Princes In Hiding

Childish Play

When Vincent and I got home, he immediately disappeared and probably locked himself in his own guest room. This made me wonder: Did we ever had time to clean the guest rooms? "They probably cleaned them when I passed out in my room," I thought. I always wondered why my house had so many extra rooms.

Surprisingly, my father isn't home. I guess he might be figuring out this whole situation with the boys somewhere. I decided to do my school work on our dining table. Most students would cram their homework and projects on Sunday, but that wasn't my style. I laid down all of the books and papers that I needed to use, and began typing essays, reports, etc. on my laptop. While doing so, I hear the front door open and close. I peeked to see who was there, only to see Harold holding different envelopes and folders on his arms.

Harold caught sight of me. "Natalia," he exclaimed, "just who I was looking for."

I gave him a questioning look and pointed at myself, "Me?" I have no idea why he was looking for me. I'm not in the student government, I'm not the head of any organization, I wasn't assigned on anything important. It's another reason I'm the Lone Wolf. I didn't join anything that involves interacting with other humans.

Harold walks towards me and drops the folders and envelops on the dining table, next to my books. He studies the area and gives an impressed look. "Getting your work done immediately on a Friday, I see," he said. With a smirk, he gave me a thumbs up and I rolled my eyes.

"What do you need," I simply asked him.

He began to look through the different folders and pulls out one. He hands me the closed folder, and I took it from his hands. I opened the folder and saw a form with plenty of unfilled spaces. I read the label at the top: National Essay Writing Competition, and gave Harold a questioning look. "What's this," I asked him.

He gave a proud smile. "It's an application form," he said.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I know it is an 'application form' but why did you give it to me?"

He fixed his glasses and laughed. "C'mon," he said, "The whole faculty thinks that you're the best in this stuff. Well... second to me of course. That's why we want you to represent our school in this competition."

I hand him the form. "Why won't you do it then? I am only 'second to you' and you said it yourself," I tell him but he pushes the form back to me.

"I would but," he sighed, "I kinda have my hands full," he said pointing at the stack of folders and envelopes. I glared at him and he raised his hands. "Hey, if you don't want it then pass it to someone else," he said.

"Alright then," I said with a smirk. I then placed the form back on his wonderful stack of folders. "I pick you," I said with a mocking smile. He looked back at me as if I was making a joke.

"But I don't accept," he said with a nervous laugh. He tried to give back the form but I quickly dodged his hand and moved back. He glared at me and I gave him a challenging glare in reply. Harold once again tries to give me his form but I made my way to the kitchen. He followed me inside, still holding the form. "Natalia Brightton, you will accept this form and you will represent our school," he said.

"Let me think," I tell him. I placed my two fingers under my chin and pretend to think. I then looked at him and shake my head, "Nah." I wasn't usually this playful but there is something about Harold that made me want to tease him so much. Was it his so-called aura?

Harold began chasing me around the house just to put the folder in my hand. Why was he so persistent in making me join this competition anyway? "Brightton! Come back here," he would often shout while chasing me. I dashed through the living room, the hallways, passed the stairs, and he followed me.

For a geek, he sure was fit enough to keep up with me. I stopped in the middle of the living room to catch my breath while he stands a few feet with his arms crossed. "Have you given up yet," he asks me. I shook my head, still catching my breath. "You are seriously like a child," he said.

"And who are you? My father?" I ask him. Harold suddenly dashed towards me, and my reflexes failed me at this moment. He wrapped his left arm around my waist, preventing me to move further. I closed my hands into fists so he couldn't place the folder in them. "No," I keep saying while in the middle of laughter. He too had been laughing.

"Hey, Ha-" We didn't hear the front door open, and there stood Harold's twin brother, Joseph. He looks completely shocked and somewhat amused to see his brother's arm around me. Harold quickly lets go of me, and both he and I stepped away from each other.

Harold and I suddenly see another person enter the room. It was Florence. Florence looked at Joseph who was trying his best not to laugh then at Harold and me. Florence crossed his arms and sighed. "Prince Harold," Florence started, "I don't think now's the right time to be flirting with a girl." This made Joseph burst out in laughter and Harold turning as red as a tomato.

I simply rolled my eyes. "He wasn't flirting," I told them. I faced Harold and took the folder in his hands. I took the paper and read it again. "I know what to do," I tell him. I placed the form near his face and then ripped the paper in the middle. "There, problem solved!"

Harold just nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head. "I guess," he said.

I turned to my heels and left the three boys in the living room. "I'm heating up the leftovers for dinner," I tell them, "I don't care if you're princes. I'm too lazy to cook right now!" I opened up the kitchen fridge and saw the many containers of leftovers. "I can be lazy for weeks," I thought.

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Author's Notes
Three Chapters for Three Princes. Introductions for these boys are done. I know there wasn't much to these introductions, but I feel like I need to keep them short. I can't reveal everything about them right now! So which prince do you like so far?
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Or perhaps you're waiting for another introduction? Am I missing someone? Hm...