Casey Anderson isn't expecting much from her Mark - but when her soulmate turns out to be Prince August, the boy next in line for the throne, everything changes.
********
In a world much like our own, Casey Anderson is trying to navigate her senior...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sneaking out to meet Kinsey involves subterfuge, my bedroom window, and a whole lot more prickly bushes than I'm comfortable with.
Getting to the garage to get my car would be a stupid idea that would definitely end with me getting locked in my room for the foreseeable future, so instead I meet Kinsey on the road, after having made it off the property the back way - through a hedge.
"You have foliage in your hair," they say, the only greeting I'm offered as I slide into the passenger seat and remove the hat and sunglasses that made up my disguise.
"Nice to see you too," I say, removing the offending greenery.
Kinsey snorts. "Your entire life has basically imploded on the world stage. Did you want a better greeting?"
"It's literally not my fault, why am I always blamed for this," I mutter, only half-joking.
Kinsey only sends me a look. "Please, August. I don't know anyone else that this sort of a thing would happen to you - at this point, I'm very nearly convinced that you're cursed or something."
I slouch back in my chair. "Ha, ha."
They look over at me, then give me a friendly punch in the arm. "Cheer up. You've escaped at least for the night, haven't you? No chaperones, no press? When's the last time we had a day like this?"
I smile. "Yeah, you're right."
It has been a while. We used to hang out more - heck, we used to hang out every day. But as I got older, and my responsibilities grew, the amount of time we had dwindled until just hanging out like this became precious and sadly rare.
Not to mention, not going to same school, or the fact that Kinsey actually has a normal life, unlike me.
"Damn right I am," Kinsey says, stepping on the gas.
Turns out Kinsey's taking us to someone's house - a party, judging by the music audible even from the car and the drunk teenagers spilling out of the front door. It's in a pretty affluent neighbourhood, and I even think I might recognize a few of the boys from school.
It's only as we're stepping through the front door, a wave of heat and noise hitting us, that I remember something.
"Dude, you're not 18," I hiss, grabbing Kinsey by the arm. The look they send me is probably rightly equal parts disbelief and scorn.
"Seriously?" they ask. "Don't worry. It's a party - I do this all the time. I bet you half the people here aren't legal."
Somehow, that's not reassuring. "It's still -" I lower my voice. "It's still breaking the law."
They just roll their eyes. "Pull that stick out of your ass, August. Let's just try to be normal for one night, alright?"
"And that involves what?" I ask, glancing around dubiously.
