Over the days, Alex slowly got better. By Thursday, five days after waking up, she was walking around the Residence slowly. She was still weak and couldn't walk much, but she could make it from her bedroom to the West Wing and library without passing out.
She was curled up in a chair in the library, reading a book. "Hey, how 'ya feeling," she heard a familiar voice ask.
"Hey Leo," she said, looking up. "How's it going?"
"Not bad," he said, sitting down in the chair across from her. She folded the page to hold her place and set it aside. "Congratulations on getting into Yale."
"Thanks," she said, blushing. "I don't think Dad's so thrilled, though."
"Of course he is," Leo said, "Why would you think he's not?"
"I don't know," she replied, "I just get this feeling that he's not.
"I think they'll miss you," Leo explained, "It's all your mom's talked about."
"Maybe I should have gone to school closer to home," Alex said.
"Alex, go to school where you want to go. Your mom and dad will be fine," Leo said, "They've got a country to keep them busy." Alex snorted, then coughed, rubbing her chest slowly.
"Take it easy kid," Leo said, "You can't go to school dead." He stood up and patted Alex on the back before heading back downstairs.
Later in the afternoon, Alex walked downstairs to talk to her father. "Hey Charlie, is my dad in," she asked, walking into the office.
"Yeah. He's on the phone with the President of Japan, though," he said. "He should be off in a few," Charlie said, "How've you been feeling?"
"Better," Alex replied, sitting down, "I'm not quite up to speed, though."
"Congratulations on Yale, by the way," Charlie said.
"Thanks," Alex said, "How's it going with you and Zoey?"
"Good….I think," he replied, "We're going out tonight."
"Have fun," Alex said with a smile. She looked up as the door to her father's office opened and he walked out, sliding his glasses off.
"I see your mother let you out of the Residence," he said, walking over to her. "How do you feel?"
"Better," Alex said, hugging him. She sat down in the chair, facing him. "Dad, why don't you want me to go to Yale?"
Taken back by her question, Jed met her eyes. "Alex, what makes you think I don't want you to go to Yale," he asked.
"You seem a little less than thrilled," she said, shrugging.
"I had hoped that one of my children would go to Notre Dame, but that's how it goes." Alex saw the twinkle in his eye and smiled, rolling her eyes.
"Dad, you know what I mean," she said.
"Alright," he said, leaning forward, "Alex, I want you to go to Yale. But, your mom and are worried about what'll happen when you get there."
"When I get there," she asked, confused.
"I've had Agent Butterfield interviewing candidates for you guard," he said.
"My guard," Alex asked. "But, Zoey only has one guard. Do I have more than that?"
"You'll have two," Jed replied, "He's bringing his top two choices in for me to meet tomorrow."
"But, why do I have two," Alex asked.
"You're going to school five hours away from here. If something happens, it will take more time for agents to get there," he explained.
"Dad," she caught up in mid-sentence as he held his hand up.
"Alexandria, this issue is not up for argument. Your life is at stake here. Yes, your mother and I wanted you to stay closer to home, but we can't make you," Jed said. Alex nodded and leaned back in her chair.
"Will they both be with me all the time," she asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Okay," Alex said, crossing her arms. "Do I get a single room?"
"Yes," Jed said, "Your mother has all of your housing information."
"Okay," Alex said. She coughed and rubbed her chest. She was beginning to feel tired and her coughing had grown worse.
"Alright," Jed said, "Back to bed."
Alex didn't feel like arguing and stood up, wavering slightly. "I'll walk you upstairs," Jed said, taking her arm.
Jed covered Alex up with her comforter and kissed her temple gently. It was nearly seven o'clock and he wandered down the hall to find Abbey reading in the study. "Hey," he said, walking in, hands in his pockets.
"Hey yourself," she said, slipping her glass off to hang around her neck. "How long have you been up here?"
"I walked Alex up to her room. She was getting dizzy again," he said, walking over to her. "I told her about the agents."
"And how did that go?" She twisted in the chair to face him.
"About as well as expected," Jed said, "She wasn't too happy about it."
"The girl just wants to go to college, Jed," Abbey said, "She doesn't want an entourage to go to school. She's still getting used to this. Zoey went through this."
"Don't remind me," he said, "You going to be up late?"
"I can be," she said, "You eaten yet?"
"No," he said, "Got time for dinner? I have to be downstairs for a phone call in an hour."
"I think I can manage that," Abbey said, taking his hand and standing up.
After dinner with Jed, Abbey walked into Alex's room to check on her. The girl lay awake, her eyes staring at the ceiling. "Hey," Abbey said softly, "Can't sleep?"
Alex shook her head and shifted her eyes to meet her mothers. "I understand you weren't too happy about the guards," Abbey said, sitting down on the bed.
"I just want to go to class. Not have an entire entourage there with me," Alex said, "It's not like I don't already stick out."
"Gina blends in on Zoey's campus. She dresses like the college kids, even carries a backpack," Abbey said. She brushed the hair from Alex's eyes and smiled softly. "Your father and I are concerned about you when you're away from here. Yale's five hours from here. That's far from here for us."
"I know," Alex said, playing with the edge of her comforter. "I just…want to be normal for awhile."
"I know you do," Abbey said softly. "But, I have your housing information. You got the dorm that you wanted, with a single room and a bathroom."
"Being the President's daughter has it's perks," Alex said, coughing. She groaned as her back arched off the bed and her muscles ached.
"Yes it does," Abbey said, "But, you need to get better, not worse. Did you take your medicine?"
Alex shook her head and closed her eyes as she tried to breath. "Alexandria Grace, what am I going to do with you," Abbey sighed. She turned and poured the thick syrup into the small cup and handed it to Alex, who took it, then downed it with a bottle of water kept in the small fridge that had been placed in her room.
"Forgot," Alex said, shrugging.
"Okay," Abbey said softly. Alex closed her eyes and moved closer to her mother as Abbey put her feet up on the bed, Alex's head resting by her side. She ran her fingers through Alex's hair, calming her as she coughed in her sleep.
The decision to have two guards had been influenced by she and Jed. Agent Butterfield felt that one would be enough, but Abbey and Jed had insisted on two. Alex was going to school five hours from home. This wasn't Zoey or Ellie that was forty-five minutes away from home. She knew Alex wanted to go to Yale so bad, but apart of her heart had broken when she had decided to go so far away from home.
Abbey felt Alex still in her sleep. She slowly slid away from her daughter and kissed her gently on the forehead before leaving the bedroom.
Two days later, Alex felt better as she lay on her bed, flicking through a magazine, looking at bedspreads for her room. She heard someone running up the stairs, then Zoey's voice as she talked to their mother. Curious, Alex climbed off her bed and crept towards the door, opening it to hear what was being said. She didn't know Zoey was coming home that weekend- Christmas was only a week away.
"Mom, he won't let me go," she heard Zoey saying from the bedroom.
"Zoey, he has a justified reason. Didn't he tell you about the threats?"
"Yes, but-," apparently her sister had been cut off mid-sentence.
"Zoey, threats have been made against your life if you go with Charlie to the club. Please, for the love of God, don't go with him. I like Charlie, but there are people in this world that do not approve of you dating him," she heard her mother say. "So please, just do us a favor and stay in your room tonight."
"I thought I was supposed to have a life with this when Dad took this job. That was the deal we made!" Zoey was shouting at the top of her lungs, something that Alex had never heard her sister do.
"Zoey Patricia, I know you hate this. I really know you do, but this is how it is," Abbey said calmly. "Sometimes, we have to give things up to help your father."
"I had to give up my life, Mom," Zoey said, tears in her eyes, "I just want to go out and have fun, like a normal teenager. That's all I want."
"I know," Abbey said, taking her daughter in her arms. "I know." She rubbed Zoey's back gently. Zoey cried against her mother's shoulder for the first time in awhile. The façade of being the President's daughter crumbled.
Alex closed the door to her room and sat back down on her bed. It was the first time she had heard her sister crying over their situation. She had always known that Zoey hated the position they were in, but she'd been the stronger one, helping her make the best of it when she tried to push her family away.
A knock on the door shook her out of her thoughts and she called for the person to enter. She saw her mother there, looking slightly shaken. "Hey," Alex said, pretending that she didn't know what had happened. "Zoey go home?"
"Yeah," Abbey said, "You mind if we talk for a minute?"
"Sure," Alex said, pulling her knee up on the bed.
"Listen, Zoey's been getting these letters," Abbey said.
"Mom- I know about the threats," Alex said.
"Did Zoey tell you?"
"No. You two aren't exactly quiet when you argue," Alex said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Alexandria, when your father considered running for this position, we made a deal. Among many other deals, one that was important to both of us was that Zoey lead as much of a normal life as possible," Abbey explained. "That deal extends to you too."
"Having two agents isn't exactly 'leading a normal life'," Alex pointed out.
"I know," Abbey said, "But, you just heard the argument I had with your sister. You and your sisters safety comes above that 'normal life' sometimes."
"Why do people disagree with her dating Charlie," Alex asked.
"Because he's Black and she's White," Abbey said, "Believe it or not, racism does still exist to some degree in this country. I couldn't pick out a better person for your sister to date, but there are some people that would disagree. People who can hurt, or even kill her." Abbey sighed and turned to Alex, taking her hand in hers.
"Alex, I told you this because I didn't want you to worry," Abbey said.
"Have I gotten any threats," Alex asked.
"Honey, no," Abbey said, squeezing Alex's hand gently. "Your father and I would tell if you had." Alex nodded and forced a smile.
"I registered for classes," Alex said, changing the subject, "My advisor sent me a list of suggested courses."
"That's great," Abbey said, "What're you taking?"
Alex brightened up and told her mother of the classes she was taking, then flicked through the magazine with her.