Did you read chapter 51? Gotta double check!
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"What do you think?" Jamison asks, adjusting his cufflinks as he steps into the hall.
"I think you look incredible." I straighten his tie, striped with red, blue, and gold.
"Like a president?"
I laugh. "Something like that."
"Good. Gotta look the part." He takes my hands in his and smiles. "And you... You look beautiful. Like always."
"Save it for later," I say, squeezing his fingers. "You've got an oath to swear."
"So I do."
We push through those huge white double doors again, take the by-now familiar walk across the balcony to the railing.
This time, flags wave powerfully behind us. The square and the mall are still packed, but this time with excitement, hope, literal millions more than were present ten years ago.
There's the usual music, the invocation, the swearing in of the vice president.
And then it's Jamison's turn to step forward and place his hand on the Bible.
He turns his head ever so slightly to wink at me. I can't help but roll my eyes.
He sobers up for the oath and the accompanying military salute, but he falls back into an easy grin as he takes to the podium.
"My fellow Americans... It is the greatest honor to stand before you today. To be honest, I never thought I would be standing here. I never thought any of us would be here today. Many of you remember the day I reference, the day we all stood here in our nation's capital, unsure what the next moment would bring.
"But as a very smart, very beautiful woman once said to me, 'Sometimes you just gotta let things play out the way they're meant to.' And she was right. Things played out pretty dang good for all of us."
Jamison looks at me, eyes shining, and holds out his hand.
I take a step forward to meet him.
"I never could've done this without you, Halle. You came stumbling into my life eleven years ago, right in the middle of the Fade. We said it was only a temporary arrangement, being travel buddies. But I'm so glad it turned into something permanent. I'm so glad that we're here today. All of us."
"Thank God," I say.
He laughs. "Actually... My name's Mr. President."
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YOU ARE READING
The Fade
Science Fiction"Can you not see what's going on around us? People are disappearing without any warning. Is that funny to you? Does it not worry you at all that you could be next? Does it not scare you that you could wake up tomorrow, and I could just be gone? Beca...
