ROYALTY | RIVERDALE

chapter- 21

chapter 21 || 021

'you can tell the world'

I woke up to daylight hitting my face. And a comforting bed. A bed.

My body shot out of my resting position as I sat up. 

This room was too fancy to be mine. And this can't be a dream because why the hell would I ever dream about any of this. I'm fine with the couch I sleep on in the trailer park with the Jones'. Why would I ever upgrade in my dreams?

I squint my eyes around the room in confusion until the door opens and in cones the one person I wan not expecting to see. But now that I do it makes some sense.

Hiram Lodge.

"How did you find me? And why are you helping me?" I ask him as he shuts the door behind him. I don't know this guy at all and even though he's a nice looking guy he could be the totally opposite.

I mean what was he doing in Greendale yesterday that led to my salvation?

"Diana, I can't believe how fast you've grown up." He smiled as he got closer to the bed I was sitting on. I leaned back a little and he sensed my hesitation. "Oh Mija it isn't like that. Your- Diana you really don't know who I am?"

I scoffed at him. "Don't tell me you're my father. That's a lie. I know who my father is. I don't know who my mother is though, but I doubt that it's you either." Sarcastically I cross my legs and sit against the leather headboard of the bed.

He laughed. Like acutely laughed. Or maybe it was a fake laugh to keep me at bay.

"No. I'm not your father but I did know him. He was a good man. But your mother she's another story." I perked up at the mention of her. My mother. Someone knew something about her. I could finally learn about my birth giver.

"Before we go into specifics, let's talk about what you know. I don't want to give too much away here." He was only calling me Diana. And he knew both of my parents it seems like. But he hasn't touched on the whole princess part. Or why I was in Greendale.

He nodded and sat in front of me on the bed. "Okay. Well I know your real name is Bellamy. Your father used to call you dirty diana. And that's where Diana came from. I knew your father from our years in Riverdale. We were close friends."

I nodded along to every word he said.

He still didn't know about the other half of me. The one I'm running from. Or at least he wasn't saying it out loud.

"And my mother?" I ask him once again.

"She came to me once. After you were born and told me that she needed a jet to some island somewhere, along with several thousand dollars. She said it was all for you." I scoffed again at this and shook my head to myself. I don't know that woman but anything she does is not for me. "I didn't put it together that it wasn't until Derrick called me up and told me his wife had run away."

"Yup, she sure does that. But I mean- I understand the helping part now. You're just looking out for your friends kid but-" I shifted as I sat a little closer to him to make sure he could hear me well. "You can't anymore. I can't let you."

Mr.Lodge looked confused as a- I don't even have an simile for his face. 

Then his face changed. He couldn't possibly know the real reason why. He didn't say anything to make me think he knew about my special royal duties. But he seemed to understand not to push the subject.

It was just better this way.

I know he's an evil rich man but he's got a family. I would hate to see any of them hurt at the expense of me. 

"Ok. But Diana just know that if you need help I'm always here. I put out some clothes for you in the closet, you also have the bathroom to use if you want. I can also get you some coverup for that bruise."

I looked at him in confusion then in acceptance. 

"I think I'll be fine. Thank you Mr.Lodge."

-

The bell dinged and alerted everyone of my arrival. 

Somehow everyone that I grew fond of was in a booth near the back. I lightly jogged over to all of them.

Jughead, Toni, Fangs and Sweetpea. 

All that was missing was-

"Diana!" I knew that voice anywhere.

I whirled around and saw FP standing behind me in his work uniform.

"Where were you?! I tried calling, I got the serpents on look out, I-" He started lecturing me but I met him right where he stood and wrapped my arms around him. I wasn't ready to leave this place. Ever. I don't want to.

And I know that if me and Penny go head to head only one of us are going to come out alive. She wouldn't make the mistake of letting me live and neither would I. 

"I'm sorry. It was Penny. She caught me and uh-" I pulled away from him and gestured to my face. I know it had to look brutal by now. "Had her way. Said she wanted me to comply but I wouldn't."

FP walked me over to the booth filled with my serpent friends and we all sat down.

"How'd you get away? Wait when did she take you exactly? What happened to your phone?" Sweetpea blurted out all of the questions like he was going to die if he didn't know. Then he realized that everyone in the booth was staring at him and dialed it back.

That probably had something to do with what Fangs vaguely said something about. But right now my black eye was taking the front seat.

"I out smarted her and hauled ass. And it was the day our protest got shut down by those bulldogs, later on in the night. And I dropped my phone while running away." I recalled all the horrible scary memories of that night/ nights. There was just one thing out of place. One person. "And then Hiram Lodge saved me."

"WHAT?!"