Cure for a Nation

Chapter Thirty-Three

Claire and Daniel walked side by side through the forest. He had put away his weapon and walked with his helmet over his shoulder and balancing on the hook of his fingers. They walked in the chill of a trees shadow to keep the setting sun from their eyes. They came upon a clearing and stopped to look around. Daniel sat down heavily on a boulder and adjusted his armor while Claire walked around the clearing. She noticed that the forest floor was already covered in fallen leaves despite the weather having just turned. Must be the amount of trees, she thought. I wonder what it's like here when there aren't any leaves left. She kicked a pile of the orange and grey leaves and smirked. Daniel sat back and closed his eyes. He enjoyed the stark contrast of the frigid shadow and the forgiving warmth of the setting sun across the halves of his face. Suddenly, Claire dove high into the air and came crashing down on a pile of leaves beside the Daniel's boulder. She laughed uncontrollably and spread her arms and legs out. Daniel couldn't help but chuckle at her.
"Leaf angel!" She shouted childishly.
"What are you doing?" Daniel asked, hiding his smirk poorly.
"Playing," Claire said simply.
"Playing?"
"Yeah. Playing in all of these leaves."
"Why?" Claire froze.
"Have you never played in fallen leaves before?" She asked seriously.
"No?" Daniel answered. Claire sat up in an instant, her green eyes wide and a couple leaves caught in her blue hair. Daniel shifted uncomfortably.
"What do you mean you never played in leaves before?!" Claire demanded.
"I've never had the time," Daniel said with a shrug.
"You have to try it!"
"No."
"Try it!"
"Not happening."
"Danny, I order you to play in the leaves with me." Daniel squinted at Claire. He sighed. He stood up and set his carbine against the boulder along with his helmet. He walked into the center of the clearing and Claire watched with her head resting in her hands and her ankles crossed in the air behind her. Daniel stopped. He slowly tipped back on his heels and Claire imagined the sound a tree makes when it is cut down as he fell. He landed with a solid thump, crushing all of the leaves he landed on to dust. Claire frowned and shook her head.
"Take your armor off," she commanded.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Daniel responded uncertainly.
"Danny, we'll be fine. Hide it in the leaves along with your weapon and grab it if there's trouble. We won't go far," Claire pleaded. Daniel sat up and listened closely to the forest. He shook his head.
"Fine," he grumbled, "but we can't spend too much time here." Claire giddily got to her feet and began shuffling leaves into a pile while Daniel removed his armor. Soon, the two were standing barefoot beside each other and wriggling their toes in the cold grass.
"Ready.." Claire muttered. She leaned down and Daniel began to stoop.
"Set.." Daniel was touching the ground with his fingertips.
"Go!" In an instant, Daniel flew across the clearing with Claire in tow and leapt high into the air before he came crashing down on a pile of leaves. Claire landed beside him and the two laughed and giggled with each other. Claire threw leaves at Daniel and he swept a piece of the pile at her the way one might splash water. He laughed as she was covered in leaves. The two played in the leaves until the pile was no more and they laid back on a thin layer of leaf particles and grass. They looked up at leaves that swished back and forth through the air above them before landing out of sight. They sighed together.
"Claire," Daniel said.
"Yeah?" She replied.
"Why are we out here?"
"Because we need a break."
"That so?"
"No," Claire admitted, "but it certainly feels like we earned one. We're finally on the home stretch! We're almost done with this nightmare, Danny!"
"You shouldn't talk like that. It's bad luck."
"But it's true! With you and those Peacekeepers, we'll have Aurora healthy again in a couple of days!"
"Maybe..maybe you're right." They watched another leaf fall while Daniel thought about Claire's words. We're almost done, he repeated in his thoughts. I hope not. He looked over at Claire. She looked peaceful. She clasped her hands over her stomach and smiled softly as she looked up at the trees.
"Where are you going to go after this is over," Claire asked suddenly.
"Headquarters..up north..maybe just travel and see if there are any more survivors. Wherever my queen asks me to," Daniel replied solemnly. There was silence between them.
"Even if she wants you to stay with her?" Claire asked quietly. She watched him from the corner of her eye. Daniel smiled.
"Come on," he said as he pulled himself from the leaves, "it'll be dark soon. Let's head back." Claire groaned as she rose as well and followed him to the boulder.
"Okay, we'll head back.." she muttered. Suddenly, she reached out and took his helmet. She threw it on and stepped away from Daniel.
"If you can catch me," she said through the microphone. Before Daniel could protest, she took off into the forest. He ran after her, shielding his eyes from the setting sun with his right hand.
"Claire, wait!" He called. She sprinted through the trees, bobbing and weaving between them until suddenly, she wasn't in the forest anymore. She gasped as she found herself on another plain and the sun was almost set entirely. The sky was a deep blue and even violet in some places. It bled orange above the horizon and a scarlet separated the sun from the blue of the sky. Claire heard Daniel calling after her and quickly bolted to the right, just inside of the tree line. Just as the sun vanished, she felt Daniel's strong arms envelope her and she was lifted from the ground. She turned around to face him. Claire panted from within the helmet while Daniel already reclaimed his breath and looked at her with a strange gleam in his eyes. He gently set her down but he didn't release her. Claire reached up and slowly pulled the helmet off before dropping it to the ground. Daniel's eyes looked violet themselves in the fading light and Claire's hair lightened while the sky darkened.
"Claire," Daniel whispered, placing a hand on her cheek.
"Yes?" Claire breathed.
"I want to stay with you," Daniel said finally before pulling her even closer and pressing his lips to hers. Claire felt her heart race and she wrapped her arms around him. Daniel slowly pulled away and Claire found herself moving with him before she pulled back. Daniel smiled. Claire smiled faintly before she slid her fingers into his short black hair. She kissed him again and again, each one lasting longer than the last. Finally, she leaned away from him and he looked down at her with a dreamy look in his eyes. A firefly buzzed by Claire's cheek and flashed its light, illuminating her cheek for a moment before vanishing. All around the two were the bugs, flashing their lights and fluttering through the night air. Claire could feel Daniel's heart hammering away in his chest and couldn't help but giggle.
"Was that your first kiss?" Claire asked softly. In the low light, Claire couldn't tell if he was blushing but Daniel turned away from her. She smirked and whispered in his ear.
"It won't be your last," and then she kissed him on the cheek. He froze while Claire stepped away and sauntered back to where Daniel left his armor. Daniel gingerly touched his cheek where she kissed him and shivered.
"So that's what all the fuss is about," he remarked before following Claire through the dark forest.