Downfall

Sebastian was already running on fumes when his alarm jolted him awake. Band practice went well, but much later than everyone intended. If it had been any other Tuesday, the synth player would have had another hour to sleep. But today was special. The fledgling generation of voters in Pelican Town was about to yank Mayor Lewis out of office.

Admittedly, Sebastian was normally some shade of political nihilist. Power would always corrupt, even those who start out with good intentions. But it did not take a genius to do some basic math. They only had thirteen votes, including Violet, but their parents' generation and above did not have that many more members. The older voters tended to be stuck in their ways, in Sebastian's option. But only a few of them had to be swayed to guarantee that Lewis would lose his mayoral title, but that counted on all thirteen of the votes for those thirty-five and under.

So, putting his typical pessimism aside, Sebastian rolled out of bed and quickly showered to wake himself up. Once he put on some clean, black clothing, the dark-haired man pocketed his phone and shouldered his backpack. After pouring himself a thermos full of strong coffee, Sebastian rode his motorcycle down the mountain trail, careful to engage the engine break as the path steepened. Normally, he would just talk the vehicle down, but this early in the morning, he was confident there would be little foot traffic to avoid. Sebastian rode the bike until his momentum from the mountain died, which conveniently was not far from his destination. He parked the shiny blue cruiser against the side of the building.

The election itself was housed in the joint museum/library and luckily Gunther opened early today, so Sebastian was able to cast his vote before leaving town for class in ZuZu City. The goateed librarian tipped his hat. He quickly filled in the correct bubble for his choice and dropped the ballot into the slot. "Thank you for fulfilling your civic duty, young man," Gunther praised the sleep-deprived hoodie-wearer. Sebastian lived under the general rule that people had no business speaking to him before 10 AM, but he nodded, acknowledging the curator before accepting his "I voted" sticker and returning outside.

It was a chilly autumn morning, but his leather jacket and steamy coffee kept him warm. Not that Sebastian was typically bothered by the cold, anyway. As he walked his motorcycle to the bus stop that led to the main road toward town, he noticed Violet approaching him. He engaged the kickstand on his motorcycle to stop and greet her.

"Off to the big city?" she asked with a teasing giggle. Sebastian knew that Violet probably thought ZuZu was small since she grew up in the largest city in the country, but to a small-town guy like him, even these daily trips to the nearest metropolis were a bit overwhelming sometimes.

He gestured to the voting sticker on his thermos and took another sip. "Just did my part in toppling a decades-old regime," Sebastian answered with a sarcastic smirk. Violet was the only person he could muster the energy to smile for this early in the day.

Violet grinned, tugging at the supple leather collar of his jacket, and standing on her tip-toes to reach his height. "Who knew I had such a bad boy anarchist boyfriend?" she countered, kissing him eagerly. The farmer dropped her weight back onto her heels and beamed up at him. "You taste like coffee," she laughed, her facial expression scrunching inward toward the center.

Sebastian shrugged. "I can't function without caffeine before noon," he explained. "And it's an occupational hazard as a programmer."

His girlfriend bobbed her head. "I'll take you tasting like coffee over tobacco any day," Violet admitted with a sheepish grin. Her deep indigo eyes looked up at him, her cheeks slightly pink from the cool morning air. "Your voice sounds sexier lately…" she confessed, her eyes darting away from under his gaze from embarrassment. "And you seem more confident in yourself."

The ex-smoker sniffed in amusement at the barrage of compliments. Was Violet trying to butter him up? Sebastian supposed he could not blame his girlfriend for praising him for doing something she liked. And while he had not consciously considered it, his throat was not constantly dry like it had been when he still lit up daily. Maybe that had something to do with what Violet meant about his voice? "I guess fumigating my respiratory system probably didn't do my voice any favors."

"I meant more with your new classes," his girlfriend corrected his assumption. "I think that the university's confirmation that you're already pretty knowledgeable in your field has given you a bit of a boost," Violet asserted with an upward curve in her lips. She squirmed under his gaze self-consciously. "But I think we can both agree the extra lung capacity doesn't hurt anything." Violet blushed, her eyes betraying a weakness that Sebastian could not help but want to save for a rainy day.

His obsidian eyes met Violet's as eyes darted up at him. Sebastian caught her meaning now. She was enjoying the frequent make-out sessions. He smirked. "If I'd known it would have this effect on you, I mighta quit sooner," he replied, leaning in near her ear so that his warm breath tickled her skin.

But rather than his desired reaction, Violet frowned, her eyebrows knitting her forehead as she pushed him away. "No way! Then some other girl would have snatched you up!" The plan did not entirely backfire, since the pastel-haired woman took Sebastian's hand possessively and her cheeks puffed out in that adorably flustered way as she spoke. She shouted at the ground. "And in case we didn't make it clear before, we're in a closed relationship, so no matter how many fan girls you get from our concert this weekend, I'm the only one allowed to kiss you!"

Sebastian's eyes flickered to meet Violet's as she gazed up at him anxiously, as if waiting for something. She was blushing for real now. He laughed, inadvertently causing her to pale in alarm. "What about all the hearts you're going to steal with your singing?" He held her shoulders and kissed her forehead before kicking his motorcycle prop away, sliding by her and continuing toward the road. "You don't get to kiss them, either!"

His girlfriend turned her heels to watch him leave. "G-go to class!" Violet ordered, pointing toward the road that led to the city.

"I am going to class," he informed her humorously. Sebastian waved as the engine of his motorcycle roared to life.

Violet panicked for a second, rushing toward him. "Wait! I forgot to give you something!"

Sebastian paused, curious what was so important. The wavy-haired woman placed a bright, perfectly ripe apple into his hands. "It's the first apple grown on Fairy Rose Farm since I moved here," Violet notified her boyfriend. "I know you don't normally eat breakfast food, but apples are a good way to start your day!" she explained with an upward curve of her lips. The farmer kissed his cheek. "Now go on and get to class. I'll see you at the regime change party tonight," Violet laughed, referring to the assumed fall of Mayor Lewis when the election results were tallied that evening.

After tucking the apple safely into his bag for later, Sebastian reached out his hand and brought Violet closer to kiss her in return. "Thanks for meeting me here," he said with a rare grin for this early in the day. It was a pleasant surprise to be accosted by his girlfriend on his way to class. "It worked better than the coffee."

Alex did not understand why this election was so important to Haley, but his best friend put a lot of time and effort into Shane's campaign, so he felt obligated to go vote for the guy. Not that Shane was all that bad, they did train together most days now. Maru emphasized the importance of working with others since even when Alex achieved his dream of becoming a pro gridball player, there would be dozens of other people on the team.

Though honestly, Shane was probably his best option as a training buddy. Sure, Shane's diet and training regimen were shit until things hit rock bottom for him, but at least he was working on it. Despite all the huffing and puffing till he bent over like he was going to hurl, Shane kept coming at him during practice. Alex had to respect that the guy just would not give up, even if it took the old man longer to jog around town. Whenever he lapped the former Joja employee, Shane would run faster for a little while, trying to reduce the lead even by a small fraction.

Shane was also the kind of guy he could hang out with without drinking. The athlete could admit that was a huge plus. Whenever they watched gridball games together, which was becoming more frequent, Alex would provide some high-protein snacks and the two would yell at the screen, critique referee's calls, and generally celebrate their team's successes. Alex had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed having another guy to chill and watch sports with him.

Haley definitely encouraged the new friendship. While she did not explicitly say she was still mad, Alex could sense something was different about their relationship now. His oldest friend did not talk as much whenever they got together. As much as Alex wanted Haley's advice on his feelings for Maru, it felt wrong to remind her of the purpose of their fight last season. Whenever he tried to ask her what was wrong, the blonde would deny it anyway, which left Alex playing an obnoxious game of hit-or-miss until he figured out what made Haley so different lately.

So, in another attempt to get back into his best friend's good graces, Alex jogged over to the library to vote. The weird man at the counter gave him a funny look. "I've never seen you in here before, son," Gunther chuckled. The jock frowned. Was this old guy making fun of him? Alex could not give the guy the satisfaction of getting under his skin, though.

"Is this where I do the voting thing?" the spiky-haired brunet asked, trying to mask his annoyance with an air of disinterest.

Gunther smiled at him beneath his out-of-style mustache. "It sure is!" The librarian in blue handed Alex a piece of thick paper and an ink pen. "Use that table over there, fill in the bubble next to your chosen candidate's name, and once you're done, drop your ballot into the slot of that box over there." Alex did as instructed and before he knew it, the jock was already done. The whole voting thing was not as bad as he expected. Quick and painless. He could not wait to see the look on the old man Lewis' face if he really did end up losing.

Until then, Alex had time to kill and a dog to walk. He leashed Dusty, who wagged his greying tail happily at the sight of his owner. He took his usual jogging route, but kept a slower pace for the aged canine. As the jock passed the houses on Willow Lane, Alex noticed his best friend loitering in front of her house.

"Hey, Haley!" the spiky-haired man hollered to the blonde. Dusty accentuated the greeting with a bark of his own.

The woman jumped slightly in surprise, but shushed Alex as he approached. "They don't know I'm out here," Haley told him, bobbing her head toward the door.

Alex frowned, unsure of her meaning as Dusty sat at his heels patiently. "'They?'" he repeated quizzically.

Haley sighed, rolling her big blue eyes. "Emily and Shane. They're sickening and I was trying to wait for a good time to sneak past them without their knowing." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know why Shane's wavering now, his odds are good!" the woman in the cerulean dress complained.

"He's got the yips?" Alex chuckled, though Haley did not laugh along with him.

Exhaling deeply once again, Haley tossed her curly hair over one shoulder, and leaned against the house. "As much as dorks like him can, I guess."

"You want me to talk to him?"

Haley's gaze focused on her best friend suspiciously. "Why?"

Alex shrugged, "It looks like it's bothering you that he's freaking out in there and Emily's…" he caught a quick glimpse of the two making out on the sofa through the window. "Distracting him."

The blonde shook her head, "Emily's already in there and I don't want to interrupt them. I'll just wait a little longer."

"Do you not want my help because you're mad at me for something?" Alex wanted to know, still sensing that his best friend was putting up a wall between them. "I'm not very good at noticing these things, so if you're mad, just tell me what I did."

Haley looked as confused as Alex felt. "You think I'm mad at you?"

The jock rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I dunno, it just feels like we don't talk like we used to ever since we fought on my birthday." He glanced down at her. "Am I wrong?"

Twisting her curls around her fingers anxiously, Haley meditated on Alex's question. "It's not that I'm angry at you," the blonde finally clarified after an eternity of silence. "I just… feel like I don't know myself anymore. It's uncomfortable."

Alex felt a little intimidated by that kind of answer, but Haley was his best friend. If she did not talk to him, who else would she talk to about it? "You wanna walk Dusty with me and talk about it?" he offered, indicating to his loyal companion.

"Okay," the woman responded, smiling down at Dusty, patting the old dog's greying brown fur. "I'd like that…"

Mayor Lewis donned his tweed jacket while seated on the examination table at the clinic for his annual check-up and lowered himself down with the stool provided. "Are you sure you don't want to consider any other options for your high blood pressure, Mayor Lewis?" Maru inquired the mustached man.

Even without a nurse to inform him, the incumbent bureaucrat knew the toll the stress was taking on his body. He only hoped that his years of service and his personal home visits to smooth things over with his neighbors the last few days were enough to save his position. "No, no. It's just election nerves," Lewis assured the young woman.

Maru bowed her head to indicate she heard and gestured toward the door. "After you, then."

The outdoor air felt colder than normal for this time of year. Lewis brushed away the idea like a pesky insect and squared his shoulders as he marched toward the museum for the official tally of the votes. This was it. There was nothing more that could be done now, the polls were closed.

For the first time in over twenty years, Lewis had been challenged for his position within the community. The grey-haired man could not believe his rightful place in Pelican Town had been scrutinized so thoroughly. By an apprentice drunkard, no less. But the mayor could not let his anxieties take hold of him. Of course the youthful cohort would want someone more their age to represent them, but surely the others knew how much effort he put forth being Mayor of Pelican Town. Lewis had dedicated the last two decades of his life to this place, before some of these ridiculous millennials even had real memories. So, Lewis chose to believe that tradition would prevail over sensational change. After all, if not for being mayor of Pelican Town, what else was left for him?

The museum was more packed than Lewis had anticipated. Even more so than when he first ran for mayor all those years ago. Many of the faces had changed and the population had fluctuated over time, but the nervous energy was identical to the night he first became mayor.

Pierre approached Lewis as he stepped inside. "Glad you could join us for the results," the businessman said to the local politician. The brunet winked, not bothering to be discreet as he added, "I look forward to seeing you after your victory is announced."

Ah, yes. Pierre, Lewis thought, exhaling in relief. The owner of the general shop could always be relied upon to be a voice of - well, not reason, as he was constantly aiming for impossible tax breaks - but at the very least the man provided a sense of security. Pierre was a stalwart member of the community, providing for the villagers' basic needs. If someone as well-connected as Pierre was confident in his success, how could Lewis allow any room for doubt?

Lewis flashed the grocer with a wide grin. "You and I both, sir!" he concurred, shaking Pierre's hand heartily.

The eyes of the vicenarians glanced his way every once and while, but he paid them no mind. As they matured, those ungrateful brats would appreciate all that he did for them. Until then, Lewis would have to forgive their youthful rebellion. They just had to feel as if they did all they could before they realized his leadership was inevitable and necessary.

Finally, the scheduled time came for the counting of the votes. Gunther called attention to the front of the room, where he stood behind his desk. "The candidate with the most votes wins," the librarian reminded the locals. "And once the count is finalized, the loser shall concede and the winner will be asked to say a few words." His eyes rested on the crowd as the two candidates stepped forward, standing opposite one another between Gunther's desk and their neighbors.

"Do you both understand?"

The two candidates dipped their heads to acknowledge the rules, prompting Gunther to unlock the ballot box and begin. He unfolded the small sheet of paper and read the vote aloud: "Shane!"

Well, of course he's going to vote for himself… Lewis reflected quietly. Shane may even get all of the young people's votes, but the older generations could solidly maintain their majority, granting him another term as an elected official.

"Lewis!" Gunther proclaimed, reading the next vote aloud. A brief tie. The next several were for Shane, giving him a sizable lead. But Lewis held firm in his belief that the majority of those living in Pelican Town would recognize his dedication to the community and overlook his embarrassing mishap at that sham of a debate last week. Surely, they understood that being attacked in such a manner would stress any candidate and Lewis only fled for his personal health and safety.

Gunther finally labeled another vote as his. It was now thirteen votes for Shane to his own two. But now that the voting bloc of the children was counted, Gunther would soon get to the ballots for the more seasoned voters. "Lewis!" Gunther proclaimed, granting him a third vote.

That's more like it! the bureaucrat mused with silent satisfaction. But then, something unexpected happened. Shane received another vote. He had won over someone from the older circle. But Lewis quickly dismissed his confusion. I'm disappointed Marnie would choose her drunken nephew over me, the man in the tweed jacket deliberated as he assumed she must be the additional vote in the Shane's favor. But Lewis supposed that they were family and there was not much he could do about it until Marnie got over her tiff about his accurate assessment of Shane. However, the librarian bellowed his political opponent's name a second time that the mayor did not anticipate.

Lewis' heart dropped like a stone each time Gunther read aloud another vote for Shane. Gunther's mustache twitched upward in a wicked smile each time he shouted the competitor's name. Perhaps that had been his true undoing, Lewis recognized too late. The museum curator was not granted his pension due to a contractual technicality that he as mayor was made to enforce. The whole election was an outrageous conspiracy against the hardest-working senior in the community.

As it became increasingly apparent that the difference in the votes was now statistically significant, rage boiled up from Lewis' core. How dare they! Lewis growled to himself, jaw locked, and fists clenched at his sides. The gathered townsfolk all turned to him expectantly, as the final tally was publicized by Gunther. "Incumbent Mayor Lewis: 3 votes; Challenger Shane: 26."

The neighbors' expressions, normally bright and friendly, twisted into gruesome gazes of pity, mockery, and sneers. The murmur in the assembly grew to a deafening volume, but the career politician did not notice until the librarian's dark eyes locked with Lewis' own. "Lewis, would you like to address the villagers of Pelican Town one final time as mayor?" Gunther asked. His voice sounded like a nail on chalkboard to the suspender-wearing senior. I will not accept this! Lewis vowed wordlessly.

"Is this all a sick joke to you?!" he roared, though as his own voice echoed in his ears, his fury gave way to the fear clawing at the back of his mind. Where will I live? What will I do with the rest of my life? Do any of these people even care? They voted me out of office, despite knowing what this job means to me…

With a sudden burst from a barrage of confetti poppers and an official deliberation from Gunther, the strange tightness in Shane's chest cut loose. The resulting void was quickly replaced with a crushing wave of elation and disbelief as Emily embraced him in a warm hug. "Congratulations, Shane!" she shrieked giddily. "You won!"

He was swarmed by his neighbors, all congratulating him on the win. Shane had not expected so many people to believe in his ability, even in such a small, local position. Most of his consciousness still camped on the pessimistic side of his brain, but all the smiles and pats on the back made Shane seriously doubt his long-held assumptions.

The tiny bits of colorful confetti rained down on him and several of the others in his vicinity. Shane laughed at the absurdity of it all, from his win to Lewis' refusal to concede. Everything felt so surreal, even as Gus brought forth an enormous glass bowl of celebratory punch. Haley approached the new mayor, trying to bat away the stray scraps of paper fluttering around in the air.

"Just because Lewis won't admit he lost doesn't mean you didn't win," she reminded Shane, the annoyance with the old man's conduct palpable in her tone. She urged him to say a few words to the citizens of Pelican Town.

Shane sighed. She's right. I can't follow Lewis' example. Most people voted because they aren't happy with how Lewis runs things. The eyes of Pelican Town fell upon him and Shane swallowed the lump in his throat, bracing himself for what may come. "I, uh…" he faltered, unsure of how to encapsulate his emotions and stream of consciousness succinctly.

Lewis glared at the younger man before marching up to the new mayor and interrupting the failed attempt to start a toast. "Did you all swap out the real ballots?!" he accused Shane, pointing a finger in his face. "If you were going to cheat, you could have at least made the results more believable!"

Haley stepped between the former mayor and Shane. "No one cheated," the blonde insisted icily, folding her arms across her chest. "You just got too comfortable without any competition for so long that you feel entitled to the job!"

A mumble of accord came from the congregation, but Shane was unsure of how to address the issue without sounding like a complete dick. I'm already failing at my new job, he thought dejectedly. Still, he could not let Haley fight his battles. Before Shane could address Lewis, however, another person spoke up. "If you're really so convinced he cheated, why don't we all prove you wrong right now?"

It was Sebastian of all people. Farmer Violet stood beside him as the man stepped out of the crowd. The hoodie-wearer looked pissed and if Shane were a superstitious man he might have entertained the notion that the brief chill in the room was because of Sebastian, too.

Lewis turned to his new opponent. "And how do you intend to prove it?" the older man inquired as he shivered slightly at the sudden change in temperature, still not convinced of his defeat.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and snatched up one of the ballots on the counter in front of Gunther. "We'll do a re-vote right here and now," the dark-eyed man explained. "Everyone grab a ballot and use the blank side on the back to write down the person's name."

"That sounds reasonable," Demetrius articulated, speaking up in support of his step-son's idea. Many of the older adults approved the plan immediately and grabbed a piece of paper off the counter to enact it. Gunther began distributing pens before Lewis could object and make other demands.

Shane was not about to argue the suggestion, either. Part of him still believed this was a dream that he would wake from any moment. He wrote down his own name on the sheet handed to him by Emily and dropped it in the ballot box.

It did not take long for the voters to cast their second ballots of the day. This time when Gunther read them aloud, Lewis lost one vote for an ending total of twenty-six to two in Shane's favor. After a few minutes to take into account who was present, Shane quickly realized that Maru was missing. So, either she had voted for Lewis or someone who had previously voted for the incumbent changed their vote in the second round. Shane had a feeling it was the latter.

When someone asked Demetrius if they should go retrieve his daughter from the clinic, he shrugged. "Maru's vote isn't going to alter the results," he countered firmly. "It is not a close race."

Lewis stammered, unable to form a proper argument now that his initial complaint had been so soundly shut down. "I-I… I will not move out of my house! I am still the mayor of Pelican Town!" he insisted, fleeing from his neighbors for the second time in recent memory.

Shane observed the villagers, who looked unsurprised but disturbed by Lewis' lack of election etiquette as the losing candidate. Finally, Shane took a glass next to the punch bowl and served himself and stood before his new employers as Emily doled out punch to the others while he spoke. "Thank you all for believing in me," Shane expressed earnestly, projecting his voice to make sure everyone could hear. "I know there will be some bumps as I learn the ropes, but I hope to live up to whatever expectations you all have for my first term as mayor."

He tapped the glass in his hand with his index finger. "If the mayor - well, former Mayor Lewis - had stayed, he would know that I don't intend on moving into the mansion. I'll continue to live in my house at Fairy Rose Farm for the time being." Shane noticed the smiles on several residents' faces at that particular comment. He supposed some people appreciated his grace in victory, but in reality Shane just did not want to move again. It was a pain in the ass and he did not need such a large house.

"So, uh… To the future of Pelican Town!" Shane proclaimed, lifting his punch overhead in a toast.

"To Mayor Shane!" Emily responded with a cheerful cry. Many of the other villagers joined in, especially among the younger adults.

"Mayor Shane!" they echoed as they downed their glasses of punch. The new mayor went to refill his glass with red punch, and it tasted even better the second time. From there, an unofficial party began. Most of the town was gathered in the library anyway and Gunther did not bother to enforce a low noise-level within the building. Shane received so many congratulations and well-wishes, he felt strangely intoxicated. I'm going to have to give Morris an official notice that I won't be returning from my indefinite "leave of absence," the former JoJa Mart employee pondered. Maybe he would step into that miserable place one last time to see Morris' reaction.

After about an hour, Emily rested her hand on Shane's forearm and pulled him aside. "Are you feeling okay?"

He beamed at her. "Yeah, actually, I feel great," Shane replied with an amused chuckle. Once the after-party got started, he finally stopped worrying so much about everything. Hell, even the air seemed lighter somehow. "Why do you ask?"

Emily's warm brown eyes lingered on his form, studying something undetected by Shane. "Nothing in particular. I'm just checking in with you." She glanced over the crowd in the library. "It's been an eventful day, hasn't it?"

Shane nodded in agreement, "Yeah, no kidding." He leaned closer to his girlfriend and kissed her. "Thanks for being there for me, Emily." He held her hand in his and gave it a gently squeeze. "I don't think I would have made it this far without you."

The woman in the red dress flushed slightly. "Oh, you did most of it yourself, Shane," Emily insisted. "I only provided a little encouragement here and there…"

Shane shook his head adamantly. "No, really. I know I wouldn't have made it all the way to the election without dropping out if not for you." His onyx eyes gazed into Emily's coppery ones. "I love you, Emily." It was the first time he had uttered those words to his girlfriend. Emily had already said it several times. Shane had been too chicken to say it when he wanted to the day prior, but tonight the words slipped out so effortlessly. He wished he had the guts to say something the first time, but he was grateful that he could finally find the courage to say them now.

For some reason, Emily's grin appeared sad somehow. "I love you, too, Shane," the sapphire-haired woman declared, reaching out to place a hand on his cheek affectionately. "Get plenty of rest and drink a lot of water when you get home, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

Shane thought it was odd Emily was leaving the party early, but perhaps everyone would head for The Stardrop Saloon once Gunther kicked them out of the library for the evening. "Sure thing," he promised his girlfriend.

The new mayor observed Emily cross the room to chat with Gus, then disappeared out the door of the library. It was a surprisingly lonely feeling without Emily beside him. Should he have gone with her? Perhaps not, this party was in his honor. Still, something was not right, but Shane could not put his finger on what. Unfortunately, Shane would finally grasp what was wrong when he woke the next morning.

Author note: I'm still in my 3-week travel period, but I got this chapter done so I wanted to post something for you all. It may still be a while before I'm back on my "regular" schedule.