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11:30 a.m.

Right on time, Carson Dunst takes the stage at his rally in New York.

I met Carson Dunst in DC on Sunday, March 31, 2013, at President Reynolds’s memorial service at the White House, five days

after the assassination that started the political war against Death-Cast. While all in attendance were grieving and distressed,

Dunst pulled my father to the side, blaming him for the assassination and many other crimes against the country. Dunst condemned

Death-Cast for its encroachment on people’s freedoms, and my father countered that Death-Cast provides peace of mind to citizens

worldwide to live more freely than ever before. Dunst said the company emboldens people to pursue violent crimes knowing they

will survive, and my father made it clear that the success of those crimes is not predicted. And of course Dunst called Death-Cast

unnatural with such venom I thought he was going to spit in my father’s face.

“Any world that does not allow you your lifelong privileges will always be treated as unnatural, but that does not make it

so,” my father had said. He offered Dunst condolences before pushing me along back to my mother and other genuine mourners.

I unmute the TV as Dunst finishes waving at all his rabid supporters and steps to the mic. He rolls up his sleeves, masquerading as a pro-natural middle-class American to appease his base of bigots even though he was raised by parents who made hundreds of millions in the oil industry.

Dunst wastes no time talking about Death-Cast being a failed experiment; I wonder if Rio is somewhere in that crowd, cheering

for the fall of Death-Cast. He then veers into his usual lie that millions of users are abandoning our services. “I applaud

everyone who has seen the light and returned to the pro-natural way, but there’s someone who deserves a special round of applause

for fighting his way out of the darkness,” Dunst says. His crowd is silent, anticipating who is the latest in a line of public

figures like politicians, musicians, and actors to opt out of the service. “None other than the Death-Cast heir himself,

Rosa!”

Hearing my name is as shocking as Harry Hope shooting himself over the phone, as shocking as Rio’s confession that he wants

to spend his life with me, and as shocking as Paz almost punching me, but this goes beyond me. This affects the world.

How does Carson Dunst know I deactivated Death-Cast? No one knows...

That’s not true. There are many people who know. My parents. Shield-Cast. My friends.

The question isn’t simply who leaked this information and more about who hates me enough to ruin my life.

All signs point to the pro-natural boy whose heart I broke.

“What the fuck is going on?” Paz asks.

Once the roaring crowd settles down, Carson Dunst continues boasting. “I celebrate Rosa’s victory in overcoming a decade

of brainwashing and renouncing his claim to Death-Cast so that he may return to his pro-natural life, and I welcome ’s

vote on Election Day so I may accomplish the crucial work of dissolving Death-Cast once and for all. After all, why would

anyone invest in a future with Death-Cast when even the heir himself wants nothing to do with the company?”

More cheers.

I never renounced my claim to Death-Cast. That’s a lie, but who told my truth?

“I would never trust a man to manage my death when he cannot satisfy his own son’s life,” Dunst says as if my father is his

political opponent in the presidential race. “If it wasn’t enough hearing from Deckers who never died and from people who

lost loved ones that never received their alerts, then I hope Rosa joining our pro-natural movement is enough for the

American people to wake up to the dangers of Death-Cast and how it threatens the natural order!”

I’m hyperventilating so much that Paz runs into his room and grabs my inhaler, but this isn’t an asthma attack. I’m panicking

over these lies for political gain and their ramifications.

Paz takes my hand.

Dunst continues. “Death-Cast has not only failed the heir and the public who trusted the company’s unnatural power, but Death-Cast has failed their employees too. The heralds especially work under grueling conditions without the necessary psychological support for the demands of that dark profession. They are expected to sweep their many errors under the rug to protect the company’s false record. Lying to keep their jobs doesn’t spare them from the verbal abuse of their leader. Don’t take my word for it. A brave woman has come forward to use her voice despite Death-Cast trying to silence her.”

“Oh no,” I say.

“What?” Paz asks.

I sit at the edge of the couch. “Oh no.”

“What? What?”

Carson Dunst leans forward on the podium, like he’s letting America in on a little secret. But he’s not. He’s leaving that

to his lying whistleblower.

“Let’s give a warm welcome to a former head herald, Andrea Donahue!”