Several weeks later

It was approximately 4:47 pm. And by approximately, I mean exactly. Though the time often flew quickly when I was working, sometimes, there were days where I counted every second until five. Today was one of those days. Today marked an entire month of apprenticing under my father, learning the ropes of the Cabinet and how to survive there. Information I would need to know sooner rather than later, as my father was apparently planning on stepping down soon enough for me to inherit his problems in time to campaign for Prime Minister.

Sometimes it didn’t feel real. Most days that I woke up, knew I had work to take care of, and followed through it with the amount of care and attention it needed. It was like I’d transitioned seamlessly from my graduate work into a similar pattern in the office. I woke up, drank too much coffee, did a mind-numbing amount of reading papers and reports, drank more coffee, and surmised all of that information into a barely comprehensible summary. The only difference was, the summaries I made now helped form decisions made by this country’s leaders, where before, it was sociology. And before too long, I’d be receiving those summaries from other apprentices like me and making decisions on behalf of the Montgomery name. We had a responsibility, my father always said, to be true to our people. We had the interests of the citizens to protect, and our vote must always reflect that.

I sat in my office, a small but respectable sized room with just enough space for a desk and a chair opposite it. The wall screen opposite my desk was usually used for scrolling through reports and running over presentations, but right now, it was playing the news as a dull background noise. I was trying to drown out the chaos in my mind. My nerves were wracked, even though I logically knew they shouldn’t be. While my father had been intermittently giving me advice while I was working, he really hadn’t been as hands on with my apprenticing as I’d thought he was going to be. But, at the one month mark, he was about to give me my first performance appraisal. In less than thirteen minutes.

I leaned back in my leather chair, the heavy plastic creaking. I’d finished up the day’s work, but these last few minutes were going slower than the previous nine hours. The words of the news reporter barely penetrated through my thick skull, but I could see the flashing words come across the screen, ‘Breaking News’.

Excellent; something to distract myself with for the next ten minutes. I sat back up straight in my chair to pay more attention, eager for anything to make the time go by faster.

“…police have no leads at this time and are asking for anyone who has any information to come forward about the murder of Brenton Paulson…” the reporter continued.

My heart sank. Another murder It was terrifying, even though Mr. Paulson was somebody on the fringe of high society, he was still a member of the Cabinet. His influence was small, but he was a large and highly visible supporter and close friend of the Prime Minister, Robert Chetland. These murders were becoming closer and closer to home, more and more concerning. Who would be next? And if it was as the police said, it sounded like they had no clue what was going on. I shivered. I felt safe in the city, wherever I went, but what if I was a target? My father? I supposed it could be anyone in the Cabinet, at this rate.

But, I couldn’t force myself to be too bothered. I’d not ever felt unsafe in this city, and that wasn’t about to start now. My apartment was well secured, and I trusted the police. The area I lived in was about the safest place it could possibly be, and whenever I went out into questionable areas, I was always with people I trusted. I considered Mea to be one of those people, and the thought surprised me a little with its sudden solidity. She was somebody I felt I could rely on, despite how little time I’d known her. Every encounter with her felt so genuine, our shared experiences that brought us closer than I could imagine. I missed her, her voluminous hair that I longed to touch, her smooth skin that reflected like the moon, the hue a deep and smooth warmth that spoke of tropical paradise. I sighed. It’d been too long since I’d seen her.

Then came a knock on my office door, interrupting my daydreams. I started violently, the sound surprising me and ruining where my imagination was taking me.

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“Mr. Montgomery, your father is ready to see you now,” came the familiar voice of Ms. Wela, my father’s assistant.

“I’ll be right over,” I said.

I would be going to his office to speak, as it was both a sign of respect and the protocol for how these things went. As he was both my boss and the one who initiated the meeting, I would go to him. Shakily, I stood. His office was just at the end of the hall, the dead end leading to his door.

I stood in front of the opaque glass that was his office’s entrance, poised to knock.

But before I could, I heard him say,” Come in.”

Flustered, I did as he bid.

“Sit,” he said, gesturing to the luxurious chair in front of his desk, just for meetings like this.

I wiped my sweaty and clammy palms on my dress pants. “Yes, sir,” I said.

My eyes flicked back and forth between my father and the window behind him. It showed the city below, and as we were on the highest floor of our building, it was quite a magnificent view.

“Let’s get this started,” Ralen said.

“I’m looking forward to hearing your feedback, father.”

My father watched me for a moment, contemplative. His expression gave nothing away. At first glance, he looked fine and healthy, the usual color of his skin returned. After examining closely for a minute, I noticed it looked like makeup, applied with an artful eye. It seems that he didn’t want anyone else to notice he wasn’t as strong as he pretended to be.

“You’ve picked up a lot of the slack around here,” my father said, a kind expression on his face. Now that I’d noticed the deceptive makeup, it was something I couldn’t unsee. It was as if he was wearing a mask. “You’ve been doing well. I noticed you tend to overlook your peers input, however, so that’s something you should work on.”

I cleared my throat, nervous. I didn’t like hearing how my work wasn’t perfect.

“… so, if you’re going to ignore advice, make sure your work is flawless. You’re not quite there, son, but I believe you will be.”

I blinked.

“I’m proud of you,” he finished.

“…Thank you, father,” I said finally.

He had surprised me. It’d only been a month, but it sounded like he was truly pleased with the progress I had made. I didn’t know how much time I had left with him, and I knew I had to make the most of it. Not only as my mentor, but as my father. He had been harsh, of course, but I sensed it was something I needed at the time. Now, hearing him say he was proud of me, it felt as if I’d succeeded. I’d done what I’d truly set out to do, which was to make him proud to be my father. I didn’t think I could ask for much else. Everything else was the extra mile, and I’d be damned if I didn’t do it for him. I’d be Prime Minister for him, for Mea, for the citizens of Aruga, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was for me, too.

“You’re welcome, Torven. You still want to be Prime Minister?”

“Of course,” I said. I’d steeled my determination, but it was nice that he continued to ask me if this was what I wanted instead of forcing it on me. I felt that he gave me a way out, if I needed one. Fortunately, I didn’t need nor want one. I wanted this, needed it.

“Then take this AUT deal. I know it’s not ideal, but as I reminded you before, you can’t do this alone. Remember that these upcoming months, your public image will be under extreme scrutiny. You have to be careful.”

“I understand,” I said. And I did. Anything that I did from here on out would affect my future campaign and political career. Instantly, I thought of Mea. Would my involvement with her lessen my chances?

“There’s a Police Charity Ball in a few weeks. I need you to take Alyss, be the perfect date and gentleman. It’ll show AUT you’re serious and will be excellent publicity for the press.”

“I understand, father,” I said, while my heart sank. Alyss was a nice girl, but if I was going to bring anyone as a date, I wanted it to be Mea. I knew that would never work though, for me or for her.

“You don’t have to marry this Alyss just yet, but I must ask you to keep an open mind. Get to know her, see if there’s any sort of companionship you can form. Friendship is the best place to start, I’ve found.”

I nodded in agreement. He was right, of course. Friendship is the best gateway to something further, the most reliable method of finding one’s partner in life. I just wanted it to be Mea, and not Alyss, despite all of the difficulties. But the look in my father’s eyes was desperate; I could see that he needed this from me, for me to give this a shot. I could always turn them down later before it went too far. Right?