Carry Me Home - A LEGEND trilogy (Marie Lu) fanfiction

23: June

When I wake up on the evening of the same day, I'm not really surprised not to find Day around, and see Pascao and some guards inside. What surprised me is how I got here, to my own apartment room. A few seconds later, I realize that it could have been Day who brought me. Of course. I know that he wouldn't allow anyone to just carry me—at all. And as long as he can see an opportunity to do so, he'll just do it on his own.

Pascao sees me waking up. Immediately, he asks me if I want anything—or something to eat to be explicit. I don't have any appetite to begin with. I have my own problems, which include my worry about Tess and how could I save her now that I am supervised by guards twenty-four seven. Not to mention as well that I am still not that fully healed... and if I drag Day to escape from our bodyguards, I know that I'll just slow him down. After all, it is much easier to catch the two of us.

I don't know that I've fallen back to sleep again, just trying to formulate any plan that might work.

The next day, I receive a call from Day. He doesn't say anything straight to the point actually. All he says is that we need to talk about something. I know from the tone of his voice that it is no good and it involves those people who are blackmailing us. I almost laugh and ask him if he tried to escape last night. But I can't just bring it up and joke about things like that over the phone, when these bodyguards will hear me and just guard me stricter. So instead, I ask Day if he can come by my apartment before I go to work that morning, and on the way, we can actually talk.

As I wait for Day's arrival, Pascao seems to be clambering on the kitchen trying to prepare breakfast for more than ten people. I know that he can just prepare something for him. I can cook on my own. He doesn't need to trouble himself entertaining the guests actually, but he seems to be happy about the fact that he gets to be close with them. I even feel sorry for him when he spends time preparing those pancakes for each of the guards and all he receives in exchange is a straight face, with no intention to move from their respective posts. He moves next to me, almost tearful. I assure him then that I'll just pack the other pancakes and bring them to work. That seems to cheer him up so much that he almost forgets that I still have a wound; gladly, I'm able to warn him not to embrace me so tight.

As Pascao eats his own pancakes and I mentally count down the seconds that pass by until Day arrives, I also try to think of an escape route inside my apartment. The doors and windows that lead outside are highly monitored. I can even consider that in the span of my sleep, they had probably placed security cameras as well as if I should be under surveillance because of a crime. Actually, on this scenario, a criminal locked up in jail is much luckier than I am right now since a criminal still has the freedom to do whatever he wants. Here I am though, a free one who feels so suffocated with a tight security protection.

I don't realize that I sigh heavily, that Pascao raises his eyebrows at me and asks, "Hey, June. Are you alright?"

I come back to my senses. I use my healing wound as an excuse for sighing, in fear that my overthinking about escaping will get these bodyguards even more alert and controlling. "I'm just fine. I feel just a little bit tired even if I've had too much rest already. Probably because of the wound."

Pascao nods at my excuse. He seems to buy it. "Well, it might be. They say that the healing process is much more exhausting. I can just tell Daniel that you have some change of plans, so he can contact the Elector to say that you are not feeling well."

"No," I chide. "I'm just fine. There's nothing to worry. After all I have a lot of things to catch up with on the field." And I want to get the hell out of this room filled with strangers and kick them out of here so I can finally feel that this is home, I want to add but I immediately bite my tongue to avoid a slip.

A knock comes from my front door, almost making me jump in mixed excitement and surprise. The door slightly opens, any my excitement immediately vanishes when a bodyguard leans his head to say, "Mr. Wing is here to see you, Commander Iparis."

"Let him in," I tell him.

He then opens the door much wider, revealing Day in casual clothing—black tailored jacket, white long-sleeved polo, fitted dark jeans, flip tops, and tinted sunglasses. One would say that he is an actor. Well, he is actually a celebrity. I know that a lot of people follows him everywhere he goes because of his distinguished legacy. And now, anyone that will see him this way will surely just fall in love with him.

"Good morning, Commander," he greets with a playful salute and a sly smile.

I stand up from my seat and cross my arms across my chest. "For your information, Director, salute is a form of a formal greeting. So I would suggest that you'll take it seriously."

His smile widens much more that he stops just in front of me and lifted up his glasses. "Alright, then." His voice then grows serious, and he greets once again, "Good morning." But his smile remains and then he continues softly, "June."

I won't say that my heart doesn't skip a beat at that moment, because I know that it does. And I guess, there will be no second of my life that will pass without me falling in love with him for being simply him.

"Impolite," I state with a smile.

"It will be much better every morning if we are already married, sweetheart," he says with a wink.

My blush deepens. I immediately hear Pascao laughs.

Just then, my phone immediately rings. I take the call and freeze upon hearing the news. I momentarily give the orders for the next command. When the call ends, Day immediately asks, his face now serious, "What's wrong this time?"

"Just come with me," I tell him as I search for his hand. Day's actually the one who's able to find my hand and I immediately squeeze his hand to tell myself that he is there.

* * *

Pascao remains in my apartment. I am used with him staying in there. For most of the days before all of these, he and Tess were there. The thought of Tess just make me miss her more. My mind starts rattling for ideas once again on how to save her, how to reach her on time, and how to find out where she is right now. But... we really have no idea where to start. All we receive are just threats without clues.

Day, who has told me that he is going to say something to me, keeps on asking me where we are going. I just tell him that I don't really know what happened but the incident has to involve us. That the investigators find a note that has to deal with us. It only intrigues him much more, making him fearful of what it could be.

Through-out the ride, I ask him about Eden. He tells me that Eden is also being guarded well. Even when Day is worried about Eden, he tries to calm himself because he is much more worried about me.

The jeep that takes us to the place of the crime stops. Soldiers and civilians litters the surrounding perimeter. An ambulance, police cabs, and military trucks are parked not too far away from the site of the incident.

Day and I can't see anything from what is going on, since a military jeep hinders our view from this angle. We can't even proceed onto the incident and see because of the investigator crowd and our very own bodyguards.

Hopeless enough, I try to find out what's going on by asking.

"What happened here?" I ask to the nearest junior soldier who's been asked to keep people away from the crime scene. This things isn't actually my type of job but like Day, I'm called here right away for unknown reasons.

The soldier salutes at my direction. "Commander, it is a murder that I guess won't really bother you at all. But a note was indeed left on purpose for you and Mr. Wing."

Day offers his hand at the soldier's direction. Fire blazes in his blue eyes on demand. The junior soldier gulps, hard, and immediately glances to another soldier who moves our direction. He seems to have the note the previous soldier was talking about.

This new soldier stiffens. I guess, he already know what Day is asking for. He hesitates for a minute before finally handing a white crumpled paper with specks of blood on the outside to Day.

I glanced at Day's direction for a moment and both of us trail our eyes to the words written with blood: THAT GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE, SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE EARTH.