Melinda Bennett was an Arbiter and a Next.[1][2]
The Long Utopia[]
Commotion[]
In 2056, Melinda and Gerd Schulze were patrolling in Miami West 4 next to the space elevator construction site when they heard a commotion.[1]
When they got closer, they saw that it was stalk jacks picking on a kobold. The mood was playful but they kept themselves ready to intervene.
One of the stalk jack, Mario picked the kobold's sash and made fun of him. It was at that moment that Stan Berg, a young local, decided to intervene himself. He took back the sash, handed it to the Bob-Bob, the kobold, and dared the stalk jacks to pick on him.
After a moment of silence, someone threw a lump of concrete missed Stan's head by a few inches and a fight broke. Melinda and Gerd helped Rocky Lewis, Stan's friend, to get to the reckless young man and Melinda urged Rocky to get Stan out of there.
Stan being a natural stepper took Rocky's hand and escaped.
A candidate[]
After what happened with Stan, Melinda request an early session of their update meeting with Roberta Golding and Marvin Lovelace.[2]
Together they discussed the case of Stan who could probably be a Next and might need to be taken to the Grange for his own safety. Roberta agreed on that and said she was going to talk to Stan and his family.
The messiah[]
After Stan's visit to the Grange, he came back with the heads full of ideas and a newfound charisma.[3] Melinda was there with Rocky Lewis, Roberta Golding and Martha Berg listening to Stan preach when Sally Linsay came to take him away.