The O Men

12

         This doesn't add up. If I'm closer to becoming the next dictator then why does Lilah live in the Major Party neighborhood while I live in the Minor Party one? The Major party usually gets more benefits due to the fact that it consists of people who are directly related to the Dictator. Why were my parents placed in the minor party if they were directly related to Orion? It just doesn't add up. I've made quite a few connections with my new information. First off, I've realized that I'm untouchable, at least I'm supposed to be, based on Ashier's reaction and Jude's ignorance of my rank. They've taken advantage of the fact that I don't know who I am. Seeing this it's highly probable that everyone knows who I am...which means-

"Hey StrawHat what's taking so lo-"

"You knew." I snapped. "You knew and you knew that I didn't." Tears streamed down my face, my chest felt heavy and I felt a little bit betrayed.

"Knew what?" Rose responded, trying to sound genuinely confused but failing.

"You knew that I was meant to be in the Major Party! You knew I was next in line to run the State! And worst of all, you knew that I had no fucking clue! Why?" I asked, beginning to break down. "Why didn't you, of all people, tell me?"

Rose looked over at Lilah, Lilah looked at Rose with a knowing look, and Rose returned her look with a nod. "Why?" I asked though choked sobs, repeatedly as if I were a broken record. I collapsed. I lived my whole life in fear, I lived my whole life wondering what I was to do. Next in line! And they place me in the Minor party housing. Minor party rules. It doesn't add up. Rose just silently picked me up, and set me down on the silken couch. Looking up at Lilah I asked yet another question.

"Why did the Major Party members have me join the Opposition in the first place? Doesn't doing that defeat the purpose of bringing me to power?"

Lilah sat and thought a while. "Well" she began "from what I've gathered, and my knowledge of the Major party members, you happen to be the most intelligent descendant out of all of your siblings and cousins. I heard someone of your name was in level 011 but I didn't know they meant you, I had only heard a first name. Orion chose to make you his successor because of your intelligence, but he didn't count on the fact that you don't lack emotion. He separated you from the Major party because he didn't want you to take after your cousins and take your life. The one thing all of us descendants have in common? We absolutely despise war, we are born with an innate hate for it. The people you were raised by? Yeah those aren't your parents. The siblings are yours but your real parents were Removed years ago. They were going to try to raise you with Opposition values but they were caught. Naturally."

As she went on like this, I began connecting more dots, more and more things began to make sense.

"I can't tell you how many cousins died, I can tell you how many are left though. There's literally just you, me, and Ashier-"

"Who?" I said, my heart beating out of my chest. "D-did I hear that name right?"

"Yes, Ashier Dane Phence." She responded, understanding that I've met her before.

         Ashier Dane Phence? She told me her last name was Owell. Are we even thinking about the same Ashier? I desperately hope not. "Ashier? Is her hair unnaturally black? Does she happen to have a very observant nature by any chance?"

         "Yes, we're thinking of the same Ashier."

         My stomach dropped. "Why her of all people?" I thought. "Why do I have to be related to her? How on earth is she a descendant with her love for violence and war? Why did she do this to me? Why did she lie about her last name- Wait." And suddenly, it clicked.

         "This makes so much sense" I said. "She told me her last name was Owell to trick me. She must have wanted the succession to dictatorship, and the only way to do so was to eliminate me as an option. The only way to do so was to indoctrinate me within the ideology of the Opposition - she probably spewed liberalities that she didn't even understand, she was just intelligent enough to know that I would buy into it. When she caught me listening in back at the farmhouse, she had to change her whole plan. At that point she must have almost gotten caught. She had to pretend to be in support of my succession. When the torture was happening, Orion must have caught word that I was being tortured into submission, which is why she freaked out when she realized that I was being slowly killed. Jude had no fucking clue who I am, he knows now I'm sure. If I were to die under Ashier, she would be Removed and Lilah would be his remaining successor. Ashier knows this and made an attempt to preserve my life under the pretense that she was going to receive luxuries that she already had access to. All she has to do is kill me and make sure that no evidence points to her, and Orion will make her the next Successor. Rose that's why you heard about them Removing me. It wasn't an order from Orion, it was an order from Ashier. She must be in control of some rogue Observers."

         The two of them looked back at me, stunned into silence. Then Lilah spoke up.

         "You truly are the most intelligent out of the three of us."

         "You know," Rose began, "I didn't tell you before because I didn't know if that was a good decision. I was hoping for you to be well versed in the Opposition's doctrine, so that when I told you, it would be an easy victory. You would take over and reform the land."

         "That is wiser" I said. Now what I'm wondering what it is I can do with this information. Ashier is my cousin, rather murderous I'd say, almost as if she was born with some sort of gene defect or something. At any rate, it's entirely plausible for me to just go back and tell Orion himself what Ashier's conspiring, but that would expose me in the process. I suppose that I would have to somehow...Remove, Ashier from the equation. As of yet, she doesn't know that I know about all this, so I can use that to my control.

         "Get down." Rose said out of no where. I'm not about to argue and the moment all three of us hit the ground, bullets ricocheted though the expensive and clean glass windows. "Ashier's Observers have found us. We need to move."

         Oh right. I forgot about that little tid bit. Ashier appeared through the front door, smiling wide, hysteria was written plain on her face, her eyes gleaming with pure hate and jealousy - She's lost her mind. Her arms twitched a little bit and she stumbled with every step, not clumsily, but rather purposefully, as if she's trying to hide her next move. "I finally found you, you little shit." She muttered. "I suppose you're smart enough to know what has happened, what my motives are."

         "You, aren't allowed to lay a hand on me." I spoke confidently, knowing full well of the fault in my logic.

         "Yeah well Jude fucking raped you over and over again I don't think that rule is very well....enforced." She said as each of her Observers aimed a gun at the three of us, and she pulled a forbidden revolver out herself and placed the barrel of the gun, cool to the touch, to my temple.