𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭︱raven reyes, book 1

xxxvii. a way in

"Clarke..." June whispered, noticing the pain twisting on her best friend's features. "I know this is hard, but..."

"We're at war," Bellamy interrupted, cutting June off. "We've all done things."

A bit sharply, June warned him. "We haven't shot innocent, unarmed people, Bellamy," she reminded him, knowing that wasn't the best way to comfort Clarke. Maybe what June said wasn't the easiest, either, but before she can backtrack, Finn approached behind Clarke.

"Hey." Finn's greeting had June biting at her lower lip. She could still see the mark on his jaw, his more yellow and blue compared to her hand.

Neither June or Clarke respond. Bellamy does, nodding curtly in Finn's direction. "Hey."

The awkward silence that follows can practically be felt. June shares a quick look with Bellamy, silently signaling they should leave and allow Clarke to talk to Finn alone. He caught on too fast, standing and lifting his cup. "Next rounds on me."

"I'll help," June inputted, rising and rushing to follow after Bellamy. As she walked alongside him, she paused briefly to look over her shoulder to see Finn had taken one of the empty seats beside Clarke. June was too far to hear what they were discussing, but if she had to take a wild guess, it'd be what happened days ago. She shook her head, snapped back to the real world when Bellamy is putting a half-full glass in her hand. "Thanks."

"So," Bellamy began, taking a sip before continuing. "You seem interested in the technology system in Mount Weather."

Tilting her head, June brought the rim to her mouth and drank. The alcohol didn't taste strong, because Bellamy probably watered it down due to her age. "Of course I am," she confirmed as they slowly walked through the chattering crowd of people eating and drinking as to give Clarke and Finn time. "Mount Weather is a bunker that survived the end of the world. The technology in there compares to The Ark in ways I need to see if we want any chance."

Suddenly stopping, Bellamy made sure to stand in front of June to stop her with a concerned look. "Need?" He repeated, sensing the emphasis in June's tone. "What, you want to sneak in? Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Alright, mom, I got it. Yeah, we can sneak a guard in," June mused. "But can you imagine having someone that can hack into their system?"

"Monty's there," Bellamy argued.

"And if he's being held hostage?" June retorted. She hates the image that pops in her mind of her friend, hurt, but she knows she's right. "Monty's absolutely brilliant, but he's one of the forty-eight delinquents that were kidnapped. I can be the backup plan," she desperately explains.

Bellamy crossed one arm over his chest, his grip tightening on his cup. "You done?" He questioned. "You're not going on a suicide mission."

Raising her arms in defense, June urged him. "Stop me."

"I won't." Bellamy cocked his head to match hers, narrowing his eyes. "Because you won't be going alone."

━━━━━━━━

Although Abby let the teenagers off the hook for sneaking out, she wasn't about to let them out of her sight. When the journey to scoop out Mount Weather's radio was ordered, June and her friends were invited straightaway. Leaves crunched and twigs snapped underneath her boots as she followed the line being led by Clarke and Abby side by side. She didn't feel comfortable traveling through the woods without a gun in her hands, but the guards that had come along were armed. June still wasn't at ease, knowing Finn was not too far from her.

"I can't believe they let Finn come." Octavia somehow read June's mind and voiced their shared thoughts to her brother.

"Best tracker we've got," Bellamy pointed out in a mumble, going unheard by Finn.