91. Now It's Time

91. Now It's Time
Cindy

Who knew that it would be so close all this time? 

The dome towered over most of the official buildings on this side of the city. One-sided glass blocked me from seeing anything inside. With a parking lot wide enough to host a football game and a garden too beautiful to be this close to the highway, it was majestic. 

As we drew closer to it, I gulped. All of a sudden, it felt too real. Inside there would be shifters high up the political ladder waiting to look down on us and judge our flaws. I knew that Roger Bryce’s crimes were serious, but would they even believe us over one of their own?

I didn’t even realize that we pulled into the parking lot until Glen caressed my shoulder.

Guess this is it.

We walked across the parking lot in our most presentable outfits. Reiss marched forward in a green suit that matched the color of his eyes. Even Antonio had taken to wearing a fully black suit with his sunglasses, a suitable fedora casting a shadow over them.

I didn’t have anything corporate-y so I had to borrow one of Reiss’ suits, which happened to be a dark gray one. It shouldn’t have fit but with a little help from Antonio, it was adjusted to my size. He even turned the shoes I wore to the dance to black. Glen was the only one in casual clothing.

Reiss was the one who marched up to the man guarding the glass doors. 

“Name?” The guard asked.

Reiss introduced us by our names as well as our species. The guard nodded in acknowledgement. “And who are you here to see?”

“The Council. We have a meeting that’s supposed to start in an hour.”

The guard, whose name tag said “J. Smith”, tapped a device attached to his ear and spoke to someone, informing them of our identity and asking for verification. After a while, he pressed a button on the side of the entrance and the doors slid open, allowing us to enter.

As we walked inside, I immediately straightened my posture. The ceiling was almost as high as the exterior portrayed. Flags from every nation a member of the Union, a system where shifters assist each other no matter how far apart they are, hung from every wall, a decent distance separating them. 

Although the interior was painted a stark white, I walked by several glass walls that gave me a peek into what’s taking place on the other side. 

One of the rooms seemed to have some kind of meeting taking place. Another had cubicles stretching as far as I could see. Workers sat with telephones pressed to their ears.

We continued until we turned the corner and came to a sitting area. The seats were placed in a large circle, couches as white as the walls. The brown carpet below them and the standing golden lamps were the only pop of color we could see. 

From the nearest couch Alpha Colt stood up and approached us. The first person he came up to was Reiss. 

They stood only a foot apart. Just like everyone else here, he was dressed professionally. 

He held out his hand. Reiss shook it. The two of them nodded, coming to an understanding that they were not the ones who their hate should be targeted toward. Colt then turned to Glen and tossed him a small bag. “The bathroom is over there, get changed. You can’t see the Council looking like that,” he said. 

After Glen left, we chose our seats. Alpha Colt had his brows furrowed as if he was thinking about something. Then he looked at me.

“I trust you’re alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I replied.

“No matter what they say in there,” he motioned behind him, “or what happens in the future, I want you to know that you have my full support.”

I gave him a short smile. “Thank you, Alpha Colt. That means a lot.”

Reiss held my hand, squeezing it. Antonio saw this and smiled.

Fifteen minutes passed, then an hour. I checked the antique clock chiming to my right. It had almost been two hours when someone approached us with a tablet in hand. 

“Alpha Riess and Alpha Colt?” She looked around. 

Reiss leaned closer to whisper in my ear. “It’s time.”

The friendly woman requested for us to follow her. She led us to large dark doors that almost stretched to the ceiling. She spun on her heel.

“Just a few things to note before I let you in,” she said with her cheery voice. “When one of the councilmen is speaking, please don’t interrupt. If one asks you a question, no one else can speak for you. You are allowed to speak up one after the other during a presentation, but please remain coherent. And most importantly, please refer to the councilmen by their last names. These rules are put in place to ensure that both sides are treated with the utmost respect. Are there any questions?”

Glen spoke up. “What would be the punishment if we were to break any of those rules? It’s not like we’re here to start trouble, but I prefer to be aware.”

“You don’t want to know.”

Glen frowned. He tilted his head. “Why not?”

“Trust me.”

The door opened, stopping Glen before he could ask another question.

The jittering nerves caused me to reach for the hand closest to me, which turned out to be Antonio’s. He squeezed my hand tightly. “We’ll be okay,” he whispered into my ear. I could only hope that he was right.