I stare blankly at the wooden table. The sun beat down on me, leaving small droplets of sweat on my forehead. 'What am I doing?' I asked myself, astonished. Life was not perfect, not even for me, a Princess. No, I wasn't the Princess of this country, America. But the Princess of a small island country called LiaMia. It wasn't a very popular country now days, but it was gorgeous nonetheless. The beauty came from the crystal clear waters that surrounded it and the endless amounts of flowers that littered the grounds. I leaned my elbows on the table and rested my chin on my hands. I was glad no one was around yet, oddly. It was close to midday, where was everyone? Either way, I wasn't worried about anyone seeing me. No one would recognize me. Not because I was from a small country, but because I had dyed and cut my once beautifully long blond hair. With a sigh, I got up from the chair I've been sitting in for the past hour, Stretched and looked at my surroundings. Seeing a few wildflowers, I decided to pick them. They would remind me of home, the place I grew up my whole life. I wasn't familiar with these flowers, So I couldn't tell you the name of them.
Now you may be wondering why I'm in America. No, I'm not on vacation. Ha! As a matter-of-fact, I'm far from on vacation. My parents are amazing rulers, but terrible parents. I'm the middle child. I have two sisters, Rosia and Esme. Rosia is older than me, shes next in line for the thrown and Esme is younger than me, She's still just a child. The reason I consider my parents being horrible parents, is they're beyond overprotective. Now I'm not trying to diss any parents out there that like to watch their kids like a hawk. But my parents won't let me follow any sort of dreams of mine. All they want is to place me in an arranged marriage with a stranger and tell me what sort of job to get. As a princess, I don't need a job, but I want one. I don't want my good talents being wasted, I have hopes and dreams too. But they don't want me to follow my dreams, they want me to follow theirs. I can't stand being forced into something I don't want. I tried reasoning with them, but that was out of the question. Anyways, to skip all the boring details. I got fed up with them, I wanted to prove I could live a happy life on my own. So I ran to America...With no money, only the clothes on my back. I'm sure it'll be rough, I have no doubts. But what else am I suppose to do? I gathered the last flower near me and started walking towards town. I hadn't given myself the chance to explore much, since I just wanted some time to think things through.
'What in the world am I going to do? I have no money....No food.....Or a place to sleep!' I mentally slapped myself for not having thought this through. The first thing I knew I'd need, Is some money. I walked through the town, Starlight Shores, till I heard a bunch of laughing. Curious, I hid behind a tree and peaked out to see three teenagers. Two were leaned up against a dumpster, the third one was hanging half-way in the dumpster. I wrinkled my nose. 'Eww...What are they doing?' The teen in the dumpster, which was a male, jumped out, holding a few items in his hand. “Alright Adam, lets go to the consignment store and sell these� Him and his friends nodded and left. I raised an eye-brow. It wasn't the cleanest way to earn money, but it'd have to do for now. I took a deep breath, ran over to the dumpster and went digging inside. Though I smelt like rotten fish and garbage afterward, I managed to find a decent looking pad and pen set and a hunk of gold. Eager to sell it, I brushed myself off and tucked the items away. I sniffed the air. I smelt terrible, I needed a shower. I looked around and spotted a gym.
I jogged over to the gym, hoping they'd have a shower I could use. But upon entering, a sign read 'For paid members only, no public use' I groaned, tugging some garbage out of my hair. 'Dang it!' I glanced around, I could hear people working out, but no one was at the front desk. I smiled. Maybe I could sneak in. Taking a few further steps in, I seen the door that led to the woman's restroom. I mentally jumped for joy and quietly snuck into the restroom. There was some damp towels hanging on a rack. Having no other choice, I decided I'd use one despite it being someone's towel. The shower was fully stocked, probably with other members stuff. I shrugged to myself, stripped my clothes off and quickly took a shower. I washed my clothes in the shower too, to rid some of the stench. Then I waited in the bathroom till they were damp. I was thankful no one came in, even though I hid in the stall.
After getting dressed, I checked myself out in the mirror. I never imagined myself with black hair. But in all honestly, It almost suited me better than my blonde hair. But that was my opinion. My eyes were a icy blue, which stood out with my black hair and eye-brows. It was a pretty color and I finally appreciated them. I grabbed my flowers, gold, pad and pen set and snuck out of the gym.
I dashed out of the gym quicker than the road runner, Thankful yet again that no one seen me. I wasn't in the mood to get thrown into jail. 'Though they do have beds and food, even if it's not the best. It's better than this' I thought grimly. But I didn't regret my decision to runaway (Even though I was 23, Old enough to leave, but it was against LiaMia rules to leave the country when you're a Royal) I slowed my pace when I was farther away from the gym. My stomach growled softly, but I ignored it. I couldn't think of food right now, not when it'll be hard for me to find some. I looked around to see if any of the places caught my eye and that I was allowed in. One place caught my eye. 'Rodeo-go-go' it looked like a bar perhaps. I smiled, walking up to the doors and into the bar. There was music and the sound of occasional chatter, but the place appeared dead. There were only a handful of people.
A guy behind the bar with short blond hair approached me with a warm smile. “Hello there gorgeous, My names Carl” He said, introducing himself. He had a slight southern accent. He seemed young. “Hello” I greeted back, shaking his hand. “Can I get you anything?” He offered, gesturing to the bar. I shook my head, I couldn't afford a thing! “No thank you. Just getting a look around. I'm new to town” I had no intentions of telling him where I was from. My life was a secret. “Is that so? Well you should come here more often than. This place is normally packed, it'd be easy for you to meet people” He said, glancing around the place. I smiled, nodding silently. We talked for a bit more as the sun began setting. I learned that he's a Proprietor who's ambitious. Also that he graduated from Gooder public school. I was glad I had the chance to talk to someone, it was nice. But the darker it got, the sooner I had to leave. I said my goodbye and left with a smile.
Though the sun was nearly completely down, it was still a bit early. The air was cooler then earlier, but still warm. Like Carl suggested, I went to the grocery store to see if they would buy the wildflowers from me. To my disappointment, they didn't buy nor sell them. I frowned, pouting softly as I left the store, my stomach growling louder. I held my stomach and groaned. The only option I had left was to scout someone's house, See if they'll invite me in and sneak a snack out of their fridge. It was a low blow, but I was starving. I stretched my legs for another long walk and began scouting out homes. Some were vacant because no one lived there, Some were vacant because the owners were out and about, and finally I found a house.
It was a small, comfy looking house. It made me yearn for a home of my own, a small one like this one. One that I could start a family in and have a small farm. A house I could call mine. Though the thought saddened me because it seemed like such a distant dream, I threw a smile on my face and approached a woman who was outside taking her trash out. “Hello” I started. She looked up at my approach. “I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm far from home and was wondering if I could use your restroom real quick” I lied. It hurt me to lie, it was such a terrible act. She smiled, nodding. “Sure, follow me”
She led me inside and to her bathroom. Once I used it, I peaked out the door. She was no where in sight. I stumbled over some children's toys till I was in the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab the first thing my hand landed on. A juice box. Not wanting to get caught, I called a quick thank you and told her I was leaving. Even though I was pretty sure she'd end up being suspicious of me, I didn't care. I needed something to eat, though I ended up getting a drink. I quickly walked out of the house and down the road, sipping my drink on the way. Though it helped some, I was still hungry but it was bearable. I tossed my empty drink into a nearby garbage and made my way back to the park I was in earlier. I spotted a bench with some worn-out cushions. 'It'll have to do' I thought, realizing how sleepy I was.
I curled up on the bench, closing my eyes, thankful that it was warm outside. It was early summer so I expected it to be warm during the nights as well. I feared the upcoming cold weather in fall and winter. I slept decently through the night, despite the uncomfortable bench and endless amounts of nightmares about my life back in LiaMia. I missed my sisters, our cat Minx and down deep I missed my parents, but I did not miss the way they were parenting us. Maybe I was in the wrong, it didn't matter now though. It was too late to worry. If I went back, I'd get in more trouble.
The following morning, I awoke to the sound of birds chirping. There was no one roaming the park, except a few animals, since it was still too early. The sun hadn't begun to rise yet. I yawned and stretched, feeling my muscles ache slightly from the bench. I ran my hands through my hair. My mind raced for things to do today. The possibilities seemed endless yet limited at the same time. I stood up, the heel's of my feet aching from all the walking I did yesterday. No amount of sleep would cure them. Of course I ended up walking through town though, Looking at the buildings I haven't seen yet. Then a thought popped in my head. 'The consignment store! I could go there and try to sell the flowers!' The thought made me eager, so I picked up my pace till I came to a small consignment shop.
Strangely, the door was unlocked but no one was inside. I walked up to the counter, peering around. I figured someone must be in the bathroom that worked here. “Hello?� I called, but no answer came. I frowned slightly, turning around and leaning against the counter. 'I'll wait' I thought to myself. The place was small and cute. Racks of clothes and shelves of random items were being sold. A large drawing table caught my eye. It had every drawing item needed, already laid out to use. I raised my eye-brow, smiling to myself.
I sat down in the semi-comfortable seat and grabbed a pencil. 'May as well keep myself occupied' The paper had some erase marks, so I figured someone used it while it was in the store. My drawing skills were pretty pathetic, I wasn't much of an artist. But I knew practice made perfect! The more I draw, the better I'll become. I drew and drew, ignoring the fact that my drawing seemed to look worse the more I did it. But eventually I had to stop, hearing the sound of my own stomach growl. I hopped off the chair, tired of waiting for someone to show up. I walked out the door and continued in the direction I hadn't been before.
Eventually I came to another, smaller park. It had a large pond and lots of trees. My face lit up with joy, butterflies fluttered in my tummy when I seen a banana tree. I was an exceptional gardener, so I could easily pick off some food for myself to eat. I reached up and picked off a few banana's, then gingerly eating one. My stomach no longer growled, but settled down. I scanned the rest of the park, hoping to find another tree. Instead, I found a bush of lettuce. I giggled out loud, happy to see food that was free. I picked off some lettuce and stored it away for when I needed it. I lingered in the park, taking naps and skipping pebbles into the water. The sun had begun to set when I decided to leave. Because of the heat, I started to sweat. I concluded that I'd need another shower. I stretched my legs and began jogging towards the gym. My feet screamed in protest, but I wanted to get there before they closed.
No one was at the front desk again, to my luck. I usually got pretty lucky in situations like this. I smiled, looking around as I heard grunts from people working out on the upper level. I snuck into the bathroom, which was empty, and took a shower. This time I didn't waste time washing my clothes since they didn't smell bad. I hid in the bathroom stall till I could hear someone closing up. No one noticed me in the stall, thankfully. After the place was silent and empty, I ventured around, looking for a comfortable place to sleep.
I ended up back outside, but on a much more comfortable chair that was by the pool. It was warm outside still, but not nearly as bad as earlier. I got myself comfortable, resting my head against the back of the chair. I closed my eyes, allowing the muscles in my body to relax. My hair slowly dried, but dripping onto my jacket. My feet burned from being on them so much, but I ignored it. I had an easier time falling asleep than I did when I was on the bench. It was more comfortable here, by tons. 'I'll have to come here more often' I thought, smiling. Soon, I slipped into a dreamless sleep.
The following morning, I got up feeling slightly more relaxed. My feet still hurt, which annoyed me. It was still pretty early, so no one had opened the place up just yet. I figured I'd hide in the bathrooms again till someone opened up the gym and I could sneak out. I hid in one of the stalls. It was clean, so it made my wait a lot more comfortable. I heard the sound of keys jingling and voices, indicating that someone was opening up. I waited a few minutes, then peaked out the bathroom door quietly. No one was in sight. I dashed through the door and ran down the street, happy that no one had spotted me. After I ate another banana, I decided to quickly stop by the park again to see if there was anything else I could harvest for food.
I managed to find a few more plants spread through-out the park. I harvested some tomato's, grapes and a few more head's of lettuce. Satisfied that I'd have enough to last me a day or two, I walked back towards town. I had no where in mind to go, I didn't know what to do with myself anymore. I used to always be occupied with something back home in LiaMia, but now that I was homeless, there seemed to be nothing to do. I ended up back at the 'Rodeo-go-go' bar, craving someone's attention. I needed someone to talk to, being homeless got lonely after awhile.
The place was bare this time, no one. 'Maybe they just opened' I thought. I sat myself at the bar, waiting patiently for someone to show up so I could have some company. The bartender, Carl, came out from the bathroom, drying his hands off on some paper towel. I looked away, smiling to myself, hoping he'd come talk to me. He tossed the paper towel away and sat silently beside me. I could almost feel his eyes on me. I stayed silent, hoping he'd say something. Instead, after a minute, He got up and walked towards the mechanical bull. “Wait!” I called, jumping off the stool and walking towards him. He smiled and turned. “I figured you'd come back” He said, his southern accent sending shivers down my spine. I looked down to hide my blush. “Y-Yeah. Haven't met anyone yet and I'm getting pretty lonely, I thought I'd come say hello”
He nodded. “Well hello. If you hang out for awhile, some people should be showing up soon. I just opened the place up, so I'm the only one here.” “That's fine. I can hang for awhile. I have to head to the consignment store later to see if I can make some money off my wildflowers. I kinda need the money” “Does your job not pay much?” He asked curiously. I blinked, opening my mouth to respond but closing it shut. A job! How could I forget? I needed a job to make money. It was one of the reasons I was here in the first place. I mentally face palmed myself. “O-Oh..No, I'm unemployed right now. But I'm looking! Do you know any places that are hiring?” I was hopeful. He smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I heard the hospital was hiring.” I smiled. “Thank You so much”
I let him get back to work after we talked a bit more. I sat in one of the chairs, pulling one of my heads of lettuce out to munch on. It wasn't the best tasting, but it satisfied my hunger for a bit longer. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought about getting a job. All this time I was worried about making money and the possibility that I'd be homeless during winter, but I never thought I'd be going around town and looking for a job. I suppose with everything on my mind, A job had slipped my mind in some way. Or the thought that I could make money at the consignment shop made me forget that getting a job was a better idea. Whatever the reason was, I was glad Carl said something to me. All I needed to do was get some rest and I'd be up and ready to get a job tomorrow at the hospital. Finally, Some real hope!
So, it's not the best but it was fun to make(= I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1~ I do apologize for any errors I made with grammar or the pictures (Like when you can see the outside from the ceiling. Darn ceiling Lol) Anyways, Enjoy~~