Out There (2 page)

October 3
^rd
Year 17 was one of the most important days of my life. Everything would be determined within the next ten minutes. I held my breath, clenched my hands and stared at the stage, paralysed. People in the crowd drifted around me and I picked out familiar faces. Of course every face was familiar in some way; no one there was new to me. The buzz of the audience was building yet I only heard a muffled sound.

The announcer began to take her place on stage and the sound filtered out, leaving only the thump of my heartbeat in my ears. She carried in her hand a perfect white envelope that dictated my fate. Well, perhaps not
my
fate exactly, but the effect on me was greater than that on most of the people there.

She strolled up to the microphone, another familiar face, and leaning in close she said, “Welcome everyone to the seventh Election for Leader of the Council.” The audience applauded and she continued, “Today we will be announcing the results of the votes that have been tallied here today and we thank you all for participating.”

The campaign of a candidate lasted a total of three days in Emiscyra, our city. On the first day, candidates had to declare that they were interested in running by presenting their principles to the current Council who then decided if they would back them or not. If a candidate had the support of the Council, they would speak at the school and try to win votes from the under-eighteens. They then each spoke at the Election so the rest of the community could decide whom to vote for. Every member of the community then voted thirty minutes later.

Once the voting began, and the under-eighteens were called first, I appeared at the desk in a flash, giving my name before they even asked. Taking the touchpad in my hands, there was not a single moment of hesitation as I typed in
candidate 7B
. After that, all I could do was hope that my one little vote was not alone.

The announcer continued, “Whoever is elected Leader today will hold the great responsibility of supporting our community and leading it through whatever may come. They will hold one of the highest honours and shall be respected by all of us for their commitment and effort. They will follow a long line of Leaders who all played a tremendous role in shaping our community. So now please join with me in welcoming our candidates.”

The knot in my stomach grew as the three candidates took their places on stage. The first on was Meredith Dale. She seemed very warm and committed to the job, yet I couldn't help but feel she didn't quite grasp how great the responsibility was. She had served on the Council for the past three years as Leader of Education, voted for by the students only. She smiled and waved as she walked forward and the audience applauded.

Next on came Donna Hart. Her face was etched with wisdom, yet she had not a single wrinkle. Her speech earlier was golden and she was one of the most talented speakers I'd seen. She had served on the Council for the past twelve years in roles ranging from Member for Produce Production to Leader of Interrelations. She walked on confidently and elegantly.

The third on was Fiona Turner. Her speech was well delivered and she had many great ideas, yet her enthusiasm lacked. She had no history on the Council and had only just graduated, specialising in politics. However, her mother was the fifth Leader and did a fabulous job. Everyone expected Fiona to follow in her mother's footsteps. She walked on to the stage; her youth compared to the others was glaring.

The announcer applauded the candidates, thanking them for volunteering for such an overwhelming yet rewarding task.

Silence.

She gently opened the envelope. For a moment everything stopped. No movement. No sound. Just that rapid thumping of my heart. When I looked back, I was thankful it didn't burst out of me altogether.

She slipped out a tiny piece of paper.
How could something so small hold something so big?
She waved it in the air and the audience laughed.

Couldn't laugh, couldn't think, couldn't breathe.

She took a deep breath and opened the folded paper.

Two words. Just two words meant everything.

“And the seventh Council Leader is…”

The pause. The painful pause that made me dizzy with nerves. The silence was too great. I wanted to scream to destroy it. But then she opened her mouth…

“…Donna Hart!”

Cheers escaped the crowd and the silence was gone. It took a moment for the words to reach me. Then I heard them loud and clear: “Donna Hart, Donna Hart.” I let out a wild cheer, screaming and clapping until my throat was sore and my hands numb. Donna was grinning from ear to ear as she hugged each candidate in turn and received their congratulations. She strolled up to the stage and hugged the announcer too, then went over to the microphone.

“Thank you all.”

The crowd cheered her more and I could barely feel my hands. I was sure my cheers could be heard over every other sound.

Donna leant into the mic. “I want to thank you all for giving me this honour and I intend to make sure your support is not in vain. First I want to applaud Meredith and Fiona for their gallant efforts, which I hope don't go unsung. And thank you for all the support I have received as it means the world to me. Also a special thanks to my own daughter Ava, who has stood by me through all the late-night speech writing and re-writing sessions, the nerves and excitement, and for saying ‘I understand' every time I told her how much winning would change things. Ava, thank you.” She reached her hand out into the crowd as a symbol of appreciation.

Just as she said that, a bright light entered my vision and I could barely see anything. Confused, I lifted my hand to cover my eyes and to my surprise everyone in the crowd was applauding me. Donna was smiling at me and she mouthed, “Thank you, Ava.” The spotlight was shining down on me and I mouthed back, “You're welcome, Mother.”

The audience turned back to the stage as my mother continued, “You have my word that under my leadership our community will flourish, and your needs will be fulfilled. My determination is strong, but our community is stronger, and I have no doubt in my mind that we shall continue to develop so that our children's children can lead lives as fortunate as ours and be free of the poor judgment that once plagued our city. And on that note, I could not be more thrilled that I shall be leading us into the most highly anticipated phase of our development.” The crowd cheered. “From the Analysis Phase and Re-Organisation Phase initiated by the First Leader, to the Infrastructure Development Phase, to the Education and Motivation Phase, to the Community Strengthening Phase, to now. Now I am proud to lead us in the Repopulation Phase.”

The audience cheered and people turned to their neighbours to chatter about their excitement. A warm sense of pride filled me to know I might be part of it.

“This honour I have been dreaming of for many years now and to know it is finally here brings me great pride. So, thank you all again and as you have put your faith in me, I shall do everything I can to fulfil your expectations. Thank you.”

The audience applauded her and the announcer stepped forward and said, “Now we shall transfer Leadership with The Oath, written by our liberators as a promise for us all to keep.” The sixth Leader, Jemima Hewitt, walked on to the stage and shook hands with my mother. She then walked over to the microphone.

Silence again. This time it was for respect, and maybe secretly for a chance to breathe in the moment, a moment of history.

Jemima began, “I, Council Leader, can rightfully say that my duties to my community have been fulfilled. I have followed through with my promises, represented my city with honour, and helped us to prosper. I have been fair, I have been honest, I have been thoughtful, I have been a good example, and I have been true. I now hand over my responsibility to my successor, Donna Hart.” She stood to the side and Donna came forward.

More silence. However, I felt it growing on me. Once a state of waiting, then a state of knowing something wonderful was to come.

Mother said with a strong voice, “I, Donna Hart, promise that I will fulfil my duties to my community. I will follow through with my promises, represent my city with honour, and help us to prosper. I will be fair, I will be honest, I will be thoughtful, I will be a good example, and I will be true. I now accept responsibility from my predecessor, Jemima Hewitt.”

The announcer then walked forward and indicated for us all to repeat our section of The Oath. A collective body and a collective voice rang out, “We, the people, promise that we will fulfil our duties to our community and support our Leader as long as she obeys her Oath. We will represent our city with honour. We will be fair, we will be honest, we will be thoughtful, we will be kind, and we will be true. We promise this in honour of our liberators, who fought to keep our race and our gender alive when we were threatened by the faults of men. Long live the women of Emiscyra.”

The Oath was thought to have supernatural powers. Whenever it was said, it bound people together and they instantly felt connected to each other. In that moment, I honestly believed that it was powerful, as the strong energy vibrated through the air.

All the faces – so familiar, so united – applauded as our new Leader descended from the stage and everyone dispersed to enjoy the celebrations.

The Town Hall was beautifully decorated for the occasion. Elections always brought on an excuse to add a little sparkle to the plain wooden walls. The most extreme decorations always came on Liberation Day, once a year. Truth be told, decorations were rare, because in Emiscyra we lived simple lives and never bought anything that was not a necessity or for a special occasion.

So the bright glittering lights and colourful banners were always a surprise to everyone at first. But the members of the community understood that they would be packed away that night and left to collect dust in a cardboard box for another three years, so we all might as well enjoy them while they lasted.

I found myself scanning the walls for a different type of streamer from usual or a new addition to the collage of colour. It was my sixth Election, and my first I attended at the age of two. The layout was always the same: same decorations, same entertainment, same food selection. Perhaps the fact that the same group of women always organised it had a part to play in the outcome. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful, perfect day. Giving up on finding anything new, except for the flowers, I decided to go and find my mother.

As I wound my way through the crowd, I was congratulated by a few familiar faces that must have recognised me from the blinding spotlight and special thank you. Finally, a flash of flawless jet-black hair caught my eye and I was soon right behind my mother, who spun round as I came up. She smiled at me and wrapped her strong thin arms around my waist and whispered in my ear, “We did good, sweetheart.”

I hugged her back and said, “Congratulations Mother, I knew you could do it. I'm just so glad it's finally over, I didn't think I'd make it any longer before passing out.”

“Oh darling, it's so comforting to know you care so much. What would I do without you?”

The group of ladies she was standing with smiled at us and I recognised Georgina O'Connell, my neighbour, and Sylvia Carter, Leader of Technology on the Council for the past seventeen years, among them.

“You must be very happy for your mother,” one of the women said.

“Yes, I am. I'm Ava by the way.”

“Oh yes, we all know how your mother has wanted this for some time and I can certainly say that her winning makes me very happy, don't you agree?” Sylvia said to me with her classic, serious, almost icy face.

“Of course, she deserves it more than anyone.” I looked Sylvia right in the eye as I said this. She flicked a lock of grey hair off her shoulder and gave me her signature icy smile in return.

“Oh Ava, please,” Mother sighed modestly.

“It's true though. There is no one better for the job than you and I'm so happy for you for getting what you've always wanted.”

Mother smiled at me just as I spotted Jennifer Rose amongst the women.

“Jennifer,” I said to her, “do you know where Katelyn is? I've been trying to find her, actually.”

“I think she already went backstage to get ready,” she replied warmly.

“Oh thanks. Mother, is it all right if I go? I'll catch up with you later.”

“Yes, Ava, of course. In fact, I'll probably have a few things to do later so how about I meet you back at home after the celebration, OK?”

“OK. Congrats again,” I said, walking towards the stage.

She waved me goodbye and turned back to her friends. Some women I recognised from the restaurant by school were already on stage, singing and playing a keyboard piano. Entering the backstage door, I soon spotted Katelyn. She wasn't hard to find with her signature blonde curls and rosy cheeks. Not to mention, she was probably one of the smallest people in the room. I watched as she carefully pulled out her precious guitar from its case and leant it against the wall. She stared at it with her hands on her hips – a sign I knew meant she was contemplating something.