Royally Flushed

Wilmington Prep

Visions of him walking in his army gear across a barren, desolate desert in the middle east and then the confusion as he stepped on a land mine. The split second of panic rushing across his features and then the inevitable moment when he accepted his death.

He closed his eyes and then...BOOM!

That was always when I woke up, the sound of the explosion shaking me to my very core. The fact that he came home in pieces making me want to vomit every single time I thought about it.

I couldn't stop the single tear that slid down my face as I thought of it and suddenly thought that sleep might have been a better alternative than strolling down memory lane.

"Wake me when we get there," I told Mar, but she was already conked out, her earphones in and the neck pillow firmly in place.

I reached in my bag and got out some antihistamine that I used for my allergies but also when I couldn't sleep and allowed the medicine to aid in knocking me out, shutting the window to the outside world and hopefully when I awoke I'd be somewhere much better than where I had come from.

***

"Wake up sleepyhead, we're here."

I opened my eyes groggily and sniffed, confused at where I was, and then it all came rushing back.

Robert didn't die, unfortunately, from his bullet wound. He was sentenced to twenty five to life for attempted murder, assault in the first degree, child abuse, neglect, endangering the welfare of a minor and a few other crimes that I couldn't quite remember in the moment.

I was going to live with my newfound relatives in England, and although it was new and terrifying, the situation was distinctly better than the life I'd previously been living in.

I gathered my things up as quickly as I could and opened the blinds to the window of the airplane just in time to see us touching the ground in England.

This was it, my fresh start, I thought to myself as I subconsciously made my way off of the plane and out onto the tarmac. Then came baggage claim and suddenly we were outside in the different England weather. It was dreary, but the strong sun rays were starting to poke through the light gray clouds.

Mar stepped up where the taxis were shuttling people to and from the airport and it was so strange to seem them driving on the opposite side of the road than what I was used to.

"Should I call and get us a taxi or-" the words died in my mouth as a shiny black limousine pulled to the curb right beside us and the driver stepped out and immediately got to work gathering our belongings.

I didn't have much with me considering I barely had a dollar to my name after the whole ordeal with Robert, but I did have my keep sakes, journals, pictures, collectibles and other knick knacks that I'd kept of my mother's...things I'd kept hidden from Robert so he wouldn't sell them to feed his gambling or alcohol addiction.

"Is this for us? Seriously?" I asked Mar, my mouth hanging ajar as I took in the vehicle before us.

"You'd better believe it. And you might want to get used to it. The Spencer name is a bit famous here in England, you'll grow to learn," she told me and I gulped, a feeling of butterflies racing through my veins.

"My last name is Echols. My mom changed it back to her maiden name when my dad left us, and I never took on Robert's last name when she remarried him. Where does the Spencer name come into all of that?" I asked her once we were situated inside the limo.

"Well, it's a double name, like the royals for example. Their name has multiple facets to it, the Windsor-Breckenridge name is a mouthful so they tend to shorten it to just Windsor. We are the Spencer-Echols, but we prefer to use the name Spencer at more formal events, and Echols when it is more casual or laid back. On important documents we use the entire surname."

"Huh. That's going to be confusing. So wait, I have been saying my name wrong my entire life?!" I asked her, wondering how my mother could have failed to tell me this.

"Not necessarily. Your official name here and what they will call you at school should be Lady Malia Elizabeth Spencer-Echols. Since you're not a royal you don't have a title such as Duchess or Countess or anything like that."

"Okay well at least I'm not some long lost Duchess or something."

"No, those higher titles are reserved for your grandparents, my mum and dad."

If I had been drinking water, I would have spewed it out all across the entirety of the extravagant limousine we were currently sitting in.

"You're kidding me, right?"

She quirked her eyebrows at me as if to say, 'not in the slightest.'

I drew in a deep breath, scared at the news of what she just told me.

"So what are their titles?"

"Duke and Duchess of Cornwall. My aunt and uncle are Earl and Countess of Wales."

My mouth was literally open, gaping wide at the news of what she'd just told me.

"Great. So my family is what exactly, royalty?"

"Eh, not quite, but we are the closest you're going to get without being actually born into the direct royal bloodline. My family had been trying to pawn your mother off on the Crowned Prince for a while, but once he married they set their sights on having a granddaughter to marry off to the son of the Prince."

"So what I'm a prostitute they want to sell out to some playboy who thinks he can control anyone because of some high and mighty title given to him just for being born? I don't think so. I don't care what anyone says I'm not going anywhere near any princes. Ever."

"That might be a bit of a problem..." Mar started.

"And why is that?" I questioned her sassily.

"Because you might be going to the same boarding school as him for the next year and a half..."