SHIELD [Book 1 of Alex & Allie Save The World]

Chapter 12 April 30th, 2008

III April 30th, 2008 III

"Allie? Allie? Allie, snap out of it!" Allison Gray shakes her head and blinks away the haze to smile at her closest friend.

"Sorry."

"No big deal, just what's going on with you?" Alex replies and shrugs.

"I just love you," Allie declares, a partial lie. She does love her friend but that isn't what she's thinking about.

"Ew." It's a joke and they both laugh, Alex pulling Allie into a hug to express her own affections.

"Alex, Allie! You guys almost done dolling up? The press is here so we have to start soon," Mr. Aldridge calls up.

"Coming!" Alex yells back. The pair look over themselves one more time in the mayoral office's bathroom mirror and lock elbows.

Together, as they are in most things, Allison Gray and Alexandra Aldridge descend the stairs to meet the Aldridge family at the bottom by the main entrance to city hall.

"Ready to give your commencement, Mayor Aldridge?" Alex queries to her mom and she grins.

"A new age of Metropolis is upon us," is her cheerful and prideful reply.

"Save it for the speech, Mel," Jim Aldridge chides.

"Mrs. Mayor are you ready?" a staff member asks as he stands to open the door.

"Yes."

The door opens and the family, with their energetic addition, walk out and onto the grandiose steps of city hall.

Several news stations are crowded in along with Metropolis citizens and a few Gotham socialites, here to make an appearance and possibly make stronger political connections. 

Mayor Aldridge steps up to her podium and waves to her new people with her companions representing a welcome and united front behind her.

"People of Metropolis," she starts and the crowd's chatter dims down. "Before I start I should say this speech is the work of my daughter, Alexandra, and her friend, Allison. Both are aspiring writers so positive feedback is encouraged." The crowd laughs and the girls flush red. "This is their first speech so be kind but also constructive."

Mayor Aldridge pauses before beginning the real speech.

"I moved here four years ago because of my dear husband's job from a small town in Kansas, quite literally called Smallville. Smallville is a tight knit community, we all knew each other, it was like a family. Smallville was home sweet home. Coming to Metropolis, a big city, I feared I wouldn't feel that same sense of community but when I arrived you all proved me wrong," Mrs. Aldridge holds and grins at the applauding and cheering assembly. "Metropolis may be, well a metropolis, but it is also a collective of honest, hardworking, and most of all kind people. In my years here Metropolis has done right by me and now that I am in a position to do so I promise to do right by her people."

The gathered audience bursts into raucous cheers and applause. Alex and Allie stand together, flushed, and smiling politely.

"This speech is so cheesy," Alex hisses to Allie.

"People love cheesy," Allie responds and takes a shaky breath. "I feel so exposed up here."

"Well, you're paranoid," Alex remarks and Allie nods, she's right.

Amidst the cacophony of noise the sound of tires screeching grabs Allie's attention and her head jerks towards it. She sees nothing so she reminds herself of her tendency of overthinking and shakes her head.