Legend

June is a 15-year-old child prodigy from a rich sector of Los Angeles and one of the two protagonists and narrators of Legend. Unlike Day, June has had the opportunity to excel in school and hone her skills in preparation for joining the Republic military after graduation. At 15, she is on track to graduate early with top grades and a track record of getting into trouble. June is fierce, determined, independent, and completely devoted to the Republic’s ideology at the beginning of the novel, but her beliefs radically change after she meets Day.

June is described as having “dark hair” and a “lean, athletic build. She stands deliberately, with a hand resting on her hip, as if nothing in the world can catch her off guard” (103). June’s confidence is a direct result of her life of privilege. Day has heard of June, although he doesn’t know her name. At the novel's beginning, he refers to “some kid a few years ago who the military made a goddy fuss over” (7) because she got a perfect score on her Trial. June takes particular pride in her perfect score, and as far as she knows, she is “the only person in the entire Republic with a perfect 1500 score on her Trial” (12).

June’s exceptional score may have earned her national recognition, but it also isolates her from her classmates at Drake University. She states that she is “respected, discussed,” and “gossiped about” but “not really talked to” (15) as an equal. Despite her success and status as a prodigy, June is a lonely child, especially because she lost her parents when she was younger. Her brother Metias often goes on government missions, leaving June alone.

When Day sees June at the Skiz fight, he notices, "She’s hesitating not because she’s afraid to fight, or because she fears losing, but because she’s thinking. Calculating” (103). June is intelligent and observant, and she thinks things through before acting. Coupled with her natural abilities, she is a force to be reckoned with, especially in hand-to-hand combat. Day “can see her intelligence in every question she asks [him] and every observation she makes” (133), but as Day points out, “there’s an innocence that makes her completely different from most of the people I’ve met. She’s not cynical or jaded” (133). June’s privilege and idealism shield her from the harsh reality of life on the streets until she lives that reality with Tess and Day. Once she crosses that threshold, her entire worldview alters forever, and her life takes on a new, unexpected trajectory.

Tess is a 13-year-old girl who grew up on the streets and has been Day’s companion for the past three years. When Day first met Tess, “she was a skinny ten-year-old orphan rummaging through trash bins in the Nima sector” (55). Tess has no parents and no family, and although she is initially terrified of Day and tries to run away from him, she bonds to him after he takes pity on her and feeds her. Since then, Tess has become a gifted healer and self-taught doctor who takes care of Day when he is injured. Day comments that because Tess was so vulnerable and helpless when they first met, “[he] sometimes forget[s] just how much [he] [relies] on her now” (55).

Tess and Day may not be related, but he treats her like his little sister. Although he considers “find[ing] [Tess] a good home, some kind family willing to take her in” (55), he recognizes that Tess is bonded to him and their life on the streets. Tess trusts Day but sees her innocence and good spirit as a possible breach of safety. He says that Tess is “too naive, too easily manipulated” and adds that he “wouldn’t trust her with anyone else” (55-56). Tess is the only person who knows Day’s real identity and has a close connection to his family. Protecting Tess also ensures that Day’s family stays safe.

Tess may not be a skilled fighter or exceptionally gifted like Day, but she is “slender and wily,” and Day knows that “she can escape a raid much more easily than [Day] can” (100). Tess easily passes under people’s radar, which is why she can escape and evade the government when Day is finally arrested. Her talents as a doctor also make her attractive to the Patriots, who recruit her to join their fight against the Republic. However, Tess has no political ambitions or deep-seated anger: She just wants safety and security and is loyal to those who make her feel safe.

Metias is June’s older brother and a captain in the Republic’s military. He is 12 years older than June and her sole guardian since their parents died years ago. June describes Metias as having “the same eyes, black with a gold glint, the same long lashes and dark hair” (14) as her, and when he is first introduced, he is “decked out in his full uniform” (14) as a military official. He is handsome, intelligent, responsible, and fiercely loyal to his family. June comments that she never had a chance to know her parents, and Metias is the only parental figure she has ever had. She thinks about how “every other memory from my childhood—looking out into the auditorium as I receive an award, or having soup made for me when I’m sick, or being scolded, or tucked into bed—those are with Metias” (20).

Metias often has to bail June out when she gets into trouble at Drake University. At the beginning of the novel, when he has to pick her up from school, he complains that this happens far too often and says that “for once, [he’d] appreciate it if [June] would let [him] do [his] daily tours of duty without worrying [him]self sick over what [she’s] up to” (16). Still, Metias can’t help but be proud of his little sister and her unconventional antics. When Metias learns that June climbed a skyscraper without permission, he tries to hide how impressed he is. When Thomas remarks that Metias shouldn’t encourage his sister’s behavior, Metias replies that “surely breaking a rule once in a while is tolerable” (19).

There is, of course, a double meaning to Metias’s words. Metias isn’t simply excusing June’s behavior but hinting at his own acts of rebellion. Metias’s rebellion doesn’t come with guns blazing or rioting but with quiet words and actions. On the day of his military induction, Metias chooses to stay home and care for his sick little sister, prioritizing his family over the Republic. Despite the disgust that rich Republic citizens express towards the poor, Metias tries to correct this prejudice in June and teaches her “never to judge the poor like that” (97). And when Metias realizes that the Republic he swore to serve killed his parents, he rebels against them and loses his life in the process. Still, Metias gives June a fighting chance of learning the truth, and his death isn’t in vain.