Petals on The Moon || Reyna Ramirez-Arellano x Fem!OC

XXXVI

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

Hello again.

Again. Again and again and again, I could hear it- the roaring, the crashing, the explosions, the screaming. I think that was the hardest part of patrol. While the others were inside, or resting, or warning the families and evacuating people, those of us on the outskirts of the city were closer to the battle.

I even had a line of sight.

I tried to look only as much as I needed to- only to see if they were getting closer to the city. I saw when that spear hit that poor girl. I don't know who it was. I couldn't tell if it was Reyna or not. I didn't feel much in that moment, though. The prospect of her death wasn't quite hitting me.

I was trying not to pass out.

The more and more that I stayed awake, the more that my leg hurt. I was doing a good job at hiding it. I'd convinced people I just had a small cut on the bottom of my foot, which was causing the limp. I'd wrapped it in layers of bandages to hold everything in place, and to hide the smell. To add to it, it was helping me with the pressure and the blood flow.

"Suki!" Jason approached me. I noticed his calculated breathing- probably to battle exhaustion. Our time in the Labyrinth was starting to get to us, and I wanted nothing more than to take four painkillers and sleep for six days, but I had to fight everything off if I wanted my friends and I to live. "The city's been warned. Juventas is in a stable position, and the army is holding their ground."

"Good." I looked away.

Jason stood there awkwardly. "Listen, um... Lisa wanted to talk to you."

I looked at him, perking up. "Where is she?"

"The Senate building," Jason said, "with all the other vulnerable- y'know, pregnant women, children, and the elderly. Just ask Terminus to help you find her."

I nodded. "Take my spot?"

"Of course." He patted my arm gently. "We've got this."

His words of encouragement meant a lot to me. They always did. Jason's always been very good at that kind of thing- making people feel like they could step up to the challenge, even if we felt like we really couldn't. I walked towards the path, hiding my limp and pain until I got out of sight. I kept a good pace, but a very big part of me wanted to break down and cry right in the middle of the road.

But I continued walking until Terminus scared me.

"WHO IS THA-" He immediately stopped once he saw it was me. "Suki Kotomari! Do you realize just how long you've been underground?!"

"Lisa wanted to talk to me," I said. "Sorry for being gone so long, Terminus. And bringing a war back."

He flared his nostrils and huffed, "Well, you should be very sorry, Suki. The artistry in your school has completely fallen to the wayside!" I tilted my head. "You were meant to paint the mural in the garden, but you've gone off on a quest!" He muttered something in Latin. "Hurry along, now. I've been left no choice but to allow weapons in the city limits as of today."

"Thank you, Terminus," I said. "I missed you."

"Wait!" I stopped walking. "Please check on Julia, would you?"