Runaway Royal

Chapter 3

"Now then, Kat, there's some rules you gotta follow if you're gonna stay with us." Chance started speaking about five minutes into their watch. He seemed to talk a lot. "Rule one: no fighting. That shouldn't be hard for you cause our seven year olds could beat the crap outta you." he smiled at her. Apparently mocking her was entertaining to him.

"Watch it!" she said in a loud whisper. She didn't want to wake any of the other kids."I'm stronger than I look." she laughed. It was nice to be treated like a normal person. He didn't bow, or watch his every word, or even address her as your highness. he treated her as an equal, it was amazing. The only time she was 'princess' was if he were joking.

"Well you look like a twig." he mocked. Laughing at her defensive attitude. "Rule two: stick up for your family. This is your new family."

That part she hadn't thought of. Her parents. As much as she hated the royal life, she loved her parents. They treated her as if she were their child. They were always on her side but they still kept her on track. Her mom was her best friend, she always knew how to bring her up when she was down. And her dad was her protector, she felt safer with him than with any guard. With them by her side she felt invincible. But now she was vulnerable. She had left them with no explanation. They would be devastated at her leaving. It broke her heart to think of what she had done to them, but she couldn't show it. She had no choice but to hold back the tears she could feel forming if she wanted to stay Kat instead of Katherine.

"You okay princess?" Chance asked. She had been staring off for a minute.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking about my parents."

"Mind if I ask what happened?" He was curious to know how she became an orphan without pushing the subject too hard. He knew how hard it was to loose your family. His parents had raised him until he was ten, when his father had gone out one night to try to find the doctor. As he watched his mother lay dying he heard a single gunshot. He ran out to find his father dead in the street with the medicine for his mother in a blood-soaked paper bag. Chance fought back every tear and emotion. He grabbed the bag and ran upstairs just in time to watch his mother take her final breath, and close her eyes to die. Since then he had never let anyone die on the streets as long as he could save them. That's what lead him to find Katherine.

"Um, since it was really recent I don't want to talk about it." She said. He shook his head to clear the thought.

"Oh yeah. No problem."

They sat in silence for a minute before she broke the silence. "So how long have you been a part of the group?"

"Five years." He said. He kept track of the time by the memory of his parents death. "I joined when I was ten."

"Wait. You're fifteen?" she was stunned. How was he watching all of these kids. She was fifteen and she was being watched by just as many adults.

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason. So how long does each watch last?" she was tired of trying to make conversation.

"What? Does the princess need her beauty sleep?" he joked. Trying to break the tension.

"No," she laughed, "but you could use plenty." she mocked back. They laughed and joked for another hour. Once their shift was over Kat found an empty spot on the ground. She lied down and closed her eyes. All she could dream of was strangely......Chance?