Royals Rise Read online

  I looked at myself in the mirror, again.

  Wow, I actually look and kind of feel like a woman, a little sexy even.

  The green silky dress that my mom had bought on sale fit like a glove. It looked awesome and fit perfectly in all the right places—tight on top, a tad loose at the waist, and flaring slightly above the knee. My friends had talked me into buying a pair of silver heels to match the sparkly silver fairy wings that would complete the outfit.

  Hope I don’t fall flat on my face tonight.

  The thought crossed my mind, since I never wore heels. Long curls fell over my shoulders, while the rest of my hair was twisted on the top of my head to show off the pointed fairy-tip ears that my mom had helped me glue on. I had always wanted these fairy tale-shaped ears, and tonight I would have them. A splash of green eye shadow and silver sparkles decorated my eyes. The color really brought out the green in my eyes, too.

  And my left eye does not look like poo particles, Gage.

  I had been born with brown speckles in my left eye, and Gage used to say that someone must have flicked poo particles in my eye when I was born. Too bad he wasn’t born with them, too. Nope—of course not—just me.

  A knock sounded at the door. “Margo?”

  “Yeah, Mom. Come on in.”

  She came into my room and closed the door behind her. “You should come down soon. More and more people are showing up by the minute.” My mom stopped to look at me. “You look pretty, hon, but I think you are forgetting something.”

  I shrugged my shoulders and thought for a minute. “Deodorant. I forgot deodorant. Thanks for reminding me.”

  She stilled me and held up the opal earrings that I had wanted. “No, these are what I am talking about.”

  “Oh, thanks, Mom. These will look perfect.”

  I slipped the earrings on, smeared deodorant under my arms, and finally pulled my fairy wings on. “I’m ready to party. How do I look?”

  “Like my little fairy girl all grown up. Come on now. Your family and friends are waiting for you.”

  We walked out back to find a bunch of people already mingling. A lot of them were checking out the colorfully painted fence.

  Out of the blue, my loudest and most obnoxious friend, Ava, came and threw her arms around me. “Hey, birthday girl! Don’t you look hot tonight? If I were a hot fairy dude, I would totally make out with you.”

  “Thanks, Ava.” I smiled.

  My boy-obsessed friend, Desiree, hugged me next. “Happy birthday, hot lady. By the way, your ninja brother is looking pretty hot tonight, too.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re gross.”

  Shy, little Janie gave me a soft, gentle hug. “Your painting is awesome, Go-Go. Can you believe you’re officially a woman in a few hours?”

  “Thanks. And no, it’s crazy. I can’t believe I’m turning sixteen, and before all of you. I feel so old,” I half-joked.

  Ava laughed loudly. “Yeah, you’re an old saggy lady.”

  Then my friend Theresa started to walk toward us. She waved and smiled. Now, Theresa was the type of girl who only came around when she happened to be single. When she had a boyfriend, we never heard from her, unless she had drama to talk about.

  I reached out my arms to give her a hug. “I’m so happy you could make it. Where’s Quentin?”

  Theresa pursed her lips. “He pissed me off, so I broke it off.”

  “For what, a day? You know you’ll be back with him tomorrow,” Ava bluntly pointed out.

  “Probably, but for tonight, I’m a single woman,” Theresa admitted with a playful sigh and a shrug of her shoulders.

  From across the lawn near the fence, Gage and his buddies were laughing at the creepy-looking trolls that he had painted.

  Such dorks.

  Eli called out for me from the deck. “Go-Go, come up here! Your grandparents want to see you.” My grandfather had injured his leg years ago and was unable to get around as easily as he used to.

  I rushed up the steep deck stairs as quickly as I could in those dang high heels. A slight warm breeze blew across my skin, causing my hair to fall in my face. As I brushed it away, I noticed Eli staring down at me from the deck.

  Does he think that I look pretty tonight?

  At the top of the stairs, I started to walk toward my grandparents when suddenly I felt my heel catch in a groove of the wood and down I started to go. “Oh shi—!” I almost yelled it out loud, but I caught myself as Eli caught me.

  How embarrassing! I knew I shouldn’t have worn these freakin’ heels!

  “Whoa, birthday girl. Slow it down. You don’t wanna mess up your pretty dress and fairy wings, do ya?” he said with a cute smirk.

  “Oh shush. I knew I shouldn’t have worn these stupid heels,” I said with irritation.

  “But they look so pretty, just like the rest of you. You clean up nicely when you want to.” Another teasing grin crossed Eli’s face.

  I looked Eli up and down, wanting to play his little game right back at him. “Yeah, so do you. Now get out of my way so I can talk to these old people,” I joked.

  Eli moved aside, and from behind me, I heard him say, “Still bossy as ever. That will never leave you.”

  I looked back and said, “Nope, it won’t.”

  My cute, old grandparents both gave me a hug.

  I smiled and joked around with them like we always did. “Thank you so much for staying up past your bedtime to party with us.”

  My grandfather, who insisted on only being called Whoogie, said, “We can only stay for a bit, but before we go, I want some of your mother’s homemade cake.”

  My grandmother patted his shoulder. “Now, honey, remember what the doctor told you. You have to be careful about what you eat or your diabetes will start acting up.”

  “Oh, who cares? If I want cake, then I’m going to eat cake. I want to die a happy man, not a man deprived of cake,” he muttered. “Besides, it’s my granddaughter’s birthday.”

  I agreed with him. “Yes, you should eat some yummy cake, Whoogie, and you too, Grandma.”

  She shook her head.

  Dance music sounded from the yard, and Gage yelled out, “Whoop, whoop! Dance time, suckers!”

  “Let’s go dance, old man. You can show me all your groovy moves,” I teased.

  “Oh, this old body can’t move like it used to, but I did used to be quite the dancer. Isn’t that right, Leisle?”

  Grandma smiled. “Oh, yes, you were, dear, and the best one on the dance floor except for that one hunk. What was his name?”

  “I was a better dancer than that egg-headed Melvin guy. She’s just trying to make me jealous, Margo,” he huffed. “You go dance with your friends now while we bicker like old people do.”

  “Sounds good. Bye!” I waved.

  Eli waited near the top of the stairs. “You ready to dance it up? You might wanna take off those shoes.”

  “You got that right. Let’s go.” I tugged his arm to follow me down the stairs.

  Gage already had an audience surrounding him while he broke out his breakdancing moves, which included the robot, his favorite. Everyone cheered him on while he soaked up all the attention. He definitely was one for wanting the spotlight, and he would show off in order to get it. It did happen to be his party, too, though, so I wouldn’t give him crap about it later like I usually would have done.

  I kicked off my shoes and began to dance to the loud music. We danced and danced and danced until sweat dripped down my neck and back. Even my dad came out and busted a move. He looked like a total dork, but at least he tried.

  “Cake time!” Mom called from the patio table. “Let’s sing “Happy Birthday” to Gage and Margo!”

  Everyone gathered around the cake table and sang “Happy Birthday.” Gage and I stood side by side, then on the last note of the so
ng, we leaned closer and raced to see who would blow out all of their candles first. Mom had made two cakes, one for each of us, but mine was better because it was all chocolate, my absolute favorite.

  As Mom cut the cakes and placed slices on plates, she said, “Everybody take one. I want this all gone by the end of the night. No leftovers. Because I will be tempted to eat it all myself.”

  One by one, the guests stepped up and took a dessert plate. Gage ran a plate up to my grandpa on the deck.

  Good. Grandpa got his piece of delicious cake, and of course, it is my kind, all chocolate, baby! His favorite, too.

  With a huge piece of chocolate cake and a cup of ice-cold milk, I took a seat in between Eli and Janie. We listened to Ava tell dirty jokes that made almost everyone laugh. Just as I began to scoop a piece of chocolate cake into my mouth, a loud farting noise rumbled right behind me. I turned around to find Bastien, Gage’s nasty best friend, scrunching his face, ready to rip out another one.

  Laughing, I gagged on the piece of cake that I had just put in my mouth. “You are so flippin’ gross, Bastien. Get out of here!”

  Bastien laughed, along with everybody else. “Ha-ha. That’s my birthday present to you, Go-Go, natural perfume by Bastien.”

  I set my glass of milk down. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

  Eli turned to me, still laughing. “Here, let me get this for you.”

  “What?” I asked.

  Eli took a napkin and wiped my upper lip. “Chocolate frosting.”

  “Oh, thanks,” I said, feeling like a dork.

  A little while later, my mom called for me. “Birthday girl, we need you over here. Come sit in the birthday chair.”

  Mom stood behind a cute chair that had been decorated with balloons and confetti. In one hand she held a purple balloon and in the other a pair of scissors.

  “Mom, why did you have to do this? Ugh, now I’m gonna have glitter in my hair for days,” I groaned.

  She smiled. “Oh, stop, Margo. I couldn’t possibly have left this out. This used to be your favorite thing about birthdays. Plus, this will probably be the last time I will ever get to do this for you, now that you’re a true young lady.”

  I rolled my eyes and sat down in the chair. “You got that right.”

  My mom explained to everyone that this was an old childhood ritual. Then she lifted the balloon above my head and cut the tied end off. Tons of glitter swirled around me, settled in my hair, and covered my dress. Several people said “Aww” and how cute it was, while I sat there in a chair full of glitter mania.

  Suddenly, something hit me hard on the shoulder, soaking me.

  A damn water balloon!

  “Gage, you jerk!” I screamed, scrambling from the chair, ready to beat him alive.

  Really, I should have known this would happen. When we were kids, Gage loved balloon fights. I had had to suffer through them because he was so much faster than me, faster than almost everyone for that matter. Rarely did I actually hit him.

  By the fence were tubs of water balloons that Gage had obviously prepared ahead of time.

  Little punk!

  I ran to the tub, scooped up as many balloons as I could fit into my arms, while everyone rushed to arm themselves. Balloons flew through the air in every direction. One caught me on the thigh and then on the side of my head. I threw a water balloon at Desiree and hit her on the chest.

  “Oh, you brat!” Desiree screamed.

  Then another balloon caught me on the rear, completely soaking my booty.

  Eli laughed. “Nailed it!”

  I threw a water balloon at his head, but he moved out of the way too quickly. Then I saw Gage’s dorky ninja outfit out of the corner of my eye.

  There you are!

  I tossed a balloon in his direction, but, of course, he jetted out of the way.

  As the battle ensued, most of the adults stood on the deck overlooking the crazy balloon fight. They were smiling and laughing at our antics. Finally, the boys got a clue and tackled Gage to the ground, repeatedly nailing him with balloons and soaking him to the bone.

  “That’s what you get, birthday boy!” I yelled from behind all the commotion.

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

  Cell phones were going off everywhere. Immediately, all hands dropped their water balloons to the ground and scrambled to find their phones.

  The Z-Screen? So late in the night? Something must be wrong. Did someone in the royal family die? Did a war break out again in Ravue?

  Eli noticed that I didn’t have my cell phone with me, so he came to my side to share his. It seemed like forever in those few moments before the Zylo himself appeared on the screen with a look of complete delight. A huge smile stretched across his face, and excitement gleamed in his eyes.

  The Zylo raised his arms high above his head. “It is officially Zylonian Day, my son’s sixteenth birthday!”

  At this news, cheers filled the air.

  After a short pause, the Zylo continued. “Those of you who were born in Alacor on June 24, 2082, the same birthday as my son, must go to the Alacorian Center nearest your home, no later than ten this morning. I, along with others, will be selecting candidates to take part in the exciting, long-awaited event: the Royals Rise. This process will proceed with extreme care. Those of you who are chosen will accompany me back to the royal island and will be staying in the royal palace in preparation for taking part in the most important tradition known to Alacor. Only the most fortunate and talented will be honored with the royal name and will live among royalty and wealth.” The Zylo clasped his fingers together and smiled. “Such dreams do come true, my young ladies and gentlemen. I wish the best of luck to all of you! Now, let us all celebrate Zylonian Day, and don’t forget to celebrate all of those birthdays that take place on this special day.”

  And like that, he vanished. The screen went black, leaving me completely speechless and in shock. Everyone was talking and jumping and dancing around with such excitement, but not me.

  This cannot be real. Did the Zylo truly say what I think he just said?

  I didn’t quite know how to process all of this information. There were so many great stories about Zylonian Day, but they were only that, stories. All they ever had been were bedtime stories about untouchable hopes and dreams—never reality. This felt like one of those dreams, and I was waiting to wake up.

  “You are so lucky, Go-Go. All of the girls at school are going to be so jealous of you,” said Ava. “I know I am. Everyone will hate you for this. Seriously, think about it; if you are one of the chosen ones, you will get to go to the palace. How awesome is that?” Ava took my hands in hers and gazed into my eyes with a look of total seriousness. “I know I’m the loud, funny girl. I like to pretend that everything’s okay, but really it’s not. Everything sucks right now. My mom lost her job, and now we will probably have to sell the house because she can’t afford to raise two kids on her own. I would do anything to live at the palace … anything. If you win the Royals Rise, you will never have to worry about working or having enough money. It would totally suck to never see you again, but if it means you can live in the palace with no worries, then it’s all worth it.”

  I gave Ava a hug. “I’m so sorry that you and your family are having a hard time. If I could trade places with you, I totally would.”

  “Oh, stop. Don’t feel sorry for me. I only told you because I know how you are. You’re probably all worried and freaking out inside about all of this, but really you should be ecstatic and thankful for this awesome opportunity.” Ava smiled.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I know, but it’s hard to be all positive and excited when I worry about everything. Plus, it’s kind of scary.”

  Arms flung around my neck from behind me, and Desiree’s excited laugh pierced my ears. Then more and more arms flung around me with giant jumping hugs. All of my friends and
family crowded around me while expressing their enthusiasm and congratulations. I heard Gage whooping and yelling in excitement.

  Eventually, my mom made it through the crowd and pulled me into a hug. “Margo, I am so proud that both you and Gage have this great opportunity. Both your father and I believe this would be such a blessing for the two of you, to join the royal family and take their name,” her voice cracked. Then she whispered into my ear, “Not that my heart wouldn’t be broken to never see the two of you again, but the royal family can give you absolutely everything in this world that your father and I cannot. And, of course, we want the absolute best for the both of you.”

  Now, this had to have been hard for my mom to say since our family wasn’t really, let’s say, expressive, at least in a positive way. We were definitely not the emotional, let’s-talk-about-our-feelings-and-tell-each-other-I-love-you kind of family. To have done all of those things would have been totally foreign, awkward, and plain old weird.

  I looked at my mom, my lip quivering. “I feel weird, Mom. Like, not myself, like, really scared and worried about everything. All of these crazy thoughts are racing through my brain and I—I—”

  “You are having your anxiety. Your grandma had it, too. Try not to worry so much. You are so young, and you should feel excited like your brother. Just look at him.” She gave me a squeeze. “Try not to think about the negatives. Think happy thoughts. Most people can only dream of this happening to them.”

  My insides felt numb, but I tried to ignore it. “I know, Mom.”

  Thinking positive thoughts, especially at that moment, would have been almost impossible. My brain wasn’t wired like everyone else’s. It did what it wanted to, when it wanted to, usually becoming more bothersome when I felt stressed out. I had a totally obsessive, uncontrollable, and really quite annoying brain.

  The time had flown by quickly, but not quickly enough. I wanted to be alone to think, and think some more. All of the guests were finally leaving, and as they did, they wished Gage and I the best of luck over and over again.