Chapter Fifty-Five

The afternoon sun beat down hot and steady on Danni’s dark head, causing her even more discomfort than she had once thought was humanly possible. It had been a bit chilly that morning so she had dressed warmly, thankful for her many layers that disguised her ever growing bulge. She wasn’t ashamed of the child growing inside her, quite the opposite, but she knew that the city streets were not safe, especially for women who were pregnant. They made for easy prey. But now Danni was beginning to regret her choice in clothing that morning and tugged uncomfortably at the high-necked collar of the deep navy blue turtleneck she had picked out.

“It’s getting really warm.” Danni commented absent-mindedly, not really expecting the handsome young man seated to her right to make response to her remark. She had attempted to strike up a conversation with Bray several times during the course of the day, but he was obviously distracted, not at all interested in what she had to say.

“Hum?” Bray yanked his attention away from whatever or whoever it was that he had been staring at. “Did you say something?”

“Nothing important.” Danni furrowed her brow, not bothering to mask her irritation. She paused for several seconds, seeing that Bray was about to drift off again, then added icily. “Not that you would have paid any attention to me if it were important. What’s with you Bray? Where are you?”

“What do you mean?” He frowned at her, his hand casually dropping down to her leg as he gave it a gentle squeeze under the table where they sat as the voters lined up and deposited their ballot into the lockbox. “I listen to you all the time.”

“Today you haven’t been.” Danni pushed his hand off her leg, not wanting to be touched by him. “You’ve been someplace else. I’ve tried talking to you, but it’s proven to be impossible. I’m beginning to realize that maybe there’s someplace else you’d rather be, or rather with someone else other than me.”

“Aw, come on, Danni. It’s not like that at all. It’s just, well, you know I don’t like this whole election.” Bray’s expression darkened. “Most of these kids are foolishly voting for Ebony. Do you realize what a disaster it will be if she’s elected city leader?”

“No, I don’t.” Danni snapped. “You’ve beat this dog to death, Bray. You’re the only one who doesn’t think Ebony will make a great city leader. You have a prejudice against her because of who she used to be. But used to be is the key word. She’s changed. Now why can’t you wake up and realize that?”

“Because I know her, Danni.” Bray shook his head, causing his long braids to fall over his shoulder. “”She’s poison, I tell you. The saying’s true, a leopard can’t change its spots.”

“You certainly have.” Danni snorted.

“What do you mean by that, Danni?”

Danni pursed her lips together, meeting his gaze evenly. “I mean exactly what it sounds like I mean. You’ve changed, Bray. You’ve become a completely different person than the man that I fell in love with. The Bray I knew gave everyone a chance, even a second or third one. The Bray I knew loved this city more than anything. The Bray I knew would have supported his fellow tribe member in front of the city even if he didn’t always agree with them. You’re not that man any longer, Bray. I don’t know who you are.”

“Maybe it’s not me who’s changed.” Bray growled, his eyes narrowing. “Did you ever think of that? Maybe it’s you who changed. If I remember right, you couldn’t stand Ebony. You were the one who was always telling me we couldn’t trust her, that she was always up to no good. Now you’ve become her number one fan. So I don’t think it’s me who’s change, Danni. It’s you, and I think I know who changed you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Danni felt her mood darken dramatically.

“You know exactly what I mean. You’ve changed Danni. Ever since you came back from that blasted Chosen prison. Ever since him.”

Danni winced at the mention of Ravenscroft, the wound of his loss still open and festering. “That’s not fair, Bray.” She whispered, blinking at the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks.

“Then what is fair, Danni?” Bray hissed back, the hurt obviously in his voice. “You were the only thing that kept me going all those days, those black days where everything just seemed so hopeless. When I thought that we’d never get through this, never defeat the Chosen. You were my inspiration, Danni. The thought of you, holding you in my arms, inhaling your sweet, beautiful scent… That was all I had to cling to during those days and now I discover,” He stammered, emotion taking control of his voice, “Now I discover that you hop into bed with the first man that offers himself. I’m glad I meant so much to you.”

“It’s not like that Bray!” Danni exclaimed, her cheeks flushing with color, hating how accurate and yet inaccurate Bray’s statement was at the same time. “It wasn’t like that at all. Ravenscroft and I… It was—“

“Did you love him?” Bray demanded, his crystal-blue eyes hardening.

“What?”

“You heard me.” Bray’s lips were drawn together in a thin line. “Did you love him, Danni? Did you love Ravenscroft?”

Danni hesitated, her heart feeling as if were disintegrating inside her chest. “Bray I…” She trailed off, part of her wanting to lie to him, spare him from any further hurt, but she knew that the truth would only come out in the end. “Yes.” She said at last. “I loved him, Bray. I-I still do.”

Bray said nothing for several seconds, his eyes filling with a cold fury that frightened Danni. No longer was this Bray sitting next to her, but she was peering into the eyes of the madman, Zoot, his brother.

“Bray, I—“

“Shut up, Danni.” Bray whispered fiercely, so much hatred and emotion conveyed in his tone that he might as well have been shouting. “Just shut up and leave me alone.” He rose to his feet abruptly, knocking back his chair in the process.

“Wait!” Danni caught onto his arm, holding his hand tightly, fear consuming her. She had lost Ravenscroft already, she couldn’t loose Bray as well. Not when she was so close to the end of her term. “Please, Bray. I love you. It’s you I love.”

“You just said you love Ravenscroft.” He spat.

“Bray,” Danni rose to her feet, taking his free hand with her other, squeezing them gently. “It’s you I chose. I love you. I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t, now would I?”

“And if I say I don’t believe you? That I’m sick of your lies and I don’t want to listen to them anymore.”

“It’s not a lie.” Danni shook her head, her head desperately trying to convince her heart that she was telling the truth. “I love you, Bray, and I’m willing to spend the rest of my life trying to prove it to you.”

“You might just have to do that.” Bray hissed bitterly. “Because it will take a lifetime to convince me.” And with that he spun on his heel, leaving Danni standing alone, wrapping her arms protectively around her abdomen, her heart berating her for betraying the way she truly felt yet again.

~*~*~

Amber let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the huge pile of ballots positioned in the direct center of the conference table where she, Jet of the Gulls, Dee of the Mozquitoes, and Lips of the Jackals had just finished totaling the votes for sectors seven through ten. If those four sectors votes were anything to go by, Ebony would win the election by a landslide, but Amber knew better than to count her chickens before they hatched. Besides, Ebony’s strongest support came from Sector Ten. She wasn’t nearly as popular in Sectors Three and Thirteen.

“Moz is not going to be happy.” Dee shook her head slowly, tugging self-consciously at the silver chain that hung heavily around her neck. The pink haired Mozquito was supposedly Moz’s second in command, but Amber had not met her before the dominant Moz had insisted she be included in the council that would tally all the votes.

“That’s not our problem.” Jet rolled her eyes, straightening one of the messier stacks of votes into a neat pile. “All we were to do was count, and that was what we had. Ebony had three quarters of the votes.”

“What time do you think we’ll know the results?” Lips inquired, fidgeting nervously. Amber had never once seen the talented young woman without her counterparts Teeth and Dimples, and she seemed slightly uncomfortable without them flanking her on each side. “Morning?”

“Before that.” Amber assured her. “The booths closed over an hour ago throughout the city. We can expect the rest of the sectors to be reporting in shortly. I would think we would know the result of the election before nightfall.”

“Good.” Jet nodded her approval. “All this anticipation is killing me.”

“Me too.” Amber nodded, slowly, staring at the overwhelming pile of votes, thankful that Ebony had taken the majority of them. Now if only she had as many supports in the rest of the city… “Me too.”

~*~*~

“Hawk,” Zandra smiled coyly over at the handsome young Gaian seated on the fallen log beside her. They were lazing the final hours of the afternoon away, relaxing in each other’s company after an extremely strenuous morning working on the village and making certain it would be in order by the time the winter winds blew in from the south. “Tell me what you were like before the virus.”

“Before the virus?” Hawk seemed startled by her question, looking over at her, his hazel eyes reflecting the sun’s afternoon rays, illuminating them. “What makes you ask?”

“I was just wondering.” Zandra answered him honestly. “I know the virus changed all of us. I know it changed me, though not as much as it should have. I really didn’t grow up until after Eagle Mountain, after I really came face to face with my own mortality.”

Hawk nodded, offering her a gentle smile. “I would have liked to have known you when you were younger.”

“No you wouldn’t have.” Zandra let out a bitter laugh, remembering how frivolous she had once been. Her cheeks still flushed with color when she recalled how she tried to convince the Mall Rats that she need to bring six changes of clothes with them to Eagle Mountain. “I was pretty selfish.”

“Weren’t we all, though?” Hawk twisted his lips up in a sad, almost wistful smile.

“I’m sure you weren’t.” Zandra snuggled deeper into his embrace, thankful for his strong arms enfolding her, keeping her safe. “I imagine you always being the perfect little boy, loving and thoughtful to everyone. I bet you were a teacher’s pet, always brining her a shiny red apple on the first day of school.”

“Not quite.” Hawk chuckled. “Actually, not at all. I was the opposite. I was the kid from hell. The rebel. The type of guy girls’ parents warned them to stay away from. Before I was fourteen years old I already had a criminal record, though I knew it would go away when I turned eighteen. I didn’t care. I thought I could do whatever I wanted.”

“Fourteen?” Zandra’s brow knitted together as she attempted to do the math. “Just how old are you, Hawk? I don’t think I ever asked.”

“Nineteen.” He grinned boyishly. “I’m ancient. At least compared to most of the people around these days.”

“Nineteen?” Zandra looked at him in shock. She had figured he was seventeen, eighteen at the most, but nineteen. If the adults were still alive, Hawk would be considered one of them.

“You’re making me feel really old now.” Hawk smiled.

“Well, you are.” Zandra quickly pointed out. “You’re probably one of the oldest people on the planet right now.”

“Great White’s older than me. She’s already twenty.” Hawk informed her. “She should be in uni right now, or well on her way to starting a career. But instead she’s leading a tribe of children – teenagers, as we try and rebuild this world. I just hope that a hundred years from now our children don’t hate us for what we’ve done to them.”

Zandra nodded her agreement, her heart trembling inside her. “You know,” She commented quietly, “I was supposed to have one. A son, we were sure. But I lost him, on Eagle Mountain. For the longest time I blamed myself, then I blamed Lex, thinking it was his fault for abandoning me. But now I realize that it was no one’s fault. Those sort of things happen. There are things that we just can’t control. Explosions and death – those are just two of them.”

“Oh, Zan.” Hawk murmured softly, running his fingers through her curly sapphire blue hair. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault either.” She pointed out with a teasing grin. “So don’t apologize.”

Hawk nodded, his expression sobering. “I have a daughter.” He paused, watching Zandra’s face carefully. “She’s three, I think. Her name is Katrina, after my ex-girlfriend’s mother. She was born shortly before the virus.”

“Katrina, that’s such a beautiful name.” Zandra whispered quietly, touching his face tenderly. “Do you ever see her?”

Hawk shook his head slowly. “Not since the virus. Before that Shawna would bring her by every other weekend, but after, well, things got a little crazy. After my father died I went to Shawna’s house, but she was already gone. Apparently she ran off with her current boyfriend. He said he was going to take care of her.”

“But what about Katrina?” Zandra felt her heart ache in her chest as she imagined the pain and torment Hawk was going through.

Hawk could only shrug his shoulders, his expression troubled. “Katrina wasn’t at the house when I went by. I can only hope they took her, but it wasn’t uncommon for teenage mothers to abandon their children, leaving them to fate.”

Zandra bit back a gasp and held Hawk close, wishing she could somehow abet his fears, assure him that his little girl was alive and growing more and more each day, listening to stories her mother told her about her father. Zandra couldn’t imagine a single on of them being bad. Hawk was the most amazing man.

“We’ll find her.” Zandra suddenly whispered, closing her eyes. “Somehow, you and I, we’ll find your daughter. I swear it to you.”

~*~*~

The old courthouse was stuffy and crowded, hundreds of unwashed and sweaty bodies pressed tightly against each other as they struggled to pack as many individuals inside the room as possible. Ebony knew that if it were the days before the virus they were way past the fire marshal’s code for maximum occupancy, but no one seemed to mind that there were close to seven hundred people inside the court room rather than the regulation 350.

“Everyone, please!” Silver shouted at the top of her lungs from her position at the front of the courtroom, behind the judge’s stand. The honor of announcing the winner of the election had been given to the beautiful young leader of the Cheetahs, though Ebony had her reservations. If she managed to win the election, Ebony was sure there would be eye brows raised, wondering if somehow she and the Mall Rats had rigged the whole thing.

“Please!” Silver exclaimed again, clearly growing frustrated with the noisy crowd. “We need to quiet down! We need to announce the results of the election!”

But the crowds were not paying attention to the young woman with long dark brown braids that fell nearly down to her waist. Silver shot a helpless glance in the direction Amber was seated where the jury would have once been. Amber looked equally as helpless, but rose to her feet as if to make her way to the podium to help the Cheetah out.

“Excuse me!” Ebony suddenly let out a deafening shout that broke through even the loudest of conversations and arguments taking place. “Silver has an announcement to make.” She added, her voice still loud, though her tone dropping just slightly after the attention of the crowd had been gained. “Silver?”

“Thank you Ebony.” Silver shot her a smile of thanks, then turned her face back towards the crowds before they had the chance to grow restless again. “Ebony’s right. I do have an announcement to make. As you are all well aware, the results are in. Our first elected city leader is…” She trailed off, shooting a nervous glance to where Moz stood towards the front of the courtroom, surrounded by her whip-carrying lemmings. “Ebony.” She announced at last. “Ebony is our city leader.”

Ebony fell back against her chair, completely taken off guard by Silver’s announcement. She had always known the possibility of her winning the election was there, but she had never really considered what she would do if she did win. She knew that Amber, Danni and the rest of the Mall Rats had desperately wanted her to win, but now that the city was in the palm of her hand, Ebony wasn’t so sure she was the right woman for the job.

She closed her eyes, strange feelings sweeping over her, strangers that had once been as familiar to her as a long-time lover. Power. It rippled through her, threatening to consume her. She had control of the entire city. Her word was law. She could get rid of Bray forever and no one could say she couldn’t. She could bring order back to the city. Or she could bring chaos. The thought terrified her as she slowly opened her eyes.

“It’s a setup!” Ebony recognized Moz’s commanding voice ripping through the restless crowd. “It was all a setup. Of course a Mall Rat would win. Would you expect anything else? You fixed the count, didn’t you? Admit it!” She was shouting at Amber.

“Moz,” A pink haired Mozzie standing beside her leader touched Moz on the arm, somewhat timidly, “The count was not fixed. Ebony won, fair and square—“

“Shut up, Dee. No one asked you.” Moz growled, whipping her head back towards the front where Ebony was seated. “Admit it, Ebony. You made sure to it that you would win the election. You paid the voters off, you changed the count. Admit it, Ebony.”

“I can’t do that, Moz.” Ebony replied, her voice strangely calm and she stared down into the piercing eyes of the fearsome woman. “Dee is right. The vote was completely fair.”

Moz shook her head slowly, still fuming. “I don’t believe that any more than I believe the Mall Rats didn’t let the Guardian go on purpose. You’re deceitful, lying. You only look out for yourselves, making yourselves comfortable. You don’t care about the city. Only what’s in your own best interest.”

“That’s enough, Moz.” Amber called out, placing her hands on her slim hips. “The vote was not fixed and the Mall Rats—“

“You don’t know anything, Amber.” Moz sneered. “You were gone. You weren’t here when they fooled the entire city into believing we needed an antidote to get rid of the virus, that we would die without it. They tricked us into working for them—“

“Stop it!” It was now Danni who had raised her voice. “You did need the antidote. We all did. But you’re right. We allowed everyone to believe they still needed it even after the virus had gone away. But do you want to know why, Moz?” Danni paused, studying the woman clad in a skintight cat suit carefully, “Because for the first time since the virus the city was united under one cause. Everyone wanted to better the world around them, get the city back up on its feet. The Mall Rats made a mistake, yes, but our intentions were good.”

“Intentions.” Moz rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you what you can do with your intentions—“

“Moz,” Ebony interrupted the woman, her voice cold and deadly. “If you continue to cause a disturbance I am going to have to ask you to leave.”

“What?” Moz scoffed. “Ask me to leave? Is that some sort of joke? What if I say no?”

“Then I’ll make you leave.” Ebony stated evenly. “I’ll have my sheriff escort you to the edge of the city. If you ever step foot back inside my city, you will suffer the consequence of death.”

“Your sheriff?” Moz seemed unconcerned by Ebony’s threat.

“Lex.” Ebony nodded, shooting a glance in the surprised Mall Rat’s direction. He was seated on the opposite side of the courthouse as Amber and Danni, his arms folded against his chest as he observed all that transpired around him. “Lex is my sheriff. He will enforce the law in the city.”

“Lex?” Moz smirked. “This is just great. The city’s going to be run by a power hungry tyrant and have her loose canon of a boyfriend is our sheriff. Can we have the Guardian back please?”

“I’m not her boyfriend.” Lex announced as he strode over to Ebony’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “But I suggest you listen to her, Moz. Perhaps you’ve already forgotten who Ebony once was, though your smear campaign was trying to remind everyone. Ebony was the Empress of the Locos. She was more powerful, more deadly and more fearsome than Zoot ever was. Are you sure you want to cross her?”

Moz stared at Lex, her lips drawn together in a thin line. “You have not heard the last of me.” She hissed, then snapped her fingers as she spun around, summoning her women to follow after her as the crowds parted allowing them to leave the courtroom. “I promise you that!” She shouted loudly over her shoulder before she disappeared.

“Thank you Lex.” Ebony breathed out softly so that no one could hear, allowing the nervous buzz of the crowds to drown out all discrete conversations. “I was planning on talking to you right after the results were in – if I won that is. I didn’t think—“

“Not a problem.” Lex grinned down at her. “I’m glad I could help.”

“So, are you willing to do the job?” Ebony furrowed her brow. “Amber and I were discussing everything a couple days ago and she suggested you would make an ideal sheriff. I couldn’t agree more. But we were going to wait until after—“

“Of course, Ebony.” Lex nodded, his eyes leaving her face, she knew searching out the blonde woman she had just mentioned. “I’d be honored.”

“Wonderful.” Ebony let out a long breath. “Then maybe, just maybe we can get this city back on its feet before Moz causes even more trouble.”

“I wouldn’t worry about Moz, Ebony.” Lex assured her quickly. “She’s all bark, no bite. Well, maybe a little bite, but not much. She can’t hurt you, Ebs. You’re the Ice Queen.”

Ebony struggled to keep the smile on her face as Lex quoted the title she had given herself on numerous occasions. She was an Ice Queen, a cold and lonely woman with a barrier built up so high around her heart that not even the sweetest of loves stood a chance of slipping through.

“I’ve gotta get going, Lex.” Ebony muttered, turning away. “Let the crowd burn itself out before I address them. I’ll catch up with you later.” Then, without giving him a chance to reply, she slipped away, ducking in and behind people who were slowly making their way out of the courtroom, each of them discussing the not so surprising events of the day.

~*~*~

The city was in chaos after the results of the election were announced. More than half of the city was celebrating, toasting to their new city leader and the new era that was opened up in front of them while the others, by far the minority, were upset, trying to start riots and create upheaval in the newly reborn city. The riots were not very successful, however, and Moz and the others who were trying to stir up trouble soon returned to their own territories, sullen and quiet.

Lex, still a bit overwhelmed by the new position that had suddenly been thrust into his lap, was quietly patrolling the city streets, smiling at the friendlies and making sure those who were unfriendly knew that he was there and he would be keeping them in line from then on out. Most everyone he passed offered him their congratulations and informed him that they knew he was the right man for the job, just as Ebony was the right woman to be city leader.

After passing through Gull territory, saying hello and his thanks to Jet and her followers, Lex continued on through Sector Twelve, his eyes scanning the broken up streets around him. What little good the Mall Rats had been able to accomplish in cleaning up the streets before the Chosen arrived had been destroyed during the Occupation. The city looked worse than it had after the virus had taken all the adults.

Lex let out a worn and heavy sigh, shaking his head slowly. He knew that one of the projects Ebony would be tackling while City Leader would be to clean up the streets. Everyone, even Moz, knew it was necessary, but no one seemed to want to do it. Stopping in front of a long metal crowbar that had been twisted and destroyed from much use – probably bashing someone’s head in – Lex picked it up and carried it over to the nearest dumpster, though he knew there would be no city garbage workers to come and pick it up once a week.

“Might as well start somewhere.” He muttered under his breath, dusting his hands off on his long leather jacket that fell all the way down to his ankles.

Lex continued to wander about the sector, picking up what trash and garbage he found before he slowly made his way back to Sector Ten where the mall was located. Sector Ten had suffered the worst out of all the sectors and would require more than just one set of hands to do the cleanup.

As he neared the mall he noticed a large crowd gathering outside the entrance, all wearing skintight black leather cat suits with wire and mesh masks over their faces. “Mozzies.” Lex gritted his teeth as he doubled his pace.

“You there!” He called out in a voice full of authority. “Break it up now! Head on back to your homes. There’s nothing for you here.”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the sheriff.” Moz whirled around, her long mane of chocolaty brown whipping the Mozzies who had made the mistake of standing too close to her. “We were just wanting to talk to our new City Leader, that’s all. Then blondie felt it was her job to inform us that Ebony doesn’t want to see us.” Moz sneered.

Lex glanced past Moz and noticed for the first time Amber standing with her hands on her hips, her expression grim and determined. She had obviously been combating the Mozzies for quite some time, convincing them to leave the area.

“You heard him, Moz.” Amber stated, her voice cold and deadly. “Now is not the time nor the place. Ebony will be making a speech to the city tomorrow morning. You can save your questions for her then.”

“But I don’t want to wait, Blondie.” Moz taunted, turning back away from Lex to face Amber once again. “I want to talk to Ebony right now.”

“Well, you can’t.” Lex pushed past several Mozzies, noting that most of them parted to let him past, making Lex wonder if there was a little dissension in the ranks. “There is absolutely no way you are getting inside this mall today, Moz. So turn around and go on back to your own territory.”

“C’mon, Moz.” Dee reasoned beside her fuming leader. “We’ll talk to Ebony tomorrow. It can wait.”

Moz’s eyes narrowed and she held Amber’s gaze for several long seconds, but at last she nodded her head. “Very well.” She sniffed loudly. “We will return tomorrow, but don’t think you can put me off again.” With that Moz snapped her fingers and began to leader her leather-clad tribe away from the mall, strutting their trademarked Mozzie walk the entire way.

“Hey, thanks.” Amber murmured the moment the Mozquitoes were out of sight. “I didn’t think they were ever going to leave.”

“Ah, you seemed to be doing a pretty fair job back there.” Lex grinned at her, ignoring the strange feeling that filled his stomach whenever he was this near to her. “I didn’t have to do much.”

“Yeah, but it means a lot more when it comes from two people, not just one little girl standing in front of a big ol’ mall with at least a dozen or so ways to get in.” Amber chuckled, her hazely-green eyes dancing with self-amusement. “Thanks. City Sheriff really suits you.”

“Well, I hear you’re the one who suggested me for the job,” Lex commented casually, “Thanks. Thanks for believing in me, believing that I can do this.”

“Well, you’re perfect for the job, Lex.” Amber murmured softly, her eyes downcast and her cheeks flushing a delicate pink tinge. “Besides, a sheriff is nothing but a legalized bully, right?” She gave a little laugh.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Lex’s lips quirked up in a smile. “But thank you anyway. I’ll try not to let you down.”

“You could never let me down.” Amber breathed out so softly that Lex couldn’t be sure he had heard her correctly.

“What did you say, Amber?” He inquired quietly, capturing her gaze with his eyes.

“Uh, nothing.” She shook her head, suddenly flustered. “I need to get going, Lex. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Before Lex had a chance to respond, Amber was dashing away from him, not walking, but straight out running. He had embarrassed her, caught her saying something that she hadn’t really intended on saying, and now she was running scared.

“Oh Amber.” Lex shook his head sadly wondering when on earth they would finally find themselves on the same page. Lex knew she was attracted to him, probably just as much as he was attracted to her, but since the day they met they could never find the way to each other. There was always someone else. Zandra. Sasha. Bray. Tai-San.

Only now there was no one, no one for either of them and still they couldn’t get it together. Lex closed his eyes, silently making a resolution to himself that he would not let this chance slip by, that no matter what he would somehow make sure Amber understood just how much he cared for her and hopefully she would feel the same.