Hello readers! Here's the second chapter of Blast to the Past. Last chapter, I didn't get quite the reaction I wanted for this story, but I'm going to continue anyway. For those of you who did review, I thank you. Unless you're an author yourself, you don't know how much one review saying as much as a simple 'Update soon!' can mean to a person.

Ch. 2:

Max POV

"Itex?" I balked. Where the hell was Itex? As far as I was concerned, from taking World History in freshman year, there was no Itex.

"Why, yes." The girl laughed. "Where are you from?" She asked politely, but didn't give me the time to answer. "Obviously not from around here. My, your clothes are strange! And not hearing of Itex? We're the most dominant kingdom that I myself have ever heard of. We've won all the wars we've ever been in. Or have we? I should really pay better attention when papa is giving his lectures and-" She broke off and gave me an understanding gaze. "All the ladies in the court say I talk too much." She blushed. "I take it you agree?"

I nodded.

"Well, let's start simple. I'm Monique, but you can call me Nudge. Almost everyone does! And you?" She extended a hand to me.

"I… um…" I shook myself out of my daze. I was talking to a part of history! "I'm Maximum. I go back Max, though." I added quickly.

"Where are you from?" She asked curiously, eyeing me up and down.

"I'm from Boston." I replied immediately, not thinking it through. She frowned at me. "It's, um, the capital city of the faraway kingdom Massachusetts…onia."

"Massachusettsonia?" Nudge furrowed her brow. "I've never heard of it."

"It's because it's so far away." I said quickly, "And it's very small. Not many know about it." I smiled nervously.

"Well, what brought you here?" Nudge asked, adding on to her question pile. I wanted to scowl and tell her to mind her own business, but she was too nice. Not to mention if I saw a random girl dressed in clothes from another era from a place called 'Massachusettsonia', I'd probably be asking questions too.

"Just… exploring. Seeing the world outside my small town."

"Well, where's your husband?" This one caused a violent cough to rack through my body.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you certainly couldn't travel outside your kingdom without a male escort, could you?" Nudge smiled confusedly.

"Of course I could! We have a thing called woman's rights in the United- in Massachusettsonia! I don't even have a husband!" My voice escalated.

"Oh, I'm sorry. We don't have that here." Nudge looked down. "I didn't know."

"It's fine." I sighed, and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I probably should have brought someone with me. I'm not even sure how to get back home now."

Nudge brightened her look. "I'm sure I can help! Come back with me to my place. There are tons of extra rooms, trust me. Maybe papa can help you find your way home." She looked at me hopefully. "But… you'll need to borrow some of my clothes. Women aren't allowed to wear trousers in the kingdom." I bit my lip to keep myself from defending my right to wear jeans.

My brain deftly sorted through my options. It seemed clear that I only had two. I could say no, and wander around this different century in this different place, all alone. Or I could go with Nudge, who believed her father could help, and had ways (or dresses…) to help me blend into this era.

I smiled the best I could at that moment, and I'm sure it came out more of a grimace, as Sam said it did when I was upset. "That would be great."

"We're here!" Nudge sing-songed. I can tell already that I visibly paled at our location. Nudge and I were standing in front of a large… castle? Palace? Whatever you wanted to call it, it was big, beautiful, and a place I desperately wanted to avoid.

"I thought you said you were taking me to your house!" I choked out.

"I am. This is where I live." She laughed. "My papa is the king, and my mama is the queen. I must have forgotten to tell you." She chuckled. After all those questions and all that blabbering, she forgot to tell me that she was a freaking princess?!

We walked up to the gates, and I'm not ashamed to say I somewhat hid behind Nudge as we approached the guards.

"Princess," One of them tipped his hat. "This is…" He gestured to me.

"A guest." Nudge announced, sounding suddenly regal. "Tell mama and papa that she'll be staying in the palace. She isn't from around here and this is where she will remain for the duration of her stay in Itex."

"Come on!" She pulled on my arm once we were past the gate. "Good lord, I hate talking like that! Papa says I need to talk like that to show authority, but it's so annoying! I mean, it's not like I'm ever going to become queen, so why do I have to learn all about the kingdom and act like I have any authority at all!" She ranted.

"Wait, you're not going to become the queen?" I questioned.

"Nope." She shook her head. "When my older brother weds, his wife will be queen. Not that he'll ever wed." She rolled her eyes. "He thinks of himself as some sort of magnet to women of all kinds! He also thinks no one is good enough for him. But even if I had no brother, I could never be queen. My papa found me on a hillside when I was no older than two years, but the people of Itex won't accept anything but a true bloodline royal heir."

"Oh." I said, dumbfounded. There was nothing for me to add.

I felt myself being pulled left and right, and then left again through the halls of this large place. It seemed at every turn, there was something more elegant than I had seen at the last second. A chandelier, then a beautiful still life, followed by an elegant staircase I was pulled up by a surprisingly strong princess.

Finally, I was pulled inside a large room with a large pink bed, a glass chandelier, and a plush, white chair. There was a wooden bookcase to the side of the room, intricately carved with different patterns. The most prominent feature in the room, though, was the large mirror covering an entire wall. I dropped my backpack on the ground and let it rest there.

Nudge rushed over to the mirror while telling me, "This is my room, and this," She grabbed a handle on the mirror and pulled it open with a grunt, "is my closet." A huge walk-in closet was revealed with more dresses and shoes in it than I could count. If my jaw was ever closed from the minute I stepped in that room, it was definitely open now.

Nudge let out a large laugh before getting to work. "Here," She thrust a dress at me. "This is the one I was looking for. It will look great on you!" She squealed. I gave the dress a once over. It was blue, ruffled, and it had a corset.

"No." I said flatly.

Nudge looked astonished. "Excuse me?"

"I am not putting on a corset!"

"My roof, my rules." Nudge huffed, stealing one of my dad's favorite catch phrases. "I'll help you put it on if you want."

Once Nudge had done up the strings on my poofy death trap, three things were clear. My ribs would be broken my tonight, I had no circulation, and I couldn't breathe. Nudge, oblivious to my pain, looked up to the simple, but elegant clock that adorned one of her walls.

"Oh, my!" She exclaimed. "I have lessons right now, and I'm going to be late. Max, feel free to wander around. It's quite boring here most of the time, though." With those parting words, she rushed out the door.

Almost a thousand times I told myself to stay put, not to leave the room. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the best of me. I was in a palace in the past, when would this ever happen again?

I attempted to go back through the rooms Nudge had dragged me through, really looking this time. I studied the art work, looked at the busy maids running around, and watched people conversing. In this dress, I really did seem to fit in, painful as it was. If those jeans had stayed on and Nudge wasn't around, I got the eerie feeling I would've ended up in some sort of jail cell.

Left, right, left, or was that right? I tried to recount my steps as I attempted to make my way back to Nudge's room after some time of observing. Obviously, directions weren't my strong suit. Rushing back and forth, I tried to find a landmark I remembered. A memorable statue, maybe? No luck.

After what seemed like an hour of wandering hopelessly, my ribs were aching and my breathing was getting labored. I grabbed a near doorknob and yanked the door open. Luckily, there was no one inside.

The walls were a bland off-white, and the furniture all gray and black. It seemed like the perfect guest room, seeing as there were no personal belongings strewn anywhere and there was no personality in the decor. With a contented sigh, I let myself sit down on the bed and take a rest.

Just as I was about to get up and resume my search for Nudge's room, I heard the door creek open, followed by a voice.

"What are you doing in my room?"

Review and follow! It means the world to me.

Sorry if this came out weird. :P I was getting pretty sidetracked while writing because Shakira blasting through my earbuds. I can't resist singing along to Hips Don't Lie. :D

I'll try to update ASAP.

~Cake.