Madison and Davis waited patiently on her nineteenth birthday for the results of the election. It seemed like it always took forever for these things to be counted; couldn't the election just be counted overnight and the results given the next morning? No, the absentee ballots had to be mailed in (Zac's vote included), there were problems with a margin of error in some important state, this went wrong and that went wrong and now that all the results were finally in, it was just a matter of announcing them.
A group of the Davis in '04 campaign team was sputtered around the room, with Taylor in the corner speaking with one or two of them. Madison hadn't left Davis's side since she'd gotten there that morning. The tension in the room was tight but everyone seemed truly optimistic of the outcome. Madison was sure that if Zac were there, the entire room would already be celebrating Davis's election. Everyone was sure but there was that slightest bit of doubt still in everyone's mind that the country might surprise them and vote for Smith for some reason or another. Maybe without Zac there, they would have lost faith in everything he spoke of�maybe not. Madison didn't want to think about it.
The phone rang across the room and nobody moved. It rang again and it registered in Davis's mind and he turned around, walked to the phone and picked it up. Madison waited patiently by the television, switched to CNN. She put a hand on her hip; who would be calling now?
Davis put the person on speakerphone. "Hello?" he said, the entire room silencing so he could have his conversation without interruption.
"Davis! It's David Smith." Madison sat down. What the hell was he doing calling right now, right when the results were being announced?
"Smith? Why the heck are you calling me now?"
"I'd like to be the first to congratulate you. You won the election."
"But they haven't even announced�"
"Davis, they may not have elected me but I'm still the president until January. I have the power to see the results before everyone else does." Davis looked back at Madison as the television reported the results.
"�Democratic candidate Ralph Davis won by a whopping landslide, winning 89 percent of the popular vote and over 400 electoral votes�"
"Holy shit," Madison said, looking at the television.
"�in what turned out to be the largest voter turnout in the history of the nation. Nearly 75 percent of the country's registered voters voted on November 2nd's election, which caused the delay in the results." Madison's hands went over her mouth and the room was in complete silence. No rejoicing, no celebration, just silence. When Davis hung up with Smith, the room suddenly burst into hysterical outbursts. The campaign team was screaming and hugging; Davis ran over to Madison and swung her around, laughing the entire time.
"I cannot believe this!" Madison said once her feet hit the ground again. "Oh my God, I cannot believe this! We did it!" She screamed in excitement and threw her arms around the next President of the United States. She ran over to Taylor and hugged him as well, nearly toppling him over with her force. "He's coming home! They're coming home, Taylor! We won!"
"Yeah we did," Taylor said. She let go of him and looked in his eyes.
"You're not happy."
"Of course I'm happy. We've been working at this for two and a half years now. I just can't help thinking about Ike."
"What about him? He's coming home! He'll be here by the first week of January." Taylor sighed and sat down.
"Yeah, but Madison you know what that war did to me. You didn't know me before I left but from what Zac's told you and the number of flashbacks you've seen me have, you know that it really messed me up. Ike's been there two and a half years. Imagine what it's done to him."
"Oh." She didn't have anything else to say to that.
"Ike! Ike, guess what!"
Isaac was resting comfortably at the camp, propped up against a pole, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He was nearly asleep when his annoying na�ve little brother came running up to him. Sure it was great having family around these past two (nearly three) months when he didn't really know anybody here and as tough as his comrades thought he was he was getting homesick, but that kid was so na�ve about war it was scary. War hadn't affected him yet. Sure he'd been here three months, and he'd been following it on CNN since the damn thing began, but he didn't know anything yet. He didn't know anybody who died. He didn't see anybody he knew die. He didn't see his best friend get split in half right in front of his�no. He didn't think about that anymore.
"What do you want, Zac?" Isaac asked, taking the stick from his lips and tapping away the ashes onto the ground.
"Davis won the election! We're going home!"
"Wonderful." His answer was dry. He wasn't looking forward to going home. People were happy at home. He couldn't stand happy people. That's why he hated his brother so much. They just killed seven thousand people�how could he be smiling? Did he just conveniently forget that? Sure, for Zac, the thought of going home was a happy and joyous occasion but how the fuck could anybody who just witnessed and participated in the murder of seven thousand people be smiling?
"Aren't you happy we get to go home? Or are you still pent up on staying here?" Zac asked, plopping down next to his brother. "You know I'm not going to let you stay here. You know you're coming home with me."
"Fuck you, Zac. Don't you have someone else to bother?"
"Why do you hate me so much all of a sudden?" Zac asked. "I'm your brother, Ike. I've been your best friend since I was born. How come you can't stand to be near me any longer?"
"Listen, Zac, I have more important things to be doing right now."
"Yeah, smoking your death stick and being a fucking recluse from the rest of the world. I know what happened, Ike. I asked around. You weren't always like this."
"Does it matter?"
"Yes, it does. If you come home with me on January I can get you help for that. People die all the time around here, you're bound to lose someone you care about sooner or later."
"Shut up, Zac."
"I mean, I'm sure I'd be the same way if I lost my best friend but�"
"Shut up, Zac!"
When Zac began to speak again Isaac stood up and walked away quickly. Zac sighed, resting against the pole Isaac had been leaning on. That man had so many issues� Not letting it get to him, Zac kept his smile and looked up at the clear blue sky. The weather had been nice to him since he'd been there�only three days of rain and a couple more cloudy days. The rest of the time the sky was a clear blue, white puffy clouds showing up every now and then. It reminded him of home.
Home. That was a word Zac didn't really care to think of while he was there, but now that he was certain he'd be home by January, things were a little better when the thought of it. He missed home. He missed Madison most of all. He was used to not seeing his family all the time, but Madison had been hanging around him so much lately. They'd been spending all of their time together since they both graduated, and even before then the weekends were filled with flights back and forth to see each other. Two and a half months was like hell for him, even though it wasn't the longest they'd been apart. It sure seemed like it, though.
"Hey Lenny, my man, did you hear the wonderful news?" Zac asked as Lenny passed by.
"What news?"
"Davis got elected. We're going home."
"Really?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. "Imagine that." His answer was dry like Isaac's. Zac knit his brows, upset.
"What is up with you people? I figure you'd be clicking your heels and jumping for joy at the sound of my glorious news."
"Zac, you're such a newbie," Lenny said. "It's obvious how long you've been here."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Me and Isaac have been here the longest. We've both been here for two and a half years. What am I supposed to go to when I get home? My job's been filled, my apartment's been rented out, I don't have any family, it's just me back there. This is my home now. I have friends here and I have a surrogate family here. I'm happy here. I don't want to go home."
"You know Ike doesn't want to go home either."
"It's the same principal."
"No it's not! Ike has a family at home, he has a job waiting and he has a home waiting! He has everything back home and he has nothing here."
"Jake is here."
"Who's Jake?"
"His best friend." Zac looked confused. "The one that died. He's buried here."
"Oh," Zac said, lowering his eyes a moment. "But what does that have to do with him not going home? Jake is dead. It's not like Ike would get anything out of it."
"You never know, kid. Your brother used to be an awesome guy. He was a lot like you, but then Jake died and he became the person he is. Just leave him be." Zac sighed.
"I cannot believe this."
Lenny left without saying anything else. Zac got up, annoyed, and walked around in search of his brother. As he headed back towards the tents, a familiar noise sounded overheard. Looking up, he froze as the bomb hit the ground.