(to all those eagerly waiting, sorry this is so late)
After comforting Daniel, Mandy went to her room.
She thought more of her biological parents. She wondered whether or not to visit her biological mother, Angela. As much as she hated her, she did miss her. She knew she was not the rope in a game of tug-of-war between the two women, so her situation was not really that bad. As much as she loved having Lorraine around as her stepmother, and sour about Angela divorcing her dad after running off with another man, Angela was still her mom.
But Angela lived nowhere near Richmond. She lived several hundred kilometers to the west, near a major city that used to produce magic carts. This was before chaos erupted and the nation disintegrated.
Apparently, there were huger bodies of water where her mother was. Climate was known to be cold and windy. Her mother lived in a place called Straightswood, or what remained of it anyway. Straightswood used to be a vibrant city one hundred-and-sixty years ago, but that changed. Things fell apart. Industry shut down. The leader of what was the greatest land in the world, which Straightswood was once a part of, pumped money into the city, but the charity did not work.
From what she heard, Angela was running a successful farm there in neverland, or so she thought it. Her mother was making a lot of money and her father was in jail, and since he had worked for Sage, could be tried for treason. Meanwhile, Angela had married her (three years younger) secretary. And despite Angela's success, Mandy could not bring herself to visit her.
Soon, though, the thoughts of her biological mother passed. She read a "History of the World" book, and read more about Richmond when it was part of Hillsland Empire. The thing was, back then, Hillsland Empire was part of an even bigger empire, she read. She understood it, but it just did not make sense to her. Hillsland Empire did not only own Richmond but Broken Fields as well as this other land called "Regina." The word alone made her sick to her stomach, as it immediately made her think of her arch-nemesis, Gina Graham.
Those greedy Hillslandites! Thought Mandy to herself. Mandy always thought very patriotic about her country- the city-state of Richmond. But sometimes she wondered if she might have been a Hillsland loyalist during the great rebellion. She went to Lorraine. She wanted to know what she had learned about the whole history.
"It was an interesting land, this great empire that Hillsland empire itself was once a part of. While it was good to its people, generally speaking, although certain peoples had to fight for higher status. Even rich people who "looked different" from the majority were snubbed. While it was the country with the most liberty, it certainly was not the land that was most free. It had more laws and regulations than any other land on Earth.
"For one hundred years, it was one of the four great empires of the world. For the next forty years, it was one of only two. Then, that other empire fell, but near that empire, another empire sprung up. It was on the other side of the Earth," she told Mandy, poinnting to the ground.
"Did that empire fight ours? I mean, by ours, did it fight the empire that Hillsland was once a part of. I never heard about this in history."
"You're fifteen years old and a sophomore. I learned all I tell you in my junior year."
"Oh," Mandy replied to Lorraine. "But did we fight them?"
"Thank goodness, no. Both of the empires were satisfied with the stalemate. To a degree, anyway."
"Can you tell me more about the empire's fall?"
Lorraine took out a rusty, yellowing old map. "This current map is more than 150 years old."
She showed that there were fifty regions in this empire. "The breakup happened slowly. For example, take this huge peninsula." Lorraine pointed to another part of the map.
"I have heard of that land," Mandy her. "Look how it stretches out into the King-of-God ocean!"
"That land broke away from the rest of the empire. First, the whole part that stretches on the north coast of the Cannibal Sea seceded. The government let them go. Ironically, the capital of this empire that broke away from the big empire was on that land. The leader of that land, simply called 'flower,' felt surrounded. Ironically, this leader became the leader of 'New Flower' and left the part that it seceded from to fend for itself. In other words, 'New Flower' left 'Old Flower' and took its leader with it."
"That's crazy! He was a savage!"
"You bet he was," Lorraine told Mandy, sadly. "I was told I have relatives somewhere in New Flower. But I am afraid to seek them.
"So the great land Hillsland- and Flower empire- belonged to tried to police the world for the better, and always left it in ruins. And eventually, the soldiers just got tired of being sent everywhere to save the world, and rebelled."
"Who could blame them?" Mandy asked.
"And, as you know, when the army turns against a leader, that is it. And more chaos happened. The regions that seceded from the great empire had their own internal struggles, and wound up having secession movements within the secession movements, and we get where we are. We, the people of Richmond, seceded from Hillsland, which seceded from the great empire."
"Will one part of Richmond try to secede? Like New Death Park?"
"Let's hope not."
"Why is that park called New Death Park anyway?"
"God only knows. But the legend says there used to be lots of trash there."
"Maybe that's why it's called 'New Death,'" said Mandy.
"Here's the news, Amanda," Lorraine told her stepdaughter.
It said that the leader of Hillsland, Mary Katz, is offering to help the Rebels. That has to be under the guise of taking us over again!" Growled Mandy.
"From what I hear, Mandy, Katz is a very good leader. No fiat money. Their pran, called the slig, is backed by copper. However much a dekagram or ten grams, of copper is worth, that's how much the slig is worth."
"Huh," Mandy said.
"Anyway, a large, organized demonstration against Sage and his policies is gonna be held. Do not go, okay, honey?"
"Aw, Lorraine, why not?"
"I have enough trouble with your father in prison. Don't be like him, okay?" She tugged Mandy's ear gently.
"Yes," Mandy said.
"Yes who?"
"Yes mom." Lorraine smiled at her step-daughter. However, Mandy was unaware what she had just called Lorraine.
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