Drei had chosen the exact location for this speech to be the gazebo
where, on sunnier days, local musicians would showcase their talent and school
bands would hold fundraisers. It was a huge, well-kept, white gazebo with
intricate lattice work and was in a well shaded area. Nick and I arrived an
hour before it was scheduled to begin. I had left behind my notebook and notes,
not wanting to carry them with me. Though I had it memorized, I was beginning
to feel nervous again, wishing I had brought it along after all.
“You’ll be great,” Nick insisted, squeezing my shoulder. “Remember, I’ll
be in the audience, by that tree,” he added, pointing to a tall oak tree
straight out from one of the entrances to the gazebo.
Touching his hand, soaking in the comfort it was trying to offer, I
nodded, knowing he had to leave and show up after other people had, if anyone
did. He would stay nearby should I need him, but we wanted to limit the number
of faces directly related to our campaign for the time being.
He walked away, looking back once as if to assure me he would be under
that tree before I started speaking. That I wasn’t some puppy he was going to
leave by the side of the road and never return to. Not that I had been thinking
that. Really. All right, maybe a little.
I sat, concentrating on breathing, relaxing until Nick’s cell phone alarm
went off in my pocket—doubling as a reminder he had to return. As I breathed, I
tried not to think if I was dressed appropriately in my blue jeans, long,
loose-fitting blouse, and sweater jacket; I attempted to stop my brain from
going through opinions whoever showed might already have of me, how I would
work around that, and if I could at all. I wasn’t succeeding very well.
Slowly, my silence was infiltrated as the park started filling with
people, some of them stopping to stare at me while others just stood around
chatting. Focusing on the first words of my speech, I tried droning them out,
forcing myself not to be concerned with their words
There was a soft buzzing in my back pocket. Pulling out the cell phone, I
turned it off, exhaling slowly until there was no air in my lungs.
Show time.
Standing up, I faced the oak tree Nick had pointed out, surprised to see
a good sized group of people before me. Some sat on picnic blankets, relaxing
with friends; some had brought lawn chairs; others were standing under or
leaning against trees. A shush fell across them like dominoes as the people
closest to the gazebo noticed me there.
Part of me, the part scared senseless right then, wanted to walk down the
steps and pretend I had just been waiting in the gazebo for the speaker. To let
it end here with all of them disappointed, never to be bothered again.
Glancing around, my eyes caught Nick’s, and I knew I couldn’t let them
down. Most of them had probably been avid listeners and followers of Caroline’s
revolution when it had ended—indirectly my fault. They had been waiting for a
change, craving one. I couldn’t reward their patience and devotion with more
disappointment.
Swallowing, I stepped forward, forcing myself to calm down, at least on
the surface. I wasn’t Caroline; I could draw attention, but I didn’t know how
to command it as she did. The beginning she had written was what worked for
her, but standing before all of these expectant people now, I knew it wasn’t
what was going to work for me.
“Welcome,” I greeted, opening my arms to all of them. “That you’re here
today means you’ve seen the commercials; you’ve visited the site; now you want
to know more,” I started, risking looking around at everyone. My nerves were
still going crazy but at least it wasn’t showing in my voice. Nick gave me a
thumbs up. “For anyone who hasn’t read the literature on the site, allow me to
summarize. There are people who look normal, have regular jobs, lead average
lives, but are different. They can control one of the four elements: water,
fire, earth, air.” I had thought I might do something to emphasize this point,
but decided to leave the theatrics until someone asked. Right now, the message
was the important part.
“As I said, they are regular people, just like everyone here, but a
little different. Not different in a bad way,” I added, still on guard but
starting to relax. It was hard reading just their expressions and I didn’t want
to distract myself with reading their impressions just yet. The general feeling
was patience, calm, and interest; doubt was only in a few spots. I’d see how
that changed in a moment when I went into the heavy stuff. “Instead of treating
people like this, like me, with the same respect as everyone one else, though,
our government chooses to hunt us. To gather a special detail of people to
search for us, find us, and take us into captivity for research to use our
gifts, against our will, as a weapon. Gifts that are meant to be given to
everyone to improve life, to assist us in coexisting with our environment;
gifts that have been at work silently bringing change into our lives for
centuries.
“But these gifts won’t be around forever,” I stated, feeling stronger,
feeling empowered by finally saying what no one else would. There was no
turning back after this moment; no one could erase spoken words, even if they
managed to erase those written. “The elements endow us to benefit as many as
possible, but that’s their only purpose. They won’t stand for being used as a
weapon, or being misused in any way.” Saying this, I thought of Mom and knew
she would be proud if she could be here—this was one of her lessons to me,
after all. But I also sensed the increasing doubt among my listeners. This was
the abstract part now, the part I’d have to back soon with proof. “Some of you
may remember another revolution, aimed at the government. Everything that was
the case then, is still the case now,” I said, beginning to talk more with my
hands. “But this is a case of civil rights, one of many faults in a structure
that is failing. Another omission in an ever growing list.”
No one had left yet, and no one had completely lost interest; even the doubters
were still listening, still staring at me. Even as they grew more skeptical,
something about whatever I was saying was rooting them here. I wasn’t sure what
exactly, but I figured it didn’t matter so long as they kept listening.
“This blatant disregard of our rights as citizens—as human beings—breaks
apart families, ruins relationships, forces all of us into hiding…until now. We
refuse to stay silent any longer. We want to live peacefully and help where we
can. To do that, we need all the help you can give.”
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