Day

"Hey! Day, wait up!" yells a voice from down the street. I look over my shoulder, seeing a man jogging behind to catch up to me. The first thing I notice about him is his startling pale grey eyes.

He runs a hand through his short curly hair, a grin seeming to be etched permanently on his face. I know him. I'm sure I do. I shut my eyes for a second, snapping my fingers, struggling to remember a name. It's on the tip of my tongue.

"You're…you're Pascao, right?" I ask, comparing a mental image of a boy in his late teens to the man that stands in front of me. He's taller and more bulkier now that he's an adult.

"Yeah." Pascao smiles happily. "You remember me."

"You're a hard person to forget." I say, memories flooding back into my mind. All the memories I forgot are all blocked by a cement dam in my mind, holes slowly puncturing it and leaking out hidden recollections. I'm one step closer to shattering it now that I've re-met Pascao.

"So where are you heading to now?" asks Pascao.

"Batalla Hall," I reply. "I just want to see June. I'm worried for her; I haven't seen her for a week."

"June's been busy with a bunch of cases. But I'm sure she still has some time for her man." Pascao winks teasingly.

"I'm just worried that she's been avoiding me lately. I feel like I've done something to upset her or something," I admit, ruefully rubbing the back of my neck.

"Probably not. June's a hard girl to piss off. I've been annoying her for years but she still hasn't yelled at me for accidentally breaking so many things in her office. Like I said, she's busy handling stuff."

"I guess so." What was I so worried about? June's the commander of California; of course she wouldn't have free time. "Do you think she still has some time to let me stop by?"

"Just drop in. She'll be more then delighted to see you," says Pascao, shrugging. "She really needs to get her head out of those cases."

Pascao accompanies me to Batalla Hall, where he wanders off to visit his training cadets. I take a deep breath, smoothing my crumpled shirt. I knock on the door.

"Come in," says June's muffled voice.

I open the door, taking in the sight of her office. The office is spacious and elegant, filled with what seems like antique furniture. Her desk is in the back of the room, guarded by several file cabinets. June sits at her desk, her nose buried in piles of paper.

"Hey," I say, snapping her out of intense studying. She looks up, a warm smile spreading across her face.

"Hey," she replies, her eyes brightening.

I casually lean against her desk. "Haven't heard from you for a while. I missed you," I say.

"I missed you too. It's just that I have to finish looking through all these files by the end of the week. And I haven't even begun to read through recommendation letters for potential captains," she says, gesturing to the stacks of papers sitting at the corner of her desk.

"Anyway I can help?" I offer.

"Not really," she says apologetically. "I'd be breaking so many rules by letting you read confidential files." She pauses. "But I could use a break from all this work. Maybe spend more time with you?"

"That'd be great. We could go for a walk or grab a bite and just relax."

June smiles. "I'd like that."

My eyes flicker to her desk, catching a glimpse of a photograph. It's a picture of me framed simply in black. I pick it up. It's a photo of me with a small smirk on my face.

"You have a picture of me?" I ask, flattered.

June takes it out of my hand, setting it back in its original spot. "We were apart for a decade. Whenever I miss you, I just look at it. It reminds me of the memories we shared," she says quietly.

"Then you don't need it anymore," I say firmly, turning the picture facedown. "I'm going to be right at your side; I am never leaving you again," I promise her. June's dark eyes search mine, seeing the honesty. June's eyes are usually difficult to read but now, I find love and hope shining in her eyes.

I hold her face in my hands, drawing her towards me. When our lips touch, I could feel her body melting into mine, the inexplicable pull of love that had bound us together in the beginning, bringing us together once again. June responds to my kiss, wrapping her arms around my neck. I pull her closer, running a hand through her soft loose hair.

Someone clears their throat loudly, banging something heavy against the door. We jump apart in surprise.

A girl about sixteen or seventeen stands in the doorway, holding a cardboard box filled with even more files. There's a goofy grin on her face.

"Great. Just in time," June mutters sarcastically under her breath. The girl continues to grin, lacking any shame for interrupting.

"So June," she says smiling innocently, "aren't you going to introduce us?"

Seeing no way out, June speaks up. "Daniel, this is Selene. She's shadowing me for a few weeks," she introduces formally. "Selene, this is Daniel."

"You mean Daniel, your famous boyfriend," Selene corrects teasingly.

"Selene," says June, heavy warning in her voice. "How about you get another box of files?"

"You're just trying to get rid of me," says Selene.

"Selene," June repeats, clearly irritated.

"Okay, okay," she grumbles.

Once she leaves, June turns to me. "Sorry about that," she apologizes, her cheeks still tinted pink with embarrassment.

"You guys act like sisters," I say, smiling. "It's pretty funny to see, actually."

"Never thought of it like that. I guess Selene could be my little sister. She can be a pretty big handful."

"I can see that," I say, laughing. "I should really go before she comes back." Despite this, I linger, still holding her hand. "Are you free next week?"

June smiles softly. "Yeah. I have the day off on Friday."

"Then will you be willing to spend a day with me? I heard there's a good movie playing in the cinemas," I say.

"I'd love to go," says June, happiness plainly dancing in her eyes.

"Then it's a date," I say, leaning in to kiss her one more time. When we pull away, she gives me another heartwarming smile. I feel sad it's already time to leave.

"Bye," I say as I exit her office.

I'm walking down the hallway when I bump into Selene. "Sooo, you're the famous Day," she says, her arms crossed. "Wow, you're even more handsome up close. By the way, I am such a huge fan of yours. Can you sign my posters later on?"

"You have posters of me?" I ask incredously.

"Uh, who doesn't? One, you're like a national hero and two, you're probably the hottest guy in the Republic. Even hotter than the Elector himself."

"Um, are you trying to flirt with me?" I ask, feeling uncomfortable.

"Is it working?" she asks hopefully.

"You're a bit too young for me, don't you think?" I laugh nervously. "And besides I'm already with June."

"Drat. June's a hard girl to beat," she says glumly. "But anyways, can you autograph my posters when we see each other again? They're collectables."

"Sure, I guess," I agree.

"Okay." Selene pauses. A mischievous smile spreads across her face. "So, how's your relationship with her?" she asks, wiggling her eyebrows. I blink at her, taken aback at the sudden question.

"I just have a few questions for you," she says, her eyes eager for answers. "Can you make her laugh, or is that physically impossible for her? I saw her smile once but I think she was faking it… On a scale from one to ten, how romantic are you two? I want juicy details. Where do you go for dates? When did you guys meet? Is it true that you fell in love at first sight? Are you guys planning to get married soon? Can I come to your wedding? If you guys had kids, what would you name them? And will you guys let me come over and babysit them?" Question after question spills out of her mouth at lightning speed. Selene's like a hyper squirrel that was fed a pound of sugar, judging by her energy.

"Whoa, slow down. I missed like half of your questions," I say, laughing. "But to answer some of them, yes June can laugh; she just chooses not to. And I met her when we were fifteen, and fell in love with her. I'm still in love with her to this day, and when everything is settled yes, I do want to propose to her," I admit.

Selene squeals in delight at these new answers. "But don't tell June I said this," I say. "Promise me. I don't want to scare her away." We've been apart for so long; she might think it's weird that I want to marry her just after a few months of reconnection.

"I won't tell a soul," Selene promises.

I relax. "Thank you."

"Well, I'd better get back work," she says. "But the next time we run into each other, you have to autograph my posters of you. My friends will never believe me if I tell them I met you without any proof."

"Then I'll make sure to carry a pen at all times just for that occasion," I say. I open the door, feeling the wind blow into my blond hair. "Well, goodbye Selene. It was nice meeting you."

"Bye!" she yells after me, waving furiously.

I smile at her, before I turn and walk across the street. I shove my hands in my pockets, still smiling that June said yes to the date.

I open the door to my apartment, finding the lights already turned on. "Hey Daniel," greets Eden.

I almost choke. "What happened to your hair?" I ask, completely shocked.

Eden rubs his short buzz cut, shrugging. "I wanted to change it." His long messy curls are all gone, eliminating the childish aspect of him I had always seen. With his hair out of the way, I can see that his face is leaned out and matured, his baby face no longer there. "Besides, it's pretty hot out," he says.

There's apology clearly written on his face. "I just want to say I'm sorry for ignoring you for the past few weeks. I didn't mean any of what I said. About you not being able to protect Mom, about all the terrible things I said to you-"

I pull him into a firm brotherly hug. "I know you didn't mean it. You were just angry and you needed to let it out."

"I miss them," Eden whispers. "I miss them so much." I can feel his tears wetting my shoulder.

"I know," I whisper back hoarsely. "I miss them too. But they're still with us Eden. I know they're watching over you and me."

Eden nods wordlessly, wiping away his tears. "I wish everything was back to the way it was. I wish none of this ever happened."

"But it did," I say quietly. "It happened and now we have to keep moving on."

"Easy for you to say," he says bitterly. "You're strong. But I am weak, so weak and helpless. I wish I could change that."

"You're wrong Eden," I tell him. "You are strong. And finding a way to deal with the pain and grief will make you even stronger."

Eden nods again, clinging to me. He's still my little brother. I wanted to protect him from the cruel world, but ended up exposing it to him. But I still have time to make it up to him, don't I? I want to be better for him. I want to be a better person, a better brother. Perhaps then I'll truly be able to let go of this haunted past.