I watched him shake hands, thank volunteers, and speak with firefighters who had come to support the event.
Then he walked toward me.
"You ready?" He asked.
"I think so." I said and he smiled.
"You sound nervous." He said.
"I am nervous." I said.
"I'm proud of you." He said.
The words hit harder than I expected and I looked down at my clipboard because I didn't want him to see how much they affected me.
"Thank you." I said.
Charles nodded, and before he could say anything else, the microphone near the front of the parking lot crackled.
Everyone gradually turned toward the small platform.
One of the event organizers introduced Charles, and he stepped forward.
I moved toward the edge of the crowd with Jace beside me and Charles looked over the gathered crowd before his eyes sett
