Soundrack Option: Love That Lets Go by Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus
Chapter 3
Love That Lets Go
~Day~
After my mother disappeared, the last thing I saw was the brightest white light. It was like a bomb exploding feet away from me, except I didn't feel anything. No wind, tremors, heat. Nothing. Then the blinding light began to diminish. It was getting darker...and colder...
The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was how unbearably stiff my muscles were, like they had been frozen then thawed. The second was the flash of white momentarily blinding me, which ignited the familiar stinging in the back of my skull. I winced as the pain began to subside slowly, only to be replaced with dull aches in my neck as I tried to turn my head. My tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of my mouth.
Sitting up was a very slow process. First, I had to regain movement in each of my fingers. Then my wrist, forearm, elbow, bicep, and over my shoulder. The movements down my back and stomach was like walking through mud: heavy. Identifying my surroundings was difficult with my vision moving in and out of focus. Noting the several monitors and wires at the head of the bed I laid in, I concluded I was in a hospital room.
Wait a minute. Hospital room?!
I immediately became alert. How the hell did I end up here! Did my leg finally let me down? Great. The Elector must want me to be able to stand when they arrest and kill me. Wait. If I'm here, then where's Tess? Where's Eden? Did the soldiers get them too? Dammit!
"...Wing..." a voice echoed in my head."...hear me? Mr. Wing?" Looking up, I saw a man in a long white coat. Must be the doctor. Where's a damn knife when I need one? Hold on. How does he know my name? Daniel Wing is dead.
"Take it easy. You've been out for quite a long time." I opened my mouth to say something, but regretted it as my dry throat sent me into a coughing fit. Which in turn sent my head spinning and I leaned back on my elbow. "Would you like some water?" Smug bastard.
"Yeah." My voice came out scratchy as I rubbed my throat. He came back a minute later with a glass, which I drained in three seconds tops. I sighed in satisfaction as I felt the cool liquid traveling through my body. Okay, so maybe he wasn't a complete bastard. The doctor surveyed the many monitors around my bed while I rode out the pain in my head. "Where's my brother?"
"Eden is safe. He is at home with your caretaker." Oh thank God! Wait. Since when did we have a caretaker?
"So when is the Elector planning my execution?" I asked. May as well accept it and get it over with. He looked at me with confusion.
"I can assure you, Mr. Wing, the Elector has planned no such event. If anything, he was one of many who feared for your life." The Elector was worried about me? Right.
I scoffed in disbelief. "Bullshit. Why else would I be here?" His eyes widened.
"Do you not recall the most recent events? The war against the Colonies? Your injuries?" This caught my attention. The Republic and Colonies went to war? Since when?
"How did I miss all of that? How long have I been asleep?"
"Mr. Wing, you have been in a medically induced coma for almost 6 months now." Six months?! My bewilderment must've been etched across my face because he seemed to grow more worried.
"You don't remember?" My silence was answer enough. "Oh dear." He breathed quietly. Before I could ask, he was out the door.
What the hell was that about?
The door opened again minutes later. A different doctor was here this time. He reached out to shake my hand.
"Good morning, Mr. Wing. I'm Dr. Kann," he introduced. "Now, I've been told you're having some memory problems. I'm here to see how serious of an issue we're dealing with here." Okay.
"Shouldn't be too much of a problem." That thought sounded more convincing in my head. Truthfully, this was beginning to worry me as well.
"Let's hope not," he sat at the foot of my bed with a clipboard and pen in hand. The pen made a small click. "Alright, I'm gonna ask you a few questions. What is the last thing you remember?"
I thought hard, reaching as far back into my brain as I could. The hospital in Lake. "I was about to sneak into a hospital in Lake Sector. My brother was infected and I was hoping to steal an antidote. After that, it's all a blur."
Kann nodded as he took note. "I've already been informed you don't recall the recent battle with the Colonies. Do you recall your mother and older brother being executed?" A lump rose in my throat at the horrid memory.
"Unfortunately, yes." He nodded sympathetically.
"Do you remember having your left knee operated?" Operated? I yanked back the blankets covering me and sure enough, where my injured knee used to be was a metal replacement. I didn't even feel it. It felt almost natural, like my leg wasn't infused with steel.
"When did this happen?" I asked, answering a question with a question. He shrugged, and then looked back from the wooden clipboard.
"Are you familiar with Ex-Commander Natasha Jameson?" Why did that name fill me with absolute loathing and rage?
"No." I said, unintentionally letting venom slip into my tone.
"Are you familiar with Former Captain Thomas Bryant?" Again, hatred.
"No."
"These Patriots: Frankie, Tess, Pascao, and Kaede?" Tess!
"Tess, I know. Where is she? Is she alright?"
"She is perfectly safe," he assured me. Phew.
"The Chancellor of the Colonies?"
"Not a clue."
"Captain Metias Iparis?" Now I feel guilty for some reason.
"No."
"Our Elector Primo, Anden Stavropoulos?" Wasn't he the Elector's son?
"I think so."
"Agent June Iparis?" This name had a heavy feeling building in my stomach and chest. Did this person mean something to me? Why can't I remember? And what is this longing I feel?
"No."
I saw a glint of disappointment in his eyes before it disappeared just as quickly. He adjusted his glasses before looking up at me.
"Mr. Wing, you were brought in with two bullet wounds in severe need of treatment," I was shot?! "We also had to fast forward our planned brain operation to as soon as possible."
I was baffled. "Brain operation?"
"Yes. You've experienced headaches and blackouts in the past, correct?" I nodded. "Along with many heavy sedatives, many drugs were injected into your system as a child, which overtime began to form a life-threatening tumor in your brain. When you came in, you were nowhere near ready for the operation. You were fading too fast; you would've died with or without the surgery.
Luckily, we managed to remove the tumor in time. The rest was up to you. And according to your charts, you're on the road to a full recovery." He's not telling me everything .What else is wrong?
I glared in disapproval. "There's more to it, yeah? What is going on?" His shoulders sagged in uncertainty. It's not that big of a problem, right? He must have come to a decision because he looked back at me with drop-dead-serious eyes.
"The area that required surgery – the hippocampus – is where your long-term and short-term memories are stored. Part of that area had to be removed to clear the tumor. And in the process, also removed a few of your short-term memories. This is something we call retrograde amnesia." I opened my mouth to interrupt, but he continued speaking.
"Rest assured this is something that can heal overtime. With time and therapy, your memories will return. I understand this must come as quite a shock to you, but I highly suggest you not try to strain yourself. Forcing your brain to remember your past can do more damage than good in your current state. Especially because we're not sure of the extent of your memory loss. So far we're looking at possibly the past two years, maybe more."
Two years. Two years of my life are now missing. Not exactly something I can process and accept in five minutes. I fell backwards against the bed, trying to collect my thoughts. Ugh, thinking about it made my head hurt. Sighing heavily, I laid back against the firm pillow while tugging at my hair; which I had noticed was a lot shorter than I remember it being. Feeling my scalp, my fingers met a raised lump near the back. Scars from the operation.
Turning towards the large window to my right - other than the pink sky and sun barely scraping the horizon - I saw my reflection in the glass. Other than the shorter hair and lack of dirt and dust, I really don't look that much different. Little taller, face is more mature. Rubbing my chin, I felt a light layer of scratchy stubble.
Time passing seemed to grow more real as I thought about it. Don't strain yourself, the doctor said. I may as well sleep on it. I threw my arm over my face and closed my eyes. It didn't take long for the darkness to reclaim me.
Sleep proved to be useless as my mind was cluttered with questions and images.
I remember running. Trying to escape that hospital. I remember leaping the stairwell and sinking my knives into the wall. Jumping out the window. Then darkness. Am I dead?
After several failed attempts, I finally just turned on my side and watched the approaching dawn. A new 24 hours. Everything is possible again. I smiled as my mind once again journeyed down memory lane.
"Hey," I spoke softly as I shook her shoulder. "Tess, wake up." Tess groaned irritably and reluctantly opened her brown eyes. She squinted as she tried to make out my figure in the darkness.
"Day? What is it? Do your bandages need changing?" I got into a bit of a brawl yesterday when some trot ambushed us in an empty alley. He got in a few good kicks to my sides, but you should see what I did to him. Let's just say he most likely swallowed some teeth and won't be able to see out of his right eye for a while. Breathing was a little more painful than I'd like it to be, and my knuckles were black and blue.
"No, cousin. I want to show you something." Looking through the rotted wooden planks covering the window, the sky was only a light navy blue color now. Another groan.
"Can't it wait till I've had a full eight hours of sleep?" She turned over and faced the opposite wall away from me. I chuckled.
"I promise, it'll be worth it." She lay still for another minute, then blew out a breath and sat up.
"Five minutes. That's it." She pulled on her boots and joined me by the window. Yanking hard, the rotten plank broke away, splinters littering the floor. I climbed out and onto the old fire escape. The area was clear, but plague patrols get up early so we had to be quick.
"Come on." I whispered, my breath a white cloud in the crisp air. Tess glanced from left to right before joining me on the fire escape. We were hiding on the top floor of this abandoned building, so the stairs stopped here. Finding a foothold, I boosted myself up and grabbed the edge of the roof. Gripping the cold brick, I pulled my body up and over the ledge. Tess began climbing behind me. Grabbing the edge, she put her foot on the rusty rail and prepared to boost up. Suddenly, her foot slipped off the frozen rail.
She squeaked in fright, her fingertips turning white as she struggled to find a foothold. Anchoring myself, I reached over and grabbed her wrist. She grabbed my forearm and, using my other hand, I grabbed her bicep. Sliding my right foot forward slightly, I hauled her up. Hanging halfway over the edge, Tess swung her legs onto the roof and rolled onto her back. Her breath whistled as she exhaled repeatedly.
She looked at me, eyes dilated. "Thanks, cousin." I nodded and smiled in response. I helped her to her feet and walked to the opposite end of the rooftop. The sky was getting brighter by the minute, and the sun was just grazing the ocean miles away. Tess sat beside me and watched the light stretch across the sky. The clouds changed colors, from blue to purple; red to pink; orange to gold. Gotta love a city view.
"Day...Day…" I thought it was Tess, but then her voice and image disappeared as the daydream melted away.
"Day?" Turning over, I saw a nurse with bright red hair sticking her head through the door. I sat up and acknowledged her with a polite nod of my head. "You have a visitor. Shall I send her in?" Visitor? Maybe it's Tess!
"Um, sure. Send her in." I said, a little eagerness slipping into my voice. The nurse nodded and step back into the hallway. A minute later, my visitor stepped in. It wasn't Tess, as I'd hoped it'd be. Yet some part of me was happy to see this girl.
Her black uniform, cloak, and double row of gold buttons told me she was a soldier. Her hair was like dark, silky mahogany pulled into a high ponytail. Saying she was pretty would be an understatement; this girl was stricken with beauty. Her skin held a fair tone in contrast to her hair. Her face was clean and angular, small nose and full, glossy lips. Her eyes struck me the most. If I weren't just watching the sun rise, I'm sure I'd be looking at the night sky glittering with golden stars. I became a little startled when my gaze landed on her protruding belly.
My first thought was she was overweight. Rude, I know. Just a first thought. However if she was a soldier, then she would be in much better shape. Under her shirt, the muscles in her abdomen were taut and smooth as far as I can see. And I wasn't sure if it was the light or not, but she had this aura – this glow – surrounding her. I had only seen this kind of glow one other time. When my mother was pregnant with Eden. I was stumped.
This girl was heavy with child.
Wow. This girl - who seemed roughly my age – was months away from being a mother. I couldn't help but wonder who the father could be. Not that I'd really know him, let alone remember him. A boyfriend? Some guy from one of the clubs? No, that can't be it. She definitely has more self-respect than that, judging by how she carried herself.
I suddenly realized we were just staring at one another and cleared my curious thinking. I finally broke the awkward silence. "Hi," I politely greeted as she sat at the foot of my bed, her face calm but her eyes full of unease.
"Hi," she softly replied. She has a pretty voice. "Do you know who I am?"
Do I know her? I feel like I do, but I just can't place it. This makes me feel guilty, like a knife twisting in my gut. "Should I?" I ask my curiosity running ahead of my mouth. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. I saw the many emotions swimming through her black eyes. Sadness. Frustration. Heartbreak. Anger. Longing. The tension in the room just grew thicker as each quiet second ticked away. I saw her swallow rather hard, force a smile, and bow her head to me.
"Day," She says, her voice thick with hidden emotion. "It's good to meet you. I was sent by the Republic to see how you're doing. It's wonderful to see you awake again. The country is going to rejoice when they hear the good news." The entire Republic was hoping I'd wake up?
I nodded my head in return. "Thank you," I replied warily. "The doctors tell me I've been out for 5 months. Is it true? There was a battle between the Republic and the Colonies?"
"Yes. And you were severely injured in the process, as I'm sure you've been told." Her voice sounds as if it's on autopilot. "You saved your brother Eden." Eden!
I couldn't contain my excitement and grinned widely. "Is Eden here?" I completely forgot about my younger brother! The last memory I have of him is his blue eyes turning purple from bleeding irises.
She smiles, this time genuine. "Eden will be so happy to see you. The doctors are sending for him, so he'll arrive shortly." We gazed at one another for a few seconds longer before she closed her eyes, bowed her head and reopened them. Why does this feel like a goodbye?
"Day, it has been such a privilege and honor to fight by your side. You've saved many more of us than you'll ever know." She lowered her voice. "Thank you, for everything."
I don't understand why she spoke with such emotion, but I acknowledged her. "The honor's mine." I noticed her eyes scan my face one last time before she stood. She started walking out the door when I called out to her. "Hey," She turned back to me. I don't know why I was asking, but I couldn't help myself. "How far along are you?"
Her hand shot up and landed on her swollen stomach. Must be instinct. She looked back at me and answered, "Six months in two weeks." Then she was gone.
Two weeks later, Eden and I are boarding a jet to Ross City, Antarctica. We had received a call from Antarctica almost immediately after I last saw the girl with the black eyes. They had been so impressed with Eden's engineering talents; they offered him a spot in one of their academies. They also gave me the chance to go along.
Hundreds of people had lined up outside our apartment in Batalla while we were being escorted by a jeep patrol. Day! Day! Day! They chanted. Eden was bouncing with excitement as we boarded the plane, but I hesitated. I couldn't help but look back. I found myself scanning every head in the crowd. I couldn't help but feel like I was leaving something behind.
"Daniel," my little brother spoke up. "Are you all right?" I gave him my best grin and ruffled his hair.
"Yeah." But I wasn't. As the jet took off into the sky, I found myself thinking back to the girl with the black eyes.
~June~
The past two weeks haven't been the easiest for me. Then again, when has my life ever been easy? I lost my parents at a very young age, my brother at 15, I captured the Republic's most wanted criminal and ended up falling in love with him, I fought in a war, and now I'm 6 months pregnant with said 'criminal's' child before I'm 17.
It was late evening when Day and his brother left for Antarctica. I didn't want to face the crowds, so I watched the whole thing unfold on the JumboTrons from my apartment window. I looked away from the giant screens when my emotions began to get the best of me. I couldn't stop the tears from falling when I came to a horrible conclusion.
This was it. Day was leaving the Republic. He would never know his son or daughter.
But I would make sure he/she knew their father. I don't know if I'll mention his name, but I'll tell him/her our entire story. Everything he did for his family. For the Republic. For me. How he saved me in Lake Sector. How we fled Batalla Tower and traveled to Vegas. How we met and aided the Patriots in the Elector's failed assassination. How he got the entire Republic to follow Anden. How he fought in battle and emerged as the people's champion.
And my hero.
It was now the early hours of night. The excitement had died down about an hour ago. I was sitting on the sofa with Ollie laying his head on my lap, his wet nose pressed against my swollen stomach. I continued to stare out the window at the night sky as I scratched behind his ear. My dog's quiet breathing was the only thing keeping the room from total silence. I was brought out of my trance when I felt the familiar stirring deep in my abdomen. Ollie must've felt it too, since he had raised his head suddenly. His ears pricked up in alarm as he stared at my stomach, tail wagging excitedly. I smile. The baby must've kicked him.
I don't know what drove me to, but I found myself leaving the sofa and pulling on my coat and boots. I gave Ollie a light pat on the head before I walked out the door into the cool darkness. I walked down familiar paths, retracing old steps. I went nowhere in particular, but the next thing I knew I was on a train heading to Lake Sector.
As I walked down the streets I traveled two years ago, I began to see the ghosts of the people I had seen that night. Then I saw it. Men and women gathered in a thick circle and Notes being passed back and forth, their shouts echoing in the dark. A Skiz fight.
Pulling my coat collar up to my chin, my feet automatically moved me closer to the crowd. Peeking over dozens of shoulders, I couldn't believe who I saw in the center ring.
I see Kaede strike an olive-skinned girl across the face, the girl falling to the hard cement. The deafening roar of the crowd only grows louder. Bets are collected and the people are chanting.
Choose! Choose! Choose! Just as I remembered it all. Then I see Tess stumble forward into the center ring, the crowd laughing. I almost stepped in when Kaede called it a challenge. Surprisingly, I did. Or not me, but the fifteen-year-old me did.
Standing tall with her hand on her hip and eyes calculating Kaede's every move, I almost don't recognize that girl. She seems so confident, strong, and unafraid of her surroundings. Every punch and kick thrown her way, she comes back stronger. I feel the scar on my side burn a little when Kaede sinks her knife into the girl's abdomen. Blood seeping through her fingers, the girl still stands and fights. I hear the loud crack of bone breaking and a scream of pain. Kaede falls to her knees, kneeling over in agony.
I turn away from the brawl and continue walking down the street. Minutes later, I turn down an alley and hear the shouts again, this time angry. The gamblers. Looking behind me, sure enough the specters were there. Fear momentarily gripped my heart before they disappeared in a cloud of smoke and dust. The memory overwhelmed my senses, the dust almost choking me.
Come on. I recognized that voice!
Looking up, I just caught a glimpse of ocean blue eyes before they disappeared into the wind. The alley was once again silent, as if nothing had happened at all. I took deep breaths to calm my pounding heartbeat. It all seemed so real. Shaking my head and rubbing my temples, I strolled out of the alley and back to the streets.
I made it to the outskirts of Lake by the water. Sand shifting under my boots, I just stood there. The salty wind blew my hair over my left shoulder. Sagging my shoulders, I closed my eyes and just listened to the crashing of the low tide and the whistling of the air. The brutal attack of that memory left me more heartbroken then I thought I was. Kaede was dead. Tess was back in Ruby. Day was gone.
My hand subconsciously reached up and started rubbing my engorged stomach. Not three seconds later, I felt a small kick. It was too quick to know for sure, but it felt oddly shaped like the baby's heel. I felt another, this time harder, near my ribs. I winced slightly.
"Ow! Easy there," I said to my unborn child. I couldn't help but chuckle. "If you're this energetic already, then I'm really gonna have my hands full!" The baby kind of dragged – I think its hand – down the center of my belly in response. The gesture brought a warm smile to my lips. I looked back to the water as I continued stroking that spot.
"That was where it all started. That's where I met your father." I sighed quietly. "We've both come a long way since then. But now," I choked a little. "I guess it's time to move on. I've done things to your father's life I'll never forgive myself for. At least now he has the chance to finally be happy. But then again," I swallowed my tears and gazed back down at my abdomen. "I'd give anything to have him remember. To have him here with me – us – right now.
"But, I love him too much to hurt him again."
A.N. Guess who's back! Back again! Luna's back! Tell your friends! See, I told you I wouldn't be too long ;D
Alright, June is heavily pregnant and Day has no memory of her. Sucks, right? But I promise you, things can only get better from here!
I already have a name picked for the baby, one I'm NOT gonna tell you now. *crowd boos and throws tomatoes* Hey, knock it off! What's the point of suspense if I just tell you everything!?
Now to warn you: the next chapter is gonna be split into 2 parts. They will both be shorter than I'd like, but I wanna see y'all's reactions ;)
After the baby is born, I'm gonna do one chapter for each year of his life, so that by Chapter 15 or 16, June will run into Day and Eden. I have a few ideas for maybe the first 3 years, but I'm gonna need some help with the other 7 or 8. If you have an idea, please PM me or leave it in a review; I check both every day.
Once again, I love you all! Thanks for all your support and compliments! Shade, you're the best and love ya like a sis! I'll update real soon, promise ;)
Laters!
~Luna