knew I was a royal? Do they just report whatever they want without checking facts?”
“It’s like a big game of Telephone. One station reports something with a tiny fact wrong. Then the next station just reports what they reported. The next one reports what the second station reported, but draws conclusions that aren’t right, and so on and so on.” Jess shrugged, the blanket falling off her shoulders.
“That’s terrible. And scary.” I looked back at the TV. “Not to mention it pisses me off.”
Jess stared at me. “You know, you haven’t said much about it. About being royal.”
“That’s because I came home, went to sleep, and woke up to people watching my house like Elvis had come back from the dead.” Jess just stared at me. I leaned my head back against the cushion and sighed. “Fine, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I have no proof, really. It’s not like I can ask my mom.” My throat tightened and I had to pause. “They seemed pretty convinced and I can’t imagine they would have come to me if they weren’t sure. It’s… a lot to take in. They want me to go back with them.”
“Go back with them?” Jess sat up a little. “Wow.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to do it.”
“Are you crazy? Of course you’re going! You have to!” Jess stared at me like I was losing my mind. “You need to know more about your family. And imagine what all you could do as a royal.”
“I have school and my dad.” I shook my head. “I have a life here, and they want me to just drop it and become someone else.”
“That’s stupid. You’d still be Sam! Take your dad with you. I’ve always heard they have great healthcare over there. I mean, it’s not perfect, but Lilaria is one of the leaders in new healthcare treatments.”
I sighed. Did everyone know about their healthcare but me? “Yeah, they told me. I need to talk to Dad. I don’t know if he’s even up for that trip.”
“How did your family end up in the States? I mean, you had no idea you were royalty.”
“Apparently we defected when there was an uprising. Our family was a target, so they left in the middle of the night with no word and went into hiding.” I shrugged. “They left everything, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. You know my great grandfather was a gambler, so I guess it’s no surprise we have no money left. What upsets me the most is the fact that Mom never told me.”
“Maybe she didn’t know.”
“I’ll never find out.” I looked back at the TV and grimaced. They were using my school ID photo. Oh, bad-hair days. “I guess I need to get dressed if someone is on their way here.”
“You better text Prince Charming back too.”
“Would you stop with the nicknames?” I stood up and stretched.
“No way. I’m having too much fun.”
I flipped her the bird on my way back to my room but she just laughed. We’d known each other for too long for it to be anything other than a joke. When I closed my door, I looked at the phone in my hand. Quickly, before I overthought it, I texted him.
Me: Thank you for the heads up. I probably would have walked right out into a reporter.
Immediately my phone dinged back.
Unknown: I should have been ready for this, I’m sorry. Duvall is on his way with your truck. Please be careful today.
I frowned. Why would I need to be careful? And I couldn’t imagine having to second-guess my every move, trying to figure out how it would be perceived by everyone. I set the phone down on the dresser and grabbed some clothes out of my closet. I hesitated for a minute, wondering if I should worry about what I was wearing, but decided to stick with my normal stuff. It would be stupid to get all dressed up when I would most likely be cleaning cages later. Besides, maybe if I acted like there was nothing different people would leave me alone.
I grabbed my favorite jeans and a plaid shirt and pulled my hair up into a ponytail before taking a minute to text my dad and let him know I would be over after school to talk about something. I’d call, but he often slept late. Grabbing my bag and shoes, I headed for the living room. Bert was sitting on the couch, eating a bowl