“I’ve got a gift for you,” he said in a sing-songy voice. “Oh, come on. I know you want this one.”
I still hadn’t touched the pile on the table. “I’m good for gifts.”
“I can see that. I found this.” I felt a cell phone land on the bed, and I rushed from my blanket cave.
“My phone!” Maybe I couldn’t call, but the phone had hundreds of pictures of my parents and Sasha and Grandma. I’d charged the phone before Bollard came over, and I’d turned it off for the plane ride, so I estimated the battery to be half charged but when I turned it on, nothing happened. “Did you find my charger?”
“Charger? Chargers are so archaic.” Enzo’s large eyes doubled with surprise. “I haven’t plugged something in in forever, like since I was at a museum as a kid in grade school. Doesn’t it get power from you turning it over a few times?”
Enzo knew I was from a different world. He should have guessed my technology wasn’t as advanced. I clutched the phone to my chest like a child with their favorite stuffed animal.
Enzo’s face scrunched up in confusion. “I apologize. I heard you were from a remote location, but I had no idea you were using outdated technology. How far north are you from? The Arctic?”
“North?” I went up to my knees, tears streaming down my face as the weight of everything washed over me. “North?”
Enzo sat on the bed. “Oh, no. Me and my big mouth. I’m sorry. I made assumptions about this. I mean, third world countries have done away with plugs for practicality. I can’t believe the Merrics let you use something that outdated.”
“Are you messing with me or do you not know?” I asked, and Enzo turned his head. Maybe he didn’t know I was from a different world.
“I wouldn’t dream of— Oh, I am so sorry! Not even twenty-four hours on the job and I’ve upset you.”
I wiped the tears from my cheek with the back of my hand. “I wanted to see my family. I miss them, and they must be so worried about me. I have hundreds of pictures on my phone. I…” I cried harder.
Enzo clumsily patted my shoulder clumsily, and it reminded me that we didn’t really know each other. He cleared his throat and added, “There, there. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I thought the phone would make you happy.”
“It would have, but…” I broke off and studied the ceiling, begging for the tears to stop.
“You’ll feel better if you eat,” Enzo said, and he handed me a tissue from the nightstand.
I shook my head. Eating was the last thing on my mind. I blew my nose. “I’m not hungry right now, and even when I am, I don’t eat fifteen pancakes at a time.”
“There are usually leftovers.” Enzo offered his hand to help me up. “They’re shared among delegates and dignitaries. It is a great honor to eat after royalty.”
Yuck. I didn’t like that idea. “Can we not do that with my food? That’s so stupid. I’m a blubbering mess, and what if I have a cold or something?”
“You had your shots. Besides, eating after you is an honor. There’s already a waiting list.”
Enzo pulled out a chair for me at the table and then took the seat next to me.
“Yuck! Why in the world would anyone want a chance at my half-eaten pancakes?”
“You are the most vogue thing, a royal muse. Everyone is interested in you.”
I lifted a layer of pancakes with my fork and let them fall back down. “Me? Why should anyone even know about me, let alone care about me being here?”
“Oh, everyone in the know knows about you and has for some time.”
“What do you mean they have known about me for some time?”
“You are the granddaughter of Helena Merric. Of course, people know about you. Why in the world wouldn’t they?”
“I didn’t even know this place existed and people know about me?”
Enzo turned his head in confusion. “Oh, come on now. Everyone knows the American Royal Family, even in the extreme north.”
“Well, I had no idea my uncle was even a royal or that this place existed,” I told him, and I knew for sure, Bollard must have kept the existence of my world from the people in this mutually secret world. I paused, then asked, “What have you heard about me?”
Enzo’s smile beamed. “I know you are the long-lost princess and granddaughter of the Great Helena Merric. The heir apparent to the Kingdom of America, second only to Queen Bianca.”
“I am not!” I slapped my hand on the table. “I’m from the small country town of Barton! We have more cows than people.”
“Nobody cares where you are from honey! Your arrival here is enough to propel you to the top of the list of Merrics.” He pointed to my pancakes. “Hence, the waiting list for your leftovers.”
Done, I put my head down on the cool wood of the table. “This makes no sense.”
“They told us you grew up far away from civilization and without a cubox or anything but this. It’s like you don’t even know basic history. You are the granddaughter of the Great Helena Merric, Defender of the North and one of the greatest Libratiers to ever live.”
I backed away from the table, went to the nightstand, and picked up Grandma’s book. Flipping through the pages, I tried yet again to sew together my life in Barton and current reality. “This can’t be real.”
“Oh, Helena Merric was most real. Whole courses in colleges are taught about her,” Enzo said, and he came over to join me with the book.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Grandma had attempted to tell the truth for years. It was my fault for not believing her. “I thought I knew her. I didn’t.” I flipped through a few
