Cherry's Adventures of the Princess and the Frog

chapter 1

Darla felt licking against her dimpled cheek and she slowly woke up and shook her head. "Ugh..." she held her head.

"Are you okay, Darla?" Emily asked her adoptive daughter. "That was some fall you had..."

"I had this weird dream..." Darla mumbled. "This lady came to the door and said she was my grandmother."

"Oh, that wasn't a dream, dear." Emily said.

"Huh?" Darla asked.

"Come on, let's get you to the couch..." Cherry helped Darla up. "Up and at 'em..."

Darla rolled to her feet and shakily walked to the couch and plopped herself down on it, she then rubbed her eyes. "Okay... What's happening...?"

"Come in, Mrs. Beaumont." Patrick told the blonde woman who had come to their door.

The elderly woman nodded and came in, smiling to Darla. "I told you I was your grandmother and you passed out, deary."

"So it really wasn't a dream." Darla said.

"No, it wasn't... You probably don't remember me that much... Let's start over..." the woman said, patting Darla on the head. "My name is Charlotte Beaumont and I'm your grandmother on your father's side."

"Yeah?" Darla asked.

"Yes, I am," Charlotte smiled back, though softly. "We met on your first birthday, your family was very poor, I always offered to give money to the family, but your parents asked for so little... I was so devastated to hear about the incident when you were four and I've been trying to track you down ever since. I thought maybe you'd be happier since the people told me you had gotten adopted and I thought it was a strange coincidence or a dream, but I knew it was you once I heard about you being a movie star, that it was you. You look so much like me when I was a little girl."

"R-Really?" Darla smiled.

"Oh, yes..." Charlotte said to her. "I heard about that incident you caused..."

"Oh, yeah, that..." Darla looked down at the floor softly.

"That was really bad of you, dear..." Charlotte only slightly scolded.

"I know..." Darla sighed, then looked back up. "I'm really sorry for it, but I don't think anyone will listen to me... I have a better life here though, Atticus's family treats me like one of their own."

"It's true, we really do treat like one of the family." Emily smiled.

"I'm glad you've found a place to call home after that nasty stage flooding..." Charlotte smiled to her biological granddaughter. "I guess you'll live here instead of me and your grandfather..."

Darla pouted then. Was she meant to choose between her natural family and her new family that was more of a family to her than Hollywood was?

"I can let you think about it..." Charlotte suggested. "I'd just really like to get to know you better since I've only known you when you were a little baby."

"Thank you, Grandma." Darla said.

"Call me 'Nana'," Charlotte preferred. "It makes me feel like a youthful grandmother."

Darla giggled. "Nana..." she repeated, liking how that sounded as well.

"I'm sure we could work something out..." Charlotte patted her curly blonde hair. "Maybe tonight I could tell you a story."

"Yes, please, Nana." Darla smiled.

Emily and Patrick started to make dinner then. Darla was looking at her school assignment again to write about her family. Now that her grandmother was here, she felt even more lost. She also felt a little dizzy.