lions in private. I try to keep him happy so he’ll keep his hands off of me (in every manner, sexually and aggressively). And, I still try to maintain my dignity and silent protestation of the life I am forced to live.
The room is called to order by the master of ceremonies of the night. Guests are welcomed and pats on the back are given. Then the speaker announces Donovan and he is out of his seat. He walks gracefully to the podium, and I can’t help but notice how the eyes of every woman in the room follow him adoringly. He has a casual arrogance to his walk that is nothing but one hundred percent genuine. He knows he is the alpha male surrounded by a pack of betas no matter where he goes, and his cockiness on the issue just adds to the appeal.
He takes the microphone and gives the crowd a smile that is half boyish grin, half devilish leer and begins his perfectly written and fastidiously delivered speech about the importance of the Chancellor’s vision for the country. The speech is pointless; the room is full of sheep that are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
This whole evening is a sham. Everyone in the country knows that the Chancellor and his son have them all in their tight grip. Some people may have tried in the past to slip out of the sides, but the grip tightened even more after the insurgents were hunted down and killed. Now there is no one left to challenge them at all. The elections are just a pretense, set up to give the illusion of a vote to the rest of the world, but fake, nonetheless.
Four years ago, I remember standing next to Donovan while my father-in-law gave his convincing speeches. I remember clapping for him and feeling proud because Donovan had such admiration for his father, and they were both so sure in their convictions. They preached that the country was going downhill because of the criminals that were hidden throughout. They stood on the platform that there were members of our society that could never be conformed, both blue collar and white alike. They promised the nation that when elected, Chancellor Brand would do everything in his power to search those individuals out and remove them from society.
They were talking about the thugs and druggies on the street, as well as the swindlers of hard-working people’s money in investment firms. They told the country that those people could never be reformed, and unless they acted now, the whole nation would implode. People believed it. They were scared of what they saw every day on the news, scared of how they were going to put food on their family’s tables; they were scared of each other as well. People had lost trust in their neighbors, friends, and even family members. The belief that human beings are inherently good was long gone. Chancellor Brand saw the fear and distrust and used it to bolster himself up to the position he now holds.
After the election, I remember the widespread reaping. Some promises were upheld and a number of people were collected like cattle, swept up left and right and imprisoned for their past, and presumably future crimes. They weren’t able to get everyone. The prisons began to get crowded and new prisons needed to be built, but Chancellor Brand had already been elected by then and people were temporarily appeased by what they saw. I watched it all unfold on television. I saw people being herded through towns and cities and loaded in buses while others cheered. Sure, there were a few protestors and resistors, but with the entire military behind them, the Brands squashed those problems quickly.
Two years into his term, my father-in-law had been given enough power by the people to take over the entire government. He had all of the members of Congress killed if they didn’t swear allegiance to him, and the ones who remained no longer mattered anyway. Chancellor Brand is now executive, legislative, and judicial branch of the government. His word is law. The saddest part is that most of the country is relieved