Champion (Legend 3)

As if on cue, my earpiece blares out a second of soft static, warning me of an incoming call. I accept it. A moment later, June’s whispered voice echoes in my ear. She doesn’t say anything about my illness—she just suggests, “Can we talk?”

I knew it’d only be a matter of time before I heard from her. I watch Eden playing for a second longer. “We gotta do it somewhere else,” I whisper back. My brother glances at me, momentarily curious at my words. I don’t want to ruin my first day out of the hospital by breaking my depressing prognosis to an eleven-year-old.

“How about a walk, then?”

I glance out the window. It’s dinnertime, and the cafés down on the street’s ground level are crowded with patrons, almost all of them huddled under hats, caps, umbrellas, and hoods, keeping to themselves in this twilight slush. Might be a good time to walk around without attracting too much attention. “How about this. Come on over, and we’ll head out from here.”

“Great,” June replies. She hangs up.

Ten minutes later, my doorbell rings and startles Eden to his feet—the new cube robot he built falls from my bed, three of its limbs snapping off. Eden turns his eyes in my direction. “Who’s there?” he asks.

“Don’t worry, kid,” I reply, walking over to the door. “It’s June.”

Eden’s shoulders relax at my words; a bright grin lights up his face, and he hops off the edge of the bed, leaving his block robot by the window. He feels his way toward the other end of the bed. “Well?” he demands. “Aren’t you gonna let her in?”

It seems like during the time I’d spent living on the streets, I’d been missing out on seeing Eden blossom. Quiet kid turned stubborn and headstrong. Can’t imagine how he inherited that. I sigh—I hate keeping things from him, but how do I explain this one? I’d told him over the past year who June is: a Republic girl who decided to help us out, a girl who’s now training to be the country’s future Princeps. I haven’t figured out yet how to tell him the rest—so I just don’t say anything about it at all.

June doesn’t smile when I open the door. She glances at Eden, then back to me. “Is that your brother?” she says quietly.

I nod. “You haven’t met him yet, have you?” I turn around and call out to him. “Eden. Manners.”

Eden waves from the bed. “Hi,” he calls out.

I step aside so that June can come in. She makes her way over to where Eden is, sits down next to him with a smile, and takes his small hand in hers. She shakes it twice. “Pleased to meet you, Eden,” she says, her voice gentle. I lean against the door to watch the exchange. “How are you doing?”

Eden shrugs. “Pretty good, I guess,” he replies. “Doctors say my eyes have stabilized. I’m taking ten different pills every day.” He tilts his head. “But I think I’ve been getting stronger.” He puffs out his chest a little, then strikes a mock pose by flexing his arms. His eyes are unfocused and pointing slightly to the left of June’s face. “How do I look?”

June laughs. “I have to say, you look better than most people I see. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I hear about you a lot too,” Eden replies in a rush, “mostly from Daniel. He thinks you’re really hot.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” I clear my throat loud enough for him to hear, then shoot him a cranky look even though he’s blind as a rock. “Let’s head out.”

“Have you eaten yet?” she asks as we head toward the door. “I was supposed to be shadowing Anden with the other Princeps-Elects, but he’s been called to the Armor barracks for a quick briefing—something about food poisoning among the soldiers. So I had a couple of free hours.” A faint blush touches her cheeks as she says this. “I thought maybe we could grab a bite.”

I raise an eyebrow. Then I lean in toward her so that my cheek brushes against hers—to my excitement, I feel her shiver at my touch. “Why, June,” I tease in a low, soft voice, smiling against her ear. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

June’s blush deepens, but its warmth doesn’t touch her eyes.

My moment of mischief ends. I clear my throat, then look over my shoulder at Eden. “I’ll bring some food back for you. Don’t go out on your own. Do what Lucy tells you to do.”

Eden nods, already engrossed with the block robot again.

Minutes later, we head out of the apartment complex and into the thickening drizzle. I keep my head down and my face hidden under the shadow of a soldier cap; my neck’s protected beneath my thick red scarf, and my hands are shoved deep into the pockets of my military coat. It’s strange how much I’ve gotten used to Republic clothing. June pulls her coat collar high, and her breath billows out around her in clouds of steam. The slush has picked up some, sending fresh ice and water into my face and tickling my eyelashes. Bold red banners still hang from the windows of most high-rises, and the JumboTrons have a red-and-black symbol in the corners of their broadcasts in honor of Anden’s birthday. Others along the street rush past in a blur of motion. We walk in comfortable silence, savoring the simple nearness of each other.

It’s kind of weird, actually. Today’s one of my better days, and I don’t have a lot of trouble keeping up with June—today, it doesn’t feel like I only have a couple of months to live. Maybe the new medicines they gave me are going to work this time.