Playing with Fire

16

We camp on the other side of the broken bridge and I am sitting on the edge of the cliff whilst hugging my knees, staring into the stars which shone above me. I take off my shoes and socks to see blisters smothering my soles.

I sigh and as I begin to put my sock back on, I feel something cold spread onto my foot.

It is Daniel putting on a cream on my foot.

Whatever it is, it's working.

"Good," he reads my thoughts. "I stole this from where ran from in the beginning. And then I met- or bumped into you."

I smile. 

"Leave the sock off. It needs to soak in. I quickly treat your burns." he gets up and walks behind a tree and comes back with his bag. He kneels down and zips it open to pull out another tube, screws it open and squeezes it open and puts a bit on his index finger.

"Where's your burns?" he asks me.

"Everywhere that stings." I reply.

He frowns. "Where exactly?"

"On my legs, arms, my back."

"I hope I don't sound weird but... can you take you top off?" he asks awkwardly. I glare at him. "Just to put the cream on!"

I take my top off to reveal the burns.

"Damn..." he stares at them. 

"Yeah. Can you just put the cream on?" I tell him.

The coldness stabs me into my back and I say a few swear words to signify that it hurts. Badly. 

"It will." he reads my thoughts. Again. "Within a few minutes, it will heal."

I nod whilst gritting my teeth as he spreads the cream on my burns. 

And he's right.

It doesn't hurt after a few minutes.

"Better?" he swings his legs over the edge of the cliff and sits next to me.

I try not to make eye-contact but I end up doing it. "Yeah..." I smile. "Yes thank you."

He bows his head. "That's good. And your voice sounds better than a few hours ago."

I realise it is.

"Oh yeah." I laugh under my breath. "That attack this morning though... it surely startled you."

"It did." Daniel frowns. "I never thought I would get hunted down by armed people in my life. Well only a couple of times. Once by you."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why's that? I don't even know how to use a gun."

"I don't know. It's just a random thought. In case that Jeanine woman could've controlled you with some kind of... I don't know... substance. Microchips in those sci-fi films."

I stop and think. That could happen-

Knowing Jeanine and all.

That tyrant.

"But what about you? What did you think about? Why did? Because I can hear your thoughts of course."

"About my parents. What they look like. If they're still alive. I don't even know why they left me."

"They left you?!" Daniel exclaims, 

"Shut up! Everyone can hear us-"

"When I went to get my bag, everyone was asleep." he interrupts quietly.

I sigh and stare ahead. "I bet someone will wake up at any second."

Daniel smirks. "Yeah right. They are heavy sleepers. Not sure about Lee though."

"Well, we can't tell." I laugh a little bit. 

He gets the joke and we just laugh.

His laugh was warm and uplifting and it's just so nice to hear. I want to hear more but I know how everyone will chase after me, it'll be the last time-

"I'll try to protect you at all costs," he says. "You know that, right?"

I didn't know that.

Not a single bit.

I can tell that Daniel is flirting with me. He hasn't been like this to Toboni. To me only.

I shiver in the cold as I am still not used to sleeping without my blue hoodie. 

"Here," he takes off his black leather jacket and passes it to me. 

"No. No, it's yours." I tell him-

"Take it." 

I roll my eyes and the corner of my mouth twitches. "Fine." I sigh and I put it on.

It fits me so well. It's so warm and the compartments inside it-

There's loads of them!

Inside one of them is a dagger with a sheath to protect the metallic blade which gleams in the moonlight. In another one has rolls of bandages, tubes and-

"Why?!" I hold up a syringe and inside me is fueled with fear.

"Just for medicine."

"NO!" I chuck it onto the floor and I stand up. "Goodnight." 

I swivel onto my two feet and run away from Daniel.