drapetomonia - the overwhelming urge to run away.
━
When Junia Beaumont, her brother and their classmates get a last assignment before the end of the school year, she doesn't know just how quickly things will change for her.
Who would have thought t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ
40. reunion
She doesn’t have much of a say in the matter and is whisked away by not only the entire student body but also the professors. Celebrations are in order, that’s what they say, but June can’t say she’s in the mood for any of it. All they care about is that they have a winner, and in their eyes, it’s not even him, but her.
It baffles her. Although she knows that she went above and beyond as a mentor, the part that matters most was completely out of her control. A child had to fight other children for his survival; she doesn’t see any point in celebrating. All she wants right now is to see Treech—to take him into her arms and let him cry—because she knows he needs it above everything.
Still, she forces herself to have at least a slice of the cake served in Heavensbee Hall and keeps herself busy by making sure her brother stays away from the posca. It turns out it’s not that hard of a task, since Hilarius and Pup are talking his ears off until she eventually can’t make him out in the crowd anymore.
As much as she wants to be mad, she can’t blame him or his friends. They haven’t had a chance to catch up properly in a while, and June has enough people surrounding her so her thoughts don’t spiral. The relief of Treech’s survival — calling it a victory is something she can’t bring herself to do — makes her feel at ease. They’ll let her know when she can see him; she’s sure of that.
June doesn’t know how much time has passed, but being in the spotlight the way she is now is overwhelming. Throughout her time at the Academy, she never tried to stand out, and now all eyes are seemingly on her no matter where she goes. For her own sake, she sticks close to Sejanus and Lyssie since her brother is nowhere to be seen.
All of this attention feels nice and yet uncomfortable at the same time. She knows it’s not her who all eyes should be on; she wasn’t in the arena.
Eventually, she’s pulled aside by some people from the TV crew. They fix her makeup, and she almost assumes that she’s about to be forced into another interview with Lucky when there’s a change of plans. Instead of that, though, Professor Click informs her that someone is waiting for her in the biology lab and that she should be heading there as soon as possible.
“Must be Treech,” Sejanus concludes, watching the woman walk away. He looks at June. “I didn’t think they’d bring him to the Academy.”
June gives a half-hearted shrug but is unable to stop herself from smiling. Her heart skips a beat at the thought of seeing him again, and she subconsciously fixes her hair. She gives Sejanus a gentle squeeze on the arm when she’s done. “I’m just glad he’s here,” she says. “But don’t wait for me; this might take a little longer.”
