POWER

Chapter Two

''Just remember, be calm. Don't go off script. Make eye contact. Be confident''

Just another person stressing Faith. It was the day of declaring public candidacy. There were make-up artists and assistants causing havoc in the Moore's family home. After all, presentation is everything when it comes to politics.

Once Faith, Joseph and their daughters had had their hair perfected and make-up completed, next was content. No one was sure how the public would react to a female president. Of course, Faith was running for States Attorney first but the White House was definitely the end goal. Faith was being advised by her campaign manager, Josh Carr to play-up her role as a wife and a mother. ''You will probably receive the most female votes anyway, purely due to your feminist attitude but that doesn't mean we should just assume. You'll want to be seen as a family-orientated woman, so you need to mention your family in your speech. Even if it's just to thank them for their support okay?''

Faith found this interesting. Naturally she had planned on thanking her family and talking about them in her speech but not for the votes, but because they had been so supportive and encouraging of her and her decision to run.

It was time for Faith to go on stage. She realised how terrified she was. The audience was filled with photographers and reporters who were surely waiting for her to make a mistake for them to write about or document on some online blog. On the opposite side of the stage stood Matthew Powell. The opponent. It appeared that he too was trying to show the public how involved he was in 'family-life' as he didn't stand alone but with his wife and two children. Despite Faith's campaign having a similar strategy, she stood alone with her husband. She didn't want Kendall and Taylor to be used as a method of gaining votes and felt they were too young to be in the spotlight and to be subjected to the scrutiny of the media.

''Hello. As I look out in front of me I see potential. I see a state of promise which can achieve greatness. But what use is a strong army without a determined general? We have seen justice, yet we are not all justified. There are still too many issues we are all afraid to address. Together, we can feed the hungry, save the unprotected and help the next generation recognise nothing but a world of equality. I am running, not only to to make a better place for us to live, but for our children. Let us raise our sons and daughters equal. Let us teach our daughters how to be strong and our sons to show emotion. Let us raise our children to play with whatever toys they want and wear whatever colours they desire. Gender equality is more than just a goal. It is the foundation for which we will beat poverty, hate crimes and street violence. Because how can we solve such problems when we have such problematic view? How can we solve such problems when half of us are being held back? I will ensure equal pay and I will create a state where we will use the term inequality as a historical term. Thank you.''

Cameras flashed and the audience roared in applause as Faith and Matthew shook hands. And that was the moment Faith realised: the race had begun.

Both candidates remained on stage whilst a panel of reporters questioned them about their plans and goals. Joseph, Kendall and Taylor watched from backstage (proud of how well Faith was doing) with the campaign manager Josh, who was very pleased. Alongside Josh stood his daughter Leslie Rivers (who went by her mother's maiden name).

Leslie had been hired to assist Faith. She had no experience but was happy with minimum wage and Josh felt Faith needed to be seen hiring and working alongside other women. Faith and Leslie were yet to meet but Josh was sure it could be nothing but a beneficial relationship to both the girls. It would give Leslie someone far more mature than her average friends and Faith someone to trust during the roller coaster this election was bound to be.

Question time was over and the Moore's returned home to celebrate a successful start to the election. A bottle of champagne was opened and in a moment of peace and quiet after a day of noise, Faith saw what she was finally doing and actually believed: she could win.