𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭︱raven reyes, book 1

xl. blood for blood

"All they want is Finn," Bellamy replied in confusion.

Without looking up, Raven muttered. "Finn wasn't the only one in the village." June's eyes flicker to Murphy, her mind whirring as she tried to piece together what Raven meant. Murphy was there, but something wasn't right with how she couldn't even look at him as she spoke.

"Raven..." June uttered slowly. "Murphy wasn't shooting anyone."

There's a dark look etched in Raven's features as she finally looked up and met her face. "He shot me," she said lowly. "We don't know that." But June did, remembering the memory vividly, having seen Murphy try to pull on Finn's jacket and having heard him scream his name, trying to stop him.

"What are you talking about?" Clarke questioned.

"Whoa, Raven, I came here to protect him," Murphy cut in, defending himself. "You were the one who wanted me to come. You..." He stopped, a heavy silence following as everyone let the truth settle in. Murphy's lower lip curled into a snarl. "That's why you wanted me to come along."

"Enough grounders saw him at the village," Raven says, speaking to everyone but Murphy. "They'd believe he was the shooter."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Murphy scowled, eyes like daggers towards Raven. "You sick bitch," he spat out.

"Stop it," June demanded, voice wavering, speaking to the both of them. She didn't like Murphy anymore than any of them did, but this wasn't right.

"Raven, you don't mean this," Clarke tells her softly, trying to calm her down.

"You know what they do to people," Bellamy adds.

Ignoring everyone attempting to change her mind, Raven snarled. "They want a murderer. We'll give them one." She loads her gun, suddenly lifting it and pointing the barrel directly at Murphy. "Drop your gun!"

Stunned, June's boots are glued to the ground. Meanwhile, Murphy takes a few steps forward until the gun is almost pressed into his chest. "Go to hell, Raven," he sneered to spite her further.

"Alright, stop!" June warned them, putting her hand up to keep Murphy back.

"Put it down, Raven," Clarke pleads with her. "Like it or not, he's one of us."

Blocking her out, Raven is in a daze of fury, her glare on Murphy. "I said drop it," she repeated through gritted teeth.

Right when June is positive Raven would actually shoot Murphy, Finn suddenly lurched forward and pushed Raven's gun down while shouting. "Stop! Stop!" He stands firmly in between the two. "We're not doing this. They've got us surrounded, the only thing we can do it stay and defend this place," he declared. Finn waited, looking at each member in the circle. June nodded in agreement, knowing they were only in this together if they ever wanted to push through this. With the others on Finn's side, he continued, directing Murphy. "Go upstairs, watch the rear. I'll take the lower level. You four, take the front gate," he ordered the rest. "That's the plan. Alright?"

Accepting it, June nodded again. She lets Bellamy leave first while Clarke grabs a gun for herself, Murphy crawling up the ladder, pausing at the curtain as she watched Raven touched Finn's shoulder. She remembered when she'd become so easily jealous, but now only couldn't place her finger exactly on what she was feeling. "We got this," Raven reassured Finn, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Finn's chin hooked over Raven's shoulder and his eyes shut for a moment. "May we meet again," he said softly, his words barely audible, but heard by June who's brows furrowed.

"We will," Raven responded, taken off guard as she slowly pulled away.

"Yeah..." Finn trailed off before coughing, covering up the emotion in his tone.