Page 1 of Reign or Shine

Chapter One

Ellie

Iknew they were desperate when they called me. I wasn’t anyone’s definition of a princess. No matter how much makeup I applied or which wig I was forced to wear, I could never get it right. It was going to be a role I’d struggled to play.

So to be here, hustling down the long hotel hallway with my arms full of tulle, bags of fabric and fake hair, was really saying something. Blowing a fluffy scarf away from my sweaty face, I strained to see over my collection of stuff. I was hoping to hear the chaos of the other party princesses, but the floor was absurdly quiet.

Maybe I was the first one to arrive? Seemed a bit strange, but I did like to be punctual.

This party was a big deal—or so I had been told repeatedly by my friend Tallie. This was a princess party for an actual princess. It was mind-blowing…and a little weird.

When I thought of a princess having a birthday party, I didn’t imagine them surrounded by happy, singsong, cartoon-inspired, pastel-wearing women. But then again, kids are kids, and they’re going to like whatever the heck they like.

I’m beyond thrilled that singing isn’t part of my role here today. I was called in only because half of Tallie’s staff had come down with a spring flu thanks to a Moana-themed party last weekend.

Turning the last corner, I give a sigh of relief when I see a man in a black suit standing at the end of the hallway. I’ve finally arrived. Thank goodness. My arms were about to give out under the weight of this costume.

I was under strict instructions from Tallie to get to the suite that had been booked for us, get dressed and wait for my prince to show up. Well, not my prince per se. But the prince who was hired for today’s birthday. I would be one of three (fake) princesses at the party but there would be only one charming prince.

This is not my first stint at being a fake princess—Tallie has blackmailed me in to two previous parties last year. Her confidence in me is nice, but misplaced.

“Hey. Hi. Hello,” I say to the man-statue by the door as I approach. “I’m Ellie. I’m here for the prince and to get ready for the party.”

His eyes flick to me. I get the oddest sensation from the slight incline of his brow that I’ve somehow surprised this man, but the feeling quickly passes. We stand, staring at each other, neither one of us backing down or blinking.

Unsure if I’m waiting for him to grant me approval or if he’s waiting for me to carry on, I continue to stare up at him. When our silence goes from funny to awkward, and I’m about to burst, the man puts me out of my misery and nods.

I’m a sweaty mess by this point, and he continues to take pity on me by turning and opening the door. I give him a strained smile and a little curtsy—I’m getting into character!—before throwing myself across the threshold and dumping everything onto a huge armchair.

“Oh sweet relief!” I laugh, shaking out my burning, tired arms.

That’s when I see it. The bed.

Giving in to a childish urge, I take off in a flash, running and diving onto the semifirm mattress of my dreams. The oh-so-soft sheets flutter around me and I starfish, taking up as much room as possible on this dreamlike cloud.

I really, really wished I had enough time to nap. Or even just chill here for a little while. This was nice. But, a princess’s duties were never done. I needed every spare minute before the party started to get ready and into character.

Reluctantly, I pushed up from the bed with a dramatic sigh. Rolling my head from side to side, I took in my surroundings. It was a pretty sweet setup. The suite was huge.

Due to the high-caliber guest list, security was over-the-top. I’d had to complete a background check last night even to be allowed within a mile of the hotel. The checkpoints just to get in here had been extreme, yet I understood why they were necessary.

The only part of the hotel that didn’t have security measures was the elevator. I was able to hop right in without anyone stopping me.

But, like, yeesh. It was a lot.

Even this suite was part of the security measures. We had to get ready at the hotel and not at home so that the media wouldn’t catch on. Tallie’s words, not mine.

Catch on to what I had no idea. Was it a surprise eight-year-old’s birthday? Was that a thing?

Shaking my head to dislodge all my weird thoughts, I drag my feet back to the armchair and start sorting through the costume pieces. Every time I temped for Tallie, I thanked my lucky stars that I wasn’t cast as one of the core four classic princesses.

There’s no way I would be able to pull off Belle’s huge ball gown or Cinderella’s grace and melodic laugh. Instead, I was happy to put a five-pound wig on my head and twirl barefoot as Rapunzel.

I also didn’t have to layer loads of makeup on my face to play the part since I was naturally tanned from the sun and had a smattering of freckles across my nose and cheekbones. I only had to accentuate my green eyes with liner and add some sparkle before I was ready to party.

“One layer, two layer, three layer, four,” I sing off-key to myself as I begin laying out the stages of my costume. I hated long silences. Needing something to distract me, I dig my phone out of one of my bags and hit my “Mood Boosting” playlist.

As Dwayne Johnson’s voice begins to sing to me, telling me “You’re Welcome,” I serenade him back. I wasn’t a good singer, in any sense of the word, but that didn’t mean I didn’t sing. I loved to sing. I just kept all my concerts within the privacy of my room or the shower.

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