ATARAXIA • BELLAMY BLAKE

[ 5 8 ]

"Raven," I call out as I pass her in the hallway on my way to meet Kane.

She spins around, her expression momentarily blank before she recognizes me. A wide smile spreads across her face. "Freya, hey."

"Sorry I ran off so suddenly last night," I say, slowing to a stop. "I know you weren't doing well." Leaving her in that state hadn't sat right with me, but I'd needed to get back to Clarke.

"Don't worry about it," she says with a reassuring smile, reaching out to squeeze my arm. The gesture catches me off guard. It's not like Raven to do something so... soft. "I'm all good now."

"Glad to hear it," I reply, though my tone is laced with suspicion. I study her carefully. "So, what changed?"

"I took it," she replies warmly. Her smile is radiant, almost unnaturally so. "The pain's gone."

"You did what?" I ask, my voice sharp with disbelief. Just last night, she'd sworn she wouldn't touch that tiny chip.

I lean closer, peering into her eyes, searching for dilation or any other sign that she might be on something.

Raven laughs lightly and steps back, reestablishing a normal distance between us. "Jaha gave me the key to the City of Light, Freya. Not drugs."

"Have you gone to see Abby?" I ask, my concern mounting. We have no idea what those 'keys' actually do, but there's no way they can just erase pain like that.

"I thought you'd be happy for me," Raven says, her smile faltering. Disappointment flickers across her face.

"I am," I insist, forcing a small smile. "It's just... a little hard to believe," I admit.

"Well, believe it," she says with a cheerful clap of her hands. Her energy feels out of place, almost too bright.

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I've got work to do." She wiggles her eyebrows playfully, hinting that Abby has finally cleared her medically. Then she turns and strides away.

I stand there for a moment, watching her retreating figure. My mind churns with questions about this so-called 'key' to the City of Light. For months, Raven has endured relentless pain, with Abby trying every treatment imaginable to help her, all to no avail. And now, out of nowhere, a simple chip has supposedly erased her suffering. Not just the physical pain, either. Raven's grief and anger seem to have vanished as well. It's unsettling. I haven't seen her smile like this since she landed in that escape pod. Not since Finn.

As I head toward the meeting place, my unease deepens. Earlier today, I'd seen Jasper lingering near Jaha's group, looking curious. He's been vulnerable ever since losing Maya in Mount Weather, and Jaha knows exactly how to exploit people like him. How many others has he already convinced to take the chip?

When I reach the meeting spot, I find Kane and Miller standing casually, their conversation deliberately nonchalant. The moment they see me, they move toward me.

"You got it?" Kane asks in a low voice.

I reach into the pocket of my uniform jacket and pull out the bug that Kane had asked me to swipe from the Guard's storage room.

He takes it quickly, his sharp eyes scanning the hallway before tucking it into his own pocket. "Follow me."

Miller and I fall in step behind him, keeping our movements relaxed to avoid drawing attention. Pike's paranoia is ever-present around these corridors, and even the slightest misstep could put us all in danger.

"You two hang back in case someone answers," Kane instructs as we approach the Chancellor's office door, where Pike holds his meetings.

"I told you, no one's home," Miller assures him. He'd already scoped out the area and stolen the access code from his boyfriend Bryan, who's one of Pike's trusted guards.