I know I said I wouldn't update this soon, but I'm feeling good enough to update! =)

ISAAC UPDATE! Me and Mom woke up at 4:45 and got to the hospital at 8 (Central time), and his surgery was supposed to be today. But they would have had to do a heart Cathe, and his heart was so enlarged that he would have a high risk of a heart attack or stroke if they put him to sleep. So instead, they've sedated him to do a echo cartio gram (kinda like an ultrasound of your heart) and have his first surgery tomorrow. He will have to have two, if not three, open heart surgeries. It's been extended from a day to two weeks, but this way the chance of a heart attack/stroke is far less then if it went as scheduled.

-Max POV-

Our Governor was pronounced dead at the scene.

I would have been dead if she hadn't tackled me. And if Fang hadn't been in the Ring so many times, had so much experience, he wouldn't have been able to fight the Northern Governor. He would have been dead, too. So now, we're holding elections for a new Governor. The Competition? It will still be played through, it'll just be held off until we have Governors.

Ella was clutching my wrist, Nudge my hand, and Angel my other hand. We were standing buried in a crowd of people at 'Time Square', named after the famous New York square where in New Year's Eve ball was dropped at midnight, marking a new year. We would still have the ball drop if what use to be New York wasn't under water.

There was a stage in the middle of all of us, a high platform where no one would dare jump on unless they want to be executed. This was where the new election would be held.

"Where's Momma?" Angel asked, tugging on my dad's pant leg.

He looked down at us. "She's gone for a little vacation," he said, sending me a glance. I knew that was a lie. She was running to be the next Governor, for the sole purpose of being closer to me in the Ring, which she always thought she had been cheated on. After what happened to the last, I wouldn't have run.

Suddenly a finger being pound on a microphone made us all turn to the stage. A man we call the 'President' was standing with the microphone clutched in his hand. He passed chubby a long time ago, it was a wonder he didn't fall over. His ice blue eyes - or what could be seen of them through the fat - were striking. His originally palled skin had gotten worse in the lack of sunlight, making him look like a ghost. He was turning bald, a long bald strip between two tufts of jet black hair around his ears.

He should be called 'King.' It's like a Royal family, like we learn about in history that 'Eroupe' and 'Asia' had. Like the queen of England. It went though generations of one family, descendants of the last President America had. But when he dies, it's passed down to his son, who's fatter then he is and can spend a hundred dollars in an hour.

So when President Jr. gets to run the world, we're all toast.

"Good evening!" he said in his scarily high, way-too-peppy voice, rubbing his fat tummy. No one said 'Good evening' back. "It's time to elect our new Southern Governor!" Still, no one made a sound. "Let's begin, shall we? First up, Valenca Martinez!" Little clap came as Mom stepped up on stage.

"Hello everyone," she said as President walked offstage. Her voice sounded a lot better amplified then President's. "A real tragedy about our beloved Governor, huh?" There were sounds of agreement rippling through the crowd. "Some of you may know me, but I know you all know my daughter, Max."

Cheers and whistled rang through every inch of the crowd. I couldn't help a smile to form on my lips. I never thought they would think so highly of me.

"Yes. So as you would imagine, I've gone though several particular worrisome Competitions, as all of you who have had a loved in the Ring know. Unfortunately, there is no way to stop it. It's the only fair way to separate the crops and prevent a war from breaking out. But I know what it's like. I know what it's like to almost have a heart attack every time my daughter is attacked. I've went through countless near-heart attacks. It's the least I can do to help those families when my daughter isn't in the Ring.

"I was a... math scholar, as you could say, in school. I've always loved math. Don't we deserve to have our portions of food distributed equally, keeping in mind that we may not win the next Competition? We have to keep everything in mind. Giving someone more then another wouldn't be fair. We all deserve food.

"As everyone knows, it's often a long journey to events the whole Southern Hemisphere should attend. Not everyone knows someone from all corners of the Hemisphere. Most of them, of course, are near where the Governor lives. I will be offering bed and breakfast for little to no charge, depending on how much they are able to spend. Thank you."

Everyone clapped as the President waddled back on stage and took the microphone. She ended on a quick note, I thought, but it was still a moving speech. Nudge and Angel exchanged glances. "Momma's going to be Governor!" Nudge squealed.

"If she gets elected," I said under my breath, too low for Nudge and Angel to hear.

The other contestants had longer speeches then Mom, and, if I dare say, none as interesting. It should be an obvious winner? Right? Wrong. As we headed for the polls, I heard people discussing who they were voting for. There were several different answers, some couldn't even decide, but I heard few people say my mother.

But we were only in one half of the crowd.

Overall, the votes took about two or three hours. There were hundreds of polls available, but there were way more people then polls. Me and Dad gave our obvious decisions, and the whole time I wondered how many of those ballets had a check mark by Mom's name...

It only took a little faster to read the ballets then it was to cast them. Within two hours, the winner was determined. Again, we lost ourselves in the flow of the crowd.

"Finally," the President said after the winner was determined, almost having to yell over baby cries and children's wines. "The next Southern Governor is determined! The winner is..." He glanced down at the paper with the winner's name, raising his eyebrows. "V Martinez!"

Most of the crowd cheered as Mom stepped on stage for her victory speech.

-Fang POV-

Our Governor was executed.

Yes, a campaign was being held for a new Governor. No, I wasn't going. My parents and siblings were, but after what happened yesterday, they didn't object when I requested to stay home. I still have the house to myself for about another hour. Did I make the most of it? You could say that.

I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling, just... thinking. What happened yesterday was... unnatural.

First, the Governor being the one to fight. Our old Governor had always had a temper, but never like this. And to take it out on two kids? You could have asked anyone if they thought that might happen. All of them would say no.

Second, the officers. They're supposed to come as soon as a fight is seen on the security cameras. It hasn't happened that often, but they still have the cameras watched with hawk eyes. But they waited until someone had died. That was just - plain spooky.

Max almost died. The thought ran through my mind like a knife. I'm going to have to kill her anyway, should her near death experiance really bug me this much?

I shook my head. No, it shouldn't. She will end up dead anyway. Wouldn't it be easier not to undergo the terror of the Ring and just... be killed without expecting it? In the blink of an eye. Southern Governor died instantly, a painless death.

I wasn't expecting to make her death painful. I kill my Competitiors quickly, so they won't feel it. If they feel pain, it's a mistake. The faster they die, and the less painful it is, the better. I don't like to see pain. On anyone. I'd rather take them out of pain fast then to watch them suffer.

The thought still nagged me: Max almost died. What did I care? It just means less pain and terror for the both of us. So why did I hate that thought?

I closed my eyes tightly. I knew why.

It wasn't because she was 'hot' or had a cute sister, like I would rather it be.

No, this thought sent butterflies to my stomache and made me want to throw up. But it was true.

I was in love with Maximum.

me: I loved this chapter. It was so much fun to write.

Angel: FINALLY! Wow, FA. You love Fax.

me: *smiles* I really do.

Total: She just loves Fax because she's a failer at romance.

me: TOTAL! Alright, it's true. I've never had a boyfriend. But you can still review? Please?