𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭︱raven reyes, book 1

xlviii. beginning of a rebellion

Before Bellamy had left, he gave her a walkie and suggested she talked to Raven before or after some rest. June had decided to leave it on the stand beside the bed. Talking to her was only going to make it worse, and she knew she'd have to eventually, but June just wanted to forget. She would doze off, only to be startled awake again and stare at the ceiling with wide eyes like she was back in that place. But this time, the radio next to June crackled before a familiar voice filled it.

"This is President Wallace."

A cold shiver crawls up June's spine. She wants to cry, remembering what happened when she was caught by him. Put her to use. Like she was some reusable toy. A tear slips down June's cheek as she sat up, bringing the piece to her ear so she could hear more clearly.

"I thought we'd try something a little different this time. There's only twenty minutes of oxygen in Maya's suit. I know she's a friend of yours. In twenty minutes, your friend will either suffocate or burn. But you can save her. All you have to do is surrender."

June doesn't hesitate. She rips off the blanket, throwing her feet to the ground and standing. A sharp pain shoots up from her hip to her leg and she grimaces, hand flying to her side. She grits her teeth, stubbornly staggering out of the room. June already had the terrible image in her head of Maya, in a suit, on a limited amount of air. Maya had saved her a few times, and she wasn't about to leave her alone. "Bellamy?" June switched the station on her walkie, searching for his voice. "Bellamy, come in. Did you hear?"

"I'm on my way already," Bellamy replied, sounding out of breath, like he was running.

"Good. I'm going to our friends on Level Two to help them."

"June, back down. You're not well enough. You're going to hurt yourself," Bellamy instructed.

It was too late for that, June thought, as she stumbled into the living room. Each step was worse than the last, but the idea of Maya bursting into radiation burns and suffering had kept her going. "I'm fine," June protested in pain. She ripped her earpiece out, shoving it into her pants pocket so she wouldn't have to hear Bellamy argue anymore.

"What are you doing?" Maya's father, Vincent if June remembered her saying, asked from his seat on the couch's cushion. He stood at the sight of her, arms out like June would fall over at any second.

June hesitated, struggling to find the right words. But this was Maya's father. He had a right to know. "It's Maya," she breathed out. "President Wallace is offering her life for my friend's surrender." Vincent's eyes widen in shock and fear as June lets him process what she has to say before staggering to the door. "I'm going to help her."

"Stop, stop," Vincent's voice wavered as he protested, grabbing June's arm lightly and tugging her back.

Suddenly, June ripped her arm away like Vincent had lit it on fire, almost tripping as she backed up. "Don't touch me!"

"Alright - I'm sorry," Vincent apologized quickly, holding his hands up in defense. June panted, her heart racing as she came back from the out lash. There's a heavy pause before he asks the same question June had been dreading. "You had the bone marrow treatment. Didn't you?"

More tears build up in June's already watery brown eyes. She sniffled, shakily raising her arm to wipe her nose on her sleeve. Even though this was the last topic she wanted to discuss, June knew she had to. Her friend's lives were at stake.

"Yeah," June finally whispered out. "And it's worse then what you can think." Vincent's head tilted, listening more closely with his lips tugged downwards into a frown. "They strapped me down..." Painful memories flashed in June's mind, ones of her struggling as Emerson and Moore tightly wrapped leather bounds around her wrist, ankles, and neck. "And dug a drill into my hip. It wasn't bad at first. Just felt like a needle." June chortled a bitter laugh. "Then it hit bone." She tilted her head back, jaw clenching. "And they listened to my scream."