Aletheia

Chapter 4: Claire

CLAIRE PICKED AT THE WHEAT GRASS beneath her feet, within the hour she had already made a large bare patch around herself. This was hell, Will was practically babysitting her now.

"Claire, stop killing all our wheat, we need that!" his voice grumbled with annoyance. Claire let out a groan and dropped the piece of wheat from her hand. She was running out of things to do, the boredom was so immense she was now seriously considering just working for the mill.

"Can I leave?" Claire leaned back and shouted at Will.

"No," he shouted back, another grumble from Claire. Rolling over the bare patch of wheat she got up, groaning all the way until she stood before her brother.

"You don't have to babysit me," she said, crossing her arms before her chest.

"Uhhh yes I do, you almost climbed the freaking wall Claire, it's either staying here with me or following mom around and we both know that wouldn't end well," he said tossing a newly filled bag of flour at Claire's feet. She jumped back, cursing at him.

"At least let me do something, unless you want all your wheat to be lying dead on the ground," she said, flicking up one of her eyebrows.

Will glanced at her, his eyebrows knitted together, "You wouldn't dare, you know I'd be fired for that."

"So? You hate this job don't you?" Claire said, swinging herself up on the table of bags, ready to be filled with flour.

"Get off my bags Claire," Will said, his eyes looking bored and annoyed.

"Just go pick some wheat," Will said, tossing the empty wheat basket at her feet.

Claire groaned, "I don't deserve this." She picked the basket up from the floor and stomped her way out the door.

"You most certainly do, make sure to pick the big ones before any of the small ones, okay?" Will shouted after her disappearing figure. She flashed him a thumbs up above her head and made her way to the tall stalks. After wading a good ways through she began to pick. There was a reason why she never took a job here when Will asked. Picking wheat was the most tedious, annoying job there was. Claire wiped the already beading sweat from her brow, she grabbed bundle of wheat in her hand and pulled. After multiple heaves she gave up she'd just have to pull them one by one.

Stumbling over a rock she went deeper into the field, pulling every other large stalk she could find. A crack whispered through the field, causing her hand to stay suspended above the grains of wheat. She whipped her head around to look in the direction it came from. But the wheat was too tall to see if anything lurked within it.

A muffled scuff behind her, Claire spun on her heel, her hand instinctively grabbing for the knife she kept in her back pocket, but it wasn't there. The Protectors had taken it away, because apparently it was 'illegal.'

"Don't scream," a voice whispered to her left, Claire carefully brought her eyes over to look. Her hands were shaking, her mouth already opened to scream for her brother, but...

"Please," the boy sat crouched amongst the stalks of wheat, looking more vulnerable than she felt.

"Who are you," Claire said calmly, her eyes quickly moving up above the wheat to find the mill incase she ended up having to make a quick escape. Her nail began pushing itself deep into the flesh of her finger, a nervous habit she had picked up from Will when they were younger. He always did it when they were in primary school together, but he'd never noticed. Sometime later when dad died Claire picked it up unconsciously, she'd never noticed either.

The boy slowly rose, his left hand calmly reaching forward as if to tell her it was okay. His right hand stayed back by his hip, probably close to his weapon. His brown hair looked even more matted than before, a thick layer of dirt and grime coating his face and hair. His bushy brows were angled downward, as if he was considering his options, probably mirroring Claire's exact expression.

"Who.. are... you." Claire said again, this time her fear slipping out in her voice. This was the kid who broke out of the cells, who passed by five guards without anyone finding out until she had gotten there.

"Griffin." he said, now fully standing he was about a foot taller than Claire, making her feel small. Claire bit her lip, Griffin, right, that didn't tell her anything. He certainly wasn't from outside the walls of Terran.

"Claire," she replied. After a moment she opened her mouth but he stopped her.

"Just listen to me..." he said, his eyes scanned the area, looking for other people.

"My brother's at the mill," Claire interrupted, as if that was any useful information for Griffin, "Where the hell did you come from? I thought everyone outside the wall had died."

"What? Died?" Griffin paused, looking more puzzled than Claire felt, "No... we have hundreds of cities..."

"No, what are you talking about? That can't be right, what about all the beasts..." Claire said.

"Claire, there are cities, and towns, whole civilizations out there, where else would I have come from?"

"No, get out of here. I don't want anything to do with you."

"No, please there's no one else who would believe me," An icy chill filled Claire, rising up from her toes. She shivered, looking back at the mill, then at Griffin.

"Claire do you have my wheat? I kind of need wheat to make flour," Will's voice rang up through the stalks.

"Claire..."

"I am sorry I can't be an accessory to whatever it is you're trying to convince people," she said then sprinted in the other direction. He didn't call after her, he didn't try to stop her. By the time she got to the edge of the field Griffin was gone and Will was standing, arms crossed waiting for her.

"Oh come on, you didn't even fill the basket 1/4th of the way!" Will moaned, looking at Claire's meager basket. "Who takes that long to pick that little wheat, it's ridiculous!"

Claire looked down, he was right, barely 1/4th of it was full, and even that was a little generous.

"I..." Claire began, but remembered how scared Griffin was; giving him away now would not only get him back in jail. Saying something would get the both of them in a lot of trouble, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

"You...? You better have a good excuse, that's what." Will said, taking the basket from her dangling left hand.

"I... I just really suck at picking wheat, remember this is why you do not make me do stuff, I suck at it," Claire said. Her eyes glanced over the field, looking for where Griffin disappeared to.

"Right, because you are a useless little twerp, I forgot about that. Fine, go sit back on the bench, I'll make Jim get the rest of the wheat..." Will said, rolling his eyes. Claire stuck out her tongue and walked back to her bench, glad she didn't have to go back into the field.

"Nooooo! Don't make me go wheat picking again, it's your turn Will and you know it," Jim's voice echoed from inside the mill. Will groaned, at the realization that Jim had overheard everything he had said.

"Fine! I'll go pick the damn wheat, ya'll are abunch of sissies," Will said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.