Under the Surface (On Hold)

5: Confusion

Confusion can be defined as a state of bewilderment. One's mind becomes unclear about either a specific topic or a variety of subjects. One may start to feel lost when in this state of mind.

***

As the girls got back to Liz's home, they had very little to say. They had no clue what to make of the President banning them from her own office. Bryanna had not said much to upset her, just the fact that they'd been trespassing. The girls understood that of course; this was a very bad act to do, but also understood that the President dealt with murderers and people committing acts of treason. Trespassing hardly even made a dent in those.

The two were sick with unvoiced concern. They now felt even more alone in this journey through their new world of reality and truth.

"Liz... Elizabeth..." Bryanna's voice broke. "I'm really scared." She was sitting down on the floor in Liz's room. "This is the President of the United States that's mad at us. She can do anything to us. She makes people disappear..." Her voice slowly trailed away from her.

As much as Liz wanted to say she'd advised Bryanna to stay away from meeting with the President, she kept the I-told-you-so's to herself and brought her closest friend into a tight embrace. After all, she was frightened too. She was just as guilty; she'd been there at GRFS and at the President's meeting. Seeing Bryanna so scared, the girl of steel, brought on an entirely new level of fear.

The girls beat on like this. They had expectations of big men in suits marching in and taking them for something they didn't know about any minute. Their moms and dads would sob and their siblings would look around dazed at the scary guards.

After a couple hours, still worried, one eventually broke the silence. "What if President Sam is in on it? Didn't Phoebe mention how the President had worked with a team looking for the solution to winning the war?" asked Liz, taking Bryanna's usual job as the realist.

Bryanna was slow to respond. "Never. She's just so great. She would never. She's done so much good for this nation in this time. She's the greatest of The Matriarchy. No." She violently shook her head, not even wanting to consider the theory.

"You need to open your mind. Not everyone is a good person. She may have done other great things, but she might have done this too. Hell, I'm sure a lot would think this is a great thing, too."

Bryanna frowned. "But I'm sure there will be plenty who won't. They just don't know it yet; they need to know." She sat in deep thought. "What if... what if we made them know!" She stood up briskly, in an extreme moment of intellectual idea.

Liz caught on quickly. "If the people knew, then they could revolt! If they got just mad enough."

"I'm sure the pure thought of what is happening will give them enough vigor to enrage the people. Except I'm torn... go against the President? It would feel so wrong. I have looked up to her so much in my life for everything she has done for America. We don't even know if she's a part of this." Bryanna still did not want to accept that President Sam may have been a part of the entire scheme from the beginning.

"It might have to be done." Liz's muscles had slowly been losing their tense feelings from their hours on edge. A lighter mood was entering the room. "For all we know, she might have her cronies march in any minute to take us away." She tried to smile but failed to look convincing. She really had no hope in trying to cheer up her friend at all. As she hunched back on the bed and laid down on top of the sheets, her arms outstretched like an airplane. "Maybe prison for life will be fun."