Legend by Marie Lu pages 34 - 58

Summary

The chapter alternates between June and Day, showing the same hospital escape from opposite sides.

June remembers how devoted her older brother, Matthias, was. Even when he missed his military induction to care for her, he promised to stay with her “forever and ever.” Years later, Commander Jameson summons June to the hospital and tells her that Matthias has been killed. At the scene, June quickly deduces that the attacker used two knives and escaped through a sewer. When she learns that the suspect is Day, she is overcome by grief and vows to hunt him down.

Jameson pulls June from her training and gives her the chance to join the patrol as a detective agent. As June studies Day’s past crimes, she notices that he has usually avoided hurting people, making Matthias’s death seem out of character. She suspects Day broke into the hospital to get plague medicine for someone he cares about. A pendant found at the scene, bearing Day’s fingerprints, may offer a clue.

Meanwhile, Day wakes badly injured in a hidden room, with Tess watching over him. He remembers the hospital break-in and worries that he lost the pendant his father gave him. Tess tells him she delivered some of the medicine to his family, where his little brother, Eden, is sick. Their unnamed caretaker has sheltered them but warns that someone is asking around for an injured boy supposedly in need of plague cures. Day and Tess flee before they can be found.

Tess urges Day to leave the city, but he cannot abandon his family. He is also intrigued by the stranger’s offer of cures, although Tess suspects it could be a trap. The chapter closes with Day and Tess weighing that risk against the danger of staying where they are.

Notable Moments and Humor

• In June’s childhood memory, Matthias jokes that he does not need a girlfriend because he has his little sister to look after.
• June’s sharp crime-scene deductions contrast with her numbness and grief.
• Despite his injuries, Day mourns the loss of his “good knives,” while Tess saves three bullets she finds in his clothes.
• June’s dog, Ollie, refuses to approach Matthias’s body. Jameson brusquely reminds June that Ollie is not a police dog.

Characters

• June — Brilliant, observant, and fiercely loyal; devastated by Matthias’s death.
• Day — Resourceful and stubborn, willing to risk himself for his family.
• Matthias — June’s protective older brother, remembered as warm and devoted.
• Tess — Day’s capable, loyal companion; practical but hopeful.
• Commander Jameson — A stern military leader who recruits June to help track Day.
• Thomas — A patrol soldier and Matthias’s friend.
• Eden — Day’s young, sick brother.
• John — A member of Day’s family who receives the medicine.
• Unnamed caretaker — Shelters Day and Tess, then warns them they may be in danger.
• Ollie — June’s white shepherd.