CHAPTER ONE:

 Hate. Everybody hated something in June’s region. Some hated school, or work, or even the war with the Eastern region, but June hated something else. She hated Erin, a girl who used to be her best friend,  but is not anymore due to being the cause of her younger  brother’s death. She had lived fourteen years in hopes of having a sibling, and she finally did. She loved Will with all her soul and she helped raise him until he was four. From his first words, to the first time that he wrote something in his secret diary, she was always there. One time, she was not able to care for him, so her family gladly asked Erin to babysit him. She was giving him a bath, went to grab him a toy, took too long, and he drowned. From that moment, June hated her and never spoke to her again, also because she moved to the Eastern region. Not until today.

She had just finished her  online medical classes and treating her six patients at her local college, and was walking home. She had no instructors, because all of the doctors had been drafted to help in the war, so she had to treat all of the sick as a sophomore in college.

Tuning everyone and all of the problems of the war out, she was listening to her music and enjoying the beautiful spring day with the sun gleaming above her, and she suddenly thought that she faintly heard her name being called. She assumed it was her music, so continued walking her way home. She heard it again louder, and she turned and saw the unbelievable. Her ex best friend, enemy, and betrayer, Erin. She felt her heart sink down to her feet, and into the ground.

“June!” she desperately said, as she ran down the dull concrete to catch up with her.

June froze. She was shocked and stunned. For the first time in a few months, she was looking at Erin, the reason of her brother’s death. She was furious and wanted to run away.

“June.” she said as she finally caught up to her, “I know you hate me, I know you want me dead, I know what I have made you go through, I know you would never wish to help me.” she said.

“Correct.” June quickly and stubbornly said.

“But I need it.” Erin slowly admitted uneasily.

“What do you mean?” June asked with a confused look.

“Your help. My dad has been in a coma, and all of the doctors that were treating him just went to the war. You are the only one who can help.” She awkwardly confessed.

“Never.” she quickly responded.

“Please June. I know we and our regions aren’t at our best times, but I truly need your help!” Erin begged.

“Well Clearly you don’t remember what happened on November 1st. My family trusted you to help us out by taking care of Will, and you let him die. The brother that I had been waiting for for fourteen years died because of you. After his death and everything that I had to go through and you moving to the enemy region, you have the nerve to come back and ask for help? No. I am not helping. In fact, I hope he dies so that you understand how it feels.” June stated and walked away leaving Erin alone on the street.

She angrily stomped home ignoring everyone and everything except for what had just occurred. She arrived home and slammed her door shut in her room. Why was this happening? What was she going to do? Besides the fact that it would be impossible to secretly be helping someone from the Eastern region because they were in war, why out of all people was it Erin? As much as she despised her, she knew that it would be against the rules for a doctor in training or doctor to not help someone only because of personal issues. As much as she hated the thought of helping Erin Gayle, she decided that she would do it. She picked up her phone,  found Erin in her blocked phone number list, and started typing:

“Yes I will do it. But I will be helping your dad, not you. After all, he never did anything wrong to me. This doesn’t mean that we are friends either.  I have no idea how to help, or how to get to him when we live in enemy regions, but I will do it. And if I accomplish this, you will then leave me alone for the rest of my life.”

She sent it and partially regretted it. How would she handle this along with everything else that she had to take care of and keep it a secret? She would have to lie.

It seemed that Erin was waiting for this text, because she answered almost immediately. She said:

“Thank you so much. You can enter my region by going through the abandoned underground train tunnels, for that is how I entered the Western Region today. The building where all of the doctors who went to the war work is walking out of the station on Funnel street to the left. It is made of maroon brick. Meet me there tomorrow at noon, and we can enter with my dad’s patient badge.”

It was official. June would be treating her enemy Erin’s dad starting tomorrow. She now felt a sickening feeling in her stomach that seemed to have taken over herself and it was full of regret.

CHAPTER TWO:

After a long day at college and treating patients the following day, June snuck down into the old and shabby train tunnels and made her way to the Eastern region. After almost two miles, she arrived to Funnel street. She carefully snuck out so that nobody noticed the strange girl from the enemy region appearing out of the abandoned station.

She successfully made it out, found the building made of bright red brick, and Erin who was waiting for her.

“Hey.” Erin said in an unsure voice.

“Hello.” June answered quietly.

“Thank you, for agreeing to do this, it means a lot.” Erin added.

“Well like I said, I'm not doing this for you, it's for your dad.” June responded sharply.

Nobody had anything else to say, so Erin pulled out her father’s badge and they entered the building. June looked around at all of the clean white walls covered in  gigantic shelves of  resourceful books and articles, and hoped that the cure was within one.

They finally came to Erin’s father’s small room. Not sure of what was going to happen, June entered the room. But all she saw was a man who appeared to only be sleeping.

‘What’s next?” A question that June typically asked her instructors when she doubted herself or was unsure in her training, but she had nobody to ask. She was on her own. She decided to start by checking him out, then reading some books. He seemed fine when she observed him, but he was in a coma for a reason and she had no idea what that reason was. So, without wasting a minute, June began to read articles in hopes that the answer was within one.

June struggled, it was already hard not having her teachers with her, but not having them and not knowing how to cure someone seemed impossible. She had so much stress besides finding a cure. She had to succeed in her classes, treat her other patients, arrive home at the same time as normal ( and lie about where she was),  be with people she hated, and try to not be caught.

One week had passed, and June had read hundreds of informational articles and books, and she found no answer.

She was desperate and had no idea of what to do, but she must keep going. She worked from noon to six o'clock everyday, trying to find the answer, but it was never there. She felt like a failure.

In the morning this was all she worried about, and at night it was all she had haunting nightmares about.  It all seemed hopeless when June had finished reading all of the books in the building. She had no idea what to do and just began to cry.

Erin must have heard, so she walked in slowly.

“Hey, are you okay?” She asked.

“Um clearly not.” June rudely answered.

“Look I'm sorry for all of the stress that I gave you, I have you an impractical task, and you have been doing everything that you can to figure it out. But you don't need to worry, I'm here, and I'm willing to help you always.

I know we aren't really friends, but I do care for you, and I'm not going to let this overwhelm you.” She said as she walked towards her.

June did not know what to say. Would she be rude? Or would she just say thanks? She was not sure of which one she wanted to say, because she wasn't sure if Erin was being truthful or not, because she simply didn't trust her anymore.

“Thank you.” She finally said.

“No problem.” Erin responded with a smile, “Hey, take a break and go home!” She added.

“Are you sure?” June questioned,

“Yes. Have a good night.” Erin said.

And for the first time since she had begun the task, June responded, “You too.” and she left.

She was walking back home which was where she barely was nowadays, but little did she know that the answer was there, and she was closer to it every step of her way. The answer to the cure, and something even bigger.