The Trackers burst into the auditorium, which was still mostly empty. At the front, by the microphone, was the familiar figure of the President of the United States. He was a tall man with silver hair, and he was dressed in a dark suit and red tie. Next to him was the Vice President. She was a little younger, had light brown hair that she kept short and neat, and was dressed in a white business suit. The man they were talking with couldn’t have been more than twenty five or six. He wore glasses and had a notebook tucked under his arm.
“Mr. President! Mr. President!” they called out as a group, running over. But they only got a few steps before a group of men in dark suits and sunglasses blocked their way. Each man seemed as large as an oak tree, and they all had very serious expressions on their faces. It didn’t long for the Trackers to realize these were Secret Service agents.
“I’m sorry,” one of them said, stepping forward and putting his hand up. “You cannot see the president right now.”
“But we need to!” Maya cried out. “It’s important!”
“Really important!” Chelsea emphasized.
Another agent stepped forward and spoke to the first one.
“I think these are the kids who are meeting with the president later today,” he said in a low voice.
“Are they?”
“I believe so.”
“Okay….”
The first agent’s hand gesture changed—he stuck one finger up to say, Hang on a second. “Stay right here,” he ordered.
He walked over to the young man with the notebook, they talked for a moment, then both of them came back.
“I’m sorry, you said you need to see the president now?” Notebook Man asked.
“Yes,” Cooper said, nodding. “It’s important. Like seriously important.”
“What is this all about, if I might ask? I’m Michael Essner, by the way, one of the president’s personal assistants. It’s my job to ask these things.”
“Sure, we understand,” Jamal replied. “It’s about…umm…history.”
“History?” Essner repeated.
“Yes,” Gabby said, nodding quickly. “The past.”
“The past, the present,” Chelsea continued, “and most importantly, the future.”
Essner shook his head. “I’m sorry, that doesn’t make any sense. I mean, that pretty much covers everything that’s ever happened ever. Can you be more specific?”
The kids all looked at one another. No one seemed to know what to say.
“We…we have to tell him,” Maya said, pointing to the president.
“That’s right,” Cooper went on. “Because it’s really impor—”
But Essner was waving his hand to stop him.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t okay this. You’ll have to wait until—”
Now it was Essner who got interrupted, by the deep and distinctive voice of the president himself.
“Is everything okay over here?” he asked. The vice president was standing alongside him and seem just as interested.
“Whoa….” Cooper said, his eyes bulging.
