The Princess Spy

Chapter 2

*Picture of Summer*

It had been only two days since my break-up with Gus. I occasionally saw him in the hallway at school and when I did, I held my head up higher and ignored him. I still cried myself to sleep, sometimes dad would come and calm me down. It was Tuesday night, and I went outside to collect the mail. I threw the junk mail in the bin then paused when I saw one addressed to me. Me? I never got mail, all my friends were here, they had no reason to send me mail. I scanned the envelope, it was from the Palace. The Palace? Sent me mail? What was going on? Confused, I went inside.

"Hey mum, dad, do you know what this is?" I called out. Dad and mum walked over to the dining room table, I showed them the mail and plopped down on the wooden chair.
"I hope your not in trouble," mum muttered. Was I in trouble? I thought back to every bad thing I had ever done. The worst was beating up this boy at school, when I was twelve years old, because he threw a perfectly good pumpkin pie, I had made, at my face and said it was the grossest thing he had ever tasted.
"Let's open it, as a family, this could be serious." My dad said. I nodded.

For dinner, dad ordered pizza and we all got drunk with sprite, although I guess we couldn't technically get drunk with sprite but it felt like that.
"I'm going to go text my boyfriend," Addison said, standing up. I rolled my eyes, wondering how long this guy would last.
"Addison, please wait. We have to look at this letter, from Prince Jackson," dad said, pushing Addison's shoulder down and back on the seat.
"Prince Jackson?" Addison asked, turning around so fast her blonde locks whacked my face.
"Yes." I said, rubbing my cheek where Addison's hair had whacked me.
"Open it up!" Addison shouted.
"Alright! Alright!" I muttered, tearing open the perfectly sealed envelope.

"It says, 'dear Isabella Maria Woodworth, since Prince Jackson has turned nineteen, he is of the rightful age to assume the thrown. All girls of the age seventeen and eighteen and not married, have the option of filling out this form, if you chose to do so, send it back to the palace by the third of May. We will then put everyone's forms inside a box. Then, on the fifth of May, Prince Jackson will pull a name out and that person will be his future wife. We do this to remind you that one woman, who used to be like you is now the Queen. Thank you,'" I read it aloud, stunned I looked at my parents.
"Izzy's going to marry the prince! Izzy's going to marry the prince!" Summer sung happily.
"No! No! I'm not going to marry the prince! There would be at least a thousand girls in this country who are entering," I argued. Addison's chair squeaked loudly.
"Why couldn't it have gone to nineteen year olds too?!" Addison stormed away. I sighed. Of course she wanted to marry the prince! Everyone in the right mind would...except me.
"Are you going to sign up?" Mum asked, speaking for the first time.
"Heck no!" I shouted. "I can have a normal life here, outside the palace walls," I said. "Are you going to make me?" I whispered.
"Of course not darling," dad said. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm going to bed," mum said, dad getting up with her. That left Summer and I.
"Can you please sign up?" Summer questioned. Her big round, green, eyes almost made me.
"I'm sorry Summer but I don't know the Prince! How can I marry someone I don't know?" I asked.
"You can get to know him," Summer said, playing with her dark, almost black, hair. I sighed.
"I'm sorry Summer but I want to stay here." I said, walking away to my bedroom.