Beginning again

After security tackled Chan to the ground, they were finally able to get on with the speech.

The mayor stepped out to the podium. beginning

Her calm gaze sweeping across the people she met in this town. People she's known her whole life, people who rely on her to provide.

She took a glance at the class in front of her and couldn't avoid the thought that came from it.

'People... that I'm sending to die.'

She shoved the thought aside as she tried to focus on the task rather than her guilt. And she spoke.

"Citizens of the Greenvale shelter! Thank you all for coming to this most important of ceremonies, and thank you to all our examinees for participating!"

The crowd cheered uproariously. She tried not to frown as she saw a few not participating.

"Today we have the graduating class of this new year taking the exam. The exam that dictates whether they will leave the shelter, or stay behind another year."

She swallowed the bile that struggled to rise at the end of the sentence.

"Those that fail will spend the remained of their days within the shelter unless they decide to retake their education."

She tensed for a second before biting the bullet.

"Those that pass will need to spend a minimum of ten years outside."

Numerous gasps sounded out. A nervous murmur rippled through the crowd.

'Come on, seriously?. We do this literally every year.'

"Today is the day in which we send our sons and daughters out to face the world. A world filled with cruelty, with giants, and death."

"We send them to do what we cannot, for they have the best chance to go out into that world and survive. We send them so those that come back, come back stronger."

She paused in her speech and gave a determined look at the crowd.

"And send them we must, for without them we have nothing! They hold in their hands the future, a future many of us won't live to see. A future with wealth, safety, and the opportunity to better ourselves each and every day!"

The crowd cheered once more, invigorated by the words as much as the atmosphere.

She turned her head, her gaze sweeping through the crowd. It seemed as if she was addressing every single one of the people there. There was a slight smile on her face, and slowly, deliberately, moved her mouth towards the mike and spoke.

"WHAT ARE YOU CHEERING ABOUT!"

Instantly all noise stopped within the area. The audience was taken aback at her outburst.

"Don't you get it, people! We are fighting a war!"

She slammed her fist into the podium.

"We aren't fighting against a country, a clan, race, or any of that! We are fighting a war on existence itself! How much time has it been since we lost, since THEY found us? How many times have we been forced to hide away scavenging for food to survive? How many times have we been hunted for sport, or as a commodity?"

She sighed and gave a weary stare to her audience.

"I know that many of you have been through terrible, unspeakable things. Some of you came from labs."

A few discolored, or disabled fey shifted in the audience.

"Some of you ran."

A number of fey flinched at the statement.

"And some of you weren't even recognized as the intelligent beings you know that you are."

Those openly cried at the sentence.

"We all have lost loved ones..."

She remembered all the times she's done this before. The memories of all those young people flashing by. Year after year, death after death...

But she looks at this year and, with a shake of her head, she returns to the determined look she started with.

"But ALL is not lost!"

The crowd is shaken out of their reverie and look at the mayor.

"Regardless of the loss, we are not lost. We are still here! With ourselves and with each other! We stood fast against everything the world threw at us and we survived. And we will continue to survive for as long as it takes. The future that I mentioned does exist, and it will exist as long as we keep trying!"

"That is why we do this! And this is why we have this exam! We just have to take it!"

She clenches her fist to show her point.

"I know some of you aren't enthused at the thought of this test, but please. We need this, we really do. So, Greenvale... ARE YOU WITH ME!?"

She raises both arms in the air while secretly hoping that they clap.

And clap they did, the entire town was in an uproar. The very ground shook with the force of their cheers.

After waiting for the noise to quiet down, she went ahead and announced.

"Then without further adieu... LET THE TEST COMMENCE!"

From up above, a large orb started glowing with bright light. It hummed with power as the light grew. Suddenly a flash burst forth blinding everything for a split second. But when it finished all of the students were gone.