They turned to the room of politicians and veterans and both leaned against the wall of the room. Ariana Weeks was obviously a tired woman. She was the president of the United States, and though Ellie Maisie had never given an inch of thought to the Weeks administration, she saw this person who carried a similar, busy life and who cared deeply about her family members. She wasn't as cold as Ellie Maisie expected her to be. She felt like

she should make some sort of kind conversation to make up for the cold viciousness she had shown in that conversation. She looked awkwardly towards Ariana, who was leaning against the wall in quiet dignity.
"Do you know these people?" Ellie Maisie asked, looking at the party.
"I guess I know most of them, some of them I'm meeting for the first time" Ariana laughed. She was a very gracious woman. She was uniquely interesting and intelligent.
As they looked into the diverse crowd of men and women, all discussing frivolous subject matter, a young woman waved at them, and Ariana kindly waved back. The young woman made her way through the crowd to greet them.

"Ariana," the woman said, "Are you bored yet?"
"Not nearly my friend," Ariana acknowledged.
"Well, I'm about to be," she laughed.
"This is Ellie Maisie Rosenthal," Ariana said, pointing to Ellie Maisie.
"Oh, I read about you in the papers," the woman smiled, shaking her hand, "You're the defense attorney. Nice to meet you. I'm Mo Cristofaro."
"I'm Ellie Maisie, though you probably knew that," Ellie awkwardly sighed.
Mo was a tall woman wearing an air force uniform and black sunglasses.

She couldn't've been older than Ellie Maisie. Her uniform consisted of a navy blue jacket and pants along with a white shirt, navy tie, and hat. She had long, black, curly hair tied up in a ponytail with bangs as well and a tough expression on her face. She had light tan skin and a very outlandish personality. She was holding a canned beer in her hands that she probably brought herself since the party was not serving canned beers. Mo stood next to Ellie Maisie and leaned against the wall just as she and Ariana did.
"Excuse me for not professionally introducing myself. I'm one of the pilots of Air Force 1," Mo explained.
"Wow," Ellie said with surprise, "That's one hell of a job."

"I think so too," Mo said.
"Were you in the military?" Ellie Maisie asked, truly intrigued by the woman's character.
"Yeah, I went to the academy, I got my pilot's license. I was deployed in Saudi Arabia. I came home, I got this job. Had no plans of staying in New Jersey."
"She's one of the best pilots!" Ariana declared.
"She's the best president. I never cared for politics, until she ran. I was a pilot for the previous president, President Majid Mahmoud, but I didn't converse much with him. He was really quiet. Did you vote for Mahmoud, Ellie Maisie?"

"I don't really vote. I know it's our duty as citizens but I've never cared for politics, so it's fine. It seems I'm the only person on Earth who doesn't vote," Ellie Maisie chuckled.
"And after today?" Ariana asked wisely.
"I might just give it a second thought," Ellie smiled.
Ariana smiled warmly and turned to the crowd where she raised her hand and signaled at another young woman in the crowd.
"Ah, Nanette, come join us, dear friend," Ariana exclaimed.
From the crowd of people, a woman, probably as old as Mo and Ellie Maisie, emerged. She had a wide smile, she wore a black and white

Marine uniform. She had long brown hair tied up in a bun and caramel- colored skin. She walked towards them.
"Ariana! It has been far too long!" the woman exclaimed.
She shook Ariana's hand and proceeded to shake Ellie Maisie's and Mo's hands.
"This is Nanette Martinez," Ariana explained, "She's the governor of Puerto Rico. We are good friends."
"Nice to meet you," Nanette said to Ellie Maisie, "You're that defense attorney. I read about you in the New York Times. That was such a good article."
"So I've heard, I don't think I've read it," Ellie laughed.

"And you are?" Nanette asked Mo.
"I'm Mo Cristofaro, I fly Air Force 1."
"Nice to meet you."
"Were you in the military Nanette?" Ellie Maisie asked.
"I was. I was in the Marines when I was 18," Nanette explained.
"That's incredible. I didn't travel when I was 18," Ellie said.
"Where were you?" Mo asked.
"Harvard."
"That's still impressive," Nanette laughed, "Are you staying at the Blair House Ellie Maisie?"
"Yes, I believe I am."

"Well, that's great, I'll see you then."
"I look forward to that."
Ellie Maisie felt a strong connection to these four women. They were all strong, smart, and had achieved the job of their dreams. This was more fun than she could've expected at a party for a political cause. Ellie Maisie turned her head and met eyes with a man who seemed to be staring at them. She felt weird and uncomfortable, in a way she had never before. The man turned around the second he saw Ellie Maisie had seen her. It was odd, but she didn't think much of it. She obviously faced a change of plans. Her brother would be returning to Woodbridge without her. At the beginning of the party, she dreaded

having to defend Adrian Weeks, because she was sure this would leak to the press and she would be seen as the person defending the president's criminal son. She still wasn't sure whether her son really was a criminal and knew she needed to be tactful. Now that she had seen inside the president's life and met these other kindred spirits, she was starting to see the silver lining. Later that day, she discussed with her brother Harry the change of plans.
"I got a job here in Washington," she told Harry.
"From who?" he asked.
"I can't say"
"Why not?"
"I just can't, I'm sorry"

"Okay, well, you're staying here?"
"I expect I'll be back soon, it shouldn't take long to prepare for this, and assuming the court doesn't delay, I'll be back in about three weeks."
"Do you have a place to stay?"
"Yes. I already canceled my ticket, don't worry"
"You always plan, I'll see you El," Harry laughed and hugged his sister.
"Thanks for introducing me to the president"
"That's what siblings are for."
Ellie saw her brother's figure fade into the distance and she turned around to where she saw Ariana, still discussing with Nanette.

Ariana raised her head and waved at Ellie Maisie. She urged her to come forward. Ellie walked towards Nanette and Ariana.
"Would you two like me to take you to the Blair House?" Ariana asked.
"Yes please, I'm sure I'd get lost if I went alone," Ellie chuckled.
"It is truly an amazing building," Nanette said, looking at the ceiling and the walls of this historical building that had housed hundreds of presidents throughout time.
"This way, though, excuse me, we'll have to pay a visit to my vice president, I have a couple of things to discuss with him," Ariana said.
They walked past the long halls, with office doors and all sides of the walls and paintings of former

presidents in order. Ellie Maisie had never been in a building this large before, though Nanette seemed to know her way around it. They stopped at an office in which only Ariana could enter. She stepped inside and from the shadows, a man and a woman, both secret services shut the door behind her. Ellie Maisie and Nanette looked at each other awkwardly, as they had to entertain this serious silence with these two guards of the president. A couple of minutes later, the door opened up, and Ariana stepped outside along with a man. The man was about her age, he was wearing a black and white suit. He was pale and bald and tall.
"Ellie Maisie, this is Laurel Douglas, my vice president," Ariana said.

"Greetings," Laurel said in a deep voice.
"Nice to meet you," Ellie Maisie said, extending out her hand to shake his.
"Nice to see you Mr. Vice president, Nanette Martinez, we've met," Nanette said.
"Briefly, but I believe we have," Laurel chuckled.
"Laurel, sorry to disturb you in your work, I had to discuss a couple of things with you, but now that you are here, would you mind accompanying us to the Blair House?" Ariana asked cordially.
"I suppose I could use a bit of a walk, and I would appreciate getting to know you better, Ms. Rosenthal,"

Laurel spoke warmly, like that of an old, formal, lovable grandfather.
They continued their conversation on the way to the Blair House. Ariana and Nanette discussed politics, literature, and the flourishing Puerto Rican economy, even greater than the one the previous governor of Puerto Rico had managed to build. Meanwhile, Ellie introduced herself to Laurel and explained her life. Laurel was impressed with her story and dedication to her work. He had also studied law at Yale, he had also been a defense attorney, before choosing a career in politics. Laurel was a great advocate for peace. He had been friends with Ariana for longer than he could remember. They had both been part of the House of Representatives and worked together. When Ariana

announced that she was running for president, she didn't hesitate in asking Laurel to be her vice president, and he didn't hesitate to say yes. They arrived at the Blair House after that thrilling conversation and left to settle in.
"There is food and separate bedrooms for both of you. There is an office space for you Ellie Maisie, and another one in case you have some work that must be completed Nanette," Ariana explained, guiding them through the Blair House and checking the time, "Why it is getting late and Laurel and I have a couple of meetings to attend. Please make yourselves at home and I apologize for leaving so early."

"That's fine Ariana," Ellie Maisie said, admiring the luxurious Blair House.
"Don't worry about us, Ariana," Nanette added.
"Alright then," Ariana sighed, turning to Laurel, "Shall we Laurel?"
"We shall. Ellie Maisie, it was a pleasure to get to know you and a pleasure to see you once again Ms. Martinez," Laurel bid farewell.
Ariana and Laurel walked down the stairs of the Blair House and left Ellie Maisie and Ariana alone in the corridors of the Blair House.
"Are you going to work Ellie?" Nanette asked.

"Probably Nanette," Ellie Maisie replied.
"I'll go freshen up then," Nanette decided.
"Today was weird," Ellie laughed, "For me at least, was it weird for you?"
"For me, it was a Tuesday," Nanette said.
"Right," Ellie Maisie chuckled.
"Though, I saw my old friend and made new ones. That doesn't happen every day," Nanette acknowledged, "I met you, and that charming woman, Mo."
"That's true. So, what now?"
"I suppose you were going to work, and I've decided to relax."

"Of course," Ellie Maisie sighed, wondering why she had forgotten what she had said mere moments ago, "What do you do to relax?"
"I listen to music." Nanette said, "What about you?"
"I drive. I have this car, it's a Tesla, and it's the love of my life"
"Tesla, huh. They still make those?"
"No, it's old, I bought it from an 80-year-old woman who only drove it to church on Sundays."
"Well, it seems like we both get extreme joy from life"
"It does seem that way. I'll go now"
"Alright then."
Nanette opened the door to her room and closed the wooden door. Ellie

Maisie decided to not waste time and walked to that office space Ariana had talked about. She found the room and nudged the door open. She flicked the light switch on and got to work. There was a large, shiny wooden desk with matching chairs placed strategically around it. She picked the chair in the middle and laid down her notebooks, binders, and pen collection that she stored in her suitcase. The walls were white and pale. There was a mirror situated on the walls with a glamorous golden frame around the edges. There was a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a painting of a historic battle that depicted some point of the revolutionary war. There was also a glass vase filled with pink roses. There was also an empty

black fireplace with bits of burnt wood still inside. Before starting any case, Ellie Maisie always researched her client to know anything and everything she could do to defend him. At the moment, there wasn't much for her to go on. Of course, she could study the written biography of this kid, Adrian Weeks, but she had little information about the case other than the fact that this person was not communicating with his mother. Whenever Ellie Maisie felt bored, she worked. She had little to work with, but she still felt like she had to do it. She was only able to get in half an hour of research before deciding that she had no more business to do in this office space and retreated to her room. The room consisted of cream walls, a white roof, a

painting of George Washington, another painting of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the first female president of the United States, two small, cream-colored couches positioned around a shiny, wooden coffee table with a basket of fruit, and an elegant, canopy bed. She collapsed onto the canopy bed, ruffling up the neat sheets and pillows. She looked through her myspace to see if she had received a message from her brother, but she hadn't. She pressed her head against the wall. She could hear the faint tap of Nanette's foot to the beat of whatever song she was listening to. She felt restless like she could do nothing. She remembered she had packed a couple of books in her leather messenger bag and scrambled to find it. She was in a hurry at

that moment, so she didn't exactly remember what books she placed in her bag. She opened the bag and found a couple of mints, her wallet, her keys, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. She debated in her head for five minutes which one to read before picking out the Handmaid's Tale. It had been one of her favorite novels since she found it in the Harvard library and decided she had to buy herself a copy. She grabbed the novel and began to flip through the pages. It was truly horrifying but also interesting. She never understood how someone could overthrow society like that. How could someone strip a gender of all their rights and create an oppressive regime? It was scary but weird. How could someone

rise to that level of power? Was it even possible? Maybe in the time when the novel was written, it seemed like it could happen, but it was still curious. This question appeared in Ellie Maisie's head every time she read the book. It would take years of underground planning to destroy all the progress made by humanity. She was glad she had never experienced anything like this, and she never would. No one would think to do anything like that in the present day, would they? Everyone agreed that all genders were equal. At least she could go to sleep with that calming and reassuring notion.