Reunited: A Legend Novel | ✓ (#Wattys2014)

Chapter 24-25

Chapter 24

Day’s perspective

“Day, Day, please,” Sobs someone. The world is a blur, but I’d recognize that voice anywhere. “Please, I can’t lose you.”

When I focus, I see June leaning over me, my head on her lap, crying. June never cries.

“Day! Oh my god, you’re awake, you’re awake. I thought you were going to die.” Impulsively, she leans down and places her lips over mine. My lips part easily, I was too weak, and I taste sweat and tears.

“I’m fine, June,” I say, but I feel dizzy and my voice was ragged.

“Don’t ever do that to me again. When I was you came you were lying in a pool of blood, there was so much blood, I thought you were going to die,” She sobs and I touch her cheek. I remember I was, I felt Death trying to pull me in, like a string tugging at me, a different approach from my last near-death, when my mother, who passed away, came to visit my dreams. But I heard June’s voice, and I knew I had to fight for her, I had to, not like the last time. I made a mistake the last time—I wanted to follow my mother to whatever was on the other side, but I was sent back. This time I was fighting of my own accord.

Surprisingly, the bleeding had stopped and I still managed to survive.

“I won’t. I promise I won’t, June,” I say as I bring her face to mine. “Where are we?”

“The Combatants knocked me out shortly after. They must have brought us somewhere else, my guess is we’re already in Antarctica,” She tells me, and I know she’s trying to stop crying, but she can’t hide that sob in between her words. I wipe away her tears with my thumb.

“How long has it been?” I ask.

“Days. I was so worried—“

“Shhh. Everything is going to be alright.”

“It’s not! They said they were going to torture you using your Alterer! I—“ June suddenly lurches forward, as though punched, and she coughs up blood.

“My god.” I put my hand on her back, but I feel helpless, there’s nothing I can do but wait for her to finish coughing up.

“June, calm down. When you calm you might feel better. Look, Amethyst make me take a week’s worth of Anti-Alterers before the mission, so whatever they try to do to my nerves, it won’t hurt me, okay? But I will try to act as though I’m in pain, but it’s all an act. Don’t do what they ask you to, what are they asking you to do again?”

“To convince the Republic to surrender.”

“Okay. Don’t fall for it—“ Just then, the doors open.

“Bring them to the torture chambers.”

Chapter 25

June’s perspective

Do I like Day acting all broken? No. As much as I know it is fake, it would break my heart to see Day in such a state.

“Ah, Miss Iparis, before we start, you should really give in,” Says Anthony Parker. He perches on the balcony beside panels linked to Day’s Alterer.

I laugh. “As if.”

“Then we shall begin,” Anthony signals to the Combatants and they key in numbers. Suddenly, Day drops to the floor, screaming in pain. Fake, fake, all fake.

But the screams flood my ears and they feel so real, so terribly real. He convulses on the floor, and it feels so real. Don’t show weakness, it’s fake.

The screams flood with so much pain, it demands my attention. I force myself to face Day…

He looks up at me, I know he didn’t want to, but was probably forced, because he didn’t want me to find out.

To find out that Parker’s Alterer has beaten the Anti-Alterers.

“Day, NO!” I yell and scramble forward, but the chains force me back and I’m on my knees, screaming for him. I saw the pain behind his eyes, and although how much I denied it, I still love him, I always will, and I will do anything for him.

“STOP! I’ll… I’ll do it!” I yell at Anthony, shooting daggers at him.

Anthony laughs and the mental torture immediately ceases. Day lies on the floor, unconscious yet shaking uncontrollably, and I wished I could reach his mind, and curl in there, telling him whatever he saw wasn’t real, to tell him everything is going to be alright, even if I didn’t believe it myself.