"Foreign Policy" Nominations for Presidency of the student body would officially be held in the debate room, which would itself quickly be abuzz with activity once a few young politicians found their way inside. Usha Krishnan sat alone in the room, quiet and keeping to herself with her hands nestled in her lap. Her expression was empty, but from time to time she would sigh, and a wave of disappointment would cross her cheeks. Her wood-colored eyes flickered sadly, as if they had expected to see some good competition this year. Her first year was different, but only because so many seemed eager for the job. Once she gained a reputation for being excellent in politics, nobody wanted to bother. That left her the default President for sophomore class; perhaps junior year would be different? "That's the fifth time you sighed," noted the older woman who had been assigned to take care of paperwork. Usha just frowned and tried not to fidget. She had the option of leaving, of course, but she wanted to stay to see her rivals personally. Krishnan was not the kind to revel in victories and sulk over losses; she enjoyed the challenge and the freshness of good competition. Besides, in spite of how odd it seemed or how it might've damaged her career, she really wanted to hear what the other girl had to say. But there was no other girl. She was alone. The minutes dwindled. "Well," sighed the only other woman in the room, "looks like you're--" "Hello!" came a voice from behind. Usha twisted to see who it was; the woman cleared her throat. "I didn't think anybody else would even come! Are you nominating somebody, young lady?" "Yes, I am, myself." "I see!" exclaimed the woman, plainly sounding surprised. Usha rubbed her eyes and stood, formally, to inspect her supposed rival. She did not carry herself with dignity like Usha did, and certainly didn't seem to have the ambition or the credential to be of any concern--yet Krishnan kept a very open mind, and reasoned that a more "down to earth" candidate, as this girl seemed, would be just as healthy a competitor. "And your name?" asked the so-called records keeper. "Mira van Dijk. M-I-R-A, V-A-N, D-I-J-K. Three words." "Thank you, Miss Dijk." "Uh, van Dijk, please." "Oh, sorry. Uh, thanks, Miss van Dijk." Usha smiled. So her competitor was Dutch, eh? Mira looked it, if Dutch people were tall and ample. Mira wore black jeans that had been faded and scratched through many years of rough abuse, and a flashy Inuyasha Tee-shirt. She had eyes like a loving storm, gray as the skies of a rainfall, and her fireball hair shagged down just to the lobes of her ears. She had a big smile and no jewelry to speak of, and spoke thickly with an accent. "Miss van Dijk," said Usha clearly, "namaste. I'm glad to have a competitor this year, but I can't help but wonder what credential you may have to run. Do you have a background in politics, or are you... I mean, I don't wish to offend you..." "Oh, hello!" exclaimed Mira cheerfully, taking notice of the smaller Usha. She then attempted to remember what she had been asked, and barely slipped. "Uh, you want to know why I put myself up to this? Well, many reasons. Do you have time to hear them?" "I'm afraid not right now. Might I have the gist of it?" "...Gist? Ah, so sorry, I've not been in America very long. I was born in Holland and moved with family not long ago..." "Ah, I see," managed Usha, trying to stop Mira's introduction while not being rude. "Uh, as I was saying, might you just give me the, uh, short version?" "Short version? Ah! Uh..." Mira paused and hummed out an "uhhhhh" for awhile, causing Usha to believe that she definitely had no experience at all. What she said next confirmed it: "For fun!!" "You cannot possibly believe that politics is entertaining," insisted Krishnan. The two girls would've unfortunately traded words all day if a tiny, rough sound hadn't interrupted them. "Girls, if you'll continue your, eh, debate somewhere else, I'll run these papers off so you can begin your campaign." Usha moved from staring down Mira to the officiator quickly. "Is nobody else coming?" "The time is up. It looks like it's just the two of you." The woman shrugged, and shooed the girls out of the room so she could work. Mira and Usha, two opposites in terms of political upbringing and ambition, froze awkwardly and tried to remedy it. "So... you want to be President of the Junior class for fun, correct? For entertainment?" Mira gave a gay shrug of indifference. "I thought it would be a fun thing to try. My parents are always saying I am too political for my own good, and some friends think it would be a good idea. Besides, I need to change myself. I need to stop being lazy, and why not pick a hard job? I am also stubborn, so what else would I need?" "Experience," said Usha, almost in shock. Mira gave another shrug. "I will learn quickly. Anyway, you know my name, so what is yours? I can't call my campaign rival Miss all the time, and I don't think you speak good Dutch." "No," she said truthfully. She bowed and managed a smile in spite of doubting Mira's abilities and motives, and introduced herself. Mira smiled and took Usha's hand. "Yusha Krishnan! It is good to meet you! I hope we have many refreshing encounters from now on. Can't be friends now; must get to class, yes?" And with that, Mira laughed and left Usha in a puzzled state. Was she being polite or merely quirky? Mira van Dijk... She was a confusing one. Usha unearthed a little bit of info about her from the flock of friends she associated with, and found that her rival did indeed have no official experience. She had good knowledge and a strong, socialist mind, and could probably relate to the "common woman" better than Usha could. She had also admitted to being lazy, so that proved she knew her own weaknesses, and she even expressed a desire to change her ways. For once, Krishnan thought, she might have a rival worthy of respect. She began her campaign within the hour; Mira van Dijk, procrastinating already, popped inside the school's anime club and yakked about Evangelion. Usha had history, science, languages, mathematics, study hall, and debate--one of which she actually shared with Mira, although she had been unaware of it till' recently. She was busy most hours of her school day except for lunch and study hall, which she used to work on her campaign (and, in the previous two years, she had used it to work for the school as president). She needed an angle, a reason her fellow classmates should continue to vote for her. Resting on her laurels was never her style, so Usha went the fresh way and rethought her strategy. What did she want to accomplish? What did her friends expect out of her? What could she do to help the school? Mira saw her first episode of Stratos 4 and loved it. "So," said Ruth as she and the entire group sat around their "leader", "another year solo?" Without lifting her eyes from her work, Usha responded. "No, there was another girl nominated." "Oh really? Anyone we know?" "No, she doesn't seem to have any political agenda or ambition. She said she was doing it for fun." "For fun? Well that's an easy win!" "I wouldn't say that," she replied numbly. "The girl appeared inadequate but I've learned not to trust first impressions. We spoke briefly after we met, and she seems like she'd give me a good run." "Well who is it?" "Her name is Mira, Mira van Dijk." A pause. "Never heard of her." "She's Dutch. She's really supposed to be a sophomore, but because she has a weird birthday and there were some immigration matters that came up, she's a junior." "That's weird! How do you know all this?" "I researched," she replied with a witty smile. "You know I like to look into who I'm going up against. I like to see their integrity." "Oh, spying on the ‘enemy', eh?" "Don't be ridiculous!" snapped Usha. "She's not an enemy. This isn't like a war, it's just two girls going after the same thing. She's a rival, an adversary." "Okay, okay... yeesh, sorry. So how old is she?" "Fifteen, but not for long. As I said, her birthday..." "Oh yeah. Well, you're not that far apart in age." Usha just mumbled and resumed her work. She had a system of going about campaigns, but she never liked doing the same thing twice, or becoming complacent. Mira was a fresh face who would have bold new ideas, and Usha knew better than to underestimate her. She would need to work her best if she wanted to keep her position--something she had not done since freshman year. Already she was starting to like Mira. After all, she had brought out this great determination. Mira van Dijk laughed out loud at the antics of Tenchi Masaki and his harem. "So she's from Holland and the other's from India?" "Well, Usha was born in England, but her parents moved here when she was like two." "Her father's Indian." "What'cha girls talkin' about?" Gabrielle, with Lilian quietly in tow, joined her friends and "extended friends" together at the picnic table. School was out and the day was still nice, so the five friends decided to take advantage of the weather and have a meeting outside. Most brought their homework; some forgot it. Along with the five girls were their "other" homework assignments, the girls they were charged with studying and befriending. Altogether they made ten, and except for Ivory and Furious Hail, the entire class of Miss Madsen's first hour Literature and Writing was there. Olivia answered Gabrielle's question with, "My homework assignment just nominated herself as President of the Junior class." "Really? That's great! What's your name again?" Mira reintroduced herself, and Gabrielle smiled. She pulled Lilian into the mixture, sat down, and sighed. Then she smiled as an idea came to her. "Hey, listen: Miss Madsen's gonna ask all of us to get acquainted one way or another, so I figure since we're all here, we may as well start." "We already know who you are," murmured X Walker. "People like you aren't hard to remember." The redhead didn't know how to take that comment, so she just grunted and asked everyone else's names. Then she introduced Lilian, who hated being in large crowds. "Don't be shy, sit down! You know, I got a good look at that picture you drew. It's really great!" "Uh, danke shoen." "So you're really running for office, uh, Mira?" asked May. The anime-lover nodded. "But why? I mean, this is my senior year, so I've seen what Miss Krishnan can do. What do you think you'd do if you were elected?" "Honestly, I haven't an idea. I guess I would just do what had to be done." "Swell answer!" sang Zane. "Me? I don't get into that election crap. I can't even vote yet, so what's the point?" "Hey, what happened to your accent?" asked Blake. Aintzane gave her usual toothy grin and absently knocked on the table. "Oh, mean you this?" she said, sounding very French. "Oui, I can disguise it, use it, and discard it at will. Being trilingual has many advantages." "So you were faking?" Zane leaned back and sipped down some juice she had brought. "Well, I guess it worked. Anyway, I'm not worried about who's gonna be president or what accent I should take. I'm more concerned about making the soccer try-outs and what I should wear for my next date. I make my own clothes." "Really?" Naturally, more than a handful of the girls became intrigued. "Professionally?" "Nah, amateur, but I'd like to be a pro someday. Maybe some of you could be my models. It's difficult getting my mother to wear my stuff since she doesn't quite agree with my tastes. Blake, you ever modeled before?" "Uh, no, but..." "Are you blushing?" "Oh my god, am I?" "You never blush!" "I've never been asked to model before!" "You've never done a lotta stuff," murmured Gabrielle. Blake stuck her tongue out. May frowned. "Uh, lemme guess--it's like this all the time." Janine nodded her head. "They act like sisters, don't they? Oh, that's right! You've got a sister, don't you?" "Yes, June. Would you like to meet her?" "Well, if I want that A, I guess I have no choice." May smiled warmly, and reasoned that she and Janine would probably get along well. Poor Lilian was almost ignored by Gabrielle, which was just fine for her, and both Blake and Zane seemed to hit it off instantly. The conversations changed sides as quick as a strong wind, leaving the quieter girls muted. Victoria, who was very intimidated by Alex Walker, much liked the silence and was glad she had not been called to make an opinion. But more than likely, she would be the one to break the wild blather, which she feared. "So what kind of campaign do you think you'll have?" managed Olivia, just barely audible over everyone else's words. She was talking to Mira, of course. "Campaign? Oh, I have no idea. I just went there for fun, really, plus I need to stop being lazy. I thought it would be a good chance to stop my bad habits." "Oh, I see. Well, I'm no activist myself, and frankly I'll be relieved when this Bush-Kerry nonsense is behind us all, but I can certainly give you some advice." "Really? I would like that!" Olivia just had to smile. Mira was sweet and enthusiastic, and easy to relate to in spite of her foreign heritage. Usha, for all her accomplishments, was just not a down to earth girl. "Well, start out by taking a survey. You could go around the school and ask your classmates what their concerns and needs are, and what they'd like for their president to achieve. I know it wouldn't be very good of you just to bend to their whims, but it'd be a good start. You'd also interact with your public more, get to know them, and let them see your face. Please, please, more than anything else, don't hide behind a desk or a suit." "Ugh, I would never!" Mira made a face and sneered, which actually made Olivia glad. "I detest dresses anyway, and I like being friends too much to be so alone." "And what else do you like?" "South Park!" "Shoot!!" blurted Olivia suddenly, surprising her classmate. "I can't believe it! You know what I should've done?" "What?" "I should've written down something about everyone when they introduced themselves the first day! That way--" "You wouldn't have to work so hard, right?" Victoria blushed suddenly as she realized what she had blurted out. Someone snickered, and thankfully, Olivia didn't take it badly. "Ah... well, okay, so I can be guilty of laziness as well. But I really..." "It's fine," said Mira politely. "I do not mind. It would be good to have more friends. I really don't have many anyway." Olivia sighed, and since the whole thing was still fresh on her mind, she took out a sheet of paper and wrote a few things down: Mira van Dijk, 15 yrs., from Holland, likes South Park & anime, running for class president... "So was that the something you took out of your report?" asked Blake suddenly. Mira was jarred and took awhile to think of what Baum was talking about. "You know, when you gave that report about your salad, you said you omitted something and that it was personal. It's kinda weird for me to remember something like that, but the report was so engaging..." "Thank you!" exclaimed Mira cheerfully. Blake smiled too, though a little weakly. "Ah, well, yes, I had actually planned on making myself go for presidency, and put it in my report by mistake. It had nothing to do with my salad, and it was very personal..." "Oh, I see. Well, um, I guess Liv and I'll be the first ones to support you." "Me too," murmured X Walker, who had been staring off into the air most of the day. "That other girl's too goody-goody for me. I hate people who act like they're superior to everyone else. But you're cool." Mira smiled humbly and thanked them all for their support. Strange indeed, it was, for an inexperienced newcomer to have such support so soon. Mira couldn't grasp it any better than Usha could. "Hello." Usha smiled as always as she sat with her friends, and began without losing a beat: "Well, I've come up with several campaign angles already, and I've run them by some of the women in this school. Of course, I did feel embarrassed when I overheard their surprise at me having a competitor, but I suppose my reputation really precedes me." "So whaddya have?" they asked. Usha spread out some papers, notes she had taken during the course of her contemplation, and began her outline. Not long into it, her companions already began to figure what might work and what would fail, leaving Usha temporarily out of the discussion. She overheard a sharp laugh and twisted around to see, not too far off, Mira van Dijk laughing with her friends. The campaign has begun and she is appearing so lively? Is she really doing this for fun, or is this her way...? "Usha, I think we've come to a general agreement," said Bonnie, breaking her friend's concentration. Usha turned and tried smiling. "Yes?" "All right--what you're trying to do here is reach out to only a small minority of the junior class. You're being too eloquent here, and some of the girls here probably wouldn't understand this." (Her hands traveled from page to page, indicating as she said what worked and what didn't) "Also, I think it's a safe bet to say that some of the girls have recently been stirring up talk about wanting to enroll boys here." "What nonsense," murmured Usha quietly. "I bear them no offense, but Stanton is quite well enough as it is. I'd think the addition of males would--" "Distract them, right. Well, it won't pass anyway, so forget it. Now what about this idea of extending lunch by five minutes?" "I won't be chosen simply because of one ideal," replied Usha. The laughter distracted again, and so did Mira's merriment. Suddenly she yearned, very much so, to part herself from her work and join in that fun. How she had sometimes rebelled against her own ways and yearned for a freer, less stressful life! But she probably wouldn't be able to handle it, being so used to the load and the strangely calming chaos. Still, the desire tore her apart from her campaign for awhile, and with a meek "Excuse me", Usha picked up her papers and her tray, left her friends, and stood shyly over Mira's group. She didn't recognize anyone else there. "Um, excuse me?" she managed over the noise. A few people stopped talking and laughing, and Mira smiled as she looked up. "Oh, hello and good afternoon, Yusha! How do you like the history homework?" "I had it finished," she breathed, and decided not to brag by adding "ages ago". That was her weakness, sometimes, and she hated it. Mira still sulked. "Rats! I haven't even begun! But I say, you are only young once, and why waste such precious moments with youth and friends on work? I can work when I have a job! You are joining us? Sit down, please!" "Uh, all right." Notwithstanding Mira's aimless conversation, Usha smiled and tried to at least listen in on what they were talking about. But it was so much more different than what she was used to! It seemed so common, so trivial, like these girls didn't care about broader things like the world or its organizations! All they cared about was... stuff. "So what's your story about?" "Well, I'm trying not to go for a sex scene this time. I've had so much sex in my stories that I've gained a bad reputation on the internet. I'm going for a different angle, but I don't know where to go now." "Where are you?" "Uh, I kinda took liberties and made them sorta friends." "That's okay, I like to think of them as ex-lovers or something, even though I don't always ship them." "I've also been playing Final Fantasy 10 a lot--you know, for notes and study. It kinda bugs me that the game never says what happens to Elma and Lucile after Macalania." "Oh, really? I never noticed." "Yeah, well, I kinda felt lesbian vibes from them when I saw them together, so... you know. Then they sorta became my favorite NPC characters." "Well they were in X2." "X2 is a sacrilege. It's a sin to RPGs everywhere. I swore I wouldn't even rent that game, not even for research on stories. Not even for Elma and Lucile!" "That game's pretty much lesbianized." "That's a new word! What else ya got?" "How bout' this: devirginization. But that one makes sense." "The act of... yeah!!" The girls laughed riotously, and poor Usha had no idea what was going on. Shipping? Lesbianized? NPC? RPG? They were speaking a language unknown to her, or even Ms. Torvald. She cleared her throat and tried to clear her confusion, but only one act worked. "Um, pardon me, but what are you all talking about?" Mira, probably the only one out of the entire group who could say she "knew" Usha, was polite enough to explain. "Olivia here is my homework assignment. I have to learn about her, so her cousin is here with us to help a bit. I learned that she likes to write stories about movies and video games, and also some anime I have liked. I've seen her work, but I personally do not like it." "Only because I can't help myself," admitted Ayanna with a blush. Usha's eyes widened. "...Anime?" "Japanese animation. Don't say you've never heard of it!" "I... will not, then," she concluded, and Mira left it at that. She apologized to Usha for carrying on a strange conversation, and asked if there was anything she wanted to talk about. "Actually," she said, her voice picking up hope and tempo, "that's why I came over here. I'd like to know what your campaign angle is." "My campaign?" "Yes, you must have some idea. You did nominate yourself for presidency, and surely you can't just expect to rest on popularity to achieve your goal!" "Oh!!" Mira recoiled in shock as she remembered her duty, then groaned miserably as of course she had no idea what she was doing. Usha, were it possible, looked even worse. And this was her competition? "It's... all right," managed Krishnan in spite of herself. "It's still very early. You have lots of time to think. I'm sure your friends here can help..." "Not us, we're busy!" The other girls agreed, despite not looking busy. Usha sighed. "Should I..." "I will think of something!" blurted Mira suddenly. She looked angry and upset, as if she sensed that Usha now thought less of her. She even snorted and quickly finished her lunch. But soon her anger died, and more misery came: "I just... cannot do it now." "Why not?" "Three words," she said, holding up her fingers: "South Park marathon!" If it were in any way possible, Usha would've developed a sweat-drop, an ellipse, and a face-fault all at once. "I hope you are not serious." "I... wasn't." Mira sighed miserably, sinking her head onto the table. Her friends watched in pity; her classmates wondered how she could ever think of running in the first place. "But you know," murmured van Dijk slowly, rising up once again, "I have to change myself. I want to change myself. My grades have been bad for as long as I can remember. If it keeps up, I will be punished. My parents will hate me for doing so poor. Yusha, I will do my best and try to act more like a president would, and I hope you will not have to see me again in such a way. The next time we meet, I would like to have answers for you." This made Usha smile, of course, and since the lunch break was over, it was a good way to part. Everyone said their farewells and left, and Usha wished namaste to them all. Her friends had seen the entire thing but didn't bother to interrupt until Krishnan was alone. "Usha, what was that for? You went and left us to talk to her? You didn't look too happy until just now. What, is she dropping out?" "No, definitely not," she replied, smiling brightly. "Mira van Dijk is still in the race, and from what I have heard, she will be a rival worthy of respect. And maybe more."
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