The Complex Leader

by Heather Hayes

  Greggory looks at me and says, "I guess Edith and I will go to the other booth." Douglas smiles and claps us on the back. "That's the spirit. Walk directly east and look for a red canopy just like this. Damon will tell you what to do when you get there."

  My parents smile encouragingly back at me as I follow Greggory through the crowds of people. Mother calls out, "Meet us back here when the fair shuts down for the night, you two."

  "Okay," I call back.

  Greggory is going faster than I am and I lose sight of him for a minute. I feel panic set in as a creepy-looking man with wild eyes smiles at me. I swear he bumps into me on purpose. "Hey, pretty girl, do you want to squeeze into a Ferris wheel seat with me?" I think the horror on my face scares the man off because he disappears as quickly as he came. Luckily, I see Greggory's messy blonde hair emerging from a group of people.

  I run to him and grab his arm. "Greggory, I almost lost you. Will you hold my hand?"

  Greggory looks at me like I'm the most pathetic child on earth. "Fine. You've got to get out more."

  "I know."

  A big red canopy materializes ahead of us. I'm relieved to hide under it for a few minutes and calm my pounding heart. Greggory drops my hand as a youngish man about Greggory's age with curly dark-brown hair and deep-blue eyes greets us under the shade of the canopy. He has a pleasant smile. "Hello. I'm Damon Bellvue, the vice president of the Herrington Brock Hamble for Senate campaign."

  My brother shakes Damon's hand. "Yeah. I'm Greggory Hamble. Here to help my brother out. This is my cousin, Edith."

  Damon's eyes stay on my face for longer than is comfortable. Is he looking at the raised skin of my raccoon eye? Does he recognize me? "Hello, Edith. You look so familiar. Have we met before?"

  I start twisting my ring around again. "No. I don't think so. I live in Trenton. I am visiting my aunt and uncle."

  "Do you mind my asking how old you are?"

  Greggory's eyes widen as I look to him for help. "I-I'm s..." Greggory shakes his head at me. "Eighteen."

  "So you're newly out on your own and already excited to play a part in politics? I like that," Damon says appreciatively.

  "Uh, yeah."

  Damon's eyes stay on me as he calls out, "Rebecca and Vince, your replacements are here. You're free to go. Please leave your jackets with Greggory and Edith." I wish Damon would look away. Rebecca seems relieved to go. She throws me her jacket and rushes off.

  Vince hands his jacket to Greggory carefully and respectfully. "I am honored to meet the brother of Brock Hamble." He takes Greggory's hand and shakes it firmly. "Brock is the greatest man I have ever known, and if there is anything else I can do to get him elected, please let me know." He takes two cards out of his wallet and hands one to Damon and the other one to Greggory.

  Greggory looks perplexed as he watches Vince leave. "I'm going to hang on to this card. I'm sure I can come up with something for him to do."

  "Greggory, you're terrible," I say as I shake my head.

  Damon watches us thoughtfully. "You aren't a believer in Brock's goodness?"

  Greggory shrugs. "I don't know. I guess so. He's not the most perfect brother in the world though."

  "That's understandable. What brother is? Let me show you how I make an approach then the two of you will stand on opposite corners of the canopy and convince people to take brochures and buttons and ultimately vote for Brock."

  It isn't as hard as I expected. I believe in the things that Brock represents so I don't have a hard time declaring the virtues of my brother. I don't talk about The Complex Law until three pregnant women approach me. Two of them are happy and enjoying the fair. One of them is trying not to show the misery that is evident in her eyes.

  The pregnant, spikey-haired blonde approaches me first. I recognize her from the Herrington Vote-Off. Luckily, she doesn't recognize me as the belly-toucher without my red, curly wig. She eyes me seriously. "What is Brock Hamble's stance on The Complex Law?"

  Greggory shoots me a pointed look and shakes his head. I have to say something though. "This pamphlet declares that he's neutral toward it, but I happen to know, as his cousin, that he is personally against it."

  The blonde smiles. "See, Molly? I knew he was anti-complex. Take a pamphlet and vote for him."

  "That says he's neutral," Molly wails as she tugs on a strand of her curly brown hair.

  "Are you anti-complex, Molly?" I ask.

  The somber woman looks at me with puffy eyes. "I was neutral until a month ago. Now that I know my baby has whatever-it-is syndrome, I don't want all of this hard work to be for nothing."

  The third pregnant woman with short black hair leans toward me. "We three have been best friends since high school. We decided three years ago to plan our pregnancies together for this year. We were going to watch our babies grow up together, but now Molly won't be able to keep hers."

  Anger burns through my veins; I need to be careful about what I say. I reach out and pat Molly's arm. "That's terrible and wrong." Molly nods and wipes her nose on her hand.

  The spikey-haired blonde shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah, I guess."

  I feel anger rising like a flood in me. "No. Not I guess. It is wrong. We can't let the government do this to Molly and her precious baby. Vote for Brock and write letters to President Prystine telling him that the Complex Law is outdated and needs to be repealed."

  Molly wipes her eyes with a wadded-up tissue. "People get in trouble when they do stuff like that."

  "Times are changing, Molly. Can I get your phone number and address, so I can contact you with more information later?"

  "Sure." Molly writes her contact information on a piece of paper for me.

  I try to avoid Greggory's warning eyes as I whisper into her ear. "Do you want your baby to have the chance to learn and grow by your side?

  She whispers through her tears, "Yes, more than anything."

  I slap the stack of pamphlets I'm holding against my leg. "Your children will thank you for standing up for their rights. You must do what you can for them."

  The blonde and the other friend look at me hesitantly, but Molly takes a pamphlet from me and holds it up like a banner. "I'm going to tell the man running for mayor of Herrington how I feel right now. Come on, girls."

  I watch as Molly and her friends march to the blue canopy that says 'Johnathan Lawrence for Mayor' and basically start a riot. I watch carefully to see if the people watching agree with Molly or not. I have to say, at least half of them seem to be nodding along with her.

  Damon sidles up next to me. "Nice work there, Edith. You know how to move people to action. Not many people care to make a difference these days. They just do what has always been done or what the loudest voice in their lives tells them to do."

  Greggory shakes his head at me. "The loudest voice in this country is the government, and drawing attention to our discontent can cause us problems, if you know what I mean."

  He's right; I should've kept my mouth shut. I apologize to both guys. "I'm sorry. I know Brock doesn't want to look anti-complex until he is elected."

  Damon straightens his stack of pamphlets. "I-I didn't know he was anti-complex. It doesn't surprise me too much though."

  I try not to show my surprise. "Why? Because of his sister?"

  Damon's eyes look at me curiously. "No. It just feels like the masses are shifting that direction. You know about his sister?"

  I shrug my shoulders and smile. "Of course I do. They are my cousins."

  "We are trying to keep that information under wraps until the election is over."

  I feel my anger rising again. "Brock is anti-complex because taking people away from their families to work for no pay is wrong." I turn my back on Damon and march under the canopy to grab a bottle of water out of the 'Brock for Senate' cooler.
<
br />   Greggory glares at me then turns to Damon and smiles. "Sorry about my cousin. She has her hot button topics. She's actually a..."

  "Firecracker. I like her," Damon smiles at me and leaves to get a hamburger.

  I lose count of how many pamphlets I hand out after I reach 500. I only prick my finger once pinning a 'Brock Hamble for Senate' pin on a pimply teenage girl.

  Damon wanders back to us after half an hour and hands me a big scone covered in strawberries and cream. "Are you hungry, Edith?"

  My mouth waters as the aroma of the heavenly confection he's carrying wafts toward me. "I am if you're offering this."

  Damon smiles as he leaves it in my hands. "I had a feeling you'd like it."

  "Did you bring me one?" Greggory asks.

  Damon backpedals. "Oh, I..."

  "I'll share it with you, Greggory."

  Damon rubs his hand through his curly, dark hair. "You two sit down and eat for a few minutes. I'll cover for you."

  Greggory watches Damon closely as he fills his jacket pockets with pins and grabs a stack of pamphlets. "Elira, I think he likes you," Greggory whispers as he cuts the scone thing in half.

  I sigh as I take a bite. "Whatever. He just likes to see people my age politically active."

  My brother narrows his eyes. "No. He might have bought a soda for someone he admires that way. For you he bought a funnel cake with strawberries and cream."

  I take another bite. "You are just a paranoid older brother."

  Greggory shoves an abnormally large bite into his mouth and says while he chews, "I've lived in this world longer than you have. I know I'm right."

  The strawberries that were sweet in my mouth suddenly turn sour. "You can finish my half. I'm getting back to work." I wipe my hands on a napkin then pick up a stack of pamphlets.

  I'm sure I convince at least ten people who were not planning to vote for Brock to change their minds. Damon smiles at me and nods every time I succeed. It makes me blush and feel weird when he does. When half of the lights go out and people start moving as a mass to the exits, I know the fair is shutting down and that I can go home and rest my tired feet. I take off the red jacket and lay it on the table under the canopy.

  Damon walks toward me with a metal button in his hand. "Can I pin a button on each of you before you leave?"

  I shrug. "Sure." Damon sticks his finger through the neck of my shirt to keep from pricking me with the back of the pin. I feel my breath catch in my throat. When I'm this close to him, I notice that he has some tiny little freckles that I didn't notice before. Damon takes his time making sure the pin is straight. I haven't worn a pin since I left the complex. I can't remember how long ago that was exactly. I can't think clearly for some reason.

  A familiar voice says, "Edith! Imagine meeting you here." Garth appears before Damon and me with his parents and brother.

  I feel my cheeks turn red. "H-hi, G-Garrett. What are you doing here?"

  "Joseph wanted to go on the rides for his birthday."

  I force a smile on my face. "Oh, of course. Greggory and I were just leaving to go home."

  Garth pushes my hair behind my ear. "We'll walk you part of the way."

  "Okay." I turn around and wave. "Goodbye, Damon. I'm sure I'll see you again before the election."

  Damon's eyes grab a hold of mine. "I look forward to it. Goodbye, Edith." I force my eyes to look away.

  Garth's cute little brother, Joseph, is as happy and energetic as ever. "Hey! It's my birthday. Guess how old I am."

  I pretend to be baffled. "Uh, seven?"

  Joseph's nose crinkles. "Are you kidding me? I'm ten!"

  I smile and rub my hand over his short, dirty-blonde hair. "Oh, of course, you are."

  Joseph bumps Garth with his elbow. "Gar-Garrett said we couldn't leave until we found you."

  "Really? It's a good thing you found me then, or you'd be here all night." Joseph laughs. I fall into step with Garth and mutter under my breath, "So, Garrett, this is a bit of a risk."

  Garth grins apologetically. "I know. I just wanted a kiss." He leans over and plants a kiss right on my lips. When he pulls away, I look behind us and see Damon glaring at us as he stacks the remaining pamphlets on the table.

  Greggory comes around my other side and whispers in my ear, "I told you he liked you." I punch him in the arm and glare at him as we make our way to my parents' booth.

  I feel Garth press something into my hand. "I bought you something."

  I look in my hand to find a keychain shaped like a purple rose. "It's beautiful. I thought you said you were going to make me a keychain."

  "I know. I started carving a rose like this, the way Rocky's dad taught me to, but I accidently broke it yesterday. When I saw this one at a booth today, I had to buy it for you."

  "I love it. I can't wait to put my key on it."

  Garth's parents are quiet today. I hope the news about Jefrey doesn't have them upset at each other. They aren't very peppy when I introduce them to Greggory. They start moving to the right and his mom says, "We're parked this way, boys. So long, El-Edith and Greggory."

  I wave sweetly. "It was nice to see you again. Goodbye."

  "I'll see you later," Garth says as he kisses me again and leaves with his family. I smile silently at him as he leaves.

  Greggory pulls me along to the other big red canopy. "You are a heartbreaker, little sister."

  "Shut up," I say as I try to wrap my head around what Greggory is hinting at.

  My parents take off their red jackets and join us as we walk to the parking lot. My mom puts her arm around me. "Did you learn anything interesting tonight?"

  I'm walking forward but my mind is reeling backward. "Yes, Mom. I sure did."

  Chapter 6

  I love the feel of the grass beneath my hands as I close my eyes and stretch out on the back lawn we just mowed and weeded for my mom. It smells so fresh and alive out here. The sun falls on my face with warm tendrils of light. My usually dark eyelids can't keep the brightness out, which is surprisingly okay with me. Someday soon I'll have Avra and Shasta lie on the grass with me too. They will love this sensation. I feel something fuzzy tickling my nose, so I open my eyes. A fluffy white cat is staring at me from Garth's outstretched hands. His tail keeps tickling my face.

  "Look what I caught."

  I smile and sit up. "I've seen him out the window. I love him."

  "I knew you would. Do you want to hold him?"

  "Yes!" I relish the softness of the cat's fluffy fur as he cuddles up in my lap. "Whose is he?"

  Garth shrugs as he teases the cat with one of the weeds we've been pulling today. I think it's called a dandelion. "I don't know, but he's tame, and he hangs out in the yard a lot. I think Freda feeds him her food scraps."

  I startle as the cat starts pulsating like a car motor in my arms. "What's wrong with him?"

  Garth laughs at me. "I think it's called purring. He likes you. I think you should name him."

  "If I name him, I'll probably cry when his owner takes him away one of these days."

  Garth is in a teasing mood. "Well, if you don't name him, I'll name him-Alexander Prystine."

  "Ick!" I throw a fistful of grass at him. "That gives me an idea though; I will name him-President."

  Garth laughs. "Ha! I like it. Do you like it, Mr. President?" I take his purring as a yes.

  Damp green stuff suddenly falls from the sky onto our heads. I cover President with my arms to protect him from it. Garth swings around. "What the-Rocky!"

  Our friend bursts out laughing as he watches us pull grass and weeds off our heads. "You two seemed way too comfortable for your own good."

  President loses patience with us, jumps out of my lap, and runs away. "Rocky! You scared the cat away. Get him, Garth."
<
br />   Garth jumps up and starts running after the cat.

  "No! Not the cat; get Rocky!" I laugh. Rocky's smile turns to dread as Garth takes off after him.

  Garth tackles his skinnier friend to the ground and gives him a handful of grass to eat. Rocky barely has enough air to say, "No! Get off, you ape!"

  A deep voice clears his throat. "Hey, you three. I wondered if you wanted to have another driving lesson today, but if you'd rather play in the grass..." My dad taps his foot as he looks at the three of us on the ground.

  Garth immediately jumps to his feet and brushes himself off. "No! We want to drive, Mr. Hamble. We'll have this mess cleaned up in half a minute."

  "Good. Meet me at Elira's car in five."

  I laugh as I watch Rocky's green-stained face concentrating as he rakes up the armful of weeds he dumped on our heads. Garth and I help him haul them to the pile behind the shop.

  As my dad drives us out of town and into the desert, I rest my head on Garth's shoulder. Rocky turns around from the front passenger seat and asks, "Can I drive first this time?"

  I shrug. "Sure, why?"

  "I don't want you to kill me before I get my turn."

  "If I could reach you, Rocky Moore..."

  "You couldn't get me if you tried."

  Garth snickers at his friend. "Hey, Rocky, you got a little something right there," he says as he points to a spot next to his own mouth." Rocky pulls the sun visor mirror down and scowls as he wipes at the green streak off his cheek.

  My dad stops the car and puts a hand on Rocky's shoulder. "Hey, you three, quit acting like brothers and sisters. We're here. Are you going first, Rocky?"

  "Yep."

  I relax and enjoy my Garth pillow as Rocky drives us around for a while. Garth is everything that makes me happy. Damon couldn't make me feel this way, could he? "What is your favorite thing about today?" I ask my boyfriend.

  Garth plays with the hair on my forehead. "Having you this close."