Author's note: the theme song for this chapter is "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz. It would be cool if we can hear Moira sings the part that goes "I don't wanna be somebody who walks away so easily, I'm here to make the difference I can make" to the Gaburs, but also to her friends. An alternative theme song would be "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne. Moira is never alone, neither does her friends as long as they have each other. So, I leave it to you to pick whichever song you like! The chapter can have two tones, a tone that is mostly sorrowful yet optimistic or a tone that starts out mellow and then turns into acceptance and learning to let go.
Moira and the other students could not have anticipated that their appearance at the interplanetary council meeting would go viral all over the solar system. Apparently, one of the court transcribers leaked some notes of the meeting. Also, some footage from the meetings were now being aired on local TV channels. The public's reception to the footage was mixed: there were some people who sympathized with Deandra's case and consequently praised the college students for speaking out, but there were of course other group of people who booed Moira and her buddies for being spawns of Deandra's pro-environment stance and ridiculed them for being blind followers of a lesbian. Lee had told the students that any publication was good publication because now Deandra's case was getting noticed and the public was anxious to know how the saga would end, but as expected different students reacted differently to the fact that their private lives were now consumed by the public—some students became angry and some students wanted to hide from everything. Ayumi had done her best to listen to everyone and comforted them when needed. Mostly, though, the students dealt with this by swimming on the beach.
Moira was one of the angry students. She never wanted any attention to be given to her because she believed the spotlight belonged to the Gaburs, who were the reasons she casted aside her shy nature and ignored her pounding chest to go up the podium. For the case to be blown out of proportion and sensationalized, Moira thought it meant there could be a possibility for the case to be monetized or politicized or even twisted by irresponsible parties. She had confided in Nardho because she felt that her boyfriend, who also spoke at the meeting, would be the one who understood the most of what it felt like for a movement to grow out of control out of the blue.
"Honey, I need to rant for a bit if you are all ears. I never wanted to be a celebrity because I hate being the center of attention. I almost wished I hadn't gone to the podium but on a second thought if I didn't go then I'd live my life unspoken and it means betraying the Gaburs. Goodness me, I'm so ready to explode, I have it up to here with the media!" Moira put her hand to her ear to explain her frustration. Nardho hugged her and swayed her in his arms, keeping silent but secretly praying that all the journalists would just leave everyone alone. Some of those journalists had visited the guest house every other day and demanded an interview with him and Moira, which they declined. Kahoko and Ardiansyah had now put up a huge gate at the entrance of the guest house and had since ruled that no guest could come without any prior reservation.
"I feel you Moira. You know what angered me the most? The audacity of some people to dismiss us and our ideas just because we are young and in college! You know what angered me even more to the point that I'm ready to go berserk if my disease hadn't stopped me? The audacity of some people to attack Deandra verbally just for being a lesbian! As if her sexuality automatically discredited her! This is wrong. Listen, this could have easily happened to Johan or Kenta. What if they were also involved in our movement and then got harassed for being gay? It's not like they choose to be gay, you know, you can't help loving whoever you love." Nardho let out an exasperated sigh, wondering what his brother and surrogate brother would have done if they were caught up in the mess. Moira kissed him tenderly and played with his hair. Nardho responded by messing up Moira's hair in return and soon they tickled each other mercilessly.
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Looking For Hope
Science FictionAfter major coastal cities sink to the bottom of the ocean at the end of the twenty-first century, the richest inhabitants of Earth escape the planet to build new colonies in a distant solar system. Thirty six light years away from the Milky Way gal...
