"Come- Come with you?!" Sunni stammered, her gaze flickering between Violet's outstretched hand and intense expression. On all the research she'd done of her possible running mates, Violet had always been the most outgoing and fierce. Seeing her like this felt completely different than any research. It was one thing to read about her and another to experience her. It was both scary and enticing.

Helping Violet could get her an important ally, but this could put her entire career on the line. The stakes were high, but she didn't have much time to think things over with Violet eagerly waiting for an answer in front of her.

Without another thought, she moved forward to grab her hand. Maybe it was impulsive, but Sunni needed a taste of something exciting. Her heartbeat felt erratic but she couldn't help but grin.

"You're in?" Violet grinned, her eyes lighting up. "Good!"

She stepped back and away from Sunni, her attention no longer on her. Violet began fidgeting with something on her dress. Sunni leaned forward in an attempt to see what she was doing.

"Don't freak out," she warned, not looking up at Sunni. In one swift movement, she tore the bottom half of her dress off.

Sunni watching in both terror and intrigue. "What are you doing?!"

The fabric that had previously hugged her waist was now held in her hands. Instead, Violet was wearing a pantsuit that had matched her dress from earlier. Sunni's mouth was agape in curiosity. Violet grinned. "I needed better mobility so I planned ahead, just in case... Come on."

Sunni could hardly understand what had just happened, much less move. This stunning women, her political opponent at that, had just revealed herself in a government break-in scheme. She'd just turned her floor-length gown into a pantsuit. And now she was expecting her to just jump into action? Sunni couldn't help but feel her head spin in complete fascination. She wasn't one to act without thinking, but she couldn't help herself now that Violet was leading her. She nodded wordlessly, still staring at the other.

Violet grinned, acutely aware of her affect on Sunni. It did nothing but encourage her. "Follow me," she beckoned, opening up the doors of the government building.

Sunni could feel herself sobering up, the loud panic of voices and the alarm dragging her back to reality. As much as she felt like joining the others in their hysteria, one look at Violet reminded her of her new goal.

She followed the other inside, watching curiously. Violet seemed to have changed completely. Her hands were shaky. She ran up to a guard doing damage-control and spoke in an anxious tone. "W-What's going on, sir? Is anyone hurt?!" She gripped his uniform tightly.

The guard looked up at her, seeming thrown off by the way she was touching him. "Uh- there was a break in, but nobody seems violent. Please stay calm, ma'am."

Sunni watched the whole scene unfold in front of her; Violet acting frightened and clueless while the guard patiently tried to explain everything. She was impressed. She'd never pegged Violet as a good actress.

It wasn't until Violet made searing eye contact with her did Sunni realize she was supposed to move forward. Violet was distracting the guard for her. Sunni nearly slapped herself for missing the clear signal. She was able to sneak past the two and duck into a nearby room. She closed the door, still leaving a little bit of space to continue watching the other.

Violet waited another minute of the guard trying to calm her down before she finally sighed in mock-relief. "Thank you, you've been so helpful... I'm going to leave and get somewhere safe." She smiled before moving towards the direction Sunni had gone.

"W-Wait, Ms. Hansen! That's the direction of the break in!" The guard interrupted.

"What?!" She gasped, picking up speed as though she was acting in complete fear. The guard didn't get a chance to follow her, a few other party attendants following Violet's lead and questioning the guard in a frenzy.

With the guard distracted, Sunni moved from the room and scurried to go after Violet. She mimicked Violet's way of moving, pretending to be anxiously looking for a way out. She was so caught up in focusing how she was moving that she barely noticed the other turning into a room. She almost tripped over her heels before following her.

Sunni's eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness before she realized it was an office, with a desk piled with papers and a swivel chair. Sitting on the floor strangely enough, was a boy, eyebrows furrowed as he typed away at a computer. Violet squatted down in front of the boy and tilted his screen back. His eyes followed the screen until they couldn't anymore and he looked up at Violet.

"I'm trying to finish this," he sighed, exasperated.

"I didn't want to scare you." Violet responded, standing up once more. "How far are you?" 

He fixed his computer screen and continued working, not looking her way. "Not even close. I'm trying to get what I can but there really doesn't seem to be anything that would help." Violet glanced away, trying to hide her frustration. She wasn't good at it.

In any other scenario, Sunni would have jumped in to try and help the others relieve the tension but she still couldn't understand what was going on.

"It's okay," Violet smiled sadly. "We'll figure this out. I know you're trying your best."

"I am." The other responded, seeming unchanged by her encouragement.

"Sunni and I are going to go find the others. Tango seemed like she was in a pinch."

He paused his typing for a moment, glancing nervously at Sunni, then to Violet. "Sunni...? Is she a new recruit?" He asked.

Sunni opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Violet attempting to dodge his question of recruitment. "Sunni, we really should get going."

Sunni nodded absently, trying to figure out what the man had meant by recruit. She was clearly doing something shady and now that she was given the time to take everything in, she was beginning to regret following Violet.

"Come on. They're just another few doors down."

Sunni didn't make any move go after her, her heart pounding in what she couldn't tell was excitement or anxiety. This entire situation didn't sit right with her. If she was caught, her entire career could end depending on how shady this truly was. She hardly even knew the extent of what she'd gotten herself into.

"Violet... What's going on?" She hesitated.

Violet turned to look at her, unable to read her tone. "What do you mean? We really need to go."

"I mean- why am I here? Why are there people breaking in? Why are we helping them?" With each question she asked, she began to doubt her a little more.

Violet groaned, clearly stressed. "Please Sunni, trust me. I know you're worried about this but I'll explain everything once it's over. I need you to be on my side right now, okay? If any of this gets out, it's over for both of us."

Sunni stilled, Violet's words causing her to understand the extent of what was happening. She realized they were too far gone for her to back out. If they were caught, everything would be over. Her career was her life. Without it, she'd be nothing.

"I get it. Lead the way." Her voice seemed less enthusiastic than before.

Violet smiled gratefully when Sunni agreed, even if she didn't seem completely sure with her choice. "Thank you. I know I'm being irrational expecting you to help out, but it'll be worth it in the long run."

She didn't wait for Sunni to respond, walking past her and the unnamed man and opening the window. "The room is going to be filled with guards. It's our best bet to make it outside, move to their room, and help them escape through here. Are you able to follow my lead?"

Sunni's head was spinning from the sudden transition. Violet certainly was quick to move on. "I guess...?" She muttered.

Despite the clear hesitancy in Sunni's voice, Violet slipped out the window. Sunni tensed as she waited for the sound of Violet hitting the ground. When she didn't hear anything, she inched towards the window, peering over the edge. Panic jolted her briefly when she couldn't find her until she saw Violet was already making her way to a different window. Just as Sunni had imagined, she was still as graceful as she'd been before. It was admirable.

A voice sounded from the floor and she jumped. The man didn't seem to notice he'd startled her. "I'm Cedar, by the way. I think we'll be working together?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but- it's nice to meet you, Cedar. I'm Sunni."

He nodded in response and she took the following silence as a sign that was the end of their brief conversation, but she couldn't help but study him for another moment. He was so focused on the computer screen in front of him. She wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but considering he was working with Violet, she knew it probably wasn't anything legal. She couldn't imagine how him and Violet had become friends. They seemed like polar opposites; Violet being outgoing, graceful, and exciting, and Cedar seeming introverted and awkward. Still, Sunni couldn't help but feel curious to learn more about him and whatever organization he was a part of.

She turned away from him and looked back out of the window. Violet was waiting for her outside of a different window a few rooms down, ducking to make sure she wasn't seen.

With a deep breath, Sunni slipped out of the window onto the overhang of the building and got onto her knees. The fall below her wouldn't be enough to kill her, but it still left her nervous enough for her hands to be shaky. She moved slowly as she crawled towards Violet. Despite her pace, Violet never rushed her, instead offering an encouraging smile whenever Sunni glanced towards her. It reassured her enough to continue until she'd finally made her way to the window Violet was ducking under. She shifted to make room for Sunni.

Now that they were together once more, Violet wasted no time jumping back into their plan, making up for lost time. Her voice was hushed. "There's two other people in here that we need to help escape. You seem like someone who prefers to have a plan in place beforehand, but I need you to follow my lead." Violet whispered.

Sunni nodded and watched as Violet stood onto her knees and climbed through the window. She followed behind her, making eye contact with some guards. Luckily, there were only three; much less than either had anticipated.

"Guards! Oh thank goodness we found you. Please help! There's another intruder. She was on the roof and we had to drop down here for safety! I'm so glad we're safe." She cried, making a show of hugging Sunni tightly. "I don't know what I'd done if something had happened to you!"

She released Sunni and turned back to the guards, wiping her eyes. "Please, can you find her? She had long brown hair- and- and blue eyes. She wore a navy dress. Please help us."

Sunni watched her in complete awe, slightly thrown off by the hug she'd received earlier. The room was quiet besides Violet's sobs.

Sunni tried to mimic her, even if she wasn't as good of an actress. "She was following us and- and we had to drop down and we were so scared we'd fall. I'm so grateful we didn't get hurt." Her voice wavered. She couldn't make herself cry on command, but she could at least make herself sound close to tears.

The guards were watching them in a semi-circle, surrounding two other girls and holding them tightly so they couldn't escape. They had stopped moving, left stunned by the two presidential candidates in front of them. These women were some of the most important in the country right now and seeing them beg for help was unexpected.

The guards were still for another moment before finally moving to help them. Sunni climbed back onto the overhang, making a show of clumsiness as she pointed up to the roof. It distracted the guards enough for Violet to rush over and grab the other two women who were stuck in handcuffs.

"I can't believe you guys got caught," Violet teased, helping the two up. It wasn't easy, considering they had limited use of their hands.

"Shut up," one girl hissed. The other rolled her eyes, though she had a playful smile. Polar opposites.

"Cedar is four doors down to the left. If you guys can get there, he can help you out. I can pretend you guys ran the other way. Only problem is, there's cameras. They've probably got your faces. You need to get back into Pereo. Now." Her stance was awkward as she spoke, as if she was trying not to be seen talking to them.

The two nodded, looking at each other before making a run for it.

Violet waited a moment before running to the guards at the window. "Security! They made a run for it!" Sunni gasped in mock surprise at the news as the guards jumped back inside. "They went to the right!"

"We need to get you two somewhere safe. Especially because it seems there's a few people out trying to hurt you guys. I'll let my colleagues take care of finding those two. I need to get both of you to safety."

Violet nodded gratefully, grabbing Sunni's hand and squeezing it gently. Her expression seemed terrified but the soft squeeze meant they'd won. Sunni should've been happy but curiosity overran everything else as she wondered what the hell she'd just helped with.

-2347 words-