Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, that's not true. I own a pointy stick, a VERY pointy stick, I might add, for people who don't review…
I glanced at the old wooden clock. Any minute now, the kids from another royal family would be in here. Oh you don't know do you? Well, I'll just fill you in then. War has broken out in a neighboring country, and Queen Ride has decided that it is not safe for her kids to stay there. So in a moment of utter stupidity my father decided that they could stay with us. The idiot. Anyway, this is not the first time I've met the rides and honestly? I don't like them very much. Especially the older girl Max, when we were younger my parents tried to get me to fall in love with her. As if, she wasn't even my type! The stupid blonde headed bimbo. She was ugly too. Her hair was too stringy and her eyes reminded me of dirt. So now they would be living with me, for who knows how long. I sighed and glanced around. My father was whispering to my mother about something and my grandmother was leaning back in her throne muttering to herself impatiently. That was one perk of being an only child though, you got your own throne. I guess the rides had their own too, but I really couldn't care less.
Just then my father's most valued advisor Jeb B walked into the room.
"Your highness, the children have arrived. They come in one by one then they will be released to their quarters. Youngest first oldest last."
Father nodded, "Send them in."
Jeb nodded and sent some kind of signal to the guard at the door and in walked a young girl about the age of six. She was wearing a pale blue gown, and small ballet flats. A necklace with her name, hung around her neck and her tiara was silver with sky blue gems. Her golden curls fell around her shoulders and her eyes were a bright blue. She walked in and curtsied to each of us individually even me, though when our eyes met for the briefest of seconds I could see plain dislike in them. I sighed, good they hated me too, nothing will be awkward.
"My name is Angel Ride I am six years old. Thank you for letting us stay with you it was very kind." She said, her voice thick and sweet. She stood in the far corner of the room.
Next came another blond kid, he looked pretty much like the girl. Same kind of dress code except he was a boy. He bowed to each of us. Introduced himself as Gazzy Ride, blah blah blah Eight years old and so on. He went to go stand by his sister in the far corner. Next was Iggy, he introduced himself, same age as me, bowed to each of us. Went to go stand in the corner.
Finally a blonde girl walked in. Her thick beautiful hair was braided neatly over her shoulder and she wore a blood red gown that fit her perfectly. It was long and velvet, with embroidery on the bodice. And it had puffy straps that fell off of the sides of her shoulder. Her tiara was Black with rubies in it and her eyes were a soft mud brown. She had a necklace that said her name as well. Max. No way. There must be some kind of mistake, this is not Max ride. Max was an annoying, ugly, dimwitted girl. This was… well, the exact opposite of that.
She cleared her throat not bothering to curtsy or bow to us as her sibling had. "My name is Max Ride. Thank you for your kindness at letting my family stay here, but to be honest I really don't want it." Her voice was strong and confident. "Your generosity is greatly appreciated though and I thank you for extending a helping hand to my family."
My grand mother spoke up then, "Well? Aren't you going to curtsy to us?"
Max narrowed her eyes and looked directly at my grandmother. "I curtsy to show respect, I show respect to people I trust, sadly you have not gained my trust yet I don't expect you to either, it's a very hard thing to gain from me."
Grandmother narrowed her eyes, "Jeb trusts us. You've known him you're entire life, do you not trust his judgment?"
Max sighed, "The last time I trusted someone Jeb trusted, I ended up with my mouth duct taped shut and my hands bound by rope. I do not intend to make that mistake twice."
I heard Iggy snickering in the corner and I glanced at him. Gazzy noticed me watching and glared, since Iggy was blind.
I quickly focused my attention on Max. She was way prettier than before. Meaning, that before, she was the ugliest thing I have every seen, now she was wow. She took my breath away.
"And to make sure that will never happen again I just want to let you know that if any one of your guards lay a hand on my family I will…" I imagined her ending being something like tell my mother or file a report or something along the lines of tattling.
"….Beat them up until they are curled on the floor in a fetal position crying for their mothers."
My grandmother raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.
Finally Jeb thought it was time to intervene. "Please excuse Max she's not very…" He struggled for the right word to describe her.
"Ladylike?" My Grandmother suggested glaring icily at max with a glare that would have made even me flinch. But Max was oblivious.
"Well at least I'm not hag like." Max shot back.
My Grand mother gasped. "Did you hear that? She had the nerve to call me a hag! Send her to the dungeon at once!" My mother rolled her eyes.
"Mother please calm down." She said.
"I will not! Get that wretch out of my sight!" She said, seething.
"I may be a wretch but at least I'm a smart wretch." Max said snidely. "Oh and if you want me out of your sight, close your eyes."
"Maximum!" Jeb said sternly, "That is enough."
She turned on him, "Do nottell me what to do Jeb. I don't listen to you, or anybody for that matter." She turned back to my family, "I'm sorry if I'm a nuisance but I can't help it. Rules were never good for me, I don't follow them and I never will. Nothing I can do about it."
My mother had cooled my grandmother down and was looking at max with something that looked vaguely like an impressed look in her eyes.
Max turned around to leave when my grandmother spoke again, "Where are you going? Were you dismissed?"
Max turned back around and looked Grandmother in the eye, "Another thing you'll learn about me-- I dismiss myself."
She turned and walked out the room.
My Father looked at the other kids, "You are dismissed." They nodded and followed their older sister out.
"I like her. She would make a very good leader." My mother said, obviously speaking of Max. "Her country will be proud to call her queen when she gets older."
"I agree. She has certain qualities a good leader will need, and is not all about her hair and makeup like the rest of the dimwitted princesses." My Father said.
"Well, I don't like her." My grandmother snapped.
"I don't either." I added. I mean sure, now she was pretty but she still hated me. I'd do her a favor and her hate back.
My mother sighed, "Well the two of you will just have to deal with it, Fang, I want you to go upstairs and tell them what time to be down fro breakfast in the morning."
I groaned but got up and left the room.
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I stood outside Max's room door. From here I could hear the four of them laughing and joking around.
I hesitantly knocked on the door. It was opened by the little blonde boy. His eyes widened when he saw me.
"Whoever it is tell them to get a life." I heard Max call from the other side of the huge room.
"I can't Max It's the prince." I heard the boy mutter to her, all the while not taking his eye off of me.
I heard Max snort, "Well then tell him to royally get a life." She called again.
"Hey Gazzy, can I talk to your sister?" I said ignoring her comment.
"Max he wants to talk to you." The blonde boy said. Max walked into view. She had changed from her red gown into a silk black thigh length night dress with spaghetti straps. Her hair was still braided and her tiara was placed lopsided on her head. She looked good. I could visibly see her perfect legs…
"Yes?" She asked, fake sweetness leaking into her voice.
"Hey, Folks said breakfast at nine archery at eleven and free time to finish unpacking tomorrow for you guys." I said.
She turned to her family, "You guys heard the plan for tomorrow right?"
"Yeah, so for us that means, Breakfast at ten archery at twelve? And spending our unpacking time down at the beach?" Iggy said.
"Bingo." Max said grinning.
The little one called Angel giggled.
Max looked at me, "Is that all?" she asked.
"No, We're having you're welcoming ball tomorrow so be ready." I told her.
She groaned.
"Aw Max c'mon it'll be fun." Angel said bouncing up and down on Max's bed.
"Ange, a formal dance, with people in dresses, and snotty self-centered royalty is not my idea of fun. I'm more of a beat- the- crap- out- of- Iggy- for- fun, kind of girl." Max said.
Iggy laughed, but then he stopped and looked in her direction worriedly, "You wouldn't do that, would you?" He asked, only half joking.
Max shrugged but then told him "No."
"Can I leave now?" I asked. Max narrowed her eyes.
"Please do." She said before closing the door in my face.
"Remind me why he hates us?" I heard Angel ask, probably thinking I left. I put my ear to the door.
"Could have something to do with the fact that the last time we were here I pushed him out of a tree." I heard Max answer. Angel gasped,
"Max!"
"Hey, in my defense he pushed me into the pond out front knowing full well I didn't know how to swim yet."
"Sounds like fun." Gazzy snickered. I could practically see Max rolling her eyes.
"Hold on." Max said. Silence fell in the room. There was something whispered that I couldn't really make out.
"But he is sooo cute." I heard Max gush. "Did you see him just now? Standing there all macho and strong…" I heard Max sigh. "And his dark hair. It looks so soft. And his eyes! Oh my god, they are like so dark and full of mystery. Don't you think Ange?"
"Totally." I heard Angel reassure Max.
"But there is one thing that I just loveabout him." Max said almost dreamily. I subconsciously noticed that Gazzy and Iggy weren't saying anything which was totally out of character but whatever, hearing Max drool all over me is way better then worrying about where those two losers are.
"What's that?" Angel ask.
"How naïve he is." Max said, matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean?" Angel asked.
"I love the fact that he thinks… we're stupid enough not to know he's listening!" I heard Max say, before the door was angrily flung open. I feasted eyes on a very angry looking Princess Max ride.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She snapped.
"Eaves dropping." I answered smirking. I knew she would hate my cocky attitude. "Oh and just so you know, you're cute too." I said before I could stop myself. Oh, god, Where did that come from?
I played it off though, with a cocky grin before walking down the hall. Leaving her with her temper flaring.
Once a sufficient distance away from the angry Max I cracked up laughing. Then a new thought hit me. A scary, terrifying horrible thought. A thought that would send King Kong running home to his mommy.
Was I falling for the girl I hated? Was, I, Fang Alton, actually and seriously falling for Maximum Ride?
A/N Hahahahaha evil cliffy.