...I woke up in a haze, the morning light brushing my skin, the only warmth I ever felt in this world. I began to walk through from my empty room to find a note on the counter. this was normally MariaSin. Even though my older sister she took a higher place other than that in school, home, and the community. Oh, how I hated her, not at her excellence but her treatment of me. I grabbed the note and opened it. It read: "morning sleepy head, food in fridge. Mom bedridden. Don’t mess up today." I knew she meant the exams, but how could I mess up? I looked to the clock and realized the time and knew I was already messing up. How could she not wake me? Was this on purpose? There is no time for silly questions. I ran to get dressed into uniform and grab my stuff. None was to be found. 'What the hell!? I laid it all out yesterday... MariaSin!' I grabbed her extra uniform and ran off to school. I got there to see HaniSo and SiYan blocking the doors. I didn't have time for those two nimwitted followers of my sister. I had to get in some way... that's when I saw it, the window to my class on the second floor open. I needed to climb. I ducked and began to crawl through the bushes to get to the building, so I wasn't noticed by those two nimwits. As I placed my hand on the building looking on toward the window, I wondered how I'd get up. The only way was the fire exit stairs, but the window attached was closed. Maybe someone would let me in? I began to jump the steps up towards the window and soon found myself out of breath and knocking to QuYan, my only friend in this world. She giggled, slightly scrunching her nose like a bunny. She opened the window while the teacher focused on the board. as I made it into class and fell into my chair, the door opened. "Mr. Que one of our prefects informed us that LuiChin is missing from your class on the day of exams." a teacher said, walking in, gazing sharply across the class, a shadow behind her... MariaSin. He evil glare and snicker said she hadn't yet spotted me and thought she'd won. "Well, let's see, shall we?" Mr Que started, but my sister bustled forward and shouted my name, "LuiChin? Chin? LuiChin? " she repeated. She then turned to the two teachers and smiled, "Doesn't seem like she's here." " Incorrect," I said, standing up awkwardly and smiling nervously. The teachers looked beyond my sister, and even though she did not turn around, I could see her smile wipe off her face and fill with anger. She and the other teacher left quickly, and the door closed behind them. 'How could she try and sabotage me like that? I can't believe that she would try to steal my stuff and block the entrance.' I suppose it was normal by then. Mr. Que began to hand out the exams, explaining we only had an hour to complete it and after we could leave. I began to write, and each question made me only want to think more of MariaSin. I tried to focus hard but could only think of her attempt to sabotage me. "Times up! papers on my desk. results will be in friday, " Mr Que said. 'What!? no! I only have one question left. Maybe I could finish writing it quickly.' I began scribbling down my last answer as a hand covered my paper. I looked up to Mr Que, who snatched the paper and placed it on his desk. As I left the class, HaniSo and SiYan pulled me into the bathroom. Their grins maliciously peircing into me. "You thought you could escape?" HaniSo began to say "not on our watch, " SiYan finished. Their symmetry oddly sickening. "I wasn't trying to escape. I simply didn't need the front door." Those words caused instant regret as HaniSo began to raise her fist to me. I braced only to hear QuYan's vioce break my brace. HaniSo and SiYan looked towards her and rolled their eyes back, laughing. " Are you here.." " To save the princess?" they laughed. QuYan smiled, "Well, I could call the teacher. but I think you two can decide that for yourself, hmmm?" HaniSo and SiYan looked to one another and smiled to QuYan. They dropped me and walked out, brushing hard up against QuYan. I felt ashamed, my cheeks burning as I looked to the ground. She walked up to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "You won't always be there. You know that?" My breath filled the silence. Her grip strengthened as she replied, "I know, but I can try. LuiChin, you are the only person I see that deserves more than she has. " Her words sunk in... that was it. I didn't deserve better. It would've come, I know it would. "It's not true. And anyways, the nimwits will only attack when they know you won't be there... like they always do." Her hand raised slightly but then firmly planted on my shoulder. "Come, I'll walk you home." QuYan replied, ignoring my self pitying tactics....

As she walked me home, she smiled and laughed, listening to my jokes and words with a whole heart. Sometimes, I wondered if she was just pretending, but then she'd have an intellectual reply to something that I thought never needed one. Her smile would light up my mood, and her laugh made me feel like maybe... just maybe I was worth a damn... till I had to walk the corridor myself. Enter the door myself. Find MariaSin myself. There, she stood a towering figure ready to fire any ammunition she had. Her arms crossed, and her brow furrowed so deep it could dig a grave. "LuiChin ...LuiChin ...LuiChin ... I thought you'd have learned by now that you can not avoid me. You can avoid HaniSo... You can avoid SiYan. But me? I'm something you'll never escape." She began to come towards me. I ran to the side, as she came to close the door. I looked to my room and headed in the direction. As I came into the room and slammed the door, leaning on it and sliding to the floor. " You'll have to come out at some point." MariaSin whispered through the keyhole. I got up and flopped down onto my small bed. I screamed into my pillow. 'How could today get any worse?' I thought to myself.

...Later that afternoon, the door opened slightly, and a plate slid in. I knew MariaSin would never... I recognized the hand. It was my mother's. I saw the food and waited for the door to close. As it closed, I moved over to the plate to find the food was already a few days old. The thought of eating it was making me sick, but I hadn't eaten yet. I couldn't even remember the last time I had. I gulped down the food, ignoring its fermented taste and its stale texture. I left the plate where it was and sat back onto my bed. I watched as the door slowly revealed a hand as it opened. I knew my mother did not want to be seen, I wished so badly to hug her. The plate lifted gently and went through the slightly opened door. The door then closed, and all went silent. It was almost drowning... the silence. I felt alone, and all I wanted was better. I looked over to my closet, the door slightly open and ready for me to crawl in. As I did every day as a young child. It was my only comfort... including today....

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I looked over to the closet. Such childish things I should have left behind. Yet I could not... It called me closer... Beckoning the comfort I yearned. I stepped toward it. Was I really turning to childish whims? I opened the door and stepped in, closing the door behind me. I sat in the small space. This place no longer felt as safe when I was a kid...

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A fuzzy memory of a slightly open door. "I can't believe you. You are sick all the time, and you expect me to care to every whim? I'm sorry, LuiYun. I can not do this. I'm leaving. " This voice was deeper. I don't remember who it belonged to. The sound of the door slammed, and a small girl tugged on the ladies' dress. "Mama... where is Father going? Why can't we go with him? " she asked. The lady looked into my eyes and then beyond me before they grew distant.

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A memory. Not a fond one. There were never many fond ones. This was the first time I ever entered the closet... the reason. I had so many questions my memory blocked the answers to. Best I left it. I sighed, beginning to feel tears prickle my eyes and fall down my cheeks. Why would I have to suffer this world any longer? Was it even worth it? My vision blurred from tears. Then I saw a light, a light outlining a door before. How had I never noticed it? How long had it been there? What was beyond it? I wedged my fingers into the gap and began to try and pry the door open. It would not budge. "Why!? Why, like everything else, do you have to be so difficult!?" I pleaded with the door hitting against it and before long resting my head on it, tears streaming from my eyes. A tear fell onto the door and slowly glided down. The door began to light up more. A word forming is a glistening red. As it formed, a fiery glow ever so slightly shone from it. My fingers traced the word carefully until the end, I read the word and triumphantly laughed and cried, so simple... "Push." I placed my palm gently onto the wood, bracing for anything that may come. As I gave it a gentle but firm push, the door swung open, and I fell in.

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I screamed as I began falling into a sky full of stars, the door growing smaller and out of view. I frantically looked around to see a way out. I wanted it all to end, but not in this way. Not today. I wanted a simple change of fortune... It's not a change like this. I felt my heart begin to race as I became more frantic, looking below me to see how far below the ground was. All I could see was stars. I felt fear, as though I was going to fall and hit the ground in a ball of fire. I tried to calm myself, although it was difficult. As I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, I realized... my hair was not flowing up nor down. That would mean I was falling with no direction. But how? I opened my eyes. Calmer. I sat up and looked around me. Even the stars began to look fake. It seemed as though I was sitting on nothing. I stood up and began to walk towards the nearest star. It glowed a gentle white, flashing ever so slightly you could say it was barely noticeable. As I reached to touch it, my hand was ready to feel the star, I woke. I woke in a bed, but not my bed. It was a very big bed, enough to fit six of me on it. The bed had white satin comforters with red embroidered roses petals all along it. The petals gave a sort of fiery glow. The frame draped with red material. I looked to my window. It was not my window, but rather than a small dirty window clouded with smog, it was a clear spectrum of many reds. A big window with a white nook and red velvet cushioning. The window showed a view of a maze and a bright blue sky. The glass stained shades of red, which shone many rays onto the floor. There was a dresser in place of the nothingness that stood in my room. Its red wood made it feel expensive. I looked to my closet. It was the only thing that remained the same. Its old wooden doors were barely able to close, but rather than a uniform and emptiness peaking out, it was an assortment of ballgowns . I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself. Who's room was i in? Was I dreaming? As I rubbed my eyes again, the door opened, and a servant walked in. Their traditional servants' clothes did not cover up the person hidden beneath. I could clearly see the person standing await for orders. "HaniSo?" My voice still the same, I knew I was myself, she made it clear this was a prank. " Yes, madam?" she replied in a uniform yet lifeless matter. 'Madam? who is she trying to fool? maybe I should play along and see where this goes?' " I never called upon you," I replied sternly. Her face grew worried. "I-well I... I came to check on madam to see if she was alright. was it the stars again, madam?" HaniSo replied, the fear in her eyes made me instantly regret being so stern. Was this a joke? What kind of joke would it be? "Thank you. For caring. I appreciate your efforts to console me." I said, smiling towards her kindly. She looked confused as though I had never said a kind word to her in my life. "I will notify Queen LuiYun that you have woken immediately. Would you like me to remind you of your duties today?" HaniSo replied, smiling slightly, ignoring my appreciation. "That would be much appreciated. I would also... I would like to know some answers to a few questions, " I replied, I might as well try to get some answers. "Sure thing. Well, today's duties are sitting through 2 queries of the locals, signing a new policy, and attending the ball to find yourself a suitor." HaniSo replied. I beckoned her to sit on the edge of my bed. She was hesitant. I needed to know more. This all seemed like royal duties. Something felt all too real. As she sat, I began. I would only ask three questions. I did not want to overwhelm her. "So I have duties?" I asked she looked to me as though I had gone mad, then shook her head. "Yes, madam. You play a high role in the family as the queen is always busy and the king... Well, let's say that he's been lost for years."I'm part of a royal family?" This was my second question. Now, there has to be a lie. HaniSo looked at me concerned but then replied, "Madam? Are you well? Have you forgotten your princess, LuiChin?" she brought her hand to my head and then removed it. I sat stunned. I was a princess? I must be dreaming.

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As HaniSo felt, if I was well yet again, I couldn't help but feel shocked, still by this. I was a princess. How long had I had that terrible nightmare of being a school girl and what was reality. I shook off my shock and smiled to HaniSo, who had been frightened by my sudden movement. "HaniSo, may you please get me an outfit to suit my courtroom duties?" she stood up for a moment, confused before walking to my closet and pulling out a violet dress fashioned with lilac trimmings and lace. I looked at the dress, I'd never seen anything so wonderous... yet alone for me. HaniSo left the room as I got dressed and prepared myself for court. When she came back in, she returned with a tray. On the tray was breakfast, set neatly and so fresh the steam still rose off it. I ate greedily, I couldn't help it after eating grotesc food from my dream. HaniSo stood in awe at how I ate, but I couldn't care. Afterward, she took me down the corridors and led me to the courtroom where the first audience waited. The courtroom was styled like a throne room and cathedral. The throne sat on a small stage and looked onto benches that were currently filled with a great many people. In the very front was a gap between the people and the stage, and just before the people lay baskets of rotten fruits. We're those thrown at people? Maybe they were for me, this made me hesitant as the dress was so pretty I did not want it ruined.As I walked in the crowd, they stood their heads bowing. The moment I sat on the throne, the crowd sat. MariaSin walked out onto the stage, and as the crowd stood, I felt my body fill with envy. The strangest occurrence happened as she spoke. She addressed me as her mistress, the princess. Was she my spokesman? This made me want to laugh. Instead, I smiled and waved to the crowd. "In her highest honor, her majesty LuiChin. May the first order come forward." MariaSin said sternly. Her voice echoed among the pillars up to the high ceiling. I looked to the balcony and noticed a shadow watching the court. I felt as though I was suddenly watched. As the first two people stood forward, I ignored this feeling and looked to them. "State your name and business in court." MariaSin said. The two looked fearfully to me, and I gave a gentle smile and nod. I recognized both the woman and man, I simply couldn't place them. "Our names are QuPo and QuYu. We have come to this court for the third time in search of help. Our daughter, QuYan. She has been missing for just over a fortnite. The guards said they need authorization from your majesty to search for her." QuPo replied shakily. He held his wife, woe filled their eyes, and a sense of helplessness filled the room. MariaSin looked towards me, "ruling of her majesty?" she said. I knew QuYan, a good friend. Her parents only wanted to find her. I felt a sense of depression they had felt and looked to them. "Send guards immediately to their aid. Let it be known that we will find QuYan." As I said this, I looked to QuPo and smiled, and he nodded, thankfully. The crowd let out a gasp that overwhelmed me. Had I done wrong? A bustle of whispers began to grow in the room as people looked to the Qu family. "Silence!" MariaSin screamed, the crowd instantly quietened, the room filled with sp much silence you could hear a pin drop. "Next in court, please step forward," MariaSin said, her vioce deafening in the silence. A hooded woman stepped forward. This raised the attention of the crowd. she looked me directly in the eyes, I could not make her face. "State your name and your business in the court," MariaSin said. the lady never for a moment removed her eyes from me. "I have many names. I have come to personally deliver this to LuiChin. I hope she will accept it." the woman revealed from her cloak a note and a pendant. MariaSin stepped forward to stop her. I stood and stepped forward, receiving yet another gasp from the crowd. I took the items, and she nodded and, in a puff, disappeared. Only the cloak remained. "Court is now over. You may leave. The next session is the policy signing." MariaSin summarized. The crowd whispering stood and began to leave. The last few whispers died as the crowd fully left the room. I looked up to the balcony only to find it was empty.

Back in my room, I paced, wondering if I should open the note or rather leave it. HaniSo entered carrying a tray of divine cakes. She looked to my trembling hands, the note flapping wildly. "If it please madam, I read it while she eats?" HaniSo said and smiled kindly. I handed her the note, still fearful of what it may contain, but the food beckoned me in. "Dear LuiChin, this letter meets you on your day, you change. Others will notice, but don't be fearful. This change will save you soon. The pendant is for you and you alone, wear it tonight and you shall meet you true..." HaniSo stopped and looked up to me. I had paused in the middle of binging honey and lavender cupcakes, stacked neatly on a stand. "I apologize, madam, the letter ends. Perhaps it ends this way?" HaniSo said, slightly panicked, flipping the letter as if it would change in a flip. The letter could mean anything. I will definitely wear that pendant, and nothing will stop me. HaniSo gently placed the note on the dresser and proceeded to say; "Your due in court, madam. It is time to sign the new policy, or not if it pleases. " What did she mean by declining to sign? Why would I decline? I smiled to her and ushered her to lead the way. As we made our way back to the courtroom, I noticed a portrait of the family. Specifically my mother and I. She did not look sickly but rather strict and a force to fear. I ignored this as pictures never told the full truth. As we entered the court, there was a slight change. The tomatoes had been removed, and a table stood in front of the throne, a quill and inkwell awaiting me. As I sat on the throne, MariaSin walked out and began announcing loudly; " The princess will now be signing the new policy, policy 1899. This policy states that all those who appear in court shall be trialed for execution if their problem is declined. " I looked to the crowd shocked at this policy. I could see the fear full in the people's eyes. I could not sign this. Even if I were meant to pretend I was the previous princess, it was far too cruel. I stood and looked into the crowd, I could feel every eye on me, even the ones from the shadow figure on the balcony. "I, LuiChin, decline this policy and will not sign it. Not today nor ever!" The crowd erupted into great appease and appreciation, I looked to HaniSo, and she herself even smiled. MariaSin quickly tore the policy and proceeded to say; " As the princess orders. The court is finished, and you may leave." As quickly as the crowd erupted, they had left. Silence soon filled the room, and MariaSin and HaniSo stood on stage with me in the empty courtroom. "My mistress, you've changed your mind, why I never questioned your morals for a single moment," MariaSin had said. it was odd to get this validation from her, but I appreciated every moment. "Nor did I." a vioce echoed from the balcony as a woman walked into the light. It was my mother who was smiling down on me. I hadn't seen her smile for so long. It was as though the sun had finally shone into a dark room. She looked towards HaniSo and nodded, HaniSo then began to usher me towards my room. "It is time to ready yourself for your possible suitors at the ball." HaniSo said quickly. I felt a weight fall off me. As though what had seemed like an awful reality had only ever been a dream. It began to fade, and my excitement only grew.

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