[h2]Marcus Bellamy[/h2]
[hr]
Receiving cards and letters from various people of the settlement used to be something to look forward to, especially for one in the mayoral position. Marcus never quite admitted it, but he enjoyed the attention to a degree. But more so, he appreciated the love of the people, the joyous expressions on their faces, and the positive tone of each of the small notes that were quietly slipped under the front door of him home, or placed within the “in-box” at his office. It hadn’t stopped at the letters though, as provisions from the various bakers and cooks were delivered as a thanks to him and his wife, and the breweries always saved a few specially-made bottles of their finest liquors. Well...as fine as it could be considering the resources they had to work with. All in all, one could say then that it was “Good to be King”. 

But, as the days since the accident trudged on, and tension was thick enough to be cut with the sharpest of blades, the cards began to slow their pace until they stopped completely. 

Except for one…

Marcus opened his front door to leave for the office as he did every morning, a single letter tied in a red ribbon was propped up within the large terracotta planter pot which sat near the left side of the entryway. The man cocked his head, perhaps not really expecting it as it had been almost two weeks since the last, but he managed to crack a smile nonetheless as he reached down to pluck the light-brown folded parchment from the shallow dirt. The front read “Mayor Bellamy”, in a very ornate style of handwriting not seen very often, and there was a faint scent of jasmine permeating from the paper itself.  He pulled one end of the red ribbon until the bow unfastened itself allowing Marcus to open the letter. 

[i]Dear Mister Bellamy,

You may not remember me since I was a small child when you helped my family. But my name is Abigail Williams and I am a citizen of the Water Leaf settlement, born and raised. I am writing to you because, contrary to what you may have heard or what you might think, our settlement needs your help. As you’re well aware, the Fireflies and Water Leafs have been allied for generations, and because of what happened at the dam, our whole society (even over here!) is beginning to crumble and I’m afraid. 

I know I’m not the only one either, because again, contrary to what you might think, not every Water Leaf blames you for anything, or is upset with you. In fact, they want action. 

The problem, however, is that our Mayor has completely lost his focus on making sure that his people are taken care of and I think he’s allowed the hatred for what had happened to his daughter to cloud his mind. I even hear whispers that he is out for blood!

I am sorry that my letter isn’t more comforting since you’ve been good to me and my family in the past, but I felt it was my obligation to bring this to your attention. I am concerned Mr Bellamy and I hope you can find a solution to all of this madness.
Your friend,

Abby
[/i]

Marcus looked up and surveyed the street for a moment, ensuring that he wasn’t being watched by someone who may have known about the letter, before placing it into his coat pocket and heading off down the narrow road toward his office.