Hopkins was always busy around noon time. It was the best part of the day, mainly because you had the ability to get lost in the crowd and even then… you were surrounded by hundreds of people and still alone. College was a unique experience both for the first time and for the fourth time around. Every year was the same, up until now.

Scarlett sat on the rock wall by the main building on campus. She was finishing up her homework; like the good little student she was, she never really had any, it was always done. This was in fact, her last year studying and she was on her own after that. The agreement was… they'd pay for undergraduate studies and she'd have to make her own way after that. She had a lot of important people in her life that she wanted to make proud; most of all… herself.

She had an interesting family background. She wasn't going to let her non-family dynamics stereotype her into this dysfunctional hole. On the wall, she sat for a while just people watching and loving the atmosphere of a new year. The crisp chill in the air let her know summer was transitioning to fall and everything was about to change.

Remembering she didn't have food in her fridge, she realized she needed to go shopping so she pulled her phone out of her bag and started a list in the Notes section. Dairy, vegetables, frozen dinners, some fruit, junk food of course and…

"Hey you!"

She looked up from her phone and smiled. Her best friend Dory was hauling ass, running toward her through the walking students. The spunky blonde threw her bag onto the wall beside her friend. She smiled back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's up for today?" Dory asked.

"Food shopping," Scarlett said. "I have no food in my apartment. I've been so busy with school… it's the start of my last year… I get home late when I bartend and the Library always needs me so… I've just been ordering out most nights."

"Right because everybody makes three hundred dollars a night and can afford to eat out all the time." Dory said. "You're so unhealthy it's kind of disgusting."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and shoved her book into her bag.

"I just don't have time."

"What did you have for dinner last night?"

"A slice of pizza and a small salad."

"Look at you. You're lean, athletic, and curvaceous and you eat like you're six hundred pounds and need help. We need to go shopping the right way. You're driving, right?"

Of course she was. She always drove. This was usually how Scarlett's days were. Kind of uneventful. During the day when she could, she worked at the Library as a book keeper in the sciences section. She had two days off; Thursday and Friday she spent her days at the Library and loved every second of it and during the evenings, she bartended. This was accessible to her but even when it wasn't… she managed to get straight As. School and studying came easy to her, it always did.

She managed her life well and juggled all that was thrown at her. Both her and Dory lived in the same apartment complex—different floors, thank god. They'd been friends for the last eight years. After Scarlett's mom left… Dory had come into her life as her friend and her savior.

Another week went by before she had to go shopping again and this time around, she made sure the word "healthy" described everything on her list. She looked down at her cart and decided that she'd had enough shopping and she was ready to pay except… goddamn all the lines were full. Letting out an annoyed curse, she managed to squeeze her way into a line behind a mother and her screaming five children. Looking around, she couldn't figure out why every cashier had lines stuffed full. It wasn't just today that they were full, it was every day, every week, every month, all the time.

She leaned against the carriage and sighed, waiting patiently for the woman with the five screaming children to at least move forward a little more so that she could begin to load her groceries onto the belt. People Magazine caught her eye for the first time in a long time. Usually, she ignored the tabloids but this one… this one had the Presidents face plastered all over it. The title in big white text read "President Clay's Childish Secret Revealed.

"Huh… interesting. What could that secret be, Mr. President?"

What the hell, she thought and threw the magazine on the counter. She'd worked her ass off that week and decided that a little pop culture would do her good. After finally getting her groceries checked out, she practically ran from the store to her jeep. By herself, she loaded the truck and the back seats until there was nothing left.

The drive home was the worst because she had to figure out how to rush through the lunch time traffic and still abide by the road rules. Still, she loved the scenic route so she was okay with having to take her time. It wasn't until she turned the corner onto her street that she realized someone had been following her. Had she seen that car before? Maybe. She wasn't sure. Still, she continued on and kept her eyes on her security card sticking out of her wallet.

Slowly, she pulled into the driveway of her apartment building, coming up to the black iron gate. She scanned her card and the gate began to open, allowing her to drive through. With all of her bags on her arms, she locked her car twice and headed for the front door. Pressing the handicap button, she made her way inside.

"Do you need help, Scarlett?"

Scarlett smiled at the man behind the front desk as she fiddled with the keys in her hand.

"I think I can manage, thanks Mitch." She said.

She took the elevator, made it to her front door and as soon as she was inside, locked the door's knob and her dead bolt and just for safe keeping… slid the chain into its lock. No sooner was she attacked by her two year old Dalmatian, Libby. Barking ensued, along with excitement and curiosity and finally, she was able to walk into her kitchen unscathed and drop the bags onto the floor.

"Did you miss me?" she smiled, sitting down on the floor.

Her dog crawled in-between her legs and immediately went for her face, pink tongue and slobber everywhere. Being a dog girl, she loved the love. The excitement lasted until she fished for a dog bone in the "cookie" jar. Libby went on her merry way, bone in mouth, and tail wagging. It took her twenty minutes to put the groceries away and organize everything she spent her money on. Curiosity struck her so she walked over to her living room window and pushed her curtain aside just a little bit so that she could peek out through the window. Parked outside, across the street from her apartment building was the car that had been following her. Cold chills ran through her entire body and she jumped… but it was only Libby's cold nose brushing against her fingertips. Startled, she dropped her hand down onto her dog's head.

"Think that walk can wait until tomorrow morning?"

Scarlett forgot how bright her bedroom was even through the dark curtains. Knowing she had the day off made her even more aggravated that she was awake before nine. Libby lifted her head just in time for the two to make eye contact and Scarlett smiled.

"Right. Food." She said as she got up out of bed.

She reached her arms over her head and stretched and Libby did the same thing. She looked at her curtains and thought it'd be best to keep them, and the blinds closed. She filled Libby's food bowl and refilled her water bowl.

"Shower." Scarlett said.

She turned on the stereo, found a station and raised the volume enough so that she could hear it in her bathroom. She took pride in knowing she was about to take a half hour shower. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, body gel, shaving cream, you name it, she did it all. With the towel around her, she ran her brush through her hair and walked past Libby into her bedroom. She chose yoga pants and her running shoes because with Libby, you never knew if you were going to be leisurely or marathoning it.

It took her twenty minutes to blow dry her hair and while she ate, she let it sit in a tight bun at the top of her head, held by a clip. Libby waited patiently by the front door, every so often hitting the leash with her paw. Scarlett put her bowl and spoon in the dishwasher and walked back into her bathroom. She brushed her teeth and figured she'd take Libby to the library with her after their walk so… she needed to look presentable. She threw a pair of jeans and a nice shirt in her bag along with a pair of heels and pulled her hair out of its bun. Loose curls dropped onto her shoulders and around her neck.

She applied only what she needed to in terms of makeup, took her lip lip gloss from the shelf and made sure she had a hair elastic. She checked her bag one last time before finally grabbing the leash and walking out the door. Water bottle in hand, bag around her shoulder and the leash in her other hand, the two were off to the foyer.

"Morning, Scarlett!"

"Hi Mitch!" she smiled.

Of course Libby received a dog bone from the man at the front desk before they walked out the front double doors. As usual Libby was on guard, but when Scarlett stopped for a moment and noticed the car parked exactly where it had been last night, the Dalmatian perked up as if to ask 'What's wrong?". Scarlett decided to change the route of their normal walk just to ease her own mind.

It was a nice day out anyway, and that alone calmed her nerves as she walked the familiar streets of Baltimore. Just as she thought, Libby began to hustle and her walking shoes were more than enough to keep her in pace with the rowdy dog. She saw the same faces walking their dogs and said hello to the same people. She smiled at those that she knew and those that she didn't know.

On the corner of the dog park, there was a water fountain for people and for dogs so she stopped and Libby welcomed the cold water into her mouth. Cars buzzed by them occasionally, but for the most part, the city disappeared when she got closer to the dog park. People were in and out of coffee shops and stores; the people you did see, didn't use cars very much as everything was pretty much accessible on foot. Libby stood up, her ears perking upward, she'd heard something. Scarlett turned her head to look behind her. She recognized the man walking as the same man who was in the car behind her last night. Immediately, he looked down at his phone. Libby let out a yip and Scarlett tugged on her leash, forcing her to move.

"Let's just go, Libs."

As they turned the corner, another man dressed in a similar outfit was walking towards them. Scarlett took off with Libby across the street, no second thoughts, they ran and they ran fast. Sure enough, both men were following her, hot on her tail shoving people out of their way in an attempt to get closer to Scarlett

Think.

But where was she going to go? The market was having an outdoor sale and people would surely be there. She disappeared through the crowd the best that she could with her spotted dog.

"Your jacket…"

Quickly, she realized she had Libby's rain jacket in her bag. She threw it over her dog's head and around her body and then pulled her hair back into a high pony tail. Scarlett threw her sunglasses on and tucked her bag under her arm instead of around her shoulder. Libby was panting and probably a little confused, but she knew her dog was more than capable of ripping someone to shreds if need be.

Scarlett was careful, stayed within the crowd and did her best to blend in. With Libby behind her instead of in front of her, she tried to act as normal as she could. She looked behind her and sure enough there they were searching for her, shouting in a different language. The alley way was close, she knew she could make it so she took off running again. Into the alley she went and no sooner was she grabbed around the waist, her mouth covered by a hand she didn't know. A soft voice came to her in a whisper just as another man crouched down in front of a barking Libby, showing her his hands and making himself known to her.

"It's okay. We're the good guys here." The man said.

She wondered what the hell that was supposed to mean. As soon as she felt herself relax and the struggle within her was gone, the man holding her moved his hand. She turned around fast, ready to bolt and start swinging but Libby wasn't going anywhere, she liked this new strange man.

"We've got her," the man said as he held his fingers to his ear. "Yes. She's safe. Milo is in the crowd on watch as a civilian. We're going to head in. It should be about forty five minutes given Roy's driving skills."

Scarlett looked at the man in front of her.

"What the hell is going on?!" she asked. "Who are you and what the hell do you want? Who were those men and why is one of them following me?"

Not only was she scared shitless but now she was confused as well.

"You'll get your answers. For now, you have to come with us. The two men that are chasing you are dangerous and thank god we got to you in time."

"I'm not going anywhere with you! I don't know who you are, I can't trust y—"

"—Scarlett, we don't have time for explanations right now. We need to go and we need to go now." He said.

"How do you know my name?"

"Trust me when I tell you that you'll get your answers." The man said.

"What about my dog."

"She'll come with us. Well… she'll be with Mark. I'm supposed to take you away as soon as I get a hold of you. Now that I have that hold, we need to g—"

"—Eric, we don't have time for this. We have to fucking go."

The man grabbed Scarlett by the arm while Libby let out a loud bark.

"It's alright, pup. He's not going to hurt her."

As if the Dalmatian was reassured…

The man named Mark pulled a dog treat from his pocket and with Scarlett even more confused, the deal with the dog was sealed. How did he know she had a dog, and how did he know exactly what kind of dog treats Libby liked?

The man called Eric slid his arm around Scarlett's waist and led her quickly back out into the crowd. They hurried through the swarms of people seemingly unnoticed. She looked up at the man guiding her. The ear piece in his ear had a wire that led down to the collar of his shirt and disappeared. Both men were wearing suits of off black and black with shiny shoes. Their shirts looked like expensive polos. The man holding her close had something underneath his suit jacket that was hard against her hip and extremely uncomfortable. They kept walking as everything flashed in front of her. Faces became apparitions, buildings were brick blurs in front of her eyes.

They came to a stop at a large black SUV and when the man holding her leaned forward and opened the door, his jacket flapped open and she saw the hilt of a gun in its holster. Hair stood up on the back of her neck as he ushered her inside.

"What the hell is going on, please tell me what's going on. Tell me right now."

Eric looked at her with a cautious expression and she grew enraged.

"What is GOING ON?!"

"Jaz had eyes on A and B but they caught wind and disappeared. Milo isn't answering." The driver said.

Scarlett caught his eyes through the rearview mirror and for a second, she thought that she knew those eyes but then she shook her head looking back at Eric who sat next to her. Mark and Libby were not in the same vehicle and that worried her. Eric, hard faced and slate eyed raised a hand to his ear and appeared to press something. He spoke immediately after.

"Milo, it's Ric, what's your sitch and why aren't you answering Roy?"

There was silence and then Eric relaxed, but only a little. His shoulders were still tense and he was still on high alert, looking forward, behind them and out both windows.

"Roy, Milo is following them unnoticed. There's a trail and he's on it. Currently walking down Warren Avenue… he's doing well… inside a book store.

My apartment complex…

"Hello?!"

"I'm sorry, Scarlett. I'm not allowed to say anything until we arrive at our destination. Roy."

"Half hour." The drive said.

"Can we lower that to twenty?" Eric asked.

"Our destination?"

"Yes," Eric said. "We're going to The White House."

Scarlett blinked a few times, her heart beginning to race, she could hear it beating in her ears.

"The WHITE HOUSE?!"

"You didn't tell 'er?" the driver asked, his Boston accent coming through on the word her. His eyes flicked to hers again and she could feel his empathy.

"No, Roy. I didn't tell her. The captain told me not to say a word of anything to her until she was safe inside the walls of the White House." Eric replied nonchalantly.

"Captain?"

Eric looked at her.

"He wants to tell you everything himself."