The sight that lays before me right now makes my lips turn up into a smile. 

Magic Kingdom. Main Street USA sprawls out in front of me, and the rest of the girls. For a moment we stand there, taking it all in. This will be our last Nationals trip.

@HRHPrincessAnna: It’s just hitting me that this is my last trip to nationals #CueEmotionalFlashbacks

“We won’t be back next year,” Ash says, snapping a picture of the scene.

Something in me goes off; a switch flips, and I blurt out, “I won’t even be in this country.”

Mel heaves a big sigh behind me, “Alright, can we not? Let’s just go and have some fun today guys! I am going to force the smiles and laughter out of you if I have to.”

I snort. It never ceases to amaze me how Mel always uses violence in her threats—even though she’s five feet tall and couldn’t hurt a fly.

“Alright, alright,” I point towards the first ride on our list. Space Mountain. “Let’s go get those fast passes. While we’re waiting we can find a shorter line.”

And so the adventure begins. We’re speed-walking around the park, standing in half hour long lines and enjoying the beautiful spring day. The smile on my face for once is not fake, and as the evening draws closer we meet the rest of the team near Cinderella’s castle. We’re eating inside, on the second floor—some kind of fancy restaurant. We’re being treated by the park because we’re marching in the night parade in just a few hours.

Yeah, they better feed us because we’ll be spending two hours getting ready and staying on deck. Then, it’s another half an hour marching.

“I hope their portions aren’t like those other fancy restaurants,” I complain as we follow Marianne into the massive castle. 

A freshman, Leah agrees with me. “With the amount of dancing we’ll be doing this week they better feed us massive plates of pasta.”

A collective laugh and nod of agreement washes over the team. We grow quiet as we climb the stairs and walk into the foyer. A hostess leads us through the bustling dining room and over to a corner table near the massive windows. Even I’m in awe of the chandeliers, and detailed art work on the ceiling, plus the amazing view… and I’ve lived in a palace. That’s got to say something.

“Whoa,” someone says farther down at the table. “Hey, Anna does your place look like this?”

With a laugh I answer, “No, of course not. The chandeliers are much bigger.”

The waitress struggles to hear our drink orders over the laughter I’ve just caused. I swear Marianne almost reaches across the table and slaps me.

“I’ll have a coke!” I tell the waitress, keeping my eyes down. I’m hoping she won’t make a scene like the servers in the Futureland cafe did.

With a nod she moves on, and I heave a sigh of relief. The rest of the meal is quiet, and the only disturbance is when the Disney Princesses come over to our table for a photo op. I find it remarkable that not a single one of them recognizes me. It’s the second miracle of the day.

The third miracle comes when we meet up at the gates to go backstage. The lady that leads us back there seems way too preoccupied blabbing about all the wonderful things they do back here to look over at me. 

As we near the prep area, we start to see actors wandering around, out of character in their costumes. It’s pretty funny seeing Cinderella smoking a cigarette and Mickey Mouse with his head off. They smile and wave at us before continuing on with their gossiping.

Finally, we arrive at a quad, surrounded by four buildings: two male dressing rooms and two female ones.

The woman says, “Now, before you all go rushing in there, I just want to remind you that there are two other dance teams already in there.”

“Great,” Ash mumbles beside me. “Now we’re going to have to fight for the mirrors like last year.”

“Yeah, well maybe if Mar wasn’t so late for everything,” I comment lowly. Marianne is chronically late for everything, to our dismay.

Taking a deep breath, I follow the girls towards the second locker room. As soon as Avery opens the door the laughter, yelling and usual noise that only dance teams can make hits us like a brick wall. It takes us a moment to gather our thoughts and step into the crowded, open room.

Pushing through the hustle and bustle, me and Ash secure a spot way in the back for the team. 

And the race to get ready begins.

Someone is playing a mix tape across the room, out of tiny Beats speakers. A freshman is fussing over her hair that’s gotten stuck in her uniform zipper. I can’t find my hair pins. Someone keeps bumping into my ass. There’s a chick walking around still in her bra and underwear. I can’t think straight to save my life… but I do manage to get dressed.

“Got an extra hair tie?” I ask Mel. Without hesitation she whips out a full package of them. “You’re a godsend.”

She smiles, “I know.”

It takes me a literal minute to pull my long bangs into a bump, and put the rest into a ponytail. The bow conveniently has a clip on it, so that takes me less than a second to secure into my hair. 

Sami takes me by surprise, holding my head and drenching me in hair spray. Okay, maybe not drenching but now I can’t move my eyebrows.

“Sam, easy on the spray next time,” I choke out, gagging on the smell of cherry blossoms.

She shrugs, “At least your hair will stay this time.”

I narrow my eyes at that comment. Last time we did the daytime parade and it was so hot the hairspray was ineffective. I was one of the people that lost a bow.

Laughing she says, “As long as it doesn’t rain, that is.”

“If we weren’t so pressed for time I’d hit you,” I state, stumbling to get my jazz shoes on.

She snorts, “I know.”

Halfway through doing my makeup, I have to hand over my mascara to Ash. That leaves me sitting there, staring at all the people around me. At least three of them catch me staring but don’t make any move to ask for pictures or autographs. 

As soon as I have my mascara back I assume the position and get them done. After that it’s just a swipe of red lipstick to compliment our green and white uniforms, and some blush.

“We’re beginning the lineup!” An older woman calls out from the doorway.

Cringing at how long the freshmen and sophomores are taking, I yell, “You heard the woman, chop chop let’s move it!”

Needless to say that gets them moving a bit faster. In no time at all we’ve abandoned our bags, grabbed our poms and raced out the door. The other teams are even more confused, so I actually feel pretty proud of us. We’re one of the most disciplined teams thanks to Marianne and Tess.

“Over here!” Mar shouts from a little ways away. There are no markings on the ground so we have no idea where we’re supposed to line up. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

“What’s going on?” Avery asks, glancing up at the darkening sky above us.

“Oh, hell if I know,” Mar scoffs. “I just want you all over here, away from those idiots.”

Stifling laughter, we lean in close as she tells us, “Those girls in the blue are the newest to the nationals circuit. They’re from Jersey.”

We heave a collective, “Ooooh.”

Even still, I say, “Yeah, let’s just worry about Rosary and St. Thomas first and foremost. They’re not new, and they’re going to beat our asses again tomorrow if we’re not perfect.”

As everyone nods in agreement we hear the woman call out for all the teams to get into formation.

We pass by the next half hour by gossiping and stretching. While the other teams stretch on their own, in a disorderly fashion, we synchronize. That’s what sets the veteran teams apart from the newbies.

“Are we ready?!” A man yells from the very front. We’re last (which we always are because hey you always save the best for last, right?). So, we can’t really hear what he’s saying, we just know to follow the rest of the teams.

It seems like we wait forever after the two of them leave. Finally, the gates open.

Ash and I give the count and we march out there to do our thing. It’s a little different doing it at night, but we manage. The roaring of the crowds on either side of main street keeps us smiling. Also, the way Gabe and Marc are tripping over tourists bags is hysterical. I’ll have to ask if they’re okay later.

For now, it’s just smiles and dancing. Life feels so simple right now.

Seeing the castle all lit up, seeing the girls behind me when we do our spins, and hearing our marching mix playing in front of us just makes me all bubbly inside. I’ve never felt so happy in the most cliche way before in my life.

But then it’s over.

The ride back to the resort is quiet and reflective… but as soon as we’re back in the rooms it’s a completely different atmosphere.

“That was amazing! As always!” Sami yells, flopping face-first onto the bed.

Mel agrees, “Great way to go out… now are you guys ready for the real fun?”

Raising an eyebrow, I give her a skeptical look. “You’re really going to try that with paps following us everywhere?”

It’s tradition to sneak out and go down to the pool area. We’re here the same time as marching bands and sports teams, so we casually discuss late-night meetings over breakfast in the morning. Mel must have gotten the hook up this year.

“I got a baseball team, another dance team and a marching band,” she brags, stripping down to her underwear. When she grabs her bikini I know she’s serious.

“I… I’m sorry, guys. You go ahead. I’m gonna… stay here.”

“What?” Sami seems to forget about my celebrity status. She asks, “Why? The fences should keep the photogs out.”

“Should,” I emphasize. “And should isn’t good enough for me. Plus, Gabe and Marc are in the room beside us. They’re ex-intelligence agents, they’ll know if something is up.”

Not taking that for an answer, Avery and Ash both state in unison. “You’re coming with us.”

As I begin to protest, Ash grabs my yellow bikini from the rack in the bathroom and throws it at me.

Wincing, I insist, “This is a bad idea.”

“So what? You deserve to relax and have fun with people your age for once!” 

“I’ll do that at prom,” I remind them.

It’s still not good enough to make them stop. Avery practically rips my shirt off.

“Change now or I’ll pull a Garret and do it for you.”

I burst out with laughter at the thought of Garret fighting to get me into a bikini. If it’s hard to put me in an evening gown I can only imagine the chaos of him forcing me into swimwear.

“Alright, alright, but only for a half an hour. I’m heading back no later than eleven, with or without you.”

“But you can’t be alone,” Mel states.

Sami volunteers, “I’ll go back with her. My body isn’t used to being up this late.”

And so I reluctantly slip into my bikini and grab a small towel. We leave everything behind, just in case Mar decides to do a room check—and fashion miniature versions of us out of pillows and lumps of blankets.

I don’t know how that always works but it does.

Mel peeks out first, and gives us the okay. We slip out into the night, along with four junior girls next door to us, and head towards the staircase. Once on the ground, we make a beeline for the big pool in the middle of the place.

The closer we get the more teenagers I see. They’re all pretty quiet—because everyone knows that noise brings attention to us. Instead of partying hard, they’re chatting each other up and swimming around the pool calmly. Just like all the years before, we’re greeted with waves. The baseball team that Mel was talking about is the same one from the past two years. I recognize more than a few of the players—that I may or may not have kissed behind a palm tree.

This time the reaction when I go to join a group of chatty seniors is… really different.

“Hey, you’re Princess Anna, right?” One of the guys says. I can literally feel his eyes sliding up and down my body.

With a nod, I politely answer, “Yeah. That’s me.”

“Cool,” the brunette girl smiles. “How’s it going? I mean, besides the whole almost getting assassinated thing.”

With a slight laugh, I answer, “Besides that, everything’s pretty good.”

“You’re from East Creek right?” The blond beside her asks curiously, eyeing my engagement ring as I clutch the small towel to my body. I feel so out of place. Everyone else is so comfortable in their bikinis.

“Mhm,” I nod again. “And you?”

“Oh, St. Thomas.”

My stomach plummets and I force a smile. “Oh, really? I haven’t met anyone from your team yet.”

“Well, here I am now!” She jokes. “Looking forward to seeing your routine tomorrow—you guys always have the best mix CDs too, by the way.”

Before I can say thank you, a guy comes up behind her and steals her away. The same happens to blondie, which leaves me stuck with baseball guy. I don’t recognize him, so he isn’t one of the ones I kissed over the course of three years.

“So…. uh,” he attempts to start another conversation, scratching his head. “You’re uh… real royalty?”

Awkwardly, I reply, “Um, yeah. Yep, one-hundred-percent.”

After an awkward silence, he asks, “You know, you’re way prettier in person.”

With a nervous giggle and my face turning red, I say, “Thanks… you know, no one’s ever said that before.”

He looks surprised. “You’re kidding?”

When I shake my head he jokes, “Well, glad I’m the first to say it… wouldn’t mind being your first royal hook up, either.”

I can’t help but gawk. “Excuse me?”

Chuckling like what he said was nothing, he asks, “Wanna go find a palm tree all to ourselves?”

My eyebrows raise and I clench the towel even tighter. “I’m engaged.”

“And I have a girlfriend back home—anything else irrelevant you want to discuss?” He laughs lightly, genuinely taking this as a joke.

I glance around and spot Ash chatting away nearby. Using that as an excuse, I tell him, “Uh, no. Actually, I better go—.”

“You can’t seriously be that committed to a dude you just met,” his tone is dripping with annoyance. He’s mad I’m denying him. I’ve heard that tone before.  

Getting aggravated with his attitude, I answer back, “Yeah, I am.”

As I turn to walk away and join Ash, his hand catches my wrist. Pulling me backwards, he says, “relax, I was only trying to—.”

He doesn’t have time to finish his sentence. It seems like Marc comes out of nowhere, whacking the guy’s hand off me and stepping between us.

Great. If he’s here then Gabe isn’t far behind… and they’re probably not exactly happy with me right now.

“I’m gonna need you to take a step back,” he says, without a hint of grogginess. I guess he wasn’t kidding about being able to stay away for up to two days.

“Whoa, what are you her body guard?” The guy doesn’t seem to be taking this seriously at all. And now people are staring.

Marc snaps, “Royal guard to be more precise.”

Thankfully, the jock just walks away from this fight. Then, I face the wrath of Marc… in front of everyone. At least he keeps his voice low.

“What the hell were you thinking?” He hisses, adding, “Your Highness?” at the end to comply with protocol.

With a roll of my eyes, I give Ashlyn a hand signal—because she’s currently staring at me like the rest of her group—and start to walk away with him.

“Look, I’ll go back, okay? It was Mel’s idea.”

“And you listened to her?” He sounds pissed, but as usual he isn’t allowed to yell at me—unless someday I do something more terrible than this. Then, he has every right to scream.

I shrug, “Marc, I don’t know I just—it’s just—whatever. I was going to head back after I got away from that tool bag.”

“And if he followed you?” He poses a question that’s been in the back of my head ever since I started to think about escaping the conversation. The second he grabbed my arm I knew I’d have to stay close to the girls or receive an unwelcome follower on the way back to the suite.

“I don’t need the speech, Marc. I won’t do it again,” I reply to him like I do with mom when she gives me those kinds of speeches; in the same tone of voice. 

With a sigh, he seems to release the rest of his anger by stating, “You’re right. You won’t, because from now on one of us is going to be sitting outside your door.”

Great. Just fucking great.

----

Hey guys! :) as always, thanks for reading! Sorry if this chapter is a bit choppy but I had so many ideas I wanted to fit into one chapter **plus I might be adding more content in the next few days so keep checking back if you're interested** lol anyways, let me know what you think! I love love loveeee when you guys comment on what you like and don't like. It gives me something to go by for the next chapters.

The video to your right is of the Floyd Dazzlers dance team. I found them on Youtube and they're just amazing. Plus, they're green and white, so you can imagine Anna and the girls performing the routine. I have to admit I watched it like ten times just imagining them dancing to it haha so I hope you enjoy it as well!

The picture is my crappy photoshop of all the girls together. Ignore Ash on the far left. Her face didn't fit quite right lmao

Thanks again for all your votes, comments and for reading my story <3 I couldn't have asked for better readers! :D see you in a few days (as long as I don't get writer's block)!!