Legend

June dresses in a way that makes her look “genderless, generic,” and “unidentifiable” (73) for her meeting with Day. She is the one who spread the word that someone has plague medicine for Day, and he should meet her at the ten-second place. June “do[es] not plan on catching Day tonight,” but she wants “a clue, a starting point, a narrower direction, something personal about this boy criminal” (74). June is impressed and amazed with Day reportedly breaking into the bank in ten seconds and how agile he must be to survive a fall from the hospital window the night of Metias’s murder.

At their designated meeting time, Day hesitates to come out of the shadows, but June knows he is there. She tries to coax him to come get the plague cure, disguising her voice as she reminds him that “someone [Day] care[s] about will wish [he’d] come out to greet [her]” (77) and get the cure from her. Day asks what she wants for the plague cure, and she tries to analyze his voice. Day realizes that June’s cloak is tied with a military knot, and he takes off into the night without the plague cure. June realizes that she won’t be able to convince Day to come to her again, so she decides that “[she’ll] have to go to him” (80).

The next day, Day meets with his older brother John behind their mother’s house. John warns him to “not pull any more stunts, in case [Day] get[s] [him]self killed” (82), but Day knows that he is the only one who might be able to help Eden. Day thinks about how Tess doesn’t have a family of her own, and he remembers how he found her three years ago, “skinny as a rail” (84), homeless, and digging through garbage looking for food. He remembers how Tess ran from him when he got close to her, how he offered to help patch up her skinned knees when she fell, and how he fed her sandwiches he found in the trash.

Tess bonded to him, and even though he “tried shouting at her” to make her leave, “when [he] looked over [his] shoulder she’d still be there, trailing [him] a short distance away” (86). The two formed an alliance, and they’ve been companions ever since. That night, Tess and Day sleep under a pier. They are awakened by the sounds of policemen walking on the pier and talking about the plague. The police mention that the plague has popped up in a sector where it doesn’t usually appear, and one remarks that this “must be a stronger strain” (88). Day wonders if this is the strain that Eden has. As the police walk away, Tess discovers that the bank they have been sleeping on is actually a hollow piece of sheet metal, and there is a number stamped into the metal.

As June plans to head into the streets to search for Day, Commander Jameson interrogates a Colony spy who was caught “spreading propaganda” (90) in the city. Thomas isn’t thrilled that June is going in alone on her mission, but he simply reminds her to keep her microphone on. Commander Jameson asks June and Thomas to join her in the interrogation room, where the Colony spy isn’t giving up any information, despite being tortured. June is stunned when Thomas begins to brutalize the spy, and she sees that “a cruel pleasure has replaced his usual kindness” (93).

The spy accuses the Republic of hiding the truth from its citizens, and he refuses to reveal anything about the Colonies. Commander Jameson tells Thomas to continue torturing the man, and June can’t help but notice that the spy “reminds [her] of Metias” (94). That night, June looks through her family’s photo albums and Metias’s journals, wondering if she can find “the thing Metias had wanted to talk to [her] about” (95) mentioned at some point, but with no luck. The next morning, June embarks into the Lake sector where Day lives, and she tries to blend in as just another poor girl on the streets. For her first few days on the streets, June hears no leads on Day or his whereabouts. But on the fourth day, “[June] stumble[s] into a Skiz fight” (99).

Day and Tess decide to bet on a Skiz fight in a desperate attempt to get more money for the plague cure. Day hides out while Tess interacts with gamblers, and he explains that he “never stand[s] with the crowd” during a fight because “if they catch [him] and fingerprint [him], it’s over for both of [them]” (100). The bartender Day met, Kaede, is the reigning champion in tonight’s Skiz fights, and Tess and Day have bet all of their money on Kaede winning every fight. Suddenly, Tess is shoved into the ring by a member of the crowd, and Kaede tries to choose her as the next opponent.

A strange girl emerges from the crowd, declaring that it “doesn’t seem like a fair fight” (103) for Tess to have to fight Kaede. Day realizes that by speaking up, “This new girl has taken Tess’s place, whether she meant to or not” (103). Day sizes the girl up and realizes that she seems to know what she’s doing, and he can’t help but notice how pretty she is. The match begins, and although Kaede is strong “like a bull,” Day says that her opponent “strikes like a viper” (104).