"Lily are you even listening!? Seriously Phillip would you do something, once again she is just completely disregarding me." My mother snapped.
"What do you expect me to do Elizabeth? She's not a child anymore. She is a week away from dethroning you- and has been resisting my commands as alphas for year. How would you expect me to command her to obey? Besides, we have been through this before, she is not intentionally ignoring you. There is literally someone inside her head, she has full conversations between herself and her wolf. Something you are clearly incapable of understanding." I'm able to hear them whisper-shouting at one another, even though I can feel my mother's powers blocking others from hearing. I must be getting stronger day by day if I am so easily able to resist her powers, with out even realizing I am doing so.
"Hmmm?" I didn't even notice they were talking TO me, I stopped paying attention what feels like ages ago. "Oh! Um… Forgive me Mo- uh- Your Highness. Urrr…. What was the question?" I'm so in trouble.
Pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing she responded suspiciously sweet, "Lily, my love, the board is concerned that you would have an unfair advantage holding not only two seats but being speaker of the board. What, pray tell, is your plan to put these fears to rest?" She must want me to give a good impression because even still I can feel the compulsion in the room. She must be blocking this whole exchange from everyone.
Feeling her powers ease, I begin addressing the room "Yes, well. Obviously that is a truly valid concern. Balance of power is crucial to continued forward progress and maintaining civil union between all paranormals" *internal eyeroll* Every time I have practiced this performance it has been cringe worthy. Here goes nothing.
"I would propose that when I assume the throne as vampire queen, Alpha Phillip remain the representative for werewolves until I have mated. And then my mate would take over that role, speaking freely and independently of his own free and sound mind, however he chooses regarding werewolf kind."
"This is an outrage!"
"She can't be trusted!"
"This is a farce!"
Voices yelling from every direction clearly indicate this rehearsed speech is not being received as well as we had hoped. My parents and their team of lawyers have been pouring over founding documents for months, trying to find legal loop holes- any way to guide us moving forward in this impossible decision. But so far there is no clear way to avoid this. The documents never accounted for a female werewolf-vampire hybrid baby who would be both queen and female supreme-alpha, thus leading the board while also holding a seat. Weird.
"Silence!" My mother shouts over the crowd while banging a gavel. Typically these meetings would be private- but being this impacts more than just those represented by the board directly, leaders of all paranormal communities world wide have been invited to observe, and this is being televised. Even human journalists have joined the supernatural reporters to get the scoop. Apparently, I am a big deal.
No one appreciated my initial greeting of "Good morning P-Span." I was met with scoffing, eye rolls, and many other negative remarks. Not a single chuckle. I swear I saw an ogre hold back a smile, though. Am I the only one not allergic to humor here? Or did they just not like the paranormal C-Span reference? Undoubtedly, my mother would have prevented the cameras from retaining that footage.
"Alternatively," Time for plan B. "I could act as werewolf representative only in matters directly related to werewolves, and forfeit my double vote in all other matters- acting solely as the board leader…" Plan A or B doesn't matter anyway, because the end goal is much greater.
"Will she even mate a wolf?" Valid point, since my father did not mate with a wolf and I am a hybrid myself, therefore not guaranteed to mate a wolf as it is.
"What about our representation!!" a werewolf screams.
"Your representations? What about us, we've never had a voice!" I can't even see who said that but kudos to them. Speak your piece buddy! Wooo!
"ORDER! I will have silence in this room!!"
Does she shout like this often? Honestly not looking forward to managing this group of rowdy individuals in the near future.
My mother continued, "All your concerns are valid, and your input is valued here. But please, remain calm. No progress can be made when chaos ensues!"
"Your Highness, if I may?" I say sheepishly.
"The floor is yours Ms. Griffin."
"Thank you. I know there has been a long history of misrepresentation amongst the majority of paranormals. And though I am not yet an expert as you all," gesturing toward the board who look like a row of judgemental pricks staring down at everyone, my parents included… "I am learning quickly through wise counsel and teachings. I have read every document and every law- studying them all in great detail. This week I graduate from Harvard Law and speak as valedictorian, not only in human studies, but paranormal law as well. Surely I am close to an expert in at least reading and understanding the law- if not fulfilling, amending and enacting it, no?" Nods and head shakes across the board, while both of my parents are actively trying to hide the grins I can see slipping on the corners.
"Nowhere is it written that a male hybrid cannot hold two seats, one from each of his heritages. Nowhere is it written there cannot be a female alpha wolf- this was tradition not law. Tradition based on misogyny. And nowhere is it written that an alpha cannot appoint a representative to sit in their place, if they are unable for any reason to hold the seat themselves. So what, truly, is the meaning of this meeting? Why have members from every community been called here today- to debate what should not be debated? To discuss the legitimacy of a person who, if male, would not need be discussed. Is it truly because I am a female alpha, and also to be vampire Queen? Is it because you fear a female holding too much power? Or is it because some members of the board are not pleased that I recently submitted a request to revisit the structure of the board– to have a more inclusive board, where other species of paranormal are represented?"
Murmuring sounds throughout the massive gathering space. Flashes triple and photographers hone in on what I must admit was an epic mix drop. Until this moment my petition has been held as top secret. None of these other paranormals or humans know why they have really been invited here today. The other board members thought they would have a sounding board to support their desire to suppress my claim to my position. But my parents and I had ulterior motives. We knew that sharing this confidential information would stir up some contraversy. It's exactly the kind of chaos we hoped for.
"SILENCE! I WILL HAVE ORDER!" My mother is a genius. She is banging that gavel and shouting as though she were not the mastermind behind this whole thing.
My father speaks up- feigning offense, "Ms. Griffin, do you mean to suggest that this board is either misogynistic or repressive?"
Mumbling and shouting louder than before, so much so I can't even pinpoint any specific statements, but there seem to be both positive and negative reactions to this. Arms are in the air all over the place and people speak quite animatedly.
"I WILL HAVE ORDER IMMEDIATELY!" A wave of compulsions slaps me in the face as the gavel bangs hard enough to crack the sounding block. I wonder if I too will be THAT powerful in a week's time. Probably since I can feel the presence of her power but it is merely a tickle compared to the overwhelming weight it used to feel like.
"Forgive me Alpha Phillip if I have offended the board. But respectfully, yes. That is my accusation. The board must be one if not both to have summoned such an elaborate meeting at the last minute, a mere 6 days before my 21st birthday, where I will be cermoniously coronated into the most powerful seat. If it were truly out of concern for those being represented then why was this not a topic of conversation for the last 21 years since my birth? Why the wait? I fear the board is reacting either in fear of true female power or fear of inclusion, knowing once in power I would open the door to paranormal inclusion and re-write laws and disintegrate traditions that have operated outside of the law for centuries. So respectfully, again, I ask the board- which is it?"
The sounds of screaming board members and my mother's gavel are drowned out by the shouts and cheering of the rest of the crowd. I am blinded by all the camera flashes and my ears ring from the clicking sounds of cameras. Journalists are all but killing each other to get their hands raised highest and foremost to get the first question.
Hopefully all the cameras are pointed at me, otherwise they would see the absolute giddy look on both my parent's faces. If not, surely my mother has thought of that too and prevented this- or maybe she is done caring if people see how proud they are of me. The rest of the board members are absolutely pissed, their faces beet red. They take turns expressing their displeasure for the statements I have made today, and attempt to persuade viewers that this is not true, they neither repressive or oppressive, despite the image I have painted today. They try ahrd, and in my opinion fail, to prove that they have always operated within the best interest of paranormals as a whole. Everyone in the room is either screaming angrily or cheering wildly. Everyone except me and my parents. I sit still and silent, attempting to exude a posture of indignation. Hopefully I am pulling it off, because I can see they are barely holding it together through their pride.