Mia:

I just told my boyfriend about my twin. He looked mildly surprised. "You never mentioned him. What's his name?"

"Simon. Simon Phillipe Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo. He is the heir to the throne before me."

I could see a little bit of relief on his face. "Then you can do whatever you want, right?You could stay in New York, right? I mean, you don't have to be a queen or whatever, right?"

I didn't think this was the time to explain that principalities do not have queens, but sovereign rulers. "No. Not necessarily. He ran away," I whispered the last part. "We do not know where he went. He wanted to join the American troops in the European theater. My family could not let him of course. My father had almost died after all when they let him fight in the first war. No one wanted to take any chances. But he ran away," I said, feeling the tears coming onto my cheeks.

"Mia?" my brother's voice sang from the door to my suite.

"Hmprh…" I mumbled.

"Mia, wake up," he said, making his way to my room.

I sat up. "What are you doing here?" I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"It's the only time I can talk to you with no one else around."

I gave him a look. It was like looking into a mirror with him. Well, if I had short hair. "About what?" I said grumpily. I knew it was serious. He never came into my room. We always met in the common room between our suites.

"Mia, I'm running away. To join up."

I gaped at him. "Oh…Simon, you mustant. Grandmama and Mama will kill you!"

He laughed, "They can't, I'm the heir to the throne. And they would never want you to be the sovereign…"

I playfully smacked him. How dare he made light of this! "Simon, you might die out there!"

"I won't," he said with the confidence only he had. He'd always had an air about him. And I envied it. I would never be like him. Everyone knew that. He was the favored one. I was just the spare heir. Not important. Just there to look pretty and to be trained to be a perfect hostess and princess.

"How can you be so sure?" I said with my lip quivering.

"Because I'll remember that I cannot possibly leave the fate of Genovia in my sister's hands. Plus, would I leave you forever? Alone with Grandmama forever? Am I that cruel of a brother?"

I giggled, "NO, I suppose not. How long have you been planning this?" I whispered.

"A few weeks. You are going to be sent to the States anyways. You'll be safe. Mama and Papa told me that you and I are to live with a family in New York. A family that has a son and a daughter our age. Mia, you have to be strong for us. You have to defend me, okay?"

I nodded and started to cry. That's why I would be a terrible leader. I wear my heart on my sleeve. Everyone would know exactly what I was thinking. "I can do that," I promised.

"And don't tell anyone of my plans, okay?"

"Well, I'm not stupid. Of course I won't."

"Good. Tomorrow we will play tennis with Mama and Papa like we planned. Then we can go for a horse back ride and spend some time together."

I nodded. "I can't promise that I will always be strong. And I especially promise that I cannot be strong in New York. I mean, it is New York…it must smell, do you think? Grandmama told me that they urinate in the streets there because they don't have toliets yet..." I asked, trying to keep my mind off of what he had just told me.

He smiled, "I'm sure it is not too bad. Go back to sleep."

"You were close?" Michael asked.

"You are lucky to have Lilly. Michael, must you leave her in January?" Okay, I was actually asking if he really had to leave ME in January.

He looked away, out the window. "Mia, let's not think about that, okay?"

"But we will…eventually, right?"

He looked at me with those deep brown eyes whose spell I had fallen under (aren't I dramatic? Grandmama says I am…that I could be a film star or something if I weren't disfigured). "I suppose. But lets have fun right now, okay?" he said hopefully.

"Yes," I replied, pushing away those terrible thoughts. "We'll have fun for now until…"

I didn't finish my thought. I let it hang in the air. "I'm going to sleep," I said after a few minutes.

"No, not yet," he pleaded, pulling me by my hand closer to him. "Sit with me a little longer."

So I did.

The next morning we ate breakfast with his entire family. Lilly knew what had happened the night before, but her parents were not to know.

"Michael, I thought you were coming back after bringing the girls?" his mother asked.

"Judith was there," Lilly cut in. "She dragged him onto the dance floor. Mia finally pulled him away by saying that she wanted to go home…that she was tired. I'm sure he was appreciative about it."

"Michael, why don't you like Gershner girl? She's very kind and from a good family. She's going to Radcliffe next year I heard..."

"She's not my type," he replied walking by me with his glass of milk. It fell and soaked my suit I had put on for the day (the one I managed to sneak out of the palace).

"Oh, what is then, son?" Dr. Moscovitz asked, handing me a towel to wipe up the mess.

"Ones that don't speak English," Lilly replied. "Mom, Michael hardly ever talks to girls. You are lucky he even talks to me and Mia."

I added, to myself, he does a lot more than talking.

"Mom, Dad, relax. When I find the one I'll know," he said, staring into his bowl of oat bran.

I stared into mine as well and felt his hand on my knee. I could hardly stop myself from smiling. "What are you children doing today?" Dr. Moscovitz asked as Mrs. Moscovitz took his bowl to the sink to be washed.

"Felix is leaving soon so me and Kevin are going down to his apartment to spend some time with him."

"I have a report due on Tuesday," I replied. "I might go to the public library to work on it."

"What is it about?" Mrs. Moscovitz asked.

"Technology. I read about this computer thing. The top scientists…well, the ones not working with the army I mean, are making this thirty ton computer that does all sorts of calculations and stuff," I said, getting way too excited about it. Maybe my enthusiasm was sparked by the fact that Michael's hand was still on my knee and he was looking directly at me while I spoke. "And the researchers say that one day every American will be able to hold it in their hand. Students will have it to do their math homework-:"

"A computer? That sounds…interesting," Michael said with a sarcastic smirk. "Won't catch on though. The American youth would become lazy and illiterate. They'd never leave their rooms. They'd all be pasty and fat. Sounds like terrible idea to me."

I gave him a look. He was fooling around on me again. "You do not even know the first thing about it."

"Michael, leave her alone," Mrs. Moscovitz said, putting the milk back in the ice box. I noticed his hand nearly flew from my knee so she wouldn't notice it. "Lilly, what are your plans for the day?"

"To run amuck in the city," she replied with a sweet smile.

Dr. Moscovitz gave her a look. "If you have no other plans then dear, you can come help your mother and me with some research.'

Lilly groaned.

"I would have been delighted if my father had invited me to help him do research," Mrs. Moscovitz said with a pat on Lilly's head.

"Go get dressed Lilly. The three of us will leave in fifteen minutes."

After they left Michael turned to me and smiled. "I'm not supposed to be at Felix's until this afternoon."

"I'm not really writing a paper. I was just doing it for fun."

We decided to go for a walk that morning, just the two of us. I don't know what it is….Michael was not the type of boy I would have imagined courting. The few boys Grandmama had allowed me to meet tried to pretend they were not impressed with my royal status, but it was clear that they were. Michael didn't look impressed at all. Maybe because the American's didn't have royalty so they didn't understand the importance of it.

But in any case I loved the fact that I was a princess and he never mentioned it. Well, he did the night before when he asked it I was going to have to rule. But that was part of our conversation. Not his fault.

"It's always so busy around here," I said in wonderment.

"The city that never sleeps," he replied.

I bit my lip as he held my hand in his own. Then I laughed.

"What?" he asked self consciously.

"It's just…." I started, suddenly embarrassed.

"What?"

"I never thought I would like an American boy. Or that I would ever meet one," I added.

"And now that you do like, and have met an American boy?"

"I kind of like it."

I got back to the apartment after dropping Michael off at Felix's. He and I picked up the mail but I didn't bother looking until I got into the Moscovitz home. I found an envelope with my name on it. Odd. No one knows where I am staying.