A/N- While you're reading, I'm gonna go get an umbrella real quick...

Chapter 12

There I stood, in front of my antique gilded mirror that I had inherited from several generations of Genovian leaders in my bridal gown.

I was a picture in glowing white lace and chiffon. My veil was pinned to my tiara and the first layer was carefully covering my rosy visage that my handmaidens had painted meticulously for several long and painful hours. My eyes were lined with a soft brown and mascara applied for a long lashed effect. My eyelids were tinged a soft pink color that matched my cheeks and my glossed lips were painted with a rosy hue sprinkled with sunshine gold.

Needless to say, I looked rather pretty.

Lilly watched me with a wobbly smile and watery eyes. She handed me my bouquet and gave me a big hug. "You look gorgeous," she whispered into my ear.

Feeling the tears well up in my eyes, I carefully fanned my face when we broke away. "Go knock him dead," she told me.

My heart was pounding in my ears as I gripped my bouquet tightly, as if it were some sort of emotional anchor. As I got to the doorway my father approached me, holding out his bent elbow as he smiled at me with sparkling eyes. "I'm so proud of you," He murmured in my ear.

I let the string quartet's romantic melodies float through my mind and I seemed to relax. I couldn't see where I was going, my veil was so thick, but I felt us both come to a stop. He lifted the veil over my head and kissed me on the cheek as he turned me towards my fiancé.

Michael smiled at me as he offered me his arm. I gave my father one last kiss on the cheek and as I turned away, I saw him dissolve into the mist. As Michael and I turned towards the priest, Michael gave me a kiss on the forehead and walked away. The priest turned into Edward and he began to read monotonously out of his missal. He stopped when he heard his phone ring and he turned away from me muttering, "I thought I told them not to disturb me…"

I woke with a start as cold sweat trickled down my back. I stumbled out of bed and managed to get to my bathroom to splash cold water in my face.

As I staggered back to my bed and right before I feel back into an uneasy sleep, I realized that I should have known it was a dream to begin with. For one thing, my father is dead. For another thing, Michael would never marry me.

And lastly, Paolo would be doing my makeup, and he would never apply pink eye shadow.

"WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY CANCELLED?" Lilly screamed into her headphone.

I began rubbing my temples in a vain attempt to soothe my headache away. "Who is it this time?"

"The string quartet," She grumbled. "Boris is playing the violin, but his 'friends' cancelled on him."

I couldn't imagine what kind of crap Boris might be have been going through right then, so I kept my mouth shut and let Lilly find a replacement quartet.

The wedding was a week from now and it seemed like everyone was trying to jump off a sinking ship. The florist cancelled earlier that week, and the caterer cancelled because of unworkable differences with one of the waiters.

"Where's the final RSVP list?" I asked Lilly.

She gestured to her briefcase impatiently as she started dialing on her phone.

I found the list and started going through the names. Parliament, Edward's family, Paolo and Sebastiano were going to be there…my family as well, or rather, Grandmère. And then a few diplomats from other countries in Europe.

Unfortunately, Michael was not on the list.

I threw the list back into Lilly's briefcase in a frustrated manner. What right had he to tell me what to do? He had no right to judge my actions! If he were getting married to a chick that I hated with a passion, I would go anyway, just to show my support.

Well, actually I wouldn't. But…

That didn't stop me from really wanting him to be there. I really wanted him there.

I made my way back into my chambers and threw myself on the bed, wishing that if I went to sleep, I wouldn't wake up.

I was sitting at the formal dining table later that night eating dinner by myself. Lilly forced me to, saying that it might "improve my mood." But it didn't.

As I pushed my green beans aimlessly around my plate, I heard a crashing noise and a scream. Immediately, I jumped to my feet. I strained to hear anymore strange noises, but the palace was silent. Carefully, I walked around the table and ran toward the source of the noise in the kitchen.

"Surprised to see me, my dear?" A voice whispered.

I turned around in every direction, trying to locate the source of the voice. But the kitchen was empty except for me. "Who are you?" I called out.

"A friend," The voice replied in a sinister tone. "I've been searching for you, for quite some time now."

I swiftly walked to the knife block and pulled out the biggest butcher's knife I could find.

"You have no idea how happy you've made me, Your Highness." The voice continued. "If it wasn't for you, I would never have realized that you are the one I have been looking for."

I circled the kitchen with the knife held in front of me. "Who are you?" I repeated.

"The better question is, who are you…Phantom Phoenix?"

I could feel the blood drain from my face.

The voice laughed. "So my hypothesis was correct." The tone switched from sneering to mock concern. "But don't fret, Your Highness. I won't tell."

And quite suddenly, I felt a large, formless shape appear out of nowhere and grab me around the waist. "This will be our little secret." And with that, I heard a swish of a cloak and the mysterious voice disappeared.

"Mia!" Lilly banged on my chamber door. "Mia, open up! Come on, your wedding is in six days!"

I pulled the embroidered comforter over my head, trying my best to seem invisible. I refused to come out or let anyone in my room. I even had the lock on my chamber door changed so Lilly couldn't get in.

"What's going on?" I heard Michael's muffled voice on the other side of the thick mahogany door.

Great.

"Mia locked herself in her room."

"Don't you have a key or something?"

"She changed the lock."

"Hmm. Well she's thorough."

"Mia, open up right now!"

I burrowed even deeper into my comforter. Michael's presence didn't make things any better.

Suddenly I hear a resounding crash that could have been heard throughout the palace. I poked my head from underneath my sheets to glare at the disturbance.

Instead I found my door on the ground and Michael and Lilly walking into my room.

I covered myself in my sheets. I should have known; Michael's muscles had to come in handy sometime or another.

I felt someone on the end of my bed. "Mia, I know you're upset—"

"You'd be upset too."

"But you have a wedding to attend to. Right now is not the time to be dwelling on what could or should have been done. Right now is the time to be planning and preparing."

"I don't want to," I muttered like a petulant six-year-old being forced to eat spinach.

"Mia, what happened?" Michael asked.

I curled up even tighter underneath my sheets. "Go away, Michael. Why are you even here?"

"I'm your friend, and I'm concerned."

"Well if you really were my friend, you would at least go to my wedding. But seeing as how you refuse to RSVP, I'm not exactly sure you could call yourself my friend."

"Mia, I told you, I can't watch you get married to someone you don't love."

A fire had come alight in my soul. I ripped the comforter off of me and glared him straight in the eyes. The darkness of his peat bog eyes made me shiver, but I refused to look away. "You have NO IDEA what I have to go through for this!"

"Mia—"

"No, I'm not finished, so shut up and listen. Who the hell are you to judge me for going through with this? Who the hell are you to judge my motives? You're not God! I'm doing this so I won't be alone! I'm doing this because this is what my father told me in his dying wish! I'm doing this because I have to, not because I want to! Not everyone has the luxury of doing whatever they please, Michael. I have a duty to my country."

Michael walked around the end of my bed and took my hands in his before I could stop him. "I'm not God, as much as I would like to be. And your father told you not to abandon your duty, but I'm sure he wanted you to be happy. You may have duty to Genovia, but you have a greater duty to yourself."

I tried to pull away from his grasp, but he held on tight. "Mia, that day in my apartment, when I told you I wouldn't go to your wedding?"

Grudgingly, I nodded.

"You asked, if not Edward, then who," He murmured. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Lilly quietly stealing away.

"And…well I was thinking…"

I held my breath, in anticipation for his next words.

Suddenly, the window in my room was shattered as a figure cloaked in black leapt at me. I felt something sharp penetrate my skin and immediately the blackness surrounded me, infecting my mind and erasing my thoughts. The last thing I remember was hearing a desperate struggle and Michael screaming my name.

A/N- Okay, before I open my umbrella and you guys start throwing tomatoes at me, I'd like to apologize for the pause in the updatage because January has been deemed (by me) as the kick ass month. Why? Because for the past three weeks, I've been going to Florida, having my birthday, and busing my ass over to San Antonio with a bunch of perverted band freaks. So, I haven't been able to write much. Plus, my parents got really pissed at my grades and so now I actually have to do my homework.

Second, I know this cliffie is low (even for me), but you guys should keep in mind that there are worse cliffies to come.

Now you may commence with the tomato throwing. Or you can just be nice and review.