Princess Undercover

"Fais vite(Hurry up), Aquilina!" I hear Jason, my cousin, shout up to me. I can tell he is standing below the stairs. "J'arrive (I'm coming)!" I holler back at him. "You wouldn't want to get stuck at the Security Checkpoint, would you?" Though we are not often seen together at school, Jason has decided to make a habit of 'making sure I arrive there in time'. "I'm almost done. I’ll catch the bus in time, don’t worry.” I quickly button up my dark red jacket, completing my uniform. At Velvet Regent, the "Royals" get to wear whatever they want, so long as they keep the colours the same. The "Commoners" wear our navy blue skirts (for the girls and la otra for the boys) and dark red jackets with golden pins. That is kind of ironic since the motto of the school is, "Ut Omnes Unum Sint", "That All May Be One." Well, one look at our uniforms tells you straightway that all are not one. Will we ever? I hurry down the stairs just as I hear Jason's phone ring. After a moment, he turns to me with a curious look on his face and hands the phone over. "It's for you." I arch an eyebrow and reach for it. "Shawn," Jason mouths quietly to me. What does he want now? "Hello," I answer walking towards the window. "Princess, I believe you are fine. Well, I will just cut to the chase. The Organisation is going to be keeping a close eye on you. So, continue to do your best to keep a low profile. Alright?" I swallow hard to hide my hurt. "I hear you, Sir." "Good. I also want to let you know that I'm working hard on your case. Don't give up, alright?" "Yes, Sir." I hear all his promises but have a hard time letting my heart believe them. "Everything okay?" Jason asks me when the call ends. I only nod at him. "Then, get going." • • • • • • • "You will be pairing for this classwork," Mr LeBlanc announces and everyone groans. Of course, except for the royals. We are now in Social Studies and are being assigned groups. The pairing is done by AI (Artificial Intelligence) or so they claim. But throughout my time here, it has never seemed to pair the right personalities. "Here comes the art of Artificial Dumbness." The Asian boy in front of me murmurs. "Last time, I got paired with the daughter of my father's business rival," another girl in front of me whispers to her friend. And on, and on they went. "Funny how the Royals in the class never get paired with someone they don't like?" My close friend, Natalie, whispers to me. Though she doesn't know the real me, I still consider her a close friend. "I wonder if the system thinks the rest of us complete losers," she goes on. I only smile and shake my head at her. I guess one could call me quiet. But not inside my head. My brain knows how talkative I am. It is never silent up there. "Hey, do you think we might get paired this time around?" She flips through the pages on her tablet. "I hope so. I cannot flunk this class if I am going into law," I sigh and turn to look out the window. I chose to study law now because of my elder brother, Mike, who happens to be one of the best lawyers in the world. I admire him a lot for that. GOD gifted me (and my siblings) with a high IQ. And, I always want to learn something new that will bring Him Glory. Law has always intrigued me despite having studied medicine years afore. Having helped my brother whilst he was still studying helped me get an overview of it. "I keep telling you. You are too uptight. Loosen up a little. You've got the brains and the looks. Like that party tonight..." "No," I say immediately, my heart turning stone-cold. "You see, this is what I mean. At least consider..." She begins and we both hear a throat clearing. We turn to see Mr LeBlanc staring down at us. "Are you both done checking on your group info already?" he asks sternly. I feel a little warmth in my cheeks and quickly unlock my tablet and tap on the notification icon which has "1" on it. In my peripheral vision, I see Natalie doing the same, and then she groans. Mine takes a little longer to load. It finally displays my partner. Then, I blink. Once, twice, then the third time. I glance around the class, then toward the back seat. He is staring back at me, no, glaring. What have I gotten myself into? I stare at the screen again. Then I reload. It must have been a mistake. No, the results on the screen are the same. . . . Javier Miguel García de Habsburgo