Utopia

Chapter 7: Princes and Presents

I wake up and look up to find myself in a room in the castle. A hand caresses my cheek and my attention is drawn to the person next to me; Jaron.

"Did you sleep well?" He asks me. I want to question the reasons as to why I'm here, but I'm not in control of my body.

"Yeah," I respond. Suddenly the door opens to reveal a little girl with red hair and curls a lot like mine. She runs up to the bed and Jaron and I sit up to meet her. I wrap her into a warm embrace as if she's not a complete stranger. She pulls away and smiles, revealing two holes where her two front teeth should be.

"Happy birthday, mommy," she says to me, and the picture fades.

I sit up in bed, still in shock about the vision I just had. I bring my knees up and hug them against my chest as I try to make sense of the situation. I run a hand through my hair and get up to head to the bathroom and when I open the door, I am met by the sight of my family.

"Happy Birthday!" They all yell out, and I can't help but smile.

"Happy Birthday, Fuzzball," my dad says as he brings me in for a hug. He kisses my forehead and I feel Danny's arms envelope my left leg.

"Danny, get off of my leg so you can give me a proper hug," I order my little brother. He lets go of me and I sink down to his level to give him a light squeeze.

"Honey, get dressed while I go make you some breakfast," my mother tells me. I give her a nod before going back into my room and locking the door behind me.
I hear my family's footsteps retreat and I throw myself onto the bed. The comm starts to ring and I pick it up without checking to see who it is.

"Happy birthday!" Adrianna and Blanca scream on the other end. I let out a laugh as I pull the comm away from my ear at their high pitched squeals.

"Thank you," I tell them. "When are you guys coming over?"

"We can be there in and hour or so," Adrianna answers.

"Yeah, see you in a bit," Blanca agrees.

"Okay, bye," I say before hanging up. I stand up and open the door to my closet. I sift through it and stop when I come across a light blue dress. I run a hand over the light fabric and pick out some tan colored flats to match with it.

"Honey, can I come in?" My mother asks from the other side of the door. I unlock the door and let her in.

"I was just wondering if it'd be okay if I invited Prince and his family?" She asks me.

"Seriously?" I question. I'm taken aback by the fact that she would even think of such a thing. "Mom, you want to invite him after all that happened?" She looks at me with an innocent look, not knowing the effect of her words.

"Maybe you overreacted, and he has told you he'll change," she speaks in her defense.

"Mom, I don't want to hear another word about this. Just go before you ruin what's left of my day." She looks at me in shock before exiting the room. I grab my clothes and head to the bathroom, hoping the running water will do something to calm the growing anger inside of me.

~*~

I walk up the driveway, helping my dad get some last minute groceries inside. He opens the door for me and I step inside to be met by the screams of friends and family.

"Happy Birthday!" They all scream in unison and people come to help me by taking some of the groceries out of my hands.

"Thank you," I say to no one in particular.