Suddenly Royalty

Chapter 1: Royally In Denial

It was two days after the morning Fiona's life had imploded. Since everything she thought she knew was revealed to be a lie.

After Fiona's parents had refused to take back the awful truth she had bolted from the living room. She left the house and went to work where she tried to forget.
        On her return home later that evening mom handed her a card that Mr Montgomery had left, he wanted Fiona to call. There was some grandfather or someone who desperately wanted to meet her.

She was in so much shock when it all went down that she couldn't remember the name of Mr Montgomery's employer, her so called family. What Fiona couldn't figure out was if he really wanted to find her, cared about her, why didn't he come himself? Why would he send his employee instead?

Fiona had flicked the card to the bottom of her waste bin and promptly decided to forget. If she pretended nothing happened nothing would change.

Right?

Wearing a pair of high waisted shorts and a off the shoulder tank she completed her outfit for the day with a pair of sandals. She then grabbed her pink backpack off the floor and left her room. As she walked down the hall the silence of her house made a coil of dread and sorrow take over her stomach. Since that day there was a tension and awkwardness in her home.

No one mentioned that morning but its effect could be felt.

Fiona walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen were she could hear her mom and dad's voices. She couldn't make out what they were saying because they were whispering. The fact that they were whispering so they wouldn't be overheard made Fiona curious. She stopped just around the corner from the kitchen entrance and listened.

"What are we going to do Phil if he decides to press charges?" Her mom asked urgently.

She could hear her dad sigh heavily before answering her. "I don't know Soph. I really don't know."

Fiona's mother's  choked sob echoed throughout the kitchen and her heart clenched. Fiona made her presence known by coughing before entering the kitchen. Her Moms back was to her but she could tell she was swiping at her eyes.

"Morning sunshine." Her dad said with a forced smile.

Fiona missed his uninhibited smile, the light in his eyes and his easy way of joking with her.

"Morning dad." She mumbled.

"I'm sorry hun I don't know what's gotten into me today but I don't have breakfast ready." Mom said in a fake cheerful voice.

Fiona shrugged and walked to the cabinet pulling it open. "Its fine." She grabbed the box of granola bars and turned to the fridge. Dad always had those little cartons of orange juice stocked up in their house. Some people's fathers liked to have a glass of beer after a long day while Fiona's had a carton of orange juice. She smiled at her dads quirkiness as she took one out.

"I'm off to school." She told them with her meager breakfast in hand.

"Fiona wait." Dad said.

She turned around to see the both of them watching her. Mom had her hands clasped together tightly and Fiona could tell she was picking at her cuticle.
         

She does that when she is extremely nervous. Fiona studied the two of them.

Her parents.

Her father was big and burley with tan skin. His reddish brown hair was long and shaggy and rarely does he like to cut it. His deep blue eyes always seemed to be laughing. While her Mom was just as tall as dad but her body was more curvaceous than bulky. Her black hair complemented her mahogany skin tone and hazel eyes.

Fiona on the other hand at 5'3 had already stopped growing never to reach the heights of her parents. Her hair was darker than either of theirs and her eyes were a deep dark brown. While her mother and father had tan to dark skin because of their Hispanic heritages Fiona's was darker than both.

It's a wonder that she never noticed the differences between the three of them until now.

Fiona shook her head getting rid of those kinds of thoughts. She'd already determined to pretend that day never happened. These were her parents and that was that.

"Mr Montgomery has expected you to call by now." Dad said.

She bit her lip and looked away from them. "I'm not going to call him."

"Fiona..." Dad started when she interrupted him. She turned eyes which had already started to fill with tears on him.

"I don't want to call him. I want this all to disappear and for everything to go back to normal. Can't we just do that? Please." She sobbed out.

The three of them stood watching each other in silence before dad nodded. "Yeah sunshine. We can do that."

Fiona smiled gratefully and hastily left the house.

She whipped at her eyes as she approached the city bus stop at the corner. "Fiona!" Her best friend Hana called out.

"Hey Han." She said stopping beside her.

Her green gray eyes narrowed as she studied Fiona suspiciously. "Why are your eyes so puffy? Were you crying?" She questioned.

Fiona shook her head in denial. "No just allergies. Look the bus!" She called out pointing to the approaching bus. Anything to distract Hana from her face. Hana didn't know anything about what was going on. No one did. Fiona hadn't told anyone and she wanted to keep it that way.
It made it seem more likely to not be occurring if no one knew.

"I think Desil will finally ask you out this year." Hana said confidently as the two of them found a seat at the back of the bus.

"And why do you think that? In the seven years we've known each other he's never taken a romantic interests in me." Fiona said smiling at her friends confidence.

"Fiona please. I'm an expert at this type of thing. You know I have the sight."

Fiona grinned. Hana is definitely one of a kind. She swears that through her African ancestors from her father's side of the family and her moms Irish ones; she has some gift of sight. Being best friends with her made for never a dull moment.

"I'm serious Fiona. I read your cards last night and they said this year will be one of major change for you. That some secret will be revealed and that will be the catalyst for the change. Also two knights appeared. The knights of love. But only one is your true soulmate. Don't you think that's Desil?" She asked excitedly.

Fiona was sure her face drained of color at her words. Despite the whole love part, the first thing she said was scarily accurate.

"Fi did you hear me?" She questioned shaking her shoulder.

"Sorry I didn't hear what you said. Lost in thought."

She rolled her eyes. "I swear Fi. Your hopeless sometimes. It's obvious I'm going to have to move this thing along between you and Desil. Don't worry and just trust me."

If only the worst of her problems was getting the attention of the boy she had a crush on forever.

Authors Note

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Ariel