JUNE
"Do you feel awkward?" Daniel asks as we enter in his room, he invited me to his house and I accepted because Metias insisted that it was a good idea. And I think he was never that right. "You looked really awkward down there. And I'm sorry, my parents are kind of… awkward." He makes a face and I laugh.
"You have said awkward a lot," I say and he smiles at me. "Are you feeling awkward?"
"No, at all," he responds almost immediately. "I feel comfortable with you. And I feel better having you by my side, you know." He lets the sentence hangs, but I know what he means: so I can check how you are doing with your parents murderer.
"Where are your heroines?" I ask and he walks at where he has pile of books from the republic that we have to read for our classes and he push them away, letting me see a lot of tiny books.
"Here."
He offers me one and I look at it. In the pages, there are a lot of drawings with texts and action. I walk at his bed and I sit there. He quietly sits with me.
"What would you do?" I ask and give a short glance at him. He has this surprised expression, like if I hit him off guard.
"I don't know," he mumbles. "Why you ask me?"
"Because I don't know what to do," I confess. "I have been feeling very lost. I don't know if I should tell Metias or not… The only thing I know is that I won't let them keep going with their lives like if they didn't kill my parents."
"You don't know who are they, June. What are you going to do? Sabotage the Republic?" He asks shaking his head. "That's insane."
"You know what's insane? Letting them keep going with this. What do you tell me about the patrols in the poor sectors? They're killing their people just to be superior in an endless war."
He just blinks, he doesn't say anything else and we stay in silence until I end my reading.
"You know what I would do?" He whispers. "I'd revolutionize the system. From inside. If you want to be a rebel, is better do it when you're being a part of your enemy. You can live a normal life without risking the life of the ones you love."
I smile at him and he smiles back at me.
"So are you in?" I ask and his smile gets bigger.
"You have had me before it began."
After saying this, we both realize the short distance between us. He decides to take the first step and gets nearer. Our noses are touching, he closes his eyes. I decide to close mine and wait for it, wait for the kiss. The anticipation makes me feel anxious and for a moment, I can push away all the thoughts that have been perturbing my mind lately.
His lips rub mine, delicately, like if was making lengthen this moment to the infinity. And I let myself to drawn in the moment.
"Daniel?" We hear his mother before she gets in, so we almost jump at opposite sides of the bed. He turns at the door, his mother enters. "Hey, I'm sorry to ruin your reading." She points at the tiny books and we blush. I don't know if she saw anything, but if she did, she's really nice for not saying it. "But, Thomas is here, June."
"Thomas?" I ask, getting up from the bed. Daniel reaches for my hand as I feel confused. "There's no reason for Thomas to be here. Metias will come for me at 1800…" And I stop. I close my eyes and I hear my heart beating hard against my chest. The fear settling in every nerve of my system.
I run downstairs and I see Thomas standing in the opened door. He's looking a little bit messy, which can't mean anything good, because he's the one that always have everything on its right place.
"What happened to Metias?" Is the first thing I can say, and I discover my voice trembling. I'm frightened like never before. This feels like a nightmare. "Thomas, tell me what happened to Metias!" I demand.
Thomas finally raises his head and his eyes are read: he has been crying.
My heart stops for a moment, as the movements that he makes look like if he was doing them in slow camera.
"He was shot, Mrs. Iparis. He's in the hospital," he finally tells me.
"Take me to him," I order.
"I will, if you can keep your composure," he accepts. "You need to be calm. I know you can do that." His eyes are deep as he says this words.
"Let's go." I nod, accepting his conditions.
"I'll go with you," Daniel says and when I turn around to see him, he's taking his and my jacket from the hanger.
DAY
I can't really imagine how June is; his parents are dead and the only thing she has is her brother. I find myself frustrated once again, because I can't do anything to make her feel better, to make this situation better.
"He's fine, June," I murmur in her ear and she looks at me. Her eyes are shining for the tears she's holding. I smile for her. "I'm sure he's as strong as you." She nods.
When the car stops, she fixes her jacket before going out of the car (I placed it on her shoulders when she asked me for it). And we're finally on the hospital.
"Where is he?" June asks at Thomas. He has been quiet.
He just moves his head and we follow him. We walk through halls that are so white that it even hurts to look at them.
When Thomas stops in a door, I know I have to wait outside, to give her—them their space.
I'm here to support her, not to inconvenience them.
"I'll wait here," I say and she gives me a fast glance, then she nods and gets in. When the door gets closed, I sit on the chairs that are disposed for visits.
JUNE
My brother seems to be sleeping. I wish it was the reality.
He is connected to various machines, showing his vital signs. His skin looks pale and he has cuts on his face. I have to take a deep breath to stop feeling like I'm going to faint.
"Mrs. Iparis," I move my glance away from my brother's body, to find a doctor there. He's smiling at me, but his eyes are full of pity. "Are you okay?" He asks and for a moment, I think it's the dumbest question ever, but then I realize he's about to give me the medical status of Metias—and it is probably hard. "I need you to be calm, because I'm going to tell you what has happened and what we have done with your brother. Okay?" He asks and I nod. "He was shot in the abdomen during a fight against the rebels," Thomas is by his side, looking at a dead point, nodding, like if he was remembering what happened. "The shot provoked some injuries in vital organs, but we fixed it through surgery. We have to see how it develops this night; there might be complications, such as infections or bleedings. His body can reject the stitching, so we're going to watch him all night."
We stay in silence and then I find my voice.
"Are you telling me that my brother can die tonight?" I ask, raising my head. Thomas is looking at Metias, while he holds his right hand with his left. That's when I notice he has a bandage on it, he was probably with him. He probably tried to do something against that rebel.
"I'm not saying this," the doctor responds.
"You're implying it."
He just sighs. "Mrs. Iparis, I know you're one of the prodigies of the Republic and I'm aware that you can understand the situation. I'm not implying anything, I'm just telling you what can happen." Thomas is looking at me.
"I'm sorry," is all I can say. Thomas nods.
"I'm going to ask you to leave the room," he requests. Thomas walks towards me and puts a hand on my shoulder as we leave. I glance over my shoulder before going out, just to see a big bandage around the stomach of my brother.
When we get out, immediately, Daniel gets up of his chair. I almost forgot he was there.
"June?" Is all he says and I move into his arms. He holds me while I cry.
The last thing I can focus on, before losing all sense of everything around, is the footsteps of Thomas as he leaves.
