"What the hell happened on Saturday?" Kelly asked me immediately on Monday when she saw me. I shook my head. "You know that was Prince Nikolai, right?"

"I'm not stupid," I mumbled.

"Then why aren't you going up to the castle and telling him that you're her!" she asked. I shushed her.

"Maybe because he has a girlfriend? Or because he'll forget about me?" I reasoned. She gave me a look.

"Watch where you're going, Lamey," Lydia sneered as she, Leticia, and Candace made their way to hit our shoulders and take their seats. I rolled my eyes and took my seat.

"So were you serious?" Leticia asked.

"About?" Candace asked. "Nik and them?"

"Yeah."

"Well duh, I mean, he said he wanted to be closer to me," Candace said. Well I hope Kelly got the picture now. I even gave her a look. I didn't know what Candace meant, but it didn't matter. All I knew was that Nik and Candace were together and therefore, I had no reason to even bring up one night at a ball to an heir of the throne.

***

It was official. Nikolai Tyree and his entourage of royals would be attending Richland in a matter of days. That's what Candace must have meant. But even though they refused body guards, I know that people still wouldn't dare talk to them for their own convictions.

I sure wouldn't.

"Where'd you put the dress and shoes?" Kelly asked me when I told her about my abrupt exit at the ball.

"I told Blue to hide them," I answered. "I'm getting them in a little bit."

She nodded in response, but little did I know that when I reached Blue's house, he'd have an unclear memory of where he hid my sh!t at. By the time we stopped looking, it was time for me to go home.

"Where've you been?" Lily asked me.

"Out," I answered, throwing my bag down.

"Well we needed you here earlier to do all this work," she reasoned. I shrugged and walked past her, down to my room. I scoffed and rolled my eyes when I saw the piles of laundry on my bed and floor. Welcome to my life.

"Do you mind if I use your laptop?"

"Well—"

"No? Alright," Lydia said before sitting at my desk.

"Where's your shadow?" I asked as I folded clothes.

"Leticia is not my shadow," she said.

"So you're her shadow?" I asked. I think I heard her growl. Minutes passed and then Lydia released a piercing scream.

"What the heck?!" I yelled.

"Leti!!" she yelled. Not even a full moment later, Leticia arrived and looked down at her twin in question. When they locked eyes, they looked back behind to me. I rolled my eyes and put down the clothes I was folding.

"Great. I'm getting kicked out of my own damn room," I muttered as I left. I was never to hear about any of their gossip, until it was released on school grounds. When I reached the kitchen, I looked out of the window to see fancy cars parked outside of Blue's house. I looked out interested, and then saw as guards in dark suits of some sort marched back to their black cars and then Blue chased after them with no hope that they'd listen. What'd he do now?

"Serves that boy right."

I jumped when I heard Lily's voice. I turned to face her.

"Do you know what happened?" I asked in a quiet voice. She shrugged and cocked an eyebrow as she sipped her tea.

"I don't think it quite matters..." she commented. Of course, I could not defend my poor best friend now. I just gazed out the window at what seemed to be a heartbreaking and confusing event for Blue. I just wish that the Royals didn't find my stuff.

***

Nik's POV

"What is your obsession with this girl?" Emmett asked me. I looked over to him with my bright green eyes.

"I can ask you the same thing," I retorted. Biting on my nails and feeling my teeth form into fangs in a way, I looked at the dying plant, symbolizing an important part of mine and Emmett's life. "I've nearly controlled it, you know."

"Well goodie for you," Emmett snorted. "While you're busy doing that, I'm this close to dying! And right when I found her..."

"Who is she?" I asked.

"I don't know," he whispered. "But...I felt complete around her, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," I said, honestly.

"But I can't be with her. You know the prophecy and before that's ever going to happen, I'm gonna be stuck here with no one in the world to turn to...no escape," Emmett added.

"I know how you feel," I said, looking into the distance. But then I looked up at him. "That's why we shall go to Richland. They attend that school, I believe. Maybe we can get out of...this."

"You think we have time?" he asked, looking at the glowing neon plant that fazed in and out with a small petal falling then.

"No," I said, unfortunately, before looking out into the dying sun and going through the same fate as the last five years of our lives.

I prayed to God, to the spirits, to anyone that may have a clue...that this would not have to continue for long. Not only for the break from the curse, but for the love of life—the only problem was that the thorny plant was dying a slow death with its beauty. As it did, any hopes for us did as well.

***

I woke up the next morning and stretched out my back and limbs from sleeping on the harsh floor for once. I looked out of the huge window to see a car, awaiting mine and Emmett's arrival so that we could make it to Richland on time. Even though we were royalty, I felt as though we should still act like a commoner and abide by the rules they do...but of course, I didn't always think this way. After all, a prince is never late, right? Everyone else is early.

"Nik! Em!" I heard my brother's voice yell. "Hurry up before we leave you!"

With that, Emmett and I quickly got dressed and dashed down stairs, grabbing a hash brown and glass of juice on our way from the hands of butlers who looked down their noses to avoid either laughing at us or judging our tardiness.

"Son, your hair," my father said as I raced past him. I back tracked without Emmett. I ran a hand through my messy dark hair and sighed.

"I'm sure it'll be moments after seeing it that Candace will fix it," I sighed.

"Or maybe the alumni may see it as a joke played by your fair wing man," Emmett said, appearing to further mess up my hair. My father nodded at him as I turned.

"Too bad your hair's messed up as well," I reasoned, taking him into a choke hold and rubbing his hair with my knuckle.

"Son, that's enough," my father said. I stopped with laughter and winced towards Emmett as if I'd do more damage and he sprinted away.

"What are you going to do today?" I asked my father as he read the paper.

"Oh, just the usual Kingly—"

"NIKOLAI TYREE. IF YOU DON'T HURRY UP, I SWEAR TO THE LORD THAT I'LL—"

"I guess that's my cue," I told the old man. I grabbed my bag and walked to the car in my own time. For once, my brother Logan was in the front seat awaiting a cargo of boys instead of a driver.

I greeted him and my other friend, Todd before we departed for school.

"Hey, baby," Candace greeted once we stepped foot onto Richland's property, kissing my lips. I nodded after pulling away. I noticed that the guys gave weird looks as they climbed out of the car. I always expected something to happen magically with Candace, but it never happened. I started to question why I was even with her, other than the fact her family and mine arranged it in a way. But with every kiss, I expected...at least something.

I walked through the halls with the guys behind me and Candace on my arm—basically warding off any girls who dare try and talk to me. Little did she know that I enrolled here to find that one girl. The girl with the original dress; the girl with the beautiful eyes; the girl with such modesty and care. But of course I'd never seen her naked face, heard her name, or gained any information other than that she attended Richland.

"—are you listening, Nik?" Candace asked in a polite yet demanding tone.

"Oh, um yes of course," I lied.

"So if two girls approach you, they're just gonna be—"

"OMG. It's the Royals," a pair of girls squealed, stopping ahead of us.

"Lydia, Leticia. I was just talking about you," Candace smiled. I looked at the two girls ahead of us that were clearly sisters—maybe twins? As their facial features matched, so did their clothes, except they varied in colors of purple and navy.

"I'm Lydia," the one with curly black hair greeted.

"I'm Leticia—but you can call me Leti," the other with longer, straightened hair said.

"Or Stupid," Lydia dissed. I smirked at them.

"See why I warned you?" Candace whispered to me. With that, we kept walking through the halls with Lydia and Leticia being completely interested with me and the guys while Candace made sure to show us the school and show everyone that we were together.

"Get out of our way, peasants," Candace ordered to a couple of girls that stood at the first two seats to my first period class with me, the three girls, and Emmett. I thought of the outburst as a new side of Candace—since I've never gone to school with her. And just like her other qualities that had protruded over the years, I didn't like it.

"Does it take too much effort to just say 'excuse me'?" a girl with frizzy blonde and brown hair asked with maroon glasses slipping down her freckled nose. Her friend, a petite girl with dark hair that was long enough to outline her beautiful face and slender shoulders, just rolled her eyes and pulled at her friend's shoulder to not say anything. I wanted to get a better look at both girls, but they were the only two girls in the school who had avoided looking at us.

Candace and the twins passed them with a shove of shoulders and left a seat behind each "peasant" girl.

"You don't have to do much to get what you want here," Candace's voice whispered to me from behind.

"Mmh..."

I looked at the two girls in front of me, sending each other looks of hatred about what just happened. I couldn't blame them.

The teacher introduced me and Emmett before carrying on with the geography class that I had no use for, considering that we royals knew about most of our land better than most people. We were advanced in it in case of war. I had no need to know about it for any other reason (especially related to mundane education), unless it included me running away.

***

"So how do you like it?" Candace asked me at lunch.

"It's alright," I answered. Thank God I only had her for one class so far. She walked ahead of me as I carried my tray of food. Of course Lydia and Leticia were flanked at her sides. We reached what seemed to be their table.

"Hmm," Candace said. I gave her a questioning look as I and the guys put our trays down in front of separate chairs. "I'll be right back..."

I watched as Candace and the twins approached the table where the two same girls from first period were going. They had reached an empty table and started to sit down, but the darker-haired girl grabbed the frizzy haired girl's arm. Right as she did that, Candace and the twins grabbed their seats.

I couldn't hear what they said, but I noticed that the dark-haired girl's reaction was a bit infuriated. Lydia said something to her and then she stopped. The trio walked away as I noticed the pair of girls grabbed new chairs. I looked over my shoulder at the petite girl that rubbed the locket that hung around her neck as if it was a restraint from telling off the girls.

I managed to have the next class with the locket girl, but she sat behind me and Emmett. It took until eighth period for me to even see her again, which was strange considering it was a normal athletics period and I was in the trainer's office at first.

"How can I help you?" a tiny, light-haired woman asked me.

"Uh, yeah. I need a physical for athletics to be transferred from my old school," I said.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Ms. Peterson," another girl said. I turned to see locket girl out of breath with her long stringy hair in her face. She brushed a hair through it to reveal her face. "I just needed to turn in my stuff for volleyball and well...never mind."

She was a volleyball player? She seemed like a peasant with no interest in anything but being the target of Candace. Not to mention she was short for a volleyball player.

"It's fine, it's fine," Ms. Peterson—the trainer—excused. She flickered her eyes to me and then back at the girl. "You can help Mr. Tyree here."

She gave me a look for the first time today. Not only was it the first look she had given me, but it was the first one I had received that wasn't a gaze of admiration or abrupt humbleness. But before the look lingered, she gestured over to the computer. I followed her as she put her bag into a small locker.

"So you're a volleyball player," I started, just to make conversation as the computer started up. She nodded without looking at me. After a lifetime of people looking at me, I didn't know I could crave a look from someone so much. "How long have you been playing?"

"Since sixth grade," she answered with a droned voice.

"Wow. So you must be good," I assumed, deciding not to mention that she was short for a volleyball player.

"Sure."

She didn't seem so thrilled with the compliment.

"What school did you come from?" she asked.

"Uhh..."

"School?" she asked again.

"Highland," I answered. Did she seriously not know about me? Most girls knew everything about me...

She typed that into her computer and searched for something.

"Why do you need a physical when football season's over?" she asked me.

"Why is it your business?" I asked. She sighed and turned to me.

"Do you want your physical or not?" she asked.

"Yes. I do. So make like a good peasant and retrieve—" I stopped myself from being a royal jerk.

"As you wish your highness," she mumbled and I could tell she struggled to remove all sarcasm from her tone. I touched her shoulder and she froze.

"Look, I didn't mean it that way," I said. She looked to me with the same cold glare from earlier and shrugged off my touch.

"Your physical will be here by Monday," she said, avoiding a gaze to my eyes while she said her words. If only she knew she didn't need to speak at all, considering one look from her just about killed me. I didn't even care about the physical anymore.

"Thanks..." I sort of mumbled.

"You can leave now," she announced as I was busy gazing at her as if expecting to see something other than this girl's contradicting beauty.

"May I ask for your name?" I asked before I left.

"You may ask anything you want, considering you are royalty," she replied. I smirked and scoffed. I started to leave the office with a pride stride and no question toward her. I didn't want a maiden to feel as if they had to do something because of my title. Her reply contradicted her actions anyways. When in the place of royalty, you are to bow, you are also supposed to answer properly and speak with direct eye contact in urgency or none at all for modesty—none of which was presented. I left the office, looking back as she browsed the computer with a hand on the mouse and the other on her necklace.

=}a