The (Not So) Perfect Princess

Everything goes wrong

“Get up, princess,” a voice growled, and my eyes snapped open.

A man was crouched over me, one hand on my shoulder that pinned me to the wall, the other hand held a dagger that was poised half an inch from my neck. Before he could do anything, I drew back both my legs and kicked him as hard as I could—one foot to his stomach, and one foot to his face. The man (who I supposed was a soldier) flew backward and landed on the ground with a muted thump. He groaned and rolled onto his side, but it looked like he wasn’t going to get up. I snatched up his knife and glared at the man. I was annoyed at him for obvious reasons, but even more annoyed at Eily for letting him get so close. I whirled around, ready to start yelling at her for being so careless, but there was no one behind me. My annoyance immediately melted into confusion, and then shock: no one was sitting up against the back of the building.

I blinked, and then blinked again. My friends still weren’t there.

I swiveled around. The soldier was gone. I cursed, but I didn’t have time for him right now. I had to find my friends.

My eyes scanned the growing crowd at the dock, but I couldn’t see anyone I knew. Panic began rising in my throat. What if….they left without me? The ship wasn’t at the dock in front of me, so they very well could have. What if they just used me to get to the boat, and then decided I wasn’t worth the trouble of bringing along? Eily undoubtedly had the bipolar personality for betrayal, but cheerful Q? Shy little Scout? Tears threatened, but I swallowed them back.

I had to keep looking.

I took off into the crowd of people, all of them trying to get on one boat or another, making my search just that more difficult. My eyes searched for specific traits—Nessa’s bright hair, Eily’s brown bag, how tall Q was.

Nothing.

I ran through masses of people, not caring if I knocked someone over or not. I considered calling out their names, but that was risky, considering my encounter with that soldier. They knew we were here, so broadcasting our names might not be the best idea.

After what seemed like hours, I looked back and realized I couldn’t see the building I had fallen asleep against anymore. In fact, I couldn’t even see the dock. I spun around in a full circle, but I still couldn’t see the waterfront. It was no use—I was hopelessly lost.

I finally stood still; my limbs seemingly unable to move. Hordes of townspeople swirled around me, all of them with somewhere to be. I was so close to freedom. I could practically feel the island’s sand between my toes, the sun on my face, the wind in my hair—and I let it slip through my fingers. Eily, Scout, Q, and Ness were probably standing on Abarad’s shores right now, laughing at how foolish I was to go along with their act. And I suppose I was. I was desperate; anxious to get away from my parents and that palace. Well….maybe ‘desperate’ wasn’t the right word. Maybe I was just lazy, not wanting to take on the responsibility of becoming Queen one day. I mean, now that I really think about it, would becoming Queen really have been that bad? I’d live in comfort and ease without a care in the world. I’d probably be married to a rich, handsome duke. I’d be looked up to and respected. Queen Avani….it did have a nice ring to it, right? It didn’t matter, though. If (or when) my father’s guards captured me, my parents would lock me in my room and I’d never see sunlight again. They’d be mortified that I ran away, which meant I could kiss my halfway-decent life goodbye. My parents would most likely either have or adopt another child—a replacement for me, the disappointment. That child would be the gem of the kingdom. Everyone would love them, and they’d grow up to be the next perfect King or Queen. Meanwhile, me and my great charade would fade into the shadows, slowly vanishing from everyone’s memory until I no longer existed.