Presidents, Spies, and Boys, Oh My!

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Later that evening, the McGallens gathered in the dining room to eat. Ariana, popping her gum and texting on her bedazzled pink iPhone, sat down on the right hand of her mother. Mrs. McGallen glared at her daughter, still texting, until Ariana looked up and saw her mother's glare. But, being the annoying bitch that she is, she shrugged and continued texting.

"For God's sakes, Ariana. You can't put that phone down for more than thirty seconds, can you? We're trying to have a nice family dinner. Besides, we have a visitor."

Ariana's head shot up at the word "visitor." Glancing around the table, she spotted her apparent half-brother. Joshua met her gaze, smiling a small yet polite smile. Ariana flipped her blonde locks over her shoulder, propping her girls up on the table. I rolled my eyes and smirked. Oh, if only she knew right now. Awkward. Preston put away his Nintendo DS and climbed into the seat besides Skylar, who's inky dyed black hair was covering half his face. I scowled. How come he isn't....nevermind. Joshua sat next to Skylar, looking as uncomfortable as hell. I felt a stab of sympathy for the poor guy. His naturally (NATURALLY) black hair and big gray eyes made him look like a superstar. His apparel, however, was a different story. Decked out in jeans, a black Polo t-shirt, and black and white Converse sneakers, he looked like just any American teenage guy. Around his neck, he wore a silver necklace with a small cross on the end.

President McGallen stepped into the dining room, smiling at his family as he sat down at the head of the table. Margaret leaned over to give her husband a quick kiss. President McGallen kissed his wife and then sat back, seeing me for the first time. He nodded to me and smiled. I smiled and nodded back. Out of my peripheral, I saw Joshua look down at his plate and then up at me. I tried to ignore his stunning gray eyes. I have to admit, he is quite gorgeous. Not a moment too soon, the wait staff started serving up a full-fledged turf and surf dinner. My stomach growled, loudly, when the tantalizing aroma of the gourmet food found my nose. President McGallen looked over to me. Shit. He probably heard my stomach! Dammit.

"When was the last time you ate anything, Ember?" he asked me as he ladeled some barbecue sauce from a silver bowl for his steak.

I shrugged. Honestly, I haven't eaten much all day. I had a granola bar around lunchtime and then had to go with Ariana and her little friend, Brittany, to the Pentagon Mall because they just had to have this stupid little charm for their phones. Literally. The phone charm must have only cost two cents to make. It was a pointless waste of my time but, hey, they can't go without a guard. When I first started here, when President McGallen began his first term only a year ago, a Secret Service agent went with me to show me the ropes. Now I go alone with them. Not fun. At all.

"I'm fine, sir. Thank you." I lied, which is something I'm very good at.

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please, Ember. This is exactly like this morning...well, minus the attack. You surely can accept dinner, can't you? How else does Jonathan expect you to eat around here? A growing girl like you needs her strength."

I bit my lower lip, seeing his point again. I usually just go down to the kitchens after where the head chef, a kind African American man from the south named Brutus, gives me some of the leftovers. Sometimes he'll slip an extra roll or cup of pudding to me when he makes too many. Brutus is one of the only people who work here that I know I can trust fully. I may be a spy and a scary judge of character, but that doesn't make me immune to the bad people who masquerade as kind and innocent. I'm just hyper-aware, that's all.

"If you insist, I guess I can have a bit." I said, taking the seat across from Joshua and next to Ariana.

President McGallen smiled, sipping his red wine.

"A bit? You can have as much as you'd like, Ember. I'm sure Brutus won't hesitate to whip up extras if we need it."

I nodded.

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome." he answered.

Then it got awkwardly silent. Everyone ate silently, which was strange. They're usually very talkative. But, after today with Skylar and the attack, I'm sure they're checking their food again for any risks. Literally. I saw Preston cut open his steak and inspect it for three minutes before taking his first bite. I scooped myself a medium sized piece of salmon, a small serving of Caesar salad, and a scoop of mashed potatoes. The fine China plate made a melodic sound as my fork hit it. A waitress came around and silently filled my glass with iced tea. I thanked her before she scurried away. President McGallen cleared his throat.

"Family, I have an announcement to make involving our visitor." he said, his voice loud and clear as if he were at a campaign.

The McGallens looked over at him.

"As you can see, we have a visitor. His name is Joshua. He...he is my son. Your half-brother. Ariana, Skylar, Preston, meet your new brother."

Chaos broke out in under a second. Ariana's face went beet red from her little flirting episode earlier (haha! You deserve it, bitch!) and started screaming. Skylar started cursing and cussing like a trucker. Preston looked confused. Mrs. McGallen looked, oddly, calm. Well, her husband must have already told her. It makes sense that he would. The next thing that happened snapped me into action. Skylar shoved Joshua and the two boys fell to the ground, wrestling and cussing. Ariana screamed and clutched her mother's arm. President McGallen shot up and yelled at the boys to stop fighting. Preston watched. I jumped over the table with ease, using my chair for leverage, and landed next to the fighting boys. As easy as if I was ripping paper, I grabbed both boys by the collars of their shirts and broke up the fight, hoisting them to their feet.

"Thank you, Ember. Boys, you both sit down right now."

Skylar tried to pull out of my grip, but it was too strong. I let go of Joshua first, who wiped his bleeding lip on the silk white napkin. Skylar fixed his hair to it's emo look (still not attracted to it) and I shoved him back to his chair.

"Damn, Ember, feel free to grab harder next time." Skylar remarked, rubbing his neck.

I rolled my eyes.

"You definitely asked for that one so I'd be quiet if I was you." I said, sitting down again and going back to eating as if nothing had happened.

Wow, very eventful day for the White House. What's in store for tomorrow? World War 3? Nukes? Jeez.