Chapter 8

After lunch, all freshmen were excused from class. We were supposed to go to our dorms, and give our speeches, then let the Pack decide who to choose. So we went to the dorm. Dimitri and I sat on the loveseat that I had first seen him in, and the rest of the Pack sat facing us, waiting for one of us to o first.

Dimitri stood up, and cleared his throat. "My family, for that is what I consider you after this past month; a family. Today you have the tough decision of deciding whether it will be Rose or I who leads us in battle, and in life. In this decision, I suggest that you remember our ancestors. Our great ancestors made decisions that led us to get to where we are today. They weren't always the right ones, but they led us to achieve greatness. We started as a colony, and are now a worldwide race. What was once a speck on the radar of civilization now blots out the screen. So I ask only that you think of them, and make the right decision. Trust your heart, go with your gut, and lead with your instinct. Make the right decision." He nodded and sat back down.

The Pack clapped as was appropriate, and then looked at me expectantly. I got up, wondering why Dimitri had phrased his speech like that, so as to frame us as equals. Then I shook myself, preparing for the speech I was about to give. "History shows that female Guardians, though few, have shaped our society, our world today. It was Elena the Great who once said that if women stayed home all the time, humankind would be dead today. Women are vital in society. They are the link in the Circle of Life, the leaders of the family, and, I hope, the Leaders of the Pack. I hope that you follow Dimitri's advice. Trust your heart, go with your gut, and lead with your instinct. Choose me." They clapped, and after we had each marked down our votes on a chalkboard (we both voted for ourselves), we were excused.

Stepping onto the balcony, sighed. That had been tough. I wasn't really a good speaker, or at least not a god speech maker. So the speech had taken me nearly 2 weeks to write out. Dimitri came up beside me at the railing, looking out across the land that I was too spaced out to really see. "You did great." He said it lightly, like it was still all a joke.

I turned on him, frustrated at his lack of concern. "This is our life at stake here. And you seem to be taking everything like one huge joke. Well I have news for you. It's not funny!" I immediately regretted my outburst, and took deep, calming breaths.

But he seemed unfazed. "Does it really matter which of us leads? We're equally matched. We both have our assets, sure. But we'll both do a good job. So they can't go wrong. That's why I didn't say anything about them making me the leader. I have complete faith that you'll do just as good of a job." I was taken by surprise, and felt bad for not thinking of it.

We were quiet for a while then. "Here take my jacket." He offered his motorcycle jacket to me, apparently having noticed my shivers. It was cold in the mountains at this time of day. I accepted, grateful, and slipped it on. The jacket had a pleasant aroma, like a forest that just got rain. I smiled at him, and he seemed to relax a little.

I turned to him, thinking about the balcony last night. "Dimitri, I-" Jean walked up right then. She really did have the worst timing.

"Hey you guys, we made our decision." I nodded, and gave back the jacket. I didn't want to, but I did. It would look bad if I walked in with his jacket on. He looked like he didn't want to get it back either. Weird.

They were gathered up, and when we both sitting on the loveseat again, they showed us the chalkboard. The board showed the tally marks that symbolized a vote. I quickly counted them. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. That meant that Dimitri only had 4. Which meant- I smiled and stood up. "Thank you guys so much. I realize it was a really close call. And I just wanted to let you know that I'll do my best to give our Pack the best survival chance."

Dimitri stood up, standing within centimeters of me. "With me at your side of course." I blushed, and stammered. Then I realized what he meant, and felt stupid. Of course he would be the Co-Leader. If I was the alpha, then he was the beta. I gave up and just nodded. The rest of my Pack laughed, and I sighed.

"Got to go." I said as I made for the door. Time for me to go see Judge Harks. I practically skipped all the way to his office. Rose Hathaway was a leader. I smiled again.

I was expecting a wait, but the hallway was empty. Either my Pack was really late, or really early. The Secretary let me into his office, and I sat down with a sense of déjà vu. The chair turned around, and Harks smiled. "How am I not surprised?" He asked the question with an air of haughtiness, like he was always right. I decided then that I didn't really care much for Judge Harks. Oh well. You weren't supposed to like your boss. I smiled tightly, and looked expectantly at him.

"Of course, you are expecting your new I.D. card, which is," He rummaged around on his very messy desk, finally producing a small plastic card, identical to the one that I already had. "Right here." He handed it to me, and I stood up, thinking it was over.

"Rose, sit down. I have not excused you yet." I sighed. Administrators. Ugh. He also handed me two papers. One of them was a new schedule for me. It had a new class that replaced Leadership Theory. It was called Tactical Maneuver. It was taught by Mr. Marken, who also taught Leadership Theory.

The second paper was Dimitri's new schedule. It also had a new class, called Social Manipulation. It taught the Betas how to network, as they were to become a sort of Communicator with the rest of the world. Dimitri would do well in that field, I knew. With the papers and my new card, I set out the door, a smile on my face.

When I passed by the stables, I felt a strong urge to go inside. I had always connected well with horses, and stepping inside, I heard a choir of whinnies. I smiled, and went to find my favorite horse. Blackjack was a black Azteca male, with a white stripe on his head. He was a very agile horse, and always listened to me. Blackjack was my horse. So I cleaned out his stable, gave him water and food, and then curled up and watched him eat. His calm demeanor had me drifting between sleep and reality before long, and I gratefully let myself fall away.

I awoke to the sound of scared horses and the smell of burning wood. Looking around, I saw that the stables were on fire. Fate just always had a way of ruining my days. Sigh.