The Prince

Part 55

"Who's not a prince now?" He heard Noah's voice mock him.

"Careful, it's still early; you could just slip and fall." Skye grinned. 

"I watched online; you did good, even if you have a heart of stone." 

"Yeah, why weren't you there?"

"Your grandma said that it wouldn't be very exciting and that I should go to school. I thought I could score a free day there, but not even you have the power to get me a day off." Once he'd made the decision to move in with Gillie, she'd completely taken over his life. At first he thought it would be uncomfortable and strange being around the rest of the family, but that didn't last long. He felt like a part of the family immediately. And in a strange way, it was good to have two stand-in parents.

"Where's Tsukasa?" He looked around at the students pointing and buzzing around him. Normally they were joined at the hip.

"Working on some project he doesn't want to tell me about," he frowned.

"And you're not pleased with him." He surmised it by the storm cloud on Noah's face.

"You are not going to make excuses for him, bonehead! I know you two conspire against me behind my back. Like how our trip to the spring parade was magically cancelled so the two of you could play video games."

"As usual, you're imagining things. Stop freaking out over nothing. It looks like you're about to hyperventilate." Skye chuckled, glad that Noah hadn't changed toward him.

"I'm going to find out what you're keeping from me, and when I do, there will be hell to pay!" He snapped, turning on his heel.

"I'm not even involved," he called out as Noah walked away. Shaking his head, he walked to his next class. It seemed as if the halls were more packed and even the amphitheatre had more students than before.

Before, with Casey and his gang, he didn't feel like he was being watched all the time, kids keeping their phones out as if to catch some type of news. And of course now his nickname was passed around like candy and was currently trending online.

Sitting at the amphitheatre, he opened his lunch bag. Instead of reaching for the food, he rifled round the bottom trying to find what was hidden inside. Finally, his fingers clasped something hard, and he pulled it out with a smile, curious to see what his dad had given him.

He looked at the figurine in his hand, laughing. It was the most hideous thing he could think of, with its bright red face, tuft of white hair, sticks for arms, and if you squeezed it hard enough, poop dropped out of its bottom. Shaking his head, he took out his sandwich and looked out over the sloping lawn. He looked up when a shadow fell over him.

"Oh, it's you two." He turned back to the view while Noah and Tsukasa sat down. "I thought you were upset with each other, but it looks like things are back to normal again." Well, as normal as a relationship between Noah and anybody can be.

"Oh, shut up. Who made you king of the world anyway?" Noah spat at him, scooting closer to Tsukasa, who put his arm around his shoulder. "Wait, I forgot you were made king of the world."

"How are you handling all the fame so far?" Noah asked quietly.

"Oh, you know, it's going as well as things can be. I haven't left school yet, so who's to know what sort of circus is waiting out there?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Better you than me." Tsukasa made his opinion heard.

Before he could answer, Casey and his lieutenants stopped by.

"Hey Casey," he smiled automatically, remembering that he was trying to charm the world. "It's been a while since we went out; why don't you sit down?" Great, there goes my quiet lunch, he thought miserably while maintaining his smile.

Casey's hand fluttered to his chest as he sat down, motioning for the others to do so. It's not every day that the Royal Court was invited to sit with the Prince.

By the end of the school day, Skye walked toward the black car waiting for him when Steve placed his hand on his shoulder. He looked around about to ask why when Steve nodded ahead of them, where the press were all waiting outside the gates. It seemed that his fan club had grown from the looks of the crowd. 

Plastering a bright smile on his face, he waved to the people pressing to get near him, while Steve kept a tight hold on him. Taking a few of the questions that were hurled at him, he turned and, with one final wave, got into the car and drove off.

"That went really well, I would say." Klara grinned at him before looking at her tablet. "We're going to have to cancel training for today. You must meet with the PR team. We were caught a little unprepared for the reaction we would get from you going public. There is also a short interview, but it's very informal. Mainly bubblegum questions."

"Bubblegum?"

"Yeah, soft questions like Are you single?' What's your favourite food?' Have you ever murdered? The boring stuff that teenage boys and girls like to know." She turned back to her tablet.

"Thanks, Steve." He called over to the front seat, where he was staring out of the window.

"Only doing my job. But this was also a lesson that Steve is right when it comes to security." He said over his shoulder.

Once he'd met with the PR team, he moved to his office for the interviews. Klara had conveniently forgotten to tell him that it was more than one interview. 

Walking in, it was obvious from the way the office was decorated that his grandma applied the magic touch. One wall was painted in a deep, rich shade of red, which looked commanding, exuding feelings of warmth and authority. The gold accents catching the light in the gilded frames and chair legs.

And of course, the desk would be a centrepiece to outdo all centrepieces! A floating slab of black walnut that seems to defy the law of physics, its edges lined with gold. He was itching to see how it was mounted because it looked impossible. To the side there was a nook with cognac-coloured, low-slung leather couches loosely arranged in a crescent. The light-coloured Turkish rug softened the room's intensity. A sculptural gold floor lamp added cosy light to the area. 

When they were finally done, he waved Klara off for the night and got into the car with Steve. This was a very unusual day, and if it was an indication of what's to come, he'd better step up his game. He thought that being around so many people would leave him frozen with paralysing dread, but after the initial shock, he was no longer fearful of having so many strangers in his personal space. It must be Noah, he smiled to himself. He dragged Tsukasa and him all over the city from one fair or festival to the other. You had to get used to the crowd, especially since someone needed to keep an eye on Noah.

"Uh, where are we going?" He asked, half knowing from the scenery rushing past him.

"To your grandparents. The whole family is already waiting for you. Klara told you earlier, remember?"

"Eh, she did?" He was confused for a moment. 

"It's a good thing. Once I deliver you to your grandparents, you're free from my presence until you leave the house tomorrow!" He laughed, jumping out to open the door for Skye.

"You know I can do that myself, don't you?"

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should." Steve tapped his chest. "Anyway, see you tomorrow, sir." Grinning, he saluted and got back into the car.

Skey sighed quietly; this was a very different life from what he's used to. With a shake of his head, he jogged up the steps and into the house.

"Grandma!" He called as soon as he closed the door behind him.