Page 95 of The Pacifist
I bit my lip and watched as one after one, red and green lights showed as the Council members voted either for or against Jonah.
With the two brilliant speeches he’d given it should have been all green in my opinion, but a summation on the bottom of the screen showed twenty-three negative, and only fifteen positive votes.
“They’d better get those yes votes going,” Solo commented behind me.
“Thirty-seven to twenty-nine.” I crossed my fingers and stared at the numbers as they trickled in.
“Why are people so slow?” Raven complained.
I wrung my hands with nervous energy. “Forty-two to thirty-eight. That’s only four points’ difference. Just give us ten more votes, please.”
Forty-six to forty-four. We’re catching up,” Leo mumbled low.
“Fifty to forty-nine.”
“Oh no!” Willow’s hands covered her face.
“There’s still two more votes, right?” I clung to the hope that there was still a chance.
“No!” Raven crossed her arms on top of her head. “There’s one hundred and one council members, but Jonah can’t vote because it’s about him. With ninety-nine votes cast, that leaves only Isobel left to vote and she rarely does.”
A loud scream of excitement sounded when the number changed to fifty-fifty.
Nora, who was now in Willow’s arms, clapped her little hands and made sounds of glee at our happy faces.
“Now they have to do a recount, don’t they?” I asked eagerly.
The camera showed Isobel, who spoke in a calm voice. “With a split council, we’ll have another vote after the weekend. Meeting adjourned.”
“Damn, I was sure they would let him stay.” Solo was shaking his head. “Half of them want him out.”
“But he’s not out!” I squeezed my hands into fists and held them up to my face. “There’s still a chance.”
Raven gave me a hug. “Sounds like Jonah is coming here next.”
My heart was pounding when I pulled back from her embrace and looked into her eyes. “I should go home then.”
She stroked my hair and winked at me. “You probably have to calm down your father. I bet he shit a sheep when he learned that Jonah is the reason you don’t want a tournament.”
I gasped. “You’re right. He may not let him in. I have to get home, now.”
Leo was quick to offer his help. “Raven and I will take you home.”
“Yes, please, if you don’t mind.”
We said our goodbyes and twenty minutes later I was facing my father, who was with Khan, Pearl, and my mother in the dining room.
“There you are. Why didn’t you answer when we called you?”
“I was with friends and a bit distracted.”
My dad got up from his chair. “You saw Jonah’s speech?”
“Yes.”
Khan had frown lines on his face. “Care to explain what he meant when he talked about receiving a gift of love from you?”
“Did you sleep with him?” My dad’s tone was hard.
