"That was unfortunate," Claire uttered in response to the little conversation occurring within her jewelry box. She had been sitting at her dresser for quite a while, her head resting on her arms as she listened in. The Alphas hadn't been speaking much until the last half hour, it had mostly been scattered yelling and cursing from the one named Marion. A smile had crossed her face when she voiced her assumption that Claire was going to murder her. She dearly wanted to, but that was a personal matter, one best kept away from her actual responsibilities.

This little conversation had been...unexpected. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. The Naomi girl clearly felt remorse, and that was good. Rehabilitation was always a more favorable outcome when it came to these matters, and Naomi was saying the right things to mark her as a potential success on that front.

She was almost glad when the other two responded as they did. While rehabilitation was the goal, that didn't mean they got off without punishment, and the punishment these three had earned would be much easier to deliver if she were motivated.

"Not that I need help with that," she thought bitterly, images of the victim passing through her thoughts.

Sighing, Claire sat up and brushed her long black hair back over her shoulder. It was time for a talk, and her left hand settled on the top of box's lid, jarring the container slightly. Removing the lid, she carefully set it to the side as she peered down at her little prisoners, resting her head on her hand as she did so. She wanted to laugh a little as they blindly looked around, but felt it best to keep her composure.

As they regained their sight, Claire decided to get a better look at them. She wanted to see their faces clearly during this little talk, so best if she went ahead and focused her vision in on them. She had identified all three several hours earlier, and pulled the files on them while making a trip to the local Facility to process them into her charge and pick up a few things.

Marion, the little redhead, was the first one she wanted to get a look at, and she was pleased that the little girl's sight had adjusted in time to watch Claire's gaze focus on her. Watching her face contort from one of discomfort and nervousness to one of terror was a pleasant feeling. Claire disliked this girl immensely. Her file was full of bullying infractions, both in regards to Betas and her fellow Alphas. She was apparently the daughter of some well-off automotive executive, and near as Claire could tell, he spoiled the hell out of her. That wasn't going to last much longer.

Moving on, Naomi was the next one Claire recognized. As soon as she saw Claire's eyes land on her, her head immediately drooped and the raven-haired Asian girl simply stared at her own feet. The file on Naomi had...not been what she suspected, given the nature of this crime. Her record was spotless. Not even a hint of Beta mistreatment anywhere in it, and no sign of general misconduct anywhere. Claire had no idea why she had decided to ruin that record, but she intended to find out.

That left Stephanie, the little brunette with the pony-tail. Claire may have disliked Marion the most, but Stephanie worried her the most. The girl simply did not care, an observation reinforced by her meeting Claire's judgmental gaze with an apathetic stare. While her file offered no indication that she was the proactive bully that Marion was, there were plenty of incidences where she had harmed a Beta for no other reason than the fact that she didn't care enough to adjust her own actions. There was a particular instance that stuck out to Claire from about eight years prior, when Stephanie had been 10, and she wanted to talk to her about that eventually.

For now, she had a foundation to lay.

"I think it's about time we discuss your futures, little ones," she started. "Particularly the detail of whether or not any of you actually have one."

Her choice of words had the desired effect. Stephanie's apathetic gaze quickly melted, and Marion immediately began trying to claw her way up and out of the jewelry box. Unfortunately for her, while she might have been pretty, she wasn't particularly athletic, and the box that was 6 inches tall from Claire's perspective was double the height of the girls. She quickly tired out, eventually turning around and meeting Claire's gaze one again before slumping to the ground, eyes still on the Omega.

Naomi was the only one who didn't visibly react, but Claire also couldn't see her face. That wasn't going to work, and Claire began moving her left hand into the box. Marion's look of terror intensified as the tanned appendage invaded their domain, and Stephanie moved as far away from the hand as she could get in their limited amount of space. Naomi seemed unaware, until the pad of Claire's index finger entered her vision. She jumped back slightly, but was stopped almost immediately by the side of the box.

Ever so tenderly, Claire caught the girl's chin on the underside of the slight fingernail she kept and gingerly lifted the girl's head up until she could plainly see her face. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she noticed that Naomi had been silently crying to herself before the girl turned her head to the side, again trying to avoid eye contact.

"Naomi, listen to me and look at me," Claire commanded softly. Naomi's only response was that she began to tremble, and Claire clicked her tongue in annoyance. She was hoping Naomi would be the easiest one to talk to.

"Naomi," Claire called again, "I need you to look at me. I have to be able to see your face while I talk to you three, because I need to be able to see your reactions. If I can't see your face, I can't take anything you say seriously. I'll have to consider the possibility that you're being dishonest with me, and that isn't good for you. Now look. At. Me."

Naomi's head slowly turned until she was once again facing Claire, and Claire decided to spare the girl a small smile. Positive reinforcement would be crucial with her.

"Good," she said with a soft voice. "Keep it just like that, whenever we're speaking. But while I've got you..."

Claire suddenly adjusted her hand, and reached her fingers behind the small girl, prying her away from back of the jewelry box before surrounding and trapping her within. Only Naomi's head remained visible between her thumb and index finger as Claire carefully lifted her up and out of the jewelry box before depositing her gently on the dresser in front of her.

Naomi had maintained eye contact through the entire action. That was good, even if the only expression on her face was one of abject terror. The important thing was that she was putting forth the effort to do what Claire required of her. A little thing, but an important one. So many Alphas dismissed the little things.

"Now stay right there," Claire commanded as her hand traveled back to the jewelry box. Looking at the two remaining girls, and remembering what they had said earlier when they thought they were alone, Claire felt her sudden tenderness leave her. There was no need for that with these two.

Stephanie was her first target, and to her credit the girl didn't try to fight her as the tips of Claire's thumb and forefinger clasped around her waist like a vice. Claire lifted her out rather roughly, bringing her next to Naomi and unceremoniously dropping her onto the mahogany surface with about three inches to spare. Stephanie managed to land on her feet and remain steady, but it still left her startled as she moved closer to Naomi.

Saving Marion for last had been a conscious decision. Claire had a feeling she would provide some...entertainment, and as her fingers drew closer to the redhead, her feeling was rewarded. The girl hit the floor of the box at the last second before Claire grabbed her, following it up by rolling quickly to the opposite end of her prison.

"That was a poor decision," Claire said, as she began to move her hand toward Marion once again.

"Fuck you!" she heard the little monster shriek, eliciting an annoyed twitch of Claire's right eye.

"Rude little thing, aren't you?" she muttered as she made another grab at the redhead, this time offering no avenue for escape as she brought her whole hand to bear against her charge, scooping her up effortlessly. She casually rolled the girl around on her palm with her thumb, the digit meeting no effective resistance as Marion tried to push it away. Claire had her positioned where she wanted her soon enough, and Marion found herself in the same inescapable grip that had earlier carried Naomi away.

"Let me go, let me go, let me go!" Marion yelled as Claire lifted her out of the box. "You can't fucking do this, let me go!"

Claire had to fight back a smile.

"On the contrary, it's well within my authority to do this, little one," she calmly stated. "In fact, doing this is precisely why I exist."

"Fuck you, bitch! My daddy won't let you do this to me, not over some Beta trash! Now let me fucking go!"

"Thank you," Claire thought to herself. As Marion continued to fight against her grip, yelling various obscenities at her warden, Claire's attention turned to Naomi and Stephanie, both of whom were looking directly at her already.

"Naomi, Stephanie, please focus your eyes on your little friend for a moment," she commanded, both girls immediately complying. Turning her attention back to the still struggling Marion, Claire began to lift her middle finger away from Marion's body. Marion's struggles temporarily halted as her attention shifted to the moving digit, her gaze eventually returning back to meet Claire's.

"What are you-" Marion began, but got no further as Claire snapped the finger back to Marion, delivering an immense impact to the girl's stomach with the pad of her finger. Marion attempted to scream, but it was squelched by the air evacuating her lungs.

Claire found the little gasp quite pleasant, but she really was finding it harder and harder to maintain her stone-faced look as the little hellion gave her the excuse she craved to make things a bit more physical. She really hadn't cared for those earlier comments.

Bringing her fist down to the dresser, she steadily uncurled her fingers, and a slight tilt sent Marion tumbling down onto the wooden surface. The girl immediately clutched her stomach and began rolling around, coughing and crying as Claire watched on. For a moment, her eyes shifted over to the other two girls. Both were trembling, and they both took a step back as they watched Claire's eyes turn onto them.

"Don't be afraid, little ones," Claire stated, her voice softening. "This was just me providing an example of what to expect if you behave like dear Marion just did. As long as you don't act out, you have nothing to worry about..."

Claire paused, giving the two just a moment to process that. She noticed that their trembling calmed down dramatically after just a few seconds.

"...at least, not beyond our scheduled sessions," she finished.

Both girls looked at her, mouths slightly agape and eyes wide as the trembling returned.