Democracy is Dead

Chapter Thirty One

"Cress, we have never, in the six months we have been at the NLUP, ever rushed to a business and corporation lecture. Why the sudden change today?"

"I can't tell you! He made me promise to keep it a surprise. But we have to get there before all the seats at the front go!" Cress pulled Athena firmly by the hand through the door of the empty lecture theatre.

"Cress, the seats at the front never go! It's business and corporation..."

"Oh, I can't tell you, Athena! Don't make me tell you! I promised!" Cress gushed as she dragged Athena to the front row, seating them front and centre.

Athena rolled her eyes. Cress was completely transparent. No doubt Castor would be making an appearance before the end of the lecture. Probably with another doom and gloom speech about the dangers our nation faced. He'd presumably harp on about the feed 'sabotage' of last week and the need to defend ourselves against terrorism.

As the room slowly 'filled up' - the front few rows remaining as empty as ever, since B&C was one of the lectures many students opted to skip - Athena sighed. She should have stayed in bed.

Cress was jigging her leg, a broad smile on her face, as she spoke to someone - Castor, no doubt - on her glasses.

"Hey," Dyo said, taking a seat beside Athena.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him in surprise, squeezing his hand.

"I read the distress signal you sent out as Cress dragged you here twenty minutes early and assumed you could do with some company." He kept his voice low, so that Cress wouldn't overhear him, although she was too absorbed in her own conversation to notice anything.

"Thank you! She's been like this since she woke up. I'm expecting an imminent Castor invasion."

Conversations died down as their lecturer walked out. B&C lectures were held in a smaller lecture theatre than Democracy for Beginners, so there was no stage for the lecturer to stand on and she instead positioned herself almost directly in front of the trio. This was one of the many reasons no one sat at the front in B&C; it was impossible to fall asleep surreptitiously.

Welcome to the most boring sixty minutes of your life. Athena sent across to Dyo, who smirked.

Is that my cue to say something cheesy about it being impossible for me to be bored when I'm sat beside you?

Athena struggled not to scoff loudly. If you did, I'd ask if you hit your head on the way in.

"Good morning, students," their lecturer began. "I am delighted to inform you that we will be having a guest speaker for today's lecture. In a few minutes I will be joined by Mr Leighton, CEO and Chairman of the Freedom Institute, New Britain's largest and most successful corporation. He will be talking to you today about-" the rest of her words were drowned out beneath the excited chatter that broke out among the students and the panicked movement forward of those who'd previously fought for seats at the back.

Cress looked across at Athena, smiling smugly. Athena, in turn, looked at Dyo, who had paled.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

Bad run-in with Leighton on a previous mission. He might recognise me. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to go.

Dyo stood, his seat swiftly taken by a frantic student who'd been hovering in the aisle, close to tears at her seating prospects.

"Where's he going?" Cress asked as Dyo moved past her and started up the aisle.

"His dad's," Athena said, blurting out the first thing that came into her head. "He's not very well and he needs Dyo to go and check on him - he just messaged."