The Structural Silence *COMPLETE* (Book 1 of The Transition of Pinn)

Civics (Chapter 15)

Giddean:

After a few moments their eyes slide to me. Ah, damn my alcohol-fogged brain. "Ah Ivy this is my secretary James"

She plasters a smile on her face and holds out on of her hands. "It's nice to meet you"

James grabs her hand, bends into a bow, and brings her hand up to his lips. "The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Senator"

When her eyes turn back to me, she looks unsure and that is starting to piss me off. Sure I've avoided her since my parents dumped her on me, but I'm not going to hurt her. I don't know how she is going to survive her new life if she a trembling mouse. She's pretty though, I have to give her that. She has wide blue eyes framed by dark brown lashes and a heart shaped face. She is small, but her petite frame has just the right amount of curves. It's taking all my willpower not to stare at her small chest, but it's been too long since I've really looked at a female and I fail. I can see the outline of her perky mounds through her snug dress. Small, but firm. I feel my hand twitch at the need to squeeze and caress them.

I hear a cough. "Alright then, I best get back to work" James mumbles before slipping past Ivy.

I look back at Ivy's face and realize that I haven't made her any more comfortable with my leering. I'm being a creep and I blame the glass in my hand. So I do what anyone else would do, I take a large sip and swing my feet off of my desk and stand.

"What do you want?" I sound more demanding then I meant to, but the sooner she learns I don't want her around the better. It's a kindness I am doing her, otherwise she might get ideas- ideas about us that can't happen.

She frowns and then nods to herself before walking into the room to stand before the desk.

"Am I a prisoner?"

Yes. "No, this is your home now" I reply smoothly.

"Can I go out?"

"Where would you want to go?"

"Anywhere! I've been stuck in here for three days" She waves her hands around to indicate she means the house. In my attempt to ignore her I also forgot that she needed someone to show her around town. Someone needs to show her the safe places to go, sign her up for more integration classes, someone to take her shopping so she has something other than a few hand-me-downs from my mother. That someone should be me. She is my responsibility.

I walk from behind my desk to the door. "Gareth!" I yell into the dark hallway. After a few minutes a large muscular older man in a faded soldier's uniform is standing in front of me.

"Please take Mrs. Senator around town tomorrow at 10 am. Stick to the city center and sign her up for integration classes, oh and take her to the women's hospital for a checkup."

He looks over my shoulder at the woman standing behind me disapprovingly. "Yes sir"

"Good you're dismissed" I say before turning around back to the office and to her.

I see that she is now standing behind my desk examining the map of the city on the wall instead of standing before the desk. Her hair softly falls down her back.

"The free city of Haringshude?" she asks reading city name from its fancy script along the bottom of the map. She turns to me awaiting a reply.

"Yes, we are free from rule by any lord"

"Oh." She says looking back at the map. "Where are we?"

I walk over and stand beside her. The scent of roses permeates my senses. I'm standing too close. Too close, but I'm not interested in moving.

"We are in the City-North district. Here" I point to my district and the move my finger just south on the map. "This is the city center you will see tomorrow"

I look down at her only to see she is studying the map inquisitively. "If the city is free does that mean it's a democracy?"

"Yes"

"Do I get to vote?"

I try to contain my laughter. She doesn't know where she is but she wants to vote. Cute. She doesn't know the first thing about this place, I mean we don't let children vote either and every Pinn child knows more about this city than she does.

"No, only natural born Pinns--"

She frowns a cute little frown and then interrupts "Why?"

"How are you going to vote? You don't know anything about Haringshude. The history, the laws, the politics, nothing." I give her my most condescending look to emphasize my point "You can't make an informed decision."

She nods and says nothing as she continues to look at the map. I'm glad she sees the wisdom in this and isn't going to argue with me. Many females would have argued with me, but I'm glad she is more willing to learn about Pinn before judging it. I'm not unknowledgeable about earth. I know that many places on earth allow women to vote, but this is not earth. Earth doesn't have the problems we do.

She shifts a little closer as she continues to read the map. She is looking at land outside of the city walls. The forest names, the hills, the agricultural district. The scent of roses is overwhelming.

Too caught up in looking at the map, her elbow brushes against me slightly, "Oh sorry!"

My arms move to go around her and I have to stop myself at the last minute. In my drunken state I almost grabbed her, a stranger, a woman. She feels too close. I don't want her close and she needs to go away. I don't want to do this again- I can't do this again.

I take a step back. "If you don't mind, I have work to do"

She turns and takes a step back herself eyeing my drinking perpetrating on the table before looking back at me. She purses her pink lips "Of course, thank you"

She turns and walks around the desk and to the door before disappearing into the hall behind it. I feel relief at her absence, its better this way. Better for me, better for her.