Waking Up A Princess

Chapter 7

Ailey placed the newly framed picture of her parents on their trip to Elmira on her bedside table and carefully fell back onto the bed without damaging her hair. She had fifteen minutes before she needed to be dressed and ready for her entrance to her own ball and she planned on remaining alone in her room until then. The truth of the situation was finally beginning to weigh down on her eighteen-year-old shoulders and she just wanted a minute to think. Alone... 

A loud buzzing jolted her awake. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep. Blindly reaching out for her forgotten phone, she checked it for the first time in days - something she had never gone a few hours without doing in the past. She had been so busy she had practically forgotten she had a phone. 

"Hello?" She questioned into the speaker having not even bothered to check the caller I.D. She was just happy to have someone from her normal life to talk to.

"Do I have the wrong number? I think my niece has forgotten how to answer the phone." 

"Jenny!" A huge smile pulled at Ailey's peach tinted lips as she sat up on the comfortable bed. "I'm so sorry, everything has been so crazy here. I miss you!" Her chest tightened slightly at the thought of her aunt alone in their apartment without any contact from her niece in days.

A light and airy laugh echoed through the phone and Ailey could see her aunt's head tipped back with laughter. She had really missed that sound. "You know I can't stay mad at you. I miss you, too. The apartment has been so...empty without you." Guilt began to fill Ailey's heart and add to the pressure at the thought of Jenny coming home to an empty and silent apartment after work. Neither of them was a fan on quiet. "How's the grandfather?" 

Ailey felt a sense of relief at being able to relay the past few days to someone outside of all the crazy that had become her life. She had kind of glazed over the parts with Liam unintentionally. She wasn't sure she would be able to provide the answers to the questions her aunt would unavoidably ask. She was sure Jenny had caught on, but she didn't question her niece about the prince she vaguely mentioned. By the time she finished the story with her acceptance on the crown, she was chewing on her lip in anticipation.

"Wow, so my niece is a princess. That will take some getting used to." Jenny chuckled and sighed under her breath. Ailey hadn't really thought about what that would mean: she would be leaving Jenny and their apartment. She would be leaving her entire life behind: friends, family, memories. She couldn't even imagine what that would mean for her college Carrier. 

A knock on the bedroom door caused Ailey to groan. She had forgotten she had a ball to attend and her fifteen minutes were over nearly fifteen minutes ago. Jenny's teacher hearing seemed to work even over the phone from a continent away.. "Go and have fun. I'm going to be late for work anyway. Call me tomorrow and tell me about your night. I love you, Leyley." 

Ailey smiled at the sound of her childhood nickname - something she hadn't been called in ages. Not since her parents had died. It had taken these past several years for everyone to slowly overcome their grief and fall back into the normally of life prior to the accident. Hearing her old nickname made her feel a little better about leaving her aunt alone. She was slowly getting over the death of her sister and brother-in-law. Maybe she would actually go on a few dates now. "Promise. Love you, too, Jen." 

She quickly pressed the end button and placed her phone back on the nightstand. She couldn't help but drag her feet across the plush carpet as she opened the door to find Jessica, Margaret, and a whole team of people standing in the hall just outside her room. Ailey's mouth fell open but before she could get out a reply, Jessica pushed her way past the stunned princess and into the sitting room in the front of her suite. She carried a large garment bag as if it were the most precious thing in the world and sat it down carefully across the couch. Margaret offered me an apologetic look before entering the room as well, followed by the assistants Ailey could only guess belonged to Jessica.