𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭︱raven reyes, book 1

xl. blood for blood

Shaking off the nervous feeling, June rapped her knuckles on the dropship wall. "Raven," she called, jutting her chin towards the curtain. Raven nodded, giving Finn one last smile before she strolls towards June, both heading out without another glance to Finn.

In between Clarke and Raven behind a line of falling thin trees pressed together, June kept her eyes on the trees that became still once the group of four was outside. She felt deeply that the grounders were still there, was positive, but there was no sign to it otherwise. June was growing frustrated with her finger kept on the trigger, wondering when they would strike. It wasn't like they weren't hidden so well.

"You see anything?" Clarke spoke up to the two. June shakes her head.

"No," Raven answered shortly, before; "Wait, someone's coming. There." June's head snaps up, holding her gun up further as footsteps creak through the mud. A figure falls through the trees, stopping just outside the gate, hands held up in surrender. June's heart falls in her chest as her eyes trail up, seeing out of everyone, it's Finn.

Clarke's voice breaks. "No..." She jumps up, scrambling through the ash and screams. "Finn!" June drops her gun, launching forward and just managing to grab Clarke's shoulder before she can run towards him.

"Sis em ripa!" A deep voice shouts. (Grab the killer!) Grounders that June knew were hiding pour out of the trees. She can't move, brown eyes wide as she clutches Clarke, her grip tight enough to bruise as she watched helplessly. Finn's gone in seconds, just like that, being hauled away and disappearing into the mob of grounders.

Nobody says anything. June isn't sure if she's even breathing as she slowly lets Clarke go, shocked as she processed what just happened before her eyes. Finn gave up. He was willing to die to save them all, and he just might, for peace.

━━━━━━━━

An orange glows in the field in front of Camp Jaha adjusts to June's sight. Her arms are crossed over her chest, feeling herself shiver as she surveyed the area. Residents were watching, the crowd full of people, but she was in the front, just in behind the gate. Past the tall fence, into the empty field ahead of them, were hundreds of tents, circling around a tall pole dug into the ground, surrounded by grounders. June can hear what Clarke told them on their way back to camp, what Lincoln claimed would happen to Finn. His last moments would be anything but painless.

"What is that?" Raven's quiet question breaks the silence. June can't answer although she knows, the lump in her throat too large.

"It's for Finn." Clarke nudged her way past Bellamy, her blue eyes glossy. "They want us to watch."

Despite the others broken around him, Bellamy speaks with determination. "We're gonna get him. We'll get in close and we'll him them hard," he stated.

"Son... There's thousands of them." Kane, the one disagreeing, shakes his head. "Even if we could kill hundreds, they'd still wipe out this camp, and your friend would still die." He sounds regretful, and June hated he's right. There's truly nothing they can do.

"Abby," Raven begged the Chancellor. "Abby, we have to do something."

Apologetic, Abby gently responds. "No, Raven."

In despair, Clarke whirls around, marching away. June tries to ignore the weight on her shoulders and follows, Bellamy and Raven on their trail. "Clarke, wait," she speaks up, seeing that she wasn't heading for The Ark to not watch this. Clarke was going straight for the exit.

"What are you doing?" Bellamy asked, picking his pace up to stand in front of her.

"I'm gonna talk to the Commander," Clarke says simply. Something tells June it isn't the best idea, considering Kane buying them time was just pure luck.

"What else do you have to say?" Bellamy asks.

Panicking, Clarke's blonde curls flew as she frantically shook her head. "I don't know... I don't know..." She repeated.

"Clarke," June whispered, trying to put it decently that she couldn't do anything. "If you walk out there without a plan, the grounders will kill you both."

Lower lip trembling, Clarke begs unsteadily. "Then give me a better idea."

"I have one." Raven's announcement is stronger than everyone combined as she gestured to Clarke. "Give me your hand." Clarke raises her arm and Raven takes it, rolling her sleeve up and slipping a knife into it. "If she won't let him go, kill her." She rolled the sleeve back down. "Things'll go crazy, and we'll grab you and Finn," she promised before her tone lowered, pleading. "Clarke... You have to help him. I owe him my life."

Bringing her arm back down, Clarke nods. Before she can turn, June reaches out, grabbing her upper arm and saying softly in words of encouragement. "Do what you have to do." Clarke doesn't respond, instead, letting her head drop as she pushes through the crowd.

When June arrives back to the front of the crowd watching, Kane is stopping Abby who is shocked when she sees her daughter walking through the field. "Wait, Abby. Gotta let her try," he said rightfully.

June glances out to the field again. Clarke's out there, bravely standing straight with her jaw locked and held high as she boldly marches to the post. Cheers from the grounder arise as Finn is pulled out, his back pressed to the post as he's tied down. Clarke approaches then, coming to a stop in front of the Commander. Whatever deal she's attempting to make crushes any hope that June has. The Commander is hardly reacting, standing still and indifferent to the words given to her.

"Come on, Clarke," Raven urged her in a whisper. "Do it."

No knife is being pulled from Clarke's jacket sleeve and dug into the Commander's chest as they all expected. Instead, she's darting away and rushing to Finn and hug him close. June feels a wetness she had held back, slip from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. "What is she doing?" Raven uttered, lost.

"She's..." June has to swallow a sob. "Doing what she has to do."

Finn's head falls on Clarke's shoulder, and she steps away. A blood spot stains his shirt, and Clarke's hand is drenched in red. The silver knife that Raven gave her is clutched into her fist.

Maybe June hadn't liked Finn since Raven landed. He did use her best friend, cheated on the girl she was fond of, and only spiraled down from there after his peace talks. Maybe June could have treated him better, she thought, as tears roll down her face. He sacrificed himself to save them all, and Clarke had to kill the male she loved so he wouldn't suffer. June is trembling as Raven starts to scream in grief.

"No!" June feels her heart shatter into millions of pieces as Raven wails, her legs crumbling while she starts to fall, screaming the word again. "No! No!"

"Raven," June sobs, her arms opening as she manages to catch her. They both fall to the ground, June's shaking arms around Raven's waist as her knees hit the mud.

"No!" Raven wails again, wrenching sobs following the word. June brings her hand up, gently cupping the side of Raven's face, allowing her to be buried into her neck. A wetness of Raven's tears spot her skin as she cries. "No!"

Sorrow stabs June in the chest as she cradles Raven, her screams ringing in her ears, knowing this night would haunt them forever. She lets out a final cry under her breath, finally forcing herself to look away from Finn's body.

"May we meet again."