Chapter 1

This second van was as black as night, pulling to a stop not ten feet from Mr. Solomon. More men piled out, dressed in black BDU's, and Mr. Solomon desperately held them off, dodging and fighting in what—in another time, another place—would have been an excellent demonstration of hand to hand combat against overwhelming numbers. They fell, unconscious, one, two, more and more. But would it be enough? He had to hold out, had to, as no one could go out to help him, not without leaving me unprotected. Me? That's who they're fighting to protect. Not Macey, not America's most famous daughter, me. What did the Circle of Cavan want with me?

Oh, no, I thought, even as the world started to spin. But I held it together long enough to see Joe Solomon fall, overtaken. And then I realized what he had done. By sacrificing himself, he had reduced their numbers enough that they could never hope to take me. But they would still take him, I thought in despair, even as the remaining black clothed men loaded an unconscious Mr. Solomon and their comrades into the black van before driving away.

A new voice pierced the night, yelling, "No!" And then gunshots echoed in the street and I saw that this newcomer was firing at the van, trying to give it a flat. But it was to no avail, as the van pulled around the corner, with no signs of damage.

Looking incongruous in a white tank top and jeans among everyone else wearing suits, the person with the gun—who looked not much older than me—asked the circle, "Where's Morgan and Agent Cameron?"

One of the women near me answered in a interestingly cautious voice, "Agent Cameron and Headmistress Morgan left in a chopper, and as you can see, Ms. Morgan is here. Where's backup and the paramedics?"

"Backup was detained for some time, tracking down a lead that Ms. Morgan was taken hostage and being held in a nearby building. They should be here in minutes, along with paramedics."

One of the other women near me said, "Thank you, Fujikara."

"My pleasure." With a slight bow she turned and walked away.

A/N: Sorry about the really short chapter. I'll add more onto it later, or maybe add in another chapter- but tell me what you think. Positive and negative feedback are both cool, and I'd love to know what you want to see happen in the story (even if nothing's happened yet). So why don't you click that little review button down below? Won't take you more than a minute...