I let the dresses drop from my arms onto the floor, the soft fabrics landing softly on our toes. "What?"

"And We sneak into the castle and then you convince your parents that you are, well, you." She said, all while moving her hands as she spoke.

"I already knew that." I say, frowning. Another dead end.

"I wasn't finished. We'll get in the same way we got out."

"That won't work."

"Why not?"

"I may or may not have already tried that."

"What?" She said loudly. "When was this?"

"The day before you gave me this job."

She glared at me.

I continued, "You were at work and I was bored and I really needed - need to get back and fix this. So I grabbed some food and left. I made my way back to the spot where me and Clark exited the forest. I ran through most of it. By the time I'd travelled down most of the trail, I saw the guards at the place where me and Clark had enter the forest. And they had guns. So I came back."

"Was this why you left and came home late?"

I gave a small nod.

"So you lied to me and then endangered your life again, even after I warned you not to?"

"Sorry."

"Venetia, do you even know how dangerous that was? How that could've ended much worse?"

"Yeah."

"We are going to talk more about this later, but that is not what I came here to talk about." She sighed. "There's another way. We hijack your parent's royal car."

"Okay. How?"

"Anita?"Anita, a woman with perfectly straight brown hair and bright red lips stepped out from behind a rack holding multicolored skirts. "This is my sister. Anita." Karina told me, gesturing to the woman.

"Hi." I said to her.

"Who is she?" Anita said rudely.

"First, I need you to promise that you will help us with something." Replied Karina

"Fine. What is it?"

"You need to get her into the Queen's car." She said pointed a thumb at me.

"When I said I was going to do you a favor, I meant something mostly legal. I don't know if you noticed, but this, is completely illegal. Why do you even need to this to happen?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"Fine. But you do know that I don't work there, or anywhere for that matter."

"Which is why I'm getting you a job there. All you have to do is keep it for a month."

Anita raised her eyebrows, looking at me a second time as I gave her a small smile. "Oh. Okay."

"How are you going to get me into the car?" I asked.

"I never said I would help you." She replied.

"Anita!" Karina scolded her sister.

"What?" She sighed. "Fine, I'll help. I'll get you in tomorrow. I have to drive her to a brunch or something."

I nodded.

"I'll pick you up at 8." She called out to me as she walked away.

"Wait!" Karina called to her. "What's the plan..." Her voice faded away as the door closed with a soft click behind her.

• • •

I sat in the back of Anita's car, a bronze colored Volkswagen. She sang along to the radio as we drove down the road, the tall city buildings flashing by as the distance between us the the castle shrank.

"What's the plan?" I asked her.

She turned down her loud music to answer me before restoring the music to it's original volume. "I'll sneak you in and we'll switch cars when we get there."

When we pulled up on the outskirts of the property on which the castle stood, Anita threw a plaid blanket at me.

"Hide under this." She told me.

Kneeling on the floor of the car, I did as she said and peeked out from under it to see her hand a guard her ID badge. I covered my face again so I couldn't see anything but the blanket as the car liger a few moments longer. The car started moving forward again and I let out a breath of relief.

We drove for a few more minutes until Anita parked the car and we both got out. Anita led the way towards a limo. I got in the back and she in the front. She drove the limo to the front of the palace where she then got out to hold the door open for Mum.

She didn't notice me at first, partly because she was on her phone.

"Hi, Mum." I said and she tore her gaze away from her phone.

"How did you get in here?" She said sternly. "And... your hair..."

"I know. But it was that or being arrested. But, Mum, I'm back. And I need your help."

"Venetia? No. My daughter, she's back home. In the castle. You're..."

"Mum. You've got the wrong one." I took off the silver bracelet on my wrist and gave it to her. "You gave me this bracelet when I was 15. Remember, you were so happy to see me all dressed up like a queen and dancing around at my party."

She held the bracelet, softly running her fingers over the jewels, nodding as I talked.

"If you are Venetia, then how as she been able to fool me, all of us?"

"I don't know."

"Ms. Abelli, please turn the car around, I wish to return to the palace." She said to Anita.

"Then you both shall partake in a test." She said, resuming her conversation with me.