Jumping up, I squealed slightly, moving away from the person as fast as I could.

But the foot followed me!

Who was in bed with me?

"Oh, it's me." It was my foot, it was just tangled up in the covers poking through and looking as though it didn't belong to me. I slumped back into my pillow and berated myself for being such a nincompoop. Ah well. We're not all intelligent. "Some people have to be stupid in order to become gym teachers." I muttered to myself.

However, there were voices outside. I heard them clearly. They were not those of Chelmak and Cyrillianna either.

"This is it?"

"For the fifth time, yes!" An irritated voice snapped. "And by my predictions, Cathy is inside."

"A trailer?" It was Charad! I flew out of bed and slammed myself against the wall.

"CHAD! MICHELLE!" I screeched. "I'm in HERE! HERE!"

"Cathy!" Two voices met my screams. There was confused dialogue and then hurried footsteps.

"Wait up, you two!" Mrs. Cook! "You can't just go trundling into a trailer that used to belong to Lucinda's children."

"Right,"

"TRUNDLE IN!" I shouted. "Please!"

"We should probably-." Whatever they were saying trailed off and I couldn't hear them anymore. I waited in fear. Nothing was happening as far as I could tell. The silence pressed in around me. I was alone, scared, and my bladder was beginning to tell me secrets. Then, a horrible, horrible thought struck me as I sat there: what if they came into my room as I was taking a piddle?

This is no laughing matter; I really had to pee.

Trusting that Chelmak and Cyrillianna would put up enough of a fight, I finally relieved myself. Luckily, nothing new happened.

Time was a-ticking.

What if the fairy duo had killed them?

I turned around in a circle. Nothing new. I stepped on my pallet and jumped around.

Pointless.

I played the hundred bottles of beer on the wall game, got bored once I reached ninety-six and quit. Who invented that crappy game anyway? Lambchops, no doubt.

Speaking of Lambchops, what kind of sick person names their lamb puppet after a food? It's like naming your pet rat Meow-Mix, only worse because lambs are cute and rats aren't.

In a fit of the jitters, I started pretending to Irish dance. For me, Irish dancing is moving my feet around madly and opening my arms up every so often as if to say "look! I am AMAZING!"

"I am Michael Flatley, LORD OF THE DANCE! Fear my bare, hairy chest as I dance towards you!" I said to the wall.

"You have a hairy chest?"

I stopped what I was doing at once and whipped around.

"CHADDAR!" I squealed. He grinned at me. I ran towards him, tripped over my pallet and landed on him like a flying fool. He hugged me, but he was shaking with laughter as he did so.

"Cathy, what are you wearing?" Michelle asked frowning.

"You don't like it?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. "It's vintage, from about three thousand B.C."

"After seeing what you teenagers wear, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the new fashion statement when we return." Mrs. Cook shook her head.

"Oh, school," I grimaced. "What happened out there?" I pointed towards the rest of the trailer. "Where are the twits?"

"They're back on Kyrria," Mrs. Cook smiled. "Lucinda and Cedric turned them into squirrels. They won't be back again."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

Michelle pursed her lips. "It's not that complicated. They found an old spell that works only on fairies, they used their old baby clothes and turned them into squirrels, and they came back to Kyrria because of the ritual that was performed."

"Oh, not complicated at all," I said sarcastically, feeling slightly dazed.

"Come on, we must go back to Kyrria," Mrs. Cook said. With a snap of her fingers, and a flash of light, and a tricky little wiggle of her nose, we were inside the castle again.

There had been a banquet held in our honor after we returned and a ball the next day. It was an amazing amount of fluffy business. Char's brother had returned for the occasion, the Crown Prince Ephraim. He was handsome and undeniably had charisma. He had asked to dance with me at the ball, and I had obliged him after warning him many times to look at Char's wounded feet. He was friendly as well as charismatic and I really enjoyed his company.

However, Char was still the winner of my scrawny little heart.

That same night, Char and I went out onto the balcony alone.

Crazy romance novel moment, I thought, looking out into the clear, starry night. It was a quarter moon, waxing or waning, I never know so just forget about it. I put a gloved hand on the stone banister and admired the silk gloves yet again. Shiny, white, pristine, wow.

Char didn't say anything.

"It's a pretty night," I said stupidly.

"Yeah," he agreed, looking up at the sky.

"I wish I could fly, because I would fly tonight,"

Char laughed. "You're bonkers."

"What can I say," I shrugged. "Something a curse does to you, I suppose,"

"Look," Char finally started saying whatever it was that was on his mind, "Mandy mentioned that tomorrow you would be returning home,"

"Yeah, kind of sucks. I can't even begin to fathom how much homework I've got-."

"Well, I'd be staying here," Char said.

I looked him in the eye and frowned, not exactly following him.

"Well, you would be able to stay here, I think, if you married me, or I could go with you to Earth,"

My heart leapt, but it wasn't a good feeling.

"Char," I said cautiously. "You're my first… real… boyfriend. I'm still in high school. I'm- I'm- not ready for that kind of commitment."

Char blushed and turned away. "Of course not, I forgot that it's so much different on Earth and all."

I felt terrible. "But-."

"It's okay, Cathy," he turned back and had a guarded look. "It was nice while it lasted," he smiled wryly at me.

I thought I would die. "Char-."

He leaned forward, kissed my cheek and strode off, leaving me alone to feel like crap.

You'd be surprised how much magic can take care of. My family had forgotten my two-week absence, my teachers had been informed of a non-existent illness, the principal had forgotten my fleeing, Michelle's mother had returned to Kyrria with her, everyone in school knew that she had moved away, Mrs. Cook had been replaced by another woman, and all my homework was done.

But magic can't get rid of heartache. And my memory remained fresh.

It's weird returning to school, such a banal existence after being kidnapped, running away to a different planet, having my first kiss with a prince, losing and gaining a curse, and seeing magic performed on a regular basis. Life feels so… strange.

I'd never had many friends in school, at least not close friends because of my curse. I had always been afraid that closeness would give someone the idea about my curse and I would be admitted into slavery or whatever. Now that Michelle and Mrs. Cook were gone, I felt utterly alone. With the curse missing, I felt unjustified in not having any friends.

"Here's your test, Ms. Kyrria," Mrs. Darlene handed me the test I had taken two weeks ago. It was a hundred. "Nice answer to the bonus." She said sarcastically. "Just what is your religion, if I may inquire?"

"Stupidity," I said.

"Very nice, and I'm glad you were on time this morning."

I shrugged. For the rest of the period, I reveled in the fact that no one could force me to pay attention. Towards the end of the day, however, I began to miss my orders because all I could think about was Char's dejected face and my essentially boring life.

Kyrria would continue without me. I should have left Earth and stayed there. Marriage couldn't be as bad as all this. I felt stranded in a non-magical world with no verification for what had happened. After school, I started walking home, staring at the ground, willing it to change to the forest floor. I almost wished that ogres would attack me.

"Hey! KYRRIA!"

"Wish granted," I muttered irritably, as I saw Olga running towards me with a few of her over-sized cronies.

"Where you been hiding these last two weeks? Nowhere to hide now, huh?" She laughed, bearing hideous yellow buckteeth.

"True, I can't hide, but boy can I run," and I took off down the sidewalk.

"Stop!" She shouted.

"HAH! You can't make me!" I stuck my tongue out at her over my shoulder. People in front of the school stopped to stare at us. After all, you've got to wonder at a slender girl being chased by four large trolls.

"Oh yeah?" She was speeding up. She didn't look it, but she was rather fast. My eyes widened. Where the hell could I go! Before I knew what was happening, the large, sweaty girl had grabbed my collar and was yanking me back. I covered my face with my arms and prayed to anything that I would come out in at most two pieces.

Then she screamed and flew back about three yards.

I watched in amazement through the hole in my arms.

"What on Earth?" I slowly lowered my arms.

"You keep your greasy mitts off Cathy, you hear?"

I couldn't believe my eyes. Standing before me was little Michelle, finger pointed at a quivering Olga. Michelle's hair stood on end, framing a livid face. Then she turned to look at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Her hair came back down. "Technically I'm not supposed to be here," she said smiling guiltily, "but I actually was just coming to drop someone off."

Char stepped out from behind her. "Hey Cathy,"

My jaw dropped. "What- how-."

"Kyrria just didn't feel right to me. I've been on Earth for too long."

"But- how?" I gasped.

"I'm a prince, remember? Gold is gold anywhere. Michelle's mom helped me get a bank account."

Unable to restrain myself, I ran forward and embraced him tightly. Michelle grinned, waved shortly to me and disappeared.

"Michelle was worried that you wouldn't have a date for prom," Char said.

"Yeah, that Michelle, always worrying," I laughed, feeling like I was going to cry. "I can't believe you're going to stay on Earth."

"Well- technically- I'm not," Char looked a little guilty.

"How do you mean?"

"I'm just staying for a few more years. Mandy thought- well, she thought you might want to come back to Kyrria after you graduate from high school. But if you didn't, then I would just say my farewells and leave." He showed me a pendant around his neck; it was shaped like a flat blue and green planet. "All I have to do is say the word, touch this and whatever's coming with me and I'll wind up back there. The idea is to give you the option."

"I like this plan very much." I said honestly.

"Good." Char smiled. "Shall I walk you home, my lady?" He offered me his arm.

"I would be honored," I took it and laughed. Before we arrived at my house, I turned to him. "You know, I thought that Obedience was a curse and nothing good would come of it."

"Yeah?"

"I was right, because you're no good. But I'll keep you, my princely badass."

"I'm confused, yet strangely flattered," he laughed. Then he leaned forward and kissed me.

And life was very good.

And I lived madly, yet happily ever after.

(A/N: well, that's it folks. Thank you so much for reviewing and reading and so forth. I hope you all enjoyed the story. It was fun to read your whacky responses. I'll hold them near and dear to my heart forever. I really love you guys. Muah!)