Something Extraordinary

Chapter Two - Mystery Author

"The one away for college?"

"Yes!" She grabbed the phone back. "Sorry, sis. That was not how I envisioned introducing you to my boyfriend."

"Well," Azalea giggled, "you're clearly busy. I'll just hang up now. Love you, sis."

"Love you too, Zali."

Azalea put her phone down and skimmed the book again. She was only interested in the story of the last ruler, Queen Renée. The majority of the narrated story spoke of her as cruel and heartless, but from what Azalea had read, she had suffered nothing short of abuse from her father, the late King, who had always treated his daughter like a disappointment.

Having grown up without a father figure and a mother who rarely expressed interest in her sister and herself, Azalea felt an inexplicable connection with her, as well as a silent rage building up as she read the harsh words.

She flipped the page and saw a hand-sketched picture of two women holding each other in an embrace. The original words on the page had been scribbled out. What caught Azalea's eye was the neat, and somehow familiar, handwritten script scrawled along the edge of the page.

~•~
My Queen, you are anything but cruel. You are the air that feeds my soul. I never knew of love this beautiful until I met you. Let us be the ones who tell our story.
~•~

She felt another strong burst of emotion at this. She frowned in confusion. "Aza! You wanna go to a party with me?" Taylor exclaimed as she suddenly burst into their shared room. Azalea immediately jumped and snapped the book shut.

"Tay, you know I'm not the party type." Azalea groaned.

"C'mon, Aza, just this once??"

Azalea looked at her friend's pouting expression and sighed unhappily. "Fine. But you totally owe me one, Tay."

"Yes!" The brunette cheered. "Pick out a dress! I'll do your hair."

Azalea reluctantly placed the book on her bed, made her way over to her closet, and pulled out a black dress. Taylor wrinkled her nose. "Do you have anything that doesn't make it look like you're dressed for a funeral?"

Azalea scowled an reluctantly changed into a green dress that matched her eyes and reached her knees. It had spaghetti straps and hugged her frame in all the right places. Taylor gasped. "Aza, that's perfect..."

Azalea shyly smiled. Taylor grinned as she began to steer her best friend over to the mirror in their room. She pushed Azalea down and went into the bathroom, returning with an armful of hairspray and a brush. "No, no, no, don't you dare." Azalea warned the brunette. "No hairspray."

"C'mon, Aza!" Taylor pouted. "Just a bit. It'll bring out your curls."

"I have waves, not curls, and I like them how they are."

"Pleeease?"

"Fine! A bit." She sighed in frustration. She stared into the mirror, watching Taylor's every move.

"Aza, you're making me very nervous." Taylor groaned and removed her fingers from the blonde's hair. "Read your book or something. I'll be done soon."