rich against the poor.

                everything had changed and that was down to the actions of her colleagues. both the president and vice president were dead and the journalist in her wanted to know why. had they snapped or were they pushed too far personally? valeria certainly didn’t think that they were murderers, she had known them for a long time but now she felt like her judgement was off... walking down the steps of the lincoln memorial, the woman turned to the blonde figure only to realise moments later that it was the secretary of education. “i’m a journalist, not a police officer.” letting out a slight chuckle, she raised her eyebrows. “i’m off the clock, no questions from me.” tensions were running high in washington, d.c and the last thing she wanted to do was to be caught in the middle of it; she had her family to consider and wasn’t about to get caught up in something DANGEROUS. politics could be on either end of the spectrum but there were many powerful individuals in government abusing it. “you should probably put it out before someone else captures you though. it’s bad press and i’m a firm believer in not all press is good press.” valeria wasn’t looking for a story from the other, nor did she want one. the white house would not consume her, she wouldn’t let it...

maddie needed out of the house, the air felt extra heavy since the funeral and she really needed to get away. away from all the drama and the negative energy. with that in mind, sneaking away, she found herself at a quiet bar a few blocks away. luckily with it being a weekday, she had the whole place to herself and she could sit at the end of the bar, quietly toss back some shots from time to time and attempt to look at her homework. after staring at her notebook for what felt like hours, she knew it wasn’t happening at all, her world was a mess right now and it was officially taking over. when someone joined her at the bar, the girl turned to face them, suddenly thankful that she wasn’t alone. “oh thank god, i thought i was going to be here alone all night. want a shot? i’m buying.”

          the bar wasn’t really valeria’s scene, not when her life was so busy as she juggled work and her family. however, after recent events she found herself wanting some extra time to herself. she found herself in a dangerous game and was unsure about what this meant for her. the post was under scrutiny now as the assassinations lead back to them; what was she supposed to do with that. the woman was a little surprised to see the current second daughter in the bar. although she was a journalist, she was most importantly a mother and that caused her to raise her eyebrows with disdain. “you’re not even legal so i can’t see that happening. what would your mom think to all of this?” it wasn’t meant to be a leading question but the answer would be useful if the other mentioned their dynamic.

                  “close call.” valeria pushed her lips together and nodded. the woman was used to such a fast paced environment, both at work and at home so it didn’t take her by surprise. things were a little odd at the moment and she didn’t know where she stood. the authorities were still searching their workplace for any answers that they could muster and she was struggling to wrap her head around the fact that her colleagues were killers, not to mention family destroyers. what on earth had pushed them to commit such a terrible act. “don’t worry about it. it’s a frantic time for everyone.” the other’s face did seem familiar but val had seen so many faces over the past few months that she was unable to place the younger woman.

             her attention was diverted to the strange scene that was taking place to the side of her. “is this some sort of sixty minute makeover or are you trying to kill those plants by planting them at the wrong time of year? one year, my girls insisted on planting some flowers; they learnt the hard way as they didn’t grow and i had to deal with their sobbing for a good fifteen minutes before they went back to coloring. i hope for your sake it’s the interior makeover.” valeria did find it easy to talk to strangers, to blending in when she had to and that’s what made her a great reporter. “if this wasn’t your idea, whose was it?”

with the funeral of the former president, the past few days had been a whirlwind for d.c. ( that was saying something considering what a time the past couple of a months had been ) so, as a way to relax, drew decided to treat himself to a meal. it wasn’t anything huge, just a small restaurant in the business district that had the absolute best indian food one could imagine. making his way inside, he smiled at the familiar face of the owner behind the counter. “ hey man. “ he grinned, reaching for his wallet, before turning, his shoulder bumping into another. “ i’m sorry, “ drew began, shaking his head. “ didn’t see ya there. “

              the initial shock of what her coworkers had done. they were dedicated to their cause but she didn’t think that they would go as far as murder. once covering the stories, they now WERE them and valeria didn’t know to feel about that. they had been her friends, they got on well, she had never seen this side of them and that made her worry that they got in far too deep with whatever they were pursuing. there was a lot of work to be done in terms of reporting and recent events had only fired up the woman further. she was rushing to make a reservation for her and her wife but she must have stepped out a little too early as she collided with the male in front. “no, it was my fault.” looking up at him, valeria recognised him, from where? she wasn’t yet certain.