Author's note: Thanks for reviewing everyone:)

KP – I'm so relieved to hear that the balcony scene wasn't awful. I worked very long with that bit, because I've never been good at writing that kind of stuff. Back when my English wasn't very good, I only used to write dialogues because the possibility to fumble with the grammar or words was lesser ;D. So these monologue things… They're totally new to me.

Cicilianna – Wow. It always lightens up my day to hear people say that I actually write well. During my early days people always complained that I write poorly, so it's just amazing to hear people now say the opposite:). It's just one of those moments when I know that all those eight years I have studied English haven't been wasted. You're wonderful, thanks! 3

And here goes the next chapter! Enjoy!

When love turns to hate and friendship deepens

Chapter 3 – We all have our own ghosts

--Part one --
Michael's POV

It was going to rain, I noticed with a grunt as I stared up at the sky. Dark clouds were approaching from the north, and in few short minutes it would be pouring with rain. And of course, I thought with a little hint of amusement, I had no umbrella or raincoat with me.

"Damn it" I mumbled and started to quicken my pace, although I knew that even running wouldn't get me home without getting soaked.

Also other people were starting to notice the nearing rain clouds, and grew restless at the streets. The ones that didn't have an umbrella started to run, and didn't even pay attention to knocking down the other people. Mass hysteria, I concluded and recalled the lecture I had had earlier this day. Human is a gregarious animal, the lecturer had told us. And this, I wondered with a smile, was a good example.

Twenty minutes later I arrived at my parents' place, my clothes soaking wet. I really needed a change of clothes, I thought sadly, and with my luck I would have a great honour to wear my father's old hippy clothes. Honestly, orange really isn't my colour.

I took the elevator up and felt stupid when I had to ring the doorbell of my own home. I had had to give my spare key to Lilly's boyfriend couple months back. Lilly had said it was 'absolutely necessary' for her dear Adam to have a key, and because my parents never say anything against Lilly… Well, it led to the fact that I don't have a key anymore.

Not that I actually need a key that much, since I haven't lived at home for years. Three years ago when I started my college, I moved to the College dorm in Columbia and that is where I'm still living. Lately, though, I have started to consider buying my own flat because the annoying flatmates aren't something I enjoy wholeheartedly.

"Hello… Michael?" I heard the familiar voice mutter my name as the front door slid open. Lilly's smile wasn't very welcoming. "You weren't supposed to come until tomorrow"

"I'm really sorry, but-"I begun, but couldn't bring myself to finish when a weird creature, also known as my sister's boyfriend, stormed into the room. His long light hair was on a ponytail and he had grown a beard. He looked like fucking a punk.

"Mikey, pal! Great to see you" Adam said and shook my hand eagerly. I stared at him, and noticed in horror that the beard wasn't the only change. He had a piercing in his nose, for crying out loud. What kind of a guy pierces his nose? I mean, I have a piercing in my left ear, which I consider just fine, but a piercing in a nose? Gosh, the guy is crazy.

"You too, Adam" I mumbled, trying to be polite since this was Lilly's boyfriend in question. You see, Lilly would kill me with bare hands if I was impolite to her dear, whacko boyfriend.

My mother appeared from the kitchen and her face lit up when she saw me: "Michael! What a pleasant surprise! But I thought you couldn't make it until tomorrow…?"

"I was supposed to have work tonight, but I changed my shift with another employer" I informed and took off my soaking coat. It was an old leather coat now, I thought sadly. "Mum? Do you have some clothes I could lend until these dry?"

"Oh, yes. I'll go get some of your dad's old ones" She said after a while and went off.

Adam burst laughing and patted me on the back. "Sorry pal. Bad luck"

Yeah, bad luck indeed.

The dinner passed with my parents asking me how was school and how I had been doing. Lilly and Adam were in their own world, discussing about the next show of Lilly Tells How It Is. Lilly had had this own TV show of hers for five years now, and she practically spent all of her free time planning the next program. I didn't really see any point in her hard work, because no matter what she had had tried, her program never got more than 20 viewers or so.

"Oh, Michael, you never guess who is finally back in town" Lilly suddenly asked. It was actually the first time she said anything straight to me after the door episode. We have so loving sister-brother-relationship, don't you think?

"Dalai Lama?" I asked sarcastically and she kicked my foot under the table. An old habit, but every single time she caught me off guard. I rubbed my knee with a grunt.

"No, you idiot. She is someone we both used to know" Lilly said sceptically. Very good clue indeed, considering that we have known dozens of people during our short lives.

"Look, I don't seem to remember anyone in particular. It's not like we have only known one person or so"

"Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia Renaldo" Lilly announced, sounding more sarcastic than ever. It took a while for me to connect the fancy name and the actual person behind it.

I broke into a wide grin and jumped backwards as I saw Lilly's sharp feet nearing me under the table again. Lilly didn't seem to know any other way to communicate than the violate one. "Oh, Mia. So she is finally coming back. How long has it been? Ten years?"

"I don't care." Lilly started bitterly. "She is a fucking bitch and I don't want to have anything to do with her". Huh? Since when did this happen?

"Lilly, please don't swear in- "My father begun but Iinterrupted him.

"Fucking bitch? Erhm. I thought you were friends. "I said confused. I remembered the shy and lanky girl from my early years, and honestly, it didn't really return my comprehension of a whore. But of course… Things tend to change in ten years. Maybe she has turned into a psychopath bitch who only cares for herself. Maybe…

"We were friends, until she moved away and never came back. She hasn't even visited her mother, for god's sake!" Lilly complained. "And I can't think anything good of a person who doesn't even care for her own mother"

"But hasn't her mother been in Genovia? If I remember right she used to go to Genovia twice a year and…"

"Yeah, twice a year! What kind of a daughter sees her mom only twice a year? The kind that doesn't care!" Lilly yelled, her face glowing with anger.

"Lilly, she is a princess… She has responsibilities for her country and –" My mother started speaking very slowly and calmly. Unfortunately her tone didn't seam to reach its purpose, because Lilly still looked angry as a bolted horse.

"So being a princess gives her a right to forget her own mother? I don't think so" Lilly interrupted her harshly. All of a sudden she stood up and looked us with blank look "I just hate her, ok?" And before anyone of us could even react she had gone out the door.

--Part two --
Mia's POV

New York has changed, was my first thought as I stepped out of the airport doors. Everything just seemed so… so much bigger somehow. Streets were full of busy-looking people, and there were cars everywhere. Buildings were so high that you could barely see the sky above. And noise, noise was just horrific.

"Wow. It's… big" Katie admired aloud as Lars led us to the limo that waited is in the parking lot. Katie and I climbed inside, and Katie practically attached her nose against the window glass the moment she sat down.

"You like it?" I asked with a smile. She looked like a little girl who had just gotten a big, gooey ice cream. I wished I could share her excitement, but my mother and her condition was still worrying me somewhere in the back of my mind, even the doctor had said many times that she was going to be okay. But… I just needed to see it with my own eyes before I could sigh with relief.

"Yeah… but then again, this place is a bit scary… I think I've never seen this much people in the same place at the same time" Katie muttered.

"I suppose you weren't in Denmark's royal wedding last year, then?" It had been the event of the year. Seven hundred invited guests, and about three hundred thousand eager citizens waiting outside the church, wanting to see their newly married Crown Prince and his bride after the ceremony.

"No. I was bloody sick" She snorted. Katie was the daughter of Genovia's Prime Minister, and against Grandmeré's and her father's (who have been enemies for as long as I remember) wishes we had become best friends. I still remembered the moment we had met nine years ago.

I was nine, when I had my first public appearance; a dinner party, that Grandmeré had arranged in honour of me. All Genovia's influential and rich families had been invited, to – as Grandmére expressed it – find out what kind of Princess they had. I was still dead shy back then, and not used to big occasions so I was more than scared of it. And when the first guests arrived, I just wanted to run to my own room and stay there all night. Grandmeré didn't, of course, let me escape… I had to stand next to her in the entrance hall, and shake hands with every single one of nearly 200 guests.

When the last guests arrived, I was feeling extremely sick and just wanted to faint. I was about to ask Grandmeré if I could go to the bathroom, but before I could do so I caught a sight of Prime Minister and his family and froze. There, standing behind Prime Minister's back was a young girl of my age, who looked just as shy and uncomfortable as I felt. She was wearing a red skirt suit, which fit her as much as jeans fit a horse. But she had nice eyes and friendly smile.

I forgot my bad feeling, as I paid all of my attention to the girl as she walked closer. A moment later she stood in front of me, offering her hand to handshake. I smiled brightly as I offered my hand.

"Hey, I'm Mia" I said, not drawing any attention to Grandmeré who glanced at my way irritated. Don't talk she had said many times before the guests had arrived. Just don't talk. But well, you can't always have what you want.

The girl looked at her father's way, as if asking for a permission. After the Prime Minister had nodded slightly she turned back to my side: "Hi…. Your highness. I'm… I'm Katie" She said, sounding very nervous. But there was a hint of kindness behind that nervous exterior.

I turned to Grandmeré's side with an eager smile. "Were these the last guests?"

"Yes, Amelia" She said trying to sound as normal as she could, but her eyes revealed her. I told you NOT to talk I could nearly hear her shout in my head.

"Do you want to come and play bit my dolls?" I asked Katie, and I saw her eyes lit up.

"Yeah" She said, not even looking at her parents' direction this time. I took her hand in mine, and we run giggling upstairs.

It happened so simply, I had thought many times afterwards. As a child it was so easy to become friends, and during the years you just kind of grew together. I do have other friends, too, but Katie… She is just something special.

When we passed the Kodak Theatre, my mind was suddenly taken elsewhere. It was filled with old faces and old memories. A person I had known a long time ago, when I had still lived in New York. Lilly… No, I told myself strictly, don't think about it.

I turned to look out of the window, and tried to think happy thoughts. But still, against my great attempts, an image of an old friend kept forming in my mind. With a sigh I closed my eyes and let the dreams take me.

I wrote my first letter to Lilly the day after my arrival to Genovia.

Hey, Lilly!

It's Mia. Well, I'm finally here! The plane landed yesterday and the past 24 hours have been just a real fuzz. These weird women called maids run around me and they don't let me do anything alone. I can't even dress up myself or go to kitchen in the night and make some hot chocolate. It's odd. But at least my room is great. It's like three times bigger than my old one, and I have my own balcony and bathroom.

Anyway, I miss you very much. It's so lonely here, because I have no one to play with. I'm already looking forward to the summer, when I can see you again.

Please write back!

Love you, Mia.

I sent her the letter and started to wait for an answer. When two weeks had passed and no answer had come I went to Grandmeré. I told her that Lilly hadn't answered yet, and asked if I could call her.

She sneered at me. "Look, Amelia. If this… Lilly hasn't answered you should take it as a sign that she doesn't want to have anything to do with you. "She said very rudely. "Now go, I have more important things to do than talk about your common friend"

In the evening I tried to call Lilly myself, but I didn't know the dialling code so it didn't work. I also asked the maids, but they refused to tell. When I was getting ready for be, a thought crossed my mind. Maybe Grandmeré was right after all... Now when I was a princess, maybe Lilly didn't just want to have anything to do with me...She probably has a new friend already… Later I cried myself to sleep.

So… How was it? Good or bad? Too long? xD

I know that Michael's thoughts in the beginning were a bit, uhm, weird, but it's difficult for me to absorb what boys actually think in different kind of situations. I don't really have any experience about being a male :).

And… My school started today, meaning that daily updates are - most likely - going to end. I have a hard period ahead, but I try to update at least twice a week.

- Heini xx