Fireworks at the FBI by Ron Roy

1
Runaway Rockets
    A fiery ball exploded in the sky over the Washington Monument. Red, white, and blue sparks cascaded slowly down, high above the crowd.
    The sparks twinkled, then winked out. “THAT’S ALL THERE IS, FOLKS,” a man’s voice boomed over a loudspeaker. “THANK YOU AND HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE FOURTH OF JULY!”
    Three thousand people clapped, whistled, and cheered.
    “Those were the best fireworks I’ve ever seen!” the President of the United States said.
    “And this is the best July Fourth!” said KC.
    She and her best friend, Marshall Li, were watching the fireworks from the lawn in front of the Museum of Natural History. President Zachary Thornton and KC’s mom, Lois, sat near them, holding hands. They had gotten married a few months ago.
    “Shall we go home?” Lois suggested. “I think Yvonne made a cake for us.”
    “Awesome!” KC and Marshall said at the same time.
    “Home” was the White House. KC, her mom, and KC’s two cats had all moved in after the wedding. Marshall was staying at the White House for the holiday.
    The president folded the blanket andtucked it under his arm. Marshall carried the basket, and they walked toward a sleek black car parked nearby.
    Six tall men in dark suits followed them. One of the men spoke quietly into a tiny microphone on his wristwatch. Wherever the president went, secret service men came with him. They protected him at all times.
    “Can we walk back to the White House?” KC asked.
    “Sure. I can use the exercise,” the president said.
    “But I like riding in the car,” said Marshall. “When I learn to drive, I’ll never walk anywhere!”
    KC laughed. “Then your legs will shrivel up and you’ll look like one of your spiders!”
    Marshall was crazy about bugs and spiders. Sometimes he seemed to like them more than people.
    The president handed the blanket to one of the six men, who put it in the car with the basket. Then they walked through the darkness toward the White House. The six men stayed close behind.
    “It feels creepy having those guys following us,” Marshall whispered to KC.
    “That’s what you get for hanging out with the president,” KC joked.
    They all said “Hi!” to a man walking a dog with long, skinny legs. The man’s mouth fell open when he recognized the President of the United States.
    “What kind of dog is this?” the president asked. He stroked the dog’s ears.
    “Manfred is a greyhound,” the mansaid. “I adopted him in Colorado before I moved out here. He used to race at a dog track.”
    “He seems very gentle,” KC said.
    The man smiled. “Greyhounds make great pets,” he said.
    After saying good night to the man and his dog, they started walking again.
    “I should have a dog,” the president said. “Then I’d get exercise when I walked him around the White House grounds.”
    “You could walk your cat,” Marshall teased.
    The president laughed. “I wonder if George would like that.”
    They passed several large buildings, all dark at nine-thirty on a holiday night.
    Suddenly KC heard a whizzing soundover their heads. She looked up just as a white flame shot out of one of the windows in a sprawling building. “Did you see that?” KC cried.
    “It came out of the FBI building!” the president said.
    “It looked like a rocket!” Marshall said.
    As they stood there gaping, another rocket flew out through the window.
    Right away the secret service men surrounded the president and his group. The president’s car pulled up, and President Thornton, KC, her mom, and Marshall were shoved inside. Then the black car shot forward and streaked toward the White House.
    KC pressed her nose against the window. All she saw was a blur.
    In the backseat, the president yankedout his cell phone and flipped it open. A moment later, he was talking to the director of the FBI, Desmond Smiley.
    “We all saw it, Desmond!” the president said. “Lois and the kids were with me, and about half a dozen secret