Trumperica

True Colors

Maddie's POV

"Mmhuh?" I groaned in confusion, painstakingly propping myself up on my elbows. I lay on a white bed in a typical hospital room, and the sunlight that streamed in through the thin, white curtains indicated that I had slept through the night. My entire body was stiff and I had a cast on my left wrist, but other than that, I felt fine. Certainly nothing close to what you'd expect after falling down a skyscraper. 

"You're awake!" Leona chirped. Turning my head, I saw her sitting cross-legged on the side of my bed, her maroon skirt pulled elegantly over her knees. "You're very lucky you fell on top of the Eagle, you know. You took very little damage, just a minor fracture in your left wrist and some cuts and bruises. Your friend Rylee is in much worse shape, poor thing," she grimaced. "However, you will both live, and you can thank the open sewer you rolled into for that." 

"We fell in a sewer?" I scrunched up my nose in disgust. 

"Hey, it's gross, but it saved your life!" Leona shrugged sheepishly. 

Finally, taking a deep breath, I asked the dreaded question. "What happened to Trump?" 

"The Eagle shot him," Leona said darkly. "But it was only in the arm, it won't come close to killing him. However, the confusion after the shooting was the perfect cover for Intelligence forces to capture Trump and take Trump city. There was a small OTD resistance afterwards, but they were no match for us. It's over, Maddie. We did it!" 

"OTD..." I frowned. "What's that? And why do you keep calling Rylee the 'Eagle'?" 

"Operation Trump Dump is a rebellion," Leona pursed her lips. "Far inferior to us, I might add." 

"There's another rebellion?" I gasped. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" 

"I didn't want to confuse you or cloud your judgment," Leona's lips curled into a sickeningly pleasant smile. "I wanted you to know where your true loyalties lie." 

"You're a cheat! You didn't tell me about OTD because you only wanted me to work for you!" I yelled. I almost instantly regretted it. What was I doing, accusing the third most powerful person in the country? Possibly the most powerful person in the country until a new President was elected." 

"I'm not a cheat," Leona frowned. "I'm a politician. Although, you will find that there are a lot of similarities. I only want what is best for us, and for this country. Don't you believe that?" 

"I did...until I found out you were lying to me about something as important as this!" 

"Maddie, Trump's reign is over. A new era begins now, a fresh start. You may not like me, but know that it is in your best interest to continue working for the Intelligence, which will serve as a temporary government until the next election," Leona sighed. 

"What if I don't want to?" I asked. "What if I want to just go home, finish school, and have a normal life? I've been through enough craziness already." 

"Oh, Maddie," Leona smiled cruelly. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice." 

"Yes, I do!" I scowled. "It's America again now! Soon, we're going to have a regular Presidential election, and things are going to be back to normal again. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are back, and I have the freedom to live my life the way I want to. Just because you work for the government doesn't mean you have the right to tell me what to do!"

"I wasn't going to tell you this until later, but you leave me no other option," Leona said coldly. "There isn't going to be a Presidential election. America is not coming back. The Intelligence secured control of the executive branch yesterday, and we're currently working on the other two. My inauguration is tomorrow, Maddie. Say hello to your new, much better dictator!" She beamed triumphantly. 

Fourteen year old Rylee, April, Julie, Emma and I sat down on my couch, eating chips when the power went out. Trump's face appeared on the TV. "Say hello to your amazing new dictator!" He yelled gleefully.

"Why do I feel like I've heard that before?" I spat. "Oh wait, that was almost exactly what the world's biggest idiot said on his first day as President." 

"Don't sass me unless you want to get deported!" Leona snarled. "Yes, I just said that," she grinned, seeing my mortified expression. "Trump had many lofty goals, but he never had the conviction and leadership skills he needed to accomplish them. I do! From now on, expect the government to follow through with its threats." 

"You can't do this!" I screamed, grabbing Leona's arm as she stood up. "You're a monster! You're...you're even worse than Donald Trump!" The room seemed to grow silent as the world's greatest insult rang in the air. 

"Ouch," the Head Trumpist said simply, adjusting the crisp sleeve of her blazer where I had pulled on it. 

"Ouch is right!" I fumed. "I'm going to tell Rylee about this, and we're going to start an even bigger rebellion! You won't last a week in office! You can't stop the Girl on Fire!" 

I stopped in my tracks, wondering where that had come from. I made Hunger Games references about my situation in my head all the time, but I had never said one out loud. Especially not in front of someone like Leona Summers. 

"Girl on Fire?" Leona smirked. "You think you're great, do you? Some kind of storybook hero? Well, do you want to know why you're so great? You're great because of me. I'm the reason you're the One, I'm the reason the media is giving you partial credit for the overthrow of the Trump regime, and I'm the reason you almost assassinated Donald Trump." 

She laughed as I sat there, staring at her blankly with nothing to say. "Your fight is over, Maddie. You will continue to be the One, and in two years, you'll be the Head Trumpist of Trumperica. Once again, I win." 

"I'd rather die than work for your government!" 

"Then you can kill yourself, Maddie, for all I care," Leona laughed. "There are dozens of smart, young Trumpists who'd love to take your place." 

For a second, the option hovered in my brain, but I quickly pushed it away. I wasn't going to commit suicide. I wasn't going to let Leona win.