La Graine

June... The steps of my feet vibrate through the hollow hall as every step leaves an ear-piercing thud as I reach out to her, one of my best friends through my life, her and Theresa mean the world to me, she must be ok, her hands feel... Coarse? Rough? Her hands and wrists are covered in bandages? Dark and spotted, like paintings in an abstract art gallery.

"June what have th..."

"I'll be joining you guys from today onwards, I will be in your care and I hope I can be of use when needed." Trembling, her voice rings weak, ringing like a dying bird on the gray pavement of a road, giving a hollow and casual statement to this bleak and colorless room, god what have they done to you? I swear I will...

"Straid, I'm glad you're here" Her eyes damp dark, and bloodshot, her arms wrapping around my waist tightening like a trembling animal with nothing else to hold on to and...

"I'm fine."

Shaking now, did she know what I was thinking?

"I'm fine."

Weak whimpers.

"I'm fine."

Warm and wet those true feelings hit my collarbone. My hand gently grasps the back of her head with gentle strokes.

"It will all be fine June"

"I'm I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm." Shaking. Steps coming up to my side.

"She has been assigned room 34 in the sleeping quarters Questenbaum, take her there." Sara her eyes, skepticism? Was it pity? Remorse? Or something else entirely?

"It will be done."

Those coarse and bandaged fingers, I shouldn't let them go, not before I know that we are all out of this mess, and I've figured out the whole truth of this maelstrom of events that lead us here. Ten, eleven, twelve, it is still a while off, I guess the only truly good part of this is that they placed us in neighboring quarters, or maybe it is just a play to keep the uncertain elements inside the same point of vision. Those women, who are they? They weren't there when I got introduced to the unit, why are they here now? Is it about something on the outside? Is it preparators for another kind of training drill? Or are they perhaps...?

"Fine, fine, I'm fine, I... I..." Weak and tired, those words looping from her lips over and over, since I'm supporting her like this I should quicken the phase.

"Yes, it will be, you can rest soon, see? We just passed room 22 right now, 34 is just down this hall..." A nudge, our hands have parted, June?

"Rest? 34?" Is she confused?

"Yes, you can gather your strength, and if you ever need me I'll be in the neighboring room...". She's shaking again, her hands now pulled close to her chest rising to the rhythm of her rapid breathing, and the bandaged fingers wrapped tightly around the sides of her flaming head.

"We can't rest... Chrys, we need to find Chrys, no rest, he is out there all alone, he"

"Calm down June" I can feel her pulsing heart beating from her chest her breath hot and her forehead burning within my newfound embrace.

"We will find him, and if you're not looking, or if you can't watch for a while il be watching out hard enough for the both of us ok? I want to find him too." A pull, the hollow sound of kneecaps hitting the vibrant floor carrying its echoing sound.

"Straid, you don't...". She's exhausted, I need to uncover the roads, the roads to safety, the roads to peace within mind, and the roads to the blinding truth.

34, the room is practically identical to my quarters, the only discerning difference is her lack of documents, from this perspective it seems like a large cell, one that suits the needs of its inmate's basic needs while providing some privacy, privacy being a luxury often not afforded during imprisonment. Junes limp body, it is lighter than what I'd expect it to be, chest still rising and lowering at a rapid rate and an expression truly restless upon that face deep within a slumber, I guess one can truly be forced to rest even when you are desperate to resist it, no matter how hard you might try, rest is something that will always catch up to you regularly and if you deny or get deprived of its effects it will become forceful and harsh as it claims its lost time. Putting her body gently down in this chamber's bed, how can I leave her like this? I know something is going on and I will have to address it as I leave to return to the 14th assembly hall. Guess there's nothing I can do about it right now but to pray for her safe recovery. Ah, the doorknob feels cold.

"Don't leave" Her voice, desperate, isn't she still sleeping? Her eyes are still shut, have the grasp of feverish delirium already taken her dreams.

"Jannet where are you?" That feeling, a bag with drenched rocks hitting your stomach and forcing your eyes to water, how bad had it been for her I wonder? I don't remember much about Jannet but I know that June was never truly the same again after that incident, why does such injustice happen to such good people?

"This place is so dark, Hello can anyone hear me?" It pains me, watching this reduced display in front of me, still, that doorknob, so far, yet so close at the same time.

"Questenbaum, report to the 14th hall" The vibrations of those speakers rumbling through this facility, snapping that fringe and frail reality back. I need to go.

The Hallway, cold and lonely, how far does it stretch through this facility of unknown proportions. The end of the hallway right before my assembly hall comes into sight, there's a silhouette standing there, motionless, portraying no movements, like a silent statue watching over its park with its gaze fixed straight ahead, that's if I could see the direction of her gaze, it is one of those veiled women from earlier standing there rigid and still, but yet obscured, what is their purpose, if they stay I will need to weigh them in as factors in the picture leading to those roads that I desire. One thing is certain, I will need to know them and their purpose to truly spur into the actions I will have to inevitably take.