The Red Swan (On Hold)

Chapter 3

Claire held her hand to her face. She had just been slapped for the hundredth time in her life by Chloe. It was impossible to avoid her sister's tantrums, let alone difficult. But did it have to be this day? She decided it was best to not reply back if she wanted to get early to school. Claire held her head down, staring at the white tiled floor of her house. "Wait here, you little brat."  Chloe hissed as she headed straight towards the kitchen. 

A little while later, she came back with the bowl full of broccoli soup. "I made this. Why didn't you eat it." A foul stench flooded Claire's nostrils that reminded her of rotten eggs.

"I don't like it." Claire tried to say this as softly as possible.

"You don't have a choice." With that said, Chloe splashed the contents of the bowl on Claire's face drenching her wet in slimy green fluid with pieces of broccoli stuck on her shirt. Claire let out a cry of shock. Why was Chloe so angry? She never really went this far. Her already shaggy uniform had just been splattered green. She felt the cold liquid tingle her skin as it mixed up with the fabric of her uniform.

Chloe dragged the shocked Claire by her hand onto the car's back seat and shoved her inside.  Claire had no choice, she couldn't fight her back. Her 'sister' was too strong for her. Although they were a year apart in age and Chloe was very skinny and pale, her grip however, was metallic. She was still holding her hand to her cheek that burned painfully, when the car's engine roared to life. Bright red drops escaped her eyes, flowing down all along her throat and staining her collar.

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"You are not supposed to cry in public. You look even more ugly." Chloe shouted, staring at her from the front mirror. They had reached the school and the car was parked near the large black steel gate. It was a bright sunny day with a humming breeze blowing outside. A group of hooting boys entered the school as one of them splashed water on the securtiy guard and sprinted off, leading to cackling sounds.

Claire's face was soaked in red tears. Having bright red tears had its disadvantages. She couldn't hide them until she washed them off her face. No one knew about her strange tear colors. Her sister and mother had strictly forbidden her to cry in public, lest that anyone see those drops fall and call the BBC news for it.

She took out her emergency wipes and started cleaning the red dried up liquid from her cheeks. Chloe stared at her impatiently, as  the security guard shouted his frustration on another guard who was dozing off in his chair. Claire wiped the green stains on her uniform, trying her best to wipe out the green pigment, leaving light green patches all over her collar. Her platinum hair seemed to have turned silvery green at some spots. 

"Tell them you puked over yourself when you stared at the mirror today." Her sister let out a cackle of laughter that sounded more like the grunting of a pig. Claire winced at the sound. It always creeped her out. 

She pushed open the door and hurried off towards the school gate, as more bursts of laughter followed her.

"Claire, Wait up!" Olivia shouted from behind. Her best friend was walking briskly in her direction, with a pile of notebooks in her hand. Her olive green eyes shone in the bright sun. It was relieving to see someone who didn't laugh at her for who she was. Olivia was wearing a knee length blue skirt with the a light blue sleeveless shirt. Her blonde hair were cut into a pageboy style that gleamed bright in the sunlight.

"What happened to your dress?"  She sounded concerned. Before Claire could speak, Olivia spoke angrily, "Did that bitch Raven do this? We really need to show her who's the boss. Such a coward. A big failure. I hope she gets stuck with professer Boris this year."