there for months already. Unlike Sebastian, she had trouble with making friends. She used to be bullied before she got into the military. As she was finishing her packing, she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," Claire said, zipping her bag.

The door opened and her mother walked in. Claire looked over to see her before smiling.

"Good morning mama," she said. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did," her mother replied. "I'm glad you're continuing your education. Schools in America will be strange for you, but I think you'll find them to be not so bad."

"I hope so..." Claire rubbed her arm. "I... Just hope people like me."

"I'm sure they will, sweetheart. You're a bright and strong young lady. They'll be silly to not like you otherwise!"

Claire nodded, still uneasy. It still felt wrong to not have her brother here to cheer her on. Her mother could see that she felt anxiety over going to school after not being in one for months.

"Claire... Your brother would be proud of you," she said, placing a hand on her cheek. "If he were here today, he'd tell you not to worry about the people out there. Just make today the best day you can, okay?"

"Yes mama," she said gently. "I'll make you proud..."

"I know, Claire."

Before anything else could be said, a car horn could be heard. Claire chuckled a little before smiling.

"I better go," she said. "My ride's here," she hugged her mother. "Wish me luck mama..."

"I will," her mother replied, returning the hug before pulling back. "Now you better get going. You don't want to be late."

Claire nodded and put on her backpack. She kissed her mother on the cheek, saying goodbye to her before heading out the door to meet the vehicle that was waiting for her. She was surprised to find out that, instead of Smokescreen waiting for her, it was Bumblebee and Raf. She was confused as Raf got out and greeted her.

"Hey Claire!" He said.

"Bonjour Raf," she replied. "Where's Smokescreen?"

"Optimus sent him out on a mission, so Bee volunteered to drive both me and you to school."

"Oh... Alright."

Claire sounded a little bummed, but she managed a smile so that she didn't worry the young boy. She walked with him and got in Bumblebee. The ride was quiet for a while before Raf tried to talk with her.