In Pieces

9 | Laughter |

I knew I wouldn't be under the bed if I were a piece of my broken heart, but I stepped over my sundress and checked anyway. It wasn't behind the curtains, in the drawers, or in the closet. But then, why would it be in Mom's room?

Lifting my heavy skirts up, I left the queen's chambers and nearly fainted when a couple of guards gave me a loud, royal salute. Forcing a smile, I hurried toward where my bedroom would be and shut the door once I was inside—only to open it again and count the doors down the hall.

One, two, three, four doors from the stairs, and one, two, three doors from the end of the wing.

There had to he a mistake...

I pulled my head back in with a heavy heart and shut the door behind me.

In this world, this was the queen's fancy powder room.

Yeah, my bedroom used to be a toilet. A painful smirk curled up on my lips. In a way, it made perfect sense. Now, I knew why I felt like crap most of the time.

I had no time to lose, though. I hurried and searched inside the golden bathtub—not there.

The basin that smelled a lot like roses and poop made me gag. The shiny cabinets filled with towels and powders made me sneeze. But then I stopped.

What did a broken heart look like? I had to summon Gio and ask.

Sneaking out of the bathroom, I tip-toed down the hall and stood in front of the antique mirror.

Was the girl in the reflection with that funny bun and fancy ball gown really me? She looked...pretty.

"Gio, Gio, Gio."

I gasped when his head emerged out of the mirror.

His entire face beamed as he exclaimed, "Wow!"

I grabbed Gio's tunic and pulled him inside. He grasped my shoulders to find his balance and gave me his gappy-toothed smile.

"Where is your tiara?"

My eyes flew up to my head instinctively. A tiara wouldn't sit on that bushy nest.

"I should dress up too," Gio mumbled, and with a tilt of his neck, stood in front of me in a red shirt with high ruffles and black pants tucked up into white, knee-height socks. Another tilt, and he had a white court wig that covered his pointy ears.

A smile crept up on my lips. I loved his magic tricks. I shook my head when he smiled back.

"Gio, why do these people think I'm their queen?"

"Seems to me like you are." He shrugged.

A couple of ladies in high wigs curtsied as they passed. We greeted them with a polite nod, and as soon as they were gone, I dragged Gio into a dark corner.

"Are we in the past?"

"Yeah, a reflection of the past," he spoke softly, tucking a loose hair strand behind my ear. "Don't worry. You can't change anything that has already happened in the real world. This is a reflection of your previous life. Whatever you do here will stay in this mirror forever and disappear when you find your piece."

"So, none of this is real?"

"It is real to you." Gio poked my chest. "Isn't that what matters?"

I rubbed the sizzling sensation his finger left on my skin. "So nobody in the real world will know that I'm an imposter?"

"You are not an imposter. You might not feel like it, but you are a queen deep inside."

Right, the queen of the royal powder room. I rolled my eyes.