I'm completely fascinated by the twins, Chloe and Claire. Right now, Chloe is the most interesting, but Claire could make a comeback any time.
I think of Chloe as a "happy girl". It seems to me that she has always been gifted, bright, pretty, well-loved and happy with herself, her life and her existence. I think it has been relatively easy for her to be a "good girl", a relatively obedient girl. I think she has accepted and even liked her parents' rules for her. I think she has found it relatively easy to be there for her younger siblings (and probably for Claire, too). I remember that it was Chloe who calmly took over and helped and comforted Jama when Jama had gotten her first period.
The way I think of Chloe, I believe that she was sufficiently happy and well-adjusted to be able to take her mother's death in a level-headed way, too. Of course she was extremely sorry about what had happened, but I believe that Chloe felt that her life was so good in so many other ways that she could regain her footing quickly and be happy again. The way I think of Chloe, she was not devastated or traumatized by her mother's death. She was probably a lot more worried about her father's grief afterwards.
For Claire it's been different, I think. I think she has doubted herself a lot more. She may have doubted her own talents, her own beauty, her own worth. I would think she has taken her mother's death so much harder than Chloe did (of course I may be wrong about all of this). No doubt her very bad experience with that creep of a boyfriend, Alex, has done a lot to damage Claire's self-confidence.
Well, back to Chloe. I admit I was surprised at her pregnancy, given the fact that I think of Chloe as basically an obedient and responsible girl. I'm not saying it would be out of the question for a girl like Chloe to disobey her father's wishes and have sex with her boyfriend at fifteen, but it does seem a bit unlikely and out of character. That's why I like your explanation so much. It was Alex, again, and the Kryptonite in his leg that made her do it.
I very much like the idea that now that Chloe has defied her father once and had sex with Ben, she is not going to be as obedient as she once was. Because the experience has changed her. It has deepened her love for her boyfriend, and already she has come to love having sex with him.
I think it's going to be extremely interesting to see what happens to Chloe from now on. And the poor girl doesn't even know she is pregnant.
I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what it will be like for Claire to suffer through the rape trial, too. And then I want to see what will happen to her and Trace.
Ann
