Chapter Three

"I'm clocking out," I announce.

"Naomi," my mother runs out of the kitchen wearing an apron.

"You and Salie have to buy me things at the supermarket."

"NO." Salie and I scream at the same time.

Mom is shocked: "What's wrong with you two?" She asks.

"Tell Salie to do it; her legs probably run faster than her mouth," I say, and Salie's mouth drops open. I ignore her and head for the door.

As soon as I leave the bakery, the cold wind attacks me; I breathe in and out sharply. To be honest, I don't know why I'm acting this way. Based on Reuben's reaction, I wasn't what he expected, but wasn't that what I wanted? For some reason, it burned, but only a little.

I don't want to go home because if I saw Salie again I would remember everything, and right now I just wanted to forget.

I took out my phone and dialed my best friend's number, which she picked up in seconds.

"I thought I'd never hear from you again," Aleah exclaimed. We haven't spoken in a while, and it was my fault.

"Sorry, I've been busy at the bakery."

"It's okay." She waved it off.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm just on my way home," I respond, knowing where she's going. I mean, it's the reason I called. I feel like a terrible friend, but.

"Shall we go clubbing tonight?"

"I'll be there in five."

With that said, the line went dead. I immediately took a taxi and headed to Aleah's house.

It was a Friday evening, and the club was packed. Aleah and I made our way through the crowd, but not without being pushed from side to side. I almost regretted my decision; maybe I should have stayed home.

She led us to the counter, and before we could even say a word, the bartender offered us a drink. It wasn't a surprise; Aleah is a party girl. She probably comes here regularly.

Aleah grabbed the shot glass in front of her and poured the liquid contents down her throat. I imitated her actions, and as soon as the alcohol flowed down my spine, I felt my senses open up.

"Let's dance," she led me onto the dance floor, and I followed her.

After spending the night clubbing, Aleah and I were exhausted. I was the drunk one here. Aleah dragged me along the sidewalk, trying to pull a cab over while I spewed gibberish. "How many coconuts?" I asked very seriously.

"You're a mess," she shook her head, "you should stop drinking."

"Why," I pouted and wrapped my arms around her. "When I have you."

Luckily a taxi stopped, and Aleah tucked me in.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked for the hundredth time. "You don't want me to come with you?"

"I'm not a baby," I teased, "I'll be fine."

We said our goodbyes and the car left.

When I got home, I could see that the lights were still on. I tapped my phone screen, and the time read, "2:42."

But that's not what made my heart sink into my stomach; it was the fact that I had seventy-five missed calls.

I gathered all my courage and went inside.

"Where have you been?" As soon as I entered, I was greeted by my father's harsh tone.

Then it was mom's next. "Why didn't you pick up your phone?"

"Is that alcohol I smell?" Sage asked, sniffing the air like a dog.

"You did a terrible job in raising your daughter, Valerie," an unfamiliar voice said.

I turned and saw a woman sitting elegantly on the sofa in a shiny dress that sparkled like diamonds in the dark. She had a stern look on her face, and her eyes were cold as stone.

Even though I was a little sober, I could still feel the alcohol coursing through my veins. I fell to my knees and spun around, laughing like a madwoman.

Mom immediately stood in front of me and lowered her head towards the woman. "I apologize for my daughter's rude manners; she's just drunk."

"As if being half-born isn't enough, she comes home drunk at three in the morning," the woman says incredulously.

I keep rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off. She sounds like Cinderella's evil stepmother, but with a higher pitch, which means she sounds worse.

"I'm sorry, my-" my mother begins to apologize, but the woman cuts her off abruptly.

"This is the girl you want to make queen!?"

Everywhere goes silent; no one dares to speak a word, for some reason, I quiet down feeling the rising tension.

With a clap of her hands, two men I hadn't taken note of stepped forward.

"Take her to the limo," orders the woman.

They move forward, but their path is blocked by my father.

"What do you think you're doing here?" He questions.

Her lips remain firm as if to express displeasure. "Move aside, Baker."

She says the word baker like it's an insult.

"Don't you think we can talk things out?" Mom tries to reason.

"My son told me he met a girl who claimed to be royalty and she even bragged about being engaged to him, she was also very rude."

My mother turns to me in shock, "What? When did this happen?" But I don't say a word.

Salie smiles mischievously, knowing she's responsible.

"I decided to come and see for myself..." the woman continued. "But it turns out she's even worse than Reuben described."

"More than anyone, I don't want this wedding to take place, but the royal family has no choice once a promise is made, it must be kept."

"Even though she is a half-ling, we still have to carry out the orders of the late king, and this woman sitting here in front of me is not fit to be queen."

"And I have to shape her into one."

This is all happening way too quickly. I can tell by the crestfallen faces of my parents that they are not in control of the situation.

Dad reluctantly steps aside, and the men come towards me. In the blink of an eye, I am lifted off the groun

d like a sack of rice headed to what I would guess to be the limo.

Damn, I don't even get to say goodbye to my family.