"I'm clocking out," I announce.
"Naomi," my mother runs out of the kitchen wearing an apron.
"You and Salie have to buy me things at the supermarket."
"NO." Salie and I scream at the same time.
Mom is shocked: "What's wrong with you two?" She asks.
"Tell Salie to do it; her legs probably run faster than her mouth," I say, and Salie's mouth drops open. I ignore her and head for the door.
As soon as I leave the bakery, the cold wind attacks me; I breathe in and out sharply. To be honest, I don't know why I'm acting this way. Based on Reuben's reaction, I wasn't what he expected, but wasn't that what I wanted? For some reason, it burned, but only a little.
I don't want to go home because if I saw Salie again I would remember everything, and right now I just wanted to forget.
I took out my phone and dialed my best friend's number, which she picked up in seconds.
"I thought I'd never hear from you again," Aleah exclaimed. We haven't spoken in a while, and it was my fault.
"Sorry, I've been busy at the bakery."
"It's okay." She waved it off.
"What are you doing now?"
"I'm just on my way home," I respond, knowing where she's going. I mean, it's the reason I called. I feel like a terrible friend, but.
"Shall we go clubbing tonight?"
"I'll be there in five."
With that said, the line went dead. I immediately took a taxi and headed to Aleah's house.
It was a Friday evening, and the club was packed. Aleah and I made our way through the crowd, but not without being pushed from side to side. I almost regretted my decision; maybe I should have stayed home.
She led us to the counter, and before we could even say a word, the bartender offered us a drink. It wasn't a surprise; Aleah is a party girl. She probably comes here regularly.
Aleah grabbed the shot glass in front of her and poured the liquid contents down her throat. I imitated her actions, and as soon as the alcohol flowed down my spine, I felt my senses open up.
"Let's dance," she led me onto the dance floor, and I followed her.
After spending the night clubbing, Aleah and I were exhausted. I was the drunk one here. Aleah dragged me along the sidewalk, trying to pull a cab over while I spewed gibberish. "How many coconuts?" I asked very seriously.
"You're a mess," she shook her head, "you should stop drinking."
"Why," I pouted and wrapped my arms around her. "When I have you."
Luckily a taxi stopped, and Aleah tucked me in.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked for the hundredth time. "You don't want me to come with you?"
"I'm not a baby," I teased, "I'll be fine."
We said our goodbyes and the car left.
When I got home, I could see that the lights were still on. I tapped my phone screen, and the time read, "2:42."
But that's not what made my heart sink into my stomach; it was the fact that I had seventy-five missed calls.
I gathered all my courage and went inside.
"Where have you been?" As soon as I entered, I was greeted by my father's harsh tone.
Then it was mom's next. "Why didn't you pick up your phone?"
"Is that alcohol I smell?" Sage asked, sniffing the air like a dog.
"You did a terrible job in raising your daughter, Valerie," an unfamiliar voice said.
I turned and saw a woman sitting elegantly on the sofa in a shiny dress that sparkled like diamonds in the dark. She had a stern look on her face, and her eyes were cold as stone.
Even though I was a little sober, I could still feel the alcohol coursing through my veins. I fell to my knees and spun around, laughing like a madwoman.
Mom immediately stood in front of me and lowered her head towards the woman. "I apologize for my daughter's rude manners; she's just drunk."
"As if being half-born isn't enough, she comes home drunk at three in the morning," the woman says incredulously.
I keep rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off. She sounds like Cinderella's evil stepmother, but with a higher pitch, which means she sounds worse.
"I'm sorry, my-" my mother begins to apologize, but the woman cuts her off abruptly.
"This is the girl you want to make queen!?"
Everywhere goes silent; no one dares to speak a word, for some reason, I quiet down feeling the rising tension.
With a clap of her hands, two men I hadn't taken note of stepped forward.
"Take her to the limo," orders the woman.
They move forward, but their path is blocked by my father.
"What do you think you're doing here?" He questions.
Her lips remain firm as if to express displeasure. "Move aside, Baker."
She says the word baker like it's an insult.
"Don't you think we can talk things out?" Mom tries to reason.
"My son told me he met a girl who claimed to be royalty and she even bragged about being engaged to him, she was also very rude."
My mother turns to me in shock, "What? When did this happen?" But I don't say a word.
Salie smiles mischievously, knowing she's responsible.
"I decided to come and see for myself..." the woman continued. "But it turns out she's even worse than Reuben described."
"More than anyone, I don't want this wedding to take place, but the royal family has no choice once a promise is made, it must be kept."
"Even though she is a half-ling, we still have to carry out the orders of the late king, and this woman sitting here in front of me is not fit to be queen."
"And I have to shape her into one."
This is all happening way too quickly. I can tell by the crestfallen faces of my parents that they are not in control of the situation.
Dad reluctantly steps aside, and the men come towards me. In the blink of an eye, I am lifted off the groun
d like a sack of rice headed to what I would guess to be the limo.
Damn, I don't even get to say goodbye to my family.
I was dancing in a garden chasing butterflies when a crashing sound made me jump out of bed bringing my fantasy to an abrupt end.“Good morning, my lady.” Greeted an unfamiliar voice.As if the king-sized bed and antique walls weren’t enough, standing at the edge of the bed was a young girl in a black and white dress carrying a drum.“Who are you?” I asked, looking around the strange room.“I am Martha, your maid, responsible for tending to your needs.”I look at her as if she speaks German. This whole scenario just screams that I may have been kidnapped. I run to the window to escape, but I’m not prepared for what awaits me next. I look out from a very large castle, surrounded by similar structures, all seeming ancient and mystical.The scenes from this morning cloud my memory and everything seems to make sense.“You should get dressed, young lady,” Martha says from behind, “The queen is waiting.”After passing through various corridors and corners, we finally reach the queen’s chamb
I’ve spent a week in this palace, and I still can’t get used to their way of waking me up.“Is the drum supposed to be an alarm or something?” I ask, getting up from bed irritated.“I’m sorry, ma’am, but these are the Queen’s orders,” Martha says, bowing her head apologetically.For the first time, I felt the need to sit on that throne. I can’t wait to take her crown and place and finally put her where she belongs. Too bad there’s still a long way to go.“Where is the king?” I wonder out loud.“Forgive me, my lady,” Martha begins, and I know she wants to scold me again, but in the most polite way possible. “But it is forbidden to speak of the king. Please don’t ask any more questions regarding the king in the future.”What an exaggerated response. I sometimes wonder if people here even touch grass; they act like it’s the Middle Ages.“Okay,” I nod in response and head towards the bathroom when Martha blocks my path.“Today there will be a small gathering to celebrate the return of Pri
I whispered for him to put me down, but he ignored me and carried me straight to my room. Once we arrived, he gently placed me on the bed while Martha watched in amazement from behind. I was just as confused as she was. What had gotten into him? Why was he suddenly being kind? Despite my questions, I was grateful that he had chosen to protect me from his siblings.After settling me on the bed, Reuben took a seat next to me, and I could tell he had something to say. He turned to Martha and demanded a first aid kit, prompting her to quickly leave the room to fulfill his request. I braced myself for what was to come, unsure if it would be good or bad news."First of all, I'm sorry for what happened tonight," he began.But I chose not to accept his apology. "If you hadn't told your mom about me, we wouldn't be in this situation. So, I decline your apology."Reuben didn't seem bothered. "The truth is, I don't care if you accept my apology or not," he replied in his usual arrogant tone.Of
Belen and Jade remained silent as they forcefully pulled me out of bed. I looked to Martha for assistance, but she deliberately avoided eye contact, indicating that she was also powerless in this situation."I'm not even properly dressed," I protested, hoping to find a way out of whatever they had planned."Don't worry about that, we'll take care of it," Jade replied with a mischievous smile. With no other choice, I reluctantly followed along.True to her word, Jade made sure to dress me up. However, I was far from satisfied with the outfit I was forced into, but I kept my complaints to myself. The dress was so long that it practically swept the floor, with sleeves that threatened to engulf me entirely. I've never been one to dress provocatively, but this was just too much. Even nuns don't dress like this because I could barely breathe and this seemed to please both princesses as they stared at me in awe. "Don't you know that modesty is expected of you as a queen?" Jade remarked, not
A chilling silence hung in the air, and it was no surprise that my actions caught them off guard. However, I had reached my limit. I was tired of being bullied and insulted to my face. If I didn't stand up for myself now, who knows what they would do next.It only took a few seconds for her to recover from the shock. She got up and wiped the remaining juice off her face."Are you out of your mind?" Belen's harsh tone grabbed my attention, but before I could respond, I felt a slap on my cheek. I didn't need to guess who it came from. Without hesitation, I returned the blow, making sure to gather all the strength within me to leave a mark.Silence fell upon us once again. Blondie blinked, too stunned to speak. Jade got up and approached me. It was clear what her intentions were. As soon as she reached me, she raised her hand to strike, but I caught it mid-air."Don't you dare," I warned, refusing to let go. My grip was so tight that she couldn't break free, no matter how hard she tried.
After being whipped until I blacked out, I regained consciousness to find myself back in the comfort of my room. I was lying face down, unable to move due to the stinging pain in my buttocks."My lady, you're awake," Martha's voice came from behind me. I tried to nod, but the sharp pain shot up my spine, causing me to cry out."I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you," Martha sniffled. I couldn't see her face, but I could sense her tears."It's not your fault, Martha. You're not the one who did this to me," I reassured her."But I stood by and watched it happen," guilt was evident in her tone. If only I could embrace her and let her know how grateful I was to have her in my life. If my maid had been like the others, evil and plotting my downfall, I might have given up a long time ago."Let me apply balm to your wounds."My skirt was lifted, and I didn't object. A cold sensation spread over my wounds, causing some pain but also relieving it slightly."Can you get me some water?" I asked
It had been a whole week since I endured the brutal flogging, and although it took some time for my wounds to heal, the pain was gradually subsiding. The queen had exempted me from attending classes and participating in any activities, confining me to my room for recovery.Giselle made a point to visit me every day, despite my clear indication that I wasn't interested in being friends. I couldn't help but wonder why she persisted in wanting to befriend someone like me. Not that there was anything inherently wrong with me, but the people in this place were not fond of forming close relationships with someone of mixed heritage.Martha informed me that Giselle's father held a prominent position in the royal family as the king's uncle, and he was one of the influential figures who held power. Despite her privileged background, Giselle didn't flaunt it. Martha described her as humble, and even though she associated with Belen and her group, she stood out as someone unique."Mi mi!" Giselle
After my wounds had healed, classes resumed and Madam Florence became even stricter with me. I could sense that she had a problem, but she wouldn't say it. I wondered if one of the girls I had beaten up the other day was her daughter."Stand straight!" she commanded, slapping my back with a ruler. I glared at her, but she raised her eyebrow as if challenging me to say something. I quickly closed my mouth, reminding myself to endure it. I remembered Reuben's words - there will come a time when none of them will be able to treat me like this, but for now, I have to rely on their mercy."It's been a while, Florence," a familiar voice said. I turned my head to see Giselle approaching with a smile, but a slap on my back forced me to face forward. "Focus!" the woman yelled."Giselle," she said in a friendly tone I had never heard from her before. Pulling her into a hug, and I was surprised that she could do more than just scream and yell. "Indeed it has. How is your mother? I heard she hasn