𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭︱raven reyes, book 1

xlviii. beginning of a rebellion

"Dad, you're home," Maya spoke nervously after she swung the door open. June could hear a deep male voice reply as Bellamy guided her and Fox inside.

A man with features identical to Maya sat up on a comfortable sofa, eyes squinting to the three strangers. "What are they doing here?" He asked in a demanding tone.

"They're in trouble, they just need someplace to stay," Maya explained desperately.

"They need to go, now," her father ordered, rising to stand on his heavy boots with a thud.

"Let me explain," Maya pleaded, standing in front of the three protectively.

His gaze lands on Bellamy. "I'll let you explain where you got that uniform." There's a coldness in his tone that makes June want to leave. "Maya, you know how dangerous this is. What are you doing?" He questioned, all harshness gone and replaced with worry as he spoke directly to his daughter.

"What mom would have done," Maya answered, much more bold.

It's silent as her father lets that sink in. For a moment, June thinks he's about to cave before he shakes his head. "I need you to leave," he says to them strictly.

Bellamy's hold on June tightens as he shakes his head. "Sorry," he apologizes. "We can't do that."

"It's okay," Maya reassured both sides. "He's gonna help us."

"Really? Cause I'm not getting that," Bellamy retorted.

"My parents were part of a movement that was against using outsider blood. My mom refused the treatments and it killed her." Maya stares straight at her father. June is stunned at the confession, struggling to picture a rebellion in Mount Weather of people knowing bleeding people dry was wrong. "She was willing to die for what she believed in," Maya finished.

"Maya," he whispered. "You were five. I couldn't leave you alone."

"I'm not a little girl anymore," Maya argued.

"They're willing to kill you to get to them," the older man declared. "If you get caught - "

Maya quickly cut him off. "We won't if you help us."

Afraid, Fox stepped forward. "Please, they're killing us. We don't have anywhere else to go." June wants to cut in, tell Maya's father her own story. How she was strapped down against her will and had a drill dig into her bone; how she suffered an agonizing pain he may not ever be able to understand. But June doesn't, knowing she could never be able to say it out loud.

But Fox's pleading seems enough to convince him. He nods slowly. "Just this once, just for one night," he said simply.

Maya nodded, grateful. "Here, just this way," she offered Fox. "You and June can share my room."

As June followed Maya through the neat halls, she hears the man's voice bounce off the walls as he spoke to Bellamy. "You know, they'll never stop, right? If the rumors are true and your bone marrow can get us back to the ground, they'll never stop."

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The sleep June had wasn't easy. She couldn't remember a time she did sleep through an entire night, but this time was different compared to the others. She'd shut her eyes, tighten her grip on the plush comforter pulled over her, and hear the drilling again. She remembered being trapped, powerless to stop, letting out constant ear-piercing screams, begging them to stop. The bed was warm, but June still felt like she was there, could still feel the leather digging into her wrists and ankles. She knew there was no healing from what torture she had just endured. It was always going to be like this.