Introspection

Chapter Five

"Good morning to all who have joined us today, either physically or virtually," the President's face stretched across the screen, and he flashed a sparkling grin into the audience, "I appreciate your attendance."

Does he think we had a choice?

"I would like to begin with some positive reinforcement. Over the last six months, our crime rate has dropped drastically, including the number of death-punishable offenses. These statistics serve as strong evidence that our methods work, and it will not be long before all criminal activity."

President Row paused momentarily to clear his throat, and Harper pulled her focus from the screen. She looked down to find herself sitting at the edge of her seat, like a small child listening to an intriguing story. Leaning into the chair's backrest, she slumped, not intending to appear so interested in the subject.

He began again, only this time, lingering between each word for a second too long,

"Despite this enormous amount of progress, a new issue has recently come to our attention: resources."

Harper connected the dots quicker than her classmates and let out a nearly audible gasp.

"The amount of capital punishment declined so rapidly that we had no time to prepare for the repercussion of a higher population. After careful deliberation with the Council, a decision has been made as to how the City will proceed:

"The city will no longer be judging crimes on a scale. There will be no crimes that are worse or better than others. This system will simplify the process of punishment drastically while simultaneously improving the resource situation. As crimes are now unweighted, they will all result in the elimination of the criminal."

The reality of the proposal clicked in the students' minds. Small chatter began rising in the room, soon entirely overpowering the President's voice sounding through the intercom. Harper didn't turn around, worried Jen may entirely break if the two made eye contact, but she heard the slap of a hand against the desk behind her.

The room fell quiet, turning toward the noise, and Jen spoke in a steady, even-toned voice, "I understand this is a large change and shock, but I do believe paying attention to the rest may be to our benefit."

Some kids nodded their heads in agreement while others rolled their eyes. Jen was a natural-born leader, and when she spoke with purpose and diligence, people tended to fall in line. Harper knew Jen only wanted them to shut up so she could hear, but it worked. The only sound amongst them was the soft feedback of the intercom before the President's voice cracked through once more,

"This will be different from what you are used to; however, I will not tolerate resistance. I advise individuals to be cautious. Previously, criminals sentenced to public execution were limited based on the severity of the crime. The platforms will now be occupied by anyone and everyone who breaks any part of the law. I encourage all over the age of sixteen to brush up on legal knowledge to avoid simple infractions that now hold more weight."

Harper held her eyes to the screen, despite the urge to turn and check on Jen. Her hands began shaking violently, and she tucked them beneath the desk. Beads of sweat rolled down the back of her neck, enough to drench the hair falling against it. As her heart raced, she looked around, sure that everyone in the room was able to hear its beating against her chest.

"This new protocol will go into effect tomorrow at 8:00."

That soon? What about the current prisoners? What about mothers and fathers?

President Row held a rehearsed smile, as though the entire ordeal was going pleasantly. Harper wondered if the medication went that far when functioning correctly. Although she knew the whole purpose of it was allowing individuals to make neutral, unemotional decisions, something about this plan seemed rooted in pure evil.

Shifting a stack of papers atop the podium between his hands, the President looked to the sky. Helicopters roared over the speaker before they were visible in the frame. Harper counted four in total, each splitting off deep into the sky over his head as their noise faded. She assumed they were spreading around the City, prepared to end any sort of scuffle caused by the recent information, but the President didn't acknowledge them further.

His eyes were grey, an eerie color when viewed up close in so much detail; Harper shivered slightly. She was barely able to keep her body under control as it succumbed to the raw panic she was unable to feel, and a blistering headache erupted beneath her skull.

"I will spend the remainder of my time here discussing the repercussions of the changes being made. I am certain there are plenty of questions. However, please hold them until-"

There was an abrupt, deafening noise, cutting Row off entirely in its magnitude. The entire class flinched in unison, cringing back in their seats. Harper heard a gentle ringing in her ears that only minorly muffled the sound of unrest throughout the room, but she locked her eyes to the screen.

The President's face was frozen in what looked to be a pained smile, and blood dripped from his forehead down a steady stream into the crevices of his teeth. She looked up to see a circular wound interrupting the wrinkles below his hairline, while his blank, glossy eyes returned her gaze. In a single moment, Harper saw the most powerful man in the city die from a gunshot wound, and all her body did was relax.

The shocked voices of classmates rose around her, but the noise was distorted, like hearing underwater. The camera panned out, clearly unable to cut the footage, and the podium's surroundings became visible.

Medics swarmed the stage, packing each inch of the surface to practically swallow the President, who Harper didn't notice had fallen behind the podium. Around her, chaos ensued, but her mind was calm, focused, and unwavering. She successfully blocked out the other students' shock until a boy's voice broke through the muffling, liquid barrier,

"What the hell," his voice was deep, but it cracked when he yelled out.

Classmates turned to face him, but Harper couldn't leave the indescribable trance holding her. She kept laser vision toward the screen, watching as new pieces continued entering the frame.

As the camera zoomed away from the cluster of medics, people could be seen standing around the stage. She watched as men in suits aggressively barked orders into small microphones pinned against their blazers, while other high ranking officials stood in groups with open mouths. At the far left corner, the President's wife was in an altercation with one of the security details.

Her thin, sea-blue shaw flew frantically in the wind as she struggled against the Officer's arms, which were clasped firmly around her waist. Her legs kicked while she gripped his hands, attempting to peel them off of her to no avail.

Harper squinted, honing in on her face. The wetness of her cheek held her slick, jet-black hair plastered against her face. Her mouth was held open in a scream while the skin of her face blazed red. There was swelling around her eyes, which were both pink and brimming with water. Suddenly, the boy's overwhelming confusion on the subject became clear.

The President's wife was crying.

Finally, the footage cut and the screen went black. In seat number five, the boy remained standing, with his arm held out and finger pointed at the emptiness. Harper swiveled her head to see her classmates facing him, some not even noticing the filming ended. The only ones who hadn't mindlessly turned to him were herself and Jen.

The three of them shot frantic eyes between one another, glances filled with questions and speculation, as the other students fell back into doing routine homework while waiting for instruction. Harper wondered if anyone else picked up the riveting detail, but they all seemed unfazed. She felt a tap on her shoulder and grabbed the folded piece of paper Jen held out in her hand. The note fluttered as she peeled it open with shaky hands,

Girl's bathroom, five minutes.