─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

THERE WAS THE SAME HORN BELLOWING IN THE DISTANCE AS JUNE TORE THROUGH THE WOODS. Her heart was beating the fastest it ever has, and she was pumping her legs as fast as they could go. Sweat was beginning to bead up on her forehead, but she had no time to brush it away. The yellow fog was swirling around just behind her, being the push she needed to keep running. She had no clue what it was, or if it was dangerous, but the urge to cough, the itch on her skin, and the burning in her eyes told her that it was.

June wasn't sure how much longer that they could keep running until the fog kept up with them, but the problem was solved when Finn jumped down the long slope, landing on the door of the vehicle with a loud clang. He popped it open, throwing the door to the side as the others joined him. Clarke went first, and after Wells shove, June tumbled in, landing on her knees. She grunted at the uncomfortable position but quickly moved past the seats that were tilted to give Wells and Finn space to hop in after them.

The door shut after the pair, but June didn't have the time to breathe. "It's getting inside," Clarke informed them, trying to shove a red cloth over an opening. June let out a short cough as she grabbed what looked like a dusty jacket and shoved it over a slightly open seal that had the fog gliding inside. She coughed louder, breathing some of it in until it was finally gone. June fell back, pressing her back against the wall and taking heavy breaths.

As they settled down, after coughing endlessly to clear their lungs, Finn sat up and wiped off one of the windows to peer outside. "It's still out there," he informed the other three, seeing a cloud of yellow swirling above the vehicle.

"Look, we should just make a run for it," Clarke suggested, losing her patience. "Jasper can't wait much longer." June nodded, knowing that he was left at camp with irritated delinquents, and if the injury didn't kill him, someone was bound to.

"Us dying in a cloud of acid fog isn't gonna help Jasper," Finn responded, sticking a bar into a compartment of the vehicle until it popped off. He reached in, moving aside stacks of papers until pulling his hand out with a prize. June craned her neck to see what he was so excited to see, realizing it was a bottle. Clarke asked what it was, squinting her eyes and leaning forward, her legs tangling with June's. "Booze. Hooch. Rotgut."

Unscrewing the cap, Clarke tried to stop him. "Wait, careful, Finn, it could be.." She stopped, watching as he took a quick drink and winced as he swallowed.

"Whiskey, I think," Finn cut her off, his face scrunched as he inspected the bottle. "Better than the moonshine on Agro Station," he commented, nodding towards Wells and holding the bottle towards him in offering.

Wells looked back incredulously. "Alcohol's toxic."

"This is Earth," Finn retorted, arguing. "Everything's toxic. Plus, it's a time-honored rite of passage."

It's not that June had never tasted alcohol, with her past home-life struggles on The Ark, but she's never had whiskey. She was curious how different it was compared to moonshine, and outstretched her hand in Finn's direction. Before her fingertips could even brush the bottle's glass, Wells immediately leaned forward and grabbed June's wrist while shooting her a stern look. "We'll pass," he declined. June frowned, but knew it probably wasn't the best thing to do, so she reluctantly retreated back.

However, Clarke didn't take it as well as June had. She scoffed loudly at the idea of Wells trying to dictate what the girls did by speaking for them and angrily snatched the bottle. "Far be it for me to stand in the way of tradition," she stated before taking a long drink. With a sharp grimace, she lowered it and swallowed harshly.

"How is it?" June asked, amused, as she rested her chin on her hand. She could tell that Clarke didn't like it, and was only drinking to go against Wells's wishes.

"It's great," Clarke mumbled, the edge of her voice sharp, as she took another drink before coughing.

For what have to had been hours, by the time on Clarke's watch, the four sat in almost a square position as Clarke and Finn passed the bottle back and forth. She was more of a lightweight, from what June could see, but was swallowing much more easily. June almost considered including herself, but remembering Wells disappointed eyes that was almost puppy-like was enough to keep her hands in her lap.

"It's been hours," Clarke murmured in a slur after checking her watch. "Jasper..."

"Is in good hands," Finn finished for her. "Octavia will take care of him."

June couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Bellamy or Murphy had stayed at camp with Jasper. She knew they wanted him dead the most, anything to stop his groans of pains. The camp was also full of careless murderers, who were being driven crazy, and without this group there to help him, she didn't want to start to consider what would happen. But June thought of Octavia and Monty who were also resided there, and she knew that they both would fiercely protect him and keep his heart beating until they returned.

"While we're on the subject," Clarke continued. "Why is it that everyone thinks me wanting Jasper to not die is a bad thing? Like I'm such a downer." She pouted before patting her chest. "I can be fun. Yeah, you think I'm fun," she said with a grin, asking Finn. "Right?" June held back a laugh, finding Clarke's ramble comical, but not wanting to push her into embarrassing herself.

"Oh, yeah," Finn responded with a short laugh. "Among other things."

"You're fun," Wells commented. "You remember that time-"

Before he could finish, Clarke cut him off, her words like razors. "Remember that time you betrayed me and got my father executed?" June felt her heart drop in her chest, figuring now, that Clarke was no longer a happy drunk. Wells looked hurt by the statement. "So where were we? Fun."

"Because this is a lot fun," June said under her breath, beginning to twiddle her thumbs together from being uncomfortable. With Clarke drunk, she'd speak whatever was on her mind, and by the looks of it, they were going to be stuck down there for a while.

"Well, since you brought it up, and I didn't, because I don't want to talk about it," Clarke blurted, babbling on. "What were you thinking?"

Wells hesitated before whispering; "I made a mistake, Clarke."

Not satisfied with his answer, Clarke's jaw dropped and her voice broke. "I made a mistake, Clarke," she mocked, close to tears while shaking her head in dismay. "Not good enough." June was stricken sorrow, for both of her friends, but could see how angry Clarke was becoming. "You know, I bet you couldn't wait to run to daddy," she spat out, bitter. "Tell him everything so that he'd finally believe you were the perfect son he always wanted!"

"What do you want me to say?!" Wells suddenly exclaimed, loud, and catching June by surprise. He was on edge, breaking with guilt.

"I want an explanation!" Clarke cried out, begging.

The old friends shared a heartbreaking look before Wells shook his head, defeated. "I can't give you one." June didn't believe that, but she didn't say anything. This was their fight, between them, and it didn't involve either her or Finn. "I thought I could trust him."

"Well," Clarke muttered. "I thought I could trust my best friend." She looked towards June, who could see the tears hidden in the corners of her eyes. "I should have told June. At least she'd keep it to herself. Guess we were both wrong." June tilted her head, pitying how shattered she was. Even though it was a secret that she'd keep, she knew Wells would have too. And, he wasn't giving her an explanation, or a straight answer. He had to have had one.

"I'm still your friend," Wells said, desperate.

"No, you're not," Clarke shot back. "If you were my friend, you would walk out into that fog and never come back."

Clarke had said some cold things towards Wells, but by far this was the worst. It left June feeling sick, and her eyes widened. That was too far, even for her, especially when he's done nothing but try to redeem himself. June wanted to speak but knew it was useless. Nothing she could say would make this better. Even Finn could see how hurt Wells was and tried to keep everyone calm with a wave of his hands. "Okay, how about we just... Take it easy." He even took the whiskey from Clarke, figuring she had enough.

"I have no idea how to do that," Clarke stated.

"Pass it," June demanded, holding her hand to the side. She couldn't get Clarke's words out of her head, and the hurt look on Wells's face wasn't making it easier. Finn hesitantly handed her the drink, reminding her to take it easy, as she rolled her eyes and brought the rim to her mouth. Her first drink didn't go down well, realizing it burned just as bad as moonshine, but left more of a nasty taste in her throat. She coughed after swallowing, shaking her head. "Gross."

Before June could put it away, figuring that was enough, Wells suddenly leaned over and grabbing the bottle from her grip. She watched, astonished, as he took a sniff of the opening before drinking. He came off so hurt and beaten, it left her pitiful heart breaking at the sight, knowing he was just trying to forget by drinking.

A silence fell over the four, heavy and tense, all June could hear was the wind blowing outside of the vehicle. It was only broken by Finn, who seemed to relax. "So... Are we having fun yet?" But it didn't calm June down, who felt as if she was caught in the middle. She forced herself to look up, feeling a deep emotion stir in the bottom of her chest when she saw Wells.

━━━━━━━━

THE ARK. 5 YEARS AGO.

June Thompson's back was pressed to the wall, and she hadn't realized that she was holding her breath until her lungs tightened, needing air. The eleven year old's big brown eyes darted back and forth, searching for anyone passing by, but The Ark seemed empty. Every little instinct that June had was telling her to retreat home, where she may be safe, but the empty rumble in her stomach told her she had to at least try. She knew the rules and what would happen if she was caught, but it had to be worth the risk.

Waiting until the lights fell down, June had to hold her breath again. Nygel would be the last one there, as always, being the head of the blackmarket. She waited until she couldn't hear anyone, before her feet pattered across the floor and to the door, with a large sign over it.

RATION & TRADING CENTRE

Remembering the code given, June stood on her tiptoes and pressed the numbers that glowed in illumination. She grinned to herself when the door slid open, glad it was quiet enough, and tiptoed inside, with the door closing behind her. There were different types of rations, ranging from what belonged to the Alpha Station and what belonged to Factory Station. It was leaving her slightly bitter that she was living in Alpha Station yet no one believed her when she said her rations were pawned. June had nothing and had to resort to stealing.

While she wanted the higher class rations, June knew she couldn't take them. The Ark would miss them, and she didn't want to think of what could happen if it was tracked down to her. Instead, June shuffled through Factory Stations, hoping she wasn't taking from someone's family. Her childlike attitude told her that it would, and some poor family wouldn't be able to eat because of her. But the ache in June's stomach, hungry from going two days with nothing, told her to hurry.

Suddenly, the door sliding open had June's hand frozen in place. A lump rose in her throat when thinking for a moment that it was Nygel, who'd rat her out to the council. She found the strength to whirl around, eyes wide and filling with tears but stopping when seeing a boy around her age with a familiar face. Wells Jaha, the son of the chancellor, which was possibly worse than what she thought.

June knew it was useless, begging, and she felt so weak for doing so as her father always said, but she was desperate and scared. "Please don't tell on me!" Her voice was small, cracking with each word. "I'm just-I'm so hungry, and.."

"Relax," the young boy spoke softly, holding his hand up and touching her arm. June stopped, her lower lip out and trembling, but his voice was so kind that it had kept her from bursting into tears. "What's your name?"

Hesitating, June brought her hand up to wipe the tears before they could stream. "June. June Thompson."

Wells nodded back in response. "My dad sent me to pick up rations early, I didn't know it was closed." He explained, glancing from the rations and back to June. "How long has it been since you've eaten?" He questioned.

Hesitating, June cleared her throat, attempting to get rid of the lump before answering. There was no point in lying. "Two days.. My dad, he.."

"Alright," Wells said, noticing how she trailed off. He passed by her, going to the Alpha Station's rations and picking a few packets up. "Here, these are mine for tomorrow." He shoved the packet's into the confused girl's arms before ushering her to the door. "Go, go home and eat!"

As June bolted back home, clutching the rations to her chest, she swore to herself she'd never forget the one act of kindness she was ever shown.