How Legend Should Have Ended

A Day in June

By: Anjali

JUNE

“You’ll need more time,” John says. “They want an execution? They’ll get one.” Shocked, I grabbed his arm, “No, John! I’m not letting you do this! We are going to make it out of here together. That was the plan and it’s staying that way!” Before he said anything else, I pulled him in front and urged his to move forward. He grabbed one of Day’s arms and wrapped it around his shoulder. The sweat dripped down our face, and Day’s weight was becoming heavier by the second. Finally, we burst through the exit only to find a group of soldiers with their guns ready to shoot. ‘Where’s Kaede?’ I think to myself. I suddenly hear a scream to the left of me. I glance and see Kaede lying face first on the ground with a gun to her head. She mouths to me, “I tried.” The Patriots didn’t come.

DAY

Run. Run. Focus on running. I don’t even know if I’m actually running, but I must try. My breath was getting weaker. Breathe. Run. Must run. I hear faint voices. My weight is dragging. It’s becoming hard to carry my own weight. Light! I can’t focus all of the images running through my head. Everything around me is closing in. It’s too hard. I let my weight fall. I’m on the ground, kneeling. I feel something jabbing my back. Only then do I realize, we’re caught.

JUNE

The soldiers with guns lined to our backs ask us to get up. One calls for reinforcements. Before he finishes his report, all of them are shot down. Before I can locate the source of the shooting, Kaede yells, “They came!” Patriots. We start running, knowing that a battle is about to begin. Republic soldiers fire at the Patriots. John and I run, carrying Day, all the way until we felt safe to rest.

DAY

I wake up on the ground. Suddenly, I remember what happened. June and John are waiting beside me. “You’re awake?” I stand up to see the JumboTrons as the scroll across the city.

Republic Victory against Patriots!

They play the clips of action I notice the Republic take in hostages. There’s a face that I faintly recognized. “No! It can’t be! June, they have her! They have her! June, no! She wasn’t supposed to be involved! We have to save her!” I started yelling. “Who, Day? Who do they have?” she replied. “Tess.”

From the Shadows

By: Luke

     For the past few days June has felt sick to her stomach with the realization that she will have to take in Day.  Up until now High Command still believes that June is still on the hunt for Day.  Finally static sounds on her military issued walky-talky.  Next, Commander Jameson’s voice says, “The War has escalated drastically because the Colonies have smuggled weapons to the Patriots with weapons.  Executive orders request your assistance, Day can wait.”  What a sigh of relief for June.  When June returns to Day she breaks out in tears telling him that she was supposed to arrest him.  Additionally, she tells him about the escalating conflict with the Patriots and Colonist and the orders for her to return to aid in the war effort.

       Day woke up early the next morning to find June packing her things.  “Where are you going?” Day inquires.

“You know.  I must go to Headquarters.”

“But you also know that you and I could live without the republic, and I heard on the radio that the colonies have already begun a surge said to reach all the way to Nevada.  In a few weeks the Republic probably won’t even exist anymore.  As you can guess, I won’t miss it.”

“So you just want to lay low for a while and weather the storm?”

“My whole life has been one big storm but that is pretty much what I am saying, and besides it is about time nobody was looking for me.”

     Sure enough the Republic fell within the next two months and The Colonies took total control…With new leadership and an entire country that didn’t know who Day or June were. They simply blended in with no problems.  Finally, at the end of all things they could rest, be at peace, and above all be out of the spotlight.

TOGETHER

By: Merry Lu

JUNE

“So will you help me?” June asks anxiously to Kaede. “Day can’t be executed. I need him alive.” Kaede just gives me a dirty look as if she doesn’t trust me, and she has a right to, “I have money you know, lots! I’ll make it worth your time. Just please help me. This isn’t a trap.” After several moments of discussing the mission with the other Patriots, they finally agreed. I was so relieved. I promised them that the rest of the money will follow after they rescue Day. I had no idea that they had something else in mind.

DAY

I hope that June found a way out for me. I can’t stand it in here. Just as I was thinking about escaping, I hear bombs and gunfire outside of the building. Soldiers around me are screaming, “It’s a break-in!” I couldn’t believe that June actually did it! I was finally going to be free; all I have to do is try to stay alive. Quickly, I managed to squeeze my legs out of the ropes and knock out my two guards. Grabbing their leftover bullets and guns, I put on a bullet-proof vest and headed out. Once I got outside, I couldn’t believe the sight that I was seeing. The Republic was getting ambushed with their few remaining soldiers. I spotted June out in the crowd. She ran up to me and asked if I was alright. She looked pretty frightened and confused so I had to as her, “Is everything okay? What’s going on?” Out of breath, she told me that the plan was just to get me out, not take over the Republic. By the end of our conversation, they surrendered. The Patriots have taken over.

JUNE

This wasn’t what we planned. How could they go against my back? I can’t believe this. The Patriots now have full control over the government. They have majority of the power but gave barely any to the citizens of the sectors. The Patriots are getting used to their new life, only caring about themselves and not willing to help the poor. They are starting to act like the people of the old Republic if you ask me.

DAY

It’s weird to walk around and for once have more than plenty enough food on the table. But it makes me sad that most of it goes in the trash because people won’t finish, I rather pass the food along to the hungry and sick. They need it more than I do. June agrees with me too. We’re going to protest and persuade them to make a few changes. I hope that we can persuade them.

JUNE

Well that didn’t go out so well. It seems like the new leaders don’t want to be corrected of their ways. There are rumors going around that Day and I are going to be a problem for the government and so they want to kill us. We didn’t take any chances so we headed off at twilight. Soldiers will be tracking our every move and so we have to be extremely careful to not get caught. Anybody who helps us will be severely punished. I guess we’ll be alright. Even though we’re alone out in the world, we will always stand beside one another, no matter how long the road is. We will never fall back.

Yey or Nay?

Overall, Marie Lu wrote a beautiful novel about a nation fallen into dystopia. What brings out the best in the novel are the different changes in points of view between the chapters. Along with these changes, she presents some of the most beautiful uses of imagery to describe the different sceneries. For example, Marie Lu describes the hospital incident in depth by detailing everything from opening a refrigerator full of medical vials of suppressants to jumping off of a three-story building. Marie Lu evokes almost every one of the five senses using her words. The reader feels as though she is in the hospital with Day or on the movie date with Thomas. The irony of the discovery of the actual murderer and dispersion of the plague creates a feeling of astonishment. Legend is an awe-inspiring story that leaves you hanging at the end of each chapter and allows young adults to easily identify with the characters. This novel relates to almost all types of readers—action, romance, mystery, suspense, or even apocalyptic. This characteristic of the book separates this story from all other dystopian novels, which makes Legend a magnificent read for young adults.

Let's Rap this Book!

Relations to Us

Eden/Anjali

1.  The character of Eden, Day's nine-year-old brother, represents the strength Day's familial relationships. Eden is the sole reason the plot of the story takes action. When Day discovers Eden's diagnosis of the “plague”, he has no doubt about the actions he has to take to attempt to save his brother.   
2. While no physical description of Eden is provided in the novel, judging by the physical characteristics provided for Day, I imagine that Eden would have blonde hair with some brown streaks and brown eyes. Considering ­­his family’s financial situation, I do not envision him as a healthy-weight boy; therefore, his immunity to diseases may not be very strong. Although Eden may not be well built physically, he does seem to be mentally strong. As explained by Day in the novel, Eden is the smartest of the three brothers and the most likely to ace the Trial. However, as we later finds out, he is infected with the plague, or rather, a new strain of the plague. Through Eden's words, we realize that although he is suffering, he wants to stay strong and supportive until finally, he gives in and must be forced to accept help. His resistance also represents the care he has for his family. Day states that he sees Eden walking around as if he is fine even though he is not.
3. From the information provided in the novel, I find that Eden has two prominent qualities that I can identify with. Eden is persistent and caring. He fights the plague until he becomes physically incapable of resisting anymore. This quality, I believe strongly relates to me because I am naturally a persistent person. If I were in his situation, I feel I might have reacted the same way. Although I have not been diagnosed with the plague, when I was four years old, I broke my arm and I refused to admit that it hurt or that it was possibly broken until the pain was unbearable. Many other situations in my life have led me to be just as resistant to give up. Along with his resistance, he also cares for his family. He tries to act as though he is not sick so that his family will be released; however, this does not prove effective. I care about my family more than I care about anything, and I would most probably do the same to protect my family. No matter what situation we are in, I would stand by family in all circumstances, I would try to protect them over anything because they are the most important people in my life. Overall, a minor character that most closely relates to me is Eden Wing.
4. In my picture, I tried to depict Eden with physical characteristics that I imagine he would have; therefore, he has blonde hair with brown streaks and brown eyes. In the picture, the different colors represent different characteristics of Eden. The red “X” cut in half represents the beginning of all events in the story. The two thought bubbles show the happy and depressing thoughts Eden has. The bubble on the left shows that Eden is infected with the “plague” and that he worries about the safety of his family. The bubble on the right portrays Eden’s intelligence. The two thought bubbles present the two personality traits that relate to me—care and intelligence. The colors in Eden’s shirt also symbolize his situation. The sickly green fading into the red shows the plague eating away at his strength. If a plague were to infect me, although I would fight for as long as I could until it “eats” away too much of my strength. This depiction strongly illustrates the relations between Eden and me.

Thomas/Luke

1. I have chosen Thomas.  Thomas is now the captain of the Republic's military so he is charged with finding Day and bringing Him to justice.
2. Thomas is tall, strong and has very strict view of others.  He is friends with June and Metias.  Thomas is essentially the typical and desired soldier.  Whatever the order is he does.
3. I like to think that I am traditional and for the most part follow rules.  Also, Thomas thoroughly enjoys his work in the military.  Obviously, I am not in the military but I have always enjoyed and respected that sort of thing.  Additionally, when Metias is killed Thomas has to fill in his position in his absence.  This event relates to me because in the sports I play, when a Senior graduates or someone gets hurt the second string person has to step up and fill in for them, much like Thomas was forced to do (provided you have not yet discovered that Thomas killed him).
4. Picture Description: To represent Thomas and me, I simply drew my vision of him.  On his left shoulder there are many badges to represent his achievements in the military.  Military achievements are usually awarded for discipline and valor.  Now, I am not saying I have mastered these qualities like discipline and valor, but I certainly am trying to get to there.  Additionally, I got the impression that Thomas does not talk much.  When I am around kids my age I talk pretty often, but when I am around others is usually keep to myself.  Finally, some of his medals come from his promotion following Metias’s death.  

Tess/Merry Lu

1. Tess in the book is a 13 year-old orphan who was found in the Lake sector and later became "adopted" by Day at age 10. They’ve been working together for a couple years now and so they know each other better than anyone.
2. She has brown eyes and tan skin. The only person that she trusts is Day. The two of them work together to try and collect enough money for his family to get cures since they were marked with the plague. They live in abandoned houses and buildings in the sectors of the Republic, a new kind of government after the Flood hit home. They have a brother-sister relationship so they are always taking care of one another. She is more of a care-taker than a thief. When Day got injured from the hospital invasion, she was the one who found shelter for the two of them and helped him gain back his health. When June got stabbed by Kaede while fighting, she patched up her wounds and also helped her recover. Even though she knows that Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal, she continues to stay by his side because she knows that he is a good person who only does what needs to be done. Since he was the only person to accept her, she is truly grateful for him being there when no one else was. She is willing to help anybody, stranger or not this is her personality.
3. Tess and I are quite similar when it comes to the decisions that we make. Our physical appearances are also a bit alike too since we have the same eye color. We both enjoy helping the wounded. I can relate to her better than the other characters since I also would like to be in the medical field. In the future, I plan to be a doctor, a cardiologist to be specific. Helping people makes me feel good about myself, it allows me to get that person to smile and let them continue to live their life to the fullest. She is caring, kind, and protective of Day as I am with my friends. I will never abandon them under any circumstances, dangerous or not. This is just who I am. At first I may seem a bit shy, but once you get to know me, you'll get to see the other side.
4. In my drawing, I had Tess trying to fix Day’s wounds after his incident at the hospital. As you can see, she just finished patching up his wounds in a stranger’s home. Tess has a gift of caring for the ones that she loves and it shows throughout the book. She isn’t afraid of what’s out there; she tackles it with ease and confidence knowing that everything will be alright in the end. I admire her as a role model for not only me, but for others as well. The two of us can relate to one another for our ways of putting someone else in front of us. Their needs come first before ours. This is what it takes to succeed towards a medical profession.

Commander Jameson/Ty

1. I chose Commander Jameson.
2. Commander Jameson has long, light brown hair and big, glossy eyes. She is very serious. She is a high-ranking officer in the Republic and the commanding officer of Metias, Thomas, and later, June.
3. I can relate to her leadership qualities. I chose this to be my best quality because I am a Commander. I have to lead these young adults to the right path. I've done my duties just like everyone else and became a leader.

John/Stephone

1. The character John, Days older 19 year brother, who looks very similar to Day just taller and more masculine. 

2. John has Dark Hair and tan skin. He's Tall Masculine and works in the Coal minds of the Colonies. At the opening of Legend, he is the only person from Day's old life who knows he is still alive. He is killed by the firing squad in a sacrifice to save both Day and June in a life threatening situation.

3. John and I are similar in personality because we both are caring about the ones we Love, also we're both tall and have Dark hair. I can relate to John better than the other characters because we both have this since of sacrifice and protection for the people we Love. I would give my last to someone if I felt like they really needed it or if it meant whether they would live or die.

4. In my drawing of John, he looks serious but yet worried. The symbols around him describes his appearance and personality.

Metias/Ken

1. I chose Metias, the brother of June
2. He is a military officer. I think he is tall and very athletic. I also think he is strong.
3. I can relate to his leadership qualities because last year in ROTC I had to lead a flight for my individual drill evaluation. I also went to Converse College Leadership School with ROTC. I chose the quality of leadership because I have experience in leading people like Metias.
4. Metias relates to me because I am military bound and I enjoy everything military. I also like leading people because it makes me feel like I am doing something good in the world. I take things pretty serious when it comes to leading people.

Legend: The Movie

Transcript

Narrator: One land—once whole, now split into the Colonies, Republic, and Patriots.

June: We live in the Republic. There are several different sectors based on our differences but after all we are one whole.

Day: At least twice a month, I see my Wanted poster flashed on the JumboTrons scattered throughout downtown Los Angeles. Most of the pictures on the screens are of happy things: smiling children standing under a bright blue sky, tourists posing before the Golden Gate Ruins, Republic commercials in neon colors. Then there’s my criminal report. After all, I am the most wanted because I make them look bad.

Narrator: Two kids from two different lives. One, a street criminal from the Lake sector dedicated to helping his people. And the other from a posh are with only one motive—vengeance.

Day: The soldier reaches up and sprays one long, red, diagonal line on our door. Then he sprays another line, making an X. He sprays a third, vertical line on my mother’s door, cutting the X in half. That’s it for me.

June: Day, wherever you are, I will find you, and I will hunt you down because your life is mine.

Who's Who?

Day

Day, a young, rebellious street criminal, threatens the Republic’s control. Evading every attempt at capture, he’s an unidentified felon roaming the dystopian city of Los Angeles. His only companion is a young teenager named Tess, whom he has taken into his care. Day’s main motivation for his actions is to take care of his family unbeknownst to them because his mother and little brother both think he is dead.  Using his stealth, he takes down some of the most elite soldiers to avenge the suffering of the poor citizens from his sector. Early in the narrative, he demonstrates his merciless nature when he visits the laboratory in search of an antidote for the plague. Losing his pendant during this escapade threatens his covert existence because it’s the one possession that connects him to his family. He finds himself in these circumstances because he failed his Trial test, which has put him on the outside of what is acceptable to the Republic.

June

June Iparis is a gifted student, who attends Drake University only at the age of fifteen. Being very intuitive, she notices every detail at situations and uses the evidence to solve her unanswered questions. Her intelligence has led her to become the only person in the Republic to acquire a perfect score on the Trial. She has always been a troublemaker, but luckily, she has Metias, her caring older brother, to help her out. They’ve been living together ever since their parents died in a car crash. June and Metias have always been close until one night, he was murdered trying to capture Day, the Republic’s most wanted criminal. Overcome with grief and vengeance, she swore that she would find him and bring justice for her brother so that he would not have died in vain.

Metias

Metias Iparis is one of the Republic’s rising military stars. He is intelligent and caring for those around him, especially his little sister June, who was the only person to pass the Trial with a perfect score. Together, they live in their house with their dog, Ollie. A couple years earlier, both of their parents died in a fatal car accident. In honor of their memory, Metias writes in journals, just like his parents did. He thinks that one day computers will crash, and everything will be lost without recovery. His job in the military takes him on secret missions across the sectors. Unfortunately, on one mission, he never made it back. It is said that he was killed by Day, the Republic’s most wanted criminal at a hospital. He died with a knife through his heart. His loss caused a huge impact on his family and friends since he was one of the best there was.

Tess

     Adopted by the Republic’s most wanted criminal Day, the two of them wander around secretly throughout the sectors to find food and shelter, but their main goal is to gather up enough money to buy cures. As Day does his dangerous acts, Tess keeps a wandering eye for his safety. At times, she is a better caretaker than a criminal since she tends most of his wounds. Outside of his family, Tess is the only one he trusts in the outside world; she is his best friend.

Commander Jameson

       Commander Jameson is basically the manager of her own military group. She is a strict, stern woman. However, she does show care for Metias after his death by arranging his funeral, an action she had never done for other soldiers. She assigns June her new position and accepts the new ideas June provides.

John

John is Day’s older brother. He is the only person in Day’s family that still knows that he is alive. He retrieves the medicines and the gifts that Day brings them. John seems to be a responsible and caring boy.

Eden       

Probably the smartest one in the family, Eden Iparis has a knack for inventing. He is nine-years old, and his family was marked for having the plague. Eden falls ill with it and tries to look healthy in order for his family to be released.

Day’s Mother

She is a single mother of three boys; John, Day and Eden. Her husband died years earlier, so she was left with the responsibility of taking care of the family. To provide money, her job requires her to use her hands, causing them to bleed, so she is in a constant need of bandages. What makes matters worse was that her house was marked with the plague, and her second oldest son, Day, is the most wanted criminal in the Republic, but the catch is that she doesn't know that. She tries to put on a brave face, but with so much bad news, she can no longer handle it.

Day’s Father

       Day’s father worked as a clean up for Republic soldiers. Upon returning from work, the Republic issued a search of their home. Finding something suspicious, Day’s father was taken into questioning. His father’s return in abused conditions provoked Day’s first crime. This symbolizes the connection between the two.

June’s Parents

Although not much is known about June’s parents, the audience knows that they had a strong connection with Metias. June was too young to remember having parents. They died in a car crash before she had the ability to comprehend the situation.

Ollie

Being the loving family dog of the Iparis family, Ollie is June’s loyal American White Sheppard given by her brother, Metias. During the time of Metias’s murder, Ollie is viewed by June as the only piece of Metias she has left. At moments, it seems as if Ollie misses his other owner since they were all pretty close.

Dorian

At Drake University, the only person that actually talked or had a small “connection” with June was a boy named Dorian. He was the one who asked her to go to prom with him and how far she reached while scaling.

Elector

            The Elector is the ruler of the Republic. The residents of the Republic respect him, and he has the most control.

Emerson

            Emerson is a Colony spy that resembles June’s first encounter with the opposition. He is loyal to his country, so he won’t release any information. Commander uses him to prepare June for her tasks.