“Did Garret’s mother know?”
“No. Back then I held out hope that I could someday get out of it, so I never told her.”
“But Katherine knows about it?”
“Yes, because her father is a member. Our marriage was arranged, and for years I tried to make it work. And after we had Lilly, Katherine and I grew closer, but it didn’t last. Our marriage has always been a struggle and they refuse to let me divorce her. This will be Garret’s life now. His wife will be chosen for him and he won’t like the choice.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell Garret about this? He knew about the organization so why didn’t you tell him he had to a member?”
“Because I was hoping he wouldn’t have to be.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Our younger members, myself included, don’t like the rule that says you’re born into this group. They’d rather hand select members based on certain criteria. Find people who actually want to be part of this rather than having to force people into it and coerce them into keeping quiet. They’ve been watching Garret since he was a young boy and they’ve seen how difficult he is to control. He’s always been independent and rebellious. They knew he’d be a lot to handle and nobody has time to manage him.”
“So get them to change the rule. Get Garret out of this.”
“I tried. I’ve spent years trying to get him out. And just recently I thought I’d convinced everyone to let him go. In fact, right before I held that fundraiser for Royce, there was an initial vote to let Garret, and some of the other young men, out of this obligation. The vote passed and although the senior members could override it, they didn’t. I assumed that meant Garret was free. That’s why I allowed him to keep seeing you. I know how much he loves you and I wanted him to have that. To have love in his life. Real love, like the kind I had with his mother.”
I can’t believe Pearce is telling me all this. It’s like as soon as he showed me that envelope about Garret’s mom, his guard came down and he’s letting everything spill out. But I know at any minute he could revert back to his old self, so I try to keep him talking.
“This group wouldn’t make this plan for Garret’s life just to punish you, right? It’s too big.”
“The punishment is just a side benefit. This plan would’ve happened anyway. The senior members have been interested in Garret for some time now, but they purposely hid it from me because they knew I’d be against it.”
“Why were they so interested in Garret?”
He sighs like he’s not sure he wants to tell me, but then he starts talking again. “As you know, this reality show Garret’s been unwillingly involved in since his senior year in high school has given him a great deal of press. I ignored it because I thought it was too trivial to get into a legal battle over.” Pearce looks down, shaking his head back and forth. “But I should’ve taken it seriously. I should’ve taken action like Garret wanted me to and stopped it right away.”
“Why? What does the reality show have to do with this?”
“Yesterday Garret and I learned that the organization has been monitoring the public’s response to him ever since he was featured on that show. They have records of all Internet searches for him and all comments made about him online. They compiled the data and found that people consider Garret to be trustworthy, attractive, intelligent, confident, and decisive—all criteria we look for in a possible presidential candidate. His appeal is not just with young girls, but includes other key demographics. At the meeting, they had charts and graphs showing how well Garret resonates with people. They can use this information and build on it to eventually create a consensus among the voting public that he’s presidential material.”
“I thought you rigged the voting. What difference does it make if people like him or think he’s presidential material?”
“We don’t rig the voting. We prepare candidates. Another organization handles it from there. I know nothing about them and I’m not just saying that. I really don’t.”
Another organization? What the hell? How deep does this thing go?
“I overheard you talking to Kent Gleason that day he was here at the house. You made it sound like he’d be president. Some guy brought in a video and—”
“You shouldn’t eavesdrop, Jade. You’ll find out things you don’t really want to know.”
“Do you rig photos? Videos? How did you cover up what happened to Royce Sinclair?”
His eyes narrow and I know I shouldn’t have asked—or more like accused—him of that, but it’s too late now.
“Thereissome media manipulation that occurs, but we are certainly not the only organization that feeds lies to the press. Almost every company in the world does that. Even governments do it. Sometimes you need to change public perception and the media can be very effective for that. People tend to believe what they see on TV or read in the newspaper.”
I wasn’t prepared for him to admit to manipulating the media and I’m not sure how to respond. So I turn the topic back to Garret. “Was Garret their only option for this plan? Or were there others?”
“Garret was one of four young men being considered. He was put on a list about a year ago. Again, I didn’t know this. I had some suspicions when they forced me to make him intern in Washington last summer. But he showed no interest in politics the entire time he was there, so I figured they wouldn’t consider him to be groomed for even a Senate position. But apparently he rose to the top of the list after that reality show aired last year.”
“But Garret said he didn’t get much press the first time it aired.”
“Yes, he wasn’t as well known as he is now, but the people whodidknow about him had very positive things to say. And when the public develops strong feelings about a person, it makes our job much easier. When grooming a candidate you need a good starting base and Garret has that. He’s perfect actually. I never even considered it before, I guess because I didn’t want to. But I see why they selected him. And making him do this fulfills my punishment for what I did to Royce. They know it kills me to see this happen to Garret. His life is over. It’s theirs now, not his.”
“Why is Garret going along with this? Because of me?”
