A couple of months later, school began to get to a close. Our final year of high school. Everyone was buzzing over how they were going to decorate their Graduation caps for the special occasion. Nat, Trudy, and I were talking about decoration as we began to pack our school things and put them away.

". . . . I was planning on doing mine Bulgarian-themed, if you understand me," Nat ranted as we continued to put our stuff in piles. "Maybe with a Bulgarian flag imprinted on mine? What about you, Stace?"

"I haven't really thought about it, I guess," I admitted. "Maybe I'll do mine Russian-themed. You know, for the country that I rule and represent."

"Hey, maybe we should all have our flags imprinted on our caps!" said Trudy enthusiastically. "Mine will be Austrian, of course. That's the country that my family rules."

"I wonder if everyone is going to do that, put their country's flags on their caps to represent where they're from," I wondered aloud as I glanced around the room. There was a low buzz of chattering, talking about summer vacation plans, college plans for the future, and whatnot.

"We're probably going to be the only ones," said Trudy, shrugging her shoulders. "But we could ask our boys if they want to do what we're doing."

"Doing what?" said the British accent of Geoffrey Windsor.

"Geez, Geoff!" I exclaimed, jumping about a foot in the air out of shock. "You can't be scaring me like that anymore! I'll get a frickin' heart attack, if you're not careful!"

"C'mon. Admit it. You like it when I scare you," he teased playfully. In a more serious voice he asked, "What are we talking about?"

"We're talking about what we're going to be doing to decorate our Graduation caps for the graduation ceremony that's coming up," I answered.

"Oh? And what are you three doing?"

"We're going to be representing our countries by putting our country's flags on our caps," I answered.

"Now you're giving me an idea," Geoffrey laughed. "Mind if I join you guys on that?"

"If you don't mind. Our feelings will not be hurt," Nat answered, grinning. "Plus, we were planning on asking you guys if you wanted to join us, anyways."

"So Sebastian and Philip?"

"You know it."

"Great! Is it alright if I can ask them?"

"Go ahead."

"Awesome! Well, I won't keep you guys from cleaning up your stuff."

He patted Nat and Trudy on the shoulder before giving me a slight kiss on the forehead. I watched him as he left, a small smile on my face as I stared dreamily after him. I hoped that we would end up getting married one day. I knew that Charlotte already loved the idea, and so did I. But I knew that would be a long ways away from now. Maybe in a few years, when we're out of college and have more free time together.

"Stacey. Are you even listening to us?" said Nat teasingly.

"Huh? What?" I asked, thoroughly distracted.

Nat giggled and rolled her eyes, smirking.

"I asked if you and Geoffrey plan to get married one day."

"Oh! That's so gross, Nat. That probably won't be until after college when we've both gotten our degrees and then we will consider it."

"Looks like I'm not the only one who approves," Trudy teased, giggling shrilly.

"Oh, shut up!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"C'mon, Stace. He loves you! That's one reason why he gave you that promise ring, right?"

I glanced down at my hand at the dainty rose-quartz heart ring that Geoffrey had given me on our last day in Mustique during the Spring holiday.

"I guess. But I don't expect to get married any time soon. Especially not right after graduation."

When I made my stubborn remark, both girls immediately shut up, making me smirk to myself. As much as I loved the idea of getting engaged to Geoffrey Windsor soon after High School was over, that would be too early. We didn't want any rumors to be spread around the world so quickly.

Graduation Day came too quickly for me. We all wore traditional royal-blue Graduation robes, our hats decorated with whatever design we had chosen. Of course, as I'd thought, my Graduation cap was decorated with my native Russian flag. We were organized in order, me behind Nathalie, and Sophia Manos, princess of Greece, in front of me.

"What do you plan on doing for college, Sophia?" I asked as we waited in our procession line.

"Me? I don't know. Mama wants me to go to either the University of Crete, or Deree University for my education. After that, I don't know what my plans are."

"Do you want to major in anything at all?" another girl, Aurora Luzon, who stood in front of Sophia, asked.

"I was thinking maybe Greek history," she answered thoughtfully. "You know, from ancient Greece. I think that it's fascinating."

"Any kind of history is fascinating," I answered, smiling slightly.

"Alright, everybody!" said Headmistress Georgiana Seymour as she clapped her hands together to get our attention. "The procession is going to start in a few minutes. But first, before we bring people to the stage to get their High School diplomas, we're going to be praying the Our Father. Then, I will do the graduation introduction, followed by a speech from one of our representatives, Professor Vanderbuilt. Then — Phillip Bourbon, do you have your graduation speech ready?"

"Yes, Headmistress," Phillip, from near the front of the line, answered, giving her a thumbs up. "I got it written down last week. I've been working on that for the past month."

"Excellent," Headmistress Georgiana beamed. "Then, I will close the ceremony with a farewell message before you guys are able to throw your caps in the air by its tassel."

"I'm so excited for that part!" Sophia squealed quietly to me. I grinned back at her in reply.

Throwing your cap in the air has been a tradition for a long time. Everyone who graduated High School loves that part because that means that you have officially graduated, and that you were done with High School for the rest of your life. A second of silence followed before a loud fanfare began to play over the speakers. One by one, we marched down the aisle of the school's theater where the graduation was being held. We got in our assigned seats, still standing, waiting for the rest of the graduators to take their places. Then, Headmistress Georgiana Seymour climbed the podium with a stack of papers in her hands — presumably for everything that she was going to say during the graduation ceremony.

"I'd like to start this ceremony with the Our Father. So why don't we bow our heads and pray together?"

We all bowed our heads and began praying the Our Father as one, our voices ringing out in low voices.

". . . . For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory. Forever and ever. Amen," our voices rumbled in unison.

"Very good. Now, I'd like to start off with the history of this school and how it was formed to the Arcadia Prep we know today. "Hello, parents, grandparents, royals and friends to the royal family," said Headmistress Georgiana. "Welcome to Arcadia Prep's Graduation ceremony. Arcadia Prep was founded by Queen Victoria of England. She created the school so that many other royal families could study and be educated without other civilians staring at them while they were studying. To work privately with other people like them. And today, that tradition continues. Royals from all over the world have come to study here without having the prying eyes of commoners around them. And today, we'd like to celebrate those who worked hard over the course of the year. Graduation is a very big deal at Arcadia Prep, and we are honored to celebrate this occasion with them. Let's celebrate our graduates of 2024 and celebrate with them!"
Cheers rang from all sides of the theater. Even though this wasn't just about me, I still grinned like an idiot. And I could see that Sophia and Nat were grinning broadly as well. Nat actually had some tears streaming down her face. She hastily wiped them away, but I knew that she couldn't hide her joy. No one could.

Headmistress Georgiana motioned for our main teacher, Mark Vanderbuilt, to join her on the stage. They briefly shook hands and Mark stood in front of the podium as Headmistress Georgiana made her way back to the other side of the room, opposite the graduates, to sit with the other representatives, teachers, and school workers. Mark Vanderbuilt made many jokes as he made his speech. But there were times when he was serious. He expressed his thanks and gratitude to the Headmistress, who nodded endlessly and beamed at him in return. He then went on to say how teaching the graduating class had been a wonderful experience, even if it had been for only a year. He also told a few funny moments he had with some of his students, giving a hoot about it.

"Thank you. And Headmistress Georgiana? Thank you for being a wonderful Headmistress. I hope that you will be here for many more years to come. Our staff, students, and the student's parents have much respect towards you. We can't wait to see what the future will bring to you and our school."

A round of clapping and cheering followed, along with hollering from some of the students. Headmistress Georgiana laughed before getting up from her seat, making her way back up to the podium where the stand and microphone stood. She adjusted it to her level before speaking again.

"Thank you, Professor Vanderbuilt. You were surely an honest man. Now, next up, we have our graduating students joining me on stage, so that he can give an honorary speech about his time here at Arcadia Prep and some of his first memories of being here at the school. Please welcome our Spanish prince, Phillip Bourbon!"

The crowd cheered for him. Sebastian began hollering, whooping cheerfully for his best friend.

"Hello. As the wonderful Headmistress Georgiana Seymour had said, my name is Phillip Rafael Bourbon, future king of Spain. My friend's mother, Princess Martha Louise, introduced us to Arcadia Prep before I started second grade. While at Arcadia Prep, I made friends with these lovely people who are also graduating with me —" We all cheered for him as he mentioned us "— and met some more new people that I quickly became friends with later on in my school years. I had plenty of teachers that taught me every educational thing that I needed to know. When I first met Headmistress Georgiana, I thought that she was a scary woman." Laughter rang from all sides of the crowd. I glanced over at Headmistress Georgiana, who chuckled along, her face flustered and tinted with pink. "But, after going to the school for more than a month, I learned to respect my Headmistress and I felt less scared of her, knowing that Mrs. Seymour was just doing her job. She reassured me plenty of times that she was not a mean teacher — unless you mess with her bad side. Then she'll lash out."

A scattered round of laughter filled the air. I smiled to myself at Phillip's honest confession about Headmistress Georgiana. Truth be told, I thought that Headmistress Georgiana was a scary woman when I first saw her. But, just as Phillip had said, she's actually quite nice and very dedicated to her work. But you never want to mess with her bad side.

". . . . I am very blessed to have attended such a lovely school, connect with people all over the world, learn about different cultures, and make new friends. And Headmistress Georgiana? I promise that I will visit you and the school, even while I'm no longer taking classes here." He glanced around the auditorium, smiling slightly. He made sure that his stack of papers were in order. "Thank you."

And with that, he bowed and stepped off the podium, going back to his seat. People cheered for him as he exited the stage.

"That's my boy!" Sebastian roared enthusiastically.

More people laughed at Sebastian as his voice rang through the air, clearly proud of his best friend. Everything went quiet again as Headmistress Georgiana went back up to the podium again.

"Thank you, Phillip, for your honest speech," she said lightly. People around us laughed heartily at her reaction. Probably thinking that it was still funny that Phillip had originally thought that Headmistress Georgiana was scary. "Now, I'd like to welcome Professor Vanderbuilt, the head teacher of the Senior Graduating Class."

She started clapping and we applauded back as Professor Vanderbuilt mounted the podium. He started off with that large, beaming grin of his. Professor Vanderbuilt was a chubby, squat man who had a Hungarian-style mustache and bushy pale-brown eyebrows. He had a bubbly personality and always tried to encourage his students, giving us advice whenever we needed it.

I smiled as we all listened to his speech. He must have said this speech repeatedly over the years, because he did not need to look at his papers and barely started stuttering, and his words did not trip over each other. As I looked around, I noticed how quiet it got, and how everyone seemed to be hanging onto every word that he said. He received a standing ovation when his speech was over. The ovation lasted several minutes before everyone settled down, and he was able to leave. Headmistress Georgiana got to her feet again and stood in front of the podium once again.

"Now, when I call your name, I want you to walk across this stage to me, and I will hand you your graduation diplomas. We'll make sure you'll get a few pictures with me and Professor Vanderbuilt separately." She glanced down at her list of names before speaking through the microphone again. "Vivienne Anjou."

My heart dropped into my stomach and my veins pulsed with unexplainable rage. I'd barely heard much about Vivienne since Geoffrey had called quits with her just shortly after my arrival at Arcadia Prep.. She always seemed to hang out with the popular crowds nowadays. But I had noticed that sometimes, she and another friend of hers would put their faces together, whispering quietly, shooting me and Geoffrey the meanest glares possible.

After Vivienne had gotten her diploma and had shaken hands and exchanged a few words with Headmistress Georgiana and Professor Vanderbuilt, she went off to the side of the stage where more empty seats were, and sat down in the first chair available.

"Ingrid Bernadotte?"

Another round of applause followed when her name got called. Ingrid jumped to her feet and practically skipped to the stage, grinning broadly from ear-to-ear.

As more people went up to get their diplomas and shake hands with the headmistress and their professor, I grew increasingly more nervous and began to bounce my knee up and down to keep myself busy until my name was called. Finally —

"Anastasia Romanova II?"

I shakily got to my feet and made my way to the stage. It felt like a lifetime, as my legs shook as I walked towards the podium. Headmistress Georgiana handed me my diploma, which was tied with the traditional silken, blue ribbon. The second I had received my diploma, Headmistress Georgiana shook hands with me and smiled.

"It was wonderful having you at Arcadia Prep during the second semester, Anastasia," she said in a sincere voice.

"Thank you, Headmistress Georgiana. It truly was an honor to attend Arcadia Prep for my Senior year. I had no idea that it had existed — until my grandmother told me about it."

"Well, our school is supposed to be kept secret from the commoners outside the royal life," Georgiana answered, grinning broadly. She winked at me. "Please come and visit us whenever you can."

"I most certainly will try," I answered reassuringly.

I grinned and turned to face Professor Vanderbuilt, who also grinned broadly at me. He stuck out his hand, waiting for me to shake it. I shook his hand, slightly surprised by how firm his grip seemed.

"It was a pleasure to teach you, Anastasia," he said, his voice also sincere.

"Thank you for teaching me everything that I needed to know about the royal standards and the subjects we took. You definitely changed my mind about school."

I grinned at him and he chuckled deeply, playfully waving a hand in my face.

"The pleasure is all mine," he answered, trying hard to not look too prideful about it.

"You can take your seat, Anastasia," said Headmistress Georgiana. She used her arm and pointed to the direction of where all the graduated students had sat.

I walked down the other side of the podium, ignored Vivienne as I walked past her, and took my seat next to Sebastian.

"Look at that!" he said, giving my knuckles a fist-bump. "We've graduated, now!"

"How weird is that?" I laughed.

"Not weird to me. I'm just glad to get High School over with."

"You didn't like attending Arcadia Prep?" I asked, amazed.

"Trust me, Stace. I did like it. I just didn't like getting ready for school in the morning."

He grinned at me.

"I see what you mean. Yeah, before I found out that I was a royal, I hated getting up for school. But now, I had something to look forward to every day. Back in the New York days, I didn't have a reason to be at school. I just wanted to get my work done and get High School over with. But, apparently, not here at Arcadia Prep."

I glanced over at Geoffrey, who was still waiting in line for his turn. He saw me staring and gave me a subtle wave to let me know that he saw me.

Finally, it was Geoffrey's turn. His name was called, and a huge cheer erupted from the crowds. I cheered, grinning broadly. Then I glanced over at Vivienne, who did not clap. She had a scowl on her face, her arms crossed, and the look in her eyes could kill you if they could. And it was not a pretty sight to see.

Everyone here must know who Geoffrey is, I couldn't help but think to myself as a smile tugged up my lips.

Once Geoffrey had taken his diploma, exchanged a few friendly words with the people on the stage, and shook hands with everyone on the podium, he made his way to the last chair that waited for him. Headmistress Georgiana approached the podium once again, smiling broadly, clearly proud of all of the graduating class.

"Graduated students? Move your tassels to the other side of your cap!" she declared. We all did as she said, murmuring excitedly to each other as we did. "On the count of three, I want you all to throw your caps in the air. Ready? One! Two! Three!"

And right on cue, we immediately tossed our caps in the air, celebrating the final moments of being high school students.

"Reception is in the cafeteria! You're more than welcome to help yourselves," said Headmistress Georgiana in the microphone as people began to filter out of the auditorium to linger around in the hallways and such.

I waited around, chatting with Nat, and Trudy came around, bouncing excitedly as she made her way towards us, grinning ecstatically. She grinned so broadly, I thought that her eyes would turn to slits.

"Best day ever!" she squealed excitedly.

Nat and I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Look at us! We're all graduated!" said Nat enthusiastically, though I could hear a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Nat? What's wrong? You don't sound happy," I said anxiously.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. I'm just going to miss this school and the both of you."

Her eyes wistfully scanned the auditorium, looking as though she was taking in every second, trying to remember how everything was mapped out.

"Yeah. My only year here at Arcadia Prep has been incredible," I replied sincerely as I glanced up at the golden, rust-tinted, crystal chandeliers that were our source of light for the auditorium.

"Ooh, I'm gonna miss you guys!" said Trudy as she brought the two of us in for a group hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, Trudy. Stace," said Nat. Her voice sounded slightly choked as she spoke.

"It's not like we're gonna be gone forever," I tried cheering them up. "I'm sure that we can visit each other from time to time. Maybe we can have video chats when we're available and feel up to it?"

"That sounds like a great idea! But it wouldn't be the same as seeing you guys every day during the school year."
I smiled and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, rubbing it softly with my thumb.

"Cheer up, Nat. You've got a whole new chapter ahead of you. You've got a college to attend, if you're even planning on attending college classes."

"Mmm, I'm still thinking about it," she teased, shoving me playfully in the shoulder.

"Hey. Don't look now, but you've got company coming your way," Trudy pointed out. I gave her a dreaded look before she quickly corrected herself. "Don't worry. It's people that you know and get along with."

My shoulders relaxed and I turned to come face to face with none other than Queen Elizabeth II, Marina and Chandler Windsor, Prince William, Princess Katherine, George, Charlotte (who was bouncing enthusiastically on her feet in excitement), Louis, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and their husbands.

"Congratulations!" said Queen Elizabeth, who beamed broadly at all of us.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Nat and Trudy in unison. They both courtseyed to the queen. The Queen only shook her head, holding a hand out to stop the two girls in front of her, smiling. "You don't have to curtsy or say "Your Majesty", girls. You're practically family to us. I give you permission to not curtsey or say any royal titles to us while you're around me."

Both girls looked quizzical, giving each other confused looks.

"But ---" Trudy began, but Queen Elizabeth held a hand out to stop her. I thought that she would be angry, but to my surprise, she had a smile on her face.

"Girls, please. I insist." The girls went quiet after smiling. The Queen smiled in return and examined us in silence. "Congratulations, girls. Well worth the graduation."

"Indeed. Though I'm going to miss this school when I'm in college. I know that, whatever college I'm going to attend, it won't be nearly as fancy or as educational as this school," said Nat as her eyes roamed the auditorium once again.

"Yeah. I will never forget this place. It's been a home to me all these years. I'm gonna miss it. But I did promise Headmistress Georgiana that I'd come whenever I get the chance," said Trudy wistfully.

We received hugs from the rest of the royal family before familiar hands covered my eyes, startling me.

"Guess who?" said a familiar male's voice.

"Geoffrey! How many times have I told you to not fricking scare me?!" I scolded, taking his hands off my eyes. My heart raced frantically, beating hard against my chest. I glared defiantly at him.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist," Geoffrey answered, and I could hear the laughter in his voice.

I turned around to face him and saw him grinning at me. He held out his arms and brought me into a comforting, warm hug. I sighed deeply, inhaling his scent, smiling to myself. My fast-beating heart eventually slowed down once I realized I was safe in his presence.

"Congratulations on the graduation, love," he finally said, giving my head a gentle kiss.

"Congratulations to you, too," I mumbled. I took my head off his chest and stood on my tiptoes slightly to give his lips a quick peck.

"Just marry her already!" Charlotte groaned, scowling at us.

"It'll take time, Charlie," Geoffrey answered. He walked over to her and patted her head gently. "But we will eventually. And Stacey can be an actual part of the family."

"She already is a part of the family, dear," Queen Elizabeth corrected. "She has been since she first came to Windsor Palace."

I blushed, touched by Queen Elizabeth's words.

"C'mon! I'm hungry. Can we please go to the reception in the cafeteria?" Nat whined.

"Okay! Miss Bossy," I mumbled after cutting her off.

"I heard that," said Nat defensively. She rolled her eyes playfully at me.

We made our way out of the auditorium. George and Charlotte chatted enthusiastically amongst themselves as we exited the bronze auditorium doors.

In the cafeteria, we caught up with the rest of the students in my class, asking each other casual questions, such as where they planned on attending college now that school was over. And, by the sound of it, everyone was going to college in their own country. Mostly to be closer to home and to not worry about extremely high expenses.

"Hello, dear," said a new, familiar female voice once I'd finished talking to Ingrid.

I whipped around to come face-to-face with none other than my own mother.

"Mom!" I shrieked enthusiastically, ignoring some heads that turned to see what the commotion was about.

I jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly around the neck. She laughed and spun me around some.

"How is my lovely daughter?" she asked, tugging at a lock of loosely-curled red hair that framed my face.

"Better than ever," I answered, grinning. "Now that I've graduated, you know. How long have you been here at the school?"

"I was watching your graduation the entire time, dear," my mother answered lightly. "And I'm so proud of you. You definitely earned it, my dear." She paused. "Are you still friends with that Windsor boy?"

"What do you think, Mom?" I teased, grinning.

"I guess that's where that rose-quartz ring came from?"

She motioned to the dainty rose-quartz promise ring that adorned my ring finger on my left hand.

"Yeah. During my Spring Break vacation to Mustique with the rest of the royal family," I admitted, messing with the ring he'd gotten me.

"That's very sweet of him, dear."

"He's the sweetest all the way around. I think he's still hanging around here. Would you like to see him again?"

"I'd love to see Geoffrey again, dear. I'd even say that, even though you two are still dating and not planning on getting married any time soon, I consider him as a part of the family. Just like the way Queen Elizabeth has accepted you."

I grinned, touched by her words. I had a feeling that she and Queen Elizabeth would one hundred percent get along, despite their age differences. But I don't think that mattered to my mother at the moment.

"I'll go and find him," I promised.

And with that, I left my mother and found myself in the sea of humans that were still milling around in large to medium groups. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, I found Geoffrey, who was talking to Amihan Tollano, a fellow student, and Leon Liechtenstein, heir of Germany.

"Hey, Geoff," I said cheerfully as I approached him.

"Hey, love." He hugged me gently and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead lovingly. "What's up?"

"My mom would like to see you again. She hasn't seen you since that grand ball in my honor."

"Has it really been that long?" he asked, amazed.

"According to her, yes. It has been that long."

Geoffrey said his quick goodbyes to Amihan and Leon before tagging along with me to meet my mother. To my relief, she hadn't left her place. She still stood there, waiting for me to return with my boyfriend.

"Mom? You remember Geoffrey?" I said, introducing my mother to Geoffrey again.

Mom gave him a genuine smile before sticking her hand out for him to shake.

"Yes. I clearly remember. It's nice to see you again, Geoffrey."

"It's nice to see you again, too, Mrs. Romanova," he answered, his voice sincere.

"I hope that you've been treating my daughter with respect? You haven't hurt her during your relationship, have you?"

I blushed, hard. She didn't have to go into that much detail. Geoffrey had never hurt me in my life.

"Mom, we promise. Geoffrey has not hurt me. Not once."

My mother's shoulders relaxed when she heard me.

"I like how honest you are, Geoffrey. I can see how much you really love her."

She smiled, and I blushed. Geoffrey snaked his arm around my waist, bringing me closer to him.

"What are you planning on doing for college, Geoffrey?" Mom asked.

"I'm thinking of going to Oxford next semester."

"Stace? Have you figured out what to do, yet?"

"I dunno. You've always wanted me to go to Columbia University in New York," I admitted.

Mom shook her head, smiling gently.

"You're a princess now, Stacey. You can choose to either go to college in America, or college in Russia or England. I did want you to go to Columbia University when you were younger, yes. But now that you're a princess, you get to have your own authority of where you actually go. It's not up for me to decide which college I want you to go to anymore."

I smiled at her, feeling grateful.

"Thank you, Mama. And truth be told, I haven't really decided which college I want to go to next semester. There are so many colleges out there to choose from! I highly doubt that I'd be able to choose by the end of the summer."

"You don't have to go to college right away, dear. Some people don't go to college until their mid forties."

"You went to college in your thirties, didn't you? And that's where you met Dad?"

"Yes," she answered wistfully, probably thinking of the wonderful times she had with Dad before they got married — before his assassination and untimely death. "Lomonosov Moscow State University. It's a wonderful place. Prestigious, the professors are very good at what they do. Their teaching is simply stunning."

"What did you study in Lomonosov, Mrs. Romanova?" Geoffrey asked.

"I studied medicine and engineering. It was a stressful time, but I managed to complete everything by the end of the college years and passed all of my tests, including the hardest ones."

"Where did you meet Dad?" I asked eagerly.

"We met at a party. I didn't want to go, but then I saw him hanging out with a few friends. Just a charming young man, he was. Dressed nicely. Very polite, and didn't show off his royalty. He didn't brag about it, either. He was head of the Lomonosov Moscow Football Team. All of the girls were falling for him, of course. Stalked him some."

"I'm curious to know — of all the girls at Lomonosov, why did he choose you?"

She shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. He said that I was different from the other girls he's hung out with. I was shy and quiet back in the day. Didn't want a lot of attention. I didn't want to be popular, either. But when he asked me out on a date for the first time, something spoke inside of me and told me that he was the right guy for me." She stared wistfully into space again, sighing dreamily. "We got married a couple of years after we graduated from college. Then, in 2002, I became pregnant with you, Stace. And six months later, he —"

I could see her starting to hold back her tears. I let go of Geoffrey's grip and embraced my mother with a warm hug. I didn't blame her. Talking about Dad must be very hard. Another pair of arms embraced us. I peeked one of my eyes open to see Geoffrey, who had joined the hug.

"Anyways," she added once we finished hugging. She wiped the tears from her eyes, digging into her Dior purse and a gold chain came snaking out. I couldn't see the pendant, as she was holding it in her hands. "Before I forget the subject of your father, I wanted you to have . . . . this."

She opened the palm of her hand out and revealed to me a simple silver locket. With trembling hands, I opened it up to reveal a picture of my dad. I almost cried when I saw how similar I looked to him — especially with my flaming bright red hair and piercing blue eyes. The bright red hair and blue eyes have been passed down from the royal Russian family for generations. And I still carried that trademark to this day. He wore a Royal Air Force blue navy uniform, adorned with medals, including the Russian flag.

"I thought you should have it by now. I used to have it, especially after the assassin. But I don't wear it as much as I used to. So the other day, I thought about you, and decided that it's high time that I let you keep it."

A happy tear slid from my eye and I quickly brushed it away with my hand. I gently let the locket shut, closing with a soft click.

"Thank you, Mom," I whispered.

"You definitely deserved it, my dear. And just know that he will always be with you, despite the fact that he's not here with you in person. He's in your heart." She pressed a gentle hand to my heart, indicating where my love for him lies.

"Hey, Stace. Nat and Trudy are planning to go out for graduation dinner with some other people. Do you want to come and join us? Your mother is welcome to come, too, if she'd like."

I smiled.

"I think that would be a great way to spend the end of the day," I answered, my voice barely above a whisper.

Geoffrey slung his arm around my neck and my mother reached out for my hand. Together, we walked out of the school, getting into our separate cars. As I pulled out of the driveway of Arcadia Prep, I glanced back at the school one more time.

I'm really going to miss this place.