Fingers barely touched the keys as they slid gracefully back and forth across the keyboard. The owner of those fingers, a girl a mere months shy of fifteen, sat cross-legged in the plush chair, her sparkly purple computer open on her lap. Several windows on the screen competed for her attention, but it was the sudden appearance of a familiar vehicle on a video feed that briefly won out.

Smiling to herself, Addy opened a new window to check her Facebook. A dozen notifications popped up – mainly friends who had reacted to her most recent status update or had tagged her on another post.

Less than a minute later, she heard the front door open and close as heels gently tapped against the floor.

"Hi, Mom," she called out, her eyes still glued to the computer screen.

A brief silence ensued before the clicking heels doubled in speed. In moments, Addy spotted a figure in her peripheral vision. She turned from her screen to give her mother her full attention, at least for the moment.

"Addy?" the woman sputtered. It was rare for anything to catch Madeline Pratt by surprise, and Addy found the expression on her mom's face just then decidedly delicious. "What… how… what are you doing here?!"

"I missed you too," Addy smirked, choosing that moment to casually return to the technology before her.

Within seconds, the laptop was plucked from her lap. Instead of being frustrated, though, Addy glanced up at her mother in amusement.

"You are supposed to be at school… in Brighton," Madeline said, trying to be stern with one hand on her hip as the other held the laptop tucked under her arm, but still feeling a bit flustered. Being stern had never been her forte. "How on earth did you travel nearly 4,000 miles alone?"

"There's this fabulous invention called an airplane," quipped Addy.

"Adelaide Pratt."

Addy rolled her eyes lightly. The rebuke didn't hold nearly the punch she knew her mother wished it did. "I don't like Brighton. The other kids are entirely too uppity for my liking. I want to go to school here in the states."

"I can't believe they just let you leave…" Madeline huffed. She knew her daughter was a handful, but she paid a great deal of money to ensure that Addy attended a school that could handle her. "They assured me that their security was the best in the U.K. I promise you, once I'm through with the headmaster…"

She cut her mom off before the tirade could continue. "As far as they know, you wanted me to come home for a while." At Madeline's raised eyebrow, Addy shrugged. "I've been able to sign your name since I was eight. Anyway, as usual a driver came to collect me, so who were they to question it?"

Madeline tiredly massaged her forehead with her hand. "And the plane ticket?"

"A donation from a friend, one of a handful of other kids there who weren't complete twits."

She might not be the stern parent, but Madeline wasn't a fool. Holding out her free hand, she gave her daughter an expectant look. "Hand it over."

Reaching into the bag beside her, Addy pulled out a passport, placing it in Madeline's hand. She watched as Madeline scanned the small book. "Amelia Renaldo? Really?"

"No one batted an eye," Addy replied with a shrug. It had been a bit of a surprise, to be honest. She'd been sure that someone would recognize the name – or partial name, anyway. "I suspected Thermopolis might attract attention, so I went for the original. It's not my fault none of them have heard of the Princess Diaries books."

Madeline snapped the passport shut and attempted a stern look. "Consider yourself grounded. Your laptop is mine until further notice."

At that proclamation, Addy fought the urge to roll her eyes again. It was almost cute that her mother was trying to discipline her, but the last time she'd been "grounded" it had lasted all of thirty-eight hours before Madeline had relented. Addy knew it was far easier for her mom to give into her than to hold her accountable. She wondered how long Madeline would last this time before caving.

"Okay, Mom. I understand. I'll just head up to my room then."

Bouncing to her feet and slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Addy reached over to give Madeline a hug before all but skipping up to her room. Being grounded was just short of a death sentence for some teens, but it was hardly a hiccup as far as Addy was concerned. Entering her room for the first time in months, she locked the door behind her before walking over to her bookshelf. She pressed a hidden button and watched as the bookshelf slowly swung out to reveal a large wall safe – a present one of her friends here at home had installed the last time Madeline had gone to an event for the evening while Addy had been home.

Pressing her hand against the touch screen, Addy keyed in her four-digit code and watched in satisfaction as the safe door opened. She wasted little time in removing another laptop, this one gray, along with the power cord. Setting these items on her backpack, Addy pulled several more passports from her backpack and placed them gently inside the safe. She wasn't sure whether her mother suspected she might have other fakes, but she hadn't asked for them, so Addy wasn't about to volunteer that information.

Another push of the button and the bookcase slowly returned to its original position. Satisfied, Addy grabbed her laptop and plugged it in behind her desk, slipping the electronic device into a hidden crevice where Madeline was unlikely to spot it. Even if she wouldn't be grounded for long, Addy didn't want to be completely without access to her friends. Also, now that she'd made it home, she had to figure out how to convince her mother to let her attend a school closer to home.

She knew there had to be private schools in New York that could meet Madeline's seal of approval, but working out an escape plan on another continent hadn't left much time for other research. Addy supposed it would be a step up even if her mom sent her to a boarding school elsewhere in the U.S., but honestly she didn't see why she needed to be at a boarding school at all. Sure, her mother was a prominent member of the New York elite, and Addy had discovered Madeline's less-than-legal side business several years prior, but it wasn't as if she needed to be hidden away like some royal heir. Whenever home, Addy had a bodyguard, though Madeline had yet to find one who could last longer than a month (something Addy took great pride in, thank you very much). Considering the fact that she wasn't that important, Addy couldn't figure out why her mom went to so much trouble.

Addy unlocked her door and grabbed a book from the bookcase before stretching out on her bed. Though the book was one of her favorites, she barely registered the words on the page as her mind began working out a plan to stay.

"Your new bodyguard will be here in an hour."

Addy rolled her eyes, hands cradling a cup of earl grey as she glanced across the kitchen at Madeline. "I don't know why you bother. I'm not some high-value princess or celebrity who needs protection from the wackos."

"You know that when you aren't safely away at school you have a bodyguard," Madeline said, spreading jam on a piece of toast. "It isn't negotiable."

It was one of the few things Madeline wouldn't budge on, despite Addy's best attempts. She could never understand why her mother, who couldn't maintain a parental air most of the time, would keep up this ridiculous insistence. "He won't last long," Addy reminded her. "They never do."

Madeline managed a semi-stern glare that surprised Addy, though the teen managed not to let it show. "You will not run this one off like you have the others."

"You're being ridiculous, Mom."

"His name is Harrison, and he'll accompany you whenever you leave the house. He'll also be here tomorrow night while I'm at a charity gala."

Addy perked at once, her interest piqued at the revelation. "You're going to a gala tomorrow night? I want to go."

Her mother chuckled softly. "You're grounded."

"It's not like it's a party with kids my age. I'll probably be the only person under twenty-one at this thing."

Madeline raised an eyebrow. "That's another excellent reason for you to stay home. You're making my argument for me, Addy."

"I'm nearly fifteen," she reminded her mom. "It isn't as if no one knows that I exist, and if you keep me hidden away while I'm home people might start to talk. Besides, I'm sure you're allowed a plus one, and it isn't as if you have a date for this thing."

"What makes you think I don't… you know what? I don't want to know. The answer is no."

'No' might mean the end of the conversation for other kids, but for Addy it was a challenge. She wracked her brain for any sort of leverage that might help her achieve her goal. After another irritated thought of which burly oaf her mom might have hired to 'protect' her this time, the solution hit her like a lightning bolt. "I'll make you a deal," she said, staring seriously at her mother.

Another raised eyebrow, but Madeline nonetheless gave Addy her undivided attention. "What deal would that be?"

"I attend this gala with you tomorrow night, and in return I'll cooperate with Harrison for the next week."

Madeline's look of disbelief was all Addy needed to know she'd won. "You'll cooperate," Madeline repeated slowly. "You mean you'll follow his directions and stop with the escape artist attempts?"

'Attempts' was misleading, Addy thought, as she was nearly always successful, but she didn't think it would help her case to point that out. "Yes," she agreed.

Madeline was silent for several long moments. "A month," she countered. "You'll cooperate with Harrison for the next month."

A month was much longer than Addy wanted to tolerate someone following her around, but she really wanted to go to the gala. She was sure she'd be the youngest person there, but people-watching (people-analyzing, really) was one of her favorite hobbies. Besides being an excuse to get out of the house, the gala would also be an excuse for a new dress, new shoes, and a spa day. Her girly-girl side couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Addy supposed she could wait a month before running Harrison off as she had all his predecessors. She gave her mom a small nod of agreement. "Deal."