Page 59 of The Pacifist
“He’ll be disappointed, but at the end of the day, he wants what’s best for you and he would never force you to marry someone against your will.”
I pushed out air from my lungs. “It’s weird, but I feel such a huge sense of relief.”
“Because you finally admitted it.”
“Yes.” Looking deep into Raven’s large brown eyes, I emphasized, “I still plan to marry one day.”
“Nothing is stopping you. You just have to find the right man.”
“Maybe I’ll pick someone who’s funny.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Or smart. I like smart men.”
Raven’s eyes shone with love for me. “Whatever you like, sweetie.”
“He doesn’t have to be the strongest warrior. I can pick a man who makes me feel good.”
“You’re damn right.”
I nodded. “I’m going to tell my parents that I made my decision and that I won’t be in the tournament.”
“When?”
The thought of breaking my promise to my father on top of everything he was going through made me sweat. “I’m not sure.”
“Do it soon, Mila. No procrastination.”
“Yes… soon.”
CHAPTER 12
How to Win an Election
Jonah
Six days after Mila left for the Motherlands, Pearl and I met in virtual reality in a setting she had picked with a sunrise over a mountain chain.
My avatar looked well rested and healthy. In real life I had dark circles under my eyes and I’d lost weight. Mila wasn’t responding to my messages and I missed her.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Pearl asked.
“Very nice.” I smiled and sat down among the wild flowers on the picnic blanket where Pearl sat in a cross-legged position. “How is the campaign going?”
Ever since I was a boy, I’d admired Pearl for the role she played in the integration between the Northlands and Motherlands. Pearl had bravely offered herself up as a hostage to save Athena and later she had managed to make Khan, the ruler of the Nmen, listen to her. I had read and re-read the speech she made in the Council that ended the ban on mentioning the Men of the North.
“I would like to say that the campaign is going according to plan but that would be untrue.” Pearl brushed a hand across her flowery pants. “My experience from elections in the Motherlands doesn’t do much good here. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine how many men would sign up to lead the Northlands.”
“How many?”
“Thousands.”
I was amused and chuckled. “You can’t have an election with thousands of candidates.”
She sighed. “That’s what I’m telling Khan, but he says the more the better.”
“But how will he organize town hall debates with that many candidates?”
