Paradise ***ON HOLD***

The Demise of the princess

Chapter 1

The familiar woman walked through the door, with a slim, sickly body build, with the exception of her large, extending stomach, and long, thinning blonde hair and mimicking blue eyes. She was greeted by an equally familiar girl, adorned in a fluffy, sleek black maid dress. Her soft brown hair was tied up in a bun and her blue eyes smiled with the same theme her mouth did: professional, no matter what.

“Welcome!” the girl greeted with a smile like honey. “How can I help this fine afternoon?”

“Oh, I made a reservation prior for a suite on the third floor.” The woman smiled thinly and said the routine lines.

“Do you have a certificate to verify that?” The sterwardess’ face remained unchanged, but her voice began to tense up, as any would. Here we go again, she thought.

The woman widened her eyes as a bad feeling landed in her stomach like a rock. “Oh, right…” She nervously shuffled through her expensive-looking brown leather satchel, and then sighed at looked up at the young stewardess, disappointed. “I am so sorry, but it seems I forgot my certificate in the wagon. I-I promise, though, I did make a reservation, so may I…?” Her bony hands motioned toward the stairs, an escape from the skillfully hostile girl.

The girl curtseyed while only saying, “One moment please.” She went behind a polished wooden desk and looked through an organized but stuffed notebook. After a few awkward moments of shuffling through pages, she sighed like a frustrated parent. After grabbing something in her fist and clenching it tight in her palm, she walked back towards the woman, and after another quick curtsey, the stewardess handed her the clenched items, a handful of taffy, and said with a tightlipped smile that would have looked genuine from a distance, but up-close full of spite, “I’m sorry ma’am, but I’m afraid there is no evidence that you made a reservation. That leads to you being a liar. I must ask you to leave immediately.”

Clearly guilty, the woman turned around solemnly and began to walk out the door. And then she stopped. “You did well, Valerie.”

The girl felt like a warm spring breeze had flown into the hotel. She sighed with relief and replied, “Thanks, Mom.” She turned toward the desk excitedly and called out to it, “Toki! You can come out now!”

A strange creature, with short sand-colored fur, miniature dragon-like wings, and large ears flew toward Valerie. In a squeaky voice that wasn’t as high as you would expect it to be, Toki praised her. “You were great, Valerie! You were so hostilely certified and friendly.”

The ever so bubbly Valerie smiled and giggled at her only friend. Her mother was not as expressive as Toki was. She smiled tightly and congratulated, “You did fine. Your father would be proud.” She then coughed heavily, with muscus threatening to spill out.

Yeah, if only he actually came home once in a while. Valerie thought, but didn’t dare say. She simply lead her mother back toward their great vintage mansion without a word. If she tried to start conversation, Mother would cough even more. Toki flew contentedly next to them. Valerie stole a glance at Mother’s belly, thinking about the baby sister she knew was growing inside it. She couldn’t help but feel grim. As long as it was a girl, Valerie would still be the heir even though she wasn’t actually born into the family.

It’s true. Valerie Woods, the chosen heir of Woodland Inns, had been adopted by a very rich man and a very sickly woman who were supposed to be unable to give birth to children. And yet, here they were, Mother being walked home with an eight-month old stomach the size of a pumpkin. However, they promised her. They promised that she would still be the heir, even if they had their own daughter. She was the one who’s been trained all these years.

She tried not to think of what would happen if she got a brother instead of a sister.