What Became of Claudia Finch

Prologue

I couldn't tell you when it started. I'm not even sure myself. Some people know when things are going to happen, know where people are or that something bad has happened to them, but me? I've just always sorta known when people needed me. It's my weird little superpower, I guess.

Every superpower has some sort of drawback, though. Superman had kryptonite, I had loneliness. See, whenever I show up out of wherever and step into people's lives, it's good while it lasts, but as soon as they're good to go and back on their feet, I cease to exist in their world anymore. It's something you get used to after a time. I guess sorta like a hooker learns never to fall in love with everyone she sleeps with no matter how often she sees them or how good they are to her, you learn to just not get attached to the people who you grab by the hand at their worst and pull them back onto their feet. Not the best analogy, I know, but the premise is the same.

See, that part got easy. It has been easy since I could remember. You go in, do your thing, become what people need the most in that snapshot in time, a best friend, an asshole, a lover, and then you go on your way. Did it get lonely sometimes? Sure. I couldn't tell you how many times I sat crying in my truck because that one person just got to me, and now they wouldn't even know me if I showed them the hundreds of pictures we took together. At the end of the day, there remains one simple truth: Everyone needs someone. That much I've learned over and over again with each person I help. It makes me feel good no matter how much I do it, though. I honestly didn't expect that. I figured that after a few times I'd become sorta numb to the whole feeling of it, but I still get a little sentimental. I always keep a picture. Hell, I have a whole photobook full of them - familiar faces I've called my best friends who could look me dead in the eye and never know who I was. It doesn't matter that I remember and they don't. I've got the memories, and that's what counts at the end of the day. In a way, it's easy to let go when people forget who you were when you weren't really being yourself.

You see, this is where the story starts and gets a little bit complicated. This was all a truth I accepted until I met Sam. I've always had to change who I was to help people, but this time, I'm helping her by being myself, and something about that - much like this whole situation I'm currently in - is utterly terrifying. It's one thing to be able to pull on a mask and play a part on someone else's awkward drama, but to step out onto this stage as yourself? That's... Well, that's huge. 

See, we're currently lying in a decent amount of pain on a dusty barn floor. My head is ringing like a church bell, it looks like I've got kaleidoscopes for eyes, and I can hear her cussing quietly beside me. A lot happened in the past few weeks, and honestly I'm not exactly sure how it got to this point, but I feel like that's why I want to tell it to you. You know, before I die or whatever grisly fate awaits me if Sam doesn't manage to get me to my feet fast enough. Meeting Sam has changed things for me, and I'm realizing this as I'm blinking my vision back into place as I hear the angry shouts of the assholes who came at us are coming down from the loft. 

Taking it from the top, now. I'm Claudia. Claudia Finch. I have no family, no home, no ties, and I'm your resident guardian angel in disguise - or in a lack of disguise this go around, really. The girl next to me is Sam Vincent, resident principal's officer regular and a girl who really, really needs a friend. I'd say I'm here to save her life, but currently, she's the one doing the saving. The guys coming after us are the local assholes we somehow managed to piss off. It's quite the story. I'll start at the beginning. So, a starting point for this whole mess... I got a feeling that I needed to head for Kansas. I couldn't have told you why. It was just where I needed to be. I packed up what few things I had, got into a truck, and hit the road. Routine, sure, but Lord, had I known what I was getting myself into, I may have just sat this one out. I have no idea where she'd be without me, but I'm getting the sinking feeling wherever it would be would be a thousand times worse than this musty barn floor. So here I am in Kansas, where this whole story begins...

~

[A/N]: Hey everyone! So this is the first story I've ever actually posted anywhere, and I hope that you all will like it! Since I move around a lot and college keeps me occupied, my updates might not be consistent all the time, but don't be afraid to comment and point out any mistakes (nicely, of course). This is in its first draft right now, for the most part, so I have more than likely missed things. I hope you all enjoy!