The inner manifestations of my mind are a perplexing enigma that seldom intellectuals can even apprehend. People look at me, "know" me; all they see is this apathetic girl withering away into the darkness. How mistaken they are. I may appear nonchalant, void of emotion, for all I express, I might as well be null of any. But they exist, I have them. That is how I differed. That is how I differed from her.
If I told you how on earth I got to where I am now, you'd accuse me of being a liar. Then, you'd see me as a liar exempt of emotion, that's just how I needed the nation to perceive their leader as: an emotionless liar. To lead this wondrous nation you need to have a heart of gold, empathy, compassion, and honesty… well to an extent…I've fibbed a few in my day, I am a politician, aren't I?
My life hasn't been easy to be frank. People think my life has been a basket full of peaches and cream, when in reality it feel more like I got a bucket of vomit from the janitor's closet. How? How on earth did someone like me end up running The United States of America? I lie awake pondering it myself, honestly, I'll be sitting in the Oval Office of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue thinking: "How…me?" Well, if you want me to tell you, here goes, the story of my life, the autobiography of President Shea:
As a child I was reserved, happy, and always questioning. At St. Anna's life was a breeze, everyone seemed accepted, my classmates eventually became my second family that we all shared memories, hardships(Mrs. Dunce as one example) and trips. Just like a typical family would. But, our family was pulled apart inevitably in 8th grade. There was no avoiding this, we all knew, we had to move on, go to high school, we were never taken off guard by this, only taken off guard by how quickly the day arrived. We graduated, some more reluctantly than others, but we all had to split. So I left the only place I'd ever known and headed off to high school at Marble Oldtown Senior High School. The only one I had there that I could truly talk to was Charlie. God help me, you have no idea…the things that girl would go on about, me the only one to suffer those four agonizing years trapped with her…I shudder just at the recollection. At least at St. Anna's I had others who endured the same pain and she had others to gripe to. But, that girl….Charlie would not shut up…if it wasn't how much she hated soccer it was how glad she was it was over, if it wasn't gym it was her homework. Then…the worst…her stupid pet peeve with grammar. Why the hell she cared so much about grammar, God only knows. She was so meticulous about grammar I wanted to just…just….stuff her face in a toilet(that's something she would say).
After high school I applied to several colleges and was accepted into quite a few, therefore having a decision to make. I pondered cautiously on which university to accept and finally decided to go to the University of Pennsylvania. It was a typical college experience, aside from the fact I evaded trouble at all costs. After graduating I still didn't have the slightest inkling as to what I wanted to pursue as a career. I was lost. All my friends were highly successful especially Charlie, and how I'm sure she must brag too…I don't even know what she was doing she invented something, I don't even know then all of a sudden she's a multi-trillionare marrying Ash Ketchum. That…that…I don't even know how to touch on that, Charlie and Ash…it's unfathomable to me to this day, I'm sorry I have no idea how to express this.
While contemplating my future, walking down the streets of Center City Philadelphia I see flashing news tablets(the future's equivalent of a newspaper, an iPad like tool) in the store windows. It highlighted important news, the main headline was about the current president: Charles Ingalls. He was some dude from like a thousand years ago who'd happened to run across a time machine that was accidentally left on his farm. Somehow the guy wound up as president and it's haunted me since. How could a naïve, ignorant, farmer from the 19th century run our country? Thank God his term was coming to an end, he was running this country down the toilet almost as bad as Obama did in the recession of the 2000's. November was only two mere months away, no one was stepping up to run against this Charles Ingalls guy, but someone had to. Somebody had to fix this horrid mess.
Apparently, the maid to clean up the mess would be me. I sent a letter to the White House applying for my own nomination. They were thrilled, they funded my campaign themselves and I ran as an independent. They simply couldn't wait to get Ingalls out of power, he was destroying the country. He added an amendment to the constitution stating that: "All cows have the right to bare arms with the supervision of owners' at hand," section 4 article B9-7. He had to go. I thought I would sweep away the competition, I was too, everyone just wanted Ingalls out, they didn't care whom took the spot so long as he was gone. That is until I made one fatal mistake in October. Visiting my home; visiting Philadelphia.
I thought I could easily coax, cajole and persuade the people of Philly to vote for me. The rest of the nation had come so easily that my own hometown, practically, should be a piece of cake. Oh, and they were at first….that is until I decided to take a look at the Liberty Bell. I arrived at the historic site where the Liberty Bell was safely guarded and stationed, I greeted the tour guides and explained to them how Jefferson was an ancestor of mine. They were thrilled and explained to me how I would get to ring the piece of history. I was so excited, the news crews came to film me, everyone was watching. The tour guide handed me the mallet; a huge grin on her face. I smiled brightly with anticipation and rung the bell swiftly. –Crack- I heard a noise. –crack- again another sound. It was crumbling, that last ring was breaking the artifact into two. The crowd gasped, appalled. I was dead. It severed into two pieces in front of my eyes. I stood there, my mouth flailing like a fish out of water. I had unintentionally insulted the nation; the world. The accusing shouts rung through my head like the bell was supposed to, I couldn't tell the real accusations apart from the ones that were being sculpted in my mind.
"You animal!"
"Traitor!"
"There goes my vote!"
"To think she could've been president!"
"Not even Ingalls would've done that!"
"And they said I was the terrorist OHOHOHOHO~!"
"My gooooooddddd friend Sheaaaaaaa demolished a trademark of our nation!"
"Off with the head!"
"Hang her at sunrise for treason!"
"ELECTRIC CHAIR!"
"Trololololololololo~~~"
"WHO ARE YOU-WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST, LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS"
"You moron, how dare you, lethal injection, I demand it!"
"You're worse than 9/11"
All these things haunted my mind as the police dragged me away from the amicable scene. I was glad they did too, I couldn't listen to the derogatory comments daunting me any longer. My memory blurs from there, I'm lucky it seems foggy, I'm not sure I'd like to vividly recall those dark, gloomy days that I wept in despair of the prison halls. I just rocked back-and-forth in the corner of my cell, awaiting for the day of my convicted trial. No one would even be my lawyer. It was completely humiliating. Even Casey Anthony who murdered her two-year-old daughter could find a lawyer. But, me, the woman who accidentally broke the Liberty Bell and apologized dozens of times, couldn't find one person to represent and defend her in court, I was alone.
I didn't even care about losing the election, which was the very least of my worries. I just wanted to escape the trial with my life. They were trying me for treason, I swear to God it was an accident. But no, they can never listen to pleas for forgiveness, the government mustn't have a heart, if I were president, that's one thing I'd alter. Days passed so quickly in there, I don't even know how long it'd been, I was losing my touch on reality. Before I knew it I was being dragged out of the prison cell, escorted by guards over to the Supreme Court. My heart was racing, pounding out of my chest like a hammer. I simply couldn't breathe.
I walked through the doors, so accusing their eyes, like they had any right at all to criticize. Hypocrites, they're all there for the very same reason. The court deemed me lucky.
"You're lucky, you've had a bailout, Shea," The judge spoke harshly to me, I looked up with tears shimmering in my eyes. Why? Who? What?
"Who…?" I inquired.
"Mrs. Charlotte Brizzle Ketchum," The judge slurred. I looked up, tears in my eyes. I glanced all over the room, searching for her face. There I spotted her standing beside her husband, she was wearing a grimace of shame; her husband a mortified scowl of disapproval.
"…Charlie…? But…why…how…you…?" I murmured and she just stood up and left. Her reputation was down the gutter now, and she knew it. Once an esteemed, successful billionaire was now the advocate of a traitor. Ash looked at me with sympathy and followed his wife out the door. I was so baffled by her spontaneous act of kindness, I hadn't seen her since high school, but I doubted she'd changed much. She was probably still hotheaded, sarcastic, full of angst and assertive. How else could she have reached such a peak position without being pushy? But if she was the same selfish girl, why would she sacrifice prestigious reputation to spare me, some old friend from school?
"Go, traitor," My guard mumbled as I ran out of the door, ignoring the cynics, jury, judge, newscasters, and audiences' dismayed looks. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me, which was unusual for me to do, and caught up to her. She was hanging her head in shame, mumbling and ranting to her husband who looked tired by the redundant routine of hearing her tirades.
"Charlie!" I called out she desisted in her tracks and gave a quick glimpse over her shoulder only to quickly turn back to face her husband.
"What, haven't I helped you enough?" She scoffed bluntly. I wondered why she was being so abrupt and cold towards me; perhaps blaming me for the corruption of her reputation.
"Yeah, you have….I wanted to thank you, I know that…that couldn't of been easy, quite the contrary," I said sincerely giving my utmost gratitude.
"Yeah, you're welcome," She sneered.
"Charlie…" Ash sighed.
"No, it's okay," I stated.
"You need to get out of here, Shea…the public is going to destroy you, you're deemed a traitor by your entire nation," Charlie stated, still refusing to look at me.
"What about you?" I asked earnestly.
"They'll get over it, all I did was bail you out, time will pass, Ingalls will screw something else up and it'll be yesterday's news," She grumbled and Ash sighed, "Let's go, Ash."
"Alright," Ash agreed with a downhearted sigh. "Good luck," he whispered to me and they left. I didn't see either of them again until the day of Cecelia's wedding in Sealand, many years later. I was left standing in the street, lost, confused, hurt. The entire nation views me as a traitor, lost, with nothing to redeem myself. I'd been banished from the court and banished by Charlie basically. Charlie basically sent me into exile. No one knew how I felt, nobody on earth knew the pain. So I thought.
Where would I go? America was my home, I knew of no other place. The entire planet knew of my disgrace, I was put to shame by everyone, and Charlie had dragged herself down with me whether she was aware of it or not. I still cannot understand why she'd do such a thing to herself. I couldn't go anywhere, not anywhere civilized at least, they all had heard of my disgrace: China, Canada, Britain, Cuba, Zimbabwe, everywhere. I had to go to another dimension, like Charlie did when she found her husband. I didn't want to emulate her every move, I just didn't want to go to the Pokémon world. I didn't know of anywhere else to go though, and did I really have much of a choice? I was in D.C. but even if I was to flee the country as a traitor I had a duty to apologize for what I'd done, yet again. I took a one-way to Philly. Surprisingly, I was forced upon a train, I wasn't allowed on a plane due to me being a "terrorist threat" for my treason. Little did I know, whom I'd meet on the plane would lead me to self-redemption and true love.
with me on the train.
"So…where're you headed?" He asked me calmly, he had a painful scar branded across the entire right side of his face.
"Philadelphia to apologize…to my people…I was supposed to be president…but they all think I'm a traitor now. Haven't you heard, don't you recognize my face? Everyone else on here are looking at me with disgust, yet you have the audacity to talk to me?" I said speechlessly.
"Your people think you're a traitor, huh?" The boy said to me, tears shining in his eyes, seemingly distraught in past experience.
"I have no where to go…" I quaked, my life crumbling before my eyes.
"Yeah…" He stated, very understandingly, "You feel…you've brought your entire nation to shame…and you're alone…"
"How…do you know…how I feel?" I asked, it was like he could read my feelings telepathically. He scoffed, I was insulted for a second.
"It's the story of my life." He groaned.
"I doubt it, you're talking figuratively I bet…" I replied.
"No, I'm not…my life has been a living hell…" He said with a wry face as he went deep in thought then suddenly he winced.
"Are you okay?" I asked the stranger, snapping him back into reality.
"…Ya-yeah," He said, "My name's Zuko, I'm the fire lord, previously known as the banished prince of the Fire Nation,"
"Zuko…it sounds familiar for some reason…I'm Shea, once potential president of the USA," I sighed.
"You said….you had no where to go…?" Zuko asked.
"Yeah," I sighed, staring downwards despondently.
"You-you can come back to the Fire Nation with me if you'd like?" Zuko offered. I was taken off guard, flattered even. I decided to take the stranger up on his offer; I had nowhere else to go. I decided to just bag the apology; I wouldn't even get a word in edgewise without being sniped. Zuko guided me through a secret portal back to the Avatar world and we arrived in the Earth Kingdom as he called it.
"I thought that you said we were going to the Fire Nation, aren't you the leader of that place?" I inquired.
"I haven't been home in awhile…" He sighed, "My Uncle…I have to see him,"
"Your Uncle, but why?" I asked, in retrospect, a much to personal inquisition for this man I hardly knew.
"He's…he's like a father to me, and he probably thinks I'm dead since I ran away…" Zuko sighed.
"Does your Uncle live here, why not with you in the Fire Nation?" I asked, again, too personal.
"He runs a tea shop here in Ba Sing Se, he loves tea," Zuko smiled to himself, "I'll introduce you to him, after I apologize…for dropping off the face of the earth."
"Okay!" I agreed. He led me into the little shop and walked over to his Uncle with a sigh. The old man gave a shocked look to Zuko and tears were welling in the old man's eyes. How long exactly had Zuko been gone?
"Zuko!" The old man exclaimed as he embraced the boy.
"Hi, Uncle," Zuko sighed.
"Where have you been? The Fire Nation has troops all over the nations frantically scouring the globe for you!" The old man cried, "The whole world thinks you were killed!"
"I'm sorry, Uncle…I-I…shouldn't have, I'm sorry," He sighed.
"…Who's that young lady with you?" The old man asked and I pointed to myself obliviously.
"Who me?" I said cluelessly.
"Yes, you!" The old man chuckled, "I told you you'd find another one, my nephew," He whispered into Zuko's ear with a wink, Zuko immediately started blushing.
"Uncle!" Zuko yelled, blushing.
"You'll have to excuse my nephew he has a very quick temper, but I've managed to cope with it," Iroh teased.
"Uncle, that's enough!" Zuko flamed, blushing.
"My name is Iroh, I am Zuko's uncle and I run this tea shop, it is a pleasure to meet you," Iroh said, bowing respectively.
"Ugh….nice to meet you too…?" I said questionably, why was this guy bowing to me. I stuck out my hand to shake, Iroh and Zuko both gave me a puzzled expression so I just bowed in return. "My name is Shea."
"Would you like some tea on the house, Shea?" Iroh asked me.
"Sure, thank you, that would be very nice," I replied.
"How about you, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked his nephew and he just nodded affirmatively, lost in deep thought. Zuko sat down at a table and cradled his head in his hands. "Would you like to assist me, Shea?"
"Sure," I replied.
"My nephew…he's a very complicated young man…he has been through much anguish and pain, but he has redeemed himself, and of that I am proud," Iroh explained.
"Why did he run away?" I asked, again intruding in personal matters.
"Because of his ex-girlfriend, Mai," Iroh sighed.
"Oh, did she dump him?" I asked, again sticking my nose into his business.
"I'm afraid so. My nephew was heartbroken, he loved her, he proposed, but she denied him, the only reason she had dated him was because of some plan my niece had concocted. I don't know why she kept dating him despite my niece's insanity. It just pained my poor nephew even more, it was cruel, pain was the last thing Zuko needed, he has had quite enough of his fair share of pain to fill a dozen lifetimes," Iroh explained to me.
"Is it okay if I go talk to him?" I asked.
"Please, my wise words of comfort don't do much, you may have better luck," Iroh said and I went to sit and talk to him.
"Hey….Zuko…your Uncle told me…why you ran away," I said as I sat beside him.
"Oh," He muttered.
"That sucks, I know how you feel I-" I started but I was interrupted by an eruption of emotion, it took me off guard, he was so calmed a second ago.
"NO, NOBODY KNOWS HOW I FEEL, NO ONE, MY LIFE IS A WRECK, I NEVER GET A BREAK!" He yelled as all the customers stared and his Uncle looked at him with sympathy.
"I feel like my life has been a wreck too, but then I met you and realized there was hope!" I stated encouragingly.
"You sound like my friend Katara, hope, hope, hope, we must have hope, I've had enough damn hope!" He shouted, "I've been hoping in vain my whole life!" He began, he was starting to frighten me, "I hoped that my mother would return, I've hopedthat my father would someday love and accept me, I'd hoped my scar would heal, I'd hope to restore my honor, I'd hope to have my Uncle forgive me, I've hopedto go home, hoped to capture the avatar, hoped the avatar was even alive, hoped that my sister would come back to reality, hoped that Mai would come back to me, hope. I'm so damn sick of hoping!" Zuko screamed, suddenly tears were coming off his face, it surprised me, he seemed so strong and levelheaded.
"Now, now, Zuko, please control your emotions," His uncle said, "I know you are upset-"
"Uncle, please!" Zuko shouted over him.
"Prince Zuko I am only-" his Uncle started once more, the man had more patience than I'd known possible.
"Stop, Uncle, I'm not even the prince anymore, I'm the Fire Lord!" Zuko shouted, the tears still riveting out of one eye, the unscarred one. I felt a deep pang of pity swimming in the pit of my stomach for the boy. Even with the scar, he was really very handsome, whoever this Mai was, she was a fool.
"I know you are, Zuko, I've just grown accustomed to the name over the years and I can't help but address you by it especially when…" Iroh began.
"When what, Uncle, when what?" Zuko demanded harshly and Iroh sighed.
"When you yell like this….act like this…suffer like this….again, it pains me to see you like this, nephew, I thought your inner turmoil was over many years ago," Iroh explained. Zuko paused for a moment, looking resentful.
"I'm sorry, Uncle…I-I shouldn't behave like that, I'm ashamed of the way I acted back then, I didn't mean to yell at you so harshly or disappear like that," Zuko sighed.
"It's alright, I'm sorry that you have to suffer more, it isn't fair, you are a good man, Zuko," Iroh stated.
"Thank you, Uncle," He sighed, then he sat next to me, began telling me a story so tragic, you couldn't of written a tragedy better, I couldn't believe it was his life. It was so similar to my life, yet so painfully worse. He told me of how his own father was going to kill him so his mother murdered his grandfather to spare his life, then his mother, the only one that cared for him in his life and he never saw her again. He told of his maniacal sister always outdoing him, taunting him and how he now pitied her as she's lost her mind, she was just as much a victim of his father as he was. He told how his father burnt his face and banished him with a pointless search, all the hardships through the journey, everything.
"My Uncle…he was the only one who cared about me after my mother vanished, I thought I had Mai…but I was wrong. I do have some friends now…but…" He just stopped.
"You're wrong, Zuko,I care about you!" I cried, "I know how you feel, the feeling…of having to restore your honor, feeling like a traitor by your nation…"
"It's not fun…" Zuko stated, "But I can help you, you don't have to suffer the way I did…I rule the nation that once cursed my name…so can you," He said with a determined voice.
"What…are you talking about…?" I asked.
"We're going back to America, I know how to restore your honor!" He proclaimed valiantly. "Uncle, I have a mission to tend to, send my regards to the Fire Nation, tell the troops I'm fine, I will be back!"
"Where are you going, Prin-Fire Lord Zuko?" Iroh questioned.
"I have to help Shea, Uncle, I can't let her suffer….the way I did, it's too much heartache!" Zuko called and Iroh came into the room.
"Nephew, you should take Aang or one of them with you, this could be dangerous!" Iroh forewarned.
"Restoring your honor…finding your own destiny is something that must be done alone, Uncle," Zuko stated, speaking from expierence.
"Be careful then, my nephew, let the spirits guide you both back safely!" Iroh said as he bid us both farewell giving Zuko a worried embrace as we both made our way back, back to my nation.
"Where are we Zuko!" I demanded, we were not in America.
"To the place that will restore your honor," He stated, I giggled, he was so dramatic. At the giggling he scowled at me, he took things way too seriously. "I don't see what's so funny?" He snapped.
"Nothing…nothing, you're so dramatic, Zuko," I smiled and his eyes widened.
"Are you okay?" I responded.
"Yeah…it's just…you sounded like my ex-girlfriend, Mai, for a second…" He silenced, "…In there…the leader of Al Queda, Allison, capturing her will restore your honor, your fath-…nation will accept you then," Zuko explained.
"ALLISON IS IN THERE! HOW DO YOU KNOW, SHE'S IN THAT CAVE, THIS WHOLE TIME!" I yelled.
"Yes," He replied bluntly.
"Where are we?" I shouted.
"Toronto," He replied.
"We're in CANADA!" I shouted, "Those Canadians have been helping our adversary, but they were our allies!"
"They've betrayed you, but I can't scold them for that…" Zuko said, turning away with guilt, "Just…go get her…"
"I WILL!" I yelled in anger.
"Wait!" He stopped me by grabbing my wrist, "Be….be careful,"
"I-I will," I promised, smiling warmly at him. I walked into the snowy cavern and saw the leader of Al Queada frail and frightened in a corner, shivering, trembling. "Well, who do we have here?" I snarled. Surprisingly she was alone, no troops are bodyguards, no one. Suddenly she came at me at full force, tackling me to the ground, I screamed in horror and surprise.
"Shea!" Zuko screamed as he ran to my protection in the cavern. He did something then that astounded me, he used firebending. It intimidated Allison, she threw in the towel, I-we-no-Zuko, had just captured the Al Queda leader. I was going home, I would be redeemed. I brought her back in chains, Zuko and I were glorified as heroes, welcomed back, I was apologized to by the president, the entire nation. I was now a hero. Zuko and I had such similar life stories. We both failed, were deemed traitors, defeated the enemy, were glorified as heroes and then were proclaimed leaders of our nation. I won the election with ease, Ingalls….failed…miserably. Still, I hadn't heard from Charlie, I don't know what she was up to. Zuko stayed with me until after the election, then he said he had to return to the Fire Nation, I of course understood. I kissed him goodbye, we were dating now, and he went home, I'm sure his Uncle was glad to seem him. No more than a month into my reign over the US there's a plotted ambush, a bomb scare. Thank God, we caught the terrorist before they could do much. When the identity of this terrorist was unveiled to me, I was horrified, it was Cecelia, my childhood friend, what was she doing. I knew she had a dictator vibe, I thought it would wear off, I never thought…she'd go this far…she was crazy, I'd have to kill her. But, I couldn't, when she was found guilty and thrown into the death row, the day of her execution here I felt empathy. I remember being on trial, and we were such good friends…I couldn't I was weak. Zuko would see this as weakness…I'm sure…he always said how Aang was too weak to kill off his father. But, I couldn't, I just…I couldn't. I let her go. The nation, once again flamed at me, I didn't care, but there I was again, the apathetic, emotionless Shea, once again, just like gradeschool.
Zuko visited me recently, told me of how he told his uncle we were going out. His uncle had said: "What another girl with no feeling, Zuko?" he replied: "What can I say, I dig emotionless chicks?" I kicked his shin when I heard this. It was vexing enough when Charlie and Cecelia said it. Cecelia. I would not tell Zuko about my weakness. I would lie. Just like I lied to my friends about how Zuko and I met. The story I told them was true, it had happened, I liked Coke and Pat's Zuko like Pepsi and Gino's, we disputed over it, that day was a UN meeting, the Fire Nation and America were meeting that day. But, that was not how we met. And just like how Zuko could never know my weakness of her release, they could never know my weakness of how we met, how I crumbled. So here I stand, engaged to Zuko, I love him, I'm the soon-to-be Fire Lady and president. I'm witnessing Charlie and Ash argue, I can only pray Zuko and I don't turn out like this, they're…such a mess. I'm relaying my life's account right now as they fight. I just told them how Zuko and I met, they reacted pathetically. They were not impressed on how we "met" we were both leaders of nations, but they don't know the truth. They never will. They are secrets, skeletons, best hidden in the closet.
~FIN~
Okay so this was WAYWAYWAY more serious and melancholy than I thought. It was supposed to be slightly dramatic but comedic. I apologize, I shouldn't of written this during my Avatar re-obsession :(