Aya
I'm going out with Asher to discuss our plan for him to win over Scarlet. And from the way she talked about him yesterday, I'm pretty sure he already has. Scarlet has to realize that she likes him, and the fact that he's a lot like me only means he's perfect for her, not me. Let me explain the science behind it.
I'm her best friend aka real soulmate (because let's face it, nobody understands us like our best friends)
Asher is practically the guy version of me.
Therefore, Asher is Scarlet's soulmate.
Bada beem bada boom. Scarlet's wrong, and I'm right.
"Where are you going?" Scarlet asks me, coming out from the bathroom as she dries her fiery red and black hair with a towel and her natural eye color shining through for she still hasn't put on her contact lenses.
I miss her normal look. I wish they could always be themselves without having to change their appearance or last names, but that's royalty for ya.
"I'm meeting up with Ash at the cafe around the corner." Her eyes light up at the mention of his name and I smirk, turning around and adjusting my shoulder bag.
"Is it a date?" She asks with a hopeful tone, but something tells me it's a little forced, maybe it's the glint in her eyes that's no longer there.
"Nah, I don't think so." I reply, but then I get the marvelous idea that if I make her jealous, she might give in to her heart and see that she actually likes him more than she thinks. "Although maybe it is. We'll see when I get there."
She smiles softly before leaving to turn back to her room to wear some clothes as she mutters a quick 'have fun'.
I smirk to myself and chuckle as I open the door and out to the world I go.
"Isn't that only going to hurt her?" He asks me with concern in his eyes as he pushes the frame of his dark brown glasses closer to his irises.
"Probably, but it's the only way." I argue. "She'll realize her feelings, and then I tell her that we're not exactly dating and you sweep her off her feet with that song."
"So how are we going to act like a couple?"
"We don't want to make it seem like we're official, just flirting ever now and then and we'd have to hang out a lot more." I explain.
"How long do you reckon it'll take?" He slumps back into his seat and takes another sip of his smoothie.
"Knowing Scarlet, maybe two to three weeks. She's really in touch with her feelings. And I got her sisters in on the plan because she's more likely to tell them rather than me so she doesn't hurt me."
"I just don't want to hurt her..."
"Don't worry, she won't. She'd do the same if she were in my shoes. I know how her mind works."
Scarlet
I lay down on my bed in my pajamas just staring at the ceiling out of boredom. I had nothing to do and no one to hang out with- Wait!
I totally forgot I have two sisters haha.
I grab my phone from the nightstand and open our group chat and text them
~
Fineapples
Lettuce: Hey girls, you guys free to hang out?
Amelian-dreams: Sure, where do you wanna meet?
Lettuce: My place? And come in your pjs. I need a movie
night with my gals.
Amelian-dreams: On my way. Is everything okay letta?
Lettuce: Yeah, I think so. Doesn't matter tho. See you soon.
Lettuce: Rora?
A-Rora-sauros: Sorry I didn't answer earlier, there was a couple looking for a pet to adopt. My shift ended already but I'm helping these two. I'll be there as soon as I'm done.
A-Rora-sauros: SHIT! THEY LET OUT THE SNAKE! GTG!
Amelian-dreams: LMAO!! Girl we need to visit her on her job.
She always has the craziest stories!
Lettuce: IFKR?!? Like damn, next thing you know they're
gonna have stitch in there.
Amelian-dreams: If they did Rora would adopt it the second they bring it in lol.
Lettuce: True. How much you wanna bet she's gonna wear
her stitch onesie when she comes here?
Amelian-dreams: I'm 100% sure she's gonna wear it.
Amelian-dreams: Alright I'm here, lemme just pay the driver.
~
A moment later I hear the doorbell ring and I get up to open it, revealing my older sister wearing a long trench coat.
"Why the trench coat?"
"Because I'm wearing my panda onesie underneath it. Imagine the headlines though," She laughs "Princess Amelia, wearing a panda onesie in the streets of London!"
We laugh as we make our way to the couch and sit on it, waiting for Aurora.
"Good thing we're not princesses here!" I sigh comfortably and she agrees with me.
We prepare the snacks and talk about our day until we hear the doorbell ringing and in comes an Aurora wearing a stitch onesie as we said. Amelia and I share a look and chuckle at her choice of clothes.
"Girl did you come all the way here in that?" Amelia asked.
"Nah, Chris drove me."
"Wait, Rora what's wrong with your arm?" I ask, finally noticing the bandage around her mid-arm.
"Oh yeah," She laughed nervously. "Funny story actually, painful, but funny. It's also the reason I came here so late."
We all go sit on the couch and put all the snacks on the coffee table in front of us as we wait for Rora to explain what happened.
"Remember how I texted that someone let out the snake?" She reminded us and we nodded. "Well, they were a group of emo teens going through the 'it's not a phase mom, this is me' phase" She mocks and rolls her eyes. "They were provoking the snake and I obviously rushed to them, and the snake was ready to strike, but I pulled out my arm just in time and the snake's jaws clenched on my arm, instead of that douche of a teen so yeah..." She trailed off before giggling at our faces as we had our eyes wide and jaws were dropped in shock and concern.
"Did you go to a hospital? Girl, this is serious!"
"No, don't worry. It's not a venomous snake, and it let go pretty soon when it saw that it bit me. The group of teens already ran away by then. Thankfully, Chris and I work the same shift so he helped me get it all bandaged up and all." She reassured us. "Chris freaked out more than me." We laughed.
"Hey Rora, I wanted to ask you something." She smiles at me, waiting for my question. "There's this guy in my class who I think is perfect for Aya, and they're finally hanging out alone, but after yesterday, I felt weird, hearing her talking about him and her hanging out. And yesterday I felt very comfortable and warm and safe around him. Is it like that with Chris?"
"yeah I guess, except I don't mind it when he hangs out or talks to other girls." She says softly before slightly smirking. "Scarlet Rey Avelyn, do you have a crush on your classmate?"
"I-" My cheeks are a bright red by now as my sisters grin at me "I don't know, maybe? I'm still not sure."
"Well what are you waiting for? Hang out with him, get to know him more! Who knows, maybe he's the one who dad will try to scare away and fail at it!"
We giggle at the thought and I turn to look down at my lap.
"Asher, he's just too kind and amazing and ugh. There's so much about him that I can't describe."
"AWWWWW!"
They get cut off by my laptop signalling an incoming call. I walk to it and bring it over to the couch, seeing that it was my mom. I accept the video call and soon I see my mother and father on the screen, smiling widely at us.
"Hey mom, dad!" I exclaim with a grin, turning the laptop to show my older and younger sisters as well.
"Hey girls! Good to see you three together!"
"What's up?" Aurora asks, her smile not faltering as she pops some pretzels into her mouth.
"Well, we wanted to talk to you three about something important." My dad said, his tone turning serious. We exchange glances and look back at the screen as my mom starts to explain.
"The reason we sent you three to live a normal life is because this is your test. This is how we'll choose the next queen of Avelyn."
Silence falls around us as we just stare at the screen in shock, not knowing what to feel.
"The one who is best at living a normal life, and shows most traits of a queen, will be crowned. We don't know how long this will last, until we see that one of you is perfect and ready to rule our kingdom."
"We'll leave you to think about it. We have some work to do, also Aurora, sweetie, your school is a success! People are so much happier and the kids are showing impeccable talent!"
We all smile through the shock, happy that Aurora's first princess project is a success.
We say goodbye and end the call as we sit in silence, lost in thought. Aurora is the first to speak up.
"I don't want to be queen." She shakes her head. "I'm just not cut out for the royal life, I can barely be a princess, being a queen is too much. Plus, I love this life. It's so much simpler and more comfortable. If I could live like this forever, I would. I won't participate."
"Rora, you can't do that. You're just as able as we are. You're an amazing princess and you'd make a great queen. It's not up to us, it's up to mom and dad." Amelia tells her.
"It's been my dream to be queen, ever since I was little. But now, I'm so confused. If I become queen, I won't be able to have a career as a fashion designer, which is my dream now. I don't know which life is better for me. I love them both."
Amelia smiles at me, remembering how I always took mom's crown and acted like a queen when I was little.
"All these years I kept my head in a book, reading and learning and practicing to be the perfect princess and queen, just in case they chose me simply for being the oldest. Now I feel like a weight has been lifted. It's not just me anymore." She smiles at us. "All three of us would make great queens, yet none of us are sure of what we want for our future. So let's make a deal."
We listen intently to her suggestion.
"We continue our lives just as we were, and whoever they think is best will take the role of the queen, and we'd all be happy for her. This may seem like a competition, but it shouldn't be. Not to us. We're all close to each other. We'll help each other through everything. No matter what paths we take in our lives we'll always be sisters, and sisters stick together. So let's not think of it as a competition, let's think of it as a normal life, where we have to find out who we truly are inside. Because I know none of us know who we are yet, not entirely."
I smile and put my hand out, looking at them with a grin and a determined nod.
"Together." I say.
They exchange smiles and Aurora puts her hand on mine with a grin.
"Forever."
Amelia grins and places her own hand on top of ours.
"After."
We giggle and engulf each other in a hug before continuing our night, just like we had planned.