After the Pandemic: Briarwood Academy - The Speech (855 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 24 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by stardamage (View user info) at 2005-03-09 11:11:47 EST
continued from: http://www.ubersite.com/m/61510
reference: http://www.ubersite.com/m/61238
* * *
Charlotte sat eight rows back from the stage, with the other juniors. "Hey, Chris," she said to the boy on her right. "How's it going?"
"Not so bad, you?"
"Could definitely do without this meeting but it doesn't look like people have that much to announce today." The usual long line of people ready to make announcements had been reduced to a few students, two of whom Charlotte recognized from the varsity girls' hockey team. (Probably just a few announcements about tryouts and ice time, then I can get out of here,) she thought hopefully. She had a French assignment she needed to finish before second period.
Kris Sanning, the all-school president, climbed the side stairs to the stage, and stood behind the podium, bending only a little to speak into the microphone. "Hi, everyone, we're ready to go so if you all could quiet down, please." He waited a few seconds for people to stop talking and then continued. "Good morning everyone. I know some of you wanted to make announcements, but right now Dr. Faith has something important to say. So please give him your attention. Dr. Faith?"
The headmaster came out from behind the red curtains of the stage, and shook Kris's hand. The tall senior smiled a little and Charlotte was reminded of Mrs. Carps's smile. He probably had a test first period or something, she thought.
Dr. Faith stood at the podium until Kris made his way off stage, and then unfolded a piece of paper that he had in his hand.
"Good morning, students, faculty and staff," he said first. He let his eyes glance over the seniors, dart back to the juniors. He then looked at the paper.
"I actually don't have anything written on this paper," he said, smiling, and waving it. There was a small rumbling laugh around the student body; they sensed they were supposed to laugh, and some of them maybe even realized that they needed to laugh while they still could. Something in the stance of their headmaster worried them.
"I've come before you today to relay some very serious news. Please listen carefully to my words, and please stay in your seats."
There was a different kind of rumble now around the theater, as people shifted in their seats and sat up straighter and questioned each other, and then looked up at him. His heart ached for them. "Citizens of the Briarwood community, there is no easy way to tell you this.
"I am sure you have been hearing rumors about a strange new illness that has been moving through the United States. As of yesterday morning, one hundred and thirty eight cases of this illness had been reported in the cities of Boston and New York, with twenty-six deaths. As of this morning, sixty-three new cases were reported, with instances of the illness also occurring in Pittsburgh and Detroit. So far, no cases have been reported in the towns around here.
"Let me repeat that. No cases of this illness have been reported in this area.
"However, the circumstances surrounding this illness and the fact that it has taken so little time to spread west, suggest that this illness is capable of spreading rapidly. Based on that, the board of trustees and I have come to the decision that all students will be sent back to their homes as soon as possible."
The murmur grew louder, into a dull roar of sound. Michael looked down at the seniors, some of whom were talking to each other, a few of whom were twisting around to find younger brothers or sisters in the crowd behind them, some of whom were looking back up at him, pale but stoic. It broke his heart to see them forced to grow up this way.
He brought himself back to the task at hand.
"Please, everyone quiet down. Please! Remain calm, and please stay in your seats. I will explain the basics of the situation as we know of it, and then Mr. Lumiani will talk to you about how we will proceed. But for now I'm asking you to please remain calm and stay in your seats. We are in no immediate danger. These are precautionary measures only, designed to protect you in the unlikely event that this disease should reach a community as isolated as this one. Please! Please quiet down. Thank you."
As he spoke, his voice firm but assuring, strong but comforting, the students began to settle down again. "Thank you. I understand that you all are worried. But I assure you, these are precautionary tactics only. We feel that in a time like this, it is better for everyone to be with their families, and safer for all involved.
"I would like to take this time to explain how the international community is dealing with this outbreak. So far, only a few isolated cases have been reported in other countries, mainly in Europe. These include the United Kingdom, Holland, Ireland, Spain and Italy.
"In an effort to keep any more outbreaks from occurring globally, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network has agreed that no person will travel from the United States to another country without first being inspected by a medical team. In addition, all domestic flights are being grounded to try to slow the spread of this disease. All people boarding a train or bus cross-country will be checked thoroughly before and after travel to ensure that there are no sick people allowed on the train or, failing that, into uninfected areas.
"The dorm heads and faculty families have been arranging for all international students to be put on flights home as soon as possible. We have a medical team from Ashfield Hospital arriving who will assist our nurses in checking for any signs of illness. Again, this is a precautionary method ONLY. We expect to find no illness in anyone. This is a requirement for flying internationally.
"Again, I can't stress enough that we are in no immediate danger here.
"Now, I'm going to give the podium over to Mr. Lumiani, who will give you all details about how we're going to be proceeding for the rest of today and tomorrow. Please see him or one of your dorm parents, or come to me, if you have any questions."
(What a stupid thing to say. Who doesn't have questions at a time like this?)
The students were totally silent as Michael walked backstage. Kris Sanning was still there. He had turned pale. "I didn't know about the going-home thing," he whispered to Dr. Faith as Mr. Lumiani started talking.
"I know, Kris. I'm sorry. We decided that after you and Erik left the meeting." Michael stared at the young man, who was now staring at the floor. "It'll be safer for everyone, I think."
"What if someone brings it back to Europe or somewhere with them?" asked Kris, raising his eyes, fear dancing behind them as he realized finally what could come of it all. "What if I do? What if I go home and have it and don't know?"
"That's why only a few people will be flying internationally, and they'll be checked. Trust me, it'll be only non-citizens who will be allowed to leave. You could call it a quarantine. Just to make sure that no one else gets sick. And then, once things are all clear here, you can come back."
"Is that really what it is?" asked Kris. "A quarantine?"
Michael realized too late that he shouldn't have used that word, even though it was perhaps the right one. He looked directly into the senior's eyes. "Yes, Krist, it's a quarantine."
Kris turned even paler, if that were possible. "I see," he finally said. "Jesus Christ." He seemed to have forgotten that the headmaster was there. Michael slipped around Kris and out the backstage door, going back to his office so that people would know where to find him.
* * *
Charlotte had sat through the first opening sentences, getting more and more nervous. Then the statistics had started rolling in, and then the news that everyone would be going home.
She hadn't known the extent of the outbreak until those sentences. Sure, she'd caught a few words here and there from people, some things about people being sick with flu and then falling into comas or something like that. But this? The words (precaution) and then (bullshit) ran through her head, followed shortly by (evacuation) and (quarantine).
Evacuation?
Quarantine?
Charlotte felt pinned to her seat. Dr. Faith was saying something about international students and medical teams. Airports and ground transportation. She stared up at him, at his aura of calm and control, and felt a little betrayed. How much of a threat was he hiding from them? What kind of risk was he taking, making them leave?
These feelings were soon overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude that this man had taken the burden on himself and made the decision. If it was as bad as Charlotte thought it could be, then she had no business questioning him now.
She settled back into her seat to listen, feeling cold but calm and collected. Dr. Faith introduced the dean of students, Mr. Lumiani, and she forced herself to pay strict attention.
Paul Lumiani stood up on stage and began to speak, referring to a typed sheet as he did. "Hello, everyone. I realize this all must be a bit of a shock. Now, what we need here is for all of the students to stay right where they are. Do not move until I call your name or your group, and then go straight to where you are supposed to go, okay?
"Now, what I'm going to do first is just give an overview of where everyone will be going and doing so that we all understand, and then I'll tell you each where you are going and who to meet up with. Now, if I could just have some quiet, please, so I can explain this clearly.
"Thanks. Now. What's going to happen is that right after this, all of the international students are going to come to the front. No one else will move but the international students. After they are all assembled here, they will go over to health services, where they will each be checked by a medical team comprised of doctors and nurses from Ashfield Hospital, and our own staff. After that, they will all be taken to Boston, directly to Logan International. Their flights are already scheduled, and there should be time for all of this to happen without problems.
"Now, if all of the international students could please come up to the front so we can get this started. No one else move from their seats. Please, let's keep it quiet so things run smoothly."
Charlotte looked around her as shaken students made their way up to the stage. Kris also made his way down from the stage, joined by his friend Erik, the head prefect. The two were doing their best to radiate the same aura of calm that their teachers had, but every once in a while, one of them would lean in and say something low to the other.
One of the teachers was calling out names, alphabetically by country. When she got to "Erik Besvikilse, Sweden," and "Kristoffer Sanning, Sweden," the two stepped silently to join the rest. Charlotte didn't know how she felt about the two friendly, likeable, trustworthy Swedes leaving the school - she was glad that they would be safe, but at the same time, she could use students like them to look up to. Everyone could. (They'll be back soon.) (But what if they aren't?)
Charlotte forced herself to focus on the other students around her instead of those in the front. Chris had his head in his hands.
"Are you okay, Chris?"
"Fuck, no," he said almost hysterically. "I fucking live in fucking Detroit, Charlie. And Dr. Faith just said there's been a case there. And now they want me to go back? What the fuck? That's so fucked up."
"Oh my god," said Charlotte, thunderstruck. She hadn't even thought about the kids who lived in the cities that were being affected.
"Well...well, I'm sure they're thinking of that."
"Whatever, Charlie, I'm sure not fucking going back there, if this thing is there, too."
"Is it really bad?"
"I don't know what it does or anything, but if they're taking us out of here just to be on the safe side, I'm sure as hell not going to go anywhere near it."
He quieted down as Mr. Lumiani took the stage once again.
User Reviews
Submitted by FALLEN (user info) at 2007-11-15 09:08:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
wow again
Submitted by notyou (user info) at 2005-07-11 12:14:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Jungle_Jimanee (user info) at 2005-05-13 08:53:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by nrduncan (user info) at 2005-05-12 17:45:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I have just got done reading these all and I have enjoyed them all. Great work everyone, +2's for all!
Submitted by Yankee_In_TX (user info) at 2005-03-16 09:56:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
GREAT writing skills. Waiting for more, hoping this hits the scifi stage :-)
Submitted by Jaineix (user info) at 2005-03-16 04:09:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good stuff, waiting for more.
Submitted by Professional_Peon (user info) at 2005-03-12 11:59:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Here is my contribution - http://www.ubersite.com/m/61730
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-03-11 18:34:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Well, as the girls always say when I drop my pants and start getting aroused, this thing is gonna be big.
Lot of detail there.
I'll try to get over feeling burned by the fact that you seemed to have skipped over the 'steamy shower room scene' in part one.
Submitted by Dannie (user info) at 2005-03-11 12:40:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
An excellent addition.
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-03-10 19:34:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Dude, this is awesomely written. There's a lot of detail and everything seems so...believable. Nice fucking job.
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2005-03-10 04:39:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
w00t!
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2005-03-09 21:33:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
woo.
Submitted by stardamage (user info) at 2005-03-09 21:20:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
That's true, Snark. I only did a little of that on purpose. Probably shouldn't have taken it that far.
Keep in mind, though, that these are high school aged kids who know very little about the situation, and are now being sent home because of a mysterious disease that is spreading rapidly. They don't know anything about how their families are doing - they're basically isolated in this community and are only now finding out about what is turning into an epidemic. What little rumors they're heard about the illness in the cities would not be sufficient for the entire school to be shut down, and therefore it must be a lot more serious than anyone thought.
This stuff is just based on my experiences at boarding school and how the community reacted to various crises (9/11, numerous deaths, mass illness, etc.). Even though the individual reactions might not be spot on, the procedures are probably a bit closer.
I'll keep an eye on it in the future, to be sure.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-03-09 20:53:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked it and it's very well written.
The only thing I could possibly nitpick is that it seems like people have been over reacting a bit. Like they are terrified when they should be concerned.
Like I said... it's nitpicking
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2005-03-09 19:47:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
interseting...
that's not spelled right
Submitted by Zackstersmackster (user info) at 2005-03-09 18:00:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Wicked good, as always.
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2005-03-09 16:04:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by stardamage (user info) at 2005-03-09 14:12:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Munkeypants-
I've been working on completely rewriting the Ambition series, because the way I was doing it wasn't really working for me. The new stuff is going in an entirely different direction, kind of similar to this stuff actually. War between the humans and vampires kind of thing.
Anyway, I'm still working on it but I'm not sure if I'm going to post anything new up here because it might be a bit tedious or confusing for some. If people want to read it, though, I will as it comes.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2005-03-09 14:09:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good stuff
Submitted by engine13 (user info) at 2005-03-09 14:02:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Definitely a cool perspective.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-03-09 12:07:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
are you going to finish the ambition series?
Submitted by Kre8rix (user info) at 2005-03-09 11:36:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Nice,
Good addition.
I like that someone has taken this to show what happened in the beginning.
Adds depth to the series as a whole.
Good job
Submitted by stardamage (user info) at 2005-03-09 11:21:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Oh, and yes I changed the title so as to avoid confusion.
(Smartass, indeed.)
(Kidding.)
(Probably.)
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-03-09 11:20:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Excellent!
ATP is really bringing the talent out of the woodwork.