Day Without June : a legend fanfic [COMPLETED]

Chapter 4

I jolt awake beside Tess. My ankles hurt and the side of my arm is throbbing. I grimace in pain, confused why I am hurt, but then I remember the incident at the hospital yesterday. 

"The medicine - " I begin, but Tess stops me. 

" I gave them, with John's present." she tells me. Her face is full of worry. "It's Eden, but John says he's still strong enough. He might be able to survive this."

Maybe. Maybe not. And maybe it is a good thing he survives. Maybe it isn't. If he does, he'll have to take the Trial, and who says he's going to pass?

"I'm sorry." Tess adds. 

We stare at each other in an awkward silence. She's also lost her family. She was abandoned by her family. I'm a lucky one, compared to Tess. At least I have someone I can worry about. 

"Well, I'll get some food." she says, getting out of the room. 

Left alone, I fiddle with the pendant. It's a miracle I didn't lose this during all this time on the streets. Even from yesterday...

My thoughts snap back to Captain Iparis and his colleague.  He knew who I was. He knew it the instant he saw me. He couldn't have recognized my disguise. My face was never made public - because I was that careful not to leave any mark. 

He helped me escape. He told me to continue rebelling. Why did he? He's a Republic soldier, and I shouldn't trust him, but he let me go. He could've arrested me on that spot. Or even better, kill me. It doesn't makes sense to me why a captain would do such a thing. If he captured me, he could've been famous, richer than he can ever imagine. 

He still let me go.

Maybe he is a rebel. Like me, but a different type. 

'If you want to rebel, rebel inside the system' his words linger in my head.

The door opens again, and Tess walks in with a loaf of bread and cheese. She sits next to me. Then, instead of handing me the bread, she sighs.

"What happened yesterday?" she asks.

"I told you - the hospital didn't have any cure, so I had to run away. The soldiers fired after me."

"And the only damage they did to you was a nicked bullet wound on your arm, right." she says sarcastically. She pauses for a moment and her eyes soften again. "What I'm asking is: what really happened?"

I don't want to worry her. If I tell her about the captain, she might think that as a trap the Republic has set for me. I know that's not true. I can feel it. But how the hell do I explain that to her? How I saw the truth in his eyes? How I felt his words?

"That is what happened." I finally reply.

"That is only a part of it. Come on, Day. You don't think I don't hear anything, do you?"

Her implication sends a chill down to my spine. "Don't tell me you sneaked up into the Police Headquarter or anything like that."

"I didn't." she says dismissively. "The street police. I overheard their conversation. And besides, your story is on the news."

I frown. My story? But no one knows who I am. No one knows how I look like.

Unless...

I get up, despite Tess's protests, and look out the window to look at a JumboTron. 

ElectorPrimo visits Vegas today

June Iparis becomes the youngest agent in the Republic history

Los Angeles Central Hospital infiltrated yesterday. 

I relax a bit when I see my ID wasn't exposed. Then the second news headline catches my eyes.

"Is that the girl? That child prodigy goddy gem sector trots are talking about?"

Tess nods.

Iparis. June Iparis. The captain I met yesterday was also named Iparis. Metias Iparis. 

They must be related, siblings, probably. 

"Day, are you going to tell me what happened?" Tess snaps me out of my thoughts. 

"What were the police saying?" I ask.

She shrugs. "They just said a patient threatened to kill a doctor for the plague cure, and... shot two soldiers with tranquilizers. Said whoever's done it was stupid, that the LA City Patrols declared an official hunt for the "criminal"" she smiles a bit, and makes this little quotation marks with her hands when she says criminal.

I laugh, too.

They're going to arrest me, all right. 

You couldn't find out how I look like for the past five years, let alone know who I am, or even, arrest me. And now you say you'll catch me.

Well, here I am.

Come and get me. I'm not going anywhere.

I dare you. Come and catch me - if you can.