Amelie (ON HOLD)

VI

  ᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ.

  One week and everything had been normal. No Aziel, no Vincenzo, no mind tricks. It was as if nothing had ever happened. I still had Bailey, however, who was becoming a comforting companion. I had to hide him a few times under my bed with a fluffy sock he loved to chew as a toy, but apart from that I felt like I didn't want to get rid of him.

  With all the crazy and bad stuff happening around me, Bailey had been a small saviour.

   "What did you get as a positive and negative for interest groups?" Enrica asked as we sat in the library reviewing the simple worksheet task for class.

   "Erm, they play an important role as the 'voice' of the people to advocate for their rights and push forward their agenda. They monitor and take corrective action to address oppressive decisions or actions by the administration and are required in any democratic society. But interest groups may become too powerful. They may raise so much money and develop so much clout, that those who have fewer means to spread their message might not have their voices heard, and could put out information that is inaccurate, exaggerated, or half-true. If the public isn't fully knowledgeable about the issue, they might believe what the group is saying as the truth when it may not be the truth." I read off my sheet.

  Enrica looked at me blankly as if I had just recited the Bible in French.

   "Fuck, you're smart." She said and looked down at her worksheet. "I literally just did two bullet points."

   "It's in the basic textbook and I tend to ramble, I guess." I shrugged feeling slightly worried I had done too much now.

   "No, you're just really smart. Urgh, I should have never taken this!" she slumped down in her chair. "At least it's only for a semester. I feel sorry for you though."

   "I like it." I shrugged. I liked most of my subjects, if not all.

   "You'd be really good in a position of power, you know." Enrica took a long sip of her Starbucks. Vincenzo came to mind. If he were the heir and I was forced to marry him, that meant one day I'd become Queen. Pssht, he was a vampire and I'm sure the King could live forever. I'd be dead by the time he would.

  The fact that this was even a thought process.

   "I don't know." I shrugged. "I'm not that good with public speaking or group work. I'd be terrible as a leader." I'd choke up and slip.

   "Leadership isn't always about that, I'd rather have a leader who is smart, fair and knows what they're doing than someone who has a big mouth and manipulates crowds." She had a good point. Certain politicians came to mind and I chuckled.

   "Good point." I had only been hanging out with Enrica for a few days, but she was nice. I had once assumed her to be someone like Jaqueline, but she proved herself to be different. She was humbling and kind, not the mention her texts had the best grammar I'd ever seen. If she were a guy, I'd totally be crushing on her.

  We finished up our homework review and walked through the campus park. The burnt amber leaves were already starting to wither and fall in place for the winter and it made me sad. Sure, I wasn't that fond of Fall due to Halloween, but I loved the leaves. Empty branches just felt, well, empty and reminded of creepy looking fingers reaching out to snag your clothes.

  I held my coffee tight in my hands as we strolled along through the park. Jaqueline Rayford caught my eye.

   "Hey, Amelie! Gonna cry again?" she giggled with her friends and half the members of the college football team. "Oh, how about now? Boo!" everyone fell into hysterics of laughter.