“This disciplinary action is part of your childhood. It’s the roots of the Guild, if you like, so I’m interested,” Erica reasons.
He inhales slowly through his nose. I can tell he’s angry but he’s trying to hide it. “There are seven character flaws. Self-deprecation is belittling and undervaluing oneself. Someone who does this has an inferiority complex. Self-destruction is sabotaging, punishing, and harming. Someone who does this has constant inner turmoil that makes them want to get away from themselves.
“Martyrdom is someone who denies responsibility, blames others.
“Stubbornness, resisting change, even a positive one.
“Greed is selfishness, overindulgence, overconsumption.
“Arrogance, a superiority complex, a need to be seen as better than others because being ordinary is intolerable.
“Impatience, intolerance of obstruction and delay.”
“Do you use this disciplinary method with your son, Art?”
My heart pounds at the sound of Art’s name. At first I feel defensive of him, a natural response to somebody I thought I loved, and then the anger sets in as I remember who he now is. But still I hold my breath while they talk about him.
He visibly tenses. “My son is eighteen years old.”
“But when he was growing up?”
“No,” he says simply. He shifts in his chair.
“Did that sit well with your father and grandfather? This appears to be the traditional way of doing things in the Crevan household.”
He frowns at the seemingly ridiculous question. “My son didn’t require this method of discipline, and it furthers my theory that people are changing. This is a new generation of cleansed people. Year after year the number of accused Flawed is falling.”
“Or it could be said you placed your parental disciplinary action on an entire nation instead.”
He laughs, pretending to be amused by this analysis. “I would say that is not true at all.”
“Enya Sleepwell says she believes people in this country are living in fear. Is what you consider a people changing actually a people frozen by fear, afraid to make any mistake, any decision, take any risk in case they are punished, cast out from society?”
“No, I disagree with Enya. Again. People are now thinking before they act.”
“And if it is through fear, is that okay? Have we overstepped the line of democracy?”
“Oh, please,” he says, getting annoyed. “We live in a democratic country, the people of this great nation will have the opportunity in two days’ time to take to the ballot boxes to have their voices heard.”
“And if the people vote for the Vital Party, whose main policy is to abolish the Guild?”
“I don’t believe that will happen,” he says confidently. “The Vital Party is inexperienced. We know little about where Enya Sleepwell and her party stand on any issues other than ‘not agreeing with the Guild.’ This makes me wonder what Enya Sleepwell has to hide. Why does the Guild scare her so much?”
“I think it’s because she finds the Guild inhumane,” Erica says.
That gets a cheer in the room.
Erica moves on, turns a page. “I received information that there is an inquiry beginning, into you.”
Crevan looks confused but manages to deal with what’s been revealed to him on live television.
“There have often been inquiries into the Guild’s cases. Cases have needed further clarification or detail. There are always watchdogs who keep things in line, and rightly so,” he explains.
“But this inquiry is specifically looking into you, Mr. Crevan. One would assume it will look into some of your most controversial cases, particularly the recent, infamous Celestine North case. There are people who feel she was unfairly branded, that the case itself is flawed.”
My heart pounds at hearing my name being mentioned.
“It’s a private government inquiry; we’ve seen the documents,” a voice says close to my ear, and I look around to see Enya Sleepwell standing right beside me.
I blink. Maybe things really are changing.
On-screen, Judge Crevan pauses. “I’ll be happy to provide the inquiry with any information regarding the Celestine North case, but I have no knowledge of this inquiry and I’m not going to discuss any of the details of that case with you. I can assure people I am a man intent on seeing justice being done.”
Crevan grinds his teeth as he waits for the next question, trying to hide his anger.
“Final question. If your grandfather and your father were alive today, which label do you think they would place around your neck now? What is, to quote you, your ‘grotesque character flaw’?”
He thinks about it, an amused smile on his face.
“Greed,” he says finally. “I want a lot, possibly too much for my country, for my fellow people. I want the best for us, and I suppose people may see me as I saw my father, when I was a teenager, which I do understand. If I have to be the big bad wolf in order to make our society better, so be it, but the people will thank me for it just as I thanked my father. The number of accused Flawed are falling. People are changing. People can recognize what is right and wrong immediately, they don’t have the same moral codes as in my grandfather’s time, when the country was in financial ruin and the place was, frankly, a disaster.”
“Or you might say,” Erica replies, “that our current leaders learned from their predecessors’ experiences, from their mistakes. And for that, they can thank them.”
This isn’t something that appears to have occurred to Crevan, or that pleases him, but he smiles anyway, a kind of a snarl.
“I spoke to Mark Houston before this interview, in my preparation.…” Erica leafs through some papers on her lap.
Crevan’s face lights up. “Mark. Yes, he was my friend at school. I haven’t seen Mark for years.” Then he frowns as he awaits what’s coming next, while Erica consults her notes.
“I asked Mark if he remembered the character flaw disciplinary action that your family used. If he remembered you showing up to school, to soccer, to the movies, nights out, wherever you went, with the label around your neck. And he said yes, he did. I was curious to know which flaw was your most common one. And do you know what he said?”
“I don’t, but if he remembers all the way back to a small detail like that, then Mark’s memory is far better than mine.” Big smile.
“He said it was easy to remember because it was always the same one. What I guess you would call your chief feature.” She looks down to read. “It was arrogance, which, by your earlier explanation, would mean a superiority complex. Inflating, overvaluing oneself, a need to be seen as better than others because being ordinary is intolerable.”
The anger on his face is penetrable.
“Mr. Crevan, thank you for joining me tonight, it has been very insightful.” Erica smiles at the camera.