The Lady-in-Waiting

Chapter 10

Lucinda

Now that it's January, Lopegin has gotten very cold. Way too cold to just wear overalls and a long sleeve shirt. I had been outside taking care of the geese but had gotten too cold, so I'm now in the locker room. Today is my first day of work after the short vacation I took. Hopefully, I won't run out of vacation days before I can switch Zora and me back to normal. I would like to take a few days off once the twins are born as well as a day here and there for my sisters' birthdays. Snow's seventh birthday is coming up, along with the anniversary of what has gone down in history as one of the most relevant Christenings. I should try to take a day off for her birthday, not just to be Lucinda, but to also give Snow a birthday with a fairy godmother. She has gone without one for seven years and my other sisters and I have had the privilege of having the assistance and advice of a fairy godmother. Now that I'm Zora, I can be a good fairy godmother.

I find my locker and enter the combination, unlocking it. I take out my casual I-could-get-this-dirty winter coat and close the locker. The coat is bulky, but I'll take anything as long as it keeps me warm. It's navy, which is good because that means dirt won't be that noticeable on it. I put my left arm in a sleeve of the coat and then slide my right arm in the other. As I zip up the coat, I am relieved to feel its warmth. I walk towards the exit to the locker room and open the door, leaving.

As I walk down the hallway that leads to the back door I usually exit through, I see another person. Is that George? It looks like him, but I don't see him much as Zora. When I do though, he's kind enough to take time out of his day to stop to talk to me. Being a royal, I know how much he has on his plate. He can't just talk to anyone he wants whenever he wants to. But he chose to talk to me. As he gets closer, I can tell it's him.

"Hi, Zorana."

Like usual, he stops. He looks at my coat and then back at my face, almost staring. He's good at eye contact and I never feel like he's ignoring me.

"Is it that cold out?" he asks.

"Yeah," I say, trying not to break eye contact because that would be rude. "It's freezing and it feels like winter now. It's great that you get to stay inside."

"It's nice," he says. "But sometimes, when it snows, I do wish I could go outside, but the time doesn't allow for it."

"How was your Christmas?" I ask him.

"It was fun as always, but it was also...quieter than usual. My brothers couldn't make it."

"That's too bad. I'm really glad I got to see my sisters."

"Sisters? I thought it was just Sadie."

I realize my mistake.

"Yeah, I meant to say 'sister,'" I say and he chuckles. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" he asks, seemingly excited.

"Would you like to go on a quick walk? It's snowing a bit."

"Sure!" he responds without hesitation.

Together, we walk to the back door. As we continue to walk down the hallway, I notice that I often feel a bit nervous walking with him, especially in silence. Was it awkward due to him being a prince? No, I was technically a princess. Am I stressed about something else? No. As stressed as I've been lately, talking to George made me forget about my problems with magic. These nerves seemed familiar. When had I felt this before? Was this...no...NO. I COULD NOT be feeling this way! I don't have time for this! And not him! I have a crush on George. Was it okay for me to feel like this? We were engaged, but at the same time, we weren't. Besides, I think based on what I've heard from him, Eli and I have gone on a few dates. But that was when I was myself. So was I cheating? Was Zora? I have no idea. This situation is complicated and Zora and I's love lives are making it worse. I want to be able to like and maybe even someday love George. But with our bodies being switched, my feelings would look bad. Someday, I'll have to tell George who I am.