Page 70 of In a Perfect World

Just then, the news station cut to a clip showing Benicio Cortez sitting at a u-shaped table with all the other region administrators; Phillip Williams from Ivory Meadows, Alfred Voltaire from Rich Gardens, Kodah Muna from Spirit Lands, Alvin Booker from Sterling Acres, Akio Tanaka from Flower Realms, Zach Richman from Morning Peaks, and Caleb Majors from Blooming Heights.However, it was Caleb Majors that spoke while the others just looked on.

It has always been the job of an Administrator to look out for its citizens first, and that includes a continuous evaluation of what works and what doesn’t work in the name of progress.Change is inevitable, but change can also be at its most beneficial when done correctly, and the Administrators of the RNA believe that we have done that over the years.

That being said, we’d like to announce a joint venture between the regions that we believe will help with the growth and success of the RNA as a whole.We are introducing a citizenship lottery that will give viable candidates an opportunity to become residents of Blooming Heights, and with that opportunity, this will give both Blooming Heights and its new citizens an opportunity to learn from one another.

Now, while there are many details to consider with this new venture, the quick explanation is that every citizen within the RNA will be able to apply to enter the lottery upon their eighteenth birthday.Out of the qualified entries, only two names from each region will be selected from a random drawing, giving Blooming Heights possibly twelve new citizens a year.

However, to kick off our new endeavor fairly, there will be a one-time-only lottery at the end of the month where any citizen of any region can apply to enter, regardless of their age.We encourage everyone who is looking to expand their horizons beyond their own region to apply, and all applicants will be taken into consideration through a voting process made up of the current governing panel.

Speaking for all of us sitting here today, we’d like to thank you for your trust in us, and we will continue to put our citizens first, ensuring that the RNA will continue to thrive in a positive step forward.With that goal in mind, we have also named this annual opportunity The Morrison Lottery, and we hope that Tucker and Charolette Morrison will, one day, accept our apologies.

Thank you.

I hit the mute button, hardly believing what I’d just heard.Two lucky people were going to be able to go live in Blooming Heights, freely, legally, and happily, and wasn’t that a motherfucker.If I had just waited three months, then I could have applied for the first lottery, taking my chances the legal way.

God, I was such an idiot.

Of course, none of that would have helped me with my parents, but still.If I had just waited, then I never would have known what it felt like to sit in a Mexican jail cell, and Benicio Cortez wouldn’t have my phone number, something that I still wasn’t comfortable with.

Granted, Tomasco, Sonia, and I also wouldn’t be carving out new lives for ourselves in Hillrom, which I could admit that I was anxiously excited about.Yeah, it felt a bit scary to be doing what we were doing, but since we weren’t doing it alone, that helped a lot.I was going to be with the two people who loved me the most, and that helped to not dread the unknown so much.

Just then, my phone chimed again, but this time, it wasn’t Sonia or Tomasco.

Unknown Number:Meet me @ the tree @ 8pm.It’s important.

My stomach immediately tightened, wondering why Kairo was insisting on seeing me.With his father involved, it could be anything, and that wasn’t a comforting feeling.I didn’t like feeling like I was at the mercy of anyone, but I was.

Right now, I was, and it sucked.

It sucked so badly.

Chapter 36

Kairo~

When I had sent Triana the text to meet me, I hadn’t been sure what she’d do.Since she had finally blocked my number a few weeks ago, I hadn’t had a way to get a hold of her, especially since she’d also blocked me from all of her social media sites as well.Plus, if that hadn’t been enough, Tomasco Medina and Sonia Torres had done the same.