Bold Words

Day 19: Government - Acoustics - Shock

Judah’s toe tapped against the ground, he rocked lightly in his chair as he turned the small tablet around in his hand. He’d looked over the words written on the screen more than a dozen times. He had his speech memorized beginning to end, but even with that said, he knew he couldn’t step onto the stage without the cue card backup in case he ended up getting lost.  The farmers would all be coming—the vocal ones anyways. Today’s speech included Aemata rights and he knew just who would be in the audience. He was anticipating to be interrupted more than a few times, to be yelled at with profanities, insults, and objecting opinions. He was already anticipating some of the questions the journalists would ask during the follow-up, but he was used to all that and it’s not what he was worried about.

It were Silas’s and Cromwell’s words that made him nervous. He had two conflicting opinions telling him what he had to say when he was up there. Two very different approaches and he would lose out either one. He knew they weren’t talking to each other—there was absolutely no way that Cromwell and Silas could have been working against him together, especially since they had such different opinions. On one hand, Cromwell gave the government most of it’s money and supported the system. He more or less called the shots and the parliament knew that even before Judah was voted in. If he’d known that the Prime Minister position was more of a figure head position, he might not have ever ran for it. He didn’t have any real power and now he understood all the things the last prime minister hinted at in his speeches. He always looked up to him, but as Judah reflected on it as an adult, it was sad.

This entire thing was a joke and the prime minister was nothing more than the court jester.

On the other hand, Silas was taking money from the government, he was threatening Judah in order to gain power and while Judah didn’t have a clear idea of what Silas was doing currently, he had a general idea of what his older brother was working for. Maybe it would just be better if he were arrested, even if he were falsely accused. It would take away whatever power Silas had and had to bring about a better circumstance than playing right into his hands like he had been for the last few months.

“Judah? Are you alright? You are not breathing.”

The voice caused him to jump. Not only had he forgotten how to breathe, but he’d also forgotten that Decimus was in the room with him and could easily monitor Judah’s… everything. Loosening his tightened grip on the tablet, Judah ran a hang back over his short, blond hair as he let his eyes close and the breath finally drop from his lips. “Yeah, I’m fine, Dec,” Judah said, but it wasn’t very convincing. He felt like he couldn’t breathe and his tie wasn’t even tied yet.

“You are going on soon, you should try to relax,” Decimus said as he grew closer to Judah, holding out a glass of water that he’d prepared.

“I am relaxed. I’m just not sure how this whole thing is going to turn out is all,” Judah said, taking the glass and pressing it to his lips. He took a long gulp, tilting his head back and allowing all the contents of the glass down his throat in one go. He placed the glass beside him on the green room vanity.

“You do not look relaxed. Your muscles are very tense and your heart rate is elevated,” Decimus said, attempting to catch Judah’s eyes. He thought that if he did, it would force the truth out of him. For some reason, if you looked a human in the eye, they could not lie any more. At least it worked on many of them.

“I’m just… excited,” Judah said. He wasn’t all that convincing and he knew it.

Decimus’s slim, bony fingers reached for Judah’s chin. He gripped it, applying pressure to turn and lift it to force Judah’s face to face his own. Slowly those same fingers released Judah and crept down his neck. His warm tips tickled Judah’s sensitive neck, causing shivers to run through the man’s body, only for his skin to continue reacting even as Decimus hooked his fingers in Judah’s loose tie. “You have to relax,” he said, slowly beginning to twist the silk fabric into a knot. “Cromwell is not your responsibility. Silas is also not your responsibility. You work for the people. They are your responsibility. Do not think about Cromwell, do not think about Silas. When you are up there, think about what is right. Say what you want to say.”