Reunited: A Legend Novel | ✓ (#Wattys2014)

Chapter 12

June's perspective

It’s weird really. If my body’s resistance system doesn’t fight the Alterer, I’ll die. If Day’s doesn’t fight the Alterer, he’ll become their robot. Day would not be able to function and do the things he wants, it’s like he’s alive but he can’t do anything, and I can’t pity myself because Day’s circumstances are worse than death by a wide margin.

 After I heard the news, I went out for a walk. Day offered to come along, but I rejected and he didn’t insist. Surely Day understands this—some walks you have to take alone.

I keep calling him Day, I barely call him by his real name, Daniel, due to habit. He tells me he doesn’t mind, but he might, because he probably thinks that he is no longer free, the world-famous criminal, but caged, the Combatant’s latest robot and play-toy. It’s not true, I want to whisper, no matter what there can still be hope, and we can still find a cure.

I originally thought of visiting Metias’ tombstone, but what’s the point? Anyways, if my body gives in to the Alterer, I’ll see him soon. I almost smile, thinking how Metiaswould chide me for having thoughts like that. But I wouldn’t mind his nagging, or anything, if he just came back to me. Where is he when I need him most?

I squat beside the pond, tracing my finger on the cool water surface. I remember when Metias brought home a poem for me when I was little. It was titled ‘the Cormorant’s Poem’ and it was banned—no one really knew why. Metias thought it would serve as a good practice for my inference abilities and I had not taken the Trials during that time.

“We have to be ready for anything,” He had said.

“Won’t you get punished for this?”

He merely ruffled my hair and laughed. “Junebug, your brother has already done many things to the Republic that are deemed unforgivable.”

He was right—I mean, look where it got him now.

The poem was about a cormorant breaking the water’s surface and it held lots of meanings, that is, if you were smart enough to find all of them. It made no sense to be banned, since it was a fairly innocent poem, but I guessed some things did by the Republic in the past were not meant for us to understand.

I traced it. “Metias, how did it all come to this?” I whisper softly, the water rippling a little as if my touch was a sweet caress.

I want to stay longer, to whisper my thoughts into the water, as if the water was a pathway to heaven, and Metias was on the other side of the surface, listening, but I am interrupted.

“Miss Iparis, I believe you should come with me. It’s about Day.”

I hurry inside to find Day squatted on the floor, shouting in pain. Doctors try to talk sense to him, but he is unreachable in that state.

Suddenly, Day stops, but his eyes seem hollow, and I know he’s no longer there. The healthy colour on Day’s cheeks is gone and he stands, looking confused.

But then he sees me, and his eyes narrow, so angry he looks as if he might explode. “YOU,” He raises an accusing finger at me. I backtrack instinctively, because we have to run from what we can’t fight, and it isn’t that I can’t battle him, but that I can’t bear to.

Then, Nikolai bursts in with his patrol. “Get him,” He commands as they drag Day away. He doesn’t put up much of a fight, surprisingly, but stares at me in – anger would be too much of an understatement. Perhaps he’s supposed to fight me but not fight the others.

“Please don’t hurt him,” I tell Nikolai.

“We won’t. We’ll just monitor him. But I don’t understand why you want him alive and unscathed. I mean, he could kill you anytime, like a psycho,” He replies, crossing his arms. Obviously this didn’t sit with me very well.

“You have no idea what it means to love,” I snap, expecting him to reply sarcastically. But he just shakes his head sadly.

“Believe me, I do.”