The Hood Princess and the Prep (Sample)

Chapter Four (Edited)

Two Days Later, I sat across from my grandmother. She was looking as beautiful and stern as ever. Today she had an assistant and a lawyer with her. She was expecting me to give her an answer today. Apparently, she was letting me stew the last few days. It had helped. I felt much better now that i knew where the LaCresha was and a little of my family history. This was indeed a big deal.

"When will you be ready to leave?" The Queen asked first.

"We can leave today if you want to, Granny," I said, smirking when her perfect nose wrinkled. "I'll go, but only to see what all the hype is about. I don't know if I will be staying at this point and I don't know if I wasn't to be your successor, but I'm willing to give it a trial run."

"That is not how this works." She almost yelled. "It is all or nothing, Victoria. I still have time to go and adopt someone if you won't take you rightful place."

I grit my teeth and narrowed my eyes at her. Realizing I was dealing with a classic negotiator. "What would I have to do, as a princess of LaCresha?"

Grandma crossed her legs elegantly and said haughtily, "You will attend to me. You will do as I say until the day you become Queen. There are many rules and there will be training. You attend events and parties. Charities and weddings. You will be a representation of me, when in public. When you are at home in the palace, you may do as you wish. You will have your own apartments and staff, you will have all the luxuries of royalty."

"I've never been good at following rules." I muttered.

"Said every royal teenager ever." My grandma smirked. "This is not new for me, sweetheart. Your father was something else."

Queen Beatrice looked at her assistant, who pulled out three folders. Placing them on our coffee table, right in front of me. The lawyer explained. "The first folder is for your citizenship papers. We will get them filed right away. The second will acknowledge you as the heir to the throne and your children and so forth. The last one will acknowledge your fealty to the current queen."

I looked at my mom and then at my grandma. Each of them gave me a nod of approval. I still wasn't sure about this at all. I had a lot of questions and a lot to learn, but I was up for it. Shredding away my last shade of doubt, I signed each document and signed my life away.

*****

LaCresha was beautiful. From what I could see, there were so many trees and large buildings. This little country was off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the middle of Asia, Africa and Europe sat a large cluster of islands. It was a place that would be overlooked if you were not looking for it. It was simply beautiful, breathtaking even. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as I looked down on the land that I was born on.

I was a little afraid. I was entering unknown territory. I wasn't even sure they were ready for me. My grandma assured me that everyone would be nice and patient with me, knowing where I was coming from, but I couldn't shake the butterflies in my stomach. What if I never got with this whole princess thing.

If I couldn't, I would be on a one-way trip back to America, back to the grimy streets of St. Louis, back to my friends and my comfort zone. I missed them already, especially since I hadn't been able to say goodbye. Once the papers were signed, I was ushered onto a private plane and we were off. We always kind of looked down on the upper class. They all seemed like such snobs to us, and now I was not only upper class but royalty.

I couldn't shake the feelings that they would soon want nothing to do with me. I felt my eyes start to tingle, and I hurried and blinked my tears away. After I got settled, I would call them and see if they wanted to come visit. I smiled, suddenly thinking of all the trouble we three could get into with a whole castle. We were notoriously known for causing drama at school.