Unwritten

Chapter Fifteen

"Next up, we have a local senior here to tell us about what they have been learning in school. We love to hear about how well our schools are educating our youth." My father's friend introduced me. I had been changed into a dark blue blouse and had a microphone clipped to me, carefully hidden in the ruffles of the shirt. The producer said that my hair and jeans were fine, but they had a reputation to uphold, so a graphic tee-shirt wasn't acceptable. What I was about to say wasn't acceptable either. My father nods to me, encouraging me from the sidelines.

He had managed to sneak away from the office in support of his daughter. Along with him, he carried two vials of the antidote for both of us to take, as proof of our dedication. He told me before we began that we needed to get the public to trust us. Otherwise, this would all have been for nothing. In my hands, I held the journal.

The camera turns and points directly at me. "Hello. As Fred said, I am here to inform you all of what our schools have taught us. I also want to inform you of information that I have come across in my own research. Currently in our classes, we are learning about the pandemic and the power of mate bonds. As we all know, in the 2020's, there was a pandemic that hurt the world's population, which eventually led to the mate bond. However, society has been misinformed." I glance down at the journal, taking a careful breath before continuing. "Two thousand years ago, the pandemic occurred. There were a select few that were alarmed by the sudden population decrease. A combination of illness and divorce caused a drastic decrease and they were concerned, despite evidence that the world was already overpopulated. Two scientists, Andrea and Daniel Miller decided to break the law and illegally perform tests to take away the free will that humans have a right to.

"The journal that I hold now belongs to them. My ancestors are responsible for the mate bond we all feel now. They began testing on mice, then monkeys, before injecting themselves with the serum. After injecting themselves, they held lavish parties and offered this serum to their guests. Rather than telling them the truth, they told them that it was a vaccine for the flu or the new virus. After a few years, they saw the effects of what they did in humans. While it did increase population and create the mate bond as they intended, they decided that it caused more harm than it did good. Out of guilt, they both decided that it was the end of their journey.

"I am here today to give you the freedom to choose. I want to undo the actions of my ancestors. I want to give the power back to the people." I look down at my lap before preparing to finish my speech. "In just a moment, I would like to welcome scientist Daniel Miller to the stage. We will both be taking the antidote. I would like to make it clear that this has not been tested. We do not know what side effects we may encounter. However, this is a cause that I believe in. This is a cause that he believes in." I look at my father and nod, silently inviting him to join me. Silence and confusion surrounds us. If someone had dropped even something as small as a needle, I would have been able to hear it.

My father walks toward me, wearing a lab coat over a suit. Considering that he was about to stick me with a needle, I guessed that he wanted to look as professional as possible. Wearing his own microphone, he begins speaking to both me and the public. "In just a moment, I am going to inject Maia with the antidote to the mate bond. She has already met her mate, so she should notice a difference when she sees him. Please pull up your sleeve." I do as he says as I hear a voice in my head. What are you doing? Is all of it true?"

I take it you're watching the news? I don't answer his question, instead choosing to focus on my father's words. "Like my daughter said, this is untested. Therefore, we do not know what side effects she may experience. She may experience general side effects, such as nausea, headache, etc. We are also unsure how this may affect the specifics of the bond. After you are injected, you may not be able to telepathically communicate with your partner. We also do not know how this will affect your partner. Are you aware of this?" I nod, flinching slightly when he calls Mason my partner, but grateful that he doesn't use his name.