Cassandra Kallas

royal pains rp / estonian princess   ❝I didn't have it in myself to go with grace, and you're the hero flying around, saving face.❞

[cassiekallas]

Wanted Connections

So I really have a few connections I really want for Cassie. If you think your character could possibly fit any of these or you’re planning on writing said character, shoot me a message. If you think your character could be a good connection but are shy, give it a like and I’ll message you. 

Former Friends: Friends of Cassandra either from childhood or otherwise. While I’d like the see Cassie have some friends from her childhood, maybe other royals she met as a child, I really want connections of royals she might have been friends with in the lost year of her life. Basically given her lack of memories I’d like someone significant from that time. Not necessarily a romance, but maybe a friend who noticed something was off about her, etc. Maybe a friend who has known her since she was a kid and was the only one who was suspicious of her step brother? I don’t know. Just give me the trash of someone excitedly hugging her and having Cassie be like “What the actual fuck.” 

Victims of her step brother?: Doesn’t have to be the same sort of attack obviously, that’s a big thing to do with your character. Maybe her step brother tried to kiss your character and your character tried to say no but he wouldn’t take it for an answer. Maybe your character dated them briefly and ended up having weird encounters. Maybe they’re just friends with someone who's been around this way. Could also be one of her friends who maybe had a less than pleasant interaction? I feel like it would set up an interesting storyline for Cassie realizing plus interesting little detail to create for your character. 

School Connections: So, Cassie went to a fancy boarding school that wasn’t entirely uncommon for royals to circulate, as well as children of lords and nobles, etc. As well as a university after (probably less common for royals?) But anyway, would like to see connections from the school(s). Anywhere from friends, to enemies of some kind, maybe someone they just worked on a project for. Just something small. Or maybe it was a school mate who dealt with a random panic attack Cassie had over all the things she was suppressing. 

Romances: Probably going to be a little bit picky with this one as I’m not seeing Cassie as someone who could easily commit and successfully be open in a relationship where she’s currently not being open for herself. But willing to accept flings, one night stands, failed dates, maybe even possible attempted arranged marriages? Maybe she had a serious relationship with the person. I’m not sure, but she’s pansexual so you know, guys and girls. Could be either. Just you know, if you have an idea or need a particular storyline for your roleplay, let me know and we’ll do something cool. Hell, maybe they had a crush on each other during that last year. All interesting things.

Friends of her stepbrother?: Doesn’t have to be anyone close or who knows exactly what’s up. Could just be an acquaintance. Where she’s forgotten most memories of what her step brother did to her, she obviously just thinks they had a good relationship. So she could probably be friends with his friends, or maybe she was unusually rude to them. Or maybe they spark some form of memory of what was done to her. Kind of a whore for angsty connections not going to lie. 

Paternal Step Siblings: So I have the concept that her father remarried and ‘replaced’ her with three daughters that his new wife had. So if you’re looking to make an OC at some point and maybe want to play one of these step-siblings I would be super open to it. Gonna say probably antagonistic because you know, angst. But, I’m open to all ideas. 

Tutor: So Cassie is really new to the estate obviously, but along with that. She’s also kind of new to the royal training. Sure, she did dancing etiquette and like general bowing and royal graces. But she was never really trained like a lot of royals were. She wasn’t exposed to politics and history and such. So she’s obviously got a lot of catching up to do. So maybe she’s paired with a tutor when they realize this is really new. Or she decides to seek out her own tutor. Would work awesome for me. Could be a troublemaker the headmistress is trying to straighten out by making them tutor Cass as a punishment. Or maybe they’re like the class overachiever. Or someone who knows a shocking amount about such things but often keeps quiet about it. I’m down for everything.

[selina-caspari]

@cassiekallas

Selina had missed this. The getting all glammed out just to run amuck around town for no reason. No retaliation or deciept in her motives to get back at her parents for telling her to act proper, and like a royal. No, now she was her own keeper. She wasn't blatantly controlled by others. If there was something she wanted to do she didn't have voices back talking how much of a terrible idea it was. She could live, breathe and be herself. Not the person everyone else expected for her to be. Sitting in the back of a limo with the young brunette, the blonde femme was pulling her phone out from her bra. She didn't find the sense in carrying a clutch when a bra that she was already wearing worked just as well. It was true Selina could have ordered something simple like a town car or a taxi, even an uber. But she wanted it to be as realistic as they could physically achieve in attempt to see if it helped Cassie piece together anything from the night she didn't remember. Scrolling through the different places that Cassie was seen at by media she took a guess at where she would have gone to first since nothing was in chronological order. "Did you go to the bar or the club first?" she questioned so that she could give the driver an idea of where they needed to actually go. When she didn't immediately get a response, Selina glanced up to the brunette who seemed to be in her own little world. Waving one of her hands in front of the girl's crystal hues she began to call out for attention. "Hello? Earth to Cassie," she hummed. "Are you even listening to anything I'm saying to you?"

[cassiekallas]

Cassie had done herself up in what felt like the first time in forever. She spent a short time styling her hair into waves and then put the remainder and putting on a half decent makeup look. Nothing too fancy or complicated. Just a simple basic look that still complimented her dress and brought out her features. However, when she got out in the car it wasn’t long of looking over Selina’s shoulder at the pictures that she found herself staring off into the distance, wondering what on earth she could have gotten into that night. She didn’t have the sweetest of clues of what had happened to her, what she possibly could have done. It was wearing on her so much, the knowledge that she’d been doing things without the slightest clue of what they were. And soon she was off in her slow cycle of confusion, doubt and slight blame of herself. The brunette couldn’t even focus on the girl with her. Cassie looked over as Selina’s voice reached her. “Sorry,” she murmured rather quickly. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie x Blake

@blakesutherland

Cassie had never been one for drinking. She didn’t like getting carried away or out of control with her intake. She didn’t like being blackout drunk or not remembering how she woke up. Even though lately, she often used drunken party nights as a way to explain away memory absences. She wasn’t exactly sure what had come over her that night. Maybe it was the head injury, made her more susceptible to the alcohol itself. But she hadn’t had more than two drinks at the party. Only half an hour after the second it’d all faded to black. 

Morning had come around. Cassie always woke up when she sun first shone on her sensitive eyes. She let out a little grumble at the feeling of the brightness disturbing her rest. Still half asleep, she pulled a blanket up over her head and snuggled back against the solid presence behind her. The warmth of the other body had her easily drawn back in, doing a little wiggle to get as close as possible. Half asleep, it all made sense to try and cuddle closer. A satisfied little hum leaving her. However, as consciousness came into play she quickly realized that she didn’t have a significant other or anything of the sort. She barely knew anyone at the estate. When this thought fully set in, just the tiniest bit of panic set in. She found herself wondering what exactly she’d done. The brunette quickly sat up in bed, pulling the sheet up to cover her bare chest. Her eyes immediately went to the stranger she must have invited into her bed at some point in the night. Apparently one night stands were something she did now.

[blakesutherland]

It was rare that anyone would find Blake at a party. It was on a whole other realm outside of his comfort zone. But he was working to put his best foot forward and step out of his comfort zone. To socialise more with those around him. Despite all of the messed up shit he had been a part of, he didn’t reach for the nearest liquor bottle to drown his problems away. When he did drink, it often brought out the more quirky side that considered him an abomination. When he got to the party though it became very apparent he didn’t know the first thing on how to approach anyone or simply insert himself into a situation without invitation. Blake headed to the liquor table where he grabbed the first bottle that he saw and poured it into a plastic red cup. Whiskey. He hadn’t experimented with a lot of alcohol so he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. The name implied that they whisked the liquor. Or at least that was what he had gathered. When he took the first sip he turned completely sour faced. The taste was definitely something that had to be acquired. Distracting himself from the loud pumping music, Blake started to test taste as many things as he could. He needed something to help break him out of his own thoughts. And he didn’t know what he was going to like until he tried it. And that was the last thing he remembered.

Blake had gotten so used to the dark that even when a glimmer of light threatened the sky it tended to rouse him if he was sleeping. A grumble escaped from his lips. He didn’t want to wake up yet. It was warm, it felt calm. Instinctively her arms tightened around the body in front of him. His consciousness hadn’t kicked in yet to fully register the situation. All he knew was that the warmth from the presence in front of him was enough to ease the morning chill on his back. It wasn’t long before reality hit like lightning though. It seemed like registration hit at the same time for the pair. Blake shot up and attempted to cover his undefined chest. He hadn’t even thought to look down at his member that was pitching a tent underneath the sheet. Had he really drunk that much? Enough to completely let go and end up in this type of situation. His whole life he struggled at making friends. How had he somehow managed to talk his way back to someone’s room? He was still groggy. Blake struggled with sleep. It was laughable at this point. The darkened circles under his eyes were big enough to appear as if they were black eyes. His pale complexion almost sickly. It was fitting considering in that moment he felt sick. Was it because of the alcohol? Was he hungover? Surely he didn’t feel sick just because he woke up in bed next to a beautiful woman. He wasn’t blind, he had enough sense to know that she was completely out of his league. Which only added to his confusion. Blake was at a complete loss for words. It was like a cat got his tongue. “Uh,” he fumbled as he scratched the back of his head. As if that would help. It at least kept his hands busy though. “We didn’t do anything stupid did we?” Blake wasn’t all too fond of his first time being something he couldn’t remember. Then again, maybe that was better than later critiquing everything he had done wrong.

[cassiekallas]

It had just been instinct, wiggling herself as close as she could get to the body behind her. Snuggling in tightly, her fingers idly stroking the arms that embraced her. She had had her boyfriends, and she’d grown quite comfortable with morning routines like this. It was just instinct. There was warmth, something different than just what blankets provided it and her body sought it out eagerly. Soon, the comfort shook itself off and the realization became all too real for her. It had hit them both seemingly at the same time. She felt the tensing of his arms that had been around her body a moment ago before they left her. Soon she herself sat bolt upright, trying to figure out exactly what had changed. This had never been her thing before. Or maybe it was. It was hard to say missing a year. This was the last thing she needed, more missing memory. The brunette tried to mentally wrack her brain hoping to find some idea of what had happened. But she found nothing, she couldn’t even think of the boy’s name. This was…rather embarrassing. Cassie was a forward woman. She didn’t think in the past that every man gracing one’s bed had to be a lover to last a life time. But she did at least want to think perhaps she’d remember someone’s name. “I honestly can’t say I’m sure,” she admitted rather carefully, holding the blanket to her chest. She wasn’t exactly shameful of her body, but flaunting herself nakedly wasn’t exactly something she liked to partake in to commonly. Old timey modesty didn’t concern her, but there was a line. It helped that the male seemed as uncomfortable as her. At least it would mean he wasn’t offended. At least his question offered some assurance he wasn’t sure of the night event’s either. This had to be the most awkward Cassie had ever felt in her life truth be told. She rarely ever struggled so hard for the right thing to say. “I guess you were at the party last night?” She was hoping to god she didn’t offend him by insinuating she didn’t remember talking to him much either. Honestly she really hadn’t thought she’d been so drunk.

[blakesutherland]

The longer that the pair sat in bed the stronger the tension around them built. As if it was some kind of rope, wrapping itself around Blake’s neck. It was toxic. Blake felt like he could choke on the air itself. This wasn’t something he did. He didn’t just black out and completely forget the events of the previous night. Better yet, he didn’t randomly wake up in a bed that wasn’t his own. He wasn’t the party and high socialite kind. He could barely recite his own name at balls or events without fumbling and making a fool of himself in one way or another. Usually it added to his charm and nobody would see through it but those that knew him really well. All of the failed interviews, all of the knocking things over in stores, none of it held a candle to the situation that he found himself in in that moment. Whenever he usually talked to someone he at least had an idea of there name, where they were from. All Blake could say about the girl next to him was that she was brunette. He didn’t know any other facts that would help bring any certainty or knowledge to the situation. “If I wasn’t it would be next to impossible that I woke up here,” he mouthed with a somewhat sarcastic tone. He wasn’t sure what to say in that moment. It wasn’t like he was making it worse by simply being himself. The only comfort he grappled was that at least he wasn’t the only one that didn’t seem to remember whatever happened. “I take it I wasn’t that memorable. It’s fine, it’s not like I’m the grinch that’s going to plot and hold that against you.” Movies, characters. This was at least a territory that Blake could manage to talk his way through, rather than continue to fight his worst quirky instincts.

[cassiekallas]

This was very strange to say the least. Tension built around them like a wall. Awkward tension for sure, confusion from both sides. She knew what happened, or at least had an idea of it all. Clearly they didn’t end up naked because they stayed up playing candy land. She just didn’t know how she’d gotten so drunk so quickly. She could guess just from the look of him alone he couldn’t have been much more sober. He honestly looked half dead from the dark circles under his eyes and the sunken look in his cheeks. She got the distinct sense this wasn’t something he ordinarily traipsed, especially considering how uncomfortable he seemed. “Not your type?” She asked, half humor, half awkward cause she couldn’t get a read on where he was at in his head. The brunette kind of awkwardly sat there, ambling on if she should get up and get dressed or offer him breakfast. Casual wasn’t a problem for her, but all of her casual friends had never been strangers. She knew them, they just didn’t exist past a physical aspect. But she didn’t know him, and it was bothering her. Mostly it just bothered her that she couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or her head injury that was making her memories slippery and impossible to grasp. “Honestly? A lot’s not memorable lately. I think I must have had too much to drink,” it was the closest she ever got to ever telling anyone about her memory issues. Not that he’d be able to decode such a thing without knowing her. “Do you remember anything?” 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie x Blake

@blakesutherland

Cassie had never been one for drinking. She didn’t like getting carried away or out of control with her intake. She didn’t like being blackout drunk or not remembering how she woke up. Even though lately, she often used drunken party nights as a way to explain away memory absences. She wasn’t exactly sure what had come over her that night. Maybe it was the head injury, made her more susceptible to the alcohol itself. But she hadn’t had more than two drinks at the party. Only half an hour after the second it’d all faded to black. 

Morning had come around. Cassie always woke up when she sun first shone on her sensitive eyes. She let out a little grumble at the feeling of the brightness disturbing her rest. Still half asleep, she pulled a blanket up over her head and snuggled back against the solid presence behind her. The warmth of the other body had her easily drawn back in, doing a little wiggle to get as close as possible. Half asleep, it all made sense to try and cuddle closer. A satisfied little hum leaving her. However, as consciousness came into play she quickly realized that she didn’t have a significant other or anything of the sort. She barely knew anyone at the estate. When this thought fully set in, just the tiniest bit of panic set in. She found herself wondering what exactly she’d done. The brunette quickly sat up in bed, pulling the sheet up to cover her bare chest. Her eyes immediately went to the stranger she must have invited into her bed at some point in the night. Apparently one night stands were something she did now.

[blakesutherland]

It was rare that anyone would find Blake at a party. It was on a whole other realm outside of his comfort zone. But he was working to put his best foot forward and step out of his comfort zone. To socialise more with those around him. Despite all of the messed up shit he had been a part of, he didn’t reach for the nearest liquor bottle to drown his problems away. When he did drink, it often brought out the more quirky side that considered him an abomination. When he got to the party though it became very apparent he didn’t know the first thing on how to approach anyone or simply insert himself into a situation without invitation. Blake headed to the liquor table where he grabbed the first bottle that he saw and poured it into a plastic red cup. Whiskey. He hadn’t experimented with a lot of alcohol so he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. The name implied that they whisked the liquor. Or at least that was what he had gathered. When he took the first sip he turned completely sour faced. The taste was definitely something that had to be acquired. Distracting himself from the loud pumping music, Blake started to test taste as many things as he could. He needed something to help break him out of his own thoughts. And he didn’t know what he was going to like until he tried it. And that was the last thing he remembered.

Blake had gotten so used to the dark that even when a glimmer of light threatened the sky it tended to rouse him if he was sleeping. A grumble escaped from his lips. He didn’t want to wake up yet. It was warm, it felt calm. Instinctively her arms tightened around the body in front of him. His consciousness hadn’t kicked in yet to fully register the situation. All he knew was that the warmth from the presence in front of him was enough to ease the morning chill on his back. It wasn’t long before reality hit like lightning though. It seemed like registration hit at the same time for the pair. Blake shot up and attempted to cover his undefined chest. He hadn’t even thought to look down at his member that was pitching a tent underneath the sheet. Had he really drunk that much? Enough to completely let go and end up in this type of situation. His whole life he struggled at making friends. How had he somehow managed to talk his way back to someone’s room? He was still groggy. Blake struggled with sleep. It was laughable at this point. The darkened circles under his eyes were big enough to appear as if they were black eyes. His pale complexion almost sickly. It was fitting considering in that moment he felt sick. Was it because of the alcohol? Was he hungover? Surely he didn’t feel sick just because he woke up in bed next to a beautiful woman. He wasn’t blind, he had enough sense to know that she was completely out of his league. Which only added to his confusion. Blake was at a complete loss for words. It was like a cat got his tongue. “Uh,” he fumbled as he scratched the back of his head. As if that would help. It at least kept his hands busy though. “We didn’t do anything stupid did we?” Blake wasn’t all too fond of his first time being something he couldn’t remember. Then again, maybe that was better than later critiquing everything he had done wrong.

[cassiekallas]

It had just been instinct, wiggling herself as close as she could get to the body behind her. Snuggling in tightly, her fingers idly stroking the arms that embraced her. She had had her boyfriends, and she’d grown quite comfortable with morning routines like this. It was just instinct. There was warmth, something different than just what blankets provided it and her body sought it out eagerly. Soon, the comfort shook itself off and the realization became all too real for her. It had hit them both seemingly at the same time. She felt the tensing of his arms that had been around her body a moment ago before they left her. Soon she herself sat bolt upright, trying to figure out exactly what had changed. This had never been her thing before. Or maybe it was. It was hard to say missing a year. This was the last thing she needed, more missing memory. The brunette tried to mentally wrack her brain hoping to find some idea of what had happened. But she found nothing, she couldn’t even think of the boy’s name. This was...rather embarrassing. Cassie was a forward woman. She didn’t think in the past that every man gracing one’s bed had to be a lover to last a life time. But she did at least want to think perhaps she’d remember someone’s name. “I honestly can’t say I’m sure,” she admitted rather carefully, holding the blanket to her chest. She wasn’t exactly shameful of her body, but flaunting herself nakedly wasn’t exactly something she liked to partake in to commonly. Old timey modesty didn’t concern her, but there was a line. It helped that the male seemed as uncomfortable as her. At least it would mean he wasn’t offended. At least his question offered some assurance he wasn’t sure of the night event’s either. This had to be the most awkward Cassie had ever felt in her life truth be told. She rarely ever struggled so hard for the right thing to say. “I guess you were at the party last night?” She was hoping to god she didn’t offend him by insinuating she didn’t remember talking to him much either. Honestly she really hadn’t thought she’d been so drunk.

[cassiekallas]

@royallylena

She was trying hard to get the hang of it. In her first week, she’d already had homework everyday but the first day, and had an assignment that was due next week. She wanted to get a jump in it, between homework and other assignments, she might not have time for this one if she didn’t start it now. To get cracking, she decided to head on down to the dorm kitchen with her books. Maybe having a snack or task would help her keep from getting bored with the assignment. But as the hours passed, she couldn’t get through one question. It was some moral theory assignment. She understood its purpose, as she was sure there wasn’t one royal who hadn’t questioned if they were doing the right thing one. But the one thing she couldn’t get past was that most of these assigned questions didn’t have a textbook answer. They just had to be from her mind. She almost wished for the days when school was as easy as just worrying about a general studies degree. “Damn it,” she sighed as she stared at the one sentence she’d written for the assignment, running a hand through her loose locks.

[royallylena]

A lot of people thought that Lena was a lot smarter than she was. The only reason she did well on assignments and work in her classes was because of how hard she worked on them. Just because she was in another country from her parents didn’t mean that she was completely free of them. They always asked about what she was doing and how things were going in her classes. It was like they cared more about that and their image than they did about her health or the issues that she was having. As long as media didn’t catch wind of her blackouts and how violent she got during them then it wasn’t their problem. Lena had only just gotten back to the estate. Her parents had caught wind of her using adderall in an attempt to stop her blackouts and they ordered her home and bombarded her with an intervention. Acting like caring parents when all they cared about was their family’s image. The last thing they needed was for people to think of her as a drug addict because then their family would become a pariah of the country. She was doing her best to readjust into estate life as well as holding that pressure to be perfect. The cafeteria was too much for her at the moment, so Lena decided to go to the kitchen to get some food. As she was walking she tightened her ponytail. Before she could even get near food she noticed a new looking brunette sitting and doing some kind of assignment or something. “What’s the problem?” she questioned at the girl’s words, continuing to walk over to where a fruit bowl was and grabbed an apple. 

[cassiekallas]

It was easy, getting frustrated. Maybe things would be a lot easier for her if she had had the advantage of being taught royal subjects growing up. Before her mother’s miscarriage, her father ensured she would put some effort into royal subjects in her studies. But her mother had taken her and while she was infinitely glad for that, at the same time she still missed so much. Now she felt like someone had thrown her into the water without a lifejacket or raft. A headache was starting to burst through, making it feel as if she had a couple of screws going right into her temples. Cassie, despite her usual lack of temper and violence wanted to fire the book and papers at a wall. “Does all of the moral theory have to have so many answers? I don’t know what the teacher wants with this answer,” she said with a sigh, trying to banish some irritation from her voice. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just…frustrated,” she sighed.

[royallylena]

All Lena could do was simply watch the brunette like she was watching some other version of herself. Nothing about learning the ropes of anything royal came easy. Usually there was some type of lesson involved in anything being taught. In Lena’s own personal experience she had made simple mistakes while learning that she was later crucified over. As cruel as it was for Lena being such a young age, it made her want to work harder and gain the respect of her parents and teachers. Biting into the apple, Lena couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She wasn’t laughing at the girl in any way, she just recognized that frustration all too well. “I think that’s the whole point. They want you to think harder about it and seriously think about each answer as if it were a reality,” she tried her best to explain so that it wasn’t just more stress or anxiety being added to the situation. Walking over to one of the other chairs, the young brunette settled upon it. “I’m Lena by the way,” she cooed with a gentle smile. 

[cassiekallas]

Honestly, pulling her own hair out would have seemed like a good idea if it meant she could understand this work. Cassie didn’t usually get frustrated like this. But she also didn’t usually find herself face to face with something she couldn’t conquer. This royal stuff, all these lessons and studies were so new. Even college had been simpler than this. Though that might have had everything to do with how well her private school had been for teaching. “I suppose that makes sense, I guess royals who don’t know what they’re doing wouldn’t exactly be a good idea,” she noted with a little huff. She knew the girl was right, she just wished she’d had the upbringing that would have her already knowing these kind of things. “I’m Cassandra, well, Cassie, you can call me Cassie,” she said, botching her introduction. She was still just the slightest bit frazzled. “It’s nice to meet you Lena.”

[royallylena]

School settings made things feel a lot simpler. Because it’s sole purpose was to teach and learn, Lena felt she understood things a lot better than when she was being taught at home. Which was done for a lot of her royal classes. Her parents had hired a private tutor for those, even occasionally finding time to teach a few things themselves. But because she was in her home environment all she wanted to do was normal things. “I can always help out if you need a little help understanding some of the things,” she offered. As she took a closer look at the frustrated brunette though she picked something the girl could use more. “Although you look as though you could do with a break right now. Which again, I’m more than happy to help with.” The Polish princess offered a friendly smile to Cassie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Cassie.” 

[cassiekallas]

Even looking at the work was making her frustrated. She was sure she’d been in this state for the last half an hour at least. She probably wasn’t going to be able to get any work done like this. “I would appreciate that. I’m supposed to be working with a tutor, but they’re not available for another week and I’m certain I’m failing now,” she said with a hopeless expression. Honestly she was pretty sure she was failing her work now. “A break? Yeah…might be a good idea,” she said looking down at the slew of paperwork on the table. “I heard the pool is a really great place. Though, I think at this hour we might have to break in. How do you feel about rebelling?” She asked with a grin on her face. Cassie never went out of her way to find trouble, but she didn’t mind a little if it meant she could have fun.

[royallylena]

It was rather enlightening seeing someone actually concerned about what their grades and work at the estate was. Quite often Lena wondered whether she would be as concerned if she didn’t have as much pressure as she did on her. Whether she’d be considered a normal rebellious teenager and not seem so out of touch from the other royals around her. Finishing the apple she was eating, the Polish princess simply stared at the brunette for a moment at her suggestion. Lena wasn’t one to be much of a rule breaker. She was slowly breaking out of her shell since arriving at the estate but it was still a work in progress. Maybe some fun and a break for herself would do her some good too. Lena stood up from the table and threw the apple into the trash can in the kitchen. “I know where they keep the keys in administration,” she mused with ease as she nodded to the door. “It’s now or never.” With how often Lena helped out in administration she knew where things like keys were kept. They trusted Lena because what was she going to do? Sneak into somewhere without permission? Well for once, that was what she was doing. Bending the rules for a little thrill that didn’t cause danger to anyone else. 

[cassiekallas]

For the second of silence, Cassie honestly thought it was quite possible the girl might turn around and report her to the office or something of the sort. She didn’t know if she’d perhaps mentioned her little secret to the wrong person. She wasn’t one to judge by appearances or even first impressions, but in part she had gotten a sort of idea that this girl might be a bit of an overachiever in a way. It wasn’t a bad way. But ignoring that she’d decided to suggest the rulebreaking act anyway, which she was just realizing now might have been a bad idea. Then the words left her lips and Cassie let out a little sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, I thought you were going to tell on me for being a heart case for a minute there,” Cassie said with a grin. “I like you,” Cassie told the girl in approval and got up from her seat, stuffing the books and papers into the bag she carried.

[royallylena]

Lena didn’t want to sit and stew with her decisions. She knew she would no doubt start to feel guilt. Or the voices of her parents strict teachings plague her thoughts. For once she wanted to do something that was fun. Something that didn’t revolve around her grades or her standing. As much as she had been brainwashed for years, she was her own person who could make decisions for herself. If it was a bad decision then Lena was just going to have to learn the hard way like anybody else would. “And incur a punishment for someone who doesn’t deserve it? That’s just what they want, to play into their hand.” All of her things she’d left in her dorm room, including her phone. “I’m going to need to borrow your phone though as a reason to get in. There’s usually still someone that monitors the desk even this late.” The Polish blonde waited for the other girl to be ready with packing up before she made her way out the door to the main office that held the keys they needed.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was a little bit surprised at the girl’s honesty about her feelings for the system itself. She wasn’t sure if she was simply talking about the system of this particular building and the higher ups or if it went further than that, extending to the whole royal world. It wouldn’t surprise her that she meant either, it more so surprised her that any royal was willing to speak up and talk about it. “I suppose you must be right,” she said simply, unsure if the girl was willing to go into detail of what exactly she meant. It took a few minutes to fit everything into her already full backpack. She tried hard to keep everything on her. She desperately wanted to succeed, so she often took her school work with her in case she had a spare minute. “Yeah no problem,” it wasn’t like she had anything worrisome on her phone. She wasn’t an extremely private person. Withdrawing her phone from her pocket she handed it to the girl. Worse came to worse, it was all an elaborate scheme, but she doubted that.

[royallylena]

It was probably the frustration Lena was feeling that provoked her need to be so candid. Any other day of the week she probably would have spoken highly of the system. How it was there to protect every party involved. Truthfully even Lena didn’t fully know what extent she meant. Originally she was talking about the estate itself, but it could have easily applied to the royal life itself. It wasn’t uncommon for siblings and rivals to stoop to anything to get their hat thrown into the ring of taking the throne. It was toxic. There was a part of Lena that felt stupid for not having seen any of the signs earlier. “You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it,” she offered with a small shrug of her shoulders. “You have the opportunity to see the world and the system first hand and make up your own decisions about it.” Lena wasn’t about to push any ideas she had on someone else. Especially when she was only just starting to have those thoughts. The Polish blonde waited patiently until the brunette had managed to put everything back into her bag. Then she started leading the way towards the main office. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back,” she affirmed with a friendly smile as she took the phone. As big as the grounds were, it didn’t take long until they were close to the building. Lena quickly hid the phone in her pocket and made sure that there wasn’t a noticeable bulge from it that it would be noticed by others. With that in place, Lena opened the door into the building. Usually there were a few people darting around with different files and paperwork. Now there was just one person sitting behind the desk monitoring what was going on. But even he looked bored. “Hey, Harold. I left my phone in the back earlier, is it okay if I quickly go grab it?” she questioned, only receiving a nod to the back. “Yeah, just make it quick, Lena,” he finally responded. With a smile, Lena’s blue hues flickered to Cassie. “I’ll be quick, don’t worry. And you know Cassie, right? She’s new so I thought I’d help show her around a bit.” Lena hoped that Cassie would be able to spark up some conversation with the man at the desk so that if she made any noise grabbing the keys that it wouldn’t be a big deal. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she assured Cassie before stepping behind the desk and into the back room. Lena half closed the door so that she could look around properly. She knew generally where the keys were kept, but as she got to key holding board, none of it was labelled. There were only tiny scribblings on the keys themselves. She had to go through each set of keys one by one to read which one was made to what. It was around the eighth set before she read the scribbling of pool on the top. Grabbing the keys, she shoved them into her other pocket and pulled out the phone that Cassie had kindly lent to her. “Did you find it?” She heard Harold call out as he pushed the door open. “Got it. Thanks for your help, Harold,” she confirmed, holding up the phone as proof before making her way out of the room and back to where Cassie stood. “I’ll make sure everyone knows just how helpful you are.” It was genuine that some of the staff and administration were good. With the prize in her sights, Lena did her best to act as calm and collected as possible as they made their way out of the building. “Thanks again for that,” she hummed, adrenaline kicking in at what she had managed to pull off. Lena was handing the girl back her phone before revealing the keys she had managed to swipe. “Mission part one, complete.”  Lena felt completely high and giddy in that moment. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe in a way Cassie already knew the kind of system they lived in. What her father had done to her mother as a child taught her such a thing. He hadn’t been scared of legal charges, or repercussions. As a King no one would touch him in such a way. No, his real fear was for the scandal. An article in a magazine scared him more than what he actually had done. She never truly understood it. And how most royals like to pick and choose the politics of new and old that they supported. No matter how many laws were passed to try and be more modern in monarchy, most royals subscribed to their old world thinking in whatever way benefited them. Whether it was marriage, children or anything. Sure, she hadn’t seen the full system, she hadn’t been in it really, not like most royals were. Not like Lena probably was. But she supposed this was her life now. If she was to complete her studies and eventually be elected as Queen, well, she would have to get used to that world. To know both the ugly and pretty side of it. Cassie handed over the phone and followed the blonde. She was still getting used to the campus, so it was a surprise that the walk wasn’t too long or overwhelming. Soon enough they were in what she assumed was the administration side of the main building. The brunette walked in and looked around briefly, having not been there properly since her first day check in. Harold, the nightshift manager she guessed had only just been coming in when she’d arrived there. She took the cue to keep the night manager somewhat busy. “You were right, it is really beautiful here. I should have trusted you about the cafeteria coffee though, the cafe was far superior,” Cassie rambled on, flashing a charming smile here and there. She wasn’t unfamiliar with such things. Even though she might not have been raised a royal, her mother was a lady of nobility and she’d certainly drilled it into her to be able to behave in a particular way. She even nodded and put on the look of complete interest as he started talking. It wasn’t so hard, he was probably one of the less brainwashed of the staff members. And some of the tips he’d given her had proven extremely helpful thus far. Of course, there was only so long before he wanted to check on Lena, Cassie made an attempt at gathering his attention back. Thankfully, the plan had seemed to be a success, and Lena came from the office. “Bye Harold, I’ll remember to steer clear of the meatloaf,” she said with a wave of her hand as her and Lena headed out of the building. Accepting her phone back from Lena, she was still half curious if it’d actually worked. But there were the keys, right there. “Part two, getting to the main part of the school. Luckily, they leave the doors open for the vending machines by the cafeteria, so,” the brunette said the words with a smile painted across her lips. This part, she knew how to get to. She’d learned that there was both a dorm entrance to the building and exterior one. Since they were already outside she headed for that one, ducking in rather quickly. There were a few cameras. 

[royallylena]

It wasn’t the first time that a scandal had come out of a King or royal’s life and Lena knew for damned sure that it wouldn’t be the last either. From what she had experienced when it came to raising a child to become an heir was, it was next to impossible not to have problems arise with it. Lena grew up in a strict and somewhat broken home. It might have looked picture perfect despite the hidden affair and secret love child, but it wasn’t at all how it appeared. No matter how much work Lena put it, she was never praised. Instead she was critiqued and expected to work harder. The poster child that they decided was fit to be put for the throne was the same one that had longterm problems with blackouts. Passages of time that were completely blank from her mind and the knowledge that she hurt someone continued to weigh on her daily. Lena was thankful that Cassie was able to talk her way with Harold at the desk. It gave her the time she needed to actually locate the keys. If that turned up as a bust then they would have ultimately had to break the lock at the pool and sneak in. Although that might have been some of the troublemakers first thoughts, it wasn’t Lena’s. Glancing over to the brunette to listen to her words she couldn’t help but grin at how she automatically knew the solution to the possible problem they were going to have. “Well look at you and your beautiful mind,” she chirped. Holding the keys carefully with the key chain wrapped around her fingertips, Lena followed her lead. Sneaking around wasn’t her strong suit and so she didn’t exactly pay attention to things like doors being left open for vending machines. Ducking in behind Cassie, Lena stayed as close to the other girl as she could.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie knew that most royals simply broke or picked the lock, but this was significantly easier. Aside from that she was confident that eventually if the lock kept getting broken the school may install a camera on the pool area and it’d no longer be a little haven for royals to have to themselves. This way her and Lena could easily creep into the building, go to the pool, have a rebellious night swim and just as easily lock up when they left. The key would be back at the desk by Monday morning, and they’d all be none the wiser. Besides, the added thrill of sneaking away the keys made it all the more fun for her. She missed things like this, sneaking around. Not much of it had been done since she had started university. “I try to make a job of noting little things like that, makes missions easier,” she hummed, satisfaction clear by her tone. The brunette looked around, keeping her blue eyes carefully peeled for cameras. There were low lights on, none of the bright fluorescents like during the day. Luckily with the head trauma and having to spend the first week almost completely in the dark her eyes adjusted quickly and she could navigate easily in the low life. It didn’t take long, the journey down the t-shaped hall to the pool. Soon they were facing the door, their mission nearly complete. “And here we are,” she whispered, just in case anyone else happened to be near who might tattle on them.

[royallylena]

Lena had gotten to the point where she had completely forgotten about things like cameras surveying areas. Being watched was nothing new to the girl. There was always usually someone waiting with a camera to catch the princess in any kind of compromising situation. It seemed like someone was always ready to drag the Marek daughter down from the high pedestal they all deemed her to be on. They didn’t know everything though. Everyone only saw glimpses into her life. Even her parents, they only saw what they wanted to see and what best played into their own narrative. She had had enough of having to be the perfect princess when she was struggling and no one else was taking that seriously. As long as she didn’t tarnish their image they didn’t care about her in the slightest. “It really does,” she agreed with a nod. It was nice to see that the other royals at the estate were more than just a pretty face. They actually had something to back it all up with. Lena made sure to keep her eyes peeled for more than just cameras. Guards and faculty of the estate were always usually lingering around even at night. With schedules and rotation though it was rare that they would have been found out before actually causing any mischief. Keeping close to the wall and close to Cassie, Lena felt her heart pounding against her chest as they finally reached the pool. It was the biggest thrill she had gotten since actually getting to the estate. As the Polish princess pulled the keys from her pocket, she noted how her hands shook. Attempting to steady her hands she slowly inserted the key into the lock and turned it. Just like that the lock made a reassuring clicking sound as it unlocked and Lena pulled it off and pushed the door open. Definitely easier than attempting to break the lock. “A whole pool to ourselves,” she hummed, stepping inside and setting the lock down where it was easy to get back to later. Using the hair tie that Lena wore around her wrist, she pulled her soft blonde curls up into a pony tail to avoid any difficulty with it once it was wet. “Last one in’s a rotten egg,” she teased with a smile playing on her pale lips. Without hesitation, Lena gave a quick glance over to the brunette before she began stripping off her sweater. That came off fairly easily, she only really struggled when she kicked off her sneakers and attempted to peel off her jeans. It was like they wanted to cling to her skin. She could hear the chastisement in her head of how her mother and father would be screaming at her for being so stupid and reckless. It only aided in her wanting to do it more. Adding fuel to the fire that was burning inside of her. With her jeans finally off, Lena jumped into the water in her underwear. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie could tell this wasn’t something the girl often did. Maybe it was her nervousness, or the giddy nature she seemed to have about the whole thing. But she could just tell. But Cassie didn’t doubt her once, even as the girl’s hands shook unlocking the door. Perhaps this would be a good experience, one to show the blonde having fun and getting into a little trouble wasn’t always the worse thing. “Honestly it’s kinda great,” the brunette noted with a grin. She hurried into the pool area. Each little detail showed just how much effort had gone into it. The pool wasn’t exactly the average public swimming center. The same veneer dripping from every little thing about the pool that detailed the other parts of the estate. Cassie was quick to fall into motion with Lena, getting rid of her own clothes. She was a little bit clumsy with it, difficult being found in discovering a center of balance. She had noticed that was off since she’d gotten the head injury. But she soon shed her clothes down to her undergarments and hopped in gladly. The water was warm of course, probably temperature controlled for fussy royals. Coming to the service rather quickly, she brushed her hair back from her face. “This is definitely better than studying.”

[royallylena]

There were definitely worse things that Lena could do other than stealing some keys and sneaking into the pool to have a fun night. She knew because despite not knowing any of the specifics, she had already been behind hurting someone or something of some kind. It continuously ate her up inside of not being able to know what she had done and why. There was a difference between the two though. Breaking into the pool was something she was consciously choosing to do. Whereas when she blacked out she wasn’t choosing to directly hurt or impact people. In fact, she quite regularly worked tirelessly to figure out a solution to the problem. Throughout many therapy sessions though, Lena was still yet to find an answer to that longing question. When she finally did manage to jump into the pool it seemed like Cassie wasn’t too far behind. If it truly had been a race it would have been one hell of a close call. The relaxation seemed to hit the second she hit the water. Like the world could simply float by her and she wouldn’t have a care in the world. Even if they got caught, in that moment Lena wasn’t worried about consequences. Once she’d surfaced, Lena lay onto her back and simply floated for a moment as her breathing laboured. “Say it again for the people in the back,” she mouthed with a smile illuminating her features. Lena was still learning slang terms and the different things people said and what they meant. She had spent all her life just trying to be better, and work harder, now she was actually experiencing what it was like to be a normal teenager. As she moved one arm back in the water she ultimately ended up splashing herself in the face. A slight grumble at herself as she blinked quickly to keep the water out of her eyes, Lena stood back up properly in the water.

[cassiekallas]

It was the kind of light carefree fun that made Cassie feel young again. For a minute she forgot the memory loss and the troublesome thoughts in her head. She forgot the worry and pressure to do well and impress her grandparents. Now it was just her in the water, getting away with a little trouble. The water was honestly relaxing, as if as long as she was in she could just wash away all those little worries and concerns she seemed to be filled with as of late. Perhaps when she was out all those worries would be back but for now she was okay. For now she felt calm, relaxed and ready to face the events of the rest of the evening. “This is my first time in the pool,” she hadn’t been lucky to end up in it for an athletic class. “It’s pretty nice here, though it’s quite clear they’ve royal-ed it up significantly,” she observed. Her eyes averted to the ceiling and wall. All glass. There was a nice view of the starry night.

[cassiekallas]

@selina-caspari

Sometimes things were hard. She hadn’t forgotten everything. She hadn’t forgotten motor functions or anything like that. She knew some people with amnesia had truly awful cases where they forgot how to talk. In the scale of forgetting, she supposed a missing year wasn’t so bad. But to her she felt like she was missing a lifetime. She didn’t want the attack back, she was too scared to face it. What she desperately wanted back was what she’d done. It was hard for her to be faced with people who said they knew her. Or pretending all the time that she could remember everything. Her mother would often speak of what they’d done, or her visit over Christmas. She had to read the room and take the best guess at what happened. The brunette was still trying to put some pieces together so she was sitting in the computer part of the lab, flicking through some pages of paparazzi about her. The school computers were nice, but she wished she was on in her room. A lot of her stuff was still in boxes on it’s way to the school.

[selina-caspari]

Nothing in Selina’s life had ever been easy. Sure, she hadn’t been the easiest child to raise. Constantly going against her parents wishes because she didn’t agree with them could be considered devious behaviour, but she wasn’t just another sheep to be fenced into their premeditated thinking. The older she got though, the more she wished she could forget things. Whenever she closed her eyes she could still picture everything vividly as if it were actually happening to her in that moment. As much as she tried to pretend nothing happened during the day, it was still there just waiting to be let out. She just felt like if she ever consciously thought or talked about any of it she wouldn’t stop crying. Her idea of keeping her head above water was just to avoid everything and block phone calls from her mother or father. That day was the same. Selina penciled on her eye liner and mascara and made her way to the library. As tedious as it was still having to attend lessons at 21, Selina was forced to check out a “history of the crown” book. How they thought she would pay attention if she didn’t pay attention the first time they tried teaching her about it, she would never know. The only way to describe her features as she looked through the books was bored. Her fingertips trailed along the spine of the book section until she found the one she needed and went to sit over on one of the chairs by the computers. Nobody was really there, and honestly she didn’t blame them. Flipping the book open to the first page, Selina got about one sentence in before an agitation kicked in. The princess had never been much of a reader, she’d usually just focus on the pictures and make up her own story. Looking around the area again her eyes fell onto a brunette that she hadn’t seen before. Standing from her seat, Selina hugged the book to her chest as she walked behind the girl and noticed that she was looking up herself. “You know that phones have a search feature too,” she explained nonchalantly as she nodded towards the screen. 

[cassiekallas]

This had never been like Cassie, consuming gossip magazines and articles about herself. She wasn’t self important, and frankly whatever the press said wasn’t something she had any room to care about. Whether they were critiquing her outfits, reporting on her nights out or doing fluff pieces, she’d never paid much mind to her face plastered over sleazy magazines. It had never truly been of important to her. But now it was almost crucial. Or maybe not crucial but definitely of high importance. She needed to know what had happened to her in her memory gaps. The last year was just a blank, even some holidays from before that were empty. She couldn’t explain it, and it was driving her mad. She just needed to know, as long as nobody found out she’d be fine. The brunette was staring at the webpage trying desperately to remember being at the party but couldn’t seem to. She even remembered that dress, she had just finished unpacking it. But the party itself, or even memories of wearing the dress were blank. Maybe she could have been in her room, but honestly a part of her was worried someone would read her phone history and start questioning things. It wasn’t beyond her father to do something of the sort. Embarrassment flushed washed over Cassie’s face as she glanced back at the blonde. “Oh um, yeah I know. This isn’t actually what it looks like, kinda had a drunk night at this party and don’t really remember it all. Just trying to figure out what might have happened. And you know how royal parents are. Don’t want them to see the search history and question if my intake levels are a little too much,” it wasn’t the most smooth dismissal. She could have done better. On a short notice though it was the best she was coming up with. 

[selina-caspari]

There was something so alluring about reading magazines and articles on other royal families. It was probably because it was about people that she knew, people that she had actual references for. To be fair she had social media, she could easily keep track of everyone she knew through that. It was mainly about the ridiculous things that the authors added to the magazine articles that kept Selina flipping pages. Well, that and all of the pictures that they included. A lot included drunk and drug involved royals stumbling home with half of their clothing. Not that she’d ever admit it, but there was part of her that was flipping pages hoping she’d find something on the Moldovan prince. Or even something about her father messing up and people believing her when she talked about the abuse he did to her. Making herself at home, Selina swung one of the other wheeled chairs around so that she could make herself comfortable. The blonde didn’t even question the brunette’s reasoning. It wasn’t like she was completely innocent and able to recall all of the parties that she had actually been to. Her blue hues flickered to the screen, noticing a couple of pictures of the girl with someone else. “Who is your handsome friend? Because I’ve flipped through countless magazines and have never seen his face.” By this point Selina had set her royal book aside and pushed her project out of her mind. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was glad there was no more questions about why exactly she was combing online articles about herself. While she was sure it wasn’t entirely uncommon here, she also didn’t want people to mistaken her for a typical princess who was obsessed with her own appearance in magazines and such. It had never been someone she was. But now it was one of the few clues in her life she could exploit without tipping anyone off to her memory loss. Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they knew. But she didn’t need the extra pity. Nor she did want to risk being considered unfit for the throne. Her grandparents needed her. “Thanks,” Cassie said with a little smile. “You know, for not judging me,” she figured that the girl’s sitting down meant she might try helping. The brunette turned her eyes back to the photos and she noticed as well what the girl was pointing at. It wasn’t anyone she knew exactly. Maybe a college friend. “I’m not sure, guess he must have been a party buddy,” she dismissed it rather simply, once again, playing cover up.

[selina-caspari]

It wasn’t that uncommon to be searching about yourself at the estate. Some people were simply keeping track of the articles so they could explain themselves to their parents or someone else if anyone asked. Other times it was for amusement. Either way, Selina didn’t even think to question it with how common the reality of it happening was. “Please, if I looked that cute in a party outfit I’d look up myself too,” she shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at the girl. Leaning one elbow onto the computer table she leaned her cheek into her palm. Selina was genuinely curious about what might be found in some of the images and articles. And by the way the girl looked sitting in front of her, she looked like she needed some form of support in the matter. “I’m Selina by the way. I take it that a small party wasn’t exactly the reason for being sent to here of all places?” 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hadn’t exactly made a lot of friends in her time at the estate. She’d only been there for about a week. Honestly she’d barely spoken to anyone if she was honest. Most of her days were spent trying to make heads or tails of the work she was doing. And trying to remember her life from the last year, not that it was easy to remember all those things. The brunette thought that maybe this girl could be her friend. “I think I still have that dress somewhere if you wanna borrow it sometime,” she noted with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “My name is Cassie,” she said easily. “Though, you probably guessed that from the articles,” the brunette noted, pointing at the bold caption. “No, I actually didn’t really have a lot of people expecting me to take me to be a Queen. I honestly thought my father would live forever, but he’s sick. And my grandmother wants me to try for the throne now. So, I have to learn everything I missed.”

[selina-caspari]

Considering Selina felt so out of touch with her life these days there were few things that made her feel like her old self. One of those things was with clothing. She had always used fashion and outfits as a way to make a statement and also to make herself feel cute. It could just be something fun. “Wait, really?” she questioned. Selina had only just met this princess and already she was offering something without even thinking twice about it. “A little trusting for a newbie.” Selina gave the brunette a side glance before her lips instantly tugged into a smile. “I like that about you.” With how often royals got involved in dirty deeds, it wasn’t unusual to see them disappear from time to time where they changed their name and moved across country to somewhere small where they wouldn’t be recognised. “Hey, for all I know your real name could be Harry Potter.” The blonde offered a shrug. “Cassie is a nice name though. At least they didn’t burden you with a name like Karen or something.” So many royals lied and played up their lives to make it seem better than it really was. As much as she liked to believe the best in people, it still kind of surprised her when people were so honest on first meeting. Cassie genuinely seemed like a girl that Selina could get along well with. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. There’s always plenty of help around the estate though.” 

[cassiekallas]

A dress was of no consequence to her if she was honest. She doubted the material held the magical ability to bring back her lost memories nor did it host any special ideals or a particular meaning. It had been an order from a designer. He was small time and trying to break into the royal world. So Cassie had met with him and paid him to design the dress. From what she heard he had risen and met his goal to start dressing royals all over the world. She was honestly just glad to have helped someone’s dream come true. Perhaps seeing it on another royal would simply further his career. When the blonde pointed out she was trusting, for just a second she worried that perhaps that was a bad thing. But the smile and affirmation that it was a likable trait quickly calmed the worry she had messed up. “For a second there I thought you were going to tell me that was a bad thing. I’m not sure exactly how to royal,” the brunette said with a little chuckle. “Besides it is just a dress, it would look fantastic on you anyway,” she said cheerfully. Selina had a point about the name though. Even with her low exposure to royals she had been dealing with kids who were living rich and lavish lives. It wasn’t uncommon to change names and personalities and run away for a while either. “That or Agnes. It would truly be a tragedy from then on,” she said with a laugh echoing from her lips. Cassie didn’t usually hold back. She didn’t mind keeping a few secrets but her dad’s illness was all over the tabloids. No point in covering it up. “Yeah, it’s hard sometimes,” it wasn’t a total lie. The idea of her dad dying didn’t sit well with her. But at the same time it was a different kind of sadness. After all she wasn’t even sure she knew the man. “Well, I still feel to a degree like people expect me to already know everything to be honest. It’s definitely not easy. But I’ll probably get the hang of it soon. Do you like it here? Any secrets of the trade I should know about. Hideaways, secret societies. How about teachers?” The assault of curiosity came as she wondered about what life would be like for the next few months. At least now she had someone to ask questions.

[selina-caspari]

The human world as a whole could be dark a twisted. Add into it royals fighting with each other over medial things and the way they like to control everything, people who are too trusting could be swallowed whole. It was refreshing to see such a thing from someone at the estate. “It’s refreshing. You don’t see a lot of it from royals,” she explained as she tapped her fingertips against the edge of the computer table. A thought crossed the Swiss girl’s mind. More of an idea that got her excited. Sitting up more in her chair, she tilted her head to look at Cassie. “What if you retraced your steps? Not literally since we clearly aren’t in a place to be jetting off to wherever those pictures were taken. But we could get dressed up, go out to the town and follow the digital footprint around to things you did that night to see if that helps?” It might not have been the best idea, but she was trying. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat protective over the girl despite only knowing her for less than an hour. An echo of laughter fell from her lips as she gave a shake of her head. The way the girl was asking questions was like an excited puppy that needed answers right that second. “It’s not the worst place in the world,” she answered honestly. Being in her own home was hell compared to the estate. At least that was Selina’s experience. “There’s a cabin by the lake. It’s a great escape if you ever feel like you have no control. It takes a while for them to realize that you’re gone. As for teachers, I don’t really pay attention to their actual names. But avoid dark unibrow and former ice skater because they will burden you for looking at them the wrong way.”

[cassiekallas]

Honestly Cassie could maybe get used to this place, at least if all the people were as nice as she seemed to be. The brunette had planned to do her time here, however long that was. But maybe there was a way to enjoy it too. Besides all the stress of trying to grasp concepts that hadn’t been explained to her since she was seven. Or trying to remember things that her brain seemed to wanted to simply deny her access to. “Well, I wasn’t raised like the typical royal,” a shrug accompanied her non-chalant tone. The blonde’s words ran through her head briefly. It didn’t seem like an awful idea. Maybe pictures didn’t jog her memory because she hadn’t seen things that way. Perhaps a first person experience might help. It wasn’t an awful idea. Similar feelings and thoughts could bring back memories. Maybe that would help. Or at least it wouldn’t hurt. Cassie nodded and took in Selinas words. Honestly it didn’t seem so bad. Not like everyone said at least. “I will definitely take that advice, though I might need you to show me,” Cassie wasn’t the best at finding things. “I think I have dark unibrow for political science,” she had to really think about it. Sometimes her memory was still spotty as hell. Even for simple things. It wasn’t always a huge problem. Sometimes it was just forgetting what she had for breakfast. Honestly she wasn’t sure if it was the head injury or just usual memory things.

[selina-caspari]

Like with anything else, the estate wasn’t completely devoid of flaws. It definitely had them and they were obvious when you spent long enough there. But Selina didn’t like focusing on the bad. It also probably helped that Selina saw this as her escape. It was her getaway from the corrupt royal system and the royals that continued to allow all of it to happen. As long as she didn’t talk about anything that her father did to her then she was free to live a life away from it all. Even the times she had tried to come clean about it all to the media and press, nobody believed her. Who would believe a girl in a place known for troubled royals above a high standing male royal? Selina didn’t want to dwell on the thoughts too much. She knew it was one slippery slope if she let herself sink into it. Shaking off the feeling, Selina smiled at the brunette. “Great, so we’ll save a copy of some of the articles so we know where we’re going essentially,” she explained as she leaned close to the screen to read the name properly so she could type and save it into her phone. “And then we can take a mini vacation from this place to go on a mind hunt.” The smile on her lips was genuine. She wanted to be helpful, and by the looks of the girl sitting in front of her, she definitely needed a day off. Even if she was only new to all of this. “Next time I need to runaway I will make sure to tag you in for the joy ride,” she proclaimed with a slight tilt of her head. “Unless chemicals are involved, they have no right to call something a science.” Selina had grown up with these classes all her life, or at least most of them. She still despised some of their names, like they were trying to trick students to get excited about them. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hoped at the very least since most royals were here for something they wouldn’t judge her for her own flaws. Sure, she remembered a few of them from being a child at balls and such. But in her later years of school, those balls and parties and galas and dinners had become significantly less important to her than other things in life. She had still gone to some here and there, attending them with her mother, father and stepbrother, but not enough to truly stay in the royal cliques and circles. Her life had been built around preparing for when her father had eventually popped out another heir that could replace her as one. “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. Perhaps they could find some similar spots in the town nearby. Perhaps bars or clubs might be a good area to start. She knew the picture she was focusing on had been a club. That much was said in the article. “Perhaps we head back to my room and we can get dressed up? I think they dropped off the majority of my clothes with the moving truck,” she had to think about it for a minute. She knew there was a second load on it’s way she just wasn’t sure if all of her clothes came in the first. She didn’t have the energy to unzip and peer into the individual garment bags her grandmother and grandfather’s hired moving team had put everything in. “Agreed, I’m not entirely sure why they bother at all with such things. Perhaps to make it sound normal,” she noted, consideration in her tone. There’d been political science degrees available at her college, but the royal version of it was significantly different. 

[selina-caspari]

It was safe to say that Selina was looking for any excuse to not be doing her class work. Even if she wasn’t though, there was something about not remembering and desperately trying to figure out what happened that she genuinely wanted to help this girl. “Oh I would love to look through your closet,” she was practically beaming. There was something about other people’s choice in clothing that got her excited. Judging from the few pictures she’d seen of Cassie from the media articles she had a good taste in outfits too. “Gives me the perfect excuse to avoid whatever I was supposed to be doing.” The blonde glanced down to the book she had set aside to see what it was even about, because at this point she had set it out of her mind. “Oh well, doesn’t matter anymore.” Selina shrugged, not even bothering to read the long titled that was engraved on the front of the cover. Before she could hear any reason for why they shouldn’t go out, Selina was basically out of her seat and ready to go. She didn’t know where the girl’s dorm was so she couldn’t exactly just lead the way. Raising her index finger, Selina gave a small wave of it. “Nuh uh, no part of this place is normal.” She made sure to use quotation marks around normal because she honestly didn’t know what was considered normal anymore. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe this was a good idea. Perhaps staging a break out wasn’t something to be considered great, but she was after all getting a break from all the thinking and work she’d been doing. When she wasn’t doing schoolwork she was often working tirelessly to remember things. Honestly, it was starting to make her head hurt a little bit. So this could be a good thing, as long as she took it easy and didn’t trigger her head injury. “Well, I’m not sure if I’ll be up to your degree of fashion but hopefully it’s not too bad,” she could definitely say this girl was more runway ready than her. She looked like she just came off a magazine cover. “I might end up having to raid your closet,” Cassie chimed, a grin on her face as she rose from the computer, logging out of everything. “Well, school work can wait, that’s what I’m telling myself at least,” she admitted. The brunette headed out of the library and down the hall. She took one of the exits into her dorm as opposed to going outside and around. “Well, they try to make it seem as if it is awfully hard. As if the steaks aren’t made as if they’re from five star restaurants,” she chuckled a little at the thought of how hard they worked to make this seem like a normal college campus almost. When it was so far from it and Cassie could see the gold dripping from every inch.

[selina-caspari]

There was over a dozen ways to make break out of the estate. Most guards could be paid out to let you out. Other times it was knowing the fault in a fence and other hidden getaways. Knowing the fact that they were getting dressed up she was already making a getaway plan in her head and ordering a car. If she paid a premium price she could hire a car for the night so that it would just be sitting there and waiting to take them from place to place. The blonde princess gave a tilt of her head to study the clothing that Cassie was wearing. It wasn’t terrible, but also not as high fashion she was used to. Selina was kind of excited for doing something different. It was the adult version of playing dress up as a kid. Trying something almost completely opposite to what she was used to. “It sounds like it’s something different so I am keen for anything at this point,” she mused, waiting a moment before shaking her head. “Just nothing plaid.” There were some standards that Selina didn’t stoop to. Even when she used to go camping she would still stick to a hiking equivalent of her day to day clothing. Selina started to follow Cassie before falling into step with her. She didn’t know where her dorm was so she couldn’t exactly be that confident in where she was going. But then again this girl was still new so Selina might have been a little more confident in the layout of buildings. “They need a reality check,” she rolled her eyes at the thought. Just because they were born into royalty didn’t mean they had to be so entitled about it. As she walked, Selina pulled out her phone and ordered a premium car for them. By now she had the estate layout complete in her mind so she wouldn’t accidentally walk into a pole or anything.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie’s style resided in a permanent state of semi formal, semi casual. Her outfits of a rather decorated blouse and high-waisted pants or skinny dress pants often was quickly turned into something more formal when she added one of her blazers. It was an easy non-commital outfit. Her grandparents approved too, they always said it was easier than trying to follow silly royal dress line rules. Even her grandmother who had lived in the prime of the two inch rule thought that such things were silly. But those simple things were enough for a royal to be scandalized. She wasn’t high fashion, but she didn’t dance the line of understyled. Not that many royals did. “Plaid has it’s place. Which is red and around Christmas,” she agreed rather quickly. She certainly never dressed casually enough for plaid. The brunette continued following the trail she’d been careful to learn. It had taken a while with the injury and all. But she was getting there. “Agreed. Perhaps it is meant to make us humble or something. I’m between that and all the gild is to hide the fact most of us aren’t allowed to leave,” she pondered aloud. Finally, they reached her dorm. She quickly unlocked the door with the key she kept on her wrist along with a charm bracelet. “Make yourself at home,” Cassie headed into the room herself and started by opening up the closet. Most of her clothes still laid in carefully packed garment bags. It was all too likely that her grandparents had bought her a few times. Sure her wardrobe at her mother’s was extensive like any princess but unpacking had revealed some new gowns she hadn’t remembered having. Or perhaps she’d just forgotten them like everything else from the last year.

[selina-caspari]

Not every royal dressed up high to nines and tens. A lot of the time they were comfortable in just a t-shirt and jeans because they didn’t have someone breathing down their necks and telling them what to wear. It wasn’t horrific by any means, especially with some of the fashion travestys she had seen. But after a while, those things just grew boring to her. She preferred colour, adventure. It was more than just what you wore for the press or out in public. It was a way to add your personality into your look. And personality that didn’t involve an eye roll or a quirk of a brow. “Ugh, don’t remind me that plaid is coming out around Christmas.” Time had swept by this year. Within a blink of an eye it would no doubt be Christmas once more. Everyone would break out their carols and pretend to be holier than thou. Selina usually loved Christmas. The snow, the Christmas sweaters. She made a whole thing of it. But something just felt off and different this year. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Alright, ride is booked,” she assured as she looked up to realise they were already at the girl’s dorm. Stepping into the dorm room she couldn’t the disappointment. She figured maybe it would magically look different to the rooms she had been switched to and from. But it was more or less the same besides a couple of things furniture wise being in different places. Instead of going to anything to sit on Selina walked straight after Cassie and into the closet. “I’m home,” she proclaimed with a small grin on her rosebud lips. A lot of it was still in the process of being unpacked. Mostly smart and casual attire. When her gaze fell upon the box that Cassie had found though her eyes lit up. “And here I thought you said, Cass, that you didn’t have anything.” Pulling one of the gowns out, the blonde let her fingertips trail over the sequens and sparkles over the sleeves of the dress. Holding it in front of her, Selina stepped in front of one of the floor length mirrors to see what it would look like on her. Usually she had a good eye and sense for what suited her, and others for that matter. But it had been a while since she had completely dressed up. Usually she just wore things that were out of the norm of what her parents expected. She wanted a second opinion. Turning in her spot, her gaze flickered to the brunette. “What do you think, C?”

[cassiekallas]

“I’ll keep a mental note not to let any plaid or reminders of plaid grace your eyesight or mind,” she chuckled as she spoke. The brunette walked into her rather plain room. She knew some royals took all kinds of time to decorate it. And she might and some point to. There were pictures to hang up, little trinkets and decor things she would lay out eventually. But for now, her energy was just so sapped from everything else. For now the bare bones of the bed, desk and additional furniture bought by her grandparents was it. Maybe if this night went well, she’d ask Selina to help at some point. “It’s a little bit of a mess, boxes everywhere and all. But I’m still moving in here,” she brushed a piece of hair back, nudging one of the boxes out of the way. Instead of approaching the closet, she gave Selina free reign and perched herself on the edge of the bed, watching the girl go through the clothes. “Perhaps in another life you were a designer or model,” Cassie remarked, almost certain that if this girl was not a princess she would likely find herself somewhere in the fashion industry. “I honestly don’t know what’s there in dresses, my grandparents bought a few new ones for me,” she didn’t include the part that she herself may have purchased something in the last year that she didn’t remember getting. The brunette idly fiddled with an elastic she’d had on her wrist while she waited for the blonde to finish her initial survey. As soon as she was spoken to, her blue eyes tilted up, taking in the view of the dress the blonde was displaying. “I think you’ll look absolutely stunning in that dress, I certainly think it’s more for you than me.” All true, she could imagine the silvery sequins and gems would only bring out the icy blue of Selina’s eyes. 

[selina-caspari]

“It’s not so much about plaid itself and more of the Christmas aspect,” she explained. Lately Selina felt like she had been putting up a shield to those around her. Like if she didn’t let anyone new in that she wouldn’t be able to get hurt anymore. Although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it there was something about this girl that made her want to get to know this girl. She felt a sympathy towards her. Selina regularly felt a need to forget everything that happened to her. But even she knew that not being able to remember things that others knew would be it’s own form of torture. Maybe Selina was one of the lucky ones in some sense. “I feel like I would be more afraid if there wasn’t boxes and mess everywhere. It would make me feel like I’m completely disorganised.” Selina chuckled with a gaze in the brunette’s direction. As she looked through the closet Selina couldn’t help but think about the suggestion of how she could be a designer or model in another life. For Selina fashion and design was always just her escape. She could be different in that world, out of the norm and not be expected to fit into one category. She had grown somewhat bored of her life at the estate though. She needed more to sustain herself. Maybe fashion or design could be something to look into. The Swiss girl put the thought into the back of her mind as she found the dress that she rather adored. “Yeah I’m sure your grandparents packed it specifically for me,” she joked as she walked up to the edge of the bed and laid the gown next to Cassie. “Now your turn. Do you want to wear something similar to what you did from those photos to see if that helps? Or you could always wear something different. Because I can totally see you stunning in an emerald green dress.” Selina’s icy blue hues focused onto Cassie to pick up on any cues she gave to her suggestions.

[cassiekallas]

“Not a fan?” Cassie asked in a nonchalant voice. She was mildly curious, but certainly wasn’t about the pry. She knew well enough to know how easily a holiday could become something off-putting. Christmas alone was enough to remind her of the times her father missed the holiday all together or when he would send gifts but never personally see her. She still loved the holidays, but she also knew how easy it was not to, especially when they served as reminders for displeasure. Not that she knew if that was Selina’s case or not. “Well, fear not, for you probably look like Mary Poppins levels of clean next to this mess,” the brunette gestured around her room at the widespread mess that didn’t leave one section of the room untouched. Cassie got somewhat comfortable on the bed. “Well, perhaps they didn’t pick it out for you but it certainly fits you better than it ever will me,” she agreed. Perhaps when she tried it on the size would end up being perfect. It likely would. But she knew the style and make of the dress certainly wasn’t the type she usually went for in dresses. “Perhaps we can shake it up tonight. There might be a few other things my grandparents sent over,” she was sure there were. Standing up with a little huff, she walked over to the larger boxes on her closet floor. They were primarily dress boxes for her. 

[selina-caspari]

Selina ignored her question. It wasn’t with malicious intent or trying to be rude. She just didn’t want to bring down the first night that she was going to have out in what felt like a century. Besides, tonight was a mission. Cassie was the main focus for the night. Hopefully their adventure out into the town was going to provide some kind of answer to the questions she had been asking herself about that night. The blonde chuckled softly at her words. “I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that. The room might essentially be put together, but the closet is a mess in itself,” she assured. She really needed to have a clean out. Maybe donate some of her older outfits to a charity or something. When the brunette made her way into the closet to search the other boxes Selina took the opportunity of a little privacy to change into the dress. She wasn’t embarrassed but at the same time she had only just met the girl. Stripping off her shirt and stepping out of her skirt, Selina slipped the gown over her head. It took a second to slide her arms into the sleeves. To make sure the fit was suitable, Selina stood in front of a mirror. She was pleasantly surprised to see how the fabric worked to her advantage and illuminated her curves. Pleased with the look she turned on her heel to walk into the closet to help the brunette choose out something. “Find anything?” she questioned, leaning against the door frame of the closet. 

[cassiekallas]

“Well, closets are always messy, aren’t they? It’s where I’ve always hidden my mess at least,” Cassie had been notorious as a child for trying to clean and impress her parents by secretly stuffing the mess elsewhere instead of truly cleaning it up. In honesty, this little habit had traveled right on with her into adulthood. Emphasis on non-clothing related boxes littering the closet. Cassie was digging through the things that had been packed. It took her a while to find a dress that wasn’t a ball gown. Eventually, she settled for a deep green dress. It had one sleeve and then faded into a strapless on the other side. It was nice, not too over the top but functional. This would work. “This,” she finally said as she got it out of the wrapping and held it up for Selina to see. Cassie rose up from her knees and got a good look at the dress Selina had tucked herself into. It did fit her remarkably, just as Cassie thought it might. “What do you think?” Cassie held it to her form.

[selina-caspari]

“Kind of like those that use their cars or under their bed to hide their messy tenancies?” she questioned with a soft chuckle. At first glance Cassie didn’t seem like the type that would dress up and go all out for something like a ball gown. It made more sense that it had been her grandparents that had slipped them in rather than her making a definitive choose to include it in her closet. The estate sometimes threw it’s own balls, or hold other functions and events that involved dressing up so at the very least Cassie wouldn’t have to freak out if one of those were to arise. The Swiss femme watched closely as Cassie rummaged through the box of dresses. One by one, dresses got tossed to the side. It was like the brunette was trying to find a needle in a haystack. When she finally seemed to settle on the dress, Selina looked over it carefully. It was a great match for her skin tone and without even have the girl try it on she knew it would work wonders. “I think you just found your dress. The green really brings out the blue in your eyes.” As if Cassie had just found her wedding dress, the blonde clapped her hands together in glee. It wasn’t something others would usually get excited about, but this was her expertise. Something she enjoyed that wasn’t highly criticized. 

[cassiekallas]

“Exactly. Everything looks at least semi put together on the outside while on the inside it’s a true disaster,” she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. Unlike most royals, talking about imperfections and perhaps something to be considered a flaw didn’t bother her at all. Cassie’s attention barely went to the mess she was making. She just was careful enough with the various silks, chiffon and taffeta as to not rip them as she grabbed them to quickly discard on the ground. Some of the dresses were ballgowns. She’d been told that balls were often hosted for the royals here, as if to keep them in practice. So she supposed it made sense, even though it felt a little bit silly to have them. By the time she’d found the green dress she was sure her room looked like a hurricane had hit a fabric shop but she wasn’t too fussy on that. After all, she could easily clean it later. Holding it against her body, she waited for Selina’s opinion. She just hoped she wouldn’t have to return to the pile of clothes again. A little chuckle escaped at Selina’s excitement. “I like your energy,” she said easily as she headed into the room. Turning her back to the girl was enough comfort for her to quickly shimmy into the green dress. It wasn’t a bad fit at all. She thought perhaps a glimmer of memory might have shone with it. But it was just as likely she’d worn something similar before.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie x Blake

@blakesutherland

Cassie had never been one for drinking. She didn’t like getting carried away or out of control with her intake. She didn’t like being blackout drunk or not remembering how she woke up. Even though lately, she often used drunken party nights as a way to explain away memory absences. She wasn’t exactly sure what had come over her that night. Maybe it was the head injury, made her more susceptible to the alcohol itself. But she hadn’t had more than two drinks at the party. Only half an hour after the second it’d all faded to black. 

Morning had come around. Cassie always woke up when she sun first shone on her sensitive eyes. She let out a little grumble at the feeling of the brightness disturbing her rest. Still half asleep, she pulled a blanket up over her head and snuggled back against the solid presence behind her. The warmth of the other body had her easily drawn back in, doing a little wiggle to get as close as possible. Half asleep, it all made sense to try and cuddle closer. A satisfied little hum leaving her. However, as consciousness came into play she quickly realized that she didn’t have a significant other or anything of the sort. She barely knew anyone at the estate. When this thought fully set in, just the tiniest bit of panic set in. She found herself wondering what exactly she’d done. The brunette quickly sat up in bed, pulling the sheet up to cover her bare chest. Her eyes immediately went to the stranger she must have invited into her bed at some point in the night. Apparently one night stands were something she did now.

[cassiekallas]

@royallylena

She was trying hard to get the hang of it. In her first week, she’d already had homework everyday but the first day, and had an assignment that was due next week. She wanted to get a jump in it, between homework and other assignments, she might not have time for this one if she didn’t start it now. To get cracking, she decided to head on down to the dorm kitchen with her books. Maybe having a snack or task would help her keep from getting bored with the assignment. But as the hours passed, she couldn’t get through one question. It was some moral theory assignment. She understood its purpose, as she was sure there wasn’t one royal who hadn’t questioned if they were doing the right thing one. But the one thing she couldn’t get past was that most of these assigned questions didn’t have a textbook answer. They just had to be from her mind. She almost wished for the days when school was as easy as just worrying about a general studies degree. “Damn it,” she sighed as she stared at the one sentence she’d written for the assignment, running a hand through her loose locks.

[royallylena]

A lot of people thought that Lena was a lot smarter than she was. The only reason she did well on assignments and work in her classes was because of how hard she worked on them. Just because she was in another country from her parents didn’t mean that she was completely free of them. They always asked about what she was doing and how things were going in her classes. It was like they cared more about that and their image than they did about her health or the issues that she was having. As long as media didn’t catch wind of her blackouts and how violent she got during them then it wasn’t their problem. Lena had only just gotten back to the estate. Her parents had caught wind of her using adderall in an attempt to stop her blackouts and they ordered her home and bombarded her with an intervention. Acting like caring parents when all they cared about was their family’s image. The last thing they needed was for people to think of her as a drug addict because then their family would become a pariah of the country. She was doing her best to readjust into estate life as well as holding that pressure to be perfect. The cafeteria was too much for her at the moment, so Lena decided to go to the kitchen to get some food. As she was walking she tightened her ponytail. Before she could even get near food she noticed a new looking brunette sitting and doing some kind of assignment or something. “What’s the problem?” she questioned at the girl’s words, continuing to walk over to where a fruit bowl was and grabbed an apple. 

[cassiekallas]

It was easy, getting frustrated. Maybe things would be a lot easier for her if she had had the advantage of being taught royal subjects growing up. Before her mother’s miscarriage, her father ensured she would put some effort into royal subjects in her studies. But her mother had taken her and while she was infinitely glad for that, at the same time she still missed so much. Now she felt like someone had thrown her into the water without a lifejacket or raft. A headache was starting to burst through, making it feel as if she had a couple of screws going right into her temples. Cassie, despite her usual lack of temper and violence wanted to fire the book and papers at a wall. “Does all of the moral theory have to have so many answers? I don’t know what the teacher wants with this answer,” she said with a sigh, trying to banish some irritation from her voice. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just…frustrated,” she sighed.

[royallylena]

All Lena could do was simply watch the brunette like she was watching some other version of herself. Nothing about learning the ropes of anything royal came easy. Usually there was some type of lesson involved in anything being taught. In Lena’s own personal experience she had made simple mistakes while learning that she was later crucified over. As cruel as it was for Lena being such a young age, it made her want to work harder and gain the respect of her parents and teachers. Biting into the apple, Lena couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She wasn’t laughing at the girl in any way, she just recognized that frustration all too well. “I think that’s the whole point. They want you to think harder about it and seriously think about each answer as if it were a reality,” she tried her best to explain so that it wasn’t just more stress or anxiety being added to the situation. Walking over to one of the other chairs, the young brunette settled upon it. “I’m Lena by the way,” she cooed with a gentle smile. 

[cassiekallas]

Honestly, pulling her own hair out would have seemed like a good idea if it meant she could understand this work. Cassie didn’t usually get frustrated like this. But she also didn’t usually find herself face to face with something she couldn’t conquer. This royal stuff, all these lessons and studies were so new. Even college had been simpler than this. Though that might have had everything to do with how well her private school had been for teaching. “I suppose that makes sense, I guess royals who don’t know what they’re doing wouldn’t exactly be a good idea,” she noted with a little huff. She knew the girl was right, she just wished she’d had the upbringing that would have her already knowing these kind of things. “I’m Cassandra, well, Cassie, you can call me Cassie,” she said, botching her introduction. She was still just the slightest bit frazzled. “It’s nice to meet you Lena.”

[royallylena]

School settings made things feel a lot simpler. Because it’s sole purpose was to teach and learn, Lena felt she understood things a lot better than when she was being taught at home. Which was done for a lot of her royal classes. Her parents had hired a private tutor for those, even occasionally finding time to teach a few things themselves. But because she was in her home environment all she wanted to do was normal things. “I can always help out if you need a little help understanding some of the things,” she offered. As she took a closer look at the frustrated brunette though she picked something the girl could use more. “Although you look as though you could do with a break right now. Which again, I’m more than happy to help with.” The Polish princess offered a friendly smile to Cassie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Cassie.” 

[cassiekallas]

Even looking at the work was making her frustrated. She was sure she’d been in this state for the last half an hour at least. She probably wasn’t going to be able to get any work done like this. “I would appreciate that. I’m supposed to be working with a tutor, but they’re not available for another week and I’m certain I’m failing now,” she said with a hopeless expression. Honestly she was pretty sure she was failing her work now. “A break? Yeah…might be a good idea,” she said looking down at the slew of paperwork on the table. “I heard the pool is a really great place. Though, I think at this hour we might have to break in. How do you feel about rebelling?” She asked with a grin on her face. Cassie never went out of her way to find trouble, but she didn’t mind a little if it meant she could have fun.

[royallylena]

It was rather enlightening seeing someone actually concerned about what their grades and work at the estate was. Quite often Lena wondered whether she would be as concerned if she didn’t have as much pressure as she did on her. Whether she’d be considered a normal rebellious teenager and not seem so out of touch from the other royals around her. Finishing the apple she was eating, the Polish princess simply stared at the brunette for a moment at her suggestion. Lena wasn’t one to be much of a rule breaker. She was slowly breaking out of her shell since arriving at the estate but it was still a work in progress. Maybe some fun and a break for herself would do her some good too. Lena stood up from the table and threw the apple into the trash can in the kitchen. “I know where they keep the keys in administration,” she mused with ease as she nodded to the door. “It’s now or never.” With how often Lena helped out in administration she knew where things like keys were kept. They trusted Lena because what was she going to do? Sneak into somewhere without permission? Well for once, that was what she was doing. Bending the rules for a little thrill that didn’t cause danger to anyone else. 

[cassiekallas]

For the second of silence, Cassie honestly thought it was quite possible the girl might turn around and report her to the office or something of the sort. She didn’t know if she’d perhaps mentioned her little secret to the wrong person. She wasn’t one to judge by appearances or even first impressions, but in part she had gotten a sort of idea that this girl might be a bit of an overachiever in a way. It wasn’t a bad way. But ignoring that she’d decided to suggest the rulebreaking act anyway, which she was just realizing now might have been a bad idea. Then the words left her lips and Cassie let out a little sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, I thought you were going to tell on me for being a heart case for a minute there,” Cassie said with a grin. “I like you,” Cassie told the girl in approval and got up from her seat, stuffing the books and papers into the bag she carried.

[royallylena]

Lena didn’t want to sit and stew with her decisions. She knew she would no doubt start to feel guilt. Or the voices of her parents strict teachings plague her thoughts. For once she wanted to do something that was fun. Something that didn’t revolve around her grades or her standing. As much as she had been brainwashed for years, she was her own person who could make decisions for herself. If it was a bad decision then Lena was just going to have to learn the hard way like anybody else would. “And incur a punishment for someone who doesn’t deserve it? That’s just what they want, to play into their hand.” All of her things she’d left in her dorm room, including her phone. “I’m going to need to borrow your phone though as a reason to get in. There’s usually still someone that monitors the desk even this late.” The Polish blonde waited for the other girl to be ready with packing up before she made her way out the door to the main office that held the keys they needed.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was a little bit surprised at the girl’s honesty about her feelings for the system itself. She wasn’t sure if she was simply talking about the system of this particular building and the higher ups or if it went further than that, extending to the whole royal world. It wouldn’t surprise her that she meant either, it more so surprised her that any royal was willing to speak up and talk about it. “I suppose you must be right,” she said simply, unsure if the girl was willing to go into detail of what exactly she meant. It took a few minutes to fit everything into her already full backpack. She tried hard to keep everything on her. She desperately wanted to succeed, so she often took her school work with her in case she had a spare minute. “Yeah no problem,” it wasn’t like she had anything worrisome on her phone. She wasn’t an extremely private person. Withdrawing her phone from her pocket she handed it to the girl. Worse came to worse, it was all an elaborate scheme, but she doubted that.

[royallylena]

It was probably the frustration Lena was feeling that provoked her need to be so candid. Any other day of the week she probably would have spoken highly of the system. How it was there to protect every party involved. Truthfully even Lena didn’t fully know what extent she meant. Originally she was talking about the estate itself, but it could have easily applied to the royal life itself. It wasn’t uncommon for siblings and rivals to stoop to anything to get their hat thrown into the ring of taking the throne. It was toxic. There was a part of Lena that felt stupid for not having seen any of the signs earlier. “You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it,” she offered with a small shrug of her shoulders. “You have the opportunity to see the world and the system first hand and make up your own decisions about it.” Lena wasn’t about to push any ideas she had on someone else. Especially when she was only just starting to have those thoughts. The Polish blonde waited patiently until the brunette had managed to put everything back into her bag. Then she started leading the way towards the main office. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back,” she affirmed with a friendly smile as she took the phone. As big as the grounds were, it didn’t take long until they were close to the building. Lena quickly hid the phone in her pocket and made sure that there wasn’t a noticeable bulge from it that it would be noticed by others. With that in place, Lena opened the door into the building. Usually there were a few people darting around with different files and paperwork. Now there was just one person sitting behind the desk monitoring what was going on. But even he looked bored. “Hey, Harold. I left my phone in the back earlier, is it okay if I quickly go grab it?” she questioned, only receiving a nod to the back. “Yeah, just make it quick, Lena,” he finally responded. With a smile, Lena’s blue hues flickered to Cassie. “I’ll be quick, don’t worry. And you know Cassie, right? She’s new so I thought I’d help show her around a bit.” Lena hoped that Cassie would be able to spark up some conversation with the man at the desk so that if she made any noise grabbing the keys that it wouldn’t be a big deal. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she assured Cassie before stepping behind the desk and into the back room. Lena half closed the door so that she could look around properly. She knew generally where the keys were kept, but as she got to key holding board, none of it was labelled. There were only tiny scribblings on the keys themselves. She had to go through each set of keys one by one to read which one was made to what. It was around the eighth set before she read the scribbling of pool on the top. Grabbing the keys, she shoved them into her other pocket and pulled out the phone that Cassie had kindly lent to her. “Did you find it?” She heard Harold call out as he pushed the door open. “Got it. Thanks for your help, Harold,” she confirmed, holding up the phone as proof before making her way out of the room and back to where Cassie stood. “I’ll make sure everyone knows just how helpful you are.” It was genuine that some of the staff and administration were good. With the prize in her sights, Lena did her best to act as calm and collected as possible as they made their way out of the building. “Thanks again for that,” she hummed, adrenaline kicking in at what she had managed to pull off. Lena was handing the girl back her phone before revealing the keys she had managed to swipe. “Mission part one, complete.”  Lena felt completely high and giddy in that moment. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe in a way Cassie already knew the kind of system they lived in. What her father had done to her mother as a child taught her such a thing. He hadn’t been scared of legal charges, or repercussions. As a King no one would touch him in such a way. No, his real fear was for the scandal. An article in a magazine scared him more than what he actually had done. She never truly understood it. And how most royals like to pick and choose the politics of new and old that they supported. No matter how many laws were passed to try and be more modern in monarchy, most royals subscribed to their old world thinking in whatever way benefited them. Whether it was marriage, children or anything. Sure, she hadn’t seen the full system, she hadn’t been in it really, not like most royals were. Not like Lena probably was. But she supposed this was her life now. If she was to complete her studies and eventually be elected as Queen, well, she would have to get used to that world. To know both the ugly and pretty side of it. Cassie handed over the phone and followed the blonde. She was still getting used to the campus, so it was a surprise that the walk wasn’t too long or overwhelming. Soon enough they were in what she assumed was the administration side of the main building. The brunette walked in and looked around briefly, having not been there properly since her first day check in. Harold, the nightshift manager she guessed had only just been coming in when she’d arrived there. She took the cue to keep the night manager somewhat busy. “You were right, it is really beautiful here. I should have trusted you about the cafeteria coffee though, the cafe was far superior,” Cassie rambled on, flashing a charming smile here and there. She wasn’t unfamiliar with such things. Even though she might not have been raised a royal, her mother was a lady of nobility and she’d certainly drilled it into her to be able to behave in a particular way. She even nodded and put on the look of complete interest as he started talking. It wasn’t so hard, he was probably one of the less brainwashed of the staff members. And some of the tips he’d given her had proven extremely helpful thus far. Of course, there was only so long before he wanted to check on Lena, Cassie made an attempt at gathering his attention back. Thankfully, the plan had seemed to be a success, and Lena came from the office. “Bye Harold, I’ll remember to steer clear of the meatloaf,” she said with a wave of her hand as her and Lena headed out of the building. Accepting her phone back from Lena, she was still half curious if it’d actually worked. But there were the keys, right there. “Part two, getting to the main part of the school. Luckily, they leave the doors open for the vending machines by the cafeteria, so,” the brunette said the words with a smile painted across her lips. This part, she knew how to get to. She’d learned that there was both a dorm entrance to the building and exterior one. Since they were already outside she headed for that one, ducking in rather quickly. There were a few cameras. 

[royallylena]

It wasn’t the first time that a scandal had come out of a King or royal’s life and Lena knew for damned sure that it wouldn’t be the last either. From what she had experienced when it came to raising a child to become an heir was, it was next to impossible not to have problems arise with it. Lena grew up in a strict and somewhat broken home. It might have looked picture perfect despite the hidden affair and secret love child, but it wasn’t at all how it appeared. No matter how much work Lena put it, she was never praised. Instead she was critiqued and expected to work harder. The poster child that they decided was fit to be put for the throne was the same one that had longterm problems with blackouts. Passages of time that were completely blank from her mind and the knowledge that she hurt someone continued to weigh on her daily. Lena was thankful that Cassie was able to talk her way with Harold at the desk. It gave her the time she needed to actually locate the keys. If that turned up as a bust then they would have ultimately had to break the lock at the pool and sneak in. Although that might have been some of the troublemakers first thoughts, it wasn’t Lena’s. Glancing over to the brunette to listen to her words she couldn’t help but grin at how she automatically knew the solution to the possible problem they were going to have. “Well look at you and your beautiful mind,” she chirped. Holding the keys carefully with the key chain wrapped around her fingertips, Lena followed her lead. Sneaking around wasn’t her strong suit and so she didn’t exactly pay attention to things like doors being left open for vending machines. Ducking in behind Cassie, Lena stayed as close to the other girl as she could.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie knew that most royals simply broke or picked the lock, but this was significantly easier. Aside from that she was confident that eventually if the lock kept getting broken the school may install a camera on the pool area and it’d no longer be a little haven for royals to have to themselves. This way her and Lena could easily creep into the building, go to the pool, have a rebellious night swim and just as easily lock up when they left. The key would be back at the desk by Monday morning, and they’d all be none the wiser. Besides, the added thrill of sneaking away the keys made it all the more fun for her. She missed things like this, sneaking around. Not much of it had been done since she had started university. “I try to make a job of noting little things like that, makes missions easier,” she hummed, satisfaction clear by her tone. The brunette looked around, keeping her blue eyes carefully peeled for cameras. There were low lights on, none of the bright fluorescents like during the day. Luckily with the head trauma and having to spend the first week almost completely in the dark her eyes adjusted quickly and she could navigate easily in the low life. It didn’t take long, the journey down the t-shaped hall to the pool. Soon they were facing the door, their mission nearly complete. “And here we are,” she whispered, just in case anyone else happened to be near who might tattle on them.

[royallylena]

Lena had gotten to the point where she had completely forgotten about things like cameras surveying areas. Being watched was nothing new to the girl. There was always usually someone waiting with a camera to catch the princess in any kind of compromising situation. It seemed like someone was always ready to drag the Marek daughter down from the high pedestal they all deemed her to be on. They didn’t know everything though. Everyone only saw glimpses into her life. Even her parents, they only saw what they wanted to see and what best played into their own narrative. She had had enough of having to be the perfect princess when she was struggling and no one else was taking that seriously. As long as she didn’t tarnish their image they didn’t care about her in the slightest. “It really does,” she agreed with a nod. It was nice to see that the other royals at the estate were more than just a pretty face. They actually had something to back it all up with. Lena made sure to keep her eyes peeled for more than just cameras. Guards and faculty of the estate were always usually lingering around even at night. With schedules and rotation though it was rare that they would have been found out before actually causing any mischief. Keeping close to the wall and close to Cassie, Lena felt her heart pounding against her chest as they finally reached the pool. It was the biggest thrill she had gotten since actually getting to the estate. As the Polish princess pulled the keys from her pocket, she noted how her hands shook. Attempting to steady her hands she slowly inserted the key into the lock and turned it. Just like that the lock made a reassuring clicking sound as it unlocked and Lena pulled it off and pushed the door open. Definitely easier than attempting to break the lock. “A whole pool to ourselves,” she hummed, stepping inside and setting the lock down where it was easy to get back to later. Using the hair tie that Lena wore around her wrist, she pulled her soft blonde curls up into a pony tail to avoid any difficulty with it once it was wet. “Last one in’s a rotten egg,” she teased with a smile playing on her pale lips. Without hesitation, Lena gave a quick glance over to the brunette before she began stripping off her sweater. That came off fairly easily, she only really struggled when she kicked off her sneakers and attempted to peel off her jeans. It was like they wanted to cling to her skin. She could hear the chastisement in her head of how her mother and father would be screaming at her for being so stupid and reckless. It only aided in her wanting to do it more. Adding fuel to the fire that was burning inside of her. With her jeans finally off, Lena jumped into the water in her underwear. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie could tell this wasn’t something the girl often did. Maybe it was her nervousness, or the giddy nature she seemed to have about the whole thing. But she could just tell. But Cassie didn’t doubt her once, even as the girl’s hands shook unlocking the door. Perhaps this would be a good experience, one to show the blonde having fun and getting into a little trouble wasn’t always the worse thing. “Honestly it’s kinda great,” the brunette noted with a grin. She hurried into the pool area. Each little detail showed just how much effort had gone into it. The pool wasn’t exactly the average public swimming center. The same veneer dripping from every little thing about the pool that detailed the other parts of the estate. Cassie was quick to fall into motion with Lena, getting rid of her own clothes. She was a little bit clumsy with it, difficult being found in discovering a center of balance. She had noticed that was off since she’d gotten the head injury. But she soon shed her clothes down to her undergarments and hopped in gladly. The water was warm of course, probably temperature controlled for fussy royals. Coming to the service rather quickly, she brushed her hair back from her face. “This is definitely better than studying.”

[cassiekallas]

@selina-caspari

Sometimes things were hard. She hadn’t forgotten everything. She hadn’t forgotten motor functions or anything like that. She knew some people with amnesia had truly awful cases where they forgot how to talk. In the scale of forgetting, she supposed a missing year wasn’t so bad. But to her she felt like she was missing a lifetime. She didn’t want the attack back, she was too scared to face it. What she desperately wanted back was what she’d done. It was hard for her to be faced with people who said they knew her. Or pretending all the time that she could remember everything. Her mother would often speak of what they’d done, or her visit over Christmas. She had to read the room and take the best guess at what happened. The brunette was still trying to put some pieces together so she was sitting in the computer part of the lab, flicking through some pages of paparazzi about her. The school computers were nice, but she wished she was on in her room. A lot of her stuff was still in boxes on it’s way to the school.

[selina-caspari]

Nothing in Selina’s life had ever been easy. Sure, she hadn’t been the easiest child to raise. Constantly going against her parents wishes because she didn’t agree with them could be considered devious behaviour, but she wasn’t just another sheep to be fenced into their premeditated thinking. The older she got though, the more she wished she could forget things. Whenever she closed her eyes she could still picture everything vividly as if it were actually happening to her in that moment. As much as she tried to pretend nothing happened during the day, it was still there just waiting to be let out. She just felt like if she ever consciously thought or talked about any of it she wouldn’t stop crying. Her idea of keeping her head above water was just to avoid everything and block phone calls from her mother or father. That day was the same. Selina penciled on her eye liner and mascara and made her way to the library. As tedious as it was still having to attend lessons at 21, Selina was forced to check out a “history of the crown” book. How they thought she would pay attention if she didn’t pay attention the first time they tried teaching her about it, she would never know. The only way to describe her features as she looked through the books was bored. Her fingertips trailed along the spine of the book section until she found the one she needed and went to sit over on one of the chairs by the computers. Nobody was really there, and honestly she didn’t blame them. Flipping the book open to the first page, Selina got about one sentence in before an agitation kicked in. The princess had never been much of a reader, she’d usually just focus on the pictures and make up her own story. Looking around the area again her eyes fell onto a brunette that she hadn’t seen before. Standing from her seat, Selina hugged the book to her chest as she walked behind the girl and noticed that she was looking up herself. “You know that phones have a search feature too,” she explained nonchalantly as she nodded towards the screen. 

[cassiekallas]

This had never been like Cassie, consuming gossip magazines and articles about herself. She wasn’t self important, and frankly whatever the press said wasn’t something she had any room to care about. Whether they were critiquing her outfits, reporting on her nights out or doing fluff pieces, she’d never paid much mind to her face plastered over sleazy magazines. It had never truly been of important to her. But now it was almost crucial. Or maybe not crucial but definitely of high importance. She needed to know what had happened to her in her memory gaps. The last year was just a blank, even some holidays from before that were empty. She couldn’t explain it, and it was driving her mad. She just needed to know, as long as nobody found out she’d be fine. The brunette was staring at the webpage trying desperately to remember being at the party but couldn’t seem to. She even remembered that dress, she had just finished unpacking it. But the party itself, or even memories of wearing the dress were blank. Maybe she could have been in her room, but honestly a part of her was worried someone would read her phone history and start questioning things. It wasn’t beyond her father to do something of the sort. Embarrassment flushed washed over Cassie’s face as she glanced back at the blonde. “Oh um, yeah I know. This isn’t actually what it looks like, kinda had a drunk night at this party and don’t really remember it all. Just trying to figure out what might have happened. And you know how royal parents are. Don’t want them to see the search history and question if my intake levels are a little too much,” it wasn’t the most smooth dismissal. She could have done better. On a short notice though it was the best she was coming up with. 

[selina-caspari]

There was something so alluring about reading magazines and articles on other royal families. It was probably because it was about people that she knew, people that she had actual references for. To be fair she had social media, she could easily keep track of everyone she knew through that. It was mainly about the ridiculous things that the authors added to the magazine articles that kept Selina flipping pages. Well, that and all of the pictures that they included. A lot included drunk and drug involved royals stumbling home with half of their clothing. Not that she’d ever admit it, but there was part of her that was flipping pages hoping she’d find something on the Moldovan prince. Or even something about her father messing up and people believing her when she talked about the abuse he did to her. Making herself at home, Selina swung one of the other wheeled chairs around so that she could make herself comfortable. The blonde didn’t even question the brunette’s reasoning. It wasn’t like she was completely innocent and able to recall all of the parties that she had actually been to. Her blue hues flickered to the screen, noticing a couple of pictures of the girl with someone else. “Who is your handsome friend? Because I’ve flipped through countless magazines and have never seen his face.” By this point Selina had set her royal book aside and pushed her project out of her mind. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was glad there was no more questions about why exactly she was combing online articles about herself. While she was sure it wasn’t entirely uncommon here, she also didn’t want people to mistaken her for a typical princess who was obsessed with her own appearance in magazines and such. It had never been someone she was. But now it was one of the few clues in her life she could exploit without tipping anyone off to her memory loss. Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they knew. But she didn’t need the extra pity. Nor she did want to risk being considered unfit for the throne. Her grandparents needed her. “Thanks,” Cassie said with a little smile. “You know, for not judging me,” she figured that the girl’s sitting down meant she might try helping. The brunette turned her eyes back to the photos and she noticed as well what the girl was pointing at. It wasn’t anyone she knew exactly. Maybe a college friend. “I’m not sure, guess he must have been a party buddy,” she dismissed it rather simply, once again, playing cover up.

[selina-caspari]

It wasn’t that uncommon to be searching about yourself at the estate. Some people were simply keeping track of the articles so they could explain themselves to their parents or someone else if anyone asked. Other times it was for amusement. Either way, Selina didn’t even think to question it with how common the reality of it happening was. “Please, if I looked that cute in a party outfit I’d look up myself too,” she shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at the girl. Leaning one elbow onto the computer table she leaned her cheek into her palm. Selina was genuinely curious about what might be found in some of the images and articles. And by the way the girl looked sitting in front of her, she looked like she needed some form of support in the matter. “I’m Selina by the way. I take it that a small party wasn’t exactly the reason for being sent to here of all places?” 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hadn’t exactly made a lot of friends in her time at the estate. She’d only been there for about a week. Honestly she’d barely spoken to anyone if she was honest. Most of her days were spent trying to make heads or tails of the work she was doing. And trying to remember her life from the last year, not that it was easy to remember all those things. The brunette thought that maybe this girl could be her friend. “I think I still have that dress somewhere if you wanna borrow it sometime,” she noted with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “My name is Cassie,” she said easily. “Though, you probably guessed that from the articles,” the brunette noted, pointing at the bold caption. “No, I actually didn’t really have a lot of people expecting me to take me to be a Queen. I honestly thought my father would live forever, but he’s sick. And my grandmother wants me to try for the throne now. So, I have to learn everything I missed.”

[selina-caspari]

Considering Selina felt so out of touch with her life these days there were few things that made her feel like her old self. One of those things was with clothing. She had always used fashion and outfits as a way to make a statement and also to make herself feel cute. It could just be something fun. “Wait, really?” she questioned. Selina had only just met this princess and already she was offering something without even thinking twice about it. “A little trusting for a newbie.” Selina gave the brunette a side glance before her lips instantly tugged into a smile. “I like that about you.” With how often royals got involved in dirty deeds, it wasn’t unusual to see them disappear from time to time where they changed their name and moved across country to somewhere small where they wouldn’t be recognised. “Hey, for all I know your real name could be Harry Potter.” The blonde offered a shrug. “Cassie is a nice name though. At least they didn’t burden you with a name like Karen or something.” So many royals lied and played up their lives to make it seem better than it really was. As much as she liked to believe the best in people, it still kind of surprised her when people were so honest on first meeting. Cassie genuinely seemed like a girl that Selina could get along well with. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. There’s always plenty of help around the estate though.” 

[cassiekallas]

A dress was of no consequence to her if she was honest. She doubted the material held the magical ability to bring back her lost memories nor did it host any special ideals or a particular meaning. It had been an order from a designer. He was small time and trying to break into the royal world. So Cassie had met with him and paid him to design the dress. From what she heard he had risen and met his goal to start dressing royals all over the world. She was honestly just glad to have helped someone’s dream come true. Perhaps seeing it on another royal would simply further his career. When the blonde pointed out she was trusting, for just a second she worried that perhaps that was a bad thing. But the smile and affirmation that it was a likable trait quickly calmed the worry she had messed up. “For a second there I thought you were going to tell me that was a bad thing. I’m not sure exactly how to royal,” the brunette said with a little chuckle. “Besides it is just a dress, it would look fantastic on you anyway,” she said cheerfully. Selina had a point about the name though. Even with her low exposure to royals she had been dealing with kids who were living rich and lavish lives. It wasn’t uncommon to change names and personalities and run away for a while either. “That or Agnes. It would truly be a tragedy from then on,” she said with a laugh echoing from her lips. Cassie didn’t usually hold back. She didn’t mind keeping a few secrets but her dad’s illness was all over the tabloids. No point in covering it up. “Yeah, it’s hard sometimes,” it wasn’t a total lie. The idea of her dad dying didn’t sit well with her. But at the same time it was a different kind of sadness. After all she wasn’t even sure she knew the man. “Well, I still feel to a degree like people expect me to already know everything to be honest. It’s definitely not easy. But I’ll probably get the hang of it soon. Do you like it here? Any secrets of the trade I should know about. Hideaways, secret societies. How about teachers?” The assault of curiosity came as she wondered about what life would be like for the next few months. At least now she had someone to ask questions.

[selina-caspari]

The human world as a whole could be dark a twisted. Add into it royals fighting with each other over medial things and the way they like to control everything, people who are too trusting could be swallowed whole. It was refreshing to see such a thing from someone at the estate. “It’s refreshing. You don’t see a lot of it from royals,” she explained as she tapped her fingertips against the edge of the computer table. A thought crossed the Swiss girl’s mind. More of an idea that got her excited. Sitting up more in her chair, she tilted her head to look at Cassie. “What if you retraced your steps? Not literally since we clearly aren’t in a place to be jetting off to wherever those pictures were taken. But we could get dressed up, go out to the town and follow the digital footprint around to things you did that night to see if that helps?” It might not have been the best idea, but she was trying. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat protective over the girl despite only knowing her for less than an hour. An echo of laughter fell from her lips as she gave a shake of her head. The way the girl was asking questions was like an excited puppy that needed answers right that second. “It’s not the worst place in the world,” she answered honestly. Being in her own home was hell compared to the estate. At least that was Selina’s experience. “There’s a cabin by the lake. It’s a great escape if you ever feel like you have no control. It takes a while for them to realize that you’re gone. As for teachers, I don’t really pay attention to their actual names. But avoid dark unibrow and former ice skater because they will burden you for looking at them the wrong way.”

[cassiekallas]

Honestly Cassie could maybe get used to this place, at least if all the people were as nice as she seemed to be. The brunette had planned to do her time here, however long that was. But maybe there was a way to enjoy it too. Besides all the stress of trying to grasp concepts that hadn’t been explained to her since she was seven. Or trying to remember things that her brain seemed to wanted to simply deny her access to. “Well, I wasn’t raised like the typical royal,” a shrug accompanied her non-chalant tone. The blonde’s words ran through her head briefly. It didn’t seem like an awful idea. Maybe pictures didn’t jog her memory because she hadn’t seen things that way. Perhaps a first person experience might help. It wasn’t an awful idea. Similar feelings and thoughts could bring back memories. Maybe that would help. Or at least it wouldn’t hurt. Cassie nodded and took in Selinas words. Honestly it didn’t seem so bad. Not like everyone said at least. “I will definitely take that advice, though I might need you to show me,” Cassie wasn’t the best at finding things. “I think I have dark unibrow for political science,” she had to really think about it. Sometimes her memory was still spotty as hell. Even for simple things. It wasn’t always a huge problem. Sometimes it was just forgetting what she had for breakfast. Honestly she wasn’t sure if it was the head injury or just usual memory things.

[selina-caspari]

Like with anything else, the estate wasn’t completely devoid of flaws. It definitely had them and they were obvious when you spent long enough there. But Selina didn’t like focusing on the bad. It also probably helped that Selina saw this as her escape. It was her getaway from the corrupt royal system and the royals that continued to allow all of it to happen. As long as she didn’t talk about anything that her father did to her then she was free to live a life away from it all. Even the times she had tried to come clean about it all to the media and press, nobody believed her. Who would believe a girl in a place known for troubled royals above a high standing male royal? Selina didn’t want to dwell on the thoughts too much. She knew it was one slippery slope if she let herself sink into it. Shaking off the feeling, Selina smiled at the brunette. “Great, so we’ll save a copy of some of the articles so we know where we’re going essentially,” she explained as she leaned close to the screen to read the name properly so she could type and save it into her phone. “And then we can take a mini vacation from this place to go on a mind hunt.” The smile on her lips was genuine. She wanted to be helpful, and by the looks of the girl sitting in front of her, she definitely needed a day off. Even if she was only new to all of this. “Next time I need to runaway I will make sure to tag you in for the joy ride,” she proclaimed with a slight tilt of her head. “Unless chemicals are involved, they have no right to call something a science.” Selina had grown up with these classes all her life, or at least most of them. She still despised some of their names, like they were trying to trick students to get excited about them. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hoped at the very least since most royals were here for something they wouldn’t judge her for her own flaws. Sure, she remembered a few of them from being a child at balls and such. But in her later years of school, those balls and parties and galas and dinners had become significantly less important to her than other things in life. She had still gone to some here and there, attending them with her mother, father and stepbrother, but not enough to truly stay in the royal cliques and circles. Her life had been built around preparing for when her father had eventually popped out another heir that could replace her as one. “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. Perhaps they could find some similar spots in the town nearby. Perhaps bars or clubs might be a good area to start. She knew the picture she was focusing on had been a club. That much was said in the article. “Perhaps we head back to my room and we can get dressed up? I think they dropped off the majority of my clothes with the moving truck,” she had to think about it for a minute. She knew there was a second load on it’s way she just wasn’t sure if all of her clothes came in the first. She didn’t have the energy to unzip and peer into the individual garment bags her grandmother and grandfather’s hired moving team had put everything in. “Agreed, I’m not entirely sure why they bother at all with such things. Perhaps to make it sound normal,” she noted, consideration in her tone. There’d been political science degrees available at her college, but the royal version of it was significantly different. 

[selina-caspari]

It was safe to say that Selina was looking for any excuse to not be doing her class work. Even if she wasn’t though, there was something about not remembering and desperately trying to figure out what happened that she genuinely wanted to help this girl. “Oh I would love to look through your closet,” she was practically beaming. There was something about other people’s choice in clothing that got her excited. Judging from the few pictures she’d seen of Cassie from the media articles she had a good taste in outfits too. “Gives me the perfect excuse to avoid whatever I was supposed to be doing.” The blonde glanced down to the book she had set aside to see what it was even about, because at this point she had set it out of her mind. “Oh well, doesn’t matter anymore.” Selina shrugged, not even bothering to read the long titled that was engraved on the front of the cover. Before she could hear any reason for why they shouldn’t go out, Selina was basically out of her seat and ready to go. She didn’t know where the girl’s dorm was so she couldn’t exactly just lead the way. Raising her index finger, Selina gave a small wave of it. “Nuh uh, no part of this place is normal.” She made sure to use quotation marks around normal because she honestly didn’t know what was considered normal anymore. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe this was a good idea. Perhaps staging a break out wasn’t something to be considered great, but she was after all getting a break from all the thinking and work she’d been doing. When she wasn’t doing schoolwork she was often working tirelessly to remember things. Honestly, it was starting to make her head hurt a little bit. So this could be a good thing, as long as she took it easy and didn’t trigger her head injury. “Well, I’m not sure if I’ll be up to your degree of fashion but hopefully it’s not too bad,” she could definitely say this girl was more runway ready than her. She looked like she just came off a magazine cover. “I might end up having to raid your closet,” Cassie chimed, a grin on her face as she rose from the computer, logging out of everything. “Well, school work can wait, that’s what I’m telling myself at least,” she admitted. The brunette headed out of the library and down the hall. She took one of the exits into her dorm as opposed to going outside and around. “Well, they try to make it seem as if it is awfully hard. As if the steaks aren’t made as if they’re from five star restaurants,” she chuckled a little at the thought of how hard they worked to make this seem like a normal college campus almost. When it was so far from it and Cassie could see the gold dripping from every inch.

[selina-caspari]

There was over a dozen ways to make break out of the estate. Most guards could be paid out to let you out. Other times it was knowing the fault in a fence and other hidden getaways. Knowing the fact that they were getting dressed up she was already making a getaway plan in her head and ordering a car. If she paid a premium price she could hire a car for the night so that it would just be sitting there and waiting to take them from place to place. The blonde princess gave a tilt of her head to study the clothing that Cassie was wearing. It wasn’t terrible, but also not as high fashion she was used to. Selina was kind of excited for doing something different. It was the adult version of playing dress up as a kid. Trying something almost completely opposite to what she was used to. “It sounds like it’s something different so I am keen for anything at this point,” she mused, waiting a moment before shaking her head. “Just nothing plaid.” There were some standards that Selina didn’t stoop to. Even when she used to go camping she would still stick to a hiking equivalent of her day to day clothing. Selina started to follow Cassie before falling into step with her. She didn’t know where her dorm was so she couldn’t exactly be that confident in where she was going. But then again this girl was still new so Selina might have been a little more confident in the layout of buildings. “They need a reality check,” she rolled her eyes at the thought. Just because they were born into royalty didn’t mean they had to be so entitled about it. As she walked, Selina pulled out her phone and ordered a premium car for them. By now she had the estate layout complete in her mind so she wouldn’t accidentally walk into a pole or anything.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie’s style resided in a permanent state of semi formal, semi casual. Her outfits of a rather decorated blouse and high-waisted pants or skinny dress pants often was quickly turned into something more formal when she added one of her blazers. It was an easy non-commital outfit. Her grandparents approved too, they always said it was easier than trying to follow silly royal dress line rules. Even her grandmother who had lived in the prime of the two inch rule thought that such things were silly. But those simple things were enough for a royal to be scandalized. She wasn’t high fashion, but she didn’t dance the line of understyled. Not that many royals did. “Plaid has it’s place. Which is red and around Christmas,” she agreed rather quickly. She certainly never dressed casually enough for plaid. The brunette continued following the trail she’d been careful to learn. It had taken a while with the injury and all. But she was getting there. “Agreed. Perhaps it is meant to make us humble or something. I’m between that and all the gild is to hide the fact most of us aren’t allowed to leave,” she pondered aloud. Finally, they reached her dorm. She quickly unlocked the door with the key she kept on her wrist along with a charm bracelet. “Make yourself at home,” Cassie headed into the room herself and started by opening up the closet. Most of her clothes still laid in carefully packed garment bags. It was all too likely that her grandparents had bought her a few times. Sure her wardrobe at her mother’s was extensive like any princess but unpacking had revealed some new gowns she hadn’t remembered having. Or perhaps she’d just forgotten them like everything else from the last year.

[selina-caspari]

Not every royal dressed up high to nines and tens. A lot of the time they were comfortable in just a t-shirt and jeans because they didn’t have someone breathing down their necks and telling them what to wear. It wasn’t horrific by any means, especially with some of the fashion travestys she had seen. But after a while, those things just grew boring to her. She preferred colour, adventure. It was more than just what you wore for the press or out in public. It was a way to add your personality into your look. And personality that didn’t involve an eye roll or a quirk of a brow. “Ugh, don’t remind me that plaid is coming out around Christmas.” Time had swept by this year. Within a blink of an eye it would no doubt be Christmas once more. Everyone would break out their carols and pretend to be holier than thou. Selina usually loved Christmas. The snow, the Christmas sweaters. She made a whole thing of it. But something just felt off and different this year. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Alright, ride is booked,” she assured as she looked up to realise they were already at the girl’s dorm. Stepping into the dorm room she couldn’t the disappointment. She figured maybe it would magically look different to the rooms she had been switched to and from. But it was more or less the same besides a couple of things furniture wise being in different places. Instead of going to anything to sit on Selina walked straight after Cassie and into the closet. “I’m home,” she proclaimed with a small grin on her rosebud lips. A lot of it was still in the process of being unpacked. Mostly smart and casual attire. When her gaze fell upon the box that Cassie had found though her eyes lit up. “And here I thought you said, Cass, that you didn’t have anything.” Pulling one of the gowns out, the blonde let her fingertips trail over the sequens and sparkles over the sleeves of the dress. Holding it in front of her, Selina stepped in front of one of the floor length mirrors to see what it would look like on her. Usually she had a good eye and sense for what suited her, and others for that matter. But it had been a while since she had completely dressed up. Usually she just wore things that were out of the norm of what her parents expected. She wanted a second opinion. Turning in her spot, her gaze flickered to the brunette. “What do you think, C?”

[cassiekallas]

“I’ll keep a mental note not to let any plaid or reminders of plaid grace your eyesight or mind,” she chuckled as she spoke. The brunette walked into her rather plain room. She knew some royals took all kinds of time to decorate it. And she might and some point to. There were pictures to hang up, little trinkets and decor things she would lay out eventually. But for now, her energy was just so sapped from everything else. For now the bare bones of the bed, desk and additional furniture bought by her grandparents was it. Maybe if this night went well, she’d ask Selina to help at some point. “It’s a little bit of a mess, boxes everywhere and all. But I’m still moving in here,” she brushed a piece of hair back, nudging one of the boxes out of the way. Instead of approaching the closet, she gave Selina free reign and perched herself on the edge of the bed, watching the girl go through the clothes. “Perhaps in another life you were a designer or model,” Cassie remarked, almost certain that if this girl was not a princess she would likely find herself somewhere in the fashion industry. “I honestly don’t know what’s there in dresses, my grandparents bought a few new ones for me,” she didn’t include the part that she herself may have purchased something in the last year that she didn’t remember getting. The brunette idly fiddled with an elastic she’d had on her wrist while she waited for the blonde to finish her initial survey. As soon as she was spoken to, her blue eyes tilted up, taking in the view of the dress the blonde was displaying. “I think you’ll look absolutely stunning in that dress, I certainly think it’s more for you than me.” All true, she could imagine the silvery sequins and gems would only bring out the icy blue of Selina’s eyes. 

[selina-caspari]

“It’s not so much about plaid itself and more of the Christmas aspect,” she explained. Lately Selina felt like she had been putting up a shield to those around her. Like if she didn’t let anyone new in that she wouldn’t be able to get hurt anymore. Although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it there was something about this girl that made her want to get to know this girl. She felt a sympathy towards her. Selina regularly felt a need to forget everything that happened to her. But even she knew that not being able to remember things that others knew would be it’s own form of torture. Maybe Selina was one of the lucky ones in some sense. “I feel like I would be more afraid if there wasn’t boxes and mess everywhere. It would make me feel like I’m completely disorganised.” Selina chuckled with a gaze in the brunette’s direction. As she looked through the closet Selina couldn’t help but think about the suggestion of how she could be a designer or model in another life. For Selina fashion and design was always just her escape. She could be different in that world, out of the norm and not be expected to fit into one category. She had grown somewhat bored of her life at the estate though. She needed more to sustain herself. Maybe fashion or design could be something to look into. The Swiss girl put the thought into the back of her mind as she found the dress that she rather adored. “Yeah I’m sure your grandparents packed it specifically for me,” she joked as she walked up to the edge of the bed and laid the gown next to Cassie. “Now your turn. Do you want to wear something similar to what you did from those photos to see if that helps? Or you could always wear something different. Because I can totally see you stunning in an emerald green dress.” Selina’s icy blue hues focused onto Cassie to pick up on any cues she gave to her suggestions.

[cassiekallas]

“Not a fan?” Cassie asked in a nonchalant voice. She was mildly curious, but certainly wasn’t about the pry. She knew well enough to know how easily a holiday could become something off-putting. Christmas alone was enough to remind her of the times her father missed the holiday all together or when he would send gifts but never personally see her. She still loved the holidays, but she also knew how easy it was not to, especially when they served as reminders for displeasure. Not that she knew if that was Selina’s case or not. “Well, fear not, for you probably look like Mary Poppins levels of clean next to this mess,” the brunette gestured around her room at the widespread mess that didn’t leave one section of the room untouched. Cassie got somewhat comfortable on the bed. “Well, perhaps they didn’t pick it out for you but it certainly fits you better than it ever will me,” she agreed. Perhaps when she tried it on the size would end up being perfect. It likely would. But she knew the style and make of the dress certainly wasn’t the type she usually went for in dresses. “Perhaps we can shake it up tonight. There might be a few other things my grandparents sent over,” she was sure there were. Standing up with a little huff, she walked over to the larger boxes on her closet floor. They were primarily dress boxes for her. 

[selina-caspari]

Selina ignored her question. It wasn’t with malicious intent or trying to be rude. She just didn’t want to bring down the first night that she was going to have out in what felt like a century. Besides, tonight was a mission. Cassie was the main focus for the night. Hopefully their adventure out into the town was going to provide some kind of answer to the questions she had been asking herself about that night. The blonde chuckled softly at her words. “I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that. The room might essentially be put together, but the closet is a mess in itself,” she assured. She really needed to have a clean out. Maybe donate some of her older outfits to a charity or something. When the brunette made her way into the closet to search the other boxes Selina took the opportunity of a little privacy to change into the dress. She wasn’t embarrassed but at the same time she had only just met the girl. Stripping off her shirt and stepping out of her skirt, Selina slipped the gown over her head. It took a second to slide her arms into the sleeves. To make sure the fit was suitable, Selina stood in front of a mirror. She was pleasantly surprised to see how the fabric worked to her advantage and illuminated her curves. Pleased with the look she turned on her heel to walk into the closet to help the brunette choose out something. “Find anything?” she questioned, leaning against the door frame of the closet. 

[cassiekallas]

“Well, closets are always messy, aren’t they? It’s where I’ve always hidden my mess at least,” Cassie had been notorious as a child for trying to clean and impress her parents by secretly stuffing the mess elsewhere instead of truly cleaning it up. In honesty, this little habit had traveled right on with her into adulthood. Emphasis on non-clothing related boxes littering the closet. Cassie was digging through the things that had been packed. It took her a while to find a dress that wasn’t a ball gown. Eventually, she settled for a deep green dress. It had one sleeve and then faded into a strapless on the other side. It was nice, not too over the top but functional. This would work. “This,” she finally said as she got it out of the wrapping and held it up for Selina to see. Cassie rose up from her knees and got a good look at the dress Selina had tucked herself into. It did fit her remarkably, just as Cassie thought it might. “What do you think?” Cassie held it to her form.

[cassiekallas]

@selina-caspari

Sometimes things were hard. She hadn’t forgotten everything. She hadn’t forgotten motor functions or anything like that. She knew some people with amnesia had truly awful cases where they forgot how to talk. In the scale of forgetting, she supposed a missing year wasn’t so bad. But to her she felt like she was missing a lifetime. She didn’t want the attack back, she was too scared to face it. What she desperately wanted back was what she’d done. It was hard for her to be faced with people who said they knew her. Or pretending all the time that she could remember everything. Her mother would often speak of what they’d done, or her visit over Christmas. She had to read the room and take the best guess at what happened. The brunette was still trying to put some pieces together so she was sitting in the computer part of the lab, flicking through some pages of paparazzi about her. The school computers were nice, but she wished she was on in her room. A lot of her stuff was still in boxes on it’s way to the school.

[selina-caspari]

Nothing in Selina’s life had ever been easy. Sure, she hadn’t been the easiest child to raise. Constantly going against her parents wishes because she didn’t agree with them could be considered devious behaviour, but she wasn’t just another sheep to be fenced into their premeditated thinking. The older she got though, the more she wished she could forget things. Whenever she closed her eyes she could still picture everything vividly as if it were actually happening to her in that moment. As much as she tried to pretend nothing happened during the day, it was still there just waiting to be let out. She just felt like if she ever consciously thought or talked about any of it she wouldn’t stop crying. Her idea of keeping her head above water was just to avoid everything and block phone calls from her mother or father. That day was the same. Selina penciled on her eye liner and mascara and made her way to the library. As tedious as it was still having to attend lessons at 21, Selina was forced to check out a “history of the crown” book. How they thought she would pay attention if she didn’t pay attention the first time they tried teaching her about it, she would never know. The only way to describe her features as she looked through the books was bored. Her fingertips trailed along the spine of the book section until she found the one she needed and went to sit over on one of the chairs by the computers. Nobody was really there, and honestly she didn’t blame them. Flipping the book open to the first page, Selina got about one sentence in before an agitation kicked in. The princess had never been much of a reader, she’d usually just focus on the pictures and make up her own story. Looking around the area again her eyes fell onto a brunette that she hadn’t seen before. Standing from her seat, Selina hugged the book to her chest as she walked behind the girl and noticed that she was looking up herself. “You know that phones have a search feature too,” she explained nonchalantly as she nodded towards the screen. 

[cassiekallas]

This had never been like Cassie, consuming gossip magazines and articles about herself. She wasn’t self important, and frankly whatever the press said wasn’t something she had any room to care about. Whether they were critiquing her outfits, reporting on her nights out or doing fluff pieces, she’d never paid much mind to her face plastered over sleazy magazines. It had never truly been of important to her. But now it was almost crucial. Or maybe not crucial but definitely of high importance. She needed to know what had happened to her in her memory gaps. The last year was just a blank, even some holidays from before that were empty. She couldn’t explain it, and it was driving her mad. She just needed to know, as long as nobody found out she’d be fine. The brunette was staring at the webpage trying desperately to remember being at the party but couldn’t seem to. She even remembered that dress, she had just finished unpacking it. But the party itself, or even memories of wearing the dress were blank. Maybe she could have been in her room, but honestly a part of her was worried someone would read her phone history and start questioning things. It wasn’t beyond her father to do something of the sort. Embarrassment flushed washed over Cassie’s face as she glanced back at the blonde. “Oh um, yeah I know. This isn’t actually what it looks like, kinda had a drunk night at this party and don’t really remember it all. Just trying to figure out what might have happened. And you know how royal parents are. Don’t want them to see the search history and question if my intake levels are a little too much,” it wasn’t the most smooth dismissal. She could have done better. On a short notice though it was the best she was coming up with. 

[selina-caspari]

There was something so alluring about reading magazines and articles on other royal families. It was probably because it was about people that she knew, people that she had actual references for. To be fair she had social media, she could easily keep track of everyone she knew through that. It was mainly about the ridiculous things that the authors added to the magazine articles that kept Selina flipping pages. Well, that and all of the pictures that they included. A lot included drunk and drug involved royals stumbling home with half of their clothing. Not that she’d ever admit it, but there was part of her that was flipping pages hoping she’d find something on the Moldovan prince. Or even something about her father messing up and people believing her when she talked about the abuse he did to her. Making herself at home, Selina swung one of the other wheeled chairs around so that she could make herself comfortable. The blonde didn’t even question the brunette’s reasoning. It wasn’t like she was completely innocent and able to recall all of the parties that she had actually been to. Her blue hues flickered to the screen, noticing a couple of pictures of the girl with someone else. “Who is your handsome friend? Because I’ve flipped through countless magazines and have never seen his face.” By this point Selina had set her royal book aside and pushed her project out of her mind. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was glad there was no more questions about why exactly she was combing online articles about herself. While she was sure it wasn’t entirely uncommon here, she also didn’t want people to mistaken her for a typical princess who was obsessed with her own appearance in magazines and such. It had never been someone she was. But now it was one of the few clues in her life she could exploit without tipping anyone off to her memory loss. Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they knew. But she didn’t need the extra pity. Nor she did want to risk being considered unfit for the throne. Her grandparents needed her. “Thanks,” Cassie said with a little smile. “You know, for not judging me,” she figured that the girl’s sitting down meant she might try helping. The brunette turned her eyes back to the photos and she noticed as well what the girl was pointing at. It wasn’t anyone she knew exactly. Maybe a college friend. “I’m not sure, guess he must have been a party buddy,” she dismissed it rather simply, once again, playing cover up.

[selina-caspari]

It wasn’t that uncommon to be searching about yourself at the estate. Some people were simply keeping track of the articles so they could explain themselves to their parents or someone else if anyone asked. Other times it was for amusement. Either way, Selina didn’t even think to question it with how common the reality of it happening was. “Please, if I looked that cute in a party outfit I’d look up myself too,” she shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at the girl. Leaning one elbow onto the computer table she leaned her cheek into her palm. Selina was genuinely curious about what might be found in some of the images and articles. And by the way the girl looked sitting in front of her, she looked like she needed some form of support in the matter. “I’m Selina by the way. I take it that a small party wasn’t exactly the reason for being sent to here of all places?” 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hadn’t exactly made a lot of friends in her time at the estate. She’d only been there for about a week. Honestly she’d barely spoken to anyone if she was honest. Most of her days were spent trying to make heads or tails of the work she was doing. And trying to remember her life from the last year, not that it was easy to remember all those things. The brunette thought that maybe this girl could be her friend. “I think I still have that dress somewhere if you wanna borrow it sometime,” she noted with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “My name is Cassie,” she said easily. “Though, you probably guessed that from the articles,” the brunette noted, pointing at the bold caption. “No, I actually didn’t really have a lot of people expecting me to take me to be a Queen. I honestly thought my father would live forever, but he’s sick. And my grandmother wants me to try for the throne now. So, I have to learn everything I missed.”

[selina-caspari]

Considering Selina felt so out of touch with her life these days there were few things that made her feel like her old self. One of those things was with clothing. She had always used fashion and outfits as a way to make a statement and also to make herself feel cute. It could just be something fun. “Wait, really?” she questioned. Selina had only just met this princess and already she was offering something without even thinking twice about it. “A little trusting for a newbie.” Selina gave the brunette a side glance before her lips instantly tugged into a smile. “I like that about you.” With how often royals got involved in dirty deeds, it wasn’t unusual to see them disappear from time to time where they changed their name and moved across country to somewhere small where they wouldn’t be recognised. “Hey, for all I know your real name could be Harry Potter.” The blonde offered a shrug. “Cassie is a nice name though. At least they didn’t burden you with a name like Karen or something.” So many royals lied and played up their lives to make it seem better than it really was. As much as she liked to believe the best in people, it still kind of surprised her when people were so honest on first meeting. Cassie genuinely seemed like a girl that Selina could get along well with. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. There’s always plenty of help around the estate though.” 

[cassiekallas]

A dress was of no consequence to her if she was honest. She doubted the material held the magical ability to bring back her lost memories nor did it host any special ideals or a particular meaning. It had been an order from a designer. He was small time and trying to break into the royal world. So Cassie had met with him and paid him to design the dress. From what she heard he had risen and met his goal to start dressing royals all over the world. She was honestly just glad to have helped someone’s dream come true. Perhaps seeing it on another royal would simply further his career. When the blonde pointed out she was trusting, for just a second she worried that perhaps that was a bad thing. But the smile and affirmation that it was a likable trait quickly calmed the worry she had messed up. “For a second there I thought you were going to tell me that was a bad thing. I’m not sure exactly how to royal,” the brunette said with a little chuckle. “Besides it is just a dress, it would look fantastic on you anyway,” she said cheerfully. Selina had a point about the name though. Even with her low exposure to royals she had been dealing with kids who were living rich and lavish lives. It wasn’t uncommon to change names and personalities and run away for a while either. “That or Agnes. It would truly be a tragedy from then on,” she said with a laugh echoing from her lips. Cassie didn’t usually hold back. She didn’t mind keeping a few secrets but her dad’s illness was all over the tabloids. No point in covering it up. “Yeah, it’s hard sometimes,” it wasn’t a total lie. The idea of her dad dying didn’t sit well with her. But at the same time it was a different kind of sadness. After all she wasn’t even sure she knew the man. “Well, I still feel to a degree like people expect me to already know everything to be honest. It’s definitely not easy. But I’ll probably get the hang of it soon. Do you like it here? Any secrets of the trade I should know about. Hideaways, secret societies. How about teachers?” The assault of curiosity came as she wondered about what life would be like for the next few months. At least now she had someone to ask questions.

[selina-caspari]

The human world as a whole could be dark a twisted. Add into it royals fighting with each other over medial things and the way they like to control everything, people who are too trusting could be swallowed whole. It was refreshing to see such a thing from someone at the estate. “It’s refreshing. You don’t see a lot of it from royals,” she explained as she tapped her fingertips against the edge of the computer table. A thought crossed the Swiss girl’s mind. More of an idea that got her excited. Sitting up more in her chair, she tilted her head to look at Cassie. “What if you retraced your steps? Not literally since we clearly aren’t in a place to be jetting off to wherever those pictures were taken. But we could get dressed up, go out to the town and follow the digital footprint around to things you did that night to see if that helps?” It might not have been the best idea, but she was trying. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat protective over the girl despite only knowing her for less than an hour. An echo of laughter fell from her lips as she gave a shake of her head. The way the girl was asking questions was like an excited puppy that needed answers right that second. “It’s not the worst place in the world,” she answered honestly. Being in her own home was hell compared to the estate. At least that was Selina’s experience. “There’s a cabin by the lake. It’s a great escape if you ever feel like you have no control. It takes a while for them to realize that you’re gone. As for teachers, I don’t really pay attention to their actual names. But avoid dark unibrow and former ice skater because they will burden you for looking at them the wrong way.”

[cassiekallas]

Honestly Cassie could maybe get used to this place, at least if all the people were as nice as she seemed to be. The brunette had planned to do her time here, however long that was. But maybe there was a way to enjoy it too. Besides all the stress of trying to grasp concepts that hadn’t been explained to her since she was seven. Or trying to remember things that her brain seemed to wanted to simply deny her access to. “Well, I wasn’t raised like the typical royal,” a shrug accompanied her non-chalant tone. The blonde’s words ran through her head briefly. It didn’t seem like an awful idea. Maybe pictures didn’t jog her memory because she hadn’t seen things that way. Perhaps a first person experience might help. It wasn’t an awful idea. Similar feelings and thoughts could bring back memories. Maybe that would help. Or at least it wouldn’t hurt. Cassie nodded and took in Selinas words. Honestly it didn’t seem so bad. Not like everyone said at least. “I will definitely take that advice, though I might need you to show me,” Cassie wasn’t the best at finding things. “I think I have dark unibrow for political science,” she had to really think about it. Sometimes her memory was still spotty as hell. Even for simple things. It wasn’t always a huge problem. Sometimes it was just forgetting what she had for breakfast. Honestly she wasn’t sure if it was the head injury or just usual memory things.

[selina-caspari]

Like with anything else, the estate wasn’t completely devoid of flaws. It definitely had them and they were obvious when you spent long enough there. But Selina didn’t like focusing on the bad. It also probably helped that Selina saw this as her escape. It was her getaway from the corrupt royal system and the royals that continued to allow all of it to happen. As long as she didn’t talk about anything that her father did to her then she was free to live a life away from it all. Even the times she had tried to come clean about it all to the media and press, nobody believed her. Who would believe a girl in a place known for troubled royals above a high standing male royal? Selina didn’t want to dwell on the thoughts too much. She knew it was one slippery slope if she let herself sink into it. Shaking off the feeling, Selina smiled at the brunette. “Great, so we’ll save a copy of some of the articles so we know where we’re going essentially,” she explained as she leaned close to the screen to read the name properly so she could type and save it into her phone. “And then we can take a mini vacation from this place to go on a mind hunt.” The smile on her lips was genuine. She wanted to be helpful, and by the looks of the girl sitting in front of her, she definitely needed a day off. Even if she was only new to all of this. “Next time I need to runaway I will make sure to tag you in for the joy ride,” she proclaimed with a slight tilt of her head. “Unless chemicals are involved, they have no right to call something a science.” Selina had grown up with these classes all her life, or at least most of them. She still despised some of their names, like they were trying to trick students to get excited about them. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hoped at the very least since most royals were here for something they wouldn’t judge her for her own flaws. Sure, she remembered a few of them from being a child at balls and such. But in her later years of school, those balls and parties and galas and dinners had become significantly less important to her than other things in life. She had still gone to some here and there, attending them with her mother, father and stepbrother, but not enough to truly stay in the royal cliques and circles. Her life had been built around preparing for when her father had eventually popped out another heir that could replace her as one. “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. Perhaps they could find some similar spots in the town nearby. Perhaps bars or clubs might be a good area to start. She knew the picture she was focusing on had been a club. That much was said in the article. “Perhaps we head back to my room and we can get dressed up? I think they dropped off the majority of my clothes with the moving truck,” she had to think about it for a minute. She knew there was a second load on it’s way she just wasn’t sure if all of her clothes came in the first. She didn’t have the energy to unzip and peer into the individual garment bags her grandmother and grandfather’s hired moving team had put everything in. “Agreed, I’m not entirely sure why they bother at all with such things. Perhaps to make it sound normal,” she noted, consideration in her tone. There’d been political science degrees available at her college, but the royal version of it was significantly different. 

[selina-caspari]

It was safe to say that Selina was looking for any excuse to not be doing her class work. Even if she wasn’t though, there was something about not remembering and desperately trying to figure out what happened that she genuinely wanted to help this girl. “Oh I would love to look through your closet,” she was practically beaming. There was something about other people’s choice in clothing that got her excited. Judging from the few pictures she’d seen of Cassie from the media articles she had a good taste in outfits too. “Gives me the perfect excuse to avoid whatever I was supposed to be doing.” The blonde glanced down to the book she had set aside to see what it was even about, because at this point she had set it out of her mind. “Oh well, doesn’t matter anymore.” Selina shrugged, not even bothering to read the long titled that was engraved on the front of the cover. Before she could hear any reason for why they shouldn’t go out, Selina was basically out of her seat and ready to go. She didn’t know where the girl’s dorm was so she couldn’t exactly just lead the way. Raising her index finger, Selina gave a small wave of it. “Nuh uh, no part of this place is normal.” She made sure to use quotation marks around normal because she honestly didn’t know what was considered normal anymore. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe this was a good idea. Perhaps staging a break out wasn’t something to be considered great, but she was after all getting a break from all the thinking and work she’d been doing. When she wasn’t doing schoolwork she was often working tirelessly to remember things. Honestly, it was starting to make her head hurt a little bit. So this could be a good thing, as long as she took it easy and didn’t trigger her head injury. “Well, I’m not sure if I’ll be up to your degree of fashion but hopefully it’s not too bad,” she could definitely say this girl was more runway ready than her. She looked like she just came off a magazine cover. “I might end up having to raid your closet,” Cassie chimed, a grin on her face as she rose from the computer, logging out of everything. “Well, school work can wait, that’s what I’m telling myself at least,” she admitted. The brunette headed out of the library and down the hall. She took one of the exits into her dorm as opposed to going outside and around. “Well, they try to make it seem as if it is awfully hard. As if the steaks aren’t made as if they’re from five star restaurants,” she chuckled a little at the thought of how hard they worked to make this seem like a normal college campus almost. When it was so far from it and Cassie could see the gold dripping from every inch.

[selina-caspari]

There was over a dozen ways to make break out of the estate. Most guards could be paid out to let you out. Other times it was knowing the fault in a fence and other hidden getaways. Knowing the fact that they were getting dressed up she was already making a getaway plan in her head and ordering a car. If she paid a premium price she could hire a car for the night so that it would just be sitting there and waiting to take them from place to place. The blonde princess gave a tilt of her head to study the clothing that Cassie was wearing. It wasn’t terrible, but also not as high fashion she was used to. Selina was kind of excited for doing something different. It was the adult version of playing dress up as a kid. Trying something almost completely opposite to what she was used to. “It sounds like it’s something different so I am keen for anything at this point,” she mused, waiting a moment before shaking her head. “Just nothing plaid.” There were some standards that Selina didn’t stoop to. Even when she used to go camping she would still stick to a hiking equivalent of her day to day clothing. Selina started to follow Cassie before falling into step with her. She didn’t know where her dorm was so she couldn’t exactly be that confident in where she was going. But then again this girl was still new so Selina might have been a little more confident in the layout of buildings. “They need a reality check,” she rolled her eyes at the thought. Just because they were born into royalty didn’t mean they had to be so entitled about it. As she walked, Selina pulled out her phone and ordered a premium car for them. By now she had the estate layout complete in her mind so she wouldn’t accidentally walk into a pole or anything.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie’s style resided in a permanent state of semi formal, semi casual. Her outfits of a rather decorated blouse and high-waisted pants or skinny dress pants often was quickly turned into something more formal when she added one of her blazers. It was an easy non-commital outfit. Her grandparents approved too, they always said it was easier than trying to follow silly royal dress line rules. Even her grandmother who had lived in the prime of the two inch rule thought that such things were silly. But those simple things were enough for a royal to be scandalized. She wasn’t high fashion, but she didn’t dance the line of understyled. Not that many royals did. “Plaid has it’s place. Which is red and around Christmas,” she agreed rather quickly. She certainly never dressed casually enough for plaid. The brunette continued following the trail she’d been careful to learn. It had taken a while with the injury and all. But she was getting there. “Agreed. Perhaps it is meant to make us humble or something. I’m between that and all the gild is to hide the fact most of us aren’t allowed to leave,” she pondered aloud. Finally, they reached her dorm. She quickly unlocked the door with the key she kept on her wrist along with a charm bracelet. “Make yourself at home,” Cassie headed into the room herself and started by opening up the closet. Most of her clothes still laid in carefully packed garment bags. It was all too likely that her grandparents had bought her a few times. Sure her wardrobe at her mother’s was extensive like any princess but unpacking had revealed some new gowns she hadn’t remembered having. Or perhaps she’d just forgotten them like everything else from the last year.

[selina-caspari]

Not every royal dressed up high to nines and tens. A lot of the time they were comfortable in just a t-shirt and jeans because they didn’t have someone breathing down their necks and telling them what to wear. It wasn’t horrific by any means, especially with some of the fashion travestys she had seen. But after a while, those things just grew boring to her. She preferred colour, adventure. It was more than just what you wore for the press or out in public. It was a way to add your personality into your look. And personality that didn’t involve an eye roll or a quirk of a brow. “Ugh, don’t remind me that plaid is coming out around Christmas.” Time had swept by this year. Within a blink of an eye it would no doubt be Christmas once more. Everyone would break out their carols and pretend to be holier than thou. Selina usually loved Christmas. The snow, the Christmas sweaters. She made a whole thing of it. But something just felt off and different this year. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Alright, ride is booked,” she assured as she looked up to realise they were already at the girl’s dorm. Stepping into the dorm room she couldn’t the disappointment. She figured maybe it would magically look different to the rooms she had been switched to and from. But it was more or less the same besides a couple of things furniture wise being in different places. Instead of going to anything to sit on Selina walked straight after Cassie and into the closet. “I’m home,” she proclaimed with a small grin on her rosebud lips. A lot of it was still in the process of being unpacked. Mostly smart and casual attire. When her gaze fell upon the box that Cassie had found though her eyes lit up. “And here I thought you said, Cass, that you didn’t have anything.” Pulling one of the gowns out, the blonde let her fingertips trail over the sequens and sparkles over the sleeves of the dress. Holding it in front of her, Selina stepped in front of one of the floor length mirrors to see what it would look like on her. Usually she had a good eye and sense for what suited her, and others for that matter. But it had been a while since she had completely dressed up. Usually she just wore things that were out of the norm of what her parents expected. She wanted a second opinion. Turning in her spot, her gaze flickered to the brunette. “What do you think, C?”

[cassiekallas]

“I’ll keep a mental note not to let any plaid or reminders of plaid grace your eyesight or mind,” she chuckled as she spoke. The brunette walked into her rather plain room. She knew some royals took all kinds of time to decorate it. And she might and some point to. There were pictures to hang up, little trinkets and decor things she would lay out eventually. But for now, her energy was just so sapped from everything else. For now the bare bones of the bed, desk and additional furniture bought by her grandparents was it. Maybe if this night went well, she’d ask Selina to help at some point. “It’s a little bit of a mess, boxes everywhere and all. But I’m still moving in here,” she brushed a piece of hair back, nudging one of the boxes out of the way. Instead of approaching the closet, she gave Selina free reign and perched herself on the edge of the bed, watching the girl go through the clothes. “Perhaps in another life you were a designer or model,” Cassie remarked, almost certain that if this girl was not a princess she would likely find herself somewhere in the fashion industry. “I honestly don’t know what’s there in dresses, my grandparents bought a few new ones for me,” she didn’t include the part that she herself may have purchased something in the last year that she didn’t remember getting. The brunette idly fiddled with an elastic she’d had on her wrist while she waited for the blonde to finish her initial survey. As soon as she was spoken to, her blue eyes tilted up, taking in the view of the dress the blonde was displaying. “I think you’ll look absolutely stunning in that dress, I certainly think it’s more for you than me.” All true, she could imagine the silvery sequins and gems would only bring out the icy blue of Selina’s eyes. 

[selina-caspari]

“It’s not so much about plaid itself and more of the Christmas aspect,” she explained. Lately Selina felt like she had been putting up a shield to those around her. Like if she didn’t let anyone new in that she wouldn’t be able to get hurt anymore. Although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it there was something about this girl that made her want to get to know this girl. She felt a sympathy towards her. Selina regularly felt a need to forget everything that happened to her. But even she knew that not being able to remember things that others knew would be it’s own form of torture. Maybe Selina was one of the lucky ones in some sense. “I feel like I would be more afraid if there wasn’t boxes and mess everywhere. It would make me feel like I’m completely disorganised.” Selina chuckled with a gaze in the brunette’s direction. As she looked through the closet Selina couldn’t help but think about the suggestion of how she could be a designer or model in another life. For Selina fashion and design was always just her escape. She could be different in that world, out of the norm and not be expected to fit into one category. She had grown somewhat bored of her life at the estate though. She needed more to sustain herself. Maybe fashion or design could be something to look into. The Swiss girl put the thought into the back of her mind as she found the dress that she rather adored. “Yeah I’m sure your grandparents packed it specifically for me,” she joked as she walked up to the edge of the bed and laid the gown next to Cassie. “Now your turn. Do you want to wear something similar to what you did from those photos to see if that helps? Or you could always wear something different. Because I can totally see you stunning in an emerald green dress.” Selina’s icy blue hues focused onto Cassie to pick up on any cues she gave to her suggestions.

[cassiekallas]

“Not a fan?” Cassie asked in a nonchalant voice. She was mildly curious, but certainly wasn’t about the pry. She knew well enough to know how easily a holiday could become something off-putting. Christmas alone was enough to remind her of the times her father missed the holiday all together or when he would send gifts but never personally see her. She still loved the holidays, but she also knew how easy it was not to, especially when they served as reminders for displeasure. Not that she knew if that was Selina’s case or not. “Well, fear not, for you probably look like Mary Poppins levels of clean next to this mess,” the brunette gestured around her room at the widespread mess that didn’t leave one section of the room untouched. Cassie got somewhat comfortable on the bed. “Well, perhaps they didn’t pick it out for you but it certainly fits you better than it ever will me,” she agreed. Perhaps when she tried it on the size would end up being perfect. It likely would. But she knew the style and make of the dress certainly wasn’t the type she usually went for in dresses. “Perhaps we can shake it up tonight. There might be a few other things my grandparents sent over,” she was sure there were. Standing up with a little huff, she walked over to the larger boxes on her closet floor. They were primarily dress boxes for her. 

[cassiekallas]

@royallylena

She was trying hard to get the hang of it. In her first week, she’d already had homework everyday but the first day, and had an assignment that was due next week. She wanted to get a jump in it, between homework and other assignments, she might not have time for this one if she didn’t start it now. To get cracking, she decided to head on down to the dorm kitchen with her books. Maybe having a snack or task would help her keep from getting bored with the assignment. But as the hours passed, she couldn’t get through one question. It was some moral theory assignment. She understood its purpose, as she was sure there wasn’t one royal who hadn’t questioned if they were doing the right thing one. But the one thing she couldn’t get past was that most of these assigned questions didn’t have a textbook answer. They just had to be from her mind. She almost wished for the days when school was as easy as just worrying about a general studies degree. “Damn it,” she sighed as she stared at the one sentence she’d written for the assignment, running a hand through her loose locks.

[royallylena]

A lot of people thought that Lena was a lot smarter than she was. The only reason she did well on assignments and work in her classes was because of how hard she worked on them. Just because she was in another country from her parents didn’t mean that she was completely free of them. They always asked about what she was doing and how things were going in her classes. It was like they cared more about that and their image than they did about her health or the issues that she was having. As long as media didn’t catch wind of her blackouts and how violent she got during them then it wasn’t their problem. Lena had only just gotten back to the estate. Her parents had caught wind of her using adderall in an attempt to stop her blackouts and they ordered her home and bombarded her with an intervention. Acting like caring parents when all they cared about was their family’s image. The last thing they needed was for people to think of her as a drug addict because then their family would become a pariah of the country. She was doing her best to readjust into estate life as well as holding that pressure to be perfect. The cafeteria was too much for her at the moment, so Lena decided to go to the kitchen to get some food. As she was walking she tightened her ponytail. Before she could even get near food she noticed a new looking brunette sitting and doing some kind of assignment or something. “What’s the problem?” she questioned at the girl’s words, continuing to walk over to where a fruit bowl was and grabbed an apple. 

[cassiekallas]

It was easy, getting frustrated. Maybe things would be a lot easier for her if she had had the advantage of being taught royal subjects growing up. Before her mother’s miscarriage, her father ensured she would put some effort into royal subjects in her studies. But her mother had taken her and while she was infinitely glad for that, at the same time she still missed so much. Now she felt like someone had thrown her into the water without a lifejacket or raft. A headache was starting to burst through, making it feel as if she had a couple of screws going right into her temples. Cassie, despite her usual lack of temper and violence wanted to fire the book and papers at a wall. “Does all of the moral theory have to have so many answers? I don’t know what the teacher wants with this answer,” she said with a sigh, trying to banish some irritation from her voice. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just…frustrated,” she sighed.

[royallylena]

All Lena could do was simply watch the brunette like she was watching some other version of herself. Nothing about learning the ropes of anything royal came easy. Usually there was some type of lesson involved in anything being taught. In Lena’s own personal experience she had made simple mistakes while learning that she was later crucified over. As cruel as it was for Lena being such a young age, it made her want to work harder and gain the respect of her parents and teachers. Biting into the apple, Lena couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She wasn’t laughing at the girl in any way, she just recognized that frustration all too well. “I think that’s the whole point. They want you to think harder about it and seriously think about each answer as if it were a reality,” she tried her best to explain so that it wasn’t just more stress or anxiety being added to the situation. Walking over to one of the other chairs, the young brunette settled upon it. “I’m Lena by the way,” she cooed with a gentle smile. 

[cassiekallas]

Honestly, pulling her own hair out would have seemed like a good idea if it meant she could understand this work. Cassie didn’t usually get frustrated like this. But she also didn’t usually find herself face to face with something she couldn’t conquer. This royal stuff, all these lessons and studies were so new. Even college had been simpler than this. Though that might have had everything to do with how well her private school had been for teaching. “I suppose that makes sense, I guess royals who don’t know what they’re doing wouldn’t exactly be a good idea,” she noted with a little huff. She knew the girl was right, she just wished she’d had the upbringing that would have her already knowing these kind of things. “I’m Cassandra, well, Cassie, you can call me Cassie,” she said, botching her introduction. She was still just the slightest bit frazzled. “It’s nice to meet you Lena.”

[royallylena]

School settings made things feel a lot simpler. Because it’s sole purpose was to teach and learn, Lena felt she understood things a lot better than when she was being taught at home. Which was done for a lot of her royal classes. Her parents had hired a private tutor for those, even occasionally finding time to teach a few things themselves. But because she was in her home environment all she wanted to do was normal things. “I can always help out if you need a little help understanding some of the things,” she offered. As she took a closer look at the frustrated brunette though she picked something the girl could use more. “Although you look as though you could do with a break right now. Which again, I’m more than happy to help with.” The Polish princess offered a friendly smile to Cassie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Cassie.” 

[cassiekallas]

Even looking at the work was making her frustrated. She was sure she’d been in this state for the last half an hour at least. She probably wasn’t going to be able to get any work done like this. “I would appreciate that. I’m supposed to be working with a tutor, but they’re not available for another week and I’m certain I’m failing now,” she said with a hopeless expression. Honestly she was pretty sure she was failing her work now. “A break? Yeah…might be a good idea,” she said looking down at the slew of paperwork on the table. “I heard the pool is a really great place. Though, I think at this hour we might have to break in. How do you feel about rebelling?” She asked with a grin on her face. Cassie never went out of her way to find trouble, but she didn’t mind a little if it meant she could have fun.

[royallylena]

It was rather enlightening seeing someone actually concerned about what their grades and work at the estate was. Quite often Lena wondered whether she would be as concerned if she didn’t have as much pressure as she did on her. Whether she’d be considered a normal rebellious teenager and not seem so out of touch from the other royals around her. Finishing the apple she was eating, the Polish princess simply stared at the brunette for a moment at her suggestion. Lena wasn’t one to be much of a rule breaker. She was slowly breaking out of her shell since arriving at the estate but it was still a work in progress. Maybe some fun and a break for herself would do her some good too. Lena stood up from the table and threw the apple into the trash can in the kitchen. “I know where they keep the keys in administration,” she mused with ease as she nodded to the door. “It’s now or never.” With how often Lena helped out in administration she knew where things like keys were kept. They trusted Lena because what was she going to do? Sneak into somewhere without permission? Well for once, that was what she was doing. Bending the rules for a little thrill that didn’t cause danger to anyone else. 

[cassiekallas]

For the second of silence, Cassie honestly thought it was quite possible the girl might turn around and report her to the office or something of the sort. She didn’t know if she’d perhaps mentioned her little secret to the wrong person. She wasn’t one to judge by appearances or even first impressions, but in part she had gotten a sort of idea that this girl might be a bit of an overachiever in a way. It wasn’t a bad way. But ignoring that she’d decided to suggest the rulebreaking act anyway, which she was just realizing now might have been a bad idea. Then the words left her lips and Cassie let out a little sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, I thought you were going to tell on me for being a heart case for a minute there,” Cassie said with a grin. “I like you,” Cassie told the girl in approval and got up from her seat, stuffing the books and papers into the bag she carried.

[royallylena]

Lena didn’t want to sit and stew with her decisions. She knew she would no doubt start to feel guilt. Or the voices of her parents strict teachings plague her thoughts. For once she wanted to do something that was fun. Something that didn’t revolve around her grades or her standing. As much as she had been brainwashed for years, she was her own person who could make decisions for herself. If it was a bad decision then Lena was just going to have to learn the hard way like anybody else would. “And incur a punishment for someone who doesn’t deserve it? That’s just what they want, to play into their hand.” All of her things she’d left in her dorm room, including her phone. “I’m going to need to borrow your phone though as a reason to get in. There’s usually still someone that monitors the desk even this late.” The Polish blonde waited for the other girl to be ready with packing up before she made her way out the door to the main office that held the keys they needed.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was a little bit surprised at the girl’s honesty about her feelings for the system itself. She wasn’t sure if she was simply talking about the system of this particular building and the higher ups or if it went further than that, extending to the whole royal world. It wouldn’t surprise her that she meant either, it more so surprised her that any royal was willing to speak up and talk about it. “I suppose you must be right,” she said simply, unsure if the girl was willing to go into detail of what exactly she meant. It took a few minutes to fit everything into her already full backpack. She tried hard to keep everything on her. She desperately wanted to succeed, so she often took her school work with her in case she had a spare minute. “Yeah no problem,” it wasn’t like she had anything worrisome on her phone. She wasn’t an extremely private person. Withdrawing her phone from her pocket she handed it to the girl. Worse came to worse, it was all an elaborate scheme, but she doubted that.

[royallylena]

It was probably the frustration Lena was feeling that provoked her need to be so candid. Any other day of the week she probably would have spoken highly of the system. How it was there to protect every party involved. Truthfully even Lena didn’t fully know what extent she meant. Originally she was talking about the estate itself, but it could have easily applied to the royal life itself. It wasn’t uncommon for siblings and rivals to stoop to anything to get their hat thrown into the ring of taking the throne. It was toxic. There was a part of Lena that felt stupid for not having seen any of the signs earlier. “You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it,” she offered with a small shrug of her shoulders. “You have the opportunity to see the world and the system first hand and make up your own decisions about it.” Lena wasn’t about to push any ideas she had on someone else. Especially when she was only just starting to have those thoughts. The Polish blonde waited patiently until the brunette had managed to put everything back into her bag. Then she started leading the way towards the main office. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back,” she affirmed with a friendly smile as she took the phone. As big as the grounds were, it didn’t take long until they were close to the building. Lena quickly hid the phone in her pocket and made sure that there wasn’t a noticeable bulge from it that it would be noticed by others. With that in place, Lena opened the door into the building. Usually there were a few people darting around with different files and paperwork. Now there was just one person sitting behind the desk monitoring what was going on. But even he looked bored. “Hey, Harold. I left my phone in the back earlier, is it okay if I quickly go grab it?” she questioned, only receiving a nod to the back. “Yeah, just make it quick, Lena,” he finally responded. With a smile, Lena’s blue hues flickered to Cassie. “I’ll be quick, don’t worry. And you know Cassie, right? She’s new so I thought I’d help show her around a bit.” Lena hoped that Cassie would be able to spark up some conversation with the man at the desk so that if she made any noise grabbing the keys that it wouldn’t be a big deal. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she assured Cassie before stepping behind the desk and into the back room. Lena half closed the door so that she could look around properly. She knew generally where the keys were kept, but as she got to key holding board, none of it was labelled. There were only tiny scribblings on the keys themselves. She had to go through each set of keys one by one to read which one was made to what. It was around the eighth set before she read the scribbling of pool on the top. Grabbing the keys, she shoved them into her other pocket and pulled out the phone that Cassie had kindly lent to her. “Did you find it?” She heard Harold call out as he pushed the door open. “Got it. Thanks for your help, Harold,” she confirmed, holding up the phone as proof before making her way out of the room and back to where Cassie stood. “I’ll make sure everyone knows just how helpful you are.” It was genuine that some of the staff and administration were good. With the prize in her sights, Lena did her best to act as calm and collected as possible as they made their way out of the building. “Thanks again for that,” she hummed, adrenaline kicking in at what she had managed to pull off. Lena was handing the girl back her phone before revealing the keys she had managed to swipe. “Mission part one, complete.”  Lena felt completely high and giddy in that moment. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe in a way Cassie already knew the kind of system they lived in. What her father had done to her mother as a child taught her such a thing. He hadn’t been scared of legal charges, or repercussions. As a King no one would touch him in such a way. No, his real fear was for the scandal. An article in a magazine scared him more than what he actually had done. She never truly understood it. And how most royals like to pick and choose the politics of new and old that they supported. No matter how many laws were passed to try and be more modern in monarchy, most royals subscribed to their old world thinking in whatever way benefited them. Whether it was marriage, children or anything. Sure, she hadn’t seen the full system, she hadn’t been in it really, not like most royals were. Not like Lena probably was. But she supposed this was her life now. If she was to complete her studies and eventually be elected as Queen, well, she would have to get used to that world. To know both the ugly and pretty side of it. Cassie handed over the phone and followed the blonde. She was still getting used to the campus, so it was a surprise that the walk wasn’t too long or overwhelming. Soon enough they were in what she assumed was the administration side of the main building. The brunette walked in and looked around briefly, having not been there properly since her first day check in. Harold, the nightshift manager she guessed had only just been coming in when she’d arrived there. She took the cue to keep the night manager somewhat busy. “You were right, it is really beautiful here. I should have trusted you about the cafeteria coffee though, the cafe was far superior,” Cassie rambled on, flashing a charming smile here and there. She wasn’t unfamiliar with such things. Even though she might not have been raised a royal, her mother was a lady of nobility and she’d certainly drilled it into her to be able to behave in a particular way. She even nodded and put on the look of complete interest as he started talking. It wasn’t so hard, he was probably one of the less brainwashed of the staff members. And some of the tips he’d given her had proven extremely helpful thus far. Of course, there was only so long before he wanted to check on Lena, Cassie made an attempt at gathering his attention back. Thankfully, the plan had seemed to be a success, and Lena came from the office. “Bye Harold, I’ll remember to steer clear of the meatloaf,” she said with a wave of her hand as her and Lena headed out of the building. Accepting her phone back from Lena, she was still half curious if it’d actually worked. But there were the keys, right there. “Part two, getting to the main part of the school. Luckily, they leave the doors open for the vending machines by the cafeteria, so,” the brunette said the words with a smile painted across her lips. This part, she knew how to get to. She’d learned that there was both a dorm entrance to the building and exterior one. Since they were already outside she headed for that one, ducking in rather quickly. There were a few cameras. 

[royallylena]

It wasn’t the first time that a scandal had come out of a King or royal’s life and Lena knew for damned sure that it wouldn’t be the last either. From what she had experienced when it came to raising a child to become an heir was, it was next to impossible not to have problems arise with it. Lena grew up in a strict and somewhat broken home. It might have looked picture perfect despite the hidden affair and secret love child, but it wasn’t at all how it appeared. No matter how much work Lena put it, she was never praised. Instead she was critiqued and expected to work harder. The poster child that they decided was fit to be put for the throne was the same one that had longterm problems with blackouts. Passages of time that were completely blank from her mind and the knowledge that she hurt someone continued to weigh on her daily. Lena was thankful that Cassie was able to talk her way with Harold at the desk. It gave her the time she needed to actually locate the keys. If that turned up as a bust then they would have ultimately had to break the lock at the pool and sneak in. Although that might have been some of the troublemakers first thoughts, it wasn’t Lena’s. Glancing over to the brunette to listen to her words she couldn’t help but grin at how she automatically knew the solution to the possible problem they were going to have. “Well look at you and your beautiful mind,” she chirped. Holding the keys carefully with the key chain wrapped around her fingertips, Lena followed her lead. Sneaking around wasn’t her strong suit and so she didn’t exactly pay attention to things like doors being left open for vending machines. Ducking in behind Cassie, Lena stayed as close to the other girl as she could.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie knew that most royals simply broke or picked the lock, but this was significantly easier. Aside from that she was confident that eventually if the lock kept getting broken the school may install a camera on the pool area and it’d no longer be a little haven for royals to have to themselves. This way her and Lena could easily creep into the building, go to the pool, have a rebellious night swim and just as easily lock up when they left. The key would be back at the desk by Monday morning, and they’d all be none the wiser. Besides, the added thrill of sneaking away the keys made it all the more fun for her. She missed things like this, sneaking around. Not much of it had been done since she had started university. “I try to make a job of noting little things like that, makes missions easier,” she hummed, satisfaction clear by her tone. The brunette looked around, keeping her blue eyes carefully peeled for cameras. There were low lights on, none of the bright fluorescents like during the day. Luckily with the head trauma and having to spend the first week almost completely in the dark her eyes adjusted quickly and she could navigate easily in the low life. It didn’t take long, the journey down the t-shaped hall to the pool. Soon they were facing the door, their mission nearly complete. “And here we are,” she whispered, just in case anyone else happened to be near who might tattle on them.

[cassiekallas]

@selina-caspari

Sometimes things were hard. She hadn’t forgotten everything. She hadn’t forgotten motor functions or anything like that. She knew some people with amnesia had truly awful cases where they forgot how to talk. In the scale of forgetting, she supposed a missing year wasn’t so bad. But to her she felt like she was missing a lifetime. She didn’t want the attack back, she was too scared to face it. What she desperately wanted back was what she’d done. It was hard for her to be faced with people who said they knew her. Or pretending all the time that she could remember everything. Her mother would often speak of what they’d done, or her visit over Christmas. She had to read the room and take the best guess at what happened. The brunette was still trying to put some pieces together so she was sitting in the computer part of the lab, flicking through some pages of paparazzi about her. The school computers were nice, but she wished she was on in her room. A lot of her stuff was still in boxes on it’s way to the school.

[selina-caspari]

Nothing in Selina’s life had ever been easy. Sure, she hadn’t been the easiest child to raise. Constantly going against her parents wishes because she didn’t agree with them could be considered devious behaviour, but she wasn’t just another sheep to be fenced into their premeditated thinking. The older she got though, the more she wished she could forget things. Whenever she closed her eyes she could still picture everything vividly as if it were actually happening to her in that moment. As much as she tried to pretend nothing happened during the day, it was still there just waiting to be let out. She just felt like if she ever consciously thought or talked about any of it she wouldn’t stop crying. Her idea of keeping her head above water was just to avoid everything and block phone calls from her mother or father. That day was the same. Selina penciled on her eye liner and mascara and made her way to the library. As tedious as it was still having to attend lessons at 21, Selina was forced to check out a “history of the crown” book. How they thought she would pay attention if she didn’t pay attention the first time they tried teaching her about it, she would never know. The only way to describe her features as she looked through the books was bored. Her fingertips trailed along the spine of the book section until she found the one she needed and went to sit over on one of the chairs by the computers. Nobody was really there, and honestly she didn’t blame them. Flipping the book open to the first page, Selina got about one sentence in before an agitation kicked in. The princess had never been much of a reader, she’d usually just focus on the pictures and make up her own story. Looking around the area again her eyes fell onto a brunette that she hadn’t seen before. Standing from her seat, Selina hugged the book to her chest as she walked behind the girl and noticed that she was looking up herself. “You know that phones have a search feature too,” she explained nonchalantly as she nodded towards the screen. 

[cassiekallas]

This had never been like Cassie, consuming gossip magazines and articles about herself. She wasn’t self important, and frankly whatever the press said wasn’t something she had any room to care about. Whether they were critiquing her outfits, reporting on her nights out or doing fluff pieces, she’d never paid much mind to her face plastered over sleazy magazines. It had never truly been of important to her. But now it was almost crucial. Or maybe not crucial but definitely of high importance. She needed to know what had happened to her in her memory gaps. The last year was just a blank, even some holidays from before that were empty. She couldn’t explain it, and it was driving her mad. She just needed to know, as long as nobody found out she’d be fine. The brunette was staring at the webpage trying desperately to remember being at the party but couldn’t seem to. She even remembered that dress, she had just finished unpacking it. But the party itself, or even memories of wearing the dress were blank. Maybe she could have been in her room, but honestly a part of her was worried someone would read her phone history and start questioning things. It wasn’t beyond her father to do something of the sort. Embarrassment flushed washed over Cassie’s face as she glanced back at the blonde. “Oh um, yeah I know. This isn’t actually what it looks like, kinda had a drunk night at this party and don’t really remember it all. Just trying to figure out what might have happened. And you know how royal parents are. Don’t want them to see the search history and question if my intake levels are a little too much,” it wasn’t the most smooth dismissal. She could have done better. On a short notice though it was the best she was coming up with. 

[selina-caspari]

There was something so alluring about reading magazines and articles on other royal families. It was probably because it was about people that she knew, people that she had actual references for. To be fair she had social media, she could easily keep track of everyone she knew through that. It was mainly about the ridiculous things that the authors added to the magazine articles that kept Selina flipping pages. Well, that and all of the pictures that they included. A lot included drunk and drug involved royals stumbling home with half of their clothing. Not that she’d ever admit it, but there was part of her that was flipping pages hoping she’d find something on the Moldovan prince. Or even something about her father messing up and people believing her when she talked about the abuse he did to her. Making herself at home, Selina swung one of the other wheeled chairs around so that she could make herself comfortable. The blonde didn’t even question the brunette’s reasoning. It wasn’t like she was completely innocent and able to recall all of the parties that she had actually been to. Her blue hues flickered to the screen, noticing a couple of pictures of the girl with someone else. “Who is your handsome friend? Because I’ve flipped through countless magazines and have never seen his face.” By this point Selina had set her royal book aside and pushed her project out of her mind. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was glad there was no more questions about why exactly she was combing online articles about herself. While she was sure it wasn’t entirely uncommon here, she also didn’t want people to mistaken her for a typical princess who was obsessed with her own appearance in magazines and such. It had never been someone she was. But now it was one of the few clues in her life she could exploit without tipping anyone off to her memory loss. Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they knew. But she didn’t need the extra pity. Nor she did want to risk being considered unfit for the throne. Her grandparents needed her. “Thanks,” Cassie said with a little smile. “You know, for not judging me,” she figured that the girl’s sitting down meant she might try helping. The brunette turned her eyes back to the photos and she noticed as well what the girl was pointing at. It wasn’t anyone she knew exactly. Maybe a college friend. “I’m not sure, guess he must have been a party buddy,” she dismissed it rather simply, once again, playing cover up.

[selina-caspari]

It wasn’t that uncommon to be searching about yourself at the estate. Some people were simply keeping track of the articles so they could explain themselves to their parents or someone else if anyone asked. Other times it was for amusement. Either way, Selina didn’t even think to question it with how common the reality of it happening was. “Please, if I looked that cute in a party outfit I’d look up myself too,” she shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at the girl. Leaning one elbow onto the computer table she leaned her cheek into her palm. Selina was genuinely curious about what might be found in some of the images and articles. And by the way the girl looked sitting in front of her, she looked like she needed some form of support in the matter. “I’m Selina by the way. I take it that a small party wasn’t exactly the reason for being sent to here of all places?” 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hadn’t exactly made a lot of friends in her time at the estate. She’d only been there for about a week. Honestly she’d barely spoken to anyone if she was honest. Most of her days were spent trying to make heads or tails of the work she was doing. And trying to remember her life from the last year, not that it was easy to remember all those things. The brunette thought that maybe this girl could be her friend. “I think I still have that dress somewhere if you wanna borrow it sometime,” she noted with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “My name is Cassie,” she said easily. “Though, you probably guessed that from the articles,” the brunette noted, pointing at the bold caption. “No, I actually didn’t really have a lot of people expecting me to take me to be a Queen. I honestly thought my father would live forever, but he’s sick. And my grandmother wants me to try for the throne now. So, I have to learn everything I missed.”

[selina-caspari]

Considering Selina felt so out of touch with her life these days there were few things that made her feel like her old self. One of those things was with clothing. She had always used fashion and outfits as a way to make a statement and also to make herself feel cute. It could just be something fun. “Wait, really?” she questioned. Selina had only just met this princess and already she was offering something without even thinking twice about it. “A little trusting for a newbie.” Selina gave the brunette a side glance before her lips instantly tugged into a smile. “I like that about you.” With how often royals got involved in dirty deeds, it wasn’t unusual to see them disappear from time to time where they changed their name and moved across country to somewhere small where they wouldn’t be recognised. “Hey, for all I know your real name could be Harry Potter.” The blonde offered a shrug. “Cassie is a nice name though. At least they didn’t burden you with a name like Karen or something.” So many royals lied and played up their lives to make it seem better than it really was. As much as she liked to believe the best in people, it still kind of surprised her when people were so honest on first meeting. Cassie genuinely seemed like a girl that Selina could get along well with. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. There’s always plenty of help around the estate though.” 

[cassiekallas]

A dress was of no consequence to her if she was honest. She doubted the material held the magical ability to bring back her lost memories nor did it host any special ideals or a particular meaning. It had been an order from a designer. He was small time and trying to break into the royal world. So Cassie had met with him and paid him to design the dress. From what she heard he had risen and met his goal to start dressing royals all over the world. She was honestly just glad to have helped someone’s dream come true. Perhaps seeing it on another royal would simply further his career. When the blonde pointed out she was trusting, for just a second she worried that perhaps that was a bad thing. But the smile and affirmation that it was a likable trait quickly calmed the worry she had messed up. “For a second there I thought you were going to tell me that was a bad thing. I’m not sure exactly how to royal,” the brunette said with a little chuckle. “Besides it is just a dress, it would look fantastic on you anyway,” she said cheerfully. Selina had a point about the name though. Even with her low exposure to royals she had been dealing with kids who were living rich and lavish lives. It wasn’t uncommon to change names and personalities and run away for a while either. “That or Agnes. It would truly be a tragedy from then on,” she said with a laugh echoing from her lips. Cassie didn’t usually hold back. She didn’t mind keeping a few secrets but her dad’s illness was all over the tabloids. No point in covering it up. “Yeah, it’s hard sometimes,” it wasn’t a total lie. The idea of her dad dying didn’t sit well with her. But at the same time it was a different kind of sadness. After all she wasn’t even sure she knew the man. “Well, I still feel to a degree like people expect me to already know everything to be honest. It’s definitely not easy. But I’ll probably get the hang of it soon. Do you like it here? Any secrets of the trade I should know about. Hideaways, secret societies. How about teachers?” The assault of curiosity came as she wondered about what life would be like for the next few months. At least now she had someone to ask questions.

[selina-caspari]

The human world as a whole could be dark a twisted. Add into it royals fighting with each other over medial things and the way they like to control everything, people who are too trusting could be swallowed whole. It was refreshing to see such a thing from someone at the estate. “It’s refreshing. You don’t see a lot of it from royals,” she explained as she tapped her fingertips against the edge of the computer table. A thought crossed the Swiss girl’s mind. More of an idea that got her excited. Sitting up more in her chair, she tilted her head to look at Cassie. “What if you retraced your steps? Not literally since we clearly aren’t in a place to be jetting off to wherever those pictures were taken. But we could get dressed up, go out to the town and follow the digital footprint around to things you did that night to see if that helps?” It might not have been the best idea, but she was trying. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat protective over the girl despite only knowing her for less than an hour. An echo of laughter fell from her lips as she gave a shake of her head. The way the girl was asking questions was like an excited puppy that needed answers right that second. “It’s not the worst place in the world,” she answered honestly. Being in her own home was hell compared to the estate. At least that was Selina’s experience. “There’s a cabin by the lake. It’s a great escape if you ever feel like you have no control. It takes a while for them to realize that you’re gone. As for teachers, I don’t really pay attention to their actual names. But avoid dark unibrow and former ice skater because they will burden you for looking at them the wrong way.”

[cassiekallas]

Honestly Cassie could maybe get used to this place, at least if all the people were as nice as she seemed to be. The brunette had planned to do her time here, however long that was. But maybe there was a way to enjoy it too. Besides all the stress of trying to grasp concepts that hadn’t been explained to her since she was seven. Or trying to remember things that her brain seemed to wanted to simply deny her access to. “Well, I wasn’t raised like the typical royal,” a shrug accompanied her non-chalant tone. The blonde’s words ran through her head briefly. It didn’t seem like an awful idea. Maybe pictures didn’t jog her memory because she hadn’t seen things that way. Perhaps a first person experience might help. It wasn’t an awful idea. Similar feelings and thoughts could bring back memories. Maybe that would help. Or at least it wouldn’t hurt. Cassie nodded and took in Selinas words. Honestly it didn’t seem so bad. Not like everyone said at least. “I will definitely take that advice, though I might need you to show me,” Cassie wasn’t the best at finding things. “I think I have dark unibrow for political science,” she had to really think about it. Sometimes her memory was still spotty as hell. Even for simple things. It wasn’t always a huge problem. Sometimes it was just forgetting what she had for breakfast. Honestly she wasn’t sure if it was the head injury or just usual memory things.

[selina-caspari]

Like with anything else, the estate wasn’t completely devoid of flaws. It definitely had them and they were obvious when you spent long enough there. But Selina didn’t like focusing on the bad. It also probably helped that Selina saw this as her escape. It was her getaway from the corrupt royal system and the royals that continued to allow all of it to happen. As long as she didn’t talk about anything that her father did to her then she was free to live a life away from it all. Even the times she had tried to come clean about it all to the media and press, nobody believed her. Who would believe a girl in a place known for troubled royals above a high standing male royal? Selina didn’t want to dwell on the thoughts too much. She knew it was one slippery slope if she let herself sink into it. Shaking off the feeling, Selina smiled at the brunette. “Great, so we’ll save a copy of some of the articles so we know where we’re going essentially,” she explained as she leaned close to the screen to read the name properly so she could type and save it into her phone. “And then we can take a mini vacation from this place to go on a mind hunt.” The smile on her lips was genuine. She wanted to be helpful, and by the looks of the girl sitting in front of her, she definitely needed a day off. Even if she was only new to all of this. “Next time I need to runaway I will make sure to tag you in for the joy ride,” she proclaimed with a slight tilt of her head. “Unless chemicals are involved, they have no right to call something a science.” Selina had grown up with these classes all her life, or at least most of them. She still despised some of their names, like they were trying to trick students to get excited about them. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hoped at the very least since most royals were here for something they wouldn’t judge her for her own flaws. Sure, she remembered a few of them from being a child at balls and such. But in her later years of school, those balls and parties and galas and dinners had become significantly less important to her than other things in life. She had still gone to some here and there, attending them with her mother, father and stepbrother, but not enough to truly stay in the royal cliques and circles. Her life had been built around preparing for when her father had eventually popped out another heir that could replace her as one. “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. Perhaps they could find some similar spots in the town nearby. Perhaps bars or clubs might be a good area to start. She knew the picture she was focusing on had been a club. That much was said in the article. “Perhaps we head back to my room and we can get dressed up? I think they dropped off the majority of my clothes with the moving truck,” she had to think about it for a minute. She knew there was a second load on it’s way she just wasn’t sure if all of her clothes came in the first. She didn’t have the energy to unzip and peer into the individual garment bags her grandmother and grandfather’s hired moving team had put everything in. “Agreed, I’m not entirely sure why they bother at all with such things. Perhaps to make it sound normal,” she noted, consideration in her tone. There’d been political science degrees available at her college, but the royal version of it was significantly different. 

[selina-caspari]

It was safe to say that Selina was looking for any excuse to not be doing her class work. Even if she wasn’t though, there was something about not remembering and desperately trying to figure out what happened that she genuinely wanted to help this girl. “Oh I would love to look through your closet,” she was practically beaming. There was something about other people’s choice in clothing that got her excited. Judging from the few pictures she’d seen of Cassie from the media articles she had a good taste in outfits too. “Gives me the perfect excuse to avoid whatever I was supposed to be doing.” The blonde glanced down to the book she had set aside to see what it was even about, because at this point she had set it out of her mind. “Oh well, doesn’t matter anymore.” Selina shrugged, not even bothering to read the long titled that was engraved on the front of the cover. Before she could hear any reason for why they shouldn’t go out, Selina was basically out of her seat and ready to go. She didn’t know where the girl’s dorm was so she couldn’t exactly just lead the way. Raising her index finger, Selina gave a small wave of it. “Nuh uh, no part of this place is normal.” She made sure to use quotation marks around normal because she honestly didn’t know what was considered normal anymore. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe this was a good idea. Perhaps staging a break out wasn’t something to be considered great, but she was after all getting a break from all the thinking and work she’d been doing. When she wasn’t doing schoolwork she was often working tirelessly to remember things. Honestly, it was starting to make her head hurt a little bit. So this could be a good thing, as long as she took it easy and didn’t trigger her head injury. “Well, I’m not sure if I’ll be up to your degree of fashion but hopefully it’s not too bad,” she could definitely say this girl was more runway ready than her. She looked like she just came off a magazine cover. “I might end up having to raid your closet,” Cassie chimed, a grin on her face as she rose from the computer, logging out of everything. “Well, school work can wait, that’s what I’m telling myself at least,” she admitted. The brunette headed out of the library and down the hall. She took one of the exits into her dorm as opposed to going outside and around. “Well, they try to make it seem as if it is awfully hard. As if the steaks aren’t made as if they’re from five star restaurants,” she chuckled a little at the thought of how hard they worked to make this seem like a normal college campus almost. When it was so far from it and Cassie could see the gold dripping from every inch.

[selina-caspari]

There was over a dozen ways to make break out of the estate. Most guards could be paid out to let you out. Other times it was knowing the fault in a fence and other hidden getaways. Knowing the fact that they were getting dressed up she was already making a getaway plan in her head and ordering a car. If she paid a premium price she could hire a car for the night so that it would just be sitting there and waiting to take them from place to place. The blonde princess gave a tilt of her head to study the clothing that Cassie was wearing. It wasn’t terrible, but also not as high fashion she was used to. Selina was kind of excited for doing something different. It was the adult version of playing dress up as a kid. Trying something almost completely opposite to what she was used to. “It sounds like it’s something different so I am keen for anything at this point,” she mused, waiting a moment before shaking her head. “Just nothing plaid.” There were some standards that Selina didn’t stoop to. Even when she used to go camping she would still stick to a hiking equivalent of her day to day clothing. Selina started to follow Cassie before falling into step with her. She didn’t know where her dorm was so she couldn’t exactly be that confident in where she was going. But then again this girl was still new so Selina might have been a little more confident in the layout of buildings. “They need a reality check,” she rolled her eyes at the thought. Just because they were born into royalty didn’t mean they had to be so entitled about it. As she walked, Selina pulled out her phone and ordered a premium car for them. By now she had the estate layout complete in her mind so she wouldn’t accidentally walk into a pole or anything.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie’s style resided in a permanent state of semi formal, semi casual. Her outfits of a rather decorated blouse and high-waisted pants or skinny dress pants often was quickly turned into something more formal when she added one of her blazers. It was an easy non-commital outfit. Her grandparents approved too, they always said it was easier than trying to follow silly royal dress line rules. Even her grandmother who had lived in the prime of the two inch rule thought that such things were silly. But those simple things were enough for a royal to be scandalized. She wasn’t high fashion, but she didn’t dance the line of understyled. Not that many royals did. “Plaid has it’s place. Which is red and around Christmas,” she agreed rather quickly. She certainly never dressed casually enough for plaid. The brunette continued following the trail she’d been careful to learn. It had taken a while with the injury and all. But she was getting there. “Agreed. Perhaps it is meant to make us humble or something. I’m between that and all the gild is to hide the fact most of us aren’t allowed to leave,” she pondered aloud. Finally, they reached her dorm. She quickly unlocked the door with the key she kept on her wrist along with a charm bracelet. “Make yourself at home,” Cassie headed into the room herself and started by opening up the closet. Most of her clothes still laid in carefully packed garment bags. It was all too likely that her grandparents had bought her a few times. Sure her wardrobe at her mother’s was extensive like any princess but unpacking had revealed some new gowns she hadn’t remembered having. Or perhaps she’d just forgotten them like everything else from the last year.

[selina-caspari]

Not every royal dressed up high to nines and tens. A lot of the time they were comfortable in just a t-shirt and jeans because they didn’t have someone breathing down their necks and telling them what to wear. It wasn’t horrific by any means, especially with some of the fashion travestys she had seen. But after a while, those things just grew boring to her. She preferred colour, adventure. It was more than just what you wore for the press or out in public. It was a way to add your personality into your look. And personality that didn’t involve an eye roll or a quirk of a brow. “Ugh, don’t remind me that plaid is coming out around Christmas.” Time had swept by this year. Within a blink of an eye it would no doubt be Christmas once more. Everyone would break out their carols and pretend to be holier than thou. Selina usually loved Christmas. The snow, the Christmas sweaters. She made a whole thing of it. But something just felt off and different this year. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Alright, ride is booked,” she assured as she looked up to realise they were already at the girl’s dorm. Stepping into the dorm room she couldn’t the disappointment. She figured maybe it would magically look different to the rooms she had been switched to and from. But it was more or less the same besides a couple of things furniture wise being in different places. Instead of going to anything to sit on Selina walked straight after Cassie and into the closet. “I’m home,” she proclaimed with a small grin on her rosebud lips. A lot of it was still in the process of being unpacked. Mostly smart and casual attire. When her gaze fell upon the box that Cassie had found though her eyes lit up. “And here I thought you said, Cass, that you didn’t have anything.” Pulling one of the gowns out, the blonde let her fingertips trail over the sequens and sparkles over the sleeves of the dress. Holding it in front of her, Selina stepped in front of one of the floor length mirrors to see what it would look like on her. Usually she had a good eye and sense for what suited her, and others for that matter. But it had been a while since she had completely dressed up. Usually she just wore things that were out of the norm of what her parents expected. She wanted a second opinion. Turning in her spot, her gaze flickered to the brunette. “What do you think, C?”

[cassiekallas]

“I’ll keep a mental note not to let any plaid or reminders of plaid grace your eyesight or mind,” she chuckled as she spoke. The brunette walked into her rather plain room. She knew some royals took all kinds of time to decorate it. And she might and some point to. There were pictures to hang up, little trinkets and decor things she would lay out eventually. But for now, her energy was just so sapped from everything else. For now the bare bones of the bed, desk and additional furniture bought by her grandparents was it. Maybe if this night went well, she’d ask Selina to help at some point. “It’s a little bit of a mess, boxes everywhere and all. But I’m still moving in here,” she brushed a piece of hair back, nudging one of the boxes out of the way. Instead of approaching the closet, she gave Selina free reign and perched herself on the edge of the bed, watching the girl go through the clothes. “Perhaps in another life you were a designer or model,” Cassie remarked, almost certain that if this girl was not a princess she would likely find herself somewhere in the fashion industry. “I honestly don’t know what’s there in dresses, my grandparents bought a few new ones for me,” she didn’t include the part that she herself may have purchased something in the last year that she didn’t remember getting. The brunette idly fiddled with an elastic she’d had on her wrist while she waited for the blonde to finish her initial survey. As soon as she was spoken to, her blue eyes tilted up, taking in the view of the dress the blonde was displaying. “I think you’ll look absolutely stunning in that dress, I certainly think it’s more for you than me.” All true, she could imagine the silvery sequins and gems would only bring out the icy blue of Selina’s eyes. 

[cassiekallas]

@selina-caspari

Sometimes things were hard. She hadn’t forgotten everything. She hadn’t forgotten motor functions or anything like that. She knew some people with amnesia had truly awful cases where they forgot how to talk. In the scale of forgetting, she supposed a missing year wasn’t so bad. But to her she felt like she was missing a lifetime. She didn’t want the attack back, she was too scared to face it. What she desperately wanted back was what she’d done. It was hard for her to be faced with people who said they knew her. Or pretending all the time that she could remember everything. Her mother would often speak of what they’d done, or her visit over Christmas. She had to read the room and take the best guess at what happened. The brunette was still trying to put some pieces together so she was sitting in the computer part of the lab, flicking through some pages of paparazzi about her. The school computers were nice, but she wished she was on in her room. A lot of her stuff was still in boxes on it’s way to the school.

[selina-caspari]

Nothing in Selina’s life had ever been easy. Sure, she hadn’t been the easiest child to raise. Constantly going against her parents wishes because she didn’t agree with them could be considered devious behaviour, but she wasn’t just another sheep to be fenced into their premeditated thinking. The older she got though, the more she wished she could forget things. Whenever she closed her eyes she could still picture everything vividly as if it were actually happening to her in that moment. As much as she tried to pretend nothing happened during the day, it was still there just waiting to be let out. She just felt like if she ever consciously thought or talked about any of it she wouldn’t stop crying. Her idea of keeping her head above water was just to avoid everything and block phone calls from her mother or father. That day was the same. Selina penciled on her eye liner and mascara and made her way to the library. As tedious as it was still having to attend lessons at 21, Selina was forced to check out a “history of the crown” book. How they thought she would pay attention if she didn’t pay attention the first time they tried teaching her about it, she would never know. The only way to describe her features as she looked through the books was bored. Her fingertips trailed along the spine of the book section until she found the one she needed and went to sit over on one of the chairs by the computers. Nobody was really there, and honestly she didn’t blame them. Flipping the book open to the first page, Selina got about one sentence in before an agitation kicked in. The princess had never been much of a reader, she’d usually just focus on the pictures and make up her own story. Looking around the area again her eyes fell onto a brunette that she hadn’t seen before. Standing from her seat, Selina hugged the book to her chest as she walked behind the girl and noticed that she was looking up herself. “You know that phones have a search feature too,” she explained nonchalantly as she nodded towards the screen. 

[cassiekallas]

This had never been like Cassie, consuming gossip magazines and articles about herself. She wasn’t self important, and frankly whatever the press said wasn’t something she had any room to care about. Whether they were critiquing her outfits, reporting on her nights out or doing fluff pieces, she’d never paid much mind to her face plastered over sleazy magazines. It had never truly been of important to her. But now it was almost crucial. Or maybe not crucial but definitely of high importance. She needed to know what had happened to her in her memory gaps. The last year was just a blank, even some holidays from before that were empty. She couldn’t explain it, and it was driving her mad. She just needed to know, as long as nobody found out she’d be fine. The brunette was staring at the webpage trying desperately to remember being at the party but couldn’t seem to. She even remembered that dress, she had just finished unpacking it. But the party itself, or even memories of wearing the dress were blank. Maybe she could have been in her room, but honestly a part of her was worried someone would read her phone history and start questioning things. It wasn’t beyond her father to do something of the sort. Embarrassment flushed washed over Cassie’s face as she glanced back at the blonde. “Oh um, yeah I know. This isn’t actually what it looks like, kinda had a drunk night at this party and don’t really remember it all. Just trying to figure out what might have happened. And you know how royal parents are. Don’t want them to see the search history and question if my intake levels are a little too much,” it wasn’t the most smooth dismissal. She could have done better. On a short notice though it was the best she was coming up with. 

[selina-caspari]

There was something so alluring about reading magazines and articles on other royal families. It was probably because it was about people that she knew, people that she had actual references for. To be fair she had social media, she could easily keep track of everyone she knew through that. It was mainly about the ridiculous things that the authors added to the magazine articles that kept Selina flipping pages. Well, that and all of the pictures that they included. A lot included drunk and drug involved royals stumbling home with half of their clothing. Not that she’d ever admit it, but there was part of her that was flipping pages hoping she’d find something on the Moldovan prince. Or even something about her father messing up and people believing her when she talked about the abuse he did to her. Making herself at home, Selina swung one of the other wheeled chairs around so that she could make herself comfortable. The blonde didn’t even question the brunette’s reasoning. It wasn’t like she was completely innocent and able to recall all of the parties that she had actually been to. Her blue hues flickered to the screen, noticing a couple of pictures of the girl with someone else. “Who is your handsome friend? Because I’ve flipped through countless magazines and have never seen his face.” By this point Selina had set her royal book aside and pushed her project out of her mind. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was glad there was no more questions about why exactly she was combing online articles about herself. While she was sure it wasn’t entirely uncommon here, she also didn’t want people to mistaken her for a typical princess who was obsessed with her own appearance in magazines and such. It had never been someone she was. But now it was one of the few clues in her life she could exploit without tipping anyone off to her memory loss. Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they knew. But she didn’t need the extra pity. Nor she did want to risk being considered unfit for the throne. Her grandparents needed her. “Thanks,” Cassie said with a little smile. “You know, for not judging me,” she figured that the girl’s sitting down meant she might try helping. The brunette turned her eyes back to the photos and she noticed as well what the girl was pointing at. It wasn’t anyone she knew exactly. Maybe a college friend. “I’m not sure, guess he must have been a party buddy,” she dismissed it rather simply, once again, playing cover up.

[selina-caspari]

It wasn’t that uncommon to be searching about yourself at the estate. Some people were simply keeping track of the articles so they could explain themselves to their parents or someone else if anyone asked. Other times it was for amusement. Either way, Selina didn’t even think to question it with how common the reality of it happening was. “Please, if I looked that cute in a party outfit I’d look up myself too,” she shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at the girl. Leaning one elbow onto the computer table she leaned her cheek into her palm. Selina was genuinely curious about what might be found in some of the images and articles. And by the way the girl looked sitting in front of her, she looked like she needed some form of support in the matter. “I’m Selina by the way. I take it that a small party wasn’t exactly the reason for being sent to here of all places?” 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hadn’t exactly made a lot of friends in her time at the estate. She’d only been there for about a week. Honestly she’d barely spoken to anyone if she was honest. Most of her days were spent trying to make heads or tails of the work she was doing. And trying to remember her life from the last year, not that it was easy to remember all those things. The brunette thought that maybe this girl could be her friend. “I think I still have that dress somewhere if you wanna borrow it sometime,” she noted with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “My name is Cassie,” she said easily. “Though, you probably guessed that from the articles,” the brunette noted, pointing at the bold caption. “No, I actually didn’t really have a lot of people expecting me to take me to be a Queen. I honestly thought my father would live forever, but he’s sick. And my grandmother wants me to try for the throne now. So, I have to learn everything I missed.”

[selina-caspari]

Considering Selina felt so out of touch with her life these days there were few things that made her feel like her old self. One of those things was with clothing. She had always used fashion and outfits as a way to make a statement and also to make herself feel cute. It could just be something fun. “Wait, really?” she questioned. Selina had only just met this princess and already she was offering something without even thinking twice about it. “A little trusting for a newbie.” Selina gave the brunette a side glance before her lips instantly tugged into a smile. “I like that about you.” With how often royals got involved in dirty deeds, it wasn’t unusual to see them disappear from time to time where they changed their name and moved across country to somewhere small where they wouldn’t be recognised. “Hey, for all I know your real name could be Harry Potter.” The blonde offered a shrug. “Cassie is a nice name though. At least they didn’t burden you with a name like Karen or something.” So many royals lied and played up their lives to make it seem better than it really was. As much as she liked to believe the best in people, it still kind of surprised her when people were so honest on first meeting. Cassie genuinely seemed like a girl that Selina could get along well with. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. There’s always plenty of help around the estate though.” 

[cassiekallas]

A dress was of no consequence to her if she was honest. She doubted the material held the magical ability to bring back her lost memories nor did it host any special ideals or a particular meaning. It had been an order from a designer. He was small time and trying to break into the royal world. So Cassie had met with him and paid him to design the dress. From what she heard he had risen and met his goal to start dressing royals all over the world. She was honestly just glad to have helped someone’s dream come true. Perhaps seeing it on another royal would simply further his career. When the blonde pointed out she was trusting, for just a second she worried that perhaps that was a bad thing. But the smile and affirmation that it was a likable trait quickly calmed the worry she had messed up. “For a second there I thought you were going to tell me that was a bad thing. I’m not sure exactly how to royal,” the brunette said with a little chuckle. “Besides it is just a dress, it would look fantastic on you anyway,” she said cheerfully. Selina had a point about the name though. Even with her low exposure to royals she had been dealing with kids who were living rich and lavish lives. It wasn’t uncommon to change names and personalities and run away for a while either. “That or Agnes. It would truly be a tragedy from then on,” she said with a laugh echoing from her lips. Cassie didn’t usually hold back. She didn’t mind keeping a few secrets but her dad’s illness was all over the tabloids. No point in covering it up. “Yeah, it’s hard sometimes,” it wasn’t a total lie. The idea of her dad dying didn’t sit well with her. But at the same time it was a different kind of sadness. After all she wasn’t even sure she knew the man. “Well, I still feel to a degree like people expect me to already know everything to be honest. It’s definitely not easy. But I’ll probably get the hang of it soon. Do you like it here? Any secrets of the trade I should know about. Hideaways, secret societies. How about teachers?” The assault of curiosity came as she wondered about what life would be like for the next few months. At least now she had someone to ask questions.

[selina-caspari]

The human world as a whole could be dark a twisted. Add into it royals fighting with each other over medial things and the way they like to control everything, people who are too trusting could be swallowed whole. It was refreshing to see such a thing from someone at the estate. “It’s refreshing. You don’t see a lot of it from royals,” she explained as she tapped her fingertips against the edge of the computer table. A thought crossed the Swiss girl’s mind. More of an idea that got her excited. Sitting up more in her chair, she tilted her head to look at Cassie. “What if you retraced your steps? Not literally since we clearly aren’t in a place to be jetting off to wherever those pictures were taken. But we could get dressed up, go out to the town and follow the digital footprint around to things you did that night to see if that helps?” It might not have been the best idea, but she was trying. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat protective over the girl despite only knowing her for less than an hour. An echo of laughter fell from her lips as she gave a shake of her head. The way the girl was asking questions was like an excited puppy that needed answers right that second. “It’s not the worst place in the world,” she answered honestly. Being in her own home was hell compared to the estate. At least that was Selina’s experience. “There’s a cabin by the lake. It’s a great escape if you ever feel like you have no control. It takes a while for them to realize that you’re gone. As for teachers, I don’t really pay attention to their actual names. But avoid dark unibrow and former ice skater because they will burden you for looking at them the wrong way.”

[cassiekallas]

Honestly Cassie could maybe get used to this place, at least if all the people were as nice as she seemed to be. The brunette had planned to do her time here, however long that was. But maybe there was a way to enjoy it too. Besides all the stress of trying to grasp concepts that hadn’t been explained to her since she was seven. Or trying to remember things that her brain seemed to wanted to simply deny her access to. “Well, I wasn’t raised like the typical royal,” a shrug accompanied her non-chalant tone. The blonde’s words ran through her head briefly. It didn’t seem like an awful idea. Maybe pictures didn’t jog her memory because she hadn’t seen things that way. Perhaps a first person experience might help. It wasn’t an awful idea. Similar feelings and thoughts could bring back memories. Maybe that would help. Or at least it wouldn’t hurt. Cassie nodded and took in Selinas words. Honestly it didn’t seem so bad. Not like everyone said at least. “I will definitely take that advice, though I might need you to show me,” Cassie wasn’t the best at finding things. “I think I have dark unibrow for political science,” she had to really think about it. Sometimes her memory was still spotty as hell. Even for simple things. It wasn’t always a huge problem. Sometimes it was just forgetting what she had for breakfast. Honestly she wasn’t sure if it was the head injury or just usual memory things.

[selina-caspari]

Like with anything else, the estate wasn’t completely devoid of flaws. It definitely had them and they were obvious when you spent long enough there. But Selina didn’t like focusing on the bad. It also probably helped that Selina saw this as her escape. It was her getaway from the corrupt royal system and the royals that continued to allow all of it to happen. As long as she didn’t talk about anything that her father did to her then she was free to live a life away from it all. Even the times she had tried to come clean about it all to the media and press, nobody believed her. Who would believe a girl in a place known for troubled royals above a high standing male royal? Selina didn’t want to dwell on the thoughts too much. She knew it was one slippery slope if she let herself sink into it. Shaking off the feeling, Selina smiled at the brunette. “Great, so we’ll save a copy of some of the articles so we know where we’re going essentially,” she explained as she leaned close to the screen to read the name properly so she could type and save it into her phone. “And then we can take a mini vacation from this place to go on a mind hunt.” The smile on her lips was genuine. She wanted to be helpful, and by the looks of the girl sitting in front of her, she definitely needed a day off. Even if she was only new to all of this. “Next time I need to runaway I will make sure to tag you in for the joy ride,” she proclaimed with a slight tilt of her head. “Unless chemicals are involved, they have no right to call something a science.” Selina had grown up with these classes all her life, or at least most of them. She still despised some of their names, like they were trying to trick students to get excited about them. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hoped at the very least since most royals were here for something they wouldn’t judge her for her own flaws. Sure, she remembered a few of them from being a child at balls and such. But in her later years of school, those balls and parties and galas and dinners had become significantly less important to her than other things in life. She had still gone to some here and there, attending them with her mother, father and stepbrother, but not enough to truly stay in the royal cliques and circles. Her life had been built around preparing for when her father had eventually popped out another heir that could replace her as one. “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. Perhaps they could find some similar spots in the town nearby. Perhaps bars or clubs might be a good area to start. She knew the picture she was focusing on had been a club. That much was said in the article. “Perhaps we head back to my room and we can get dressed up? I think they dropped off the majority of my clothes with the moving truck,” she had to think about it for a minute. She knew there was a second load on it’s way she just wasn’t sure if all of her clothes came in the first. She didn’t have the energy to unzip and peer into the individual garment bags her grandmother and grandfather’s hired moving team had put everything in. “Agreed, I’m not entirely sure why they bother at all with such things. Perhaps to make it sound normal,” she noted, consideration in her tone. There’d been political science degrees available at her college, but the royal version of it was significantly different. 

[selina-caspari]

It was safe to say that Selina was looking for any excuse to not be doing her class work. Even if she wasn’t though, there was something about not remembering and desperately trying to figure out what happened that she genuinely wanted to help this girl. “Oh I would love to look through your closet,” she was practically beaming. There was something about other people’s choice in clothing that got her excited. Judging from the few pictures she’d seen of Cassie from the media articles she had a good taste in outfits too. “Gives me the perfect excuse to avoid whatever I was supposed to be doing.” The blonde glanced down to the book she had set aside to see what it was even about, because at this point she had set it out of her mind. “Oh well, doesn’t matter anymore.” Selina shrugged, not even bothering to read the long titled that was engraved on the front of the cover. Before she could hear any reason for why they shouldn’t go out, Selina was basically out of her seat and ready to go. She didn’t know where the girl’s dorm was so she couldn’t exactly just lead the way. Raising her index finger, Selina gave a small wave of it. “Nuh uh, no part of this place is normal.” She made sure to use quotation marks around normal because she honestly didn’t know what was considered normal anymore. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe this was a good idea. Perhaps staging a break out wasn’t something to be considered great, but she was after all getting a break from all the thinking and work she’d been doing. When she wasn’t doing schoolwork she was often working tirelessly to remember things. Honestly, it was starting to make her head hurt a little bit. So this could be a good thing, as long as she took it easy and didn’t trigger her head injury. “Well, I’m not sure if I’ll be up to your degree of fashion but hopefully it’s not too bad,” she could definitely say this girl was more runway ready than her. She looked like she just came off a magazine cover. “I might end up having to raid your closet,” Cassie chimed, a grin on her face as she rose from the computer, logging out of everything. “Well, school work can wait, that’s what I’m telling myself at least,” she admitted. The brunette headed out of the library and down the hall. She took one of the exits into her dorm as opposed to going outside and around. “Well, they try to make it seem as if it is awfully hard. As if the steaks aren’t made as if they’re from five star restaurants,” she chuckled a little at the thought of how hard they worked to make this seem like a normal college campus almost. When it was so far from it and Cassie could see the gold dripping from every inch.

[selina-caspari]

There was over a dozen ways to make break out of the estate. Most guards could be paid out to let you out. Other times it was knowing the fault in a fence and other hidden getaways. Knowing the fact that they were getting dressed up she was already making a getaway plan in her head and ordering a car. If she paid a premium price she could hire a car for the night so that it would just be sitting there and waiting to take them from place to place. The blonde princess gave a tilt of her head to study the clothing that Cassie was wearing. It wasn’t terrible, but also not as high fashion she was used to. Selina was kind of excited for doing something different. It was the adult version of playing dress up as a kid. Trying something almost completely opposite to what she was used to. “It sounds like it’s something different so I am keen for anything at this point,” she mused, waiting a moment before shaking her head. “Just nothing plaid.” There were some standards that Selina didn’t stoop to. Even when she used to go camping she would still stick to a hiking equivalent of her day to day clothing. Selina started to follow Cassie before falling into step with her. She didn’t know where her dorm was so she couldn’t exactly be that confident in where she was going. But then again this girl was still new so Selina might have been a little more confident in the layout of buildings. “They need a reality check,” she rolled her eyes at the thought. Just because they were born into royalty didn’t mean they had to be so entitled about it. As she walked, Selina pulled out her phone and ordered a premium car for them. By now she had the estate layout complete in her mind so she wouldn’t accidentally walk into a pole or anything.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie's style resided in a permanent state of semi formal, semi casual. Her outfits of a rather decorated blouse and high-waisted pants or skinny dress pants often was quickly turned into something more formal when she added one of her blazers. It was an easy non-commital outfit. Her grandparents approved too, they always said it was easier than trying to follow silly royal dress line rules. Even her grandmother who had lived in the prime of the two inch rule thought that such things were silly. But those simple things were enough for a royal to be scandalized. She wasn't high fashion, but she didn't dance the line of understyled. Not that many royals did. "Plaid has it's place. Which is red and around Christmas," she agreed rather quickly. She certainly never dressed casually enough for plaid. The brunette continued following the trail she'd been careful to learn. It had taken a while with the injury and all. But she was getting there. "Agreed. Perhaps it is meant to make us humble or something. I'm between that and all the gild is to hide the fact most of us aren't allowed to leave," she pondered aloud. Finally, they reached her dorm. She quickly unlocked the door with the key she kept on her wrist along with a charm bracelet. "Make yourself at home," Cassie headed into the room herself and started by opening up the closet. Most of her clothes still laid in carefully packed garment bags. It was all too likely that her grandparents had bought her a few times. Sure her wardrobe at her mother's was extensive like any princess but unpacking had revealed some new gowns she hadn't remembered having. Or perhaps she'd just forgotten them like everything else from the last year.

[cassiekallas]

@mateosolano

Cassie had arrived at the estate only one short week ago. She hadn’t been sure about leaving Croatia, but something inside told her to get out of there. Maybe she just felt she needed a change. And she didn’t want to go back to university, not when she barely remembered the last year of her life. This was the better option. Her grandparents had never let her down, so the least she could do was this. Especially if it gave her the chance to hide her memory loss from everyone. The brunette had her first appointment with the doctor scheduled in. They were supposed to be quite regular. Her head injury had given everyone quite the fright, and her grandparents and mother were desperate to ensure she didn’t overdo it. Truthfully, Cassie thought they might have been fussing a little too much. But she still got in the car that’d been ordered to escort her to the hospital. The car ride seemed short, but she took the time to snap a couple of photos here and there. It was a pretty place, the summer highlighted wherever they were beautifully. Soon, the car pulled up to the back exit. A special instruction that she was used to given her royal status. Even if she hadn’t been raised in a typical royal fashion the title alone warranted secret entrances and backdoors so she was bombarded. Cassie headed for the entry to the neurology wing and quickly ducked in. After registration she was brought to a waiting room, sitting down.

[mateosolano]

It’s been a week since Mateo got shot, the male had to walk using the help of crutches however his leg was healing and the doctors said that it’s only a matter of time till he will be able to walk normally without any assistance. His hand however, was a completely different story. It would have it’s moments where it would shake uncontrollably and sometimes the male couldn’t feel it properly. The doctors said they will keep it under observation for a maximum of further two weeks and if no improvement will be seen they will attempt to operate in order to save the hand. However, with the operation also came the risk of Mateo fully losing the feeling in his right arm which Mateo at this point was more than open to take. As Mateo’s strongest hand was his right hand he found it pretty hard to do majority of his daily tasks. Plenty of times where he would attempt to pick up a coffee mug it would drop straight onto the floor because he would suddenly lose the feeling in his hand. Mateo was staying still at the hospital wing as he was going through physiotherapy for his leg to this day. As he was roaming around the hospital wing waiting for his physiotherapist to be free he decided to stroll into the waiting area where he spotted one singular girl. Arching his eyebrow a little he decided to make his way to the seat opposite hers. “You know, if you won’t go and remind them in like five minutes that you’re here they will forget about you and you will sit here for hours. Just saying.” The male chuckled lightly as he sat down, straightening his leg out and bending it like the doctor told him to do several times a day. “So what’s up with you?” 

[cassiekallas]

The waiting room was quiet and rather empty. No bodies filled the other seats. There wasn't much sign of life at all. She supposed this hospital didn't see a lot of traffic. Or maybe it was just exclusively the neurology unit. She had after all been stuffed into the hospital through a quiet back entrance. Honestly doctors appointments made her nervous sometimes. Mainly because she feared they would soon find out about the memory loss. Maybe she would say the wrong thing, or do the wrong thing. Then her whole secret would be exposed. She would probably be deemed unfit and her grandparents would have no one to help them. After all her father was an only child. She was the only hope they had. Cassie became quickly alerted by the new presence in the room. Another patient she guessed. "Is it that bad?" She asked with a chuckle and a glance down the hall to the registration window. "I'll give them ten and if they've forgotten about me I'll let them know," the brunette told him with a nod. "Depends on what you're asking. What I'm doing or whats my damage?" Another little laugh left her lips. There was no point in getting all uppity about it. "Traumatic head injury is the damage, she lifted a section of her hair to reveal a scar and a shave spot. "As for what I'm doing, sitting right now," the words were laced with some sarcasm. No true darkness though. Just light, friendly.

[cassiekallas]

@selina-caspari

Sometimes things were hard. She hadn’t forgotten everything. She hadn’t forgotten motor functions or anything like that. She knew some people with amnesia had truly awful cases where they forgot how to talk. In the scale of forgetting, she supposed a missing year wasn’t so bad. But to her she felt like she was missing a lifetime. She didn’t want the attack back, she was too scared to face it. What she desperately wanted back was what she’d done. It was hard for her to be faced with people who said they knew her. Or pretending all the time that she could remember everything. Her mother would often speak of what they’d done, or her visit over Christmas. She had to read the room and take the best guess at what happened. The brunette was still trying to put some pieces together so she was sitting in the computer part of the lab, flicking through some pages of paparazzi about her. The school computers were nice, but she wished she was on in her room. A lot of her stuff was still in boxes on it’s way to the school.

[selina-caspari]

Nothing in Selina’s life had ever been easy. Sure, she hadn’t been the easiest child to raise. Constantly going against her parents wishes because she didn’t agree with them could be considered devious behaviour, but she wasn’t just another sheep to be fenced into their premeditated thinking. The older she got though, the more she wished she could forget things. Whenever she closed her eyes she could still picture everything vividly as if it were actually happening to her in that moment. As much as she tried to pretend nothing happened during the day, it was still there just waiting to be let out. She just felt like if she ever consciously thought or talked about any of it she wouldn’t stop crying. Her idea of keeping her head above water was just to avoid everything and block phone calls from her mother or father. That day was the same. Selina penciled on her eye liner and mascara and made her way to the library. As tedious as it was still having to attend lessons at 21, Selina was forced to check out a “history of the crown” book. How they thought she would pay attention if she didn’t pay attention the first time they tried teaching her about it, she would never know. The only way to describe her features as she looked through the books was bored. Her fingertips trailed along the spine of the book section until she found the one she needed and went to sit over on one of the chairs by the computers. Nobody was really there, and honestly she didn’t blame them. Flipping the book open to the first page, Selina got about one sentence in before an agitation kicked in. The princess had never been much of a reader, she’d usually just focus on the pictures and make up her own story. Looking around the area again her eyes fell onto a brunette that she hadn’t seen before. Standing from her seat, Selina hugged the book to her chest as she walked behind the girl and noticed that she was looking up herself. “You know that phones have a search feature too,” she explained nonchalantly as she nodded towards the screen. 

[cassiekallas]

This had never been like Cassie, consuming gossip magazines and articles about herself. She wasn’t self important, and frankly whatever the press said wasn’t something she had any room to care about. Whether they were critiquing her outfits, reporting on her nights out or doing fluff pieces, she’d never paid much mind to her face plastered over sleazy magazines. It had never truly been of important to her. But now it was almost crucial. Or maybe not crucial but definitely of high importance. She needed to know what had happened to her in her memory gaps. The last year was just a blank, even some holidays from before that were empty. She couldn’t explain it, and it was driving her mad. She just needed to know, as long as nobody found out she’d be fine. The brunette was staring at the webpage trying desperately to remember being at the party but couldn’t seem to. She even remembered that dress, she had just finished unpacking it. But the party itself, or even memories of wearing the dress were blank. Maybe she could have been in her room, but honestly a part of her was worried someone would read her phone history and start questioning things. It wasn’t beyond her father to do something of the sort. Embarrassment flushed washed over Cassie’s face as she glanced back at the blonde. “Oh um, yeah I know. This isn’t actually what it looks like, kinda had a drunk night at this party and don’t really remember it all. Just trying to figure out what might have happened. And you know how royal parents are. Don’t want them to see the search history and question if my intake levels are a little too much,” it wasn’t the most smooth dismissal. She could have done better. On a short notice though it was the best she was coming up with. 

[selina-caspari]

There was something so alluring about reading magazines and articles on other royal families. It was probably because it was about people that she knew, people that she had actual references for. To be fair she had social media, she could easily keep track of everyone she knew through that. It was mainly about the ridiculous things that the authors added to the magazine articles that kept Selina flipping pages. Well, that and all of the pictures that they included. A lot included drunk and drug involved royals stumbling home with half of their clothing. Not that she’d ever admit it, but there was part of her that was flipping pages hoping she’d find something on the Moldovan prince. Or even something about her father messing up and people believing her when she talked about the abuse he did to her. Making herself at home, Selina swung one of the other wheeled chairs around so that she could make herself comfortable. The blonde didn’t even question the brunette’s reasoning. It wasn’t like she was completely innocent and able to recall all of the parties that she had actually been to. Her blue hues flickered to the screen, noticing a couple of pictures of the girl with someone else. “Who is your handsome friend? Because I’ve flipped through countless magazines and have never seen his face.” By this point Selina had set her royal book aside and pushed her project out of her mind. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was glad there was no more questions about why exactly she was combing online articles about herself. While she was sure it wasn’t entirely uncommon here, she also didn’t want people to mistaken her for a typical princess who was obsessed with her own appearance in magazines and such. It had never been someone she was. But now it was one of the few clues in her life she could exploit without tipping anyone off to her memory loss. Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they knew. But she didn’t need the extra pity. Nor she did want to risk being considered unfit for the throne. Her grandparents needed her. “Thanks,” Cassie said with a little smile. “You know, for not judging me,” she figured that the girl’s sitting down meant she might try helping. The brunette turned her eyes back to the photos and she noticed as well what the girl was pointing at. It wasn’t anyone she knew exactly. Maybe a college friend. “I’m not sure, guess he must have been a party buddy,” she dismissed it rather simply, once again, playing cover up.

[selina-caspari]

It wasn’t that uncommon to be searching about yourself at the estate. Some people were simply keeping track of the articles so they could explain themselves to their parents or someone else if anyone asked. Other times it was for amusement. Either way, Selina didn’t even think to question it with how common the reality of it happening was. “Please, if I looked that cute in a party outfit I’d look up myself too,” she shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at the girl. Leaning one elbow onto the computer table she leaned her cheek into her palm. Selina was genuinely curious about what might be found in some of the images and articles. And by the way the girl looked sitting in front of her, she looked like she needed some form of support in the matter. “I’m Selina by the way. I take it that a small party wasn’t exactly the reason for being sent to here of all places?” 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hadn’t exactly made a lot of friends in her time at the estate. She’d only been there for about a week. Honestly she’d barely spoken to anyone if she was honest. Most of her days were spent trying to make heads or tails of the work she was doing. And trying to remember her life from the last year, not that it was easy to remember all those things. The brunette thought that maybe this girl could be her friend. “I think I still have that dress somewhere if you wanna borrow it sometime,” she noted with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “My name is Cassie,” she said easily. “Though, you probably guessed that from the articles,” the brunette noted, pointing at the bold caption. “No, I actually didn’t really have a lot of people expecting me to take me to be a Queen. I honestly thought my father would live forever, but he’s sick. And my grandmother wants me to try for the throne now. So, I have to learn everything I missed.”

[selina-caspari]

Considering Selina felt so out of touch with her life these days there were few things that made her feel like her old self. One of those things was with clothing. She had always used fashion and outfits as a way to make a statement and also to make herself feel cute. It could just be something fun. “Wait, really?” she questioned. Selina had only just met this princess and already she was offering something without even thinking twice about it. “A little trusting for a newbie.” Selina gave the brunette a side glance before her lips instantly tugged into a smile. “I like that about you.” With how often royals got involved in dirty deeds, it wasn’t unusual to see them disappear from time to time where they changed their name and moved across country to somewhere small where they wouldn’t be recognised. “Hey, for all I know your real name could be Harry Potter.” The blonde offered a shrug. “Cassie is a nice name though. At least they didn’t burden you with a name like Karen or something.” So many royals lied and played up their lives to make it seem better than it really was. As much as she liked to believe the best in people, it still kind of surprised her when people were so honest on first meeting. Cassie genuinely seemed like a girl that Selina could get along well with. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. There’s always plenty of help around the estate though.” 

[cassiekallas]

A dress was of no consequence to her if she was honest. She doubted the material held the magical ability to bring back her lost memories nor did it host any special ideals or a particular meaning. It had been an order from a designer. He was small time and trying to break into the royal world. So Cassie had met with him and paid him to design the dress. From what she heard he had risen and met his goal to start dressing royals all over the world. She was honestly just glad to have helped someone’s dream come true. Perhaps seeing it on another royal would simply further his career. When the blonde pointed out she was trusting, for just a second she worried that perhaps that was a bad thing. But the smile and affirmation that it was a likable trait quickly calmed the worry she had messed up. “For a second there I thought you were going to tell me that was a bad thing. I’m not sure exactly how to royal,” the brunette said with a little chuckle. “Besides it is just a dress, it would look fantastic on you anyway,” she said cheerfully. Selina had a point about the name though. Even with her low exposure to royals she had been dealing with kids who were living rich and lavish lives. It wasn’t uncommon to change names and personalities and run away for a while either. “That or Agnes. It would truly be a tragedy from then on,” she said with a laugh echoing from her lips. Cassie didn’t usually hold back. She didn’t mind keeping a few secrets but her dad’s illness was all over the tabloids. No point in covering it up. “Yeah, it’s hard sometimes,” it wasn’t a total lie. The idea of her dad dying didn’t sit well with her. But at the same time it was a different kind of sadness. After all she wasn’t even sure she knew the man. “Well, I still feel to a degree like people expect me to already know everything to be honest. It’s definitely not easy. But I’ll probably get the hang of it soon. Do you like it here? Any secrets of the trade I should know about. Hideaways, secret societies. How about teachers?” The assault of curiosity came as she wondered about what life would be like for the next few months. At least now she had someone to ask questions.

[selina-caspari]

The human world as a whole could be dark a twisted. Add into it royals fighting with each other over medial things and the way they like to control everything, people who are too trusting could be swallowed whole. It was refreshing to see such a thing from someone at the estate. “It’s refreshing. You don’t see a lot of it from royals,” she explained as she tapped her fingertips against the edge of the computer table. A thought crossed the Swiss girl’s mind. More of an idea that got her excited. Sitting up more in her chair, she tilted her head to look at Cassie. “What if you retraced your steps? Not literally since we clearly aren’t in a place to be jetting off to wherever those pictures were taken. But we could get dressed up, go out to the town and follow the digital footprint around to things you did that night to see if that helps?” It might not have been the best idea, but she was trying. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat protective over the girl despite only knowing her for less than an hour. An echo of laughter fell from her lips as she gave a shake of her head. The way the girl was asking questions was like an excited puppy that needed answers right that second. “It’s not the worst place in the world,” she answered honestly. Being in her own home was hell compared to the estate. At least that was Selina’s experience. “There’s a cabin by the lake. It’s a great escape if you ever feel like you have no control. It takes a while for them to realize that you’re gone. As for teachers, I don’t really pay attention to their actual names. But avoid dark unibrow and former ice skater because they will burden you for looking at them the wrong way.”

[cassiekallas]

Honestly Cassie could maybe get used to this place, at least if all the people were as nice as she seemed to be. The brunette had planned to do her time here, however long that was. But maybe there was a way to enjoy it too. Besides all the stress of trying to grasp concepts that hadn’t been explained to her since she was seven. Or trying to remember things that her brain seemed to wanted to simply deny her access to. “Well, I wasn’t raised like the typical royal,” a shrug accompanied her non-chalant tone. The blonde’s words ran through her head briefly. It didn’t seem like an awful idea. Maybe pictures didn’t jog her memory because she hadn’t seen things that way. Perhaps a first person experience might help. It wasn’t an awful idea. Similar feelings and thoughts could bring back memories. Maybe that would help. Or at least it wouldn’t hurt. Cassie nodded and took in Selinas words. Honestly it didn’t seem so bad. Not like everyone said at least. “I will definitely take that advice, though I might need you to show me,” Cassie wasn’t the best at finding things. “I think I have dark unibrow for political science,” she had to really think about it. Sometimes her memory was still spotty as hell. Even for simple things. It wasn’t always a huge problem. Sometimes it was just forgetting what she had for breakfast. Honestly she wasn’t sure if it was the head injury or just usual memory things.

[selina-caspari]

Like with anything else, the estate wasn’t completely devoid of flaws. It definitely had them and they were obvious when you spent long enough there. But Selina didn’t like focusing on the bad. It also probably helped that Selina saw this as her escape. It was her getaway from the corrupt royal system and the royals that continued to allow all of it to happen. As long as she didn’t talk about anything that her father did to her then she was free to live a life away from it all. Even the times she had tried to come clean about it all to the media and press, nobody believed her. Who would believe a girl in a place known for troubled royals above a high standing male royal? Selina didn’t want to dwell on the thoughts too much. She knew it was one slippery slope if she let herself sink into it. Shaking off the feeling, Selina smiled at the brunette. “Great, so we’ll save a copy of some of the articles so we know where we’re going essentially,” she explained as she leaned close to the screen to read the name properly so she could type and save it into her phone. “And then we can take a mini vacation from this place to go on a mind hunt.” The smile on her lips was genuine. She wanted to be helpful, and by the looks of the girl sitting in front of her, she definitely needed a day off. Even if she was only new to all of this. “Next time I need to runaway I will make sure to tag you in for the joy ride,” she proclaimed with a slight tilt of her head. “Unless chemicals are involved, they have no right to call something a science.” Selina had grown up with these classes all her life, or at least most of them. She still despised some of their names, like they were trying to trick students to get excited about them. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hoped at the very least since most royals were here for something they wouldn’t judge her for her own flaws. Sure, she remembered a few of them from being a child at balls and such. But in her later years of school, those balls and parties and galas and dinners had become significantly less important to her than other things in life. She had still gone to some here and there, attending them with her mother, father and stepbrother, but not enough to truly stay in the royal cliques and circles. Her life had been built around preparing for when her father had eventually popped out another heir that could replace her as one. “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. Perhaps they could find some similar spots in the town nearby. Perhaps bars or clubs might be a good area to start. She knew the picture she was focusing on had been a club. That much was said in the article. “Perhaps we head back to my room and we can get dressed up? I think they dropped off the majority of my clothes with the moving truck,” she had to think about it for a minute. She knew there was a second load on it’s way she just wasn’t sure if all of her clothes came in the first. She didn’t have the energy to unzip and peer into the individual garment bags her grandmother and grandfather’s hired moving team had put everything in. “Agreed, I’m not entirely sure why they bother at all with such things. Perhaps to make it sound normal,” she noted, consideration in her tone. There’d been political science degrees available at her college, but the royal version of it was significantly different. 

[selina-caspari]

It was safe to say that Selina was looking for any excuse to not be doing her class work. Even if she wasn’t though, there was something about not remembering and desperately trying to figure out what happened that she genuinely wanted to help this girl. “Oh I would love to look through your closet,” she was practically beaming. There was something about other people’s choice in clothing that got her excited. Judging from the few pictures she’d seen of Cassie from the media articles she had a good taste in outfits too. “Gives me the perfect excuse to avoid whatever I was supposed to be doing.” The blonde glanced down to the book she had set aside to see what it was even about, because at this point she had set it out of her mind. “Oh well, doesn’t matter anymore.” Selina shrugged, not even bothering to read the long titled that was engraved on the front of the cover. Before she could hear any reason for why they shouldn’t go out, Selina was basically out of her seat and ready to go. She didn’t know where the girl’s dorm was so she couldn’t exactly just lead the way. Raising her index finger, Selina gave a small wave of it. “Nuh uh, no part of this place is normal.” She made sure to use quotation marks around normal because she honestly didn’t know what was considered normal anymore. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe this was a good idea. Perhaps staging a break out wasn’t something to be considered great, but she was after all getting a break from all the thinking and work she’d been doing. When she wasn’t doing schoolwork she was often working tirelessly to remember things. Honestly, it was starting to make her head hurt a little bit. So this could be a good thing, as long as she took it easy and didn’t trigger her head injury. “Well, I’m not sure if I’ll be up to your degree of fashion but hopefully it’s not too bad,” she could definitely say this girl was more runway ready than her. She looked like she just came off a magazine cover. “I might end up having to raid your closet,” Cassie chimed, a grin on her face as she rose from the computer, logging out of everything. “Well, school work can wait, that’s what I’m telling myself at least,” she admitted. The brunette headed out of the library and down the hall. She took one of the exits into her dorm as opposed to going outside and around. “Well, they try to make it seem as if it is awfully hard. As if the steaks aren’t made as if they’re from five star restaurants,” she chuckled a little at the thought of how hard they worked to make this seem like a normal college campus almost. When it was so far from it and Cassie could see the gold dripping from every inch.

[cassiekallas]

@royallylena

She was trying hard to get the hang of it. In her first week, she’d already had homework everyday but the first day, and had an assignment that was due next week. She wanted to get a jump in it, between homework and other assignments, she might not have time for this one if she didn’t start it now. To get cracking, she decided to head on down to the dorm kitchen with her books. Maybe having a snack or task would help her keep from getting bored with the assignment. But as the hours passed, she couldn’t get through one question. It was some moral theory assignment. She understood its purpose, as she was sure there wasn’t one royal who hadn’t questioned if they were doing the right thing one. But the one thing she couldn’t get past was that most of these assigned questions didn’t have a textbook answer. They just had to be from her mind. She almost wished for the days when school was as easy as just worrying about a general studies degree. “Damn it,” she sighed as she stared at the one sentence she’d written for the assignment, running a hand through her loose locks.

[royallylena]

A lot of people thought that Lena was a lot smarter than she was. The only reason she did well on assignments and work in her classes was because of how hard she worked on them. Just because she was in another country from her parents didn’t mean that she was completely free of them. They always asked about what she was doing and how things were going in her classes. It was like they cared more about that and their image than they did about her health or the issues that she was having. As long as media didn’t catch wind of her blackouts and how violent she got during them then it wasn’t their problem. Lena had only just gotten back to the estate. Her parents had caught wind of her using adderall in an attempt to stop her blackouts and they ordered her home and bombarded her with an intervention. Acting like caring parents when all they cared about was their family’s image. The last thing they needed was for people to think of her as a drug addict because then their family would become a pariah of the country. She was doing her best to readjust into estate life as well as holding that pressure to be perfect. The cafeteria was too much for her at the moment, so Lena decided to go to the kitchen to get some food. As she was walking she tightened her ponytail. Before she could even get near food she noticed a new looking brunette sitting and doing some kind of assignment or something. “What’s the problem?” she questioned at the girl’s words, continuing to walk over to where a fruit bowl was and grabbed an apple. 

[cassiekallas]

It was easy, getting frustrated. Maybe things would be a lot easier for her if she had had the advantage of being taught royal subjects growing up. Before her mother’s miscarriage, her father ensured she would put some effort into royal subjects in her studies. But her mother had taken her and while she was infinitely glad for that, at the same time she still missed so much. Now she felt like someone had thrown her into the water without a lifejacket or raft. A headache was starting to burst through, making it feel as if she had a couple of screws going right into her temples. Cassie, despite her usual lack of temper and violence wanted to fire the book and papers at a wall. “Does all of the moral theory have to have so many answers? I don’t know what the teacher wants with this answer,” she said with a sigh, trying to banish some irritation from her voice. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just…frustrated,” she sighed.

[royallylena]

All Lena could do was simply watch the brunette like she was watching some other version of herself. Nothing about learning the ropes of anything royal came easy. Usually there was some type of lesson involved in anything being taught. In Lena’s own personal experience she had made simple mistakes while learning that she was later crucified over. As cruel as it was for Lena being such a young age, it made her want to work harder and gain the respect of her parents and teachers. Biting into the apple, Lena couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She wasn’t laughing at the girl in any way, she just recognized that frustration all too well. “I think that’s the whole point. They want you to think harder about it and seriously think about each answer as if it were a reality,” she tried her best to explain so that it wasn’t just more stress or anxiety being added to the situation. Walking over to one of the other chairs, the young brunette settled upon it. “I’m Lena by the way,” she cooed with a gentle smile. 

[cassiekallas]

Honestly, pulling her own hair out would have seemed like a good idea if it meant she could understand this work. Cassie didn’t usually get frustrated like this. But she also didn’t usually find herself face to face with something she couldn’t conquer. This royal stuff, all these lessons and studies were so new. Even college had been simpler than this. Though that might have had everything to do with how well her private school had been for teaching. “I suppose that makes sense, I guess royals who don’t know what they’re doing wouldn’t exactly be a good idea,” she noted with a little huff. She knew the girl was right, she just wished she’d had the upbringing that would have her already knowing these kind of things. “I’m Cassandra, well, Cassie, you can call me Cassie,” she said, botching her introduction. She was still just the slightest bit frazzled. “It’s nice to meet you Lena.”

[royallylena]

School settings made things feel a lot simpler. Because it’s sole purpose was to teach and learn, Lena felt she understood things a lot better than when she was being taught at home. Which was done for a lot of her royal classes. Her parents had hired a private tutor for those, even occasionally finding time to teach a few things themselves. But because she was in her home environment all she wanted to do was normal things. “I can always help out if you need a little help understanding some of the things,” she offered. As she took a closer look at the frustrated brunette though she picked something the girl could use more. “Although you look as though you could do with a break right now. Which again, I’m more than happy to help with.” The Polish princess offered a friendly smile to Cassie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Cassie.” 

[cassiekallas]

Even looking at the work was making her frustrated. She was sure she’d been in this state for the last half an hour at least. She probably wasn’t going to be able to get any work done like this. “I would appreciate that. I’m supposed to be working with a tutor, but they’re not available for another week and I’m certain I’m failing now,” she said with a hopeless expression. Honestly she was pretty sure she was failing her work now. “A break? Yeah…might be a good idea,” she said looking down at the slew of paperwork on the table. “I heard the pool is a really great place. Though, I think at this hour we might have to break in. How do you feel about rebelling?” She asked with a grin on her face. Cassie never went out of her way to find trouble, but she didn’t mind a little if it meant she could have fun.

[royallylena]

It was rather enlightening seeing someone actually concerned about what their grades and work at the estate was. Quite often Lena wondered whether she would be as concerned if she didn’t have as much pressure as she did on her. Whether she’d be considered a normal rebellious teenager and not seem so out of touch from the other royals around her. Finishing the apple she was eating, the Polish princess simply stared at the brunette for a moment at her suggestion. Lena wasn’t one to be much of a rule breaker. She was slowly breaking out of her shell since arriving at the estate but it was still a work in progress. Maybe some fun and a break for herself would do her some good too. Lena stood up from the table and threw the apple into the trash can in the kitchen. “I know where they keep the keys in administration,” she mused with ease as she nodded to the door. “It’s now or never.” With how often Lena helped out in administration she knew where things like keys were kept. They trusted Lena because what was she going to do? Sneak into somewhere without permission? Well for once, that was what she was doing. Bending the rules for a little thrill that didn’t cause danger to anyone else. 

[cassiekallas]

For the second of silence, Cassie honestly thought it was quite possible the girl might turn around and report her to the office or something of the sort. She didn’t know if she’d perhaps mentioned her little secret to the wrong person. She wasn’t one to judge by appearances or even first impressions, but in part she had gotten a sort of idea that this girl might be a bit of an overachiever in a way. It wasn’t a bad way. But ignoring that she’d decided to suggest the rulebreaking act anyway, which she was just realizing now might have been a bad idea. Then the words left her lips and Cassie let out a little sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, I thought you were going to tell on me for being a heart case for a minute there,” Cassie said with a grin. “I like you,” Cassie told the girl in approval and got up from her seat, stuffing the books and papers into the bag she carried.

[royallylena]

Lena didn’t want to sit and stew with her decisions. She knew she would no doubt start to feel guilt. Or the voices of her parents strict teachings plague her thoughts. For once she wanted to do something that was fun. Something that didn’t revolve around her grades or her standing. As much as she had been brainwashed for years, she was her own person who could make decisions for herself. If it was a bad decision then Lena was just going to have to learn the hard way like anybody else would. “And incur a punishment for someone who doesn’t deserve it? That’s just what they want, to play into their hand.” All of her things she’d left in her dorm room, including her phone. “I’m going to need to borrow your phone though as a reason to get in. There’s usually still someone that monitors the desk even this late.” The Polish blonde waited for the other girl to be ready with packing up before she made her way out the door to the main office that held the keys they needed.

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was a little bit surprised at the girl’s honesty about her feelings for the system itself. She wasn’t sure if she was simply talking about the system of this particular building and the higher ups or if it went further than that, extending to the whole royal world. It wouldn’t surprise her that she meant either, it more so surprised her that any royal was willing to speak up and talk about it. “I suppose you must be right,” she said simply, unsure if the girl was willing to go into detail of what exactly she meant. It took a few minutes to fit everything into her already full backpack. She tried hard to keep everything on her. She desperately wanted to succeed, so she often took her school work with her in case she had a spare minute. “Yeah no problem,” it wasn’t like she had anything worrisome on her phone. She wasn’t an extremely private person. Withdrawing her phone from her pocket she handed it to the girl. Worse came to worse, it was all an elaborate scheme, but she doubted that.

[royallylena]

It was probably the frustration Lena was feeling that provoked her need to be so candid. Any other day of the week she probably would have spoken highly of the system. How it was there to protect every party involved. Truthfully even Lena didn’t fully know what extent she meant. Originally she was talking about the estate itself, but it could have easily applied to the royal life itself. It wasn’t uncommon for siblings and rivals to stoop to anything to get their hat thrown into the ring of taking the throne. It was toxic. There was a part of Lena that felt stupid for not having seen any of the signs earlier. “You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it,” she offered with a small shrug of her shoulders. “You have the opportunity to see the world and the system first hand and make up your own decisions about it.” Lena wasn’t about to push any ideas she had on someone else. Especially when she was only just starting to have those thoughts. The Polish blonde waited patiently until the brunette had managed to put everything back into her bag. Then she started leading the way towards the main office. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back,” she affirmed with a friendly smile as she took the phone. As big as the grounds were, it didn’t take long until they were close to the building. Lena quickly hid the phone in her pocket and made sure that there wasn’t a noticeable bulge from it that it would be noticed by others. With that in place, Lena opened the door into the building. Usually there were a few people darting around with different files and paperwork. Now there was just one person sitting behind the desk monitoring what was going on. But even he looked bored. “Hey, Harold. I left my phone in the back earlier, is it okay if I quickly go grab it?” she questioned, only receiving a nod to the back. “Yeah, just make it quick, Lena,” he finally responded. With a smile, Lena’s blue hues flickered to Cassie. “I’ll be quick, don’t worry. And you know Cassie, right? She’s new so I thought I’d help show her around a bit.” Lena hoped that Cassie would be able to spark up some conversation with the man at the desk so that if she made any noise grabbing the keys that it wouldn’t be a big deal. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she assured Cassie before stepping behind the desk and into the back room. Lena half closed the door so that she could look around properly. She knew generally where the keys were kept, but as she got to key holding board, none of it was labelled. There were only tiny scribblings on the keys themselves. She had to go through each set of keys one by one to read which one was made to what. It was around the eighth set before she read the scribbling of pool on the top. Grabbing the keys, she shoved them into her other pocket and pulled out the phone that Cassie had kindly lent to her. “Did you find it?” She heard Harold call out as he pushed the door open. “Got it. Thanks for your help, Harold,” she confirmed, holding up the phone as proof before making her way out of the room and back to where Cassie stood. “I’ll make sure everyone knows just how helpful you are.” It was genuine that some of the staff and administration were good. With the prize in her sights, Lena did her best to act as calm and collected as possible as they made their way out of the building. “Thanks again for that,” she hummed, adrenaline kicking in at what she had managed to pull off. Lena was handing the girl back her phone before revealing the keys she had managed to swipe. “Mission part one, complete.”  Lena felt completely high and giddy in that moment. 

[cassiekallas]

Maybe in a way Cassie already knew the kind of system they lived in. What her father had done to her mother as a child taught her such a thing. He hadn’t been scared of legal charges, or repercussions. As a King no one would touch him in such a way. No, his real fear was for the scandal. An article in a magazine scared him more than what he actually had done. She never truly understood it. And how most royals like to pick and choose the politics of new and old that they supported. No matter how many laws were passed to try and be more modern in monarchy, most royals subscribed to their old world thinking in whatever way benefited them. Whether it was marriage, children or anything. Sure, she hadn’t seen the full system, she hadn’t been in it really, not like most royals were. Not like Lena probably was. But she supposed this was her life now. If she was to complete her studies and eventually be elected as Queen, well, she would have to get used to that world. To know both the ugly and pretty side of it. Cassie handed over the phone and followed the blonde. She was still getting used to the campus, so it was a surprise that the walk wasn’t too long or overwhelming. Soon enough they were in what she assumed was the administration side of the main building. The brunette walked in and looked around briefly, having not been there properly since her first day check in. Harold, the nightshift manager she guessed had only just been coming in when she’d arrived there. She took the cue to keep the night manager somewhat busy. “You were right, it is really beautiful here. I should have trusted you about the cafeteria coffee though, the cafe was far superior,” Cassie rambled on, flashing a charming smile here and there. She wasn’t unfamiliar with such things. Even though she might not have been raised a royal, her mother was a lady of nobility and she’d certainly drilled it into her to be able to behave in a particular way. She even nodded and put on the look of complete interest as he started talking. It wasn’t so hard, he was probably one of the less brainwashed of the staff members. And some of the tips he’d given her had proven extremely helpful thus far. Of course, there was only so long before he wanted to check on Lena, Cassie made an attempt at gathering his attention back. Thankfully, the plan had seemed to be a success, and Lena came from the office. “Bye Harold, I’ll remember to steer clear of the meatloaf,” she said with a wave of her hand as her and Lena headed out of the building. Accepting her phone back from Lena, she was still half curious if it’d actually worked. But there were the keys, right there. “Part two, getting to the main part of the school. Luckily, they leave the doors open for the vending machines by the cafeteria, so,” the brunette said the words with a smile painted across her lips. This part, she knew how to get to. She’d learned that there was both a dorm entrance to the building and exterior one. Since they were already outside she headed for that one, ducking in rather quickly. There were a few cameras. 

[cassiekallas]

@selina-caspari

Sometimes things were hard. She hadn’t forgotten everything. She hadn’t forgotten motor functions or anything like that. She knew some people with amnesia had truly awful cases where they forgot how to talk. In the scale of forgetting, she supposed a missing year wasn’t so bad. But to her she felt like she was missing a lifetime. She didn’t want the attack back, she was too scared to face it. What she desperately wanted back was what she’d done. It was hard for her to be faced with people who said they knew her. Or pretending all the time that she could remember everything. Her mother would often speak of what they’d done, or her visit over Christmas. She had to read the room and take the best guess at what happened. The brunette was still trying to put some pieces together so she was sitting in the computer part of the lab, flicking through some pages of paparazzi about her. The school computers were nice, but she wished she was on in her room. A lot of her stuff was still in boxes on it’s way to the school.

[selina-caspari]

Nothing in Selina’s life had ever been easy. Sure, she hadn’t been the easiest child to raise. Constantly going against her parents wishes because she didn’t agree with them could be considered devious behaviour, but she wasn’t just another sheep to be fenced into their premeditated thinking. The older she got though, the more she wished she could forget things. Whenever she closed her eyes she could still picture everything vividly as if it were actually happening to her in that moment. As much as she tried to pretend nothing happened during the day, it was still there just waiting to be let out. She just felt like if she ever consciously thought or talked about any of it she wouldn’t stop crying. Her idea of keeping her head above water was just to avoid everything and block phone calls from her mother or father. That day was the same. Selina penciled on her eye liner and mascara and made her way to the library. As tedious as it was still having to attend lessons at 21, Selina was forced to check out a “history of the crown” book. How they thought she would pay attention if she didn’t pay attention the first time they tried teaching her about it, she would never know. The only way to describe her features as she looked through the books was bored. Her fingertips trailed along the spine of the book section until she found the one she needed and went to sit over on one of the chairs by the computers. Nobody was really there, and honestly she didn’t blame them. Flipping the book open to the first page, Selina got about one sentence in before an agitation kicked in. The princess had never been much of a reader, she’d usually just focus on the pictures and make up her own story. Looking around the area again her eyes fell onto a brunette that she hadn’t seen before. Standing from her seat, Selina hugged the book to her chest as she walked behind the girl and noticed that she was looking up herself. “You know that phones have a search feature too,” she explained nonchalantly as she nodded towards the screen. 

[cassiekallas]

This had never been like Cassie, consuming gossip magazines and articles about herself. She wasn’t self important, and frankly whatever the press said wasn’t something she had any room to care about. Whether they were critiquing her outfits, reporting on her nights out or doing fluff pieces, she’d never paid much mind to her face plastered over sleazy magazines. It had never truly been of important to her. But now it was almost crucial. Or maybe not crucial but definitely of high importance. She needed to know what had happened to her in her memory gaps. The last year was just a blank, even some holidays from before that were empty. She couldn’t explain it, and it was driving her mad. She just needed to know, as long as nobody found out she’d be fine. The brunette was staring at the webpage trying desperately to remember being at the party but couldn’t seem to. She even remembered that dress, she had just finished unpacking it. But the party itself, or even memories of wearing the dress were blank. Maybe she could have been in her room, but honestly a part of her was worried someone would read her phone history and start questioning things. It wasn’t beyond her father to do something of the sort. Embarrassment flushed washed over Cassie’s face as she glanced back at the blonde. “Oh um, yeah I know. This isn’t actually what it looks like, kinda had a drunk night at this party and don’t really remember it all. Just trying to figure out what might have happened. And you know how royal parents are. Don’t want them to see the search history and question if my intake levels are a little too much,” it wasn’t the most smooth dismissal. She could have done better. On a short notice though it was the best she was coming up with. 

[selina-caspari]

There was something so alluring about reading magazines and articles on other royal families. It was probably because it was about people that she knew, people that she had actual references for. To be fair she had social media, she could easily keep track of everyone she knew through that. It was mainly about the ridiculous things that the authors added to the magazine articles that kept Selina flipping pages. Well, that and all of the pictures that they included. A lot included drunk and drug involved royals stumbling home with half of their clothing. Not that she’d ever admit it, but there was part of her that was flipping pages hoping she’d find something on the Moldovan prince. Or even something about her father messing up and people believing her when she talked about the abuse he did to her. Making herself at home, Selina swung one of the other wheeled chairs around so that she could make herself comfortable. The blonde didn’t even question the brunette’s reasoning. It wasn’t like she was completely innocent and able to recall all of the parties that she had actually been to. Her blue hues flickered to the screen, noticing a couple of pictures of the girl with someone else. “Who is your handsome friend? Because I’ve flipped through countless magazines and have never seen his face.” By this point Selina had set her royal book aside and pushed her project out of her mind. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie was glad there was no more questions about why exactly she was combing online articles about herself. While she was sure it wasn’t entirely uncommon here, she also didn’t want people to mistaken her for a typical princess who was obsessed with her own appearance in magazines and such. It had never been someone she was. But now it was one of the few clues in her life she could exploit without tipping anyone off to her memory loss. Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they knew. But she didn’t need the extra pity. Nor she did want to risk being considered unfit for the throne. Her grandparents needed her. “Thanks,” Cassie said with a little smile. “You know, for not judging me,” she figured that the girl’s sitting down meant she might try helping. The brunette turned her eyes back to the photos and she noticed as well what the girl was pointing at. It wasn’t anyone she knew exactly. Maybe a college friend. “I’m not sure, guess he must have been a party buddy,” she dismissed it rather simply, once again, playing cover up.

[selina-caspari]

It wasn’t that uncommon to be searching about yourself at the estate. Some people were simply keeping track of the articles so they could explain themselves to their parents or someone else if anyone asked. Other times it was for amusement. Either way, Selina didn’t even think to question it with how common the reality of it happening was. “Please, if I looked that cute in a party outfit I’d look up myself too,” she shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at the girl. Leaning one elbow onto the computer table she leaned her cheek into her palm. Selina was genuinely curious about what might be found in some of the images and articles. And by the way the girl looked sitting in front of her, she looked like she needed some form of support in the matter. “I’m Selina by the way. I take it that a small party wasn’t exactly the reason for being sent to here of all places?” 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hadn’t exactly made a lot of friends in her time at the estate. She’d only been there for about a week. Honestly she’d barely spoken to anyone if she was honest. Most of her days were spent trying to make heads or tails of the work she was doing. And trying to remember her life from the last year, not that it was easy to remember all those things. The brunette thought that maybe this girl could be her friend. “I think I still have that dress somewhere if you wanna borrow it sometime,” she noted with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “My name is Cassie,” she said easily. “Though, you probably guessed that from the articles,” the brunette noted, pointing at the bold caption. “No, I actually didn’t really have a lot of people expecting me to take me to be a Queen. I honestly thought my father would live forever, but he’s sick. And my grandmother wants me to try for the throne now. So, I have to learn everything I missed.”

[selina-caspari]

Considering Selina felt so out of touch with her life these days there were few things that made her feel like her old self. One of those things was with clothing. She had always used fashion and outfits as a way to make a statement and also to make herself feel cute. It could just be something fun. “Wait, really?” she questioned. Selina had only just met this princess and already she was offering something without even thinking twice about it. “A little trusting for a newbie.” Selina gave the brunette a side glance before her lips instantly tugged into a smile. “I like that about you.” With how often royals got involved in dirty deeds, it wasn’t unusual to see them disappear from time to time where they changed their name and moved across country to somewhere small where they wouldn’t be recognised. “Hey, for all I know your real name could be Harry Potter.” The blonde offered a shrug. “Cassie is a nice name though. At least they didn’t burden you with a name like Karen or something.” So many royals lied and played up their lives to make it seem better than it really was. As much as she liked to believe the best in people, it still kind of surprised her when people were so honest on first meeting. Cassie genuinely seemed like a girl that Selina could get along well with. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. There’s always plenty of help around the estate though.” 

[cassiekallas]

A dress was of no consequence to her if she was honest. She doubted the material held the magical ability to bring back her lost memories nor did it host any special ideals or a particular meaning. It had been an order from a designer. He was small time and trying to break into the royal world. So Cassie had met with him and paid him to design the dress. From what she heard he had risen and met his goal to start dressing royals all over the world. She was honestly just glad to have helped someone’s dream come true. Perhaps seeing it on another royal would simply further his career. When the blonde pointed out she was trusting, for just a second she worried that perhaps that was a bad thing. But the smile and affirmation that it was a likable trait quickly calmed the worry she had messed up. “For a second there I thought you were going to tell me that was a bad thing. I’m not sure exactly how to royal,” the brunette said with a little chuckle. “Besides it is just a dress, it would look fantastic on you anyway,” she said cheerfully. Selina had a point about the name though. Even with her low exposure to royals she had been dealing with kids who were living rich and lavish lives. It wasn’t uncommon to change names and personalities and run away for a while either. “That or Agnes. It would truly be a tragedy from then on,” she said with a laugh echoing from her lips. Cassie didn’t usually hold back. She didn’t mind keeping a few secrets but her dad’s illness was all over the tabloids. No point in covering it up. “Yeah, it’s hard sometimes,” it wasn’t a total lie. The idea of her dad dying didn’t sit well with her. But at the same time it was a different kind of sadness. After all she wasn’t even sure she knew the man. “Well, I still feel to a degree like people expect me to already know everything to be honest. It’s definitely not easy. But I’ll probably get the hang of it soon. Do you like it here? Any secrets of the trade I should know about. Hideaways, secret societies. How about teachers?” The assault of curiosity came as she wondered about what life would be like for the next few months. At least now she had someone to ask questions.

[selina-caspari]

The human world as a whole could be dark a twisted. Add into it royals fighting with each other over medial things and the way they like to control everything, people who are too trusting could be swallowed whole. It was refreshing to see such a thing from someone at the estate. “It’s refreshing. You don’t see a lot of it from royals,” she explained as she tapped her fingertips against the edge of the computer table. A thought crossed the Swiss girl’s mind. More of an idea that got her excited. Sitting up more in her chair, she tilted her head to look at Cassie. “What if you retraced your steps? Not literally since we clearly aren’t in a place to be jetting off to wherever those pictures were taken. But we could get dressed up, go out to the town and follow the digital footprint around to things you did that night to see if that helps?” It might not have been the best idea, but she was trying. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat protective over the girl despite only knowing her for less than an hour. An echo of laughter fell from her lips as she gave a shake of her head. The way the girl was asking questions was like an excited puppy that needed answers right that second. “It’s not the worst place in the world,” she answered honestly. Being in her own home was hell compared to the estate. At least that was Selina’s experience. “There’s a cabin by the lake. It’s a great escape if you ever feel like you have no control. It takes a while for them to realize that you’re gone. As for teachers, I don’t really pay attention to their actual names. But avoid dark unibrow and former ice skater because they will burden you for looking at them the wrong way.”

[cassiekallas]

Honestly Cassie could maybe get used to this place, at least if all the people were as nice as she seemed to be. The brunette had planned to do her time here, however long that was. But maybe there was a way to enjoy it too. Besides all the stress of trying to grasp concepts that hadn’t been explained to her since she was seven. Or trying to remember things that her brain seemed to wanted to simply deny her access to. “Well, I wasn’t raised like the typical royal,” a shrug accompanied her non-chalant tone. The blonde’s words ran through her head briefly. It didn’t seem like an awful idea. Maybe pictures didn’t jog her memory because she hadn’t seen things that way. Perhaps a first person experience might help. It wasn’t an awful idea. Similar feelings and thoughts could bring back memories. Maybe that would help. Or at least it wouldn’t hurt. Cassie nodded and took in Selinas words. Honestly it didn’t seem so bad. Not like everyone said at least. “I will definitely take that advice, though I might need you to show me,” Cassie wasn’t the best at finding things. “I think I have dark unibrow for political science,” she had to really think about it. Sometimes her memory was still spotty as hell. Even for simple things. It wasn’t always a huge problem. Sometimes it was just forgetting what she had for breakfast. Honestly she wasn’t sure if it was the head injury or just usual memory things.

[selina-caspari]

Like with anything else, the estate wasn’t completely devoid of flaws. It definitely had them and they were obvious when you spent long enough there. But Selina didn’t like focusing on the bad. It also probably helped that Selina saw this as her escape. It was her getaway from the corrupt royal system and the royals that continued to allow all of it to happen. As long as she didn’t talk about anything that her father did to her then she was free to live a life away from it all. Even the times she had tried to come clean about it all to the media and press, nobody believed her. Who would believe a girl in a place known for troubled royals above a high standing male royal? Selina didn’t want to dwell on the thoughts too much. She knew it was one slippery slope if she let herself sink into it. Shaking off the feeling, Selina smiled at the brunette. “Great, so we’ll save a copy of some of the articles so we know where we’re going essentially,” she explained as she leaned close to the screen to read the name properly so she could type and save it into her phone. “And then we can take a mini vacation from this place to go on a mind hunt.” The smile on her lips was genuine. She wanted to be helpful, and by the looks of the girl sitting in front of her, she definitely needed a day off. Even if she was only new to all of this. “Next time I need to runaway I will make sure to tag you in for the joy ride,” she proclaimed with a slight tilt of her head. “Unless chemicals are involved, they have no right to call something a science.” Selina had grown up with these classes all her life, or at least most of them. She still despised some of their names, like they were trying to trick students to get excited about them. 

[cassiekallas]

Cassie hoped at the very least since most royals were here for something they wouldn’t judge her for her own flaws. Sure, she remembered a few of them from being a child at balls and such. But in her later years of school, those balls and parties and galas and dinners had become significantly less important to her than other things in life. She had still gone to some here and there, attending them with her mother, father and stepbrother, but not enough to truly stay in the royal cliques and circles. Her life had been built around preparing for when her father had eventually popped out another heir that could replace her as one. “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. Perhaps they could find some similar spots in the town nearby. Perhaps bars or clubs might be a good area to start. She knew the picture she was focusing on had been a club. That much was said in the article. “Perhaps we head back to my room and we can get dressed up? I think they dropped off the majority of my clothes with the moving truck,” she had to think about it for a minute. She knew there was a second load on it’s way she just wasn’t sure if all of her clothes came in the first. She didn’t have the energy to unzip and peer into the individual garment bags her grandmother and grandfather’s hired moving team had put everything in. “Agreed, I’m not entirely sure why they bother at all with such things. Perhaps to make it sound normal,” she noted, consideration in her tone. There’d been political science degrees available at her college, but the royal version of it was significantly different.