A Country Divided : Through Blood United

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln: Getting Ready

After about a half an hour after setting out from my mother's house on the edge of town, the three of us finally made it to the White House, it's white roof looming over a hill in the distance.

"There it is!" I shouted as I pointed to the large building.

"It's so pretty," Johnathan added, smiling.

Lincoln glanced down at the both of us. "This your first time seeing the White House?"

"Certainly is," Johnathan and I both chuckled in embarrassment.

"Well then," Lincoln smiled as he began to sprint toward the White House at full speed. "Well, why don't we pick up the pace to get there faster, so I could give y'all's a longer tour?"

Johnathan and I both gasped in surprise as we witnessed Lincoln's sudden increase in speed, and we followed him to the White House.

***

"Well, that's all there is to it," Lincoln chuckled as we stopped in the Oval Office of the White House.

I subtly set my pearl handled pistol down on top of the cabinet behind one of the couches in the room, hoping that I would forget to pick it up on my way out of the room.

"I showed you every room the White House has to offer," Lincoln smiled and gestured his hands towards the Oval Office's walls.

Before I could say a happy thank you in return for the free tour Abraham gave us, he lifted his hand and I immediately became quiet.

"Except for the secret rooms," he smirked slyly.

"Secret rooms?" Johnathan asked as be became as giddy as a child. "Can you show us those?"

Lincoln shook his head solemnly. "I'm afraid I can't do that, they're classified for the United States' cabinet only."

Johnathan's curious smile quickly faded into a frown, but I tried to lighten the mood by changing the subject of conversation.

"Hey," I chuckled. "Lincoln, why did you want us to go to the theater with you?"

Abraham Lincoln sat down on one of the couches and crossed his long legs. He sighed and hesitantly replied, "Well, remember when you two went to Appomattox, Virginia on the ninth?"

Johnathan and I both nodded.

"Yeah, I remember the surrender at Appomattox," Johnathan and I both said in unison.

Lincoln gave us a small grin and shifted his weight on the couch across from us. "Good, because on that same exact day, I went to the theater to take some time off from my presidential duties like usual."

"And while I was watching the play-I forgot the title to it-there was one specific actor that really impressed me with his performance," He smiled and gazed out of the windows nearby as if he was recollecting the time he was at the theater watching that actor.

Johnathan leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees, curious about who that mysterious actor specifically was. "Wait, Mr. Lincoln? Who was that mystery actor?"

Lincoln smiled and gave Johnathan the response he was looking for. "Oh, he was just this actor named John Wilkes Booth I think."

As Johnathan smiled in satisfaction, Abraham Lincoln continued. "And I hope that I'll be able to see Booth once we all go to Ford's Theatre in the next few days." He paused awkwardly. "Is it alright if two more people, Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancée, Clara Harris, come with us to watch the play at the theater?"

"Oh, that would be perfectly alright," Johnathan added politely.

I smiled and chuckled, trying to make the mood in the room brighter. "And the more the merrier!"