Rue,
If you are reading this, then the lights at the Meridian are coming back on.
That means Eleanor kept her promise.
And it means I finally have to explain why I left something important without ever telling you it existed.
Before you decide anything about the Meridian, there are three things you need to know.
First, I did not leave because the Voss family pushed me out.
Second, Eleanor and I made a choice that neither of us was certain was right.
Third—and this is the part you may find hardest to understand—one day Harlan Voss may need your vote more than you need anything from him.
I stopped.
My eyes lifted slowly from the page.
Harlan was staring at the letter.
“What vote?”
I asked.
His jaw tightened.
Mara looked down.
“Harlan?”
He walked to the window.
Outside, afternoon light spread across the restored gold balconies of the Meridian.
