Some Thing Called Myself (Complete)

LIV: Something Right

Ch. 54: Something Right

Mumbles and whisperings spread in the crowd as Commander Carlos sat down again. Commander Carlos was the leader of Jano and Elena's squad, and having him supporting Elena wasn't really inspiring for the next voters.

"Okay, okay!" Nastácia shouted, silencing the growing whispers. "Next."

Another Senior Sentinel stood. The woman had broad shoulders and numerous streaks of white hair braided close to her scarp. She seemed even older than Commander Carlos, but the sharpness in her eyes left no space for discussion when she said,

"The First Ring's second squad votes on Elena."

"That's bullshit!" someone shouted from the crowd. A lean young man, his brown hair slicked back, a ponytail at the base of it.

"Silence, Henrique!" Nastácia shouted back. "Everyone will have an opportunity to vote, so zip it until your time comes."

"It's Yuki," he mumbled, sitting down again.

A person in their mid-fifties stood next. They brushed a lock of coily hair behind their shoulder and said, "The First Ring's third and last squad votes on Jano."

People cheered. Jano's supporters were a lot noisier, it seemed.

"Finally!" someone in the back of the crowd said.

That went on for a while. By the time the Third Ring started to vote, things were more or less split in half. As the leader of the Third Ring's eleventh squad, Beh rose and voted for his father. The Sents celebrated with twice as much intensity, calling Mara's name.

And as luck had it, the votes were perfectly split in half after the thirty-eighth vote, which meant that the youngest squad of Sentinels would be responsible for its future. There was a thick tension in the cafeteria when Frejat stood, their new tattoo visible under the ripped fabric of their second-hand uniform.

Frejat didn't seem nervous. They were the perfect image of the Brazilian youth, strong and secure in their rights, and ready to fight for a better future. Mara was Frejat's age when she joined Carla's political group against the Military Dictatorship, and she knew well the strong waves that someone at Frejat's age was capable of creating.

"The Third Ring's twenty-seventh and last squad," Frejat began, "doesn't deem any of the two candidates deserving."

Mara widened her eyes. She exchanged a glance with Beh, the question of what happens now on the tip of her tongue. Before she could ask it, the rest of the Sents raised their voices in unison.

"The audacity of those children!"

"You can't not choose anyone, kid."

"Grow the fuck up!"

Something boiled inside Mara, and she stood. Before Nastácia could ask for silence, Mara did.

"Let them speak," she said in the midpoint between a shout and a warning shot. It was enough to make the room fall back to silence, despite the waves of scoffs and curses.

"Still," Frejat continued, a knowing smile on their lips, "we believe in the people behind those candidates because we know they want only what's best not only for the HQ, but for the Beyond as well." Frejat looked from Mara to Mimi, each one of them on their side of the stage. Frejat's eyes finally rested on Mara. "And in the end, we decided to cast our vote on Jano."

The cafeteria quaked with the roaring of the crowd and the way the Sents stomped the floor in celebration. Elena stood very still, the corners of her lips twitching. Then, she pivoted around and disappeared through the door while Jano stood and waved. He smiled, but his reaction was much more subdued than what Mara expected.