Never Alone

Chapter 2: Rescued (Emery)

I have to finish this news article quickly. The people of the kingdom are demanding answers. Princess Penny was kicked out of the royal palace. I mean, it's breaking news.

The kingdom doesn't get a lot of news. It's really small. If you came here and had never heard of it, you would think you were crazy and that you were back in nineteen thirty. Of course, its two thousand twenty-three. We have cell phones and everything. It just looks really old fashioned here, not that that's bad or anything. I love the way it looks. I couldn't imagine life without it. Almost everyone loves the castle, and they love the royal family. That's why most newspapers cover stories like this.

My parents called after hearing the news last night. They're on a six-month trip with my little sister and were shocked like everyone else.

"Come in," I hear the editor say.
I have to give the editor every article I make, since he doesn't like us emailing it to him.
"Oh, hello Emery. Is the article done?"
"It is." As he reads over it, I can't help but wonder where the princess is now.
"It will be up very soon."

I decide to take a walk after work. I only got my job a week ago. It's really surprising because I'm only fifteen. Since the kingdom is so small, you can work at almost anywhere as a teenager. Like I said, it's really old fashioned. Now that I do work here, I like to take walks through this alley nearby. It's so quiet.

Then, I spot someone crying against the wall. She has sun blonde hair and is wearing a blue t-shirt with jeans. She also has her head down, but occasionally looks up. I'm guessing she's crying, not that I'm watching or anything. 

"Are you okay?" I ask, standing against the brick wall.
The girl has been looking down again, and jumped when I started talking.
"Oh, sorry. I like walking through here and I saw you crying, so I wanted to make sure you were okay."
She stares at me. "Thank you. I'm okay. I just went through something, and I don't really have anywhere to go."
"That's hard," I sit down beside her. "I'm Emery.
"I'm...Violet."
"How did you find the alley? It's pretty rare anyone sees it, although I only found it recently, so how would I know."
"I was walking, and I saw the opening. It seemed quiet, so I've been here all day."
"So, you have no idea where you're going?"
"Not exactly," she laughs. "I just can't figure it out."

I couldn't imagine worrying about where I'm going next. It's really rare people are "bad guys" in town or anything so maybe...I know what I have to do.

"This is going to sound really crazy because I just met you literally two minutes ago, but I have an extra room at my house. My parents left yesterday for a six-month trip. Do you want to come stay with me for a while?"
She gave me a look of shock.
"There aren't usually any "bad guys" in town or anything, so it should be safe."
"Yes! Thank you so much."

You know that feeling you get when you know you're doing something ridiculous and maybe even dangerous, but you know it might be the best decision you've ever made? I'm having that feeling right now.