"Taylor. I've been waiting for you."
It was the voice of his nightmares. A voice that would haunt him until his dying day, relentlessly tourturing him with enevidable death. She stepped from the shadows, and her dark eyes met his. She smiled slightly and took a hesistant step forward.
Claire
Without so much as a second thought, he sprang from his spot against the books and rushed to the door. She slowly stepped towards him, walking so gracefully that she appeared to be almost floating across the room. Hurridly, he ran through the aisles of books desperatly trying to get to the exit. She was still coming towards him, smiling slightly and staring at him with huge dark eyes. He ran as if he were in slow motion, and his breath caught in his throat as he felt her came to a dead end in the aisle of books. Taylor turned and faced the girl.
She held her head down, but her dark eyes remained on him. With a small movement of her hands, a large knife appeared. Delicately, she held the knife to his throat.
"Please....Don't do this!" He begged, tears running down his cheeks.
"If I can't have you no one will!"
Taylor jumped up and fell out of his desk, knocking it over with a loud clang that vibrated through the silent classroom. He whirled around and let out kicks and punches wildly, trying to hit Claire.
The other students in the classroom tore their attention away from the professor's lecture and stared at Taylor as he blindly fought an invisible oppenent. His face was flushed and the look of pure terror on his face was better than any horror movie could offer. Several students stood to get a better view and others looked away, trying to ignore what was happening.
With a look around the room, he suddenly realized where he was and what exactly he was doing. He paused in mid upper cut and blushed to the roots of his long blond hair. Silently, he picked his desk off the floor, put it back into place and slid into the seat sheepishly. A look around the classroom confirmed his fear: they all thought he was insane.
Maybe he had gone insane. It seemed as though no one believed that he was in trouble again. He had told Isaac and Zac about the phone calls and strange things that were starting again, but neither were listening. It was frustrating to know that he was alone in this fight against Claire. He had received the first phone on the first day of College, complete with Claire's signature song: Possession.
Of course, he knew that she was in a mental institution, far away and out of reach. There was no possible way that she could be stalking him again, and he was beginning to wonder if maybe he was dilisional.
His psychology professor stared at him for a long while, stroking his white beard, then finally spoke. "Mr. Hanson, would you care to explain what just happened? I am running a classroom, not a fighting arena."
Taylor cleared his throat, embarrassed. "I'm sorry sir, I had a nightmare....I didn't mean to inturupt your class. I promise I won't fall asleep in this class ever again, I won't even close my eyes."
The older man narrowed his eyes, then closed them briefly. He had seen too many students just like Taylor. They were famous, concieted little braggerts who thought they could waltz into his domain and steal the show. He had to fight back the impulse to snap at the boy as he spoke up again.
"Mr. Hanson, I have dealt with the cellular phone calls. I have learned to absenses due to your concerts. I have excepted the fact that while David Lettermen may not have a college degree, he has priority over your homework. I have even begun to enjoy the music that you and your brothers play." Taylor smiled a sideways grin and most of his peers began to laugh lightly. The proffesor paused, then went on. "However, I can not deal with strange outbursts in class."
He guestured around the room. "These men and women are here to learn, not to see a poor display of damaged psychia. If you wish to continue this class, I suggest you come to my office after class to work through the problem."
Taylor nodded and sunk back down into his seat. The other students turned back to their work, but he could still see their shoulders shaking with laughter. He had really made an idiot out of himself today. If he didn't stop this soon, people would begin to suggest that he be moved into the Tulsa Mental Institute.
He laughed to himself and picked up a pencil to take notes from the lecture. Who knows? Maybe Claire and I could be cell mates.
Kickboxing Nightmares and Zac Dating Claire Hatchett?
"Rough day, Tay?" Zac asked, walking beside him across the campus quad. He had cut his hair shorter a few years ago, and it fell in a soft shag into his deep brown eyes. Zac was the BMOC; the man every girl wanted to date and be seen with. After years of having Taylor in the spotlight, Zac was finally getting his glory. Of course, Taylor did ruin his reputation all the time with his strange outbursts. Like the one he had heard about today. Everyone on campus was beginning to think that he had gone insane. Zac was almost positive that he was.
Taylor looked up at him with confused eyes. "How did you know?" He inquired, while quickening his pace.
Zac flipped up the collar of his jacket, and looked uneasily around the quad. If anyone saw him walking around with his brother, there could be trouble in paradise. He had enough trouble picking a date for the winter ball, he didn't need something like this weighing him down. "Rumors, Taylor. I heard about what happened in your psych class today. What's with the kickboxing nightmares?"
An annoyed glance was shot his way from Taylor. "It was not a kickboxing nightmare. I had a dream about Claire, that's all." He shivered slightly. "She's trying to kill me again, Zac. I know she is."
"She's in jail Taylor. You know that, I know that, the whole world knows that. Nothing is going to change the fact that she is behind bars, and you're a free man. It's not like she can kill you from inside the jail. And she probably doesn't even remember who you are." Zac shrugged. "She's a looney, remember? She probably likes that dude from N*sync now." He chuckled.
"Zac!" a female voice cried, and then a figure with dark brown hair grabbed Zac into a hug from behind. Zac grinned and held onto her thin, tanned arms.
"Hey babe." He said softly. He glanced at Taylor as if to say, 'look what I got'. Taylor let himself give Zac a sideways grin and he stopped walking, hoping to get to meet the girl.
"Sara, this is my brother, Taylor. Taylor, this is Sara." Zac said casually, motioning between the two. The girl brought her eyes up to Taylor's and smiled sweetly.
He froze.
Claire.
The girl was identical to Claire Hatchett. She had the same long dark hair, the same sadistically sweet smile....but the eyes were different. Claire had the deepest, darkest eyes, and this girl had light blue, sparkling eyes. The resemblence was still there though, and Taylor felt himself at a loss for words. Breathing was beginning to become difficult for him, and he took a step backwards to get away from her.
"It's very nice to meet you." Sara ventured, looking at the scared look on Taylor's face. At the sound of her voice, Taylor's eyes grew even wider and the look of fear increased ten fold.
"Get away from me!" He cried, and flung himself back from her, running like mad across the quad. Zac and Sara watched him with concern, and Sara was perplexed as to why he would react that way.
"Zac...." She complained. "Your family hates me." She sat down on a nearby bench and massaged her temples. She thought she had moved on in life, but she guessed that the past followed her everywhere.
Zac smiled warmly, then sat beside her. "He doesn't hate you, Sara. Like I said before: Tay is a few fries short of a happy meal." He stated plainly.
"I know." She admitted. "The whole school knows. Poor guy....He can't even imagine what people say about him when his back is turned."
"I'm sure he can. He probably has nightmares during psychology class about it." Zac chuckled, putting his arm around Sara.
Sara looked up to see Taylor still running across the quad, dodging students carrying papers and happy couples out for a stroll; he was running for his life, scared out of his pretty little mind.
She grinned.
Zac Is Missing! Quick! Dial "611"!
The next morning was a quiet one in the Hanson brother apartment. Taylor was in the kitchen, idly stirring sugar into his coffee and staring at Zac's door. It was eleven o' clock in the afternoon, and he knew Zac had a history class at the end of campus at eleven thirty. If he didn't wake up soon, he would never make it in time. Deciding to play the role of a big brother, Taylor rose from his seat at the kitchen table and pounded on Zac's door. No answer came from behind the thick wooden door, and Taylor pounded on it again. Finally giving up, he flung the door open, hoping to catch Zac still snoozing.
No one was in the room. Zac's bed was still neatly made, and his room was exactly the way it had been the day before.
"What the...." Taylor slammed the door shut and paced around the apartment in fear. Zac always came home at some time or another. And there was no possible way that he could have woke before Taylor, he had been up at five. The last person he had seen Zac with was Sara. Or....Claire.
Oh God! She killed him!
Taylor nearly fell over as he desperatly ran to the phone. With a shaking hand, he began dialing 911. He was so upset and his hand was shaking so bad that he messed up the number and ended up dailing 611.
Just barely, he heard a small clicking noise outside the apartment door. He threw the phone down and dived behind the couch, panting with the effort. If it was Claire, she wouldn't find him here; she would just have to kill him another day. The door creaked slightly as it opened, and heavy footsteps wandered into the room, followed by a slam of the door. Taylor buried his head under his arms and sat perfectly still, willing his body not to move an inch.
"Tay?" Zac's voice inquired, spotting Taylor's boot sticking out from behind the couch. He took another hesitant step towards the couch, and noticed the phone lying on the ground. "Taylor, what are you doing?"
Quickly, Taylor's head popped up from behind the couch, he hair sticking out in all directions and he blue eyes wild. "Zac! You're alive! Thank God!" He declared. Scrambling out from behind the couch, he wrapped his younger brother in a tight hug. Zac politely accepted the guesture, but looked uneasily at the windows, hoping a photographer for the Enquirer wasn't out there.
"Why wouldn't I be alive?" Zac questioned, pulling away. Taylor rolled his eyes at him and checked the door to make sure it was locked.
"Because of Claire, stupid. She was the last person I saw you with." He pointed out, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You know....Sara." He said in a sarcastic voice.
Zac let out an exasperated sigh. "Taylor, Sara is not Claire."
"Yes she is. I would know! I saw her, and she looks just like Claire. She even used the same alias....Sara." Taylor observed, shutting the blinds tightly. "I was going to call the police, but you came home before I could." He paused for a moment. "By the way, where were you?" He inquired thoughtfully.
He hesitated before answering. "I was at Sara's apartment."
Taylor yanked the blinds down and whirled to face him. "You slept with Claire Hatchett?!" He howled.
"I did not sleep with Claire Hatchett!" He trailed off and a look of anger appeared on his handsome face along with a slight blush. "My personal life is none of your business anyway, Taylor."
"It is if you're doing it with someone who tried to kill me....and you for that matter!" Taylor pointed out, grabbing Zac by the shoulders. "That's....insane! It's wrong! It's disgusting! It's....it's....."
"Sara Parker." Zac confirmed. "The girl I met two weeks ago at a late night bakery. The girl that I fell head over heels for. The girl I would glady spend the rest of my life with." He said softly, pulling Taylor's hands off his shoulders.
"Zac! Don't be an idiot! It's Claire!" Taylor cried, clenching his fists at his sides. "She is using you to get to me!"
Zac narrowed his eyes and stared at his older brother. "You know, for once in our lives, I am in the spotlight. I am the one who's got everything going for me. And you just can't handle it can you?" He snapped. "Not everything is about you, Taylor Hanson. For once, it's about me: Zac. Don't ruin this for me! You're just jealous, because I have a girlfriend that loves me, and all the girls on campus think you belong in a looney bin!!" Zac shouted, and walked out the door, slamming it angrily behind him.
Taylor slid into a nearby chair and held his head in his hands. "What has happened to me?"
Chapters 4-7
Claire's Revenge Index
Back Home
E Mail ME
