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

21: June

Day immediately sends me a distress call. Not actually distress, but his voice is indeed in a hurry, trouble, or shock about something. I demand him to tell me what's the problem but he doesn't. Instead, he says in a low voice, "I'll come by your apartment."

It doesn't take long until Day finally knocks on my apartment door. Pascao is the one who gets it. "Hey, cousin. You look like... you are in a hurry."

Day doesn't even register Pascao's comment. And Pascao is right, Day looks hurried, just as he was on his call to me a few moments ago.

Before I can even speak at all, Day sets his eyes on me like he is about to cry or what and hurriedly rushes to my side to surround me with his arms. I flinch for a moment - because of the wound on my side - but I don't want to break free from him at all. He mutters close to my ear, "I'm so glad that you're safe."

When he finally lets go off me, he is still trying to catch his breath. I finally ask, "What's wrong? Did something happened?"

His eyes frantically search mine even if he is already in front of me. Something seems to shadow his eyes, causing him to almost tear up. It breaks my heart only to see him this way. Worse is that, I cause him this such emotion just by asking something. He lowers his gaze to avoid looking at me.

I glance at Pascao who raises an eyebrow at my direction. I sigh and finally place my hands on Day's cheeks to lift his head up, so he looks at me directly. His eyes meet mine, thanks to my sudden hold. I ask one more time, to clear away the fog that is again clouding his thoughts, if he'll tell me or not. "Daniel, what happened? Tell me."

He swallows hard and answers, almost a mutter, "They... they took Tess."

"What?!" Pascao is the one who has the immediate response. I know that he and Tess have grown close together over the years, especially when Tess joined them as a Patriot years ago. He treats Tess as if she is his younger sister and I know that relation. He then moves towards us to place a hand on Day's shoulder and asks once again, "You aren't kidding, are you?"

I let go off Day as he turns to Pascao's direction and shakes his head lightly. I though try to calm my own nerves about the sudden revelation. Tess has become a special person to me as well. She even decided to let go off Day so that Day and I could love each other truly, until everyone saw the consequences of what happened in the past.

"I don't know who they are. But it is possible that the one who did this is in the same group as the one who attacked us," Day answers as he glances at my direction.

"Paying the debts, is it?" I whisper to myself, remembering what the man had asked us to do. "What debt is he talking about?"

"On the night that you were shot as well, when I was in the hospital's hallway waiting for any news about your surgery, I also received a note saying the same thing. And today, when I learned from the soldiers who alerted me about Tess's disappearance, they handed me this new message." He reaches out for a piece of paper from his pocket and offers it to me.

I am reluctant to reach for it and read the contents myself but I know that I must so I take it and slowly unfold the paper. Written in it, as plainly as it could with the use of red ink, are the words: 'SOME DEBTS MUST BE PAID WITH DEATH.'

I shake my head as I offer the paper to Pascao as well. He takes it. "They are not planning to kill Tess for this debt, do they? If they hate the two of us, it should be us!" I hiss.

"I think they won't do that," Day tells me, his eyes never leave me. "They would want us to be on the board, wanting the two of us especially to be at the places where we should be. Having Tess gives them the chance to run the game on their own accord. And with that, they will ensure that—" He immediately is interrupted.

I am about to ask when he lifts a hand at my direction and presses it onto his ear. I can be assured that he is receiving a message. Before he brings down his hand, he replies intently, "Understood."

"What is it about now?" Pascao scowls.

"The Elector asked us to meet him now. It seems like he also received another goddy message from those bastards," Day states.

Anden sends someone to pick me and Day at my apartment. Day orders Pascao to go to Day's apartment to watch over Eden. Pascao doesn't argue. The vehicle arrives nine minutes and twenty-eight seconds after The Elector contacted Day. The ride is fast and I am somehow glad that it's like that. I don't need to fret too much and shout at the driver to hurry up, knowing that time is essential for us now. The more time passes, the more time Tess is being taken afar from all of us. When we arrive, a young captain whom I am familiar with greets us.

"Commander Iparis," Captain Velarde salutes at my direction. "Mr. Wing," he continues, turning his head at Day. "I am instructed by the Elector himself to lead the two of you to his office."

"Lead the way," Day answers as he searches for my hand. He laces his fingers with mine and squeezes once. I also squeeze his hand back.

Captain Velarde then leads us to a series of hallways and floors. I'm glad enough that walking down this halls seems familiar for me, after spending years reporting and doing whatever work I had. The walk is tedious to be precise. We stop by in front of Anden's door. Velarde knocks once and says, "Elector, I am with Commander Iparis and Mr. Wing."

I'm not able to hear Anden's reply. Captain Velarde probably hears it, because he opens the door and ushers the two of us in. He enters last and closes the door behind him. Anden is seated behind his desk, and ushering Day and I to sit down.

"I heard about what happened with Tess," he states as he leans back on his chair. "I also learned that you received another threat, Mr. Wing."

"Indeed," Day answers. His attention is focused on Anden. I am seated next to Day and his hand is still holding mine as if I am the only one keeping him grounded. Captain Velarde though is seated across from the two of us.

"I also received one telling me to return back the Old America," says Anden.

"Old America?" I ask.

Anden laces his fingers and brought his chin above them. "I know that history of the Republic has to deal with it. The United States of America. I am afraid that that's what they mean with the Old America before it was even split into the Republic and the Colonies."

"Is this a new threat of an uprising?" asks Day. His eyes are no longer on Anden but casted on the floor. I know that his memories are still slowly returning but I know very well that some of the memories that resurfaced onto his mind after being a celebrated figure are those of a war between the Republic and the Colonies. An uprising is no less different from that.

"We suspect that it might be possible. Since the Patriots was obliterated years ago, no other rebel had risen up against how the Republic's government is. The problem had ended. But now that this new threat has risen again, this cannot be about a different matter. They are asking for the Old America, not something like end the dictatorship. This time, it is indeed a full reform from the very ways we practice now, unite the Republic and the Colonies as one, and return us to the history that we shall be," explains Anden. He turns towards Captain Velarde and asks him, "Am I right about this, Captain?"

"Very true, Elector," the Captain replies. He clears his throat for a second and straightens up. "The rebels want the two of you perhaps together. For them to use Tess against the two of you," he concludes. "If they just wanted Mr. Wing." He then turns Day's direction and continues, "They can just use the younger Wing or even Ms. Iparis here to get you. But for them to have Tess is a matter to grab hold of you two."

I've known Velarde for as long as I can remember, ever since we were classmates in the same class when I was on the last year of my College life - that's why he is much older than me. But after all those years, I can assure myself that there's something in his words and tone that seems to be really not him.

Anden then clears his throat and replies, "So it appears that we can't lose sight of the two of you starting now, Mr. Wing and Ms. Iparis." He turns to us and gives me and Day an assuring smile that everything will just be alright. "I'm sorry it has to lead to this, but the two of you shall have bodyguards twenty-four, seven."