We Lost Ourselves

Piper sighed as she walked into the airport and ran her fingers through her hair. Her father had sent her here to marry a prince whom she had never met. Not only was she mad, but she was also very afraid. what if he was old, a jerk, or just plan weird. Odds were he was going to be a huge disappointment or she was going to be one to him. Piper jumped slightly when a man in a suit came up to her and took her bag. "I'm hear to take you to Prince Thomas." He said, "You are Ms. Jackson correct?" He asked. Piper nodded then followed him to the black Mercedes outside.

A few minutes later they were pulling up to a huge castle. She was actually amazed at how beautiful it was. She had enjoyed the ride there because the town was also beautiful. Piper stepped out once the man opened the door to be greeted by an middle aged woman. "Oh you are even more beautiful than i thought you would be." She said as she hugged Piper. Piper let her arms slowly hugged the lady back as a reflex. She stepped back and realized she was standing in front of the queen. "Oh you are going to be amazing for Thomas i just know it." She said. "Come inside so you can meet Henry and the everyone else." She said. Piper let the lady drag her along and then heard the huge doors close behind them once they were inside.

Piper looked around the huge entrance in awe at how amazing everything was. She looked over when she heard the lady yell for Thomas. "I'm Marie by the way and this is Henry." She said as she introduced a much taller man. Piper shook the mans hand then looked up as a younger man appeared at the top of the stairs. He was way more handsome than Piper thought she would get. Piper swallowed hard as he walked down the stairs towards her. He carried himself with such elegance that she felt intimated by him. When she heard Marie's voice introducing them she let her hand take his as it was offered to her. "Hi." She said softly. She really didn't know what to say to him. After all what do you say to the man that you were suppose to marry in less than a month?

---

Tanner sighed as he walked down the stairs and looked for his jacket, "Emily have you seen my keys?" He yelled to their housekeeper. He was relieved when he turned and saw the lady in front of him with the keys in her hands. "Oh thank god." He said as he snatched them from her hand. Tanner walked out of the house just as he saw Mia walking up the driveway. He knew she was Emily's daughter and he only spoke to her on rare occasions. Honestly Tanner felt like he was better than them, but he wasn't suppose to say that. He sighed as he walked to his car then got in, peeling out of the long driveway. He had places to be right now and he didn't have time to stare at the young girl.

[Sorry Tanner's post is short i couldn't think of anything XD]

@ momentai.

(No worries~!)

To say that Thomas was looking forward to this meeting would be beyond incorrect. He was pissed that his parents had gone and set something like this up. An arranged marriage, of all things! Didn't they know that he wanted to be his own person, to make his own choices, and to fall in love and marry on his own? Apparently that didn't matter. All that mattered to his parents were their decisions and he couldn't help but wonder if that was how their parents had been. It would make sense, he decided, since his parents were so strict. Hopefully it wasn't hereditary - he didn't want to be strict and boring. He wanted to rule the country in his own way.

When he heard his mother call for him, a quiet sigh escaped his lips. This was it. He had to meet his betrothed and he wished for nothing more than for something terrible to happen right then and there that could get him out of this mess. Perhaps that was something awful to wish for, but he couldn't help it; he wasn't really fond of being ordered around. He was the prince after all; wasn't he supposed to be the person to orders others? Of course, they were his parents, so he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Pushing the thoughts aside, he made his way downstairs, barely acknowledging the girl he was introduced to other than to shake her hand.

He ignored the way his mother glared at him, knowing she probably wanted him to be more polite, to kiss her hand or something of the manner. Maybe if he made this girl hate him, though, then things would work out for the best and he would be free of this entire thing. But the manners of the royalty line he was from was too deeply ingrained in his system, causing him to greet her with a simple, "Hello."

---

Mia adjusted the beanie on her head as she looked around. In honesty, the Evans family bought most of her clothes, because her mother could barely afford making the house payments, much less buy new clothes for her every year. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were rather nice, in her opinion, but she almost disliked the pity that they showed for her. But, then, there was their son, who clearly thought he was better than her and her mother. The very thought of it made her curl her fingers into a fist because egotism was worse than pity, in her opinion.

She tried not to think too much over the matter - especially since she could see Tanner wandering towards his car. An expensive car at that and she found it kind of ridiculous. She wasn't jealous of their money, no. She just found it incredibly worthy of disbelief that Tanner would throw away his money on a car like that - not that it didn't look nice, but there were so many better things to spend money on. Not that he would know any of that, because he usually didn't pay attention to too much besides himself - or, that was her opinion, anyways.

Consumed with her thoughts, she almost forgot that she had to head to a job interview. Her family needed the extra money and she couldn't afford to be late, not when that would give off a bad impression. She was in such a rush that she rushed out into the street to get to the bus stop without really paying attention to what was going on around her.

Piper could feel his hate for her as he held her hand. She pulled it away from him, then laced her fingers together in front of her. She looked over as Marie started to talk again. It seemed like she was the one who did most of the talking in this place. "So take tonight to get to know each other because the rest of the week we are going to be super busy. Tomorrow night is the charity ball and the next day we have the garden party." She said. "Piper i already have your closet filled with clothes so feel free to take a look at them." She said. Marie looked at her son, "Thomas, take Piper to her room." She said, giving him a look. She wanted her son to make the best of this.

Piper sighed as his parents left them alone. She felt really awkward with him right now and she wasn't sure what to say. Piper crossed her arms as she followed him up the huge staircase to what she assumed was her new room. It was huge compared to her room back home. She looked back at him, "You don't like this either." She stated. She ran her fingers through her hair as she waited for his response. She could tell how tense he was.

---

Tanner turned the wheel quickly when the girl rushed in front of him. His car spun and smacked into a pole on the other side of the street. Tanner rubbed his head and then felt the anger in him boil. He got out of his now ruined car and glared at Mia. "What the hell are you doing!? Look what you've done!" He yelled at her. He wasn't at all concerned about her at the moment. He rolled his eyes as his parents came out along with her mother. "Your child ruined my car!" He yelled at her mom. He glared over at Mia, "How do you expect to fix this? We all know damn well you can't afford it!" He spat. He crossed his arms as his mom tried to calm him down. "This is what happens when you let these people near our house mother!" He yelled.

@ momentai.

Thomas watched the girl idly, mildly surprised that she didn't like the idea of getting married to him. Every woman in the country would love the idea of marrying him, a prince, a royal. And she didn't? It didn't make much sense to him, but he shrugged the thought away. There was no reason to think too far into the matter when they didn't have much of a choice otherwise. "No, I suppose I do not," he told her firmly, his tone as formal as it would be if her were meeting with his father's royal council. If he didn't at least try to seem pleasant, his mother would likely have his head.

He wouldn't put it past the woman, either. As elegant as she was, she had quite the violent side when she wanted to - not that she had ever laid a hand on him or anything, but he saw how she used to be with some of the servants. She wasn't like that anymore, though, thankfully. "I'm surprised to hear that you don't like the idea of it, though."

---

Mia cringed at his yelling, holding her arms over her face as if she expected him to hit her or something of the sort. That was usually what angry people did. "I didn't mean to!" she immediately defended, "I've just... I'm going to be late!" She anxiously looked back towards the bus stop, chewing on her lip. "I can't be late, so please just... Be quiet already! I'll find some way to pay you back!" She hoped so, anyways, but how could she when she doubted she'd make it to the job interview on time?

Looking up to her mother, she couldn't help but notice the disapproving look on her mother's face. Still, the woman tried to calm her by wrapping her in a hug and drawing her close. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" Emily asked, concern now on her features as she checked her daughter for injuries, thankful to find none.

Piper was looking out the window as he spoke, then she turned to him. "Why should i be happy about the fact that i was practically torn away from my family, friends and everything i know?" She said. Sure she was at least going to try to make the best of this because that was how she treated everything in her life. She bit her bottom lip lightly, "I'm sorry." She said softly. She didn't mean to make herself sound so miserable. She was though and she felt like lying to him to start with would not help. She sighed when she heard his mother calling for them, "Didn't she just say she was going to leave us alone?" She told him, a small smile playing on her lips.

---

Tanner frowned, "Who cares about her!? Look at my car!" He yelled. "You are going to pay for this!" He yelled, not caring that he was making a scene. Tanner glared at them once his mother told him to go inside. "I'd start looking for a new maid!" He snapped as he walked back towards the house. His mother sighed and looked at the two girls, "Are you okay Mia?" She asked softly. She knew her son had quite the temper and could say awful things. She looked at Emily, "Perhaps you should take the rest of the day off." She said, looking over at her husband who was calling someone to come get the car.

@ momentai.

@ momentai.

(Sorry, I thought I replied to this that night before I passed out. I guess I never actually posted it. x.x)

Thomas was, at least, glad to know that he wasn't the only one who hated this entire thing. He decided against mentioning anything further on the subject, though, figuring that she had said enough for the both of them. Turning his attention to the door, he frowned at the sound of his mother's voice. "I'm not too surprised that she's already being a bit..." he trailed off, unable to think of a proper word, and sighed instead, shaking his head. "Well, she tends to think only of herself." With a shrug, he headed out of the room first.

---

Mia cringed as she listened to all of Tanner's yelling and looked down. She was a little thankful that Tanner had left and she chewed on her lip and nodded to his mother's question. "I'm fine," she murmured quietly before lifting her gaze and trying to offer a smile, but failing to manage one. "I really didn't mean to cause any trouble. I'll just head home," she informed them, knowing that her mother would refuse to take the rest of the day off. Their family needed the money, after all.

[That's okay :)]

Piper walked out of the room and followed him. She bit her bottom lip lightly when his mother started talking about all the things she had planned for the week. IT seemed like a very busy schedule and all Piper wanted to do was sleep. She was surprised she had planned a party for the night so Piper could meet people. She didn't know if she was ready for one of those balls or whatever they were. She watched as Thomas's mom placed her hands on their shoulders, "And just pretend to like each other." She said.

---

Tanner awoke the next day and walked downstairs. He got himself something to eat, ignoring Mia's mother and her in the kitchen. They just seemed to always be around anymore. He looked out of the window, taking a sip of his coffee. He walked out of the kitchen then sat in the den and ran his fingers through his short hair. He wanted to just take everything from those girls.

@ momentai.

Thomas frowned at the mention of it and sighed, shifting away from his mother's hand. "We don't even know each other. How can you expect us to manage to pretend to like each other?" he said simply. He didn't wait for a response, though, before he went to head to his room. He figured he might as well get himself ready for the entire night, since it was better than listening to his mother ramble.

---

Mia watched as Tanner left the kitchen, rolling her eyes slightly at the fact that he was ignoring hers and her mother's presence. She had already apologized, so she felt no guilt for what happened anymore - or, not much anyways. She was still fairly upset about the fact that she had missed her job interview, though.

Piper looked at his mother when she said to go get ready. She walked up the stairs to her room then started to get ready looking at the dresses she had to choose from. She was glad she had some help. Piper finished getting dressed then looked in the mirror at herself. Piper bit her bottom lip lightly when she heard a knock at the door, then looked over when his mom walked in. Piper walked out when it was time for the party then frowned when his mother pushed her into Thomas slightly. She didn't like being forced to be nice to each other. It was clear he didn't want her.

---

Tanner smirked when he thought of a way to have Mia work off his car. He walked outside to find his mother and gave her the idea. Tanner walked into the kitchen and looked at Mia. His mom sighed, "Tanner has a way for you to work off the car." She said. "You will be working for him for now." She said. Tanner smirked as he crossed his arms and watched her reaction.

@ momentai.

Thomas took his time getting ready before he made his way down the stairs - only his mother had different plans as she had dragged him to Piper's room. He wasn't too surprised when his mother pushed Piper into him and he barely refrained from frowning before he turned away. "Let's go," he said simply before he led the way downstairs.

---

Mia could honestly say that the entire idea wasn't what she expected. And it definitely wasn't something that she liked. "What?" she asked, flabbergasted byt he announcement. "You want me to work for him? He'll make me do ridiculous things, just to get back at me, though." She frowned, narrowing her eyes at Tanner.

Piper sighed when followed him down the stairs and when they opened the doors and she saw the party she wanted to disappear. There was way to many people around them and it made her feel intimidated. She felt his mother push her into Thomas again, this time Piper put her hand out to stop them from colliding, "Sorry." She whispered. She looked up at him and their eyes met. She hated that his mother kept shoving her around like she was some kind of rag doll.

---

Tanner smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, "Nonsense i'm too wonderful for that." He said, laughing. He couldn't wait to have her at his beckon call. He watched as everyone left, "So Mia what should we start with first?" He asked.

@ momentai.

Thomas wasn't sure whether it was his own annoyance or the fact that he found it rather rude for his mother to be shoving Piper into him. "Mother, stop pushing her around," he said simply before he sighed and looked down at Piper. "Don't be afraid to be a bit assertive with her. Considering that we're supposed to marry, you have every right to tell her when to stop doing something."

---

Mia frowned as she stared at him. "Maybe get you a girlfriend so that you'll be too busy to bark out orders?" she suggested casually, though it didn't stop her from rolling her eyes. "Though anybody willing to date somebody like you would have to be pretty desperate - or just money hungry."

Piper nodded, "Well i don't exactly want her to hate me." She said. She watched as his mom left them alone and then looked at him. "So what exactly do you do at these parties?" She asked. She felt like she was some kind of show for everyone to watch. Piper bit her bottom lip lightly as she looked around.

---

Tanner glared at her, "that's really nice of you to say Mia how about you go clean the garage where my car use to be parked." He ordered as he crossed his arms. He followed her to the garage then sat in a seat as he watched her start. "Man this is nice." He said as he put his feet on one of the steps.

@ momentai.

"Socialize," Thomas said simply before he turned his attention ahead, his eyes searching the area for a moment before he sighed. "It's honestly fairly boring, but most of these events are." He lifted his shoulders in a shrug, not bothering with keeping to the usual proper etiquette. His parents were forcing him to marry; he figured he had a right to act as he pleased.

---

Mia scoffed lowly in response and rolled her eyes. "And if I throw a few greasy things at you, it will be entirely your fault," she hummed out before she moved to get started on cleaning. "If you think hard labor bothers me, you'll be disappointed. I'm not bothered with grease and dirt, sorry."

Piper watched him, "You really don't like me do you?" She asked. He made it painfully obvious that he didn't want to do any of this. "Also if you end up like seriously hating me does that mean i will get to go home?" She asked. She had a ton of questions that she wanted answered.

---

Tanner smiled, "Yea but it just amuses me how quickly you poor people follow commands. Like if i were to offer you a thousand dollars right now you would probably jump as high as i say." He said, laughing. He knew it was mean, but that was how he dealt with stuff.

@ momentai.

Her questions surprised Thomas quite a bit and the young man turned his attention down to her. "Like you? It's not that I don't like you. I just don't like being forced into something when I haven't met you before today," he told her bluntly, though he wasn't sure how to answer her second question, so he kept quiet.

---

Hearing what he said made Mia scowl before she turned to face him. "You think money matters that much? I'm not doing this for money, you idiot. I'm doing this because I owe you and I don't plan on having to be indebted to you forever," she pointed out. "If you want to be honest, rich people rely more on money than poor people do."

Piper looked at him, "Yea well i don't really want this either." She said softly. She walked away from him and went to get something to drink. She sighed as she drank her champagne. She knew this would never work because she wasn't good at getting use to new people. She never had been and she hated this. Piper took a sip of her drink as she watched the crowd.

---

Tanner laughed, "Oh please you are just as focused on money." He said. He stood up and watched her, "It just so happens that you don't have any." He said as he crossed his arms. "No matter what money makes the world turn sweetheart." He said.

@ momentai.

Thomas watched her leave before shrugging his shoulders. Deciding to leave her to her own devices, he went ahead to wander around, greeting a few people, thanking them for coming, the usual things. As long as everything went normally, he could relax sooner.

---

A bitter laugh left Mia's lips and she approached him, glaring up at him. "I'm not focused on money. The only reason that I worry about money at all is because my family needs it. You, on the other hand, love to toss it around without a care," she said simply.