Suddenly Royal

Chapter 7:

MORNING CAME WITH Mom prodding me out of bed way too early after our late night. My new clothes weren't there yet, so I picked out one of the shortalls I'd bought the day before last and a top. I initially walked downstairs without a bra, "Alexandria Leonora Alessi Nelson, you are a young woman now," I looked at her in surprise, "go back upstairs and put your bra on!"

"Bu..." I started to argue and saw Mom meant business... of course the full name thing should have clued me in. When I came back downstairs with it on, I noticed that in the reflection of a picture frame it made me look a bit older again. 'Probably thirteen at the most...' I thought. 'Still old enough to be stuck dealing with boys...'

She had a cup of coffee doctored and waiting for me, along with a plate of fruit and some toast. "Allie you can't keep dressing younger than your age now..." she told me.

"I don't have anything else right now?" I told her.

"Not the shortalls, the no bra attempt there."

"But Mom I don't even..."

"I don't care. In fact, because of that it's even more important."

She passed over the Chronicle and I gasped... "What the Hell?" I asked. There on the lower part of the page was a picture of me and Grandma coming out from dinner, alongside another of me at dinner the night before.

Princess Fairytale Come True

Houston (BCN) – Houston today has learned one of its teens is no longer the ordinary little girl she was before. Fifteen-year-old Alexandria Leonora Alessi reportedly is now being named as the heiress to the throne of the small island country of Osané in Europe. Reportedly she was unaware that her father was the Crown Prince of the country and next in line for the throne. With his recent passing...

I turned white then, "Do they know about...?" I asked Mom.

She shook her head, "Not as far as I can tell. Your grandmother is pissed right now and trying to learn of who leaked the story."

"I can't believe someone would just put that out there like that..."

Mom came around and gave me a hug, "At least it's a nice article. They didn't pick on you..."

"No, but they keep losing our last name of Nelson," I complained.

She sighed, "That's because legally I never had your name listed as Nelson."

I nearly spit out the bit of grape I had just placed in my mouth, "What?!? I've gone by Nelson all the way through school..."

"But your birth certificate doesn't list Nelson... it was something your father asked for."

"Can he mess up anything else without me ever having met him?!?" I complained.

The doorbell rang right then and I started to get up, but Mom said, "Stay there and eat sweetie."

I turned and watched her at the doorway and was relieved when it was Ellie that came through a moment later. "Already in the spotlight, huh Princess?" she teased me while pointing at the paper.

"Not funny..." I complained to her.

"You know this is like that Princess Diaries movie..."

"I am so NOT going out with some jerk that has ignored me, and learning he only loves me for being rich..." I told her with a glare. "And you better not start ditching me because of my new hair!"

She laughed at me, "The book version was better... Is your grandmother like a witch, or is she kind of nice?"

I shrugged, "Honestly I don't know that much about her yet Ellie. She kind of came off as a witch at first, but then she kind of behaved nicely." I frowned and looked at Mom, "Does this mean I have 'Princess Lessons' I have to deal with now too?!?"