25

A small swell of noise, almost like a hiccup, rises out of the audience and is quickly suppressed. Eyeing you all carefully, Dina gives a solemn nod.

"I, and the Town Council as a whole, recognize that this is not an outcome everybody wanted. I want to assure all of you that, just because we have decided to proceed with the developments, it doesn't mean that we think your concerns are invalid. But thanks to everybody who spoke up, we think we have been made aware of just how careful we will need to be as we go forward. However, it would also be remiss of me not to mention that we wouldn't have come to this decision unless we thought it was the right thing to do. All of us believe that these developments are right for Silvertree—and we hope that we can make that belief a reality soon."

Somewhere behind you, a small chorus of applause erupts once again in spite of Dina's call for quiet. But before it can properly take hold, Dina holds up her hand and waits for the place to settle down.

"Mr. Frank Clarence isn't here in person today, I believe, but I would like to offer my thanks to the representative of Clarence Industries for their patience throughout all of this deliberation. I, and all of us on the Town Council, are looking forward to working with you more closely in the future."

Near the front of the room, a smartly dressed woman you've seen a couple of times before steps forward and raises a hand.

"That representative would be me, Ms. Voche," she says with a cordial smile. "And I know I speak for everyone at our company—our founder included—when I say that we're thrilled to have been given this chance to…"

She talks for a little while about how honored their company has been to have been welcomed into Silvertree with open arms. After a few sentences, however, you start finding it difficult to concentrate on what she's saying. As you watch her easy, untroubled smile, you think to yourself again that it really is strange that Mr. Clarence isn't here in person. These developments were his personal project—something he was more than eager to gush about at last week's meeting. But today, it's like it's barely more than an afterthought, even now that it's confirmed they'll be allowed to continue with the developments. Were they really so unconcerned with winning or losing this town? Is it really such a drop in the bucket to them—or was there never any doubt in their minds that the developments would be going through in the end?

As much as the thought sends a jolt of fear through your insides, you wonder why, if they really were certain from the beginning that the developments would definitely be happening, would they go to all the effort of coming out here to convince the town in person? Was it all just for the sake of appearances? Or was there really a genuine need for them to try and persuade people over to their side in order to win the vote? In which case, why is Mr. Clarence not here himself, making sure that his company can definitely secure such an important business deal?

There's no way you can answer those questions yourself. And now that the vote is over, you're not sure it even matters.

All you know is that the one thing you feel above anything else right now is: