The Royals

XXIII

The next four months of my new life were whimsical and fairytale-like. New clothes everyday, expensive alcohol, parties, and butlers, and endless amenities. Even a realist like me couldn't help but get swept up in it all. It was all too good to be true. Until one night.

I sat up in bed next to Drew who was fast asleep and breathing softly onto his pillow. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk around the city. I quietly tip-toed out of bed and grabbed a coat and wrapped it around me. The buildings were scattered with late night party-ers who drunkenly stumbled back to their rooms. The air was bitterly cold and raised bumps on my skin.

I started to get hungry as I walked and passes closed restaurants on both sides of me. Of course I could order food to our room as late- or rather- early as 5am, but I didn't want to wake Drew for my late night french fry craving. I walked for a mile or so and ended up in an alleyway on the backside of the strip of restaurants. A flickering white light caught my eye through the open door of a bar. A deep angry voice pierced through the quiet of the night and startled me so much that I stumbled backwards.

I pressed my back against the brick wall around the corner, hidden from view in a moment of panic.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" A man screamed and I couldn't tell if someone else was there. I peered around the corner. The man was accompanied by a scrawny young woman who wore a typical civilian work uniform with a white apron tied around her small waist. She stumbled back against the door and he closed the space between them. From the way he was dressed, I knew immediately that he was a royal.

"You have one job here, you worthless piece of shit. If you can't do that right, I'll have you ended, do you understand?" The man snarled and spit in her face as he pounded his fist in the door above her head.

He grabbed her hand her arm aggressively and something inside me shot forward.

"Hey!" I screamed.

The man dropped her arm, caught off guard as I rushed over to them. He scanned my body and his violent face relaxed in shame. He knew I was one of them and although it was helping me in this situation, I felt absolutely full of guilt.

"Leave her alone." I demanded and pulled her behind me. She burst into tears.

The man adjusted the gold watch on his wrist and said nothing but gave me an annoyed look and shut the door in between us. No apology, just an escape.

I turned to the girl who looked about my age. Her blonde hair rested in a loose ponytail on her shoulder and strands of it fell messily on her forehead. She looked disheveled and pale and weak.

"Are you okay? What's your name?" I held her shaking hand in mine.

"Emily." She sniffled. "Thank you so much, I- I was terrified."

"I'm Quinn. What... happened?" I asked cautiously.

"Um." She rubbed her eyes soaked with tears. "He's my boss, I- messed up an order." She said it as if that was a legitimate excuse to scream at someone in that way.

"That's all? Dear God why do you work for him?" I asked.

She looked at me for a second. "It... doesn't really matter who you work for.. they're all like this."

"Who?"

"The Royals. Well- except for you it seems." she crossed her arms over her shivering body.

"Oh I'm not-" I stopped myself as I realized I was one now. And suddenly I hated knowing that.

She looked at me in confusion. "Here-" I quickly grabbed my coat and wrapped it around her. "Keep it."

"Thank you." she gave me a grateful smile and began to turn to walk away.

"Wait!" I called.

She spun around.

"Would you like to work for me?" The sentence made me cringe, but I had to ask it. I just wanted to help. "-me and my husband, you can work for us, I can make sure you'll be taken care of."

Her eyes lit up and watered with tears. "Really?"

I nodded.

"Yes! Yes miss that would be- wonderful!"

"Oh gosh, please call me Quinn, I'm hardly a royal, I'm just like you honestly. I was- married into... . " I felt myself rambling.

She giggled.

"Anyway- uh- here." I handed her a card with the address of our house on it. "Come tomorrow morning, I'll authorize your job relocation." I nodded and gave her a smile.

"I'll be there. Thank you so much." She bowed her head routinely and turned away. I sighed in the cold air as I watched her walk away and decided to head back home and get out of the cold.