Checkers

Chapter 11 - The Bandit

A loud annoying banging at my door replaced my alarm clock the next morning. I yelled for the person to enter as I assumed that it was Julie but the knocking just continued. I grumbled as I threw off my covers and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

I yanked open the door and shouted, "You could've just walked-" I cut myself off as I saw a woman standing before me that I didn't recognize. She raised an eyebrow and studied me from head to toe. She started scribbling something on the clipboard in her hands. She walked past me into the room without speaking a word to me.

"Please, come in," I welcomed sarcastically. The woman huffed and again began scribbling on her clipboard. I sunk down in the nearest chair and watched the woman as she checked around my room carefully. She barely touched anything and when she did venture to explore through drawers or anything, her touch seemed so careful as if I had some sort of disease. I yawned loudly catching her attention and she shook her head before writing more notes down..

"They didn't tell me that I would have this big of a challenge," she whispered to herself. I arched my eyebrow as she continued to search my room. My mind started to wander from boredom and I began to wonder how old this lady was. She couldn't have been older than my grandmother but possibly in her late thirties?

"How old are you?" It slipped from my mouth before I could stop it. The woman stopped in her tracks and slowly stalked her way over to me with the most serious face I've ever seen someone have. It scared me and caused me to coward slightly in my chair as she approached.

"How unladylike," she commented as she glared. "You didn't even ask for my name before you insulted me by asking my age!"

"Um...You came into my room," I pointed out. The stern woman raised her eyebrows as if daring me to go on. "I shouldn't have to ask for your name."

She shook her head and aggressively wrote more notes on her clipboard, "I'm Natalie Monida but will be referred to as Lady Monida, and only as Lady Monida. Your grandmother hired me to teach you the ways of being a princess. Sir Lucas and Sir Elliot have been training since the day they were born to be a prince. I see I have a lot of work ahead of me with you."

I blinked my eyes a few times as I digested that information. "Okay."

Lady Monida shook her head again. "Lessons will be every morning from 8:00 A.M to 10:00 A.M. I expect you in my quarters first thing tomorrow morning." Lady Monida inspected me once again then sighed before she left without so much of a word of goodbye. I stared after her for a few moments trying to gather my thoughts and figure out if all that just happened. Finally, I got up and proceeded to get ready for the day.

Conveniently, after I was refreshed and ready for the day, Julie came into my room.

"Oh good, you're dressed. You have your first challenge today," Julie informed me casually. I, on the other hand, thought I heard her wrong.

"What?!"

Julie repeated the last part of her statement.

"But- I just had my birthday yesterday. I don't get a day off? What am I going to do? I don't know what skills I need for this 'challenge'. Oh my God! I'm going to fail on the first task and everything is going to go wrong." I cried in a panic. Julie rolled her eyes and pulled me by my wrist.

She led me to a room I was unfamiliar with and didn't utter a single word on the way there.

"Madame Vee is in that room with Elliot and Luke. Good luck!" With those two last words, Julie left me and my stomach dropped. I entered the room only to have all eyes focus on me.

"Ah, we are all here now. Excellent!" Grandma V ushered me forward. I took a seat next to Luke on the small couch that sat all three of us. Grandma V stood in front of us with a huge smile on her face.