Chapter 13

"Clare. Where are you?"

Clare looked tilted her head to scan her surroundings. She closed her eyes tightly before answering the question.

She was surrounded by groups of people who looked like they were waiting for someone to arrive. They were currently in front of a tall building. Some of the people there were holding posters and tarpaulins and others were holding questionable things.

She guessed those would be used as projectiles later.

"I'm still at the hospital..."

"Don't joke around, Clare. I know you left since Owen arrived at the hospital an hour ago and he saw you leave."

'Ah. I got caught.'

"..."

"Come on, Clare. I know you. You wouldn't lie to me unless you're going to do something you're gonna get in trouble for."

"Fine. I'm at a protest."

"Huh?A Protest?"

"The company responsible for the demolition...I saw there was a protest at one of their branch companies... I saw it on the news last night."

There was silence before the person on the other side on the phone responded.

Clare flinched as soon as she heard the increase in volume with Stella's voice.

"Are you crazy?! What are you doing there?!"

"Calm down, Stella. You don't need to shout. I can clearly hear you without that much volume."

"You want me to act like I just didn't hear you join a protest all of a sudden? What are you going todo? Don't tell me—"

"I'm gonna join Stella. Maybe, I might get some compensation for the sudden demolition of my property."

Clare tried to explain to Stella calmly because she was also feeling lightheaded and confused.

But she thought of it carefully, and she might get something from this...

Even if it's just a clue for Mr. Bowe's whereabouts.

Although Clare knew she sounded stupid at the moment, she did not care. She just lost it at this point. She also wanted to vent out her anger and frustration.

'I guess shouting in public might be a good coping mechanism.'

She thought of this and wanted to laugh hysterically.

"Do you know how dangerous those are! You might get hurt and die from a stampede!"

"Stop being paranoid, Stella. I just wanna let out some steam."

"At a protest? Seriously?!"

A chuckle was her only response. Lack of sleep could really mess up people in the brain.

"Clare just come home and sleep. Do you hear yourself right now? You sound like you drank a bucket of booze. Seriously you—"

Clare was not able to finish listening to what Stella was saying because she noticed how the people gathered around the entrance start to stir. They started picking up their plackards and shouted becoming noisy.

"I'm gonna hang up for now. I think it's gonna begin soon."

"Wait! Clare—"

Clare hung up and turned her phone off. It might come off rude but she really needed this right now. It was a weird way to vent but she saw an opportunity and she took it.

She started making her way towards the cluster of people close to the drive way of the building's entrance. The noise was considerably getting more and more loud. The security personnel and some police officers started to push some of the resistant people away.

Damn.

Stella was right.

She might really get her ass hurt if she followed those people's examples. Still, it started looking a bit fun.

Was she going insane?

'I mean I could participate. If only there was something I could do without getting too physical with the guards...'

An idea clicked in her mind.

Clare then approached an old lady carrying a tray of spoiled eggs and a pale of rotten tomatoes.

There was rage in the old woman's face and she was busy trying to throw those horrid smelling projectiles to an approaching expensive looking black car.

Clare looked at the old woman with pity and then tapped the latter on the shoulder. The woman sneered at Clare for disturbing her with her futile attempts of being a spoiled eggs sharpshooter.

"Excuse me, Grandma. Do you need a hand?"

Clare tried to show a friendly smile while sounding polite. The grandma then furrowed her brows but gave her a go signal to take whatever of the two she wanted.

Clare whispered a 'thank you' and beamed.

Although it smelled really horrible, she just got excited that the door of the back seat was opening.

What appeared before her was only the back of a tall figure wearing a seemingly expensive suit.

Another man in a suit was busy trying to assist the man who just came out. Clare assumed that it was a body guard.

'He must be the boss...Based from his back, he seems pretty young to be a boss of a huge company.Not that it has anything to do with me...'

Now, where was she?

Oh yes! Finally, her target appeared before her eyes. She would not miss this chance to test her throwing abilities.

Clare chose the nastiest smelling among all the eggs and took the mushiest most disgusting looking tomato and mushed them together without breaking the egg.

'Imagine the abomination this egg would smell like when it cracks. I bet that expensive suit would be beyond salvation.'

Clare threw the man, particularly his suit, a look of pity and grief before doing a baseball player stance.

The old woman who watched Clare shivered. She had a feeling that shot was sure to land to whoever whose target it was.

Clare suddenly used 110% strength of her fatigued body to throw the self made curse ball to her target. She was calculating the accuracy of her aim. When she was sure I would land at his back, she squeezed out her vocal cords.

"Give me back my building! You a******!"

*Crack

An audible gasp was heard from the bodyguards and employees approaching the man or should she say the 'boss'.

Clare felt both joy and dissapointment.

Joy because she still managed to hit the target and disappointment because she failed to dirty the suit.

She was aiming for the suit damn it! Why did it hit his nape?!

It did dirty the collar since the liquid from the eggs and tomatoe started flowing down his neck but...

Clare knew she messed up when even the protesters trying to get close to the target started groaning.

" Who was that? That smells horrible."

" Sh** I think I'm going to throw up." said another random protester.

One after another there were complaints and murmurs. Some even stopped shouting because the smell was so repulsive it rendered everyone sick.

Everyone near the car started looking nauseated.

The old woman who was pinching her nose beside Clare, gave her a thumbs up.

"Good aim."

Clare scractched the back of her neck and laughed aqkwardsly. Her heart started beating at a fast pace. She started to fear the repurcussion of her action.

'Clare, you stupid b***h! You might get sued!'

It all dawned on her. The crazy thing she just did...

Oh my God.

What did she just do?

This cant be real, right?

Clare felt a shiver up her spine when a deep voice spoke.

"Who was it?"