Bad news people. I keep ALL of my writing work on disks, not hard drive. And the other day I just happened to leave these precious disks in my jumper pocket, and then put my jumper in the washing machine. I have lost a lot of stuff. Some of it I have recovered, but a lot of it is GONE. Including the last part of this story. So I have to re-write a lot of stuff.
And as for the rumors that I am not finishing my sequel, they are half true. I stopped working on it. It is a MONSTER of a story (and by 'monster' I mean 40 chapters) and I just wasn't feeling the love for it. So I started working on something else (something I lost in the washing machine, btw). I might finish it eventually, but I'm sure you guys wouldn't be motivated to finish a fifty thousand word story if you didn't feel the love for it. And especially now that I have a lot of stuff to redo, it'll slow me down.
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.
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Suze's POV...
It's after school on Thurday. The princess should be home from school now.
I picked up the phone and dialled the number Lilly had given me earlier. I already have a speech written out in my head.
"Hello?" a deep make voice answered.
"Yes, hello. May I please speak with Mia Thermopolis?" I asked in my most adult voice.
"One second."
A minute later Mia came to the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, Mia!" Did I ever mention I can put on a decent British accent at the drop of a hat? I am fully imploring this right now. "Katie Trent here. I'm a reporter for a brand new magazine called 'Greenie'. We're all about animals and the environment, and I've heard a little about your efforts to help the planet and we'd like to use you as our main feature artical for our first issue!"
"Oh, um, I don't usually like to do interviews..."
"Well this would encourage people to follow in your footsteps and donate to worthy causes. You're quite an influential person, you know, darling."
Who was it that said flattery would get you everywhere? They were right.
"Oh, well, I guess if it's for a good cause."
"Absolutely! So when can I arrange an interview?"
Ten minutes later I hung up the phone, having secured a time after school tomorrow.
I snapped my fingers. "Piece of cake."
And do I feel bad about lying to royalty? Hell no! I've lied to important people before, why should this be any different?
I have a job to do and I'm not going to let a small fact like royalty get in the way. Not while my vacation time is dwindling away.
Royal my ass!
Mia's POV...
Michael is not happy with me. He just climbed in the limo and I told him, along with Lars, about my interview for that magazine after school today. After my princess lesson of course.
"You did what?" exlaimed Michael, while Lars just chuckled and shook his head.
"I arranged an interview," I said sheepishly.
"Why? Why would you do that? You know this girl is out there, for all you know, it could be her! And you hate doing interviews, you're always complaining about them, since when do you initiate them?"
"Well this one is different. It's an environmentalist magazine. If I do this, I'll be promoting causes for people to get behind. And it's not Sue or whatever her name was, it's definitely not her."
"How do you know she's not just disguising her voice?" Michael pushed.
"Well... I don't. But I didn't get any stalkery vibes off her on the phone. And plus, she sounded British."
"Anyone can put on a British accent!" Michael cried, then he proceeded to display one for me.
If the situation hadn't been so serious, I would have laughed so hard; the way Michael was over-pronouncing the word 'darling' and 'sweetie' every second. It was just like an episode of Ab Fab, which I'm sure is where he got it from, because they don't always sound like that.
Eventually Lars held up his hand to silence him, and I could see it was taking everything Lars had to not laugh out loud himself. "If the princess insists on doing this interview, then we will just have to go with her."
"Fine," Michael said reluctantly, switching off the British accent. "But I still think it's risky."
Suze's POV...
I stood in front of the mirror and stared at the person before me. She definitely did not look like the Suze Simon who usually stares back at me.
I'd borrowed one of Gina's mom's pant suits; plastered my real hair to my scalp and covered it with a bright, copper coloured wig; I'd also caked on pretty much all the make up I'd brought with me. And some of Gina's. But I think I've pulled off the older woman, journalist look I was aiming for. I don't think anyone will recognise me as me.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a glow appear. Turning to face it I saw it was Jesse.
"Susannah?" he asked, as though he could see that I could see him, but he was still unsure it was really me.
"Yes. Were you expecting someone else?"
He let out a chuckle, "Well, no. But you look... different."
Different. Not exactly the compliment I'd have preferred but different didn't exactly mean bad, right?
"What exactly are you doing, querida?" he continued, eyeing me strangely.
"I'm going undercover. What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Oh. Do you need any help?"
"No. I think I have it all under control," I told him, stepping into a pair of Gina's mom's high heels, which are slightly higher than all the ones I would generally wear, but I have to look taller.
"Well, if you're sure..." Jesse looked a little disappointed and left out. He usually has a hand in all my ghost busting adventures.
"Well, actually," I stepped towards him, about to tell him he could tag along and stand guard for any bodyguards who look like they want to bring me down, when I tripped over a loose bit of carpet and fell forwards.
Jesse reached out and grabbed me by the upper arms, steadying me so I was standing upright, right against his chest.
I looked up at him, "Thanks."
"No problem, querida," he replied, his eyes boring into mine.
I wanted so badly to reach up and kiss him. But after the way he reacted after the last time we kissed, I held back.
After a minute, which felt like a lifetime, I stood back, not breaking the eye contact. But he surprised me by pulling be back into him and kissing me.
I really wasn't expecting it, after the last kiss he barely spoke to me for weeks. But that's not to say I didn't welcome his advances, kissing him back.
It would have looked weird if the person who interrupted us wasn't able to see Jesse, so I suppose I should be grateful that they could. Even though an interruption at that point was not something I was grateful for at all.
"Is this the way you treat all your clients?" A voice behind me asked condesendingly.
I groaned and pulled back, turning around to face Lilly.
"What do you want?" I asked her bitterly.
"You have a job to do, you should really get going. And you should really fix yourself up. That little smooch messed up your hair and makeup."
I turned back to Jesse, but he had gone. Great, he's probably gone for good.
"Good one," I told Lilly. "What happened to the rattling chains idea?"
I faced the mirror and started re-doing my hair and make-up. She was right, Jesse had really mucked it up.
"Who was he anyway?" she asked.
"Just a friend," I replied, while secretly wondering what Jesse really was. More than a friend?
"You treat all your guy friends like that?"
"It was just a goodbye kiss," I insisted.
"Whatever. But come on now, we really have to get going."
After that kiss, the last thing I wanted to do was interview a prissy princess and tell her to stop dancing around this guy and just tell him how she feels.
Because who am I to talk? It's not as if I can get my own love life in order or anything.
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I hope I didn't offend anyone with Michael's Ab Fab impersonation, I know you Brits don't really talk like that. And I know if anyone put an Aussie in a story we'd all be talking like Steve Irwin, or like Sarah O'Hare in Head Over Heels. That was the worst 'Australian' character ever. Shame on her. It was even worse than Crocodile Dundee. He rocks.
And as for the rumors that I am not finishing my sequel, they are half true. I stopped working on it. It is a MONSTER of a story (and by 'monster' I mean 40 chapters) and I just wasn't feeling the love for it. So I started working on something else (something I lost in the washing machine, btw). I might finish it eventually, but I'm sure you guys wouldn't be motivated to finish a fifty thousand word story if you didn't feel the love for it. And especially now that I have a lot of stuff to redo, it'll slow me down.
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suze's POV...
It's after school on Thurday. The princess should be home from school now.
I picked up the phone and dialled the number Lilly had given me earlier. I already have a speech written out in my head.
"Hello?" a deep make voice answered.
"Yes, hello. May I please speak with Mia Thermopolis?" I asked in my most adult voice.
"One second."
A minute later Mia came to the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, Mia!" Did I ever mention I can put on a decent British accent at the drop of a hat? I am fully imploring this right now. "Katie Trent here. I'm a reporter for a brand new magazine called 'Greenie'. We're all about animals and the environment, and I've heard a little about your efforts to help the planet and we'd like to use you as our main feature artical for our first issue!"
"Oh, um, I don't usually like to do interviews..."
"Well this would encourage people to follow in your footsteps and donate to worthy causes. You're quite an influential person, you know, darling."
Who was it that said flattery would get you everywhere? They were right.
"Oh, well, I guess if it's for a good cause."
"Absolutely! So when can I arrange an interview?"
Ten minutes later I hung up the phone, having secured a time after school tomorrow.
I snapped my fingers. "Piece of cake."
And do I feel bad about lying to royalty? Hell no! I've lied to important people before, why should this be any different?
I have a job to do and I'm not going to let a small fact like royalty get in the way. Not while my vacation time is dwindling away.
Royal my ass!
Mia's POV...
Michael is not happy with me. He just climbed in the limo and I told him, along with Lars, about my interview for that magazine after school today. After my princess lesson of course.
"You did what?" exlaimed Michael, while Lars just chuckled and shook his head.
"I arranged an interview," I said sheepishly.
"Why? Why would you do that? You know this girl is out there, for all you know, it could be her! And you hate doing interviews, you're always complaining about them, since when do you initiate them?"
"Well this one is different. It's an environmentalist magazine. If I do this, I'll be promoting causes for people to get behind. And it's not Sue or whatever her name was, it's definitely not her."
"How do you know she's not just disguising her voice?" Michael pushed.
"Well... I don't. But I didn't get any stalkery vibes off her on the phone. And plus, she sounded British."
"Anyone can put on a British accent!" Michael cried, then he proceeded to display one for me.
If the situation hadn't been so serious, I would have laughed so hard; the way Michael was over-pronouncing the word 'darling' and 'sweetie' every second. It was just like an episode of Ab Fab, which I'm sure is where he got it from, because they don't always sound like that.
Eventually Lars held up his hand to silence him, and I could see it was taking everything Lars had to not laugh out loud himself. "If the princess insists on doing this interview, then we will just have to go with her."
"Fine," Michael said reluctantly, switching off the British accent. "But I still think it's risky."
Suze's POV...
I stood in front of the mirror and stared at the person before me. She definitely did not look like the Suze Simon who usually stares back at me.
I'd borrowed one of Gina's mom's pant suits; plastered my real hair to my scalp and covered it with a bright, copper coloured wig; I'd also caked on pretty much all the make up I'd brought with me. And some of Gina's. But I think I've pulled off the older woman, journalist look I was aiming for. I don't think anyone will recognise me as me.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a glow appear. Turning to face it I saw it was Jesse.
"Susannah?" he asked, as though he could see that I could see him, but he was still unsure it was really me.
"Yes. Were you expecting someone else?"
He let out a chuckle, "Well, no. But you look... different."
Different. Not exactly the compliment I'd have preferred but different didn't exactly mean bad, right?
"What exactly are you doing, querida?" he continued, eyeing me strangely.
"I'm going undercover. What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Oh. Do you need any help?"
"No. I think I have it all under control," I told him, stepping into a pair of Gina's mom's high heels, which are slightly higher than all the ones I would generally wear, but I have to look taller.
"Well, if you're sure..." Jesse looked a little disappointed and left out. He usually has a hand in all my ghost busting adventures.
"Well, actually," I stepped towards him, about to tell him he could tag along and stand guard for any bodyguards who look like they want to bring me down, when I tripped over a loose bit of carpet and fell forwards.
Jesse reached out and grabbed me by the upper arms, steadying me so I was standing upright, right against his chest.
I looked up at him, "Thanks."
"No problem, querida," he replied, his eyes boring into mine.
I wanted so badly to reach up and kiss him. But after the way he reacted after the last time we kissed, I held back.
After a minute, which felt like a lifetime, I stood back, not breaking the eye contact. But he surprised me by pulling be back into him and kissing me.
I really wasn't expecting it, after the last kiss he barely spoke to me for weeks. But that's not to say I didn't welcome his advances, kissing him back.
It would have looked weird if the person who interrupted us wasn't able to see Jesse, so I suppose I should be grateful that they could. Even though an interruption at that point was not something I was grateful for at all.
"Is this the way you treat all your clients?" A voice behind me asked condesendingly.
I groaned and pulled back, turning around to face Lilly.
"What do you want?" I asked her bitterly.
"You have a job to do, you should really get going. And you should really fix yourself up. That little smooch messed up your hair and makeup."
I turned back to Jesse, but he had gone. Great, he's probably gone for good.
"Good one," I told Lilly. "What happened to the rattling chains idea?"
I faced the mirror and started re-doing my hair and make-up. She was right, Jesse had really mucked it up.
"Who was he anyway?" she asked.
"Just a friend," I replied, while secretly wondering what Jesse really was. More than a friend?
"You treat all your guy friends like that?"
"It was just a goodbye kiss," I insisted.
"Whatever. But come on now, we really have to get going."
After that kiss, the last thing I wanted to do was interview a prissy princess and tell her to stop dancing around this guy and just tell him how she feels.
Because who am I to talk? It's not as if I can get my own love life in order or anything.
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I hope I didn't offend anyone with Michael's Ab Fab impersonation, I know you Brits don't really talk like that. And I know if anyone put an Aussie in a story we'd all be talking like Steve Irwin, or like Sarah O'Hare in Head Over Heels. That was the worst 'Australian' character ever. Shame on her. It was even worse than Crocodile Dundee. He rocks.