“Okay so that didn’t work,” he paused for a ripple of awkward laughter. “New plan: if you would like to be considered for the leadership council, please make an orderly line to the right of the stage and we’ll get you up one by one to say your bit.”
“How will we choose?” A voice shouted from the middle of the crowd, asking the big question on everyone’s minds.
“I think taking a physical vote might be too lengthy of a process,” Jamie answered, considering his options as he spoke. “If everyone agrees it is fair enough, perhaps a show of hands or an audible cheer is the best option?”
“What do you think?” Jessie spoke to her husband, keeping her voice low as to not be overheard by anyone else. She wondered how this would work, the immediate lack of control when power was returned to the masses just moments before showing how fragile this meeting and their entire situation was.
“I think this is going to be a long night,” Art replied. “But Jamie is doing a great job. He’ll figure it out.”
Jessie nodded, agreeing with her husband. That was at least one position – along with perhaps Martha – that was already decided on the leadership council. Jamie would be a firm hand to guide everyone with and a rational voice to think through the problems; he cared about their home above everything else and that would always remain his priority. With him in control, everyone at least knew they would never be forgotten about.
The meeting continued in the way Jamie had suggested. Those who didn’t want to be considered for the council remained in their seats while one by one, men and women of varying ages and professions took to the stage to declare why they deemed themselves a good fit for leadership.
There were several natural choices among them; doctors and teachers, former politicians and engineers who could help with the big and immediate problems. Then there were people who would’ve otherwise never been given such an opportunity, people from normal walks of life who simply believed they carried leadership characteristics, or wanted to give something back to the island and its residents. In total nearly thirty people took to the stage and gave their speeches, all gathering in a group to one side once they were finished to await the decision.
Jessie listened carefully to each and every one of them, trying to make notes in her head and wishing she had a pen and paper. She made herself remember exactly what each of them did, believing it was important that they had a varying set of professions on the leadership council so that every factor was considered when working to maintain the island.
The sun had almost set by the time everything was finished, but after several hours, the remaining residents of Kauai had finally come to a decision. Thirteen men and women remained on the stage; an odd number agreed upon so that a majority decision could always be achieved. Jamie and Martha were among them, completing the new leadership council of Kauai, a decision which had miraculously been achieved with very little upset.
Everyone was happy – even those who had nominated themselves and not been chosen. The council was elected to put the health, safety and longevity of the island and its residents first and as Jessie looked at the thirteen people who stood on the stage in front of her, she knew they would all do their utmost to make that happen. Disaster may have struck their small community, but by working together they could overcome the odds and get through the foreseeable future together. For the first time since the crash, Jessie found herself looking forward to what was to come and actually feeling good about it.
Chapter 6
Standing at Cassie’s bedside, Samuel couldn’t believe what was happening as the ward around him collapsed into darkness once more. People were still visible in their beds, those able to move looking around in confusion as the machinery stopped beeping and voices started to rise again. The scent of panic was fresh in the air, everyone very aware of how dangerous a sustained lack of power could be to the hospital.
“What is happening?” Cassie asked in a frightened voice, clinging for dear life to Samuel’s hand as it rested on her bed. She had been alone in the hospital for nearly twenty-four hours now and seeing her boss was like being reunited with her family in some way. There had been no way for her to contact her aunt who lived nearby or her parents in the suburbs, leaving Cassie completely alone with two broken legs and no way of knowing when or if she would be able to make it out of the city. She was alone and terrified and while she and Samuel hadn’t exactly been particularly close, having him there with her was like a lifeline she didn’t want to lose, though she knew it couldn’t last.
“Rolling blackouts,” Samuel surmised, pressing into Cassie’s bed even more as a doctor ran past and hurtled down the steps he and Austin were supposed to have descended earlier. The backup generator was still down there. Perhaps it was still worth a shot to try and keep the patients alive. The man in the bed next to Cassie’s had been incredibly still for the last five minutes, a thick tube leading out of his mouth and connecting to a breathing device next to him that was uncomfortably quiet. Without it the man couldn’t breathe on his own and it was obvious too much time had already passed for him to manage without it.
“There’s a
