Light from Darkness

Chapter 10- Agent

Hiding Christell’s secret was difficult enough to ensure that pandemonium didn’t break out. There was drugs all over the streets being sold in front of Larana’s very eyes, murder was unavoidable and the threat to her people was causing people to doubt that her society would ever restore things to the way they were when there was electricity. She had also avoided passing laws, this because she didn’t believe people were beyond governing themselves to do good and laws forced you to be a “good” person. To be fair most behaved well, helped each other and at first everything had been okay. Of course there were those few that didn’t abide by the rules the society had set up within itself. Piled on top of the demand already for laws and rules by her subjects and the other council members Larana found it necessary to devise laws of her own. She wanted to do it on her own at first but decided a group should decide. Then the idea of voting for certain rules to become obligatory by the whole community came to her but there were two reasons she objected to that: one, she had difficulty believing everyone would be happy when a rule was passed and that there wouldn’t be riots when it was a half and half decision on a law, two, the rules they might pass could be very damaging. No, they couldn’t be trusted to take care of themselves in Larana’s opinion. At least not by themselves but if they had another smaller group who decided which laws to vote on, then maybe that would work. The question was who would be in the preliminary group? Not the council, she started to doubt their judgement after Bill Reilly had threatened to kill one of the other members when he couldn’t think of any other point to argue in the case of why people should be allowed to not bother to dress at all when they came to the council. She needed people who would judge a law fairly and calmly. Only one person came to mind: Ren. He always sat at the council and addressed each point with a balanced demeanour. Then who else? It couldn’t just be her and Ren, she at least needed a third member. Who else was calm and collected on the panel? Christell. The answer rung clearly in her mind. Each council meeting she would stand by Larana and listen to everything and always gave advice that Larana thought sensible and intelligent. She decided that the initial law council would be made up of the three of them. 

At the meeting of the next council she announced this new idea seeking advice on who should make up the law passers while not telling them she had already decided. Hilda Thorn put herself forward with that ridiculous beehive of hers sitting on her sixty five year old head shaking with excitement like she were a poodle at a prize winning contest. She was not the only one, some six or more showed the same enthusiasm and all others approved the idea. Only two stayed melancholy as always just as she had expected: Ren and Christell. The other council members were simply there to reinforce her opinion that this was a good idea. Larana stood from the black leather chair to select from the fourteen people in the room instantly pointing at Ren and Larana.

“They will be on the law council and we will vote for whether a law should be decided upon by those in the community. Any objections?” Coolly she accepted the wave of criticism presented by the council members and Christell objecting to the duty placed on her but she waved all of it aside saying “The remainder of this council will advise us on our vote and be able to vote on a law approved by us of course but aside from that you have no say.” She then strolled out of the room dismissing the ignorant curses behind her and Christell walking along side her asking why she was depended upon like this.

“Because you trust me and I trust you as a result that’s why.” Christell didn’t need any more of an answer.

The hum of the motorbike resonated within Russell shaking his bones and sweeping his hair back in the wind. It was without a doubt the most satisfying feeling since he got an electronics kit for his ninth birthday, the emotion was overwhelming after all the years of silent roads and now the Harley Davidson roared across the highway breaching the border between west Virginia and into Viginia. Russell could only guess where they were going as when he had asked about their destination Skeleton had said “I’ll tell you when you need to know.”