Royals Rise

by K. Manna

  Sasha and I stood up, pushed our chairs in, and quickly made our way toward Sir Felix. We were led down the long hallway that would bring us to another special gift of our choosing.

  Whoop! Whoop!

  “Sasha, why did you pick me? Not that I didn’t want you to, of course, but I thought that you would surely choose Bree. I guess I’m just a little surprised,” I whispered.

  “Bree pissed me off this morning. She always takes her sweet time in the bathroom, and we got in an argument over it. I can’t see how someone can take so long to get ready. It’s so irritating.”

  I listened silently as Sasha went on about how Bree reads forever when she goes to the bathroom. She complained about Bree’s horrible gagging sounds when she brushes her teeth and how disgusted she becomes hearing it. Oh, and that wasn’t all.

  “Yeah, and that chick is totally obsessed with her hair. I mean, for reals. Bree will sit in front of the mirror and put each strand of hair on her head into a specific place,” Sasha said as she mimicked Bree doing so.

  Sir Felix muffled a couple laughs from ahead of us, while Sasha bluntly expressed her annoyance with Bree.

  He is probably thinking, girls, girls, girls. Always so much drama.

  After making it through the maze of hallways, we finally reached the room we were waiting for.

  With a smile, Sir Felix stopped in front of the double doors. “Congratulations to you, Sasha, for being our lucky and deserving winner today. Just so the two of you are aware, if it is appropriate for the formal event, you may wear your chosen gift for the coming out. You will not be the only guests of the palace tonight. There will be pictures taken for all to see on the Z-Screen, so dress to impress.” He gave a little wink followed by a bow and opened the doors before us.

  “You look awesome! I wish I had your dress. I feel so plain compared to you,” Lottie said.

  Leenda had brought Lottie a simple, deep-purple dress—the Zyla’s favorite color, Leenda had said. The dress had square sleeves with a high, silver-laced neckline, and it hung stiffly to the floor.

  “This dress is too dang long. Look at this. Seriously, I am going to have to hold it up when I walk, or I’ll trip. What was the point of Leenda even taking my measurements? Ugh,” Lottie complained.

  I tried to make her feel better. “It is a little long, but you still look great.”

  Lottie wore a simple pair of silver flats on her petite feet, which you could hardly notice underneath all of that purple fabric. Her long, dark hair looked even longer since she had straightened it for this special night. She looked amazing. But I had to admit that Lottie was right: her dress did look simple compared to mine.

  I was wearing the dress I had carefully selected from the goodies room. It was more of a party dress than Lottie’s formal gown. Partially backless, it fit tightly because of the thick, twisted straps that criss-crossed over my back like a shoelace. The skirt hung loosely to my feet and flew gently through the air with every twirl. Small golden sequins shimmered against the rich cream color of the dress. I wore flats similar to Lottie’s but in gold. And while Lottie chose the straight-hair look, I went for long, loopy curls that hung down my back.

  I smiled at myself in the mirror one last time.

  Wow, I already look like I’m part of the royal family.

  Lottie and I met the rest of the gang in the main entryway where Sir Felix had instructed. Except for Sasha and me, all of the girls wore the same purple dress that Lottie wore. The guys wore silver shirts, black ties, and perfectly creased black dress pants. Sasha had chosen a long, black dress that fit her perfectly. Then I noticed Onnika giving me the evil eye. She was really looking me over.

  Ha! Onnika must be jealous because my dress looks better than hers. Too bad for her!

  Even Sir Felix looked spiffy in his gray suit and his usual slicked-back hair. He anxiously scanned the crowd in search of something. “Where in the heck is Leenda? I tell you, that woman is always late,” he said, irritated.

  Leenda’s voice sounded through another entryway. “I heard that, Sir Felix. And the reason that I am late all of the time is because I have so many responsibilities, unlike you.”

  Oh, Leenda’s bringing out the attitude.

  Sir Felix rolled his eyes. “Okay, everyone, please follow Leenda and me to the royal balcony. Those of you who dislike heights should keep away from the railing, as it is quite a high view.”

  Lottie gripped my arm and whispered, “I’m scared of heights. Don’t let me look over the edge, okay?”

  “I won’t let you near the edge,” I said.

  Gage brushed against me. “Well, don’t you look fancy, all dolled up tonight. Is someone trying to impress the Zyon?” Gage asked with a teasing smirk on his face.

  “You know me: always trying to impress people,” I said sarcastically. “Actually, that sounds more like you, Gage. Are you going to hit on the Zyon’s older sister, Zyness Rozalind?”

  Gage gave me another smirk. “We’ll see. Hmm, I just might.”

  When we reached the top floor, Sir Felix opened the wide glass doors that opened to a huge balcony. Chairs upholstered in royal-blue velvet were carefully arranged in rows, and each row was marked by a pair of blazing torches. Sir Felix led us toward the far end of the balcony where the camera crews had already set up their equipment for the photo shoot.

  I was excited but nervous. Until all this royal action, I had never been on the Z-Screen before. Everyone in Alacor was sure to be watching the Zyon’s coming out. At least I looked the part; I could have easily been mistaken for royalty in my new dress. I have to admit that I already felt a tad bit like a celebrity.

  After our pictures had been taken, Lottie pulled me toward the middle row of empty seats. I sat between Lottie and Sasha. From the looks of it, Sasha and Bree were still not getting along. As far as I could tell, they hadn’t spoken to or even gone near each other.

  Bree sat down on the other side of Lottie and leaned toward us. “Dang, how high up do you think we are? I can see the cliffs near the ocean from way up here. We should totally hike over there sometime. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

  Lottie stiffened as I replied, “Don’t talk about how high we are. Lottie is scared of heights.”

  “Oops, sorry,” Bree apologized. “But seriously, would you two be up for going with me to the cliffs?”

  I leaned forward so that I could see Bree better. “Sure, I will.” I looked at Lottie. “How about you?”

  “Yeah, I’ll go on the hike, but I’m not going near the cliffs.”

  A loud drum-like noise from the speakers interrupted us. It was Sir Felix. He was on stage, tapping at a microphone with his index finger. Someone from the camera crew indicated that the equipment was working and that they were ready. Then the glass doors opened and the very pregnant Zyla emerged looking elegant as always. Her hair was styled high on top of her head, her face was powdered to a soft porcelain, and she was dressed in a long, light-purple dress. She held onto the arm of another woman whom I didn’t recognize. Following close behind them were both Zynesses, Rozalind and Josephine. Zyness Rozalind was the taller one; the younger and much shorter one was Zyness Josephine. Everyone stood as they walked slowly behind their mother with their heads respectfully bent and hands clasped in front of them. It was all very formal. The procession gracefully made their way to the front row of seats and sat down. The other fancy-looking people suddenly didn’t seem so fancy, and neither did I.

  Once everyone had taken their seat, Sir Felix began to speak. “Hello, my name is Sir Felix. The moment has finally arrived for the coming out of Zyon Leon, our future Zylo. It is my great honor to introduce to you our Highness, Zylo Leopold, and his only and most valued son, Zyon Leon!”

  The crowd rose from their seats, clapping loudly. Through all of the noise, I could hear Sasha’s clapping the loudest, so loud that it made my ears rin
g. The clapping sound coming from her hands carried through the air like a hammer pounding. When we sat back down in our chairs, my ears were still ringing. Standing on stage next to the Zylo was a younger-looking man dressed in a ridiculous-looking outfit. He wore a silver suit with an oversized collar and …

  What the heck is on his head?

  It was a wild, frizzy, brown fro of a wig. His eyes were hidden behind red-framed sunglasses. The younger man stood stone faced beside the Zylo.

  The Zylo laughed. “My son is a fun one, to say the least. You will never tire of him, even after I am long gone and he has taken my place. Come now, son. Let them see the handsome young man who they have wanted so badly to see. Everyone has been waiting many years for this special and unforgettable moment.”

  Zyon Leon suddenly whipped his wig and sunglasses off with a dramatic flourish and threw them into the crowd. Members of the audience clamored for the objects like a pack of bridesmaids trying to catch the bouquet, and I thought I saw someone quickly snatch the wig out of midair and disappear into the crowd.

  Gage yelled, “This thing rocks, dude. Look at me.”

  Gage obviously caught the ugly wig.

  Then I heard Cole yell, “Dude, let go of the glasses. They are mine.”

  I looked down the row to see Cole holding firmly onto the red sunglasses and glaring at Ricky, who also was pulling at the glasses.

  Ricky is such a punk.

  I turned back to the stage to find the foolish-looking man replaced by a handsome man with wavy blond hair and piercing, sky-blue eyes.

  Whoa. The Zyon is completely gorgeous!

  The other girls must have been thinking the same thing. How could they not? Zyon Leon was eye-popping. No lie.

  Onnika whispered from behind me. “He is smoking hot. I’m going to marry him. He’s royalty and totally hot. You can’t get any better than that.”

  Lottie glanced at me, and we both rolled our eyes.

  The ceremony was long and boring, a bunch of talk about the future and politics that I paid little attention to, but I became interested when they spoke more about the Zyon and his life growing up. At the end of all the stage talk, they showed a long slide show of pictures of him and the royal family. It was obvious how much the Zyon liked swords because he held one in many of his pictures.

  What is with guys and weapons? Watch, he is probably obsessed with video games, just like Gage and Eli.

  As if on cue, a picture of the Zyon in front of a large flat screen with a video game controller in his hands popped up. His blue eyes looked completely dazed as he stared at the game screen. I wondered if I had the same dazed look in my eyes at that moment.

  Man, he’s something gorgeous.

  After the ceremony ended and the camera crews left, the real party began. The after-party was more low key, a chance to mingle. A live band took the stage. They played the Zylo’s favorite: Famootan bongo music. Servants brought out tables filled with desserts. Lottie wanted to introduce herself to the Zyon, but I felt awkward and a little intimidated.

  “Go without me. I’ll go in a little bit,” I said.

  To my surprise, both Sasha and Bree went with her.

  Good. Now they can make up.

  I walked alone to the edge of the balcony and looked over the edge.

  Holy wow! We are up high. Everything looks so amazing.

  Lights glittered all around the palace and across the yard. The large fountain in front of the palace looked so small from up here. A cool gust of wind made goose bumps on the backs of my arms, and I suddenly realized how badly I needed to pee. And so I retreated back through the glass doors in search of the ladies restroom.

  When I pulled the door open to enter the bathroom, Zyness Rozalind had just stepped out from a stall. She looked so beautiful with her golden hair loosely braided and her long, elegant, rusty-orange beaded dress. I felt speechless and dazed at the sight of her.

  “Hi,” Zyness Rozalind said.

  “Oh, hi. Sorry for staring. This is still all so weird to me, like a dream. I can’t believe that I’m here, and you’re just standing right in front of me like a normal person,” I said nervously.

  She looked at me with a funny expression on her face. “Well, I am a normal person, at least the last time I checked.”

  “Ugh, I’m such a dork. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that you’re royalty. I still can’t believe that I’m standing here talking to you right now,” I said, feeling stupid.

  “I won’t play dumb. I know what you mean. I’ve been treated like this all of my life, at least by all of you ‘normal’ people,” Zyness Rozalind joked with a laugh. “But, like you, I am just a normal person. Only my father and brother get to make important decisions. With the exception of my mother, we females don’t really have a say, you know?”

  Surprised at what she had said, I shook my head. “No, I don’t know what you mean. You are a royal, and I would assume that you have a ton of say.”

  “No, only if one is born a male, especially the first son. I wish I had been born a boy, then I would be in Leon’s position. But no,” Zyness Rozalind sighed, “I was born an unfortunate girl, and I am pissed that I am being forced to marry some guy that I have never met when I turn eighteen. That’s in less than three months.”

  “Oh, that does suck. But you never know, he might be cute and really nice.” I shrugged my shoulders.

  Zyness Rozalind sighed. “All I can do is hope that he isn’t a weirdo like my brother. Leon is such a dork.” She laughed.

  Yeah, a cute dork.

  I shook the idea from my head and said, “He seems funny.”

  “That kid has watched one too many movies. That’s where he gets all of his crazy ideas. Thankfully, Josephine and I are normal. I hope the new babe will be, too,” Rozalind said.

  “The Zyla looks like she is gonna pop soon. Do you know if you will be having a sister or a brother?” I asked.

  Zyness Rozalind shook her head. “Nah, my mom doesn’t want to know. She’s old-fashioned and thinks everything should be done naturally, like in the olden days. She doesn’t believe in all the machines, technology, and stuff.”

  “Well, that’s kind of cool. Surprises are always good. So wh—” I stopped to look at who opened the door.

  Lottie stood in the doorway. “Margo, we’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “Oh, I just have to go to the bathroom,” I said.

  “Hurry up!” Lottie rushed me and then looked at Zyness Rozalind with a surprised smile. “Oh, hello.”

  Zyness Rozalind gave me a quick smile before I went rushing into the stall.

  Lottie tugged me back toward the balcony by my arm. Sasha and Bree were laughing together, along with another girl named Elise. Elise was the unlucky girl who got stuck rooming with Onnika. I felt sorry for her.

  Poor girl. How does she handle that chick?

  Lottie pulled me in the direction of where the Zyon stood talking with his guests. They surrounded him like a swarm of bees.

  Feeling intimidated, I stopped and said, “I don’t want to go over there yet.”

  “Come on, Go-Go. You have to introduce yourself. It’s the Zyon, for god’s sakes. He is even more gorgeous up close,” Lottie gushed.

  “Ugh,” I moaned.

  We snuck through the crowd and made our way behind the Zyon. Lottie smiled and then did something I couldn’t believe that she had the balls to do.

  To get the Zyon’s attention, she poked him in the butt. HIS BUTT! Of all things, she had to do that! Then, when the Zyon turned around, Lottie slipped away so fast that he didn’t even notice her.

  You have got to be kidding me, Lottie. You are gonna get it!

  The Zyon smiled down at me. “Sooo, what was that about, my pretty lady guest? Did you want my attention? Well, you have it.”

  Ugh,
he thinks it was me.

  My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Seriously, I didn’t do that. That was my ever-so-playful friend, Lottie.”

  “Mmm-huh, sure.” The Zyon drew up my hand and kissed it. His blue eyes looked up at me as he did so, and when he let go of my hand, he playfully said, “So what is your name, beautiful?”

  “Um … M-Margo,” I stammered.

  “Margo, huh? I read about you in your report.” He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I think you’re a special one.”

  What the heck is he talking about? This gorgeous piece of a man thinks I am special! Ah!

  I was at a loss for words. I felt a little funny but in a good way. I smiled and shyly looked away, not wanting to make eye contact in case he was to sense my awkwardness. Thankfully, his very pregnant mother, the Zyla, came to my rescue. She was introducing him to an older woman, when I turned to leave. Before I walked away, the Zyon quickly gave my butt a little poke, and when I looked back at him, he gave a wink.

  OMG! I can’t believe this is happening, and to me!

  Inside of my head, I screamed like there was no tomorrow. My feet couldn’t move fast enough out of that crowd.

  Where is Lottie? I love her for this, but I’m still going to kill her for setting me up. She poked the Zyon in the butt—THE BUTT, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD—and made me look like the guilty one.

  Excitement ran through every part of my body as I pulled the covers over my chest that night. I still couldn’t believe that the Zyon had flirted with me. ME!

  I wonder if he flirted with any of the other girls. Ugh, I hope he didn’t flirt with Onnika.

  Lottie knew about the Zyon flirting with me, and she was the only one who knew. As payback for leaving me alone like she did, I gave her a huge wedgie and told her she better not say a word about my business. She agreed, of course, because if she didn’t, she would have something even meaner coming to her. Oh, yes, much meaner than a raging wedgie.

  Before closing my eyes, I took the jade stone from the nightstand and tucked it under my pillow. It felt slightly warm to the touch. The warmth tamed my jitters so that I could get some Z’s. I smiled to myself in the darkness and dreamed about what tomorrow might bring.