BEEP BEEP BEEP
CJ awoke to the violent pinging of her Blackberry, vibrating from its perch across the room. She groaned and summoned the energy to face what was sure to be a crazy day. After dragging herself out of bed, she glanced at the clock to find that it was technically not day at all; it was only 4:32 a.m. What could have possibly happened at this hour? She wondered to herself, before walking across the room to find out.
CJ's phone showed three missed calls and seventeen unread texts from Toby. As she opened them, knowing it couldn't possibly be good news, not at this hour, she sighed. The first text read PLEASE CALL, and it was followed by numerous variations on that urgent sentiment.
CJ heeded Toby's wishes and called. He picked up on the first ring, sounding strungout, which wasn't atypical, but also something else, something unexpected. He sounded tentative, like he was treading on ice.
"What's going on?" CJ asked.
"I have some bad news. I just got a call from Danny about a story that's about to break." Toby began.
"What's the story? Is it about the peace summit?"
"It's about you." Toby answered somberly. "They know."
"Oh God." CJ immediately realized what he was referring to. They knew. She had worked so hard to keep this secret, her only secret in such a public world, and they had still wrenched it out of the dark, locked room where she had successfully hidden it for so long.
"You okay?" Toby asked.
"Yeah. I'll be there in twenty." CJ replied in a monotone voice as she threw on a suit, preparing to face what she knew was coming.