LA CANDIDATE

1 ER TOUR

"Severine Agnes Lafarge, à voter!"

The time had come for the election's first ballot. Severine woke up early to avoid being stuck at her town hall for the day. She voted at 10 a.m. She chose this hour because Keri insisted she wait for him as he voted elsewhere.

"Did you vote for yourself?" Keri asked as they stepped out of the town hall.

"No."

Keri frowned, "Who did you vote for then?"

"Alexis, at least he'll has one vote. I'm a good supporting wife, remember?" Severine replied before the reporters bombarded her with questions.

"Comment vous-vous sentez, madame Lafarge?"

Severine smiled, "I feel great. It isn't the first time I vote."

"Pensez-vous arriver au second tour?"

"I better. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could make it to the second round."

"Vous êtes devant votre mari dans les sondages. Que avez vous à dire à ce sujet?"

"People want something different. One can't have that unless they make a different choice."

"What will you do if Angelique Barbeau is at the second round?"

"I'll do what all candidates must do, encourage people to vote against the supremacy of ignorance."

Like many candidates, Severine didn't want to admit it was the best scenario. The French preferred to vote for anyone than someone from the far right, at least until then.

Also, the recent police violence incidents made a Angelique Barbeau more relevant as all knew the far-right candidate wished to extend police jurisdiction.

Identification controls were already high with the terrorist vigilante plan in place. Thus, the police had a pretext for their search.

All candidates would win if they faced La Barbe blonde, as many enjoyed calling Mrs.Barbeau.

Following the debate, many saw Severine as a potential second-round contender. She stood in stark contrast to the far-right candidate, embodying everything they did not."

If Severine initially didn't speak during the show, Kwan slapped her with tedious questions, from inflation to international conflicts to force her to talk. Severine didn't back down; she spoke her mind:

"It would be best if we didn't intervene in every conflict in the world catalog. War costs and the army's budget are second in line after education. We should be where the peace talks are. Peace should be our only interest, but we are in debt to countries that were once annexed to our nation, and so we must help, not by giving moral lessons but by helping them gain sufficient autonomy. This should be our duty."

Of course, most candidates cited her inexperience. Severine used their experience against them. Severine snapped back by calling out any legal transgression, from tax evasion to fictitious employment at the European parliament:

"What's happening, Mr. Gossein? I don't know why you are so mad. Insulting me isn't going to improve your ministry's assessment. What legacy are you leaving behind? Each of you here has a public function; none have honored or excelled in your functions. I don't see the risk of electing someone like me when I see how poorly you've run the country, monsieur le ministre."

The pact of non-aggression the couple tacitly agreed on made it difficult for Alexis to tackle his wife.

Severine was clear when asked why she and Alexis didn't engage in personal attacks during the first-round talk show. She stated, "It's about credibility. Would you believe it if we were at each other's throats? Most of you would have dismissed it as either petty or fake. Instead, we chose to share our points of view, not waste time with a show.'"

The reply wasn't satisfactory, but it partially calmed the noise.

"What are you going to do now?" Keri asked.

"Go home and spend time with Noëm until lunch. I'll join you at the headquarters after," Severine said as they got in the car.

The car dropped Keri off first. Once alone, the tension mounted, and for the first time, Severine wondered what she was doing.

"Are you okay, mom?" Noëm asked.

"I'm okay."

"It's a big day. Do you want to see what's happening?" Noëm asked.

"No, I want some quiet."

The two ate. Noëm spoke of the schools he had looked up online. All were private. Not that she trusted public schools. The Lafarge enrolled him in private schools because they could.

Anxiety nibbled Severine's brain. Why was she tetanized?

Wrong, she was electrified and didn't know how to contain her excitementㅡthe probability of being president heated her mind.

"Can you tell Noëm I'm leaving, Louis?" Severine said a few hours later. Her short detour home was longer than she intended. Even the dozen missed calls Paul left didn't influence Severine, who took her time.

"He's already waiting for you downstairs."

Severine took her bag and went to meet him. She wished to ask him to come but did not want to push him.

"You're the best mom, no matter what happens." Noëm said, hugging her.

Severine left. She was glad the ride was long.

"Where were you? I called you a hundred times," Paul screamed.

"With my son."

"Have you seen the figures?"

"No," Severine answered.

"You should have a look."

The headquarters buzzed louder than usual. Conversations were so loud one couldn't hear the other speak. The volunteers prepared the arrival of the party's tenors.

As expected, the Republican party struggled in the early polls. Everyone did. No majority could be distinguished. The current results showed the citizen's dissatisfaction. The votes were probably random. One voted for the less boring or less corrupted. Many predicted Angelique Barbeau would be in the second round. She was the candidate of the country's discontent: Violence, immigration, and inflation. The French were tired of broken promises.

Severine was good forth at the time of watch. While some saw defeat, Paul saw an opportunity. Being first in stats wasn't always positive. Severine hoped the cities and towns she visited would vote in her favor.

She decided to return to her office to focus. She didn't want to live the experience that felt like being sacrificed.

Severine didn't bother herself by opening the blinds. She sat in the dark. All she desired was silence as she mentally prepared for the only future she saw. She swayed in her chair, weighing and calculating.

"Entrez," Severine said when she heard a knock on the door.

"Wow, it's dark in here," Keri said as he entered and turned on the lights.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought I could wait with you," Keri replied.

There were five minutes left before the results. Severine got the situation's temperature with every scream emanating from the main hall.

Was it good?

Was it bad?

The rushing steps nearing her office heightened Severine's heartbeat, and the door that burst open made it explode.

"Severine."

"Quoi?"

"You did it. You made the second round."