Claire Lovington
“Mom, please stop, I’ll be fine.” Claire sighed as her mom gave her a final hug outside of the airport. Because Claire lived so close to Chicago, she was fortunate to be able to have her parents drive her to the drop off point.
“I’m sorry! This is just the first time you’ll be gone for so long!” Claire’s mom wiped a tear from her eye as her father finished bringing over the last of her bags.
“That’s it, kiddo.” Her father sighed and pulled Claire into a hug as well. “That’s the last of them.” Now that all her bags were finally out of the car, it finally fully hit her that this was happening. This was it. Claire was going to go to the school of her dreams. In the arms of her father, Claire felt herself begin to tear up a bit.
“Be sure to call every day, okay?” Claire’s mom reminded her as Claire pulled away from her father and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I will Mom, I will.” Claire smiled before taking one last photo with her dad and her mom and grabbing her stuff. “I look okay, right?” Claire asked a bit concerned as she straightened her shirt.
“You look beautiful, honey.” Claire’s mom said with a smile as she adjusted the purple tag around her daughter’s neck. Claire gave her parents each one last hug before grabbing her bags and going into the airport. Claire followed the signs and the directions on her printed page of ‘What you should do when you arrive at Chicago O’hare International Airport’ instructions sheet.
Claire was shaking a bit from excitement and nervousness as she walked up to the attendant at the desk. Claire fumbled with her ID a bit as she gave it to the attendant. “Clara Lovington?” She asked with an eyebrow raised.
“That’s me.” Claire smiled a bit sheepishly. The attendant nodded and let Claire in, just barely in time for someone who looked like a teacher to begin a speech. By the time Claire had gotten to the lounge, it was already bussling with activity, even though it was immediately been silenced by the speech made by the teacher. As though it had been rehearsed, another person began speaking, who Claire immediately recognized from her handbook to be Louis Mason, the head of academics at Kalopsia Academy and probably the person she would have to speak to soon the moment she starts struggling in her classes.
Claire made her way to a somewhat empty corner as she listened to the academic head speak, pausing as she heard about the deadly gas leak from last year. She recognized the name from the papers, and from her coach’s surname. Quietly and awkwardly, Claire sat down and lowered her head in respect. Just from how the room felt at this point, it was clear that Maxen Labelle was a well respected man, making her wish she had the chance to meet him at least once before he died.
Approachable