I’m not gonna be president!”
KC laughed. “I’d vote for you, but onlyif you made me the TV anchor for the White House.”
Marshall spotted a group of food carts in front of the Smithsonian castle. He and KC walked over to a teenager selling ice cream cones.
“What’ll it be?” the teenager asked.
“A cherry and pistachio cone, please,” Marshall told the kid. “One scoop of each, with the pistachio on top.”
“Awesome,” the teenager said. “Looks like Christmas.”
“I’ll have butter crunch,” KC said. “One scoop.”
She paid with her mom’s money, then they began walking back toward the Air and Space Museum.
“I wonder who planted all these cherry trees,” Marshall said.
“Johnny Cherryseed,” KC said, licking her cone.
Marshall laughed. A few minutes later, they reached the spot where they’d left KC’s mom. KC stood on her tiptoes. She tried to spot her mother and the president over the other people.
“Do you see them anywhere?” she asked Marshall.
“Nope, but wait a sec.” Marshall climbed onto the seat of a bench. He craned his neck, looking in all directions. “I don’t see them,” he said.
“That’s funny,” KC said. She joined Marshall on the bench. “There aren’t any secret service guys, either.”
“They’ve gotta be around here,” Marshall said. “Maybe your mom and the president went for a walk.”
KC shook her head. She was beginning to feel worried. “Mom wouldn’t take off without letting me know,” she said.
KC’s ice cream cone dripped on her hand, but she ignored it. With her heart beating fast, she searched the crowd. Nowhere did she see a man in a baseball cap and a woman wearing a purple dress.
President Thornton and her mother had vanished!
2
Top Secret
“Maybe they went into one of the buildings,” Marshall suggested.
KC gazed up and down the Mall. The Washington Monument was at one end, and the Capitol stood at the other. Museums lined either side of the long, grassy lawn.
KC shook her head. “Marshall, my mom has this rule—if one of us changes a plan, we tell the other one. She reminds me all the time.” KC hopped off the bench and threw her unfinished cone into a trash can. “I think something happened to her and President Thornton!”
“There’s something else your mom tells you all the time,” Marshall said, still working on his cone. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“I’m not jumping to anything!” KC said. “She was supposed to be here, and she’s not. Wouldn’t you worry if your mom disappeared into thin air?”
“Okay, sure I would,” Marshall agreed. “So what should we do?”
“Let’s look around the Mall,” KC said. “They have to be somewhere.”
KC and Marshall walked the length of the Mall and back. Crowds of people were out, enjoying the sunshine and the cherry blossoms. Twenty minutes later, KC and Marshall were in front of the Air and Space Museum again.
“Something has happened to them,”KC told Marshall. Her stomach felt jumpy, like she was about to be sick. “I think we should go home. I’m sure Mom will call me.”
They retraced their steps toward home. KC studied the people around her. She kept hoping to spot that purple dress.
Back at their building, Donald held the door open for them. “Have you seen my mother?” KC asked him.
Donald looked puzzled. “Weren’t you all together?”
“We were,” KC explained. “But then my mom and the president disappeared. Did she come here?”
Donald shook his head. “I haven’t seen her since you guys left,” he said. “And I’ve been in the lobby the whole time.”
KC had tears in her eyes. “What couldhave happened to them?” she said.
Donald put a hand on her shoulder. “If Lois is with the president, I’m sure she’s fine,” he said. “He’s always surrounded by his secret service agents.”
KC nodded. “But we should go upstairs in case she calls.”
“Good idea,” Donald said. “I’ll bet your
KC laughed. “I’d vote for you, but onlyif you made me the TV anchor for the White House.”
Marshall spotted a group of food carts in front of the Smithsonian castle. He and KC walked over to a teenager selling ice cream cones.
“What’ll it be?” the teenager asked.
“A cherry and pistachio cone, please,” Marshall told the kid. “One scoop of each, with the pistachio on top.”
“Awesome,” the teenager said. “Looks like Christmas.”
“I’ll have butter crunch,” KC said. “One scoop.”
She paid with her mom’s money, then they began walking back toward the Air and Space Museum.
“I wonder who planted all these cherry trees,” Marshall said.
“Johnny Cherryseed,” KC said, licking her cone.
Marshall laughed. A few minutes later, they reached the spot where they’d left KC’s mom. KC stood on her tiptoes. She tried to spot her mother and the president over the other people.
“Do you see them anywhere?” she asked Marshall.
“Nope, but wait a sec.” Marshall climbed onto the seat of a bench. He craned his neck, looking in all directions. “I don’t see them,” he said.
“That’s funny,” KC said. She joined Marshall on the bench. “There aren’t any secret service guys, either.”
“They’ve gotta be around here,” Marshall said. “Maybe your mom and the president went for a walk.”
KC shook her head. She was beginning to feel worried. “Mom wouldn’t take off without letting me know,” she said.
KC’s ice cream cone dripped on her hand, but she ignored it. With her heart beating fast, she searched the crowd. Nowhere did she see a man in a baseball cap and a woman wearing a purple dress.
President Thornton and her mother had vanished!
2
Top Secret
“Maybe they went into one of the buildings,” Marshall suggested.
KC gazed up and down the Mall. The Washington Monument was at one end, and the Capitol stood at the other. Museums lined either side of the long, grassy lawn.
KC shook her head. “Marshall, my mom has this rule—if one of us changes a plan, we tell the other one. She reminds me all the time.” KC hopped off the bench and threw her unfinished cone into a trash can. “I think something happened to her and President Thornton!”
“There’s something else your mom tells you all the time,” Marshall said, still working on his cone. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“I’m not jumping to anything!” KC said. “She was supposed to be here, and she’s not. Wouldn’t you worry if your mom disappeared into thin air?”
“Okay, sure I would,” Marshall agreed. “So what should we do?”
“Let’s look around the Mall,” KC said. “They have to be somewhere.”
KC and Marshall walked the length of the Mall and back. Crowds of people were out, enjoying the sunshine and the cherry blossoms. Twenty minutes later, KC and Marshall were in front of the Air and Space Museum again.
“Something has happened to them,”KC told Marshall. Her stomach felt jumpy, like she was about to be sick. “I think we should go home. I’m sure Mom will call me.”
They retraced their steps toward home. KC studied the people around her. She kept hoping to spot that purple dress.
Back at their building, Donald held the door open for them. “Have you seen my mother?” KC asked him.
Donald looked puzzled. “Weren’t you all together?”
“We were,” KC explained. “But then my mom and the president disappeared. Did she come here?”
Donald shook his head. “I haven’t seen her since you guys left,” he said. “And I’ve been in the lobby the whole time.”
KC had tears in her eyes. “What couldhave happened to them?” she said.
Donald put a hand on her shoulder. “If Lois is with the president, I’m sure she’s fine,” he said. “He’s always surrounded by his secret service agents.”
KC nodded. “But we should go upstairs in case she calls.”
“Good idea,” Donald said. “I’ll bet your
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