“Sadie, time to get up!” my adoptive mother shouts up the stairs. I rub my sleepy green eyes, and then get up and get into the shower. Showers are the only thing that can wake me up in the mornings. As the shampoo washes off me, I think. I look nothing like either of my parents, so it’s pretty obvious that I am adopted. I have hair that reaches to the small of my back, the color of fresh caramel candy. I guess that’s why Dad gave me the nickname. Caramel.

    I shut the tap off and towel dry off on the way back to my room. I towel off my hair and turn to my dressers to decide what to wear. I decide on a deep red tank top and a jean skirt. I pulled my hair up with my cheerleading bow, which was white with black outlining. I looked in my mirror. I actually felt pretty today.  

    Sadie, the bus is here!” Mom yells. I scoop up by backpack, slip into my shoes, and run down the stairs. I grab a juice box and a donut and head out the door. I walk up the bus steps, and find a seat.

    We finally arrive at my school. It’s a private school just for girls in Oklahoma, which is where I live. I live in Ponca City, which isn’t far from the capitol, Oklahoma City. It’s rather large, with about one hundred girls in my eighth grade class. It’s all brick, with a small courtyard for break times. There’s a basketball hoop, some monkey bars, and a swingset. Most of the girls don’t use the swings, but I find them useful for thinking.

    I run to first period, Agricultural Science. They have such fancy names for things here. Drama is Theatre, Language Arts is English, and Gym is Physical Education. But science class is where I met my best friend, Charlotte Watts. Charlotte’s pretty, with golden blonde hair and blue eyes. She beautiful in all the ways that people can’t really pinpoint, she just is.

    “Got anything planned this evening?” she asks as I sit down next to her.

“Trying to avoid June and her band of idiots,” I say. Of course, that’s what I usually do. June is the leader of the popular clique, and Druscilla and Ciara follow her lead, so we’re virtually outcasts.

“Okay, so what do you say we hang out at the park when we get out? We can grab some snacks from Harold’s and stay there the whole evening. Heck, we can get some sleeping bags and stay the night!” Charlotte says. I grin. She’s always coming up with fun things to do. Playing video games until three in the morning, swimming at Baker’s Lake, stuff like that. And this would be no exception. I wish I’d known that I’d never get the chance.

Anyhow, first and second periods droned on. I took a few notes, not really paying attention. Charlotte and I continued making plans for our night under the stars.

“So, I’ll meet you on the baseball field at four, ‘kay?” Charlotte says, just before the bell is scheduled to ring. I look outside. Menacing clouds surge in the sky, huge and black.

“I’m thinking that this might not be such a good idea,” I say.

“Only if it rains, which it’s not supposed to. Don’t chicken out now!”

I sigh. “Fine. But if if it even starts to drizzle, we head home, okay?” I condition.

“Fine,” Charlotte says.

“Come on, let’s do the swear,” I say. She smiles. We worked this out in third grade, when we decided we needed something more than average promises.

“I, Charlotte Jennifer Watts, do hereby swear that if it rains this evening, I will allow us to go home. If I break this promise that you, Sadie Penelope Jennings, may curse me until the end of my days.”

“I accept your swear,” I say. Then we break out laughing. We’ve done this ever since third grade, and we still laugh every time.

Suddenly, the P. A. system blares a very loud buzzing. The tornado drill siren. But then a voice speaks. It’s our principal, Ms. Sanders.

“Students, this is not a drill. A tornado has formed and is heading our way. Please proceed to the safe area as quickly as you can. I repeat, this is not a drill.”

I look out the window. Where the clouds were before, there’s a large funnel cloud touching the ground. A tornado. Living in Oklahoma, I’d known to expect this at any time, but now that it was actually happening, it was unbelievable.

“Let’s go, Sadie,” Charlotte urges me. We run out of the cafeteria and through the now crowded hallways. Since tornados are so frequent here, we dont do the usual get low and have something sturdy over your head to protect your neck routine as in most schools. We have a cellar dedicated to hiding during tornados. It’s big enough to fit two football fields, and every single girl there is in hysterics, worrying about their things, and whether the ceiling will collapse on us.

After a couple hours, I have to go to the bathroom.

“I’ll be right back Char,” I say to her. She nods, and I head off.

When I come back, a man is waiting outside the bathroom.

“Go on in,” I say. He must be a teacher.

“You must come with me,” he says. I look at him as if he’s crazy.

“Well, if you don’t have to go, then at least let me past,” I say.

“Can’t do that, miss. My orders are to get you as fast as possible. They didn’t even know if you’d still be down here, but I came anyways.”

“I won’t come quietly,” I warn. I open my mouth to scream, but he has his hand clapped over my mouth before any sound comes out.

“I wish you hadn’t made me do this,” he sighs. He drags me out a back entrance and through the halls of the school. I am surprised that it’s still here, let alone in perfect condition. Outside, a car waits. A woman with black hair and brown eyes is the driver.

It’s not until he has me restrained in the car that he let’s my mouth free. The question I ask is probably not the one he expected.

“Why’s the school still standing? Shouldn’t the tornado have destroyed it?” I ask.

“No, it headed the other direction. Towards the town,” says the driver.

“Who are you people, and what do you want with me?” I demand.

“I am Freya, and this is Georgio,” the driver introduces. “We’re here to take you to your grandfather.”

“What, Grandpa Nate?” I wonder. The guy’s crazy, but I love him.

“Not your adoptive grandfather,” Georgio says. I stare at him. Why would my real grandfather contact me? Did he even know I existed? Well, obviously, he did. But why contact me now?

“What does he want with me?” I ask.

“It’s not our position to say that, miss,” Georgio answers. Or course nobody was going to give me a straight anwser here.They practically kidnapped me from my school in the middle of a tornado.

“Well, can you tell me where we’re going?”

“I can. We’re going to the airport, where we will fly to San Francisco, California, where your grandfather is waiting for you. From there, I think I’ll let him tell you,” replies Georgio. Freya contiues driving, but I can see her smile lightly from the rearview mirror.

And indeed, twenty minutes later, we pull up to the airport. It’s busy and crazy, as I suspect it is usually, but we get inside and through all the security checks fairly quickly. We go to our gate, which I find out leaves soon. I am expecting a big jet, but what I get is far more nerve wracking.

“A private plane?” I marvel. Whoever my grandfather is, he has money. And that scares me. What happens if my grandfather thinks I should live with him? Will I be expected to act all prim and proper? Dear God, I hope not, because I will fail epically.

“Of course, miss,” says Georgio. He gestures me on. I get another shock when I realize that Freya is going to be our pilot.

“Are you licensed?” I ask her anxiously. I honestly would not be surprised.

“I am, miss. Don’t worry, I will not crash this airplane,” says Freya. Her words are meant to calm me down, but now I am thinking about crashing planes.

“Please stop calling me miss,” I complain. “My name is Sadie.”

“Very well, mi- Sadie,” says Georgio. He gives me a smile. I’m still not sure if I can trust him, but he seems nice… when he isn’t kidnapping me.

A couple hours later, the plane starts to descend.

“Gum?” Georgio asks. “It helps with the pressure.”

“What kind do you have?” I ask.

“Mango-pinapple Trident Layers,” Georgio says. I like that kind, so I accept his offer. Eventually, the plane stops, and we disembark. Freya and Georgio lead me to a car… well, it’s not a car. It’s a limo. Now I am really anxious. Georgio helps me in, and we speed through the streets of San Francisco.

For the first time, I allow myself to think of my life back in Oklahoma. Charlotte must have known something was up when I didn’t show up to keep our plans. In my head, I make a silent vow. I, Sadie Penelope Jennings, swear that I will get a chance to keep my plans with you, Charlotte Jennifer Watts. If I do not...What would be good enough? I might not see my best friend ever again. If I do not, you, Charlotte, have the right to move on and make new friends. I can almost hear her reply.  I accept your swear.

2: The Grandfather

We finally stop at a huge mansion. I mean, it’s bigger than the school cellar, at least a quarter mile? I don’t know, but it’s big. It’s about four o’clock, and the gardeners are pruning hedges and fertilizing and whatever else it is that gardeners do. Georgio leads me into the mansion, leading me to an elegantly furnished room. A young woman with dark brown hair and eyes is standing in a corner, apparently waiting for me.

“Ah, hello, Miss Sadie, we’re glad you arrived safely. Was the trip okay?” she asks.

“Please, just Sadie. I don’t think I’m going to be comfortable with all this fancy stuff here for a while,” I say. “What’s your name?”

“Klara,” she answers. “Your grandfather will be in to speak with you in a moment.”

“No need to wait for me,” comes a man’s voice from the top of the ornate stairs. I look up to see a man descending them. He looks maybe sixty, with graying brown-blonde hair, a

couple shades darker than mine. “Hello, Sadie.”

“Er, hello,” I say. “Are you my grandfather?”

He chuckles. “Well, yes, I suppose I am, although it doesn’t seem right that an old geezer like me is related to a pretty girl like you. How old are you?”

“Fourteen, but I’ll be fifteen in April,”  I answer, blushing slightly.

“I like when you blush,” he says. It gives those pale cheeks of yours some color!”

Of course, this only makes me redder, which makes him smile wider. “I can see we’re going to get along just fine.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, sir, why am I here? I mean, I love the place, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have brought me here before now?” I ask him.

“First off, I don’t think we should start out on so formal a note. I wont have my own

granddaughter calling me sir. Call me Grandpa, or Grant,” he says.

“You still didn’t answer my question,” I remind him. He nods, and the smile leaves his

face.

“Why don’t we talk about that later? For now, settle in, see your rooms-”

“I’m staying here?” I ask.

“Of course! I wouldnt put you in a hotel!” Grandpa says. I dont mention that I might have felt more comfortable in a hotel.

“That’s not what I meant, Grandpa. Georgio gave me the impression we wouldn’t be

staying here very long,” I say.

Oh, we’re not, Sadie. We’re going to leave tomorrow morning, after we’ve talked. Klara, please show Sadie her room while she’s here.”

“Of course, sir,” Klara says. She gestures up the steps, and I follow her. I look back at

Grandpa. He smiles encouragingly, but I get the feeling he’s trying to put off something.

“This is your stateroom,” Klara says, opening an oak door. I am braced for pink, or frills, anything but what it is. I see red. Lots of red. The carpet is red and plush, the curtains and bedspread are geometric red and gold patterned. It’s a very nice room.

“There’s some clothes in the closet and dressers,” Klara says. “You might want to

freshen up before dinner.” She exits the room, and I set to examining the rest of my quarters. There’s a large flat screen television, and a blu-ray DVD player, as well as several movies. In an adjacent room, there’s all the things that are in bathrooms, and it’s all the best things.

I take Klara’s advice, and take a shower. It helps, because it’s hot, and I’m sweaty after being here only an hour or so. I step out, and dry = my hair, then open the drawers. Klara understated when she said there were some clothes. All the drawers are stocked, as well as  the closet. I decide to wear a green shirt with ruffles from the chest down, a pair of white shorts, and brown sandals with little jewels on it. I add a brown belt, and a brown headband. I look in the mirror. My hair cascades over my shoulders like a waterfall of caramel. I look nice.

Instead of sitting in my room until dinner, I decide to explore the mansion. I find a library, several guest staterooms, and even a game room. I pass several people who appear to be servants, ;all of whom call me miss.

As I am about to quit and go to my room, maybe watch a movie, I run straight into someone.

“Oh! Sorry,” I say. I get up and reach to help the person I ran into up. I recognize her.

“Freya! I thought you’d left!” I exclaim. I help her up.

“Sadie, I was just looking for you,” she says. “Your grandfather says it’s time for dinner.”

“Oh, all right,” I say. Freya leads me through the mansion and to a small dining room.

“Hello again, Sadie, dear,” says Grandpa when I enter. “Since it’s just us, I saw no need to dine in the dining hall.”

Shortly, a few men bring in course after course. First, a savory broccoli soup, steak, salad, fruits, and a huge chocolate cake.

“I don’t know if I can finish this cake!” I say, stabbing my fork into the chocolate goodness.

“I have a big weakness for chocolate, so I guessed you might,” Grandpa chuckles. I set my fork down and grab my nearly full cup of tea, taking a small sip.

“So, can you tell me why you didn’t take me when I was born instead of waiting until now?” I ask.

“Sadie, I wanted you to live a normal childhood. People with our burden, we often think ourselves better than others, when we’re just lucky,” begins Grandpa. “When my daughter and her husband died, you were just a couple months old. I didn’t want you to become that way.”

“What burden?” I ask, faltering under this new information. My real parents were dead.

I’d always known it was a possibility, but now, having it confirmed….

“Your moth= er was the princess of Terlingua. I am it’s king.”

“So, that makes me…” I can’t even finish the words.

“Yes. You are Sadie Penelope Kirova Sader, princess of Terlingua,” says Grandpa.

I spit the tea in my mouth out in surprise. I’m no princess! I’m just an average girl who was adopted! But, then again, there was the unmistakable resemblance between Grandpa and I. Nearly the same hair, and his eyes were as bright green as mine.

“Yes, you are my granddaughter, and a royal princess. If you want, you may return to Oklahoma, or you can travel with me to Terlingua, and take on your role as their princess and future ruler,” Grandpa says.

“What?” I say. “You mean, I’m next in line?”

“Indeed,” he says. My head is spinning with thoughts. I am going to be a queen someday. But only if I go with Grandpa to this country I don’t know much about. I mean, I’ve heard of Terlingua, mainly in History class, but we never studied it in detail. I knew it was near Italy, but that’s about it.

“Will Charlotte be able to come visit?” I ask.

“Who is Charlotte?”

“She’s my best friend, and we had plans tonight. She’s probably worried about me,” I answer.

“Well, then, of course she can come! What is her address?” he asks me.

“573 Hammond Court.”

“Georgio,” Grandpa says to Georgio, who is standing by the door. “Go back to Oklahoma and fetch Sadie’s friend. With luck, we can have her here by morning, before we leave.”

“Really? She’s coming?” I ask incredulously. If this is what being a princess can do, I think I might enjoy it a little bit.

“Of course,” Grandpa says, astounded that I might think otherwise. “Now, it is late, so let us go to our rooms for a while. I will have Klara come inform you when Charlotte gets here.”

And with that, I was obviously dismissed.