by Bobby Buck
Mystery:
Locked Room :
The Voting
Bobby Buck
2
Copyright © 2016 Bobby Buck
All rights reserved.
Table Of Content
Copyright
Summary
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter3
Free Book
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Copyright 2016
All Right Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Summary
There are so many possible outcomes because of tomorrow's voting. If he gets chosen they are absolutely going to have End changed to become completely technologically dependent. If she gets chosen she is not sure, she'll be able to stop the aristocrats from winning and having End demolished completely. She might have a chance to speak with the Emperor. She have met him once before, but she didn't speak with him. They said polite hellos and they didn't speak anymore. She was fine with it at the time. She was ten and extremely shy. But now her home depends on her being capable of speaking clearly and having a clear idea of what needs to be done to keep End safe. Oh, she knows. Tonight she will write what she wants for End. And she will come up with a plan on how to achieve that goal. She can present it to the Emperor, Voice or not. He is kind and wants to know how everyone thinks, not just the Voice. The Voice speaks for everyone, but not everyone can be heard.
THE VOTING Chapter1
"Mama, I'm home." I close the door behind me.
The storm has died down outside. It took three hours before we were allowed to leave. During that time everyone was talking about how different my point of view is from Lance's. I think we should fight to keep End as it is; he thinks we should give up and take the easy way out. I better win this; I don't want to live in a world where technology means everything.
"Honey... I will vote for you." I hear her say from the living room. I hang up my coat, smiling a bit.
"Mama, I know you will. I'm hungry, aren't you? Would you like some tea while I-..." I walk into the living room; Lance is sitting there in my house, sipping tea. He looks like he lives here.
"Hello, Louisa." He smiles at me, but I can see how confident, smug, he is about winning.
"Louise. What are you doing here?" I take a few steps to my mother. She's still lying on the couch, where I left her. She looks as white as a sheet of paper. I kneel down and I touch her forehead, no fever.
"Actually, my name is Lance. But that is beside the point. I am here visiting your ill mother. I think it only right for the new Voice to know everyone's needs in End." He smiles and sips on our tea from our cup.
"My mother is deathly ill. She is getting the best care she can right now. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I stand up and I glare at him.
"Oh? I thought we got along rather well at the meeting. Well, that's fine." He sets the cup down and stands up. "You are quite lovely though. It's a shame we have to be rivals for such an important role. Perhaps if you lose you'd still like to accompany me to Whit." Lance smirks. If he's trying to charm me it's not working.
"No. Leave. Now."
"All right. It was just a suggestion. I will see you tomorrow evening, Louisa." He bows and walks through my house to my front door. I hear it open then close.
"How long was he here?" I turn to my mother, I feel like our entire house has been violated by his presence.
"Not... long... perhaps fifteen minutes?" She relaxes and closes her eyes. "Tea... please."
"I will bring you something to snack on as well. Anything in particular you want?" I pick up Lance's cup, sorely tempted to toss it outside. Or at his head.
"No." She needs something to eat right now.
I bring the cup into the kitchen and I set it in the sink for now. I take the cup of tea out of the fridge and I heat it up, for myself. I make a brand new cup for mama. How did he get in here? She isn't well enough to open the door on her own. Did Lance just walk in here?
I arrange a plate of crackers, cookies, and two slices of toast with butter and honey on them. I bring out the new, hot cup of tea to the living room and I set it down on the coffee table. I bring a cracker to her lips. They part and she nibbles on the cracker. Slowly her hand takes over the duty of holding it.
"How did he get in?"
"... I thought... you let him in, honey..." She pulled the cracker away so she could speak, she nibbles on it again when she finishes speaking.
"Why would I have done that?" I stand up and walk over to the projector. I turn it on and I change the channel to a food channel, background noise and something to make mama hungry.
"I... I don't know... he looked handsome..."
"Mama!" I blush a bit as I turn to her sharply, "No! He's a jerk! I don't want him anywhere near me!"
She smiles at my words and finishes the cracker. She sits up and picks up the cup of tea and sips on it. I head back into the kitchen; my ears feel like they caught fire. Me, inviting him inside my house because he is handsome? That isn't enough to make me invite anyone inside.
I make a quick spaghetti dinner, Alfredo sauce for mama while I make a tomato sauce with meatballs for myself. My mind is running a hundred-sixty kilometres a second. There are so many possible outcomes because of tomorrow's voting. If he gets chosen we are absolutely going to have End changed to become completely technologically dependent. If I get chosen I'm not sure I'll be able to stop the aristocrats from winning and having End demolished completely.
Chapter2
I might have a chance to speak with the Emperor. I have met him once before, but I didn't speak with him. We said polite hellos and we didn't speak anymore. I was fine with it at the time. I was ten and extremely shy. But now my home depends on me being capable of speaking clearly and having a clear idea of what needs to be done to keep End safe.
Oh, I know. Tonight I will write what I want for End. And I will come up with a plan on how to achieve that goal. I can present it to the Emperor, Voice or not. He is kind and wants to know how everyone thinks, not just the Voice. The Voice speaks for everyone, but not everyone can be heard.
"Lady." I hear my mother call for me.
"One moment." I plate the food and turn the stove off. I bring them into the living room and I set them down, "What do you need?"
"A kitten."
I stare at her. Then she points at the wall, smiling. I turn my head and I watch the commercial about cat food, smiling myself. They are adorable. But they need just as much care and attention as a dog. Well, they did develop a litter box that does clean itself. And there are food dispensers as well but that gets expensive after a while.
"I don't know. They are adorable but it's going to get extremely expensive very fast. I don't think we have the funds for have one." I look at her. She looks disappointed. I don't like it when she looks disappointed. "... I will talk to our accountant tomorrow."
"Yay." She cheers up quickly. She takes her plate, crushes the rest of the crackers over her sauce and noodles, and then she starts eating. I have such a strange mama.
A kitten
would be nice. It would cheer up the house and it would keep Mother Company while I am gone. Mama can do everything I can, just not all the time. I should probably get a smart kitten if we can. I could set up an emergency button it could press that would send for help. I'm not particularly smart about making those sorts of things though.
"Why do you suddenly want a kitten?" I stir my noodles around.
"I've always wanted one but my parents were allergic. And your father was allergic. I don't think you are..." Her mood drops. The air changes, filled with heartbreak and the knowledge neither of us will ever see grandfather again.
"... I will do my best to get you the kitten. Do you want a boy or a girl?" I smile a bit, trying to lift the mood again.
"Either will work." She smiles a bit but it's quickly lost again to her bleak thoughts.
We eat silently, listening to the cooking show, thinking about the man we lost today. I'm still wondering who would have put that bomb there. Why. I don't understand, he was an old man. He... he was going to die soon anyway.
"Lady, Violette?" I hear the front door open. It sounds like Favian.
"Come in." I stand up, "Do you want anything to eat, Favian?"
"No..." I hear him taking his coat off. Then his shoes. I watch him come into the living room. He walks over to me and hugs me tightly.
"I'm sorry, Lady." Tears well up in my eyes and I choke back a sob.
"I... I'm sorry... too." I sniffle as I hug him back. I feel like I'm going to break down again.
"Violette..." He sets me down on the floor then he walks over to my mother. He sits down and lets her lean on him. He hugs her gently and strokes her greying hair.
"Favian... who did it?"
"We don't know. We have no idea how to find out either. I'm so sorry, Violette."
"He... Favian... h-he..." My mother starts shaking in his arms.
"I know. I'm so... so sorry, Violette." He hugs her more tightly as I watch my mother break down in his arms. I suppose it finally hit her.
Grandfather is dead. He is not coming back.
I lead Favian to my room. My mother passed out from sobbing as hard as she did. He helped me clean up in silence, there wasn't much to say. And we didn't want to wake her and bring her back to this miserable time. I close my door after he walks in and he looks around, not really interested in the many things he has already seen a dozen times over.
"Do you think Lance will win?" I don't want to know what he thinks. I want him to lie and say 'no'.
"... I think he has a good chance of winning, and you do too. I believe it will be a close call. Perhaps one vote will tip the scale in either favour." He tries to smile but he doesn't have the power to make it look real.
"Will you vote?"
"I will. And I will vote for you, Lady." He takes a few steps towards me and places his hands on my shoulders. He's about 16 centimetres taller than me; it causes me to look up at him no matter how far apart we are.
"Favian..." Tears fill my eyes, "Why him? Why did it have to be my grandfather? Did he do anything bad? Was he stealing or lying?" My heart feels like it's going to burst.
"NO." His voice is firm, he understands what I'm thinking and feeling. "No, he wouldn't do that to you or this county. Listen to me, Lady, he did nothing bad. Ever. Trust me. I know him, you know him. If he had done something like that he wouldn't have been our Voice any longer. He was good and kind and generous. Just like I know you will be."
He places his finger under my chin and forces me to look at him.
"Lady, I trust you. I trust that you knew your grandfather better than he knew himself. I trust that you will follow in his footsteps and help End the way it needs to be helped. I know you. I know that you loved your grandfather. If there is one way I do not want you to follow him... it's to his grave. I don't want you to die as well." Fat tears roll down my cheeks. I hug him tightly.
"W-will this pain... s-stop?"
"Not any time soon." I feel his arms wrap around me. "He would never do anything bad. You know that." I nod against his chest and sob even harder than I did before.
Favian brings me over to my bed and sits down with me. He pulls me onto his lap and he cradles me. He strokes my hair and rocks me while I cry. He doesn't say anything, just letting me sob and ruin his shirt.
After quite some time I calm down and fall silent. I cling to his shirt, damp in some places from my tears, dirty in others because of my nose. I stare at my desk, feeling hollow once again. He stopped rocking and is just stroking my blonde hair.
"Favian?"
"Mm?"
"Did you cry too?"
"I wept for the loss of my dearest friend. I wept for the loss of our greatest Voice. I did cry."
"Why aren't you crying anymore?" I lift my head and turn it up so I can see him.
"Because I know you are in greater pain than I am. You and your mother. You lost someone deeply important to you. I have no right to weep when my pain is artificial compared to yours." His gray eyes are filled with hurt. I lean up and kiss his cheek.
"No. You are in pain just like we are. He was deeply important to you too. You can weep for as long as you want to." I smile a bit. It feels strange giving someone permission to cry.
"... Thank you." He hugs me tightly, hiding his face behind my head. I hear and feel him kiss the back of my head, "You are kind, Lady."
"As are you, Favian." I close my eyes.
Mama has been feeling worse today. She voted, easily, the moment she could, but she's been rather delirious all morning. She has contracted a fever from I don't know where and I've been giving her herbs that should be helping much faster than they are. Maybe it's something else. I want to bring her to the doctor but she keeps saying 'no'.
I don't know what else to do. I can't force her, as much as I would like to, to go see Dr. Wilhelm. I would ask him to come here but last I heard he was in Whit trying to help someone with surgery. I don't know what I'm going to do if I become the Voice and I can't watch over her.
I asked Favian if he could do it but he told me he would be leaving with whoever won to Whit, hopefully it would be me. I want to ask Mrs. Beth but she doesn't usually get along that great with my mother. I've been trying to think of someone who could take care of my mother for me but I just don't know anyone else who I would trust. If I were to win I'm tempted to decline and let Lance do it, but if I do that all of End is in trouble.
"Augh!" I toss my pillow across the room.
Chapter3
I can't think clearly. Everything seems to have a negative effect on my life! I could possibly lose my mother due to poor care or we could be sent to Goms because Lance would agree with the aristocrats and she would die there too! There must be a way to do this right, where she wouldn't have to die. That and she would be disappointed if I were to give up the role of Voice just for her. Happy but disappointed.
My tablet rings on my desk. I stand up and walk over to it. I jab at the 'answer' button on the screen. It lights up and I see Favian's face. I frown and sigh, ready to scream.
"I see you are no closer to deciding what to do about Violette."
"What can I do!? There is no one I trust more than you to take care of her!" I cross my arms and look away.
"You will just have to do whatever is best. I need you to come to Zuse. Every vote is almost in."
"But you said evening."
"Yes, and everyone is voting much faster than I thought they would. Hurry over." The screen goes black as he ends the call.
"You hurry over!" I pause. I'm talking to a blank screen and it didn't even make sense.
I sigh and look through my closet. Why didn't I notice before how little-girl like my clothes are? I need something more adult. I guess a white blouse and black pants would work. Sounds and looks really boring though. I frown and pull out the hanging pants and shirt. I look at my mirror and hold them in front of my body.
"This looks dreadful." I toss them aside and try to find clothes much more suited to this
occasion. "Too bright, too many words, too small, too childish. Oh. This works."
I pull down a knitted dark green sweater with two braids going down. One on my left side the other on my right. This doesn't look too bad. Dark jeans would work with it too. Yeah. That would be fine. I pull on my 'adult' clothing and I head downstairs.
"Mama, I need to go. I will be back as soon as I can." I walk over to her and I kneel next to her.
"I know... good luck..." She smiles a bit but then she closes her eyes tightly. She's trying not to heave.
"Oh... Mama... Why did you have to get ill today?" I move her hair from her face. I wash some of the sweat off her face too with a damp cloth.
"Guess... I'm... nervous?" She tries to speak but I can tell it doesn't help.
"Get better while I'm gone." I kiss her forehead and move the bucket closer. I stand up and take a few steps back.
"Lady Luck." She smiles a bit again.
"I love you. I love you more than you will ever know, mama." I smile and start walking to the front door.
I change direction at the last moment and go into the kitchen. I make a cup of tea, more herbal with a lot less sweetness. I bring it out to her and I set it down along with a glass of orange juice. I smile and leave her be, hoping that the fluids will help.
I pull on my boots then my coat and then my gloves. I open the door and walk out into the winter wonderland. It even smells freezing. I love this time of year. Except when it's trying to freeze some part of me off. Usually my nose.
I frown and head to the Zuse. My grandfather... is dead. And my mother is dying and might be dying right now and I really wish I could just stay home with her but I can't because I need to see who won and if I won I need to make someone, probably Mrs. Beth, go to my house and watch over my mother for me because I wouldn't be able to because I'll be heading to Whit to see the Emperor because I would be the new Voice and- Oh my God I could be the new Voice.