Democracy is Dead

Chapter Fourteen

Dyo tapped absentmindedly on the table of his booth in a trendy restaurant in central New London. He usually avoided locations this pink, but their burgers were delicious enough for him to make an exception.

He needed cheering up; Bree had been sending him furious messages all afternoon and he couldn't face replying to any of them.

While he waited for his food, he scanned the feeds for anything good.

Voters jubilant at healthcare success ran The Voting View. The Daily Politics was equally positive, telling readers that parties are taking place across New Britain as voters celebrate well-earned victory. Both articles focused on the campaigners' hard work and the positive effects the healthcare bill would bring to the country. But The Campaigner was going with a darker tone: Voters refusing to let terrorism threaten peaceful society. Dyo frowned, but read on. The victory of the healthcare vote is an important milestone in our fight to keep our country safe from those who wish to harm us. But more will be needed. Our future is not secure. We will need to make compromises in the long road ahead. Underneath the story ran an advertisement for Freedom MediCare. It wasn't a coincidence.

The one praise Dyo could give his world was that it was peaceful. There'd been no wars for hundreds of years, so why would a peaceful society need an army? What was its requirement for military power and weapons? The weapons makers were having to manufacture one and they were already hard at it.

The waitress who brought Dyo's food smiled sweetly at him as she put the plate down, taking in his amber eyes and defined cheek bones with a sweeping glance. But as her gaze continued downward, to his blue t-shirt and grey hoodie, her smile became a frown. Her eyebrows lowered. She left without saying anything. Dyo grinned and started eating.

He made it half way through his meal before the door to the restaurant opened again and a group of girls walked in. The first was wearing a cerise dress, with a messy bun and thick rimmed feed glasses. She greeted Dyo's waitress with a hug and was led over to a table by the window. Of the three girls who followed, only one caught Dyo's eye. How had he gone a lifetime without laying eyes on her, but now a day didn't couldn't pass without him seeing her?

Athena.

She was in pink again, which was a pity. Although, despite its colour, Dyo couldn't deny that she looked beautiful in it. But she wasn't happy. There was no jubilant smile on her face, or glow in her bright eyes. Her lips were turned down, not quite in a frown, but in an unsettled, thoughtful way. Dyo leant back in his chair and watched her for a few minutes. Her friends were laughing and chatting loudly, but Athena sat quietly, only responding when she was spoken too and with a forced smile. The rest of the time, she gazed out of the window to the city outside.

What could possibly be bothering her? Surely the afternoon's events would have been eradicated by the result of the vote.

He forgot to enjoy his burger, moving it mechanically into his mouth with his full attention on the girl. He was waiting for the change, for her to realise that she'd won and for a smile to brighten her features. It didn't come.

His burger now finished, Dyo chewed the inside of his cheek, thoughtfully. He was desperate to know what she was thinking about, but it wasn't as though he could walk over there and ask her. She would probably throw something at him, or, at the very least, tell her friends about their trip to the voting centre. And more drama was definitely not what Dyo needed.

Instead, he paid his bill via his glasses and got to his feet, looping around the restaurant to stay as far away from her as possible. But even so, he couldn't resist one last glance back towards her before leaving through the door; only to find her grey eyes looking straight back at him.

***

Dyo wasn't going to be able to avoid Bree forever, so he reluctantly turned his steps towards the theatre, where the group had gathered to discuss the result. Inside, the healthcare vote was on everyone's lips. But there was none of the buzz that had occupied the rest of the city. The atmosphere in the theatre was far more subdued. They spoke with resigned voices; the result had gone exactly as expected and they hadn't dared to hope otherwise. Many of them had gathered in the theatre earlier to await the result together, but Dyo had still been processing the afternoon's events. He wasn't in the mood for company.

Despite their despondence, there was still a great deal of frustration in the room.

"Why can they not see that they are being manipulated?" Thalia, a second year student, complained loudly.

"Because then they wouldn't be human," Artemis replied, shaking her greying-black hair with a sad smile. "When it comes down to it, we're no different from sheep."

"Come on, Artemis, we're not in one of your law lectures now," Orpheus said, frowning. "Besides, I think that's rather unfair on sheep. When was the last time you saw a pink one of those?" The others laughed, but Dyo couldn't bring himself to join in.

"I'm sure they will be painting a few sheep at the Freedom Institution tonight!" Sephy said with a cheeky grin which quickly changed to a frown. "It's not right," she added softly. Orion put his arm around her.

They were sat in the circle tonight, on some of the few remaining seats in the theatre. Most of the group positioned themselves in the front rows, but Dyo sat further back, desperate to distance himself.

The theatre was not one of the grandest in New London, by any stretch. There were no carvings around the stage, or fancy boxes about the stalls. It was sparse, Spartan; a blank canvas upon which magic could be woven. Dyo's first visit had been a revelation. It was the first place he'd been that didn't conform to pop votes or the whims of corporations. Looking around it now still brought that same sense of relief and comfort. It was the closest he ever got to feeling at home.

"Hey, Dyo?" Sephy had got to her feet and come back to where he was sitting. "You alright? You've been really quiet tonight."

"Have I? Sorry, I've got a lot on my mind."

"Well quit moping and join in! We need you to rally the troops!" she spoke quietly, so that Bree wouldn't hear the last bit.

Dyo glanced towards their leader, but she was discussing something quietly with Don. As if she could feel his eyes on her, she broke off her conversation and looked at him.

"Here we go..." he said to Sephy, leaning back in his seat as Bree and Don walked over.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked them, putting his hands behind his head.

"We need a word," was all Bree said in response, gesturing towards the door.

Dyo sighed and got to his feet. Bree nodded at Sephy, Orion, Ares and Hermes, who also rose and followed her through the door.

"What happened?" she asked Dyo as soon as the door swung closed. Her dark eyes were dangerously cold, as though she hoped to freeze Dyo to the spot.

He shrugged. "I was held up on the street. By the time I reached the right office, it was too late - there was someone coming along the corridor and I had to bail. I'm sorry."

He didn't tell them about Athena. He'd gone over what had happened again and again in the hours between his last conversation with her and now. It wouldn't be right to let Athena take the blame - especially not when it was his fault that she was following him in the first place. If he'd only been a little bit nicer to her last night... But then, there hadn't been enough time anyway. Sephy had made him too late. If it hadn't been for Athena, he would have been caught in the room instead. And if he wasn't blaming Athena, he definitely wasn't going to blame Sephy. Not in front of Bree, anyway.

"Don't worry about it, Dyo," Orion said, clapping him on the back. "You would only have been delaying the inevitable anyway. They would have fixed the virus by tomorrow and the result would still have been announced."

"It would have been nice to have a victory though, no matter how small or short lived it might have been," Bree sighed.

"There will be other votes we need to fight against, Bree." This time it was Ares who spoke. It was such a rare occurrence that the group were momentarily stunned into silence, but Bree smiled.

"One day they'll see. One day we'll save them all from themselves."