Background

Claire was a sweet child, growing up in a middle class neighborhood in Albany, Georgia. Her parents, Martin and Lisa Curran, were well-off and lived a comfortable life. Claire had big dreams from a young age, doing her best in school and often succeeding in her goals. Many pictures of Claire were spread throughout her family home of spelling bee’s, sporting events, and a few middle school dances. Her mother welcomed a new baby brother, Remington, to the family when Claire was ten. His curly, golden hair a reflection of Claire’s, he was a small ray of sunshine. Their age gap didn’t allow for a very tight bond between the two, as Claire was very involved in school, but Claire still adored her baby brother. Claire graduated top of her class, and was eager to begin her life. She was accepted into Emory University, a major aspiration of Claire’s, and moved onto campus just a few months after graduating high school. Majoring in business, she diligently continued to work hard. After four busy years, Claire graduated college. She was able to make a few strong connections and was offered a job opportunity a few states away. It was hard saying goodbye to her friends and family, but all her hard work was finally paying off. With the help of her father, she filled her blue sedan to the brim with her belongings and made the cross-country trip to Fresno, California. Taking on an administrative role for the first year as she established herself in a new area, Claire thrived. She loved her life, and made strides through her career. Only a few years after she left, her family was struck with immense tragedy. Both her parents passed away in a car accident, leaving her baby brother alone in her home state. Shock and grief hit her hard, often finding herself just moving along on auto pilot. Preparing for the flight home, greeting distant family she hadn’t seen in years, speaking with the funeral director. It was all so surreal. Weeks had passed and the two siblings began adjusting to their new situation. Claire was declared her brother’s appointed guardian, and the two moved to her home in California. She felt awful removing her brother from his home after what he had just gone through, but she needed to keep her job to be able to support them both in the long run. Over the next few years, Claire’s career continued to flourish. Gaining the favor of her boss, the man wanted to award her a special bonus. Claire had mentioned her interest in the Silver Meridian, and he surprised her with two tickets. Once she arrived in NYC she was scheduled to have a few meetings with their sister company before taking a flight back to Fresno. Claire excitedly waited for her brother to get home after his shift at his own job later that night. She was hoping the trip would be a great opportunity to cheer him up a little, maybe spark some sort of idea for his future. Claire eagerly counted down the days until their vacation, even though it was months away. Her suitcase was packed at least a week ahead of time. The day before their departure, Claire made sure to let her neighbors know she’d be gone, and asked them to keep an eye on her house when they could. In the early hours of March 3rd, Claire was drinking coffee and frantically running around the house, making sure everything was in order. The pair left long before the sun rose, only a 3 hour drive into the city until their little adventure finally began.