After Trevor spoke, the whole room broke into an involuntary silence. Mr. Gram was thinking, Natalie like the others, she was still confused. She roughly got the Yellow card picture but, she knew that none of her friends were supposed to give up their positions for her.

She drew closer to Mr. Gram’s desk begging. “Sir. I’m sorry. Please punish me. Trevor has nothing to do with anything.”

“Miss Bradley, I assume that you don’t get the rules of the governance. You’re cleared as of now because Trevor has given up his mandate card for you.”

“What?” she exclaimed.

Mr. Gram waved his hand. “Leave.”

She could not accept what had escaped the Discipline’s mouth. How can she leave? Trevor could loose his job!

“Natalie, you heard him.” Trevor insisted.

“But-” she persisted.

“Leave.” Ingrid called from the middle of the room.

“This is unfair.” She cried and ran out.

Ingrid walked to the teacher’s desk. She placed on top of it a card but, it was not yellow, it was green. “He has to remain President sir. The seniors, they have always oppressed us but, he’s different and, our hope.”

“Ingrid!” Trevor snapped.

Mr. Gram hesitated but, took it. He passed back the yellow card to Trevor and asked all of them out of his office.

He remained with Ingrid and said. “You’ve been holding my office for years. Why would you do this?”

“He’s my cousin. I would do anything for him.”

Mr. Gram sighed, an expression of sympathy that no one ever expected he would show. He picked up the green card from his desk. Unknown to many people, the discipline office was higher than all other offices in both the government and the whole of Hamerton. Life decisions were made there. So, even the Discipline Minister like, Ingrid got a green mandate card other than yellow. In fact, she was not chosen by the President but rather, Mr. Gram himself.

“You do understand that, because you held this office and, you’re withdrawing halfway, the rules bid that you can no longer be a student of Hamerton.”

She nodded. That was the hardest part of her decision, to leave Hamerton. 

Mr. Gram pulled a drawer under his desk and placed the card. He turned to Ingrid, “You are dismissed.”

Ingrid gave him his back leaving.

“Ooh, Ingrid?”

She halted at the door and faced him. “Sir?”

“Be discreet.”

“Of course sir.” She replied and walked out.

stay tuned...