𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭︱raven reyes, book 1

xlviii. beginning of a rebellion

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

JUNE IS BACK IN A CAGE. She's hunched into a fetal position, knees pressed to her chest as she breaks down. The pain was still there, her hip stinging every time she shifts. Tears slide down her cheeks as she cries, her entire body trembling. The agonizing procedure went on for so long, at least to her, she was sure she was either going to die or pass out but unfortunately didn't. June had to lay on her back, tied down to a chair like some kind of animal as she was shown no mercy and had a bone drilled into. No pain medicine, no anesthesia. It was sickening.

At least June was alone now. She could cry freely on her own, sobbing into her hands that she buried her face into. It wasn't just the ache that was making her cry. It was the way she was treated, having restraints on her and went through endless pain just so they could leave the bunker freely. June hated that she regretted ever convincing Clarke to let her and Bellamy sneak in, having wished she stayed back at their camp. No one was coming to save her.

Or so June thought. She heard the door to the room suddenly slam open, causing her to jump violently. She squeezed her eyes shut, hands flying up to cover her ears as she whimpered. "No, please..." More tears fell down June's already stained cheeks as she imagined going through the worst pain in her life again. "Please don't..."

Two gunshots ring in the air. June doesn't pick her head up, even when she hears a young girl cry. She tried to curl herself further away as her cage rattles, wincing as her hip screams in protest. The cage door flies open, and June sobs, trying to push away the hands touching her away. "Please, please, don't!" She begged.

"June, June, it's okay!" A low, familiar voice exclaimed. "It's me. Open your eyes."

Slowly, June let her eyelids flutter open. Bellamy is there, crouched in front of June's open cage, his dark eyes full of concern. He's holding one hand out, the other touching her arm. "Bellamy?" She whispered, struggling to believe Bellamy was really there.

"It's me," Bellamy repeated gently. "Come on, June." June nodded shakily, clutching his lower arms tightly as he helped her out. Her feet are unsteady as she stumbled out, struggling to find footing that doesn't put an ache in her hip. June can't stop herself from throwing her arms over Bellamy's shoulder and crying into his neck. She can't speak, can't tell him anything. Can't start to explain any of the horror she had gone through. But June has a hunch that Bellamy already knows as he returns the embrace, so gentle and careful like he was afraid he'd break her.

"Come on," a voice pipes in from the doorway. June let her hands linger on Bellamy's shoulder as she pulled away, looking over to see Maya urging them. A timid girl, who she recognized as Fox, was watching with wide eyes. "We gotta get them someplace safe."

Safe. The word made June want to laugh bitterly. She had hardly been in Mount Weather for two days and already had a drill dug into her bone. But June stayed quiet, leaning on Bellamy so she could walk as they followed Maya. Every turn around different corners had her clutching his clothing tightly, scared out of her mind she'd end up back in the chair with leather straps. Every noise, no matter how small, made her flinch. June felt numb anyways, shivering even though she wasn't at all cold until Maya approached a door. She tried to shake it off and seem as stable as possible.