As Hanna stood there waiting for the powder keg to blow she started thinking about the past again.
It was a few months after The Barrier fell. Barak H. Obama had been on Air Force One when The Barrier had fallen. Somehow he was able to survive the high winds which pounded the area he was flying in and the subsequent failure of the engines. When it became evident that werewolves, centaurs, and the like had become real he had ordered that large animals were to be shot. His reason was that werewolves were suppose to be violent and centaurs and others weren't normal and could pose a security threat to the country.
Hanna had hid from the patrols that almost constantly swept through what was left of the country. She had to keep moving, never staying in one place for long. She knew that she didn't have control over her magic like she should have and so refrained from using it except in the most extreme cases. It happened that she had to resort to magic once.
She had been in a town that was almost totally destroyed. The patrols had lessened but they were still there. She was in a park when she saw two werewolves. Suddenly the Army had surrounded them and Hanna herself. The Sergeant had said for her to not be afraid and to get behind them. Unfortunately a strong gust of wind had blown off the headscarf she wore to hide her ears. When the Sergeant saw her pointed ears he ordered his men to kill her and the werewolves. Hanna quickly erected a shield around herself and the werewolves just as they began firing. The shield worked protecting them and the bullets bounced off and struck some of the soldiers. She could have stayed there and let them waste their bullets but she didn't want to. She sent a wave of energy out meaning to knock the soldiers out. Unfortunately the energy wave turned the soldiers into steaming piles of blood and guts.
She had been so horrified at what she had done that she let her shield drop. Se barely heard the werewolves run away. Maybe they had wanted to get out of there before more people showed up or perhaps they were afraid what she would do to them. Either way they were gone and she thought it was best to get out of there herself.
A couple weeks later she had found her grandmother and told her what she had done. It was then that her grandmother had put the bracelet on her and decide to remove Obama from power. Barak was in a heavily fortified underground bunker and they were going to have to hurt people to get to him. They had little choice though as the Obama's policies had to stop.
Two days later they were outside of the bunker concealed in some bushes. Four guards were at the entrance and there were more walking around. There were probably more that were concealed as they were. Today was the day Obama was to address the nation via magic mirror. As much of the nation as he could address anyway. This would be the best time to remove him.
They slowly stepped out of their concealment and started toward the bunker entrance. One of the guards shouted "Halt! Identify yourselves!"
"We're two citizens who want an audience with the president" her grandmother said.
"No one get's in without authorization!" the guard shouted. "There are no scheduled visits today! Turn around and leave now! If you refuse we are authorized to use deadly force!"
"That would not be a wise idea" her grandmother had said.
"You were warned!" the guard said.
Hanna saw the guards stance shift slightly. She brought up her shield just as they opened fire. Bullets bounced of of it mostly harmlessly. A few bullets hit a couple of the guards. Her grandmother said a little chant and the guards were thrown back and into unconsciousness. Another chant and the doors to the bunker were ripped out. They had to move fast now as the alarm was sure to have been raised.
They made their way through the bunker meeting no one. This had worried them as they had expected heavy resistance. It wasn't until they were deep inside that they finally met resistance. There were many soldiers guarding a very heavy looking door. They opened fire without any warning. It was a good thing that she had kept her shield up or they may have died right there. As it was her grandmother used the same spells as before and they were inside.
They could hear Obama speaking now. He was just starting his speech and seemed to be completely unaware of what was happening. He was saying "My fellow Americans. I come to you today to offer you hope for the future. We will rebuild our country to what it was before. Before that happens though we must deal with the creatures that have came into being overnight. To accomplish this I urge every citizen to report sightings of any of these creatures. They must accept our law before we can move forward."
"What laws are those?" she had asked stepping up to Obama with her grandmother. "The law that all mysticals must be shot?"
"Well mysticals as you call them are a danger to our society" Obama said. "Werewolves are dangerous creatures that steal and eat babies."
"It's true that some werewolves are dangerous" her grandmother said. "But the vast majority of them just want to be left alone to enjoy their lives."
"So you admit that werewolves are dangerous" Obama said.
"Just like humans are dangerous" she said.
"There are a few humans that are bad" Obama said. "Though you can't condemn a whole race on the actions of a few."
"Yet that is exactly what you're doing" her grandmother said. "You are condemning all mysticals because of the actions of a few."
"All the myths have werewolves as bloodthirsty monsters" Obama said. "It's their nature and it might be the nature of other mysticals. Though despite that I have ordered the military to detain them when possible. I do not like to see anything killed with no reason."
"Then how do you explain what happened with me just two weeks ago?" she asked.
"I'm afraid that I don't know what you're talking about" Obama said.
"I'll tell you then" she said. "I had been walking in a park and I came across a couple of werewolves. The military showed up and surrounded us. The Sergeant was nice to me at first telling me to get behind them. A gust of wind blew off my headscarf revealing that I'm not quite human." She had removed her headscarf at this point to reveal her ears. "I'm half human and half elf" she continued. "When the Sergeant saw my ears he ordered his men to kill me too."
"Then he was not following orders" Obama said. "You have my promise that he and his men will be investigated. Now to you. You have broken into a secure bunker which is against the law. You have proven by your actions that you mysticals are dangerous."
"Only when we need to be" her grandmother said removing her own headscarf she had been wearing. "The soldiers you had guarding you are unconscious now. They will be fine once they wake up. Now, we're here to give you a choice. You can step down on your own or we can remove you by force. Either way you will no longer rule."
"That is ridiculous" Obama said. "The American people will not stand for that."
"I can promise them that they'll have their rights back" her grandmother said. "The curfew will be lifted. They will be able to own guns once again. They will be free to assemble. A new constitution will be drafted and the people will decide whether it will be adopted or not. I will of course be taking over as queen but that's not much different than it is now. Under me though the people will have their freedoms back and I will listen to them."
"Do you believe that the American people will believe you?" Obama asked. "They elected me President and I did what I had to do. It wasn't an easy decision for me to make but it needed to be made. Now if you'll go with these guards we can start organizing your trial." Two guards had appeared on either side of Obama.
"Well we won't be going with them" her grandmother said.
"You will either go quietly or you will be shot" Obama said.
"You do not want to shoot at us" she had said. "I have a shield around us that will deflect your bullets."
"Yeah right" one of the guards said before they both opened fire.
The bullets didn't penetrate her shield and bounced off. Unfortunately for Obama and the guards the bullets bounced back at them killing all three of them.
Her grandmother sighed and said "That was a foolish thing to do with us so close to them." Stepping up to the podium she said "I regret that these men died. I did not want it to end this way. The fact remains that someone needs to lead you. As of this moment I am taking control of the military and ordering them to stand down from their pursuit of mysticals. The curfew is lifted and your freedoms are restored to you. I and my granddaughter will be happy to hear from you."
It wasn't long after that they had heard from the people. There was a mass exodus from the military and those people had found others to increase their numbers. A short but bloody war followed ending in an agreement. Those that wanted to leave for parts of the world where it was rumored that there were no mysticals could. If they stayed they would not be prosecuted for what they did in the war and could go about their lives.
Now Hanna scanned the ballroom looking for any signs of trouble that could lead to another war. She briefly wondered if the werewolves she had saved were here now. It was possible. She hadn't been able to learn who they were. She was rudely yanked from her musings as her eyes caught sight of what was going to ignite the powder keg.