Chapter 26
Chapter twenty-six
The rally was more crowded than the last one that Camelia had gone to, but she could feel the warmth of James close against her back, and Evan was right at her side, holding her gloved hand firmly.
The email asking if she would speak at another Omega rights' rally had surprised her, and at first, she had been apprehensive.
James had been able to slide back into his classes smoothly with Evan's dad's help, and they were all heavily in the midst of studying for finals, which were coming up in less than a week.
Well, Camelia and James were heavily in the midst of studying for finals. Camelia hadn't seen Evan so much as pick up a book, and when she had asked him about it, he just smiled at her and tapped his head, stating that it was, "All in here, baby."
It was cocky and far too confident, but when you had more money than God, Camelia supposed that you didn't have to worry about such trivial things as passing college finals. Evan was staying around for them and nothing else, she was sure of it.
James had been the one to quietly encourage her to accept the request to speak.
"Everyone is scared right now, and you have a voice that will be impactful," he'd told her when she got the email, his gray eyes dark and intense.
"You should use what power you have in a world that wants to take it away from you. "
It had been the sincerity in his voice that had made Camelia agree with him, less than the content of the words. But now...here they were.
"Camelia Meadows?" A harried-looking man approached the three of them as they approached the stage, and Camelia nodded.
"Yeah, that's me."
He smiled at her, glancing at either of the men beside her before returning his attention to her face.
"I'm Harris, I'm the organizer of the event.
We have one more speaker before you, and then you'll be heading up.
You did this before, so just...do what you did at the last rally. It really resonated with people."
Camelia's stomach swooped a little at the compliment, but she nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I'll do my best."
Harris turned and walked away without saying anything else, hollering for someone on the other side of the stage as they rearranged things for the next speaker, and James leaned down to brush his lips against the shell of her ear.
"You're going to be magnificent, love. I'm glad that I get to be here and see it this time. "
Camelia suppressed a shiver as she glanced back at him, smiling. "I'm glad you're here, too."
They stood quietly as the next speaker – a tall woman with graying hair and an intense expression on her face – stepped up to the podium and spoke.
Her speech was hyperbolic and inflammatory, discussing the attacks against Omegas that had been happening lately.
The details that she shared made Camelia's stomach twist and fire burn in her chest, and when she looked out at the crowd, she wasn’t the only one.
It comforted her. The crowd was large, and there were so many people who were blatantly emotionally affected by this. They could do something about it. They would do something about it.
Evan squeezed Camelia's hand one more time before releasing her, gently pushing her lower back as Camelia was gestured on the stage after the woman finished talking.
Harris smiled reassuringly at her again as she started to walk up the stairs, and then Camelia was in front of that damn microphone again, her palms sweating and snowflakes starting to gently fall from the wintry sky.
She cleared her throat, the weight of the eyes on her making her stomach swoop.
The last time that she had spoken, her heat had started; Camelia sent up a silent prayer that this wouldn't trigger another dramatic stress response, and started speaking.
"I'm Camelia. I'm an Omega. I'm here because.
...well, because people don't give a fuck about me, or people like me.
Not as a whole. We're seen as breeders, or as possessions.
Things that you can just take or consume, simply because of the way that we were born. "
Camelia paused, swallowing. She glanced down to where James and Evan were watching her, their eyes unwavering on her as they smiled.
As she watched, Evan reached out and squeezed James' hand gently, and Camelia couldn't stop herself from smiling before she returned her attention to the rapt crowd.
"The last time I spoke, I said that I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that Congress heard our voices.
But with everything that's been happening, that's not enough.
It doesn't matter how many laws are passed, or how many rallies we hold.
There will always be people who think that they are entitled to Omegas, and more changes need to be made than simply passing laws that will protect our rights.
There needs to be social change, cultural change.
It needs to be understood that we are not possessions, and we will fight back. "
The crowd reacted almost violently to Camelia's words, the roar of approval swelling fast and loud.
The rush of endorphins that hit Camelia as she basked in the approval made a lump rise in her throat.
She blinked back the sting of tears, smiling widely at the audience as she stepped away from the microphone.
When she had planned her speech back at home, laying on James' bed as he wrote an essay, she had come up with more things to say.
The speech that she had prepared was still in her pocket, though, and.
..it didn't seem like anything more needed to be said.
"Camelia!" Camelia was accosted by a tall, sleazy-looking guy with a microphone the second that she stepped off the stage. The crowd was still in a tizzy over her speech, and Camelia stepped to the side where it was a tiny bit more secluded as she turned to the man.
"Yes?" Out of the corner of her eye, Camelia saw Evan and James walking around the stage and approaching her.
It made her feel a little more secure to have her men on either side of her, and the guy who had stopped her glanced at the imposing Alphas before shoving a recorder in her face and smiling widely.
"You're really creating some buzz on the internet for your advocacy. Tell me, what is your opinion on the Omega who was recently discovered after being assaulted by what she claims was an Alpha?"
The smile faded from Camelia's face, and her stomach clenched.
Her heart leapt into her throat, and she frowned even as she reached out blindly for James' hand with hers.
His tight squeeze on her hand comforted her, but not enough to stop the panic from starting to bleed into the edges of her vision.
"I hadn't heard about that. Where did it happen? "
The smile on the guy's face widened; he liked that he had caught her off guard.
"Just south of Alabama. She was found on the side of the road, almost completely naked and covered in bruises.
" He leaned closer, as if saying something conspiratorial, his eyes gleaming.
"The word is that the person who kidnapped her did more than just slap her around, if you know what I mean. "
Camelia clutched tighter to James' hand, and Evan spoke up, his voice smooth and commanding. "If that isn't public information, I'm not sure why we should be listening to you. Are you a reporter of some kind?"
The guy stood up straight, puffing his chest out as he turned to face Evan, as if that would make him more physically imposing. "Jared Leffner, with The Hourly Scribe."
Evan took a tiny step closer, but Camelia saw him rolling his eyes even as he put his hand on the small of Camelia's back. "That fucking rag? You should be ashamed of yourself. And Camelia will not be answering any more of your questions, thank you."
The reporter – Jared – narrowed his eyes a little, though he took a tiny step back. "And who the hell are you to be making that assertion for her?"
Evan smiled, but his blue eyes were ice. "Evan Nichols. And I'm the person whose lawyer you'll be hearing from if you don't back the fuck off, buddy. Leave her alone."
Camelia pressed closer to Evan, James following her, caging her in as the reporter looked at the three of them. There was a spark of interest in his eyes, and Camelia could practically see the gears turning in his head, wondering what their relationship was.
Still, he didn't say anything else. He turned on his heel and darted away, looking very much like a rat fleeing a larger predator, and Camelia's stomach slumped a little even as her chest wound tighter with fear and anxiety.
It took her a moment to realize that James was talking to her, his voice so low that she could barely hear him over the crowd. "Come on, sweetheart," he said. "Let's get out of here." He tugged her hand, and Camelia numbly followed him, Evan bringing up the rear closely.