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Chapter 7: Elections
"Right, ehm, hello everyone…" Principal Lee spoke into her microphone as she addressed the students who were all packed together in the school's main hall. "Welcome to this quite 'special' school assembly… As you might have heard, there are some important announcements we have to discuss, but fear not, I will not bore you to death…"
Zed rolled his eyes. Principal Lee had never been the strongest public speaker, no matter how much she always tried to engage with her students.
"As you all know…" Principal Lee continued. "We have yet another election for school president coming up. Sign-ups for the position have been open for a few weeks, and yet we only have one candidate so far… So, today is your last chance to throw your hat into the ring, as they say… So, are there any more nominees for school president? Just a reminder that being part of student council means that we'll get to hang… So, anybody? Anybody wanna hang?"
Zed sighed deeply, almost thinking that prawn could not be worth the effort of running for school president. Then he looked over to where Addison stood among her fellow cheerleaders, and he was once again reminded why he was doing what he was doing.
He was going to run for school president!
Eliza had said that they could always break the rules, since they could not make them. But what if they could make the rules? Naturally, if Bucky would become school president, then they as zombies would have a very small chance of attending prawn legally. Of course Eliza suggested that they could always crash prawn, but Zed feared that such a show of disobedience would do the already fragile relations between humans and zombies no good.
Thus far, everyone at school had heard about the anti-monster laws being reinstated, but no one knew why. Of course, he, Addison and some of their closest friends knew, but the news about the werewolves had not yet been made public as far as Zed knew.
The situation would be far from fixed if he would be able to become president, but at least he'd be able to take Addison to prawn and get their photo up on the prawn wall of fame!
"Now can I get all nominees on the stage, please?" Principal Lee requested.
Music immediately erupted from behind Zed on the stands, where the school's marching band began playing a celebratory tune led by Bonzo. At that moment, the cheerleaders near the stage also began their chant, mostly just waving their pompoms around and yelling enthusiastically. Addison was the only one who toned it down a bit, mainly just clapping as she watched on somberly.
Bucky made his grand entrance, jumping through the school's main doors and doing a couple of flips as he made his way to the stage, taking in the massive amount of applause he received from the onlookers. Bucky kept up his act, smiling broadly and waving to his adoring fans. Once on the stage, he enthusiastically shook Principal Lee's hand though he did not take his eyes off the public.
"Great news everyone…" Bucky began once he arrived at the microphone. "We have a brilliant and cheertastic candidate running for president this year! Me!"
"Yay, Bucky!" The cheerleaders, led by the Aceys, immediately cheered.
"As president…" Bucky continued. "I promise to make this school even more cheertastic than it already is… I promise bring more pep, laughter and enthusiasm to these halls… and I promise to not let anyone or 'anything' break our school spirit!"
"Yay! Bucky! Bucky! Bucky!" Most of the students cheered, applauding loudly.
Zed, along with most of the zombies only clapped respectfully, not particularly enthusiastic about Bucky's so-called promises.
"Very good, mister Bucky…" Principal Lee complemented, clapping politely as she took the microphone again. "Now, are there any other nominees?"
"Or you could just, you know, hand me the key to the school…" Bucky joked.
The students all looked around expectedly, seeing if anyone else was actually willing to compete with Bucky. Zed saw both Addison and Eliza look at him with raised eyebrows, probably still unsure if he was actually going to follow through on his plans. Zed rubbed his hands, trying to think of ways he could possibly one-up Bucky's entrance.
It was as if fate intervened at that moment, as Bonzo, playing his personal brass instrument, made an enthusiastic turn, bumping into Zed and causing him to slip and tumble down the steps of the stands. People hastily moved out of Zed's way as he grunted and groaned while rolling down the steps, eventually landing in a disgruntled heap in front of the podium.
Zed groaned as he turned onto his back, where the first thing he saw was Addison's shocked and worried face. On his other side, Bucky and principal Lee both looked on in astonishment. Zed soon also realized that the entire main hall had fallen dreadfully silent.
Not wanting to waste any more time, he jumped upright, stepped onto the podium and snatched the microphone out of Bucky's hand.
"Zombie strong!" He yelled, pumping up one fist.
It stayed silent for one more second before the entire main hall, led by the zombies present, erupted in applause.
"Hello everyone! My name is Zed…" He began, looking out over the crowd. "And I will be running for president!"
More cheering, with Addison in the front row jumping up and down in celebration.
"He can't steel my spotlight!" Bucky protested, stepping around Principal Lee to face Zed. "What about the whole anti-monster thingy?"
"Everyone can run for president, Bucky!" Addison protested, as the noise in the main hall quieted down a little. "Human and monster alike…"
"Ehm, she is actually right, mister Bucky…" Principal Lee mumbled, stepping in between the two candidates.
"What!?" Bucky exclaimed, looking on the verge of throwing a tantrum.
"Yes!" Zed hollered, raising his arms victoriously.
"A zombie president!?" Lacey basically shouted in a disgusted tone. "Eeeww!" She and the Aceys then wailed in unison.
"As the first zombie president…" Zed began, keeping the microphone away from Bucky's grabbing hands. "I will bring you prosperity and awesomeness!"
More applause from the students, still with Addison leading the charge. "Zed! Zed! Zed!" They chanted, with Eliza hyping up most of the zombies present.
A ringtone suddenly alerted Zed, and it was principal Lee who hastily answered her phone and excused herself from the stage.
"What do you think you're doing, greenhair?" Bucky hissed, just softly enough so that the students wouldn't hear him.
"Fighting for my rights as a zombie, and to take Addison to prawn…" Zed answered, enjoying the seething stare he received from Bucky in return. "As your president, I will make Seabrook a place that embraces both human and zombie culture, because inclusion is what it's all about, right?" Zed addressed the crowd.
More cheering from the crowd, and Zed genuinely felt on top of the world at that moment as everyone finally seemed to accept him.
Before he could bask in his own glory even more, principal Lee walked up the stage again from behind him and shakily grabbed the microphone out of his hand.
"Students…" She announced somewhat unsteadily. Her hand was still shaking, her face was pale and her voice trembled. "I have another announcement… A somewhat drastic one…"
Zed's eyes flashed towards Addison, who also quickly looked over at him. The rest of the students in the audience also looked around in confusion, but also looked at the principal expectingly.
"I just received a call from our esteemed mayor Wells…" Principal Lee went on, taking several deep breaths as Zed also saw her eyes flash towards Addison, who had started blushing. "You have all naturally taken note of the newly reinstated anti-monster laws… Apparently this was done as a reaction to a certain revelation… So… Yeah… Apparently, there are werewolves circling Seabrook who want to get into our town…"
The panic was nearly immediate. Aside from the excited whispering, many students gasped or screamed in terror. Addison, Eliza, Bree and Bonzo appeared to be the only ones not alarmed by this news, and they simply looked on as the panic spread.
"Werewolves are real!?" Was the sentence that was uttered the most by students all around the hall.
"I thought werewolves were just a myth!" Lacey stammered as she and the other Aceys joined Bucky on his side of the stage.
"Yeah, like cavities." Jacey added, causing Bucky and the other Aceys to look at him almost accusingly. "Those are real too!?" Jacey then exclaimed.
"I-I always, always said the stories of monsters in the forest were true, didn't I!?" Bucky huffed, crossing his arms. "And no one believed me…"
The Aceys all nodded, making Zed roll his eyes. Addison and Eliza then came up on the other side of the stage though, distracting him.
"Not how I had imagined we'd bring the news to them…" Addison mumbled, looking over the rows of panicked students.
"Is it bad that I enjoy the terror in their eyes?" Eliza added.
"And we haven't even come to the best part yet…" Zed grinned.
"Students! Students, please!" Principal Lee said as she wanted to retain order. "There was a, ehm, follow-up announcement…"
Most of the students quieted down, though a persistent murmuring remained present.
"Now, the anti-monster laws are in place… But city council has still made a, ehm, decision…" Principal Lee continued.
Zed waited with bated breath, and reached behind him to squeeze Addison's hand.
"The werewolves have been allowed to join Seabrook High… They're joining the school…" Principal Lee concluded, looking to be on the verge of fainting.
Now even more students screamed, with some even starting to run around in panic.
"Students! Students, please!" Principal Lee repeated, trying and failing to keep order. "I have been assured by the city council that the safety of the students and the faculty has been guaranteed! There is no need to panic!"
The screaming died down a little, but most of the students were now caught up in heated discussions with each other.
"Principal Lee, surely you are joking?" Bucky hissed. "Werewolves can't join our school!"
"They have every right to do so!" Addison stepped up. "They live within the school district, so why shouldn't they?"
"Don't werewolves eat human flesh?" Bucky then directed himself to Addison.
"No!" Addison retorted. "Well, not unless they have to…"
"You're doing great…" Zed whispered in her ear.
"In any case…" Principal Lee again spoke up, trying her best to silence the students. "The werewolves will join the school next Monday and I expect there to be no trouble… From either side… As much as we may not like these changes, I guess we still have to follow them…" She rambled before excusing herself and stepping off the stage.
"Werewolves at Seabrook! I'm going to faint!" Jacey freaked, rubbing his hands nervously.
"They're not dangerous." Addison stated, first to the people on the stage and then to those in the audience. "Everyone, they're not dangerous! Just… Just don't try to provoke them, please…"
"W-when I become president, I will make sure that these werewolves are all expelled!" Bucky announced, snatching the microphone again. "Seabrook is a human school, and humans should not have to be afraid to go to school!"
A large part of the audience cheered and applauded, and so Zed hastily grabbed the microphone.
"And if I become president, I will make sure that everyone is able to attend Seabrook High! Because everyone should get their chance!" Zed proclaimed.
Again people cheered, though these were mostly zombies.
"Zed for president!" Zed went on, raising his arms in a celebratory manner.
Bucky reached for the microphone again, but coach intervened as he stepped onto the stage. "Alright, enough! This assembly is over! Just… Just go to your classes everybody!"
The murmuring among the crowd persisted, but the students did eventually diverge and went their separate ways.
"Wait! But I'm not done!" Bucky protested as he again tried to grab the microphone.
"Save it for your campaign!" Coach told him before ushering everyone off the stage.
"I can't believe this! First, I got a zombie running against me for president, and then werewolves are allowed into Seabrook! This town is going crazy!" Bucky ranted, mostly towards the Aceys.
"It's scandalous." Stacey nodded.
"Preposterous!" Lacey added.
"Ehm, not very good…" Jacey concluded, causing Bucky and the Aceys to once again stare at him accusingly.
"Afraid of some honest competition, cuz?" Addison asked with a grin.
"It's not gonna be much of a competition. It's not like greenhair actually has a chance of winning!" Bucky spat.
"Talk to me again at the end of the race." Zed teased. "Because I believe the Seabrook students see that we need someone who embraces change. A leader who looks out for the crowd…"
"Then I will win!" Bucky retorted. "This is all one big popularity contest! And could you remind me who's cheer captain again?"
"Addison, in a short while at least." Zed grinned.
"Not if you win, she's not!" Bucky sneered.
"What?" Addison inquired.
"If I don't become school president, I'll simply be cheer captain again, which means that you won't be!" Bucky fired back.
This statement silenced both Zed and Addison, but made Bucky grin as if he'd won the lottery.
"Yeah, you think about that…" He added before snapping his fingers and walking off, the Aceys in tow.
Zed and Addison slowly turned to each other, both with somewhat apprehensive expressions. Zed bit his lip, unsure of what to say, and Addison seemed similarly speechless. He sighed, softly took her small hand into his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. No words were spoken between them, but Zed still felt as though they understood each other perfectly. Whatever stood in their way, they would face it together.
"Zed for prez! Zed for prez!" Both Zed and Eliza said to people as they walked by.
Following Zed's nomination, he and Eliza had put a lot of work in coming up with a campaign strategy, which for now mainly included producing lots and lots of flyers. Now, the Monday after the announcement, he and Eliza stood near the school's main entrance and handed out these flyers to the arriving students.
"Why are you're helping me again? I thought school elections disgusted you…" Zed inquired as he handed out yet another flyer.
"Even I can see what a big deal it would be to have a zombie president." Eliza replied, pushing flyers into people's hands with a little more force. "Even one as empty-headed as you…"
"Thank you for your faith." Zed grinned. "Vote Zed for Prez! Because I'm a zombie, not a zomb-can't-be…"
"There has to be a better catch phrase out there…" Eliza pondered as the steady flow of students lessened somewhat.
"It is amazing, and you know it…" Zed smirked. "And besides, all we need is my handsome face on some flyers and posters, and I'll win before you know it…"
"Oh, we need more than that." Eliza protested, trying not to make the disgust in her voice too audible. "We need a proper platform if we want the support of both zombies and humans alike."
"And you have of course given that some thought?" Zed asked he and Eliza left their spot and walked towards the stands at the other side of the hall.
"Naturally…" Eliza replied as she reached into her bag and took out her laptop. "The major demographic we should look towards are of course the other zombies. With them on board, we would already have a substantial number of votes. So, to appeal to them, I suggest we fight for zombie toppings on pizza in the cafeteria…"
"Delicious…" Zed nodded.
"Get zombie taught as a second language…" Eliza added.
"Good…" Zed approved.
"Expand on already existing zombie rights, like allowing zombies to form their own clubs and hold meetings on school property…" Eliza went on.
"Nice…" Zed mumbled, not really paying attention.
"And a how to overthrow your oppressors after school club?" Eliza offered, looking up a little sheepishly.
"Eliza!" Zed exclaimed, annoyed but amused.
"Sorry… Right, don't overpromise…" Eliza sighed as she typed away on her laptop.
"Most importantly…" Zed spoke up, just as he saw Addison walk towards him. "We allow zombies at prawn."
"Of course…" Eliza pulled up an eyebrow as she also spotted Addison.
"Did you guys know that Bonzo is outside carrying a sign with your face on it?" Addison asked Zed, though she did giggle a little.
"I have to put myself out there…" Zed answered. "And Bonzo's enthusiasm is infectious…"
"How's the campaign going, mister future president?" Addison inquired with a smile.
"The commoners applaud me for my revolutionary thinking." Zed replied as he waved to some people who walked by.
"And I have to work with this…" Eliza groaned, elbowing Zed in his side.
"Could be worse…" Addison mumbled as what appeared to be a modified golf cart suddenly drove by.
"Shish, boom! Bucky Buchanan for president! A vote for Bucky is a vote for cheerfection!" A speaker from the cart announced loudly.
"That's discouraging…" Zed mumbled as the cart drove off again.
"Don't mind him…" Addison told Zed. "You'll do great, I believe in you."
Zed stuck out an arm and pulled Addison in for a hug, just when Bree suddenly ran up to them.
"Addie! Addie! Oh my gosh, I just heard! You get to run cheer practice tomorrow!" Bree squealed, almost jumping up and down.
"Really?" Zed asked, holding Addison at an arm's length. "Why didn't you say something?"
"It's, ehm… It's not a big deal…" Addison shrugged.
"Addie…" Zed said, pulling up his eyebrows.
"Okay, it is a big deal!" Addison shrieked, tightly grabbing Zed's hands and bouncing up and down.
"It's huge!" Bree added. "If Addie aces this practice, oh my gosh, she's so going to be cheer captain if Bucky wins!"
Zed immediately felt his smile leave his face, and Addison also looked up at him with a somewhat guilty expression.
"And I mean, these elections are basically popularity contests, and Bucky is, like, super popular…" Bree went on, not noticing how tense everyone had gotten.
"Okay! Thanks Bree…" Eliza exclaimed, looking at her with a piercing stare.
"What? O-oh…" Bree then stammered, starting to blush when she saw Zed and Addison's faces. "I-I'll just leave… See you at practice, Addie…"
Zed and Addison stayed silent for a few more seconds after Bree left, and Eliza also turned her back on them to maybe give them some privacy.
"Look…" Addison began. "I know it's weird that I'll only be cheer captain if Bucky wins, but…"
"No, Addie…" Zed interrupted her. "That just means that neither of us can lose, because one of us is going to get what we want… And I can live with that…"
"Me too…" Addison smiled as she once again pulled Zed into a hug. "I believe in you, Zed…"
"And I believe in you…" Zed replied, placing a kiss on the top of Addison's head.
"And I am gonna barf." Eliza added.
"Can't you let us have this?" Zed protested, though he did smirk a little.
"Hey, I enjoy watching you struggle in your romance as much as the next person, but should we also not have other things on our mind?" Eliza questioned.
"You mean the werewolves?" Addison inquired.
"Of course…" Eliza nodded. "Weren't they supposed to arrive today?"
"Yes…" Addison answered as she looked over at the main doors. "I'm not sure exactly when… But I know they're coming…"
"Do we have any werewolf saferooms already?" Zed asked with a grin.
"Zed!?" Addison exclaimed. "They're not dangerous."
"I-I know…" Zed corrected himself. "I was joking… You know, because I remember quite well that there were zombie saferooms on my first day…"
Addison blushed and smiled, but tried to keep up her stern demeanor. "Zed, I'm serious… I want to help them, but I also need you to help them try to adapt to Seabrook."
"Looking forward to it…" Zed mumbled. "Surely this school can't be too different from, you know, the forest…"
"Zed!" Addison repeated.
"I'll keep an eye out." Eliza told Addison. "To make sure that neither side does anything stupid."
"Thank you, Eliza." Addison replied, glancing accusingly at Zed.
"Hey, I'll try my best too…" Zed promised. "Who knows, maybe they'll even vote for me…"
"That could be good!" Eliza immediately piped in. "They could be important to win this!"
"What do you mean?" Addison asked.
"With cheer fans and most humans on Bucky's side, and the zombies and the football team on Zed's, the school should be split right down the middle." Eliza explained.
"Werewolves are the swing vote…" Zed added.
"They could be the key to winning the election." Eliza concluded.
"Please promise me you won't simply hang out with them to win the election." Addison pleaded.
"I'm also doing it for you…" Zed promised. "Is that good enough?"
"Perfect…" Addison smiled, softly squeezing Zed's upper arm and making him feel warm inside.
At that moment, Principal Lee walked down the steps on their left and began heading for the school's main doors. She wore a tight-lipped, pale expression on her face.
"What's her deal?" Eliza questioned as they watched the principal meet up with coach in the middle of the hall, where they then began a soft, but notably heated discussion.
"I could have a guess…" Zed mumbled.
And indeed, at that very moment several students hurried through the main doors.
"Werewolves!" Some of them screamed as they barged in.
Again, just like with the announcement, almost every student in the main hall began panicking. Most of them started screaming and running off in every direction. Zed, Addison and Eliza were basically the only ones who stayed calm.
The main doors then opened again, and in came about thirty people Zed of course knew to be werewolves. They did not look similar at all, yet did obviously belong to the same group. They all wore mostly torn clothing in shades of brown or purple with some elements of fur as well. One thing that all of them had in common was a streak of white amidst their otherwise dark hair. The way they strutted through the door and into the school was almost effortlessly cool and intimidating, as if these werewolves just exuded swagger.
Zed recognized Wyatt, who walked at the front alongside a tall, dark girl. They looked around the main hall seemingly both in interest and disdain, along with the werewolves behind them. They confidently marched over to where Principal Lee and coach were standing.
"W-welcome…" Principal Lee greeted them with a stutter, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. "Welcome to Seabrook High… W-we are thrilled to be, ehm, forced to have you here…"
"Are you in charge here?" The dark girl interrupted the principal.
"I, ehm… Yes…" Principal Lee stammered.
"And do you know a lot about this town?" The girl continued.
"Ehm… I… Yes… Somewhat…" Principal Lee stuttered.
"You wouldn't happen to know…" The girl began, before Zed saw how Wyatt elbowed her in her side. The girl glared at him, but did appear to understand his intention and looked back at the principal with a kind smile plastered on her face. "Sorry… We werewolves so admire the town, and the school of course… We are simply overjoyed to enroll here…"
"Oh…" Principal Lee exhaled. "Very well then… You can find your schedules at the front desk… Look at the notice boards for general information… A-and you have unrestricted access to the library and sports fields… Ehm, enjoy your time at Seabrook High…"
"Thank you." Both Wyatt and the dark girl said with broad, but empty grins.
Without waiting for a reply, the werewolves simply walked on, leaving a both disgruntled but oddly satisfied principal behind.
"Damn, they look good…" Eliza mentioned as she Addison and Zed watched the werewolves walk further into school.
"I'm still not sure we can fully trust them…" Zed contemplated as he suspiciously examined the pack. "Maybe we should give them some time to, you know, find their footing before we introduce ourselves…" He continued, reaching behind him to grab onto Addison's hand.
"She left…" Eliza said with a grin.
"What?" Zed exclaimed, immediately spinning around to indeed see no Addison behind him. He spun around again and saw Addison basically skip over to where the werewolves were standing.
"Welcome to Seabrook!" Addison greeted with the brightest smile Zed had ever seen.
"Hey Addison…" Wyatt replied with a grin, walking to the front of his group.
"This is her?" The dark girl asked as she joined Wyatt.
"Do you need to ask?" Wyatt retorted with raised eyebrows.
"Right…" The girl mumbled, looking over Addison. "So, where's the moonstone whitehair?"
"The what?" Addison inquired, looking somewhat perplexed.
"Willa…" Wyatt hissed, again elbowing the dark girl. "We're here to fit in, remember?"
At that moment, both Zed and Eliza had rushed over to Addison's side and were now looking nervously at the group of werewolves.
"Ah… You again…" Wyatt practically sneered once he laid eyes on Zed.
"Hello to you too. It's good to see you can enter the school legally as well." Zed countered.
"Zed!" Addison snapped, but Zed kept his eyes on Wyatt.
"Meet my pack…" Wyatt then said, mostly to Addison. "This here is my sister Willa, she's our alpha…" He added, gesturing at the dark girl.
"I'm Addison!" Addison enthusiastically introduced herself, sticking out her hand.
"I know, he told me." Willa replied, not shaking Addison's hand. She appeared to be more focused on Zed and Eliza, who stood on either side of Addison. "And you two are…"
"Eh, I'm Zed!" Zed hastily answered. "This is Eliza… We're zombies…"
"Zombies, eh?" Willa mumbled, still examining him and Eliza. "The brain eaters…"
"Uh, not for a long time…" Zed corrected with a hesitant laugh. "Just like you don't really eat human flesh… Right?"
"Not unless we have to…" Willa answered somewhat sinisterly. "Wolves, move out!" She then ordered the pack, who immediately followed her lead when she walked off.
"I'll see you later…" Wyatt told Addison as he followed the rest. "Come find us…"
"Bye!" Addison happily waved, before turning to Zed. "That's what you call a warm welcome?"
"What? It's not like they tried their best, right? That Willa was cold as hell!" Zed countered.
"I like her." Eliza grinned.
Addison rolled her eyes, but did show a small smile eventually. "Well, that's phase one completed either way… They're here… Now can you please try your best to interact with them?"
"Fine…" Zed groaned. "But I'm not gonna wear fur or, you know, dye my hair!"