Madam President - Excerpt Ch 1

Act 1
Chapter 1

Staring at her face in the mirror, Viki rubbed her fingertip over the creases at the corner of her eye. “Wrinkles already?” Sighing, she leaned back again. “That’s not going to look good for the cameras...”

“Are you ready?”

Turning away from the bathroom mirror, Viki called back. “Coming!”

“Hurry! The reporters won’t wait.”

Pulling open the door, Viki started at Leofric. “I know. I just want to make sure I look okay.”

“Fine,” Leofric said, “But punctuality is very important.”

Simply nodding, Viki walked into the hallway. Leofric was at her side while Rurik walked behind them. The path led them through the main floor of the television studio. With each step, Viki’s heart took a quicker beat. She felt like she was going out of her body as they stepped onto the stage.

The anchorwoman smiled at Leofric and Viki as they took their seats across from her. “And we’re here with the politician Leofric Savion to talk about his campaign. How’s it going Mr. Savion?”

“Well,” Leofric replied. Smiling at her continued, “And I have some surprising news for the viewers.”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” Leofric said. “My aide Varaviksne Johnson will be taking my place as the presidential candidate.”

All talk stopped, both on the stage and behind the cameras. It took a few moments before the anchorwoman said, “So you’re retiring?”

“I’m stepping aside for a better candidate,” Leofric replied.

“But the campaign has already started. It’s April in the year before the election. This is so sudden.”

“I know it is. I hope they will forgive us.” Placing his hand on Viki’s, Leofric continued, “But I don’t think it’ll be such a bad thing for everyone. Viki holds the same values I do.”

“Do you?” The anchorwoman turned her eyes to Viki. “Tell us about yourself, Viki.”

“I was born here in Givon, but I was sent to an orphanage just across the border. When I turned eighteen I came back.” Viki smiled at the reporter. “I want to make sure that everyone has the freedoms that they deserve.”

“And what is that?”

“Life...and the right to love who you want. Marriage is something that can’t be regulated. The government shouldn’t dictate who you love.”

“That’s a bold statement.”

“I just want to be clear about where I stand. Honesty is important to me.”

“That’s good to know.” Smiling at Viki, the anchorwoman turned to the camera. “Your new candidate is Viki Johnson. We’ll talk with her again in a few weeks, keep turned for the schedule. Now we go to Marcus Brody for sports.”

“And you’re done,” the producer said.

Leofric stood. “Come on Viki; let’s get off of the stage.”

“Okay,” Viki replied, standing. She smiled at the anchorwoman. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” the reporter replied. Waving her hand, she asked, “Keep in touch, okay?”

“I will,” Viki said then followed Leofric off of the stage.

As they walked through the group, Leofric said, “Now that you’ve been exposed, you’ll need a bodyguard of your own.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Yes, they’ll come after you with everything they’ve got, honorable or not.”

Frowning, Viki shook her head. “I can’t think of anything damaging.”

“Then they’ll make it up.”

“They can’t do that.”

“They can and will.” Leofric watched Viki closely. “Even the smallest thing can be blown out of proportion.”

“Is that why you’re retiring?”

“It’s best if I’m not too close to you.”

Frowning, Viki said, “I’ll miss you.”

“We’ll keep in touch.” Smiling, Leofric patted her shoulder. “Besides, I’m only a phone call away.”

Viki’s frown faded. Chuckling, she shook her head. “That’s right. So what are we doing now?”

“If you’re up to it, I’d like to visit the coffee shop next-door. The press will find us and ask questions. You don’t have to come.”

Viki shook her head again. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll make the arrangements.” Rurik pulled his cell phone out. He dialed the café. After a brief chat with the owner, he tucked it back into his jacket pocket. “We’ve got a table waiting for us.”

“Thank you, Rurik,” Leofric said. He walked through the news building with the bodyguard behind him and Viki. At the door Leofric waited for Rurik to take the lead. Then Leofric slipped ahead of him with Viki when they arrived at the café.

Glancing around, Viki made her way to the table set aside for them. It was far enough back that they could be secluded, yet still accessible. There was enough room for the trio to escape if they needed too.

Leofric took his seat. Gesturing to the seats on either side of him, he waited for Viki and Rurik to sit. “I think I’ll just have some coffee and donut holes.”

“That sounds nice,” Viki said, “But I’ll have milk rather than coffee.”

“I’ll pay,” Rurik said. He ordered for them, abstaining himself from the temptation of a meal.

“Thank you,” Leofric said. He picked up his coffee mug. Glancing over the top of it, he murmured, “Here they come.”

Blinking, Viki turned her gaze to the windows. “Who?”

“You know who,” Rurik replied.

“Don’t show fear,” Leofric said, sipping the liquid. “You have to pretend to be strong, even if you don’t feel like it.”

Nodding faintly, Viki watched the news people swarm around the window. Swallowing deeply, she waited for them to spill inside. The glass of milk gave Viki a distraction. Taking a quick gulp, she steeled herself as she watched the news people burst inside.

“Leofric!” One newsman called out.

Another called out, “Viki!”

“Is it true?” A newswoman called out.

Back and forth, the news people called out, “Are you retiring, Leofric?”

“Viki you’re taking over his legacy?”

Lifting his hand, Leofric said, “Please, one at a time. We will answer you the best that we can.”

“So is it true?”

Leofric chuckled. “Yes, I am retiring.”

“And I’m going to take over the presidential campaign,” Viki said.

Nodding, Leofric said, “She is my heir in this fight.”

A newsman asked, “So you don’t deny that you’re President Argoel’s enemy?”

“Enemy is a strong term,” Leofric said. Frowning, he shook his head. “I prefer to think of it as the other side of the conversation. We have differing opinions, but we both want the best for Givon.”

“You still are against him.”

“I’m against many of his policies.”

“You’re against him.”

Sighing, Leofric lifted his cup of coffee. “I’ve answered that question many times. My stance is clear. Please, I’m not going to repeat myself again.” He sipped his coffee.

The news people focused on Viki then. “What about you?”

“What do you believe?”

“Are you, Viki, going to bring down the government?”

“You can change the world without destroying it,” Viki replied.

“Is that what you’re going to do?”

Viki clasped both hands around her milk glass. “I don’t like the way things are currently, so I’m going to change it.” She turned her gaze into the nearest camera. “Aren’t you tired of living in fear? I’m bringing hope. We can do more than just survive. I want Givon to thrive. Don’t you?”

The entire room went silent. Then slowly, applause went through the café. If that was any indication of what was happening on the other side of the live television broadcast Viki had a chance to win. As quickly as they appeared, the news people disappeared.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Viki sipped her milk. Then she put the glass down. “Did I do okay?”

“Better than I could have hoped,” replied Leofric. He chuckled. “You did that completely on your own. I’m glad my faith in you has given such results already.”

Ducking her head, Viki mumbled, “I just said what I felt.”  

“And you did it well.” Rurik nodded. “Now you’re going to be in big trouble, though.” He took out his phone. “We’ve got to get you a bodyguard.” Glancing around, he looked at the various patrons. “Now would be a good time to go...”

“I agree,” Leofric said, standing. “We should go back to the office for this.”

“Okay,” Viki picked up a donut hole from the plate. As they walked out, she popped it into her mouth.

As they left, Rurik kept an eye out for any surprises. He took out his cell phone. It wasn’t safe to walk the streets, so he phoned a trusted transport company. When the car arrived he took the front seat.

Happily the ride was a quiet one. The trio went up into the building they used as their base. Once they were inside, Rurik stood just inside of the office on his phone. Leofric had Viki sit at her assistant’s desk.

“As I said, I’m retiring.”

“So you keep saying,” Viki chuckled faintly.

Smiling down at her, Leofric nodded. “Officially the race starts in February. I’ll be out of the way in January. You’ll be the only one in contention then.”

“That’s so soon.”

“It’ll come faster than you expect, yes, but I believe in you.”

Nodding, Viki murmured, “Year twelve of the Second Age...”

“Exactly.” Leofric nodded again. “You should write down everything you want to do. My influence can only go so far. You’ve started to stand on your own, but you have to be standing straight for this. It can’t look like you’re my puppet.”

“I know.” Viki sighed softly. “I’ll get right to it.”

“Good. Now I’ll leave you alone.” Turning away, Leofric walked to Rurik’s side.

“I feel like I’m in school.”

Leofric laughed at Viki’s comment. He talked to Rurik, though. Quietly the two conspired on whom to select for her bodyguard. There weren’t many candidates, due to their position. That wouldn’t stop either of them, however. Arrangements were made as the new phase went into place.

Though Viki was busy, she managed to keep in touch with her friends. Because of the distance between the cities she didn’t get to see them. Along with the good news exchanged Viki found out that Lieu and Roy had their first child, a girl named Jodelle, earlier in the month. It had been a surprise, even though they had been trying for over a year. With e-mails and phone calls she told as many people as she could about her new position. Many of them saw the news broadcast before, however. Any nerves were calmed by her insistence that she was fine. Everything was looking up for their generation.