I opened my eyes to find myself clamped in the lap of a luxury car with two not-so-unknown faces staring right at me. I groaned and tried to get up, but the girl pushed me down.
"You need rest to rest," she cleared out.
"You should have thought that before tazing me like an elephant gone rouge!" I rasped out, wiggling in the seat.
"You should have thought about that before running away like a sneaky fox! You were practically surrounded!" the boy exclaimed, flicking my forehead.
"Yeah then you shouldn't have surrounded like some hungry stalking lions in the first place!" I wheezed out, trying to heave in heavy breaths.
"Then what are you, a chimpunk who doesn't knows when to give up?!" the boy retorted madly, hands crossing against his chest.
I scoffed, "Can you stop squabbling like an annoying little squirrel?!" I whined out.
A hand sneaked behind us and shoved her heads.
"Ouch!" we retorted with seething glares at the pretty girl.
"Can you stop with the animal comparisons?!" She groaned out and I childishly poked my tongue at her.
"I will when you tell me what I'm here for!"
"We can spare you," said the girl and I snapped my focus towards her.
"Seriously?!" I nearly shrieked.
"Stealing is a punishable crime in Retrica. Its punishment, in our kingdom, is a death sentence. But, if you answer one of my questions, I'll let you go," The girl proposed with a smile.
I gulped; a question?
I wonder what it would be. Will it be a question like what came first, chicken or egg? Or will it be like is zebra stripped black on white or white on black.
Oh Lord...
"O-Okay," I said, my voice came out shaky. This question could save my life, be prepared for the worst Gwen!
The girl's eyes sparkled as she asked, "For heaven's sake tell me where you got that hat from? It's adorably chic!" she pointed at the hat kept on my stomach.
Seriously?!
I raised an eye brow and gave her a questioning look. The boy beside her, face palmed.
"Sabrina!" he groaned in an annoyed tone giving the girl and are-you-mentally-unstable look.
"What?! I was just asking." she defended lamely, crossing her hands over her chest.
"You can have it, my hat," I said and picked it up, settling it on her head. It was pretty, I liked it, but I just couldn't tell her that it was, also, stolen.
Sabrina, enthusiastically, turned towards the boy and looked at him with a look that said how-am-I-looking?
But the boy just gave her a 'whatever' look and dismissed her.
"So, am I not being killed or hanged?" I asked the royal duo seated in front of me.
"Well-" the boy began but was cut off by Sabrina.
"You were never being hanged. We never intended to do so."
"Really?" I asked as my eyes brightened and I smiled looking at her.
"Yep," she said nodding and as always popping the 'p'.
"Then why threaten me?" I asked raising my right eyebrow.
"Well-" the boy began but Sabrina shut him up. He just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms against his chest.
"Oh! It's because we need your help," she said.
"My help? Are you sure you reached the right person?" I asked bewildered, finally sitting up. I realized that I was bandaged. I think they aren't that bad people…
But, why would anybody in the right mind need my help? But, they were royalty, why do they need me? I don't think they are planning to steal Alamate, are they? Are they even Royalty?!
"Yep, yours," she said again popping the 'p'. "And don't even think of rejecting, you owe us your life." She stated in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Well, I don't surely know that you are royalty. I mean you both just showed up wearing cloaks with hoods up. I don't even know that this necklace is real. God!" I gasped.
Sabrina just giggled and the boy just smirked at my little theory.
"You are not as dumb as we thought," the boy said. I scowled at him.
"Nick!" Sabrina said in a warning tone. He just rolled his eyes and slid his hand in his back pocket.
"Wait! Are you going to take out the gun and shoot me just because I blew your cover?! I promise I won't tell this to anyone!" I squealed frantically searching for an escape route.
"Calm down Gwen, we are not going to kill you," Sabrina said in her smooth and sugary voice.
"Wait… how the heck you know my name?!" I shrieked.
The royal duo just rolled their eyes. "We know everything about you, little Red." Nick said with a triumphant grin. I assume he found what he was digging for.
Little Red, seriously?! I hate dumb Red Riding Hood!
Sabrina grabbed my hand and pulled me closer towards them. Nick pulled out a brown wallet which had a silver crown engraved on it.
I took a shifted back, suddenly aware of the close proximity between us three. Sabrina gave me a warm smile whereas Nick wore a blank look.
He took out a picture and handed it to me. I flipped the picture and looked at it.
To say I was shocked would be understatement of the year. My eyes widened till their extent, just a little bit more and they would pop out of my eye socket, abandoning it. My eyebrows stretched upwards and were ready to jump off my face or submerge with my hairs.
The picture in front of me was of the royal family. I recognized the king and queen at once. Everybody knew the royal brunette.
She was really pretty sporting pin straight brown hairs and pretty big brown eyes. The royal crown graced her head. Her cheekbones were edgy and her lips were of perfect shape and volume. She wore minimum makeup, just slight eye shadow and a tinge of blush. She was wearing a strapless, sweetheart neckline, royal blue dress. It had golden embroidery. She was Celestia Reynolds, the Queen of Retrica.
The king was really handsome and Mrs. Harrison had a really big crush on him. He had rusty blonde hairs and scrutinizing blue eyes. He also wore the royal crown. Poor Mrs. H, I pity her. He had a manly jaw and looked strikingly handsome in his royal blue and golden robe. Every maiden died on his looks, not me though. I was an exceptional case.
Beside the queen was Nick, his dark brown hairs were actually combed! His hazel eyes looked blankly at the camera. I was starting to get creeps just by staring at him. His pink lips wore an utterly fake smile. He was wearing a royal blue and golden blazer, just like his father. His crown was smaller in comparison to his parents, it was just plain silver ring studded with diamonds. I suppose.
Beside the queen was Sabrina. She looked really pretty. Her glossy auburn hairs were in a neat and perfect bun, a silver tiara against it. Her brown eyes looked really happy, so did her face. Her white skin glowed with the beautiful smile laced on her baby pink, glossy lips. She was not wearing makeup, just a little blush. She, just like her mother, sported a royal blue gown. But it had a white rose on the right side of her shoulder. It was an off sleeve gown with a straight neck line.
What made me want to smack myself and pinch my hand a hundred times was, the girl in the middle of the royal family. I really wanted to have an eye test now because that girl was no one else, but me!
Shocking! Isn't it?
The girl in the middle of Queen Celestia and King Reynolds was just like me. She had bangs and soft blonde curls, hanging from her head all the resting on her shoulders and extending till her chest. She had a golden tiara on, unlike the rest of the family, she was remarkably different. She had sea-green eyes, just like mine. The same jaw, the same thin nose, the same face shape and skin tone.
She was all me! Or was I all her? Unlike the rest of her family she was wearing a milk white gown with royal blue flowers. She didn't wear makeup at all. Just a little lip gloss that made her smile even more charming! Could I ever look so pretty?
Nah...Not even in your dreams…
I looked up at Nick and Sabrina, who were looking back at me with questioning looks. "Is…is this photo edited?" I ask foolishly.
Nick just rolled his eyes, whereas Sabrina groaned.
"No silly!"Sabrina whisper shouted.
"Just flip the picture and face it towards sunlight. You will be able to read the words," Nick instructed me while opening the black tinted windows. I spotted that the car was being guarded by the same men that surrounded me before.
I just nodded and did as I was told. When the sunlight hit the shining surface of the photograph, some words appeared.
As I read them, I realized, they weren't just words. They were names of the royal family.
From left to right-
Second Prince Christopher Nicholas Reynolds; Her Highness, The Queen, Celestia Stella Reynolds; Crown Princess Claire Gwenth Reynolds; The Royal Highness Reynolds Retrica and the First Princess of Retrica, Clementine Sabrina Reynolds.
Whoa! They have got really cool names!
"Cool names!" I voiced my thoughts. Sabrina scoffed and Nick just grinned.
"Well what-" Nick started but was, yet again, ruthlessly interrupted by Sabrina.
"Now that you know about us, you have to help us," she said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Yeah but-" I started but she interrupted me again.
"No 'ifs' and 'buts' babe! If you wanna live, come with us." She said in a superior tone. She pulled out the necklace from my shorts and made me wear it. She gave me an approving smile and shifted back.
"What do I have to do?" I ask, still in a daze, pondering over the facts that were shuffled and hazy in my brain.
"Well-" Nick began but Sabrina beat him to it.
"Just do what you are perfect at!" she replied with a shrug, crossing her legs.
"What?" I asked. "Steal?" I mocked.
"Not really… it's more like 'keep away attention' and talk your way out through things!" she says and then trails off.
"Say something Nick!" she commands to which he just shrugs.
"I would have said something, if you only let me!" he countered.
"Well, now I am giving you the chance. Speak!" she commands again. He just rolls his eyes and starts the engine, pretty smoothly. I just sit there like a dumb potato being abducted my rich people. I don't know what I am getting myself into. I am confused as hamburgers!
Nick broke my bubble of thoughts when he started speaking. "I think you acknowledged the fact that you look exactly like my twin sister Claire, right?"
I nodded my head and mouthed 'yeah', Even though I had zillions of questions flooding my brain.
"Nobody can figure out the difference between you if you were to wear a blonde wig." He stated flatly, to which I nodded.
"So you got to…" he trails of and Sabrina starts rubbing my right arm. She was she was sitting towards my right side.
"You just have to pretend to be Claire!" Sabrina fills in.
"WHAT?!" I shrieked. My eyes went wide and I looked as if I had seen a ghost.
"Yeah…" she replied meekly.
"Please. Help us!" Nick pleads, though it sounds like a strict order.
"But…" I am completely lost now. A girl like me, is supposed to act like a princess? I had never in my wildest dreams dreamt something this insane!
"Why though? What happened to Claire?" I ask
"Well…" nick starts, but couldn't complete as usual
"It is because Claire ran away."
My eyes widened to their limit. "ran away?!"
The royal duo meekly nodded their heads.
"Why?" I asked softy. It was a really bizarre situation, the crown princess of Retrica ran away?! Abandoning her lush life! That was insane!
"No questions asked," Sabrina replied firmly, while taking my hand, as the siblings nodded their heads in agreement. Nick started to drive the car, a little faster.
"Just promise me you will accept the offer?" Sabrina said in a pleading tone, a strained expression on her face.
She needed me. She was royalty. She was rich. She'd pay me. I'll get to have good food and house. I'll incur profit in every condition. It's a win-win situation.
So, I nodded. How bad could a little game of pretend be?