Rags to Riches. Really? (1st book of Really? Series)

Chapter 29

"Are you done, Mira?" Georgie asked when I made my way to the closet door with nothing in my hands. "Are we able to uncover our faces because there was a knock on your door?"

I bit back a small sigh and slowly nodded when there was another knock on my bedroom door. 'Yes," I said, "you can uncover your faces, but stay on the bed until I see who is at the door. Is that understood?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes," they said in unison before they sat up but stayed up on the bed while they looked at me. "We understand."

River cleared her throat and shifted on my new bed. "Are you going to open it?" River asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She furrowed her brows and looked at the door before she looked at me again, looking very nervous.

There was another knock on my door, this time slightly louder and harder than the last knock, and we all looked that way. "Your Highness?" I heard someone ask and bit back a small sigh of relief when I heard that it was Ramont on the other side of the door. "Are you all still in there? Is everyone safe?"

"Yes, we are in here and safe, Ramont," I said and made my way to the door. I opened it and offered him a tight smile, and the male's shoulders sagged with relief when he saw that we were in fact safe and in the room. "Are you wanting to come in?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes," Ramont said and nodded in confirmation, and I moved out of his way and gestured for him to come into the room. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet while he looked around before he looked at me again, not saying another word.

"What can I do for you, Ramont?" I asked while I furrowed my brows and cocked my head while I studied him. "Is it time for us to go to my friend's house?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Ramont said and nodded in confirmation. He cleared his throat again and folded his arms behind his back, clasping his hands together. "Are you all ready to go?" he asked and looked at my siblings before he looked at me again.

"We need coats and shoes on, but that is it," Georgie said. He and the rest of my siblings got up from my bed and started to walk toward us after they got a signal from me to do so. "We had placed our shoes by the back door, and Grandmother showed us where she had new winter stuff for us."

"Ya, we have new coats, gloves, shoes, and hats," Micah said and bounced a little, looking very excited while we looked at him. "It's amazing, Mira. We don't have to wear stuff that doesn't fit or doesn't work anymore."

I pressed my lips into a thin line before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet before I looked at Micah and then looked at Ramont. "Are you wanting to leave, now?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes, Your Highness," Ramont confirmed and nodded. "It will be just me that goes with you five," he said, "and I will be staying with you all there."

"You don't have to stay with us, Ramont," I said and shook my head. "Nothing is going to happen, and we will be safe staying there by ourselves." I licked my lips and cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, feeling very nervous. "I do not know what Robbie will think when we pull up and you stay with us."

Ramont set his jaw before he slowly nodded, and I had a feeling that he was trying to think of something else before he cocked his head and studied me. "Do you know his number?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I nodded in confirmation.

"Robbie, Jeb, Pam, who is my boss at the community center where I work as a lifeguard, and then Abe made sure that I knew their phone numbers by heart. However, Robbie is one of those ones that will not answer his phone if he doesn't know the number no matter how many times we call them."

"Hmph." Ramont pressed his lips into a thin line before he slowly nodded. He didn't say a word before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet.

I hesitated before I licked my lips and cleared my throat as well. "We can see what he has to say when we are there," I said. "I don't think he will mind if you are staying with us, Ramont, if he knows everything that has happened."

Ramont breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded. "Good," he said and gestured for me and my siblings to exit the room while he cleared his throat. "Are you needing to do anything before we leave, Your Highness?" he asked, and I pressed my lips into a thin line and narrowed my eyes while I looked at him because I hated that he called me "Your Highness," even though we were "alone" with no one near us besides my siblings.

Ramont bit back a small smile and bowed his head a little. He didn't say a word and waited for me to tell him if I needed to do something before we had to leave.

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head while I moved a hand through my hair and across my face because there wasn't anything that I needed to do. "Let's go ahead and leave so that I don't be late, even though Robbie would not be that mad if I were late because he knows what is going on."

"Of course," he said and gestured for us to leave the safety of the room again. He cleared his throat and stood taller. "Annabella will have a phone for you soon so that you will be able to contact us," he said, and I nodded while I exited the room with my siblings following me and Ramont took the rear.

"Does that mean we get phones, too?" Georgie asked while he looked between the two of us, his eyes growing wide.

"No," I said before Ramont could answer my brother's question, and Ramont closed the door behind us when everyone left the room. "You will be the first to get a phone, Georgie, but it won't be until you are a little older than now."

Rmont didn't say a word and moved to the front so that he could lead us to wherever we needed to go, and I couldn't help but wonder if we were going to the place where they had put my siblings' new coats and shoes.

"But everyone else my age has phones, Mira," Georgie said, biting back a small whine, and I rolled my eyes and pressed my lips into a thin line, feeling very annoyed with him. "So why can't I have one?"

"Because you are not allowed to have a phone, Georgie," I replied coldly. "I don't know why you keep asking me about it when you are not going to get one. Is that understood?"

My brother bit back a small groan and looked at Ramont knowing full well that I wasn't going to change my mind. "C-"

"You are not going to ask anyone if you can have one, George Michaels," I warned, interrupting him. "If you get a phone, and I mean if you get a phone, then you will be getting a "crappy" phone in which you will only be messaging me, Robbie, Ramont, our grandmother, and I am sure Annabella because she will want her number."

"Well, what about Mr. Abe, Mrs. Pam, Mr. Jeb, and Jen?" Georgie asked with a small bit of sass in his voice. He raised an eyebrow in question while he cocked his head and studied me. "Am I allowed to contact them?"

I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line. "Yes, you will be able to contact them," I said, not hiding the annoyance in my voice. "However, you are not allowed to tell anyone your phone number without my permission. Is that understood?"

Georgie sighed and rolled his eyes before he slowly nodded. "Fine," he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest while he pouted. "Just know that I don't like it, Mira."

I didn't say a word and rolled my eyes again and bit the inside of my lip, biting back a small sigh. I knew that he didn't like it; I could tell that he didn't like it, but that was what it was going to be, especially since I didn't know how long we would be living here.

I didn't want to be in debt to anyone, especially to a grandmother that I had never known until now...