Princess and Trouble (girlxgirl)

Chapter Two - Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind

Dakota's Point of View

By the time the sun started to set, I was actually enjoying myself. There was something quite fun about running around after a Frisbee like a bunch of children. I was laughing as I fell to the ground trying to catch it.

"It's getting late." Janet said, a hint of sadness in her words. "I think we should get going now."

I reluctantly agreed and picked myself up off the ground. Handing the Frisbee back to Janet, I dusted myself off and tried to straighten out my uniform and hair. With no success, I gave up and followed the girls back to our cars.

The girl under the tree was still sitting there. I had felt her eyes on me the entire time, though I had no idea why. Public school kids normally thought they were too good for us, though we all know that isn't at all true. What do they have that we don't?

I bid goodbye to the girls and climbed into my car. I was in such a good mood that I tapped along to the beat of all seven songs that came on as I drove home. When I got home, I parked my car in its spot and practically skipped to the front door.

"You're home late." I turned to see Mummy sitting in her chair in the sitting room. She wasn't mad, simply making an observation. "School finished ages ago, wherever have you been?"

"We went to the park." I explained as I made my way up to her. I leant down and planted a kiss on her left cheek. "Threw a Frisbee around for a bit."

"And how was that?" She asked.

"It was good." I said. "I don't think I've had that much fun in a long time."

"That's good. Now go tidy up before tea."

I walked upstairs and into my bedroom. I left my schoolbag on my bed then made my way into my bathroom. Stripping off, I took my time and hummed happily to myself as the water heated. After my shower, I wrapped a towel around myself and blow dried my hair before going back into my bedroom to find something to wear. I pulled on my bra and undies followed by a blue dress that fell to just above my knee with three quarter length sleeves. A quick glance at the clock told me it was 6:58. Dinner was always served at seven on the dot so I slipped on a pair of black ballet flats and went back down stairs.

Everyone else was already seated in the dining room when I walked in. Daddy at the head of the table, Mummy to his right and my brother, Francis, to his left. I took my seat beside Francis and Miss Wilson walked in from the kitchen with a plate of food in either hand. She placed one each in front of Daddy and Mummy, then returned to the kitchen for the other two. When Francis and I had her food, she placed an empty plate at the fifth table setting that was always prepared, but never used, and disappeared into the kitchen. With a nod of Daddy's head, we picked up our cutlery and began to eat our meal.

!@#$%^&*

That night, as I lay in bed, I couldn't fall asleep. The picture of the girl in the park refused to leave my mind. Who was she? Why was she there? Would she be there again? All of these questions were buzzing around in my head, keeping me awake. I didn't even know why I cared so much. She was just like any other grotty public-school kid. But for some reason, I couldn't convince myself that that was true.

When I finally fell asleep, it was unsettled. And I found myself dreaming about the girl. Though I'd never admit it, I hoped our paths would cross again.

!@#$%^&*

Alex's Point of View

As the three girls threw the Frisbee to each other, I watched the blonde-haired girl. She moved with such grace that I couldn't help it. It looked more like she was performing a choreographed dance routine than messing around with her friends.

By the time they left, she looked quite a lot different to when she arrived. Her uniform was no longer sitting right, a grass stain on her back which I wasn't sure she even noticed, and her hair was sticking up all over the place. Despite this, she managed to still look perfect.

As the sun was setting, I decided to leave after they drove away. I picked up my backpack and was on my way. It was quite a pleasant walk home. That was favourite time of day, as the sun was going down and the world was starting to slow down. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to live somewhere where the city never sleeps.

I opened the front door and was instantly met with the wonderful smell of Rosie's cooking.

"Alex, is that you?" I followed her voice into the kitchen.

She stood, leaning against the counter, one hand holding a glass of cheap red wine and the other holding Micky against her him.

"Hi, Rosie." I said. "What's for dinner?"

"Lasagna." She took a sip of her wine. "It'll be ready soon. Now, are you going to tell me where you've been?"

"The park." She raised an eyebrow but didn't ask me to elaborate, so I didn't

Matt walked through the front door just as Rosie was dishing up the lasagna. He came into the kitchen, placed a quick kiss on his wife's lips and ruffled his son's hair.

"Help take these to the table." Rosie said and handed him two plates.

He walked over to the table and I stepped up to take the next two. When all eight plates were placed around the table, Rosie called out that dinner was ready loud enough for anyone in the house to hear.

Elijah, Tiffany and Paul came rushing into the room, followed by Rosie senior, leaning heavily on her walking stick. Everyone took their seat at the table and folded their hands.

"Dear Lord," Matt prayed. "We thank you for the roof over our heads, the clothes on our backs and the food in our kitchen. We pray that someday no one in the world will have to go without these basic necessities, and that those more fortunate will find the generosity to help those in need. We pray that all the sick will be cured, that all the homeless will find shelter and that all the lonely will find companionship. Watch over the living, and let those in grieving be comforted by the knowledge that the deceased like on in the kingdom of Heaven. And, last but not least, thank you for Rosie's wonderful cooking, may she never lose her ability to make people feel loved through food. Amen."

"Amen." We chorused than everyone began to eat.

Rosie and Matt were good, Christian people. I don't think it was possible to find a bad word to say about either of them. The dedicated every moment they had to helping others. Matt worked as a psychologist, Rosie was a nurse until her mother fell ill. They volunteered with the church, at soup kitchens and nursing homes. And, though they only had one child of their own, they took in any child who needed their care. That's how Elijah, Tiffany, Paul and I came to live with them.

!@#$%^&*

"You weren't at school this afternoon." Tiffany said as we lay in our beds that night. "Where were you?"

"The park." I said.

"The park, really? For all that time?"

"Yeah. I saw something that caught my attention."

"What could have possibly kept your attention all afternoon. A drug dealer?"

"A girl."

"Oh."

I knew she wanted to ask more, but I was done talking about it. I rolled away from her and snuggled down into my blankets, signalling that the conversation was over and I was going to sleep. I heard her sigh but a moment later the light was flicked off.