A Tangled Web of Truth | Complete (ONC 2021 Shortlister)

16. Proof

Alejandro wasn't sure how much Alicia's idea would help them. In fact, he had discussed it with his mother and neither one of them was sure it would do any good. But according to Queen Sofia, Alicia needed to be allowed to try in a way where no one would get hurt. And the people were demanding action and leadership, both of which Alicia seemed to have in spades.

It is worth it to try, Alejandro. Nothing terrible will come from this. His mother's words still echoed in his head as he and Alicia arrived at the local university, complete with their security detail. But he wasn't convinced she was right either. A lot of terrible things could come from this. And that had him on edge the whole time as Alicia went from class to class to talk to the students inside.

She discussed everything with them as if they were old friends catching up. Not what I was expecting from the shy woman I have come to know, Alejandro thought. He and the security personnel followed her everywhere, but tried to keep their distance and allow her to work. Everywhere they went, people pulled out their phone to take pictures not of him — well, occasionally of him — but of Alicia.

They loved her already, but he knew that was part of what made her so uncomfortable. She had never wanted all of the eyes on her.

He yearned to be able to reach out to her, to stop the cameras from flashing, to kick out everyone who might potentially be selling photographs to the media, but Alicia had specifically requested he allow her to learn. Without interference.

"How are you holding up?" Alejandro asked her when they left a calculus class and turned right to follow a long, brightly lit hallway.

"I'm okay as long as I don't think about it too much. I just have to get through this. Thank you, though." She reached out for his hand and gave it a small squeeze as she turned left and led him into what the sign described as the 'Media Studies Department.'

Journalists? I thought that's who she was trying to avoid with all of this. Nothing about this woman makes any sense!

Alicia rapped quickly on the door and waited for someone to open it before extending her hand. "I'm Alicia DuMont. I believe I'm about five minutes early for our appointment, but I'm wondering if we could just come through now."

"Of course," the young man replied, stepping back and allowing her to enter. Alejandro followed her into the brightly lit room with newspaper clippings lining the tables, allowing her to lead but still on edge. What is she doing?

"Ah, Miss DuMont!" an older woman said from the front of the room. "We are almost ready for you. Why don't you come up here and take a seat?"

"I'd love to," Alicia replied, face bright with a smile. She turned around to face Alejandro and reached out her hand for his. "Would you care to accompany me?"

"What am I accompanying you to?" Alejandro asked, feeling the same discomfort he was feeling radiating off the guards beside him. "This is a journalism class!"

"And who better to ask me questions than naive, innocent journalism students just trying to get a scoop they can sell? They'll take what we give them and eat it up. There will be so much to say about this that they'll forget all about me for weeks."

This woman might actually be a genius. It's either that or completely out to lunch.

Alejandro clasped her hand in his and followed her to the front of the room where they sat on two mismatched chairs and watched the bustle of activity. Some students were arranging clips on a table, seemingly paying no attention to anything around them, and others were huddled around a computer discussing something in hushed tones. Still others were adjusting camera settings and taking test shots of each other.

"May we take a picture to begin, Miss DuMont?" one of the young men with a camera asked.

Alicia turned to Alejandro and raised her eyebrow as if to ask him if it was allowed.

"My staff will be able to sign a release for any photographs you would like to use," Alejandro answered on her behalf, pointing to the two men dressed in dark grey suits still clinging to the back wall as though they were wallpaper or perhaps support beams.

"Excellent. Would you two be willing to sit for a photograph? Maybe on our couch there? Or two stools?" The young man's voice grew quicker and quicker as he spoke, his hands shaking.

"Either would be lovely," Alicia answered him. "Which is easiest for you?"

I would have never thought to ask that question.

"Well, we've been testing the lighting at the couch so maybe..."

"The couch it is, then," she answered him, standing up and gently pulling Alejandro's hand to encourage him to follow her.

Once they were comfortably seated, Alicia turned her knees slightly toward Alejandro and placed her hands in her lap, waiting for the photographer to take a few pictures. Alejandro followed suit and angled himself slightly toward her, instantly putting on the look he always wore for official portraits. Years of training had definitely prepared him for the difficult task of getting his picture taken.

They must have taken fifty pictures when three would have sufficed, but Alicia said nothing except to ask him to pause for a few moments so she could adjust a falling strand of her hair. When the young man finally finished, his hands were once again steady and he thanked them for their patience before wandering off with his fellow photographers to put the images onto a computer.

"Let's get to some questions, then, shall we?" Alicia asked the room. "Or does no one have anything they would like to ask me?"

The old woman, who must have been the professor, looked around the room. "Someone take initiative!" she said firmly. "You have to learn to take opportunities in this field."

Alejandro bit back the laughter that threatened him at the stern look on the professor's face. She was a little bit terrifying. Or she would have been, had he been a student.

"Umm, yes. I have a question, Miss DuMont," a small young woman with a booming voice raised her hand in the back of the room, her other hand holding a small notebook.

"Alicia, please," Alicia interrupted.

"Alicia. I was wondering if you could tell us what it's like living in the palace now. Everyone's wondering if you moving in there means the wedding is getting closer."

Alejandro's jaw clenched involuntarily and his arm twitched toward Alicia, but he held back and let Alicia take the lead. If she wasn't uncomfortable, he should let her decide.

But as soon as she wanted him to, he'd handle it. And so would security.

"Oh, living in the palace is quite a change!" Alicia paused to let out a short laugh. "As you know I used to be a hairstylist, which means I shared a lovely space with my friend and colleague. Unfortunately, being that far away from the palace was taking a lot of time out of my day that I could spend learning more about this country and what you all need from us, so we agreed I would take residence in the guest quarters for the time being."

The girl looked like she was about to ask a follow up question when Alicia continued. "I will admit it is quite an adjustment but I still essentially have my own space and I'm glad to have more time to attend to the duties that I will need to perform once we are married. As for the timing of that—" Alicia turned to face Alejandro and he couldn't help but return the bright smile she gave him— "I'm hoping we'll have an answer for you on that sooner than later, but we need to make sure we do everything right, so I can't give you any exact dates yet."

Alicia reached out her hand and rested it on top of Alejandro's, causing all of the tension to fall out of him. How did she get so good at this? I thought she hated them following her everywhere!

As soon as she had answered, it was like the floodgates opened and all of the other students suddenly had questions.

Welcome, Alicia, to your first press conference experience.

But in the end, Alicia was right. They asked polite, intelligent questions that let her guide the responses in a way she was comfortable with. Somehow she'd made it so everybody won.

If it was possible to fall more in love with her than he already was, Alejandro would have done it right then.