Chapter 5: Meet and Greet

~Malia~

Finding out I had to move to an entirely different country with my rich aunt and grandparents? Feasible enough.

Finding out I had to go to a rich boarding school with snobby high school kids who had everything handed to them their entire lives?  Hard to swallow, but still doable.  If I could survive all that life had thrown my way before, then who was to say I couldn't survive some prep school?

Finding out I had to go to the same school as the Prince of the country that I was suddenly a citizen of?!  Not going over so well.

"Well, isn't there like another school you could send me to?  Like, one that is second best in the country?  I really wouldn't mind, and-"

"Malia, you'll be fine I promise, now stop worrying.  My mum and dad aren't going to try to force you into something you don't want to do, but the school is non negotiable. So you might want to get used to the idea before you pull a muscle in your eye from glaring so hard," she said and I reached up to my eyes and sure enough, there was a slight twitch forming in the left one.

I groaned animatedly and threw my hands up in the air like the teenager I really was and relished the fact that I could do that without getting beaten up for it-that is, until a sharp shooting pain trailed down my entire side and my groan increased.

"The doctor said no sports and no sudden, harsh movements of any kind!  You'd do well to listen to the physician's orders," Mar warned me and I just gave her another one of my famous glares that I'd perfected when I couldn't talk back.

"Fine, but that doesn't mean that I won't like it."

"And we're here."

Sprawling hills of greenery and lush trees lined the entrance of the 'estate'.  My mouth hanging wide open as I took in my new home, it finally hit me that I was going to be living in England with some of the richest people I'd ever met in my entire existence.

I felt my legs start bouncing up and down in trepidation and nervousness as the butterflies were teeming with anticipation in my gut.

I rolled down the window and stuck my head out to get a better look at my surroundings and was glad that I did.

Approaching the home, or should I say, castle- was a tree lined paved driveway with a massive wrought iron gate towering at its front.  Once the guard in the shack beside it waved us through, we began our journey towards the castle that looked to be miles away.

As we inched closer, I noticed its light grey stone coloring and the single tower that looked over the estate.  There was no way I'd ever get used to that.

Just weeks ago, I was living in a tiny mobile home on a bed that dug into my side anytime I tried to move.

And suddenly I was thrust into a world where I would be living in a freaking real life castle.  It wasn't real, it couldn't be real.  Not for someone like me...

"Are you sure I'm not on some game show where they'll jump out at me and yell that I'm being punk'd right?" I asked Mar who was sitting next to me scrolling through what looked like business on her professional looking tablet.

She didn't act like she basically came from royalty, in fact she acted very down to earth and nothing like I would have imagined someone from her background to act like.

"Oh I'm very serious.  We live very close to the school so you won't have to take part in the boarding aspect of it as most of the higher up students don't."

"That's assuring," I told her sarcastically.

Finally she cracked a smile and sighed, taking off her tortoise shell rimmed glasses and placing her hands in her lap, she looked even more polished than I had ever seen her.  Perhaps it was the familiar, poised atmosphere that brought back her stiff demeanor.

"Malia, I know this all must seem overwhelming, especially after all that you've been through.  Which is why we have made arrangements for you to speak with someone about your incident."

"What, like a therapist?"

"Precisely.  More like a counselor.  We just want to make sure we're doing right by you."

"I don't need therapy.  I handled Daniel and my mom's death by myself, and honestly Robert being shot and taken to jail wasn't traumatic, it was honestly therapeutic in a sense.  My attacker and abuser is behind bars and I'm safe, save for a few scars and broken ribs that will heal.  So will my mind.  You just have to give me some time and I'll become one of those rich snobby teenagers like the ones you expect me to be friends with in a few days," I told her dryly, hoping she'd appreciate the sentiment behind my words.

"I truly am grateful to you for saving me from that life, from what he did to me.  But now that I'm out, I don't have to 'talk' to someone about my feelings.  If you have a question you can just ask me."

Sighing lightly and flicking her eyes around the limo, she pressed the button to close the space between us and the driver.  Once it was shut she turned her eyes to me.

"Are you sure you're going to be ready to enter such a high society like the one around you?  If you walk in and meet your grandparents like a high functioning girl who seems like nothing is wrong on the outside, they're going to push for etiquette lessons, education training and then they're going to want to present you to high society in a coming out ball."

"Coming out?  I'm not gay," I told her and she cracked a small smile.

"No, coming out into society, to introduce you to the formal world. I'm going to be upfront with you, it will be one of the most overwhelming situations of your life.  Smiling at people you've never met, having to be nice to the people who treat you like the dirt under your shoe.  Possibly meeting the King and his family.  Are you going to be ready for that in just three months?  It's when they want you to have your ball."

"Three months?!" I squeaked out at her incredulously.  I would barely be able to function at school, let alone a formal ball in three months.

"Precisely.  Which is why you can't hide your feelings around us, tell us how you're feeling.  We may not be used to such openness but its what is going to keep you from having to enter society quite yet."

"So basically act depressed and mopey?"

"More or less, yes.  I know the incidents you've had to deal with in your life have been tragic, and you don't let them define you which is how I know how strong of a woman you really are.  But for the sake of your own mental stability, its the best way to go from here," she said and I nodded my head in agreement.

Suddenly we were at the front door and as we stepped out onto the tan colored pea gravel, my heart thumped wildly in my chest.  I gulped.  Maybe acting out of place and overwhelmed wasn't going to have to be an act, after all.

The walk inside was all a blur as I took in the clean tile that was shiny and beautiful underneath my dirty sneakers.  The limp that I still walked with definitely wasn't an act and I was glad when Mar came with my crutches, thankful that my arms were one of the only places that didn't hurt ridiculously when I tried to walk.

We entered a strangely placed 'seating' room as Mar had called it and inside were two older looking people who I assumed were my grandparents.

"Oh, you look just like her," the woman said, her white hair curling under a pretty pink hat that looked strange.  What was it with the hats?

She stood up and I took in her nice pleated skirt and small kitten heels and then I took in her features.  Wrinkles occupied most of her pale face and her high cheekbones accentuated the light blue eyes that were wide and brimming with tears.

"Malia.  It's so great to finally meet you after hearing so much about you.  I go by a few different names but you can call me Priscilla," she said and I smiled softly at her.

"Its so nice to finally meet you as well," I told her, eyes wide as well.  I could see where my mom got her soft smile and bright blue eyes from.

"You can just call me Richard," the man said who was finally stood up with some help from Mar.  He looked like he was ailing in his health which made sense considering their older age.

"Hello Richard," I said.

"You sound just like her too.  We miss her more than you'll ever know," Priscilla told me and I couldn't agree with her more.

"I do, too." I said solemnly, my head bowing in pain at the reminder of my mother.

"Well, that's enough of dredging up the past, I'm sure you'll want to see your room, yes? We heard about your...erm...injuries and made sure you had a room on the bottom floor.  We hope you'll find it to your liking," she said and I nodded my head at her thankfully.

"We'll have tea in the other room once you're done putting your things away.  Marissa will take you out tomorrow to go shopping for more clothes since she said you didn't come with much and we didn't want to make those decisions for you," she said and I was more than grateful for that decision.

"Thank you so much," I told her and she smiled a wistful smile.  She came up to me and put a fragile hand on my arm, her eyes almost the exact replica of my mom's.  I wanted to cry.

"You have no idea how happy we were when we heard about you."

And then she was gone and a butler was escorting me to my room.

Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.