The Runaway Royal

The Runaway Royal-Chapter 4

The Runaway Royal- Chapter 4

That night I was in my room, reading, when my cell rang.

“Yellow,” I said, without looking at the caller I.D.

“Purple,” the voice on the other end said. “ Oh, and Char? Why did I have to find out through the school’s gossip site that you aren’t coming back?!”

I winced at the sound of Katie’s voice turning into a yell.

“I’m sorry Katie! Just a lot has happened today and I haven’t had time to call. Also I have really, really bad news.” She chuckled humorously.

“This better be good. My parents freaked out when they discovered that your mom had shown up and taken you back to Tecelly.” Katie’s parents were my guardians and also had been the heads of security when I still lived in Tecelly. I loved Sarah and Jonathan Blanco and they always treated me like I was one of them, and not some spoiled royal brat. Unlike some people I could mention. Cough, Carlee, cough. Just saying.

“Tell your parents that I’m okay and that hopefully I’ll be home sooner than my ‘mother’ expects.”

“Huh?” Katie said, most likely tilting her head in confusion. I smiled deviously, remembering the plan that I had hatched earlier today.

“Katie. I’m going to become queen in eight days time.” I announced.

“WHAT?” Katie screams ricocheted throughout the room. I proceeded to tell her about how my grandmother was really my mother and how Tecelly was a woman governed country so my dad couldn’t rule and my grandfather was not part of the Fugatine bloodline.

‘“Oh and I haven’t even told you the best part!” I said, sarcasm dripping throughout my words. “Remember Tristen Pertione, Prince of the

Calio Islands?”

“The ugly kid that we dripped pudding on while he was sleeping?” I had forgotten about that. The kid had screamed so loud that the royal guards had started to evacuate the castle. Good times.

“Yeah him. And he’s not so ugly anymore! He must have, like some fairy god-mother or something cause he is beyond hot now!”

“Number?”

“Ten.”

Katie whistled. Show-off. “Dang, I need to meet this hottie!”

“Have you forgotten the reason that we poured pudding on him?’ I asked impatient with my forgetful and sometimes naïve best friend.

“Oh right.”

We had all been at a garden party for some celebration or other. Tristen had been annoying as usual. To get him off our backs, we had a tree-climbing contest. Tristen had challenged me to the top of the tallest tree in the courtyard. Katie and Tristen’s brother had counted us off and we had raced to the tree and had started, yelling obscenities at each other. The dirtest words that nine year olds know came tumbling out of out mouths, “Booger-brain and butt-head” had been the extent of our teasing. I had reached the top and was yelling at Tristen that I had won when I realized that he was nowhere to be seen and that I was really high up. Thus my fear of heights. So I was stuck at the top of the tree screaming with Tristan laughing up at me and Carlee yelling at me. The next thing I know, the Tecellian fire company had shown up and was helping me down. I swore then and there that I would get back at him for publicly humiliating me. Thus began our beautiful (yet sometimes ugly) rivalry.

“Anyway, so I was at the will reading and the lawyer announced that I’ve been engaged to him since birth. Blah, blah, blah, blah.” I said, hoping that I was annoying her. Perks of having a best friend who was also your legal sister. Can’t get rid of you no matter how hard they try.

Laughter burst out from the other side of the phone. I frowned into the phone. Why was she laughing? Didn’t she realize that I had just received my death sentence?!

　

“That’s hilarious!” Hilarious? More like horrible. “You and Tristen getting married! I mean, you two hate each other! There is no way that Victoria would let you get married to him.”

“Well, she did.” I responded curtly. The laughter stopped abruptly. “And have a plan to not marry him!” I heard a grunt outside my door. “Katie? I got to go. Someone’s outside my door!”

I hung up the phone, ignoring Katie’s protests, and tiptoed to the door. I flung it open and shouted, “Ah-hah!” There was no one there. I furrowed my brow, puzzled. I stepped out into the hallway, looking for the source of the sound. I shook my head, annoyed with myself for thinking that had heard something. I walked back into my room and screamed.

“Jesus Charlie! Shut up! You’re going to give the guards a heart attack!” I glared at the infiltrator of my sacred room.

“What do you want, Tristen? And how did you get in here?” I asked, annoyed with myself for getting so scared. He smirked cockily at me.

“When you opened the door, I snuck in behind you. Simple. And I’m in here because this is my room until we get married.” I stared at him, disbelieving what I had just heard. He smirked again, and stood up walking towards my bathroom.

“Where are you going?” I asked, overcoming my shock enough to realize that he was moving.

“Taking a shower.” He called over his shoulder not turning around.

I frowned, irritated that my easy plan of running away became a lot harder.

　

　

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“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Aha!! You agreed with me!” I said smirking at Tristen, who glared back.

“You agreed with me first,” he whined. I rolled my eyes.

“Stop being such a baby and you are sleeping on the couch and that’s final.” I replied. He glared back but picked up his pillow and stalked towards my ‘living’ room.

“Close the door behind you,” I called after him. He didn’t. “And freaking good night to you too.” I muttered under my breath as I stood and walked towards the door. As I climbed into bed, I hit the remote next to my bed so that the room went black and was bathed in waves crashing against the shore. I waited a few minutes before getting out of bed and grabbing my suitcase. I walked to my huge walk-in closet and pulled out a couple of outfits. Now I just needed a rope. My eyes wandered around the room and fell on my drapes around my bed. Leave it to Carlee to keep my room the exact way it had been when I was eight. For once I was glad. I tore down the purple, Rhine-stoned curtains from around my bed and tied them together and hooked it to my bed. My plan was actually working! I couldn’t believe it. My plans never worked. There was the time when Katie wanted some guy and…Well, that’s a whole other story. I was smiling as I pushed open the door. Immediately, an alarm sounded.

“Crap!” I screamed as I frantically pushed my makeshift rope out the window. It was then I realized that three stories in the air is really high up. I clung to the drapes desperately. Please God, if you’re listening, don’t let me die. At least let me hit my eighteenth birthday first. I’ll even marry Tristen just save me now. As I was praying and waiting for my immediate death that was sure to come a blinding light hit me. Oh no. I see the light, this is the end.

“Come down and put your hands in the air.” Is that what God sounded like? Demanding and tough? Either he did or I was still alive. I opened one eye squinting in the harshness of the light and looked down. Big mistake. My head started to spin, my stomach churned, my hands became slick with sweat and I started to slide. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Suddenly, strong muscular arms encircled my waist and pulled me up to my room. I sighed with relief as my feet hit solid ground. I looked up and gasped at who my rescuer was.