Two Worlds

"Do guys actually find girls wearing this attractive?" Amanda asked me, as she was holding up the dress I usually wear back at the palace. I chuckled at her amusingly, while reaching up to the top of my head to scratch it.

"I'm serious," She continued ranting. "Like... This is hideous. I'm sure you're gorgeous back there but I mean, if you wore it here - I doubt anyone would be over you."

"You know, it's a different century for a reason." I said, joking.

We continued washing the dresses that I had left in the backyard of my house. It was already May and it was a bright and sunny day. Also, it was super warm and it made me feel amazing.

I had invited Amanda to hand wash the dresses with me because it shrunk really easily in my regular laundry washer. So we set up a huge bucket of warm water and poured detergent in it, then wa la - We scrubbed all the dirt off with a metal sponge and we were having fun.

As I was looking at each of the dresses, I just thought about Robby the entire time. I smiled at the fact that we met. Smiled at the fact that we were actually together. Smiled at the fact that he actually had the same feelings that I had for him.

But thinking that we were so different made me frown every time.

"You do know you look mental just smiling and washing your dresses?" Amanda said to make me snap back.

I slightly chuckled at her, not saying anything further, then looking back down to hand wash my dress.

She continued to talk, "So... What's the deal with that Charlotte girl?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, throwing a fluff of soap into her face. I sighed, "I don't know. I believe him that there's nothing there, but it's not him I don't trust. It's the ancient Megan Fox, I don't trust."

She grinned at my Megan Fox comment and laid down my dress in the bucket full of water and detergent. "I know I keep repeating this, but you do remember when I said that Duke Robert was in love with someone in the palace, right? And I know it's probably going to end up being you."

I looked at her, nodding my head at the same time as she continued to speak. "Well, Duke Robert isn't like King Edward or Duke Richard. From what I've read about him and talked about with my mother, he's a very nice and sincere person. And I'm sure an ancient Megan Fox is not going to bring any of that down... Not matter how tight her dress was. Did you say you could see her butt clearly?"

I glared at her again and she began picking up the dress to wash it again. I sighed, "Not only her butt. Her boobs too, it was disgusting to see."

We started laughing when I heard the front door open for a few seconds. I shook my head to ignore it, turning back to Amanda.

"So the next time you go back, it'll be for a month, right?" Amanda asked.

I sighed softly, thinking that one month was too short for seeing Robby.

I smiled, replying, "Yeah. Around that."

"Wow," she said. "Time flies. I remember when I first knew about you going back in time. It was only October or November. Now we're done with school in like two weeks."

"I remember my first time too..." I started. "And I still got nothing."

"Like I said... You'll get there."

After a few minutes, I heard a familiar voice shouting, "Spencer! Spencer! Spencer!" It sounded like Scott. but why was he already back home?

"Spencer! I am done with school! Where are you?!" I could literally, hear the running in his yelling, then he opened up the screen door that led to the deck that we were on and stopped suddenly, looking at us like we were crazy.

Well, we were using buckets to wash clothes... Which is not every day.

"What... Are you guys doing?"

"Her form of laundry." Amanda replied instead of me.

Scott slightly smiled, leaning against the doorway. I noticed that he was holding a medium sized, white envelope in his hands as he was standing there.

"You're done early." I stated.

"Meh," He said chuckling. "My professor gave me a take home exam last week and the exam today was an online exam which took like, about twenty minutes tops. Sweet, huh?"

"Hmm." I said, accidentally getting a cut on my thumb finger. Scott continued, "So... Lookey what I have in my hands."

He held out the white envelope and I just gave him a puzzled look. I asked, "Is that your tax return or something? Why do you look so happy?"

"No. Much better than a tax return - Besides, that's Dad's job anyway." He replied, coming up to me with the envelope. I squinted my eyes to look at the left corner of the envelope, stating "The University of Cambridge."

My eyes grew when I looked at Amanda's direction who had the same face as me at the moment. She pointed at the envelope, "That was what my acceptance letter looked like."

"Obviously!" Scott exclaimed. "Spence, you're in. You're going to University of Cambridge."

It took a while for that to process in my head, but when it did - I immediately stood up, grabbing the envelope from him. I couldn't control it but I shrieked very loudly, pulling Scott into an extremely tight hug.

He began coughing, jokingly, while I was hugging him. "Usually when you get accepted to a college, you hug the envelope. Not the witnesses around you."

I let go of him, seeing his almost lit up purple face and turned to Amanda. She let go of the dress and we hugged each other extremely excited, not caring that detergent and water were going to get on our outfits.

"Okay. You are so going to be my roommate. No questions asked."

"Well, duh."

"Wait." Amanda said, while she stopped jumping. "When did you do your interview?"

"Last week-ish." I replied, thinking a little. She sighed, "I've waited four months for their response. You apply within one month and get accepted right away. I honestly envy you with a passion."

Amanda and I continued jumping up and down, then stopped when Scott clapped his hands together loudly. We both looked at him holding hands, when we heard a kid screaming nearby us.

"Heads up if anyone's there!!"

We looked around and a soccer ball landed in our yard, very quickly. Scott sighed, scratching his head, "Those kids never learn."

He slowly walked over to the backyard, picking up the soccer ball. When he touched the soccer ball, he randomly screamed, jumping back.

"What?" I asked, worried.

"Okay." He replied, frightened. "It is not every day that a soccer ball can shock you that hard."

"Why does everyone get electrified in that particular area? The last time the dude dug an electric shovel into the ground, blood came oozing out of his hands. It's weird."

Amanda slightly chuckled, "Well. If are spirits in your houses, maybe there are spirits under your backyard."

My head shot straight at her right after she that.

Spirits under your backyard.

Then my thoughts went straight to the guy who was doing our fence, when his blood dropped down to his hands into our deck. The stain was still there because we couldn't wash it off.

I'm not sure if Amanda and Scott knew what I was thinking...

But I think I just came forward to another step.



The next week in school, I saw that the top of Riley's nose had a really bad disgusting red colored cut and I closed my eyes at the sight of it.

The sight that I was the one who did it to him.

He sat down across from me, slowly... Enough for me to notice that his nose was in pain. I looked down, not wanting to make eye contact with him - afraid that he would be a little pissed.

He let out a sigh, beginning, "So... I don't exactly remember everything, but I got the memo that you punched me."

My eyes grew wide at him and I chuckled, nervously... "Umm, no?" I scratched my head, sighing. "Where'd you hear that?"

He just nodded his head as I looked down, pretending to write something.

Really it just turned out to be Robby's initials in a heart.

"Anyways..." He began, with a short pause in the word. "I heard you were accepted to Cambridge. Congrats. You must have a huge brain if you can get accepted to that school within a month."

I let out another nervous chuckle, not sure what to say to him.

We stayed quiet for a few minutes. Both of us writing stuff in our notebooks in an extremely awkward position.

I let out a soft sigh and I noticed that he began wandering his eyes around. He sighed once more, before continuing the conversation with me. "Listen... I want to confess something to you."

That sentence got my bent down face to look at him and stare straight at his nose. I never really knew how to look at someone straight in the eyes, so I tended to look at their nose to make it look like I was concentrating on their eyes.

"What's up?" I asked, casually.

He flipped his hair a little and grinned at me. "You probably know that... Ever since you came here... I've actually kind of, was mesmerized by you."

"As in?" I asked, wandering my eyes around.

"As in... I've actually had the biggest crush on you ever since meeting you."

I stayed a little quiet, letting out a little smirk.

Wow.

Riley and Duke Richard both have the same feelings for me.

Maybe I should've moved to England a while ago.

He continued chuckling, "So... I was gonna ask you out, but weird and strange events kept occurring to me. I can barely remember what happens to me at times, but I know they're odd and they happened."

"You're telling me." I replied back with a small laugh.

He reached out to grab my hand and held them. I jumped a little bit, as I listened to him to continue his conversation. He stuttered, "Umm... You... I... Umm... You are... An amazing person... Really... I'm glad that I liked you..."

"Liked?" I asked, with the face of confusion.

"Yes... That is past tense." He joked. "I used to like you. But seeming as all these strange things have happened during the past school year, I can obviously tell that you don't have any intension of wanting to be my girlfriend."

I looked down as I began to squeeze onto his hand more tightly. He smirked, "But I want you to be relieved and reassured that... My feelings for you at the moment, are completely friendship - wise. I'm not expecting you to be my girlfriend anymore."

Wow.

Riley really had the courage to say all of that.

I was super surprised right now.

I laughed at him, bringing my other hand to lay on top of his hand. I smiled, "You know... You and Amanda have been absolutely amazing friends to me and I want to thank you for all you guys have done. You guys have always been there for me. I don't think I can ever imagine going to college without you guys now."

He took his hand that wasn't on my hand and placed them on his chest. "I'm so touched."

I reached out to hit him on the head and he began laughing. His laugh decreased and he brought himself to a grin. "Thank you for being an amazing friend to me. I'm sure any guy would be lucky to be with you. I just happen to be the idiot who gave up easily. But... I'm not a fighter - so I'd rather not like anyone that has no chance of liking me back."

We pulled our hands away from each other and I sighed, slouching up my shoulders. "I can't believe we just told each other that in cafeteria study."

"I know... A very touching place to remember, eh?"

Wow.

Riley was such a sweet person without Duke Richard's evil... Spirit possessing him all the time. Come to think of it, I never really knew Riley deeply. I was super selfish to have been friends with him just because I wanted to get to know the answers.

Without Duke Richard inside of him, he actually was an amazing friend. And a really good person.

I should've taken more time with him to understand that.

We met eyes one more time and I just thought about one thing.

How to not kill Duke Richard back over in 1902.



This can't be real.

There can't be two pages left in this thing.

I've always thought school years have dreaded... Extended intensively... Super boring that I wanted it to be summer again...

But this year... Is so different.

I didn't want any of this to end.

Two pages.

If the last two pages don't have me figure out anything, I don't know what the point of even beginning the entire thing was.

If Duke Robert was really my soulmate, why couldn't we meet an easier way? Why did all of these spirits have to take me in time to meet this amazing guy?

Why'd they make my life even more complicated than it was?

I couldn't imagine the last time I can ever see him. What would we say? Just leave it at goodbye? Give one last hi-five and be done with it?

Questions filled my head.

Would he fall in love with someone else?

Would he meet anyone?

Will he be happy or sad that he won't see me anymore?

I want to know everything there is about him.

I haven't seen him for over a month and it has truly been killing me. But no one knows has an idea. I don't want them to suspect that I am absolutely dying to go back there, because they're all afraid I'm actually not going to come back.

I was home alone, staring down at the last two pages that were left in the diary. I opened and closed the diary back and forth because I honestly had nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon, by myself.

I must've been crazy right now... Because I was actually calling for Elizabeth to come out.

"Elizabeth..." I started. "Or Amelia... Or Valeria. Any of you. Please give me something that you're still around."

The house was silent for a few minutes, but then I heard an extremely soft thump nearby the kitchen. I looked over to see nothing so I sighed loudly. "Here or not... I'm talking."

I began smiling a little, before speaking. I sighed, "Two things: Number one... You guys are the best for taking me to see Duke Robert. I have officially fallen in love with him.

I stayed quiet for a bit, thinking about what I wanted to say. When I officially had a sentence, I immediately said, "And number two. You guys are also the worse because you made me meet Duke Robert. Because I'm in love with him."

Tears started forming around my eyes for the first ten seconds, then it lightly began falling down on my face... I could feel it dripping on my legs and I laid my head against my couch. I looked up at the ceiling, thinking about Robby the entire time.

A part of me says that I should seriously just stay in that time period with him so all the torture of not being with your loved one is gone. But the other part says that I must, must, must stay in this century with all my friends and family.

I really don't know which side I should listen to.

Life would be so easy if I could bring him into this century with me.

If that was possible... He'd be leaving behind his name of being a Duke, he'd be leaving his Uncle, he'd be leaving his Father, he'd be leaving his life as well I'd be leaving mine.



It was after my so-called, not-so-important high school graduation celebration...

It was after our dinner party at nine pm, when that sound came back to my head.

The sound of the doorway calling.

I had just arrived home when that sound called me. My foot had just stepped into the front when it came back in my head.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked.

I grabbed his wrists softly, looking down at the floor, making sure that the sound was real. I started smiling as it was getting louder and I began jumping up and down. "The doorway... The wall... The doorway..."

I was so happy that I didn't know what I was saying anymore. I was stuttering, screaming, exclaiming all at the same time.

Scott, Sam and Dad looked at each other for a while and I sprinted upstairs to get the duffel bag that I prepared a few days ago.

Yeah, I was that excited.

I prepared an entire duffel bag in case he would actually find his journal and write to me to come back.

I went back downstairs, hugging Scott a little... While the sound continued getting a little louder.

"I gotta go... See you."

"Next month?" He asked.

"Something like that. It's more than three weeks, that's all I gotta say."

He pulled me into a hug again and rubbed my head, "Gotta give me a longer one if we're not gonna see each other for a month."

I held out my arms widely at Sam and he gave me a disgusted look, so I was the one who pulled him into a hug myself. He groaned loudly while I just shook him around. He pushed me hardly and sighed, "Go already."

Dad stood there crossing his arms and smirked, "You guys know the next time I do go back, it's gonna be longer than this."

"Then hug your old man longer..." He joked.

We held out our arms for a hug and then Dad pushed my head after a full thirty seconds. I grabbed my duffel bag, hanging it over my shoulder than headed over to the basement door. When I looked back, they were already in different places of the kitchen... Seeming as if I wasn't going anywhere.

It didn't seem like I was going anywhere.

I was going to a place that was behind the wall of my basement.

I shook my head, heading towards the extremely bright basement. My head was starting to hurt a little so I stood in front of the wall, doing the old same routine I've done... Placing my heads on the wall, then flipping right back over in a split second.

When I was in the palace, I fell down on my butt, slightly groaning and complaining to myself. I began standing up slowly, when, turning around, Robby was standing there so still... I didn't even want to move a muscle.

We stared at each other for a good full minute.

It felt like we hadn't seen each other for ages.

But speaking of... Being away from someone you love for more than a month is an extremely long time.

Especially knowing that this is the second to last time I will ever come back to this palace.

All of a sudden, he walked up to me, pulling me into this big hug. It felt a little uncomfortable with a twenty pound duffel bag hanging on my shoulders. But I reached my arms up to the middle of his back, hugging him back.

Well, I guess I wasn't the only one who missed him terribly.



"What took you so long to actually find your journal? I told Duke Richard to hide it from you only for a month." I said to Robby, as we were walking outside the palace.

I had quickly changed into the same long sweater dress after hand-washing it and now Robby just took me to walk around the palace with him.

He slightly smiled, "You honestly figured that you can trust Duke Richard. Especially, if it involves you and I?"

"Hmm." I smirked. "Well, I thought he'd become decent after..."

I stopped a little, while thinking that it might have not been a good idea to tell Robby that I thought that Duke Richard was a good person. I sighed, "Nevermind. I've learned my lesson."

We stopped on a set of stairs and he flickered his top jacket up a little before sitting down on the steps. He grabbed my hand to make me sit down next to him and I took it, lifting up the bottom of my dress to sit down.

I stayed a distant from him on the steps because the dudes on the horses were sort of watching us... One, that shouldn't be happening and two, the dudes were just creepy.

He placed both of his arms on his legs and I just looked up into the gray-looking sky.

After a few minutes of silence, Robby started, "You're not frustrated at me about Charlotte, perhaps?"

I shifted my head to his right a little, but didn't say anything. I frowned a little, remember the fact that he was on top of her on a bed and she was screaming, "Robert! Get off of me!"

I sighed loudly, but didn't reply to his comment. He continued, "I keep my words. I did not touch Charlotte. I will repeat, she pulled me into the bedroom and I was completely unaware of it. On the bed, she would not let go of me and I was not able to get off of her. That is the truth, Madison."

I shook my head, standing up, shaking the dirt that was on the dress.

I wasn't mad at him, or angry. I just didn't know how to start this conversation with him.

How can I actually believe, after being kept up all of these years, he wouldn't actually look at Charlotte in a perverted way?

"We should go back inside," I stated. "The guys on the horses are starting to suspect."

I walked to the entrance of the palace for a minute and he ran up to me, standing next to me. He pulled something out of his pocket and just kept his mouth closed.

"If you're not going to forgive me anytime soon," He said handing me what I saw was my camera. "I don't want to forget to give you this."

He handed the camera to me and I slowly took it from him. I looked at him with a soft look, slightly smiling. "I'm not mad or frustrated with you..." I accidentally clicked the "play" button that was on my camera and it immediately turned on. I noticed that there was a video recorded and that immediately caught my attention because of the decorations of the palace.

"You recorded a video?"

"Pardon?" He asked, very politely.

I pulled my bangs out of my face, playing the video. I heard Robby's voice for a split second, putting the speaker part of the camera up to my ear.

Robby: Charlotte, you really need to stop coming here.
Charlotte: Are you afraid that Madison woman is going to see us?
Robby: Actually, yes. That's what I'm afraid of. You being here is making us more separated as is. I beg you to stop coming.
Charlotte: No... I'm going to do much more than just touch your arm, Robert.
Robby: Honestly, Charlotte. I see you as only a friend, nothing more. Please, stop trying.
Charlotte: What about our years in University? Did you forget all of them?
Robby: What did we do? We did nothing. I only walked you to your school building because it was I, who was being a gentleman. I offered you a shade to hold up during the rain, that's all. Why do you think so much of it?
Charlotte: Because I have been in love with you since the first day of seeing you. I've never stopped, even though we have graduated and went on with ourselves. I have never forgotten about you.
Robby: My apologies. But you were never in my brain to be forgotten.
Charlotte: Fine. Then my apologies for having to make you mine. And only mine.

Then the sounds of what Duke Richard and I were all recorded. The door opened and she demanded him to get in the room.

Robby sounded all confused and that was when Charlotte screamed.

He got the entire thing on video.

I saw the screen and it went on for twenty minutes.

I remembered before this incident, I had asked Robby to keep my camera for me because I had no pockets around my dress.

He must've accidentally pressed the record button not knowing that it recorded an entire video.

I turned off the camera right away, looking at his face. I put on my apologizing face and he slightly smirked, "That's a talented camera."

I know I was never really mad at him about Charlotte, but I was totally relieved that there was evidence on here. I looked at him again, blowing air into my mouth. I let out a breath and said, "So... What happened during the month of my nonexistence?"

"I called Charlotte a prostitute," He replied. "And she slapped me in front of all those servants, saying that Duke Richard was much better than me."

"Duke Richard? What does he have to do with it?"

He glared into my eyes, having a meaning to that stare. I blinked my eyes multiple times, gulping. "Charlotte was messing around with Duke Richard? Duke Richard messed with people outside of the palace?"

I looked back at him and he sighed, "I have stated before, Duke Richard has a variety of problems in his brain."

"That means... Messed up, right?"

"I suppose?" He replied.

Before he opened the door to the palace, he pulled me to to face the door and began whispering, "Our departure will start in two days. There will be an automobile picking you up first and then I will depart the day after that. Uncle Edward has already gone to his business so he will not suspect. Richard has been out of the palace for days... I suppose he is checking up on the house in Somerset to make sure everything is in place."

"What about your Dad?"

"Father doesn't care what I do. Does this plan work for you?"

I nodded my head, grinning. "Whatever it takes to help Elizabeth, Amelia and Valeria. Anything will work for me."

We met eyes and he smiled at me, pushing the door open for me.



At five o' clock in the morning, I checked both sides of the hallway making sure everything was clear. I stood poking my head out for about ten seconds, without hearing any clicks, thumps, or anything. I shifted the duffel bag over my shoulder, slightly closing the door and tip toeing on my foot.

I looked back at Robby's room all the way at the end of the hallway, seeing the door slightly open. I narrowed it to see if it was actually open, and there was a gap between the hinge and the door.

I tried ignoring and continued onto the stairs. I slightly walked down the stairs, straight towards the front door, and leaving the living room of the palace. I sat on the fancy, huge bench that was on the side of the door in the darkness.

There was only one guy on his horse that was way in front of the gates of the palace so I just sat there waiting for an automobile.

"Maddy," I heard a whisper from the side of the house. I turned my head to the left to see Robby poking his head out of the corner. I lifted up my duffel bag, walking over to him, as he disappeared back to the corner. When I reached to the corner, I saw a strange looking car that made me stop.

It was short.

Had huge wheels.

Was extremely square.

And it was just odd looking.

I coughed, "This is... a nice ride."

He opened the door for me and grabbed my bag, throwing it into the back... I'm guessing to next to where I am going to sit.

The driver was waiting patiently, just waiting for me to get in.

"This is Thomas. I'll explain how I know him when we meet again."

Thomas turned around to bow his head at me and I waved at him. I replied, "Umm... How can I trust him?" I lowered my voice a bit so Thomas wouldn't hear me.

"It's okay," Robby said, with a chuckle. "You can trust him. We have known each other for many years now."

I nodded my head, lifting up the bottom of my dress to get into the car smoothly. Robby held my hand from behind in the process, when I heard a familiar voice say, "Just where do you think you are departing to?"

My eyes widened, as I slowly turned around. Robby immediately let go of my hand as he turned around as well. Both of my legs immediately went back down on the cement ground, when I turned around to see...

Robby's dad.

Prince Alfred.

Oh, crap.

"Father." Robby began, with a little fright in his voice.

"Prince Alfred," I whispered.

Prince Alfred stood there extremely straight up, while Robby and I stood in front of him extremely crooked and looking down.

"Is Madison leaving for America, already?"

"No, Father," Robby started. "Miss Madison will be taking a trip to another province."

"Robert, son. You honestly are not aware of what I know, correct?"

Robby looked down, not replying so I did the same. Prince Alfred came closer to us and touched Robby's shoulders. Robby slightly jumped when his hands were on his shoulders and sighed loudly.

"Son... You do know the consequences of involving yourself with the case of Uncle Edward, correct?"

"I am aware, Father."

"Madison will be in danger. You know that, correct?"

"Yes, Father."

Prince Alfred's hands still remained on Robby's shoulders so I stepped up. "Prince Alfred. King Edward is doing a lot of bad criminal things... I can't let all those mistresses go through all that torture."

Prince Alfred's eyes leaped to me and I slightly looked down. He finally let go of Robby's shoulders and moved his arms behind his back. Standing like, an extremely formal Prince.

Robby and i had a glance of each other, from the corner of our eyes then we looked back down at the floor.

After a few minutes of silence, Prince Alfred sighed loudly. I looked up and saw him looking up at the sky.

"Make sure you're aware... All the time."

We shot our heads up and I looked at him, so confused.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Be careful. Edward is a dangerous man and who knows what Richard is capable of. The two of you promise me that you will be aware of all of your surroundings."

I took a look at Robby who slightly smiled at me, and I smiled at Prince Alfred. He nodded his head at me with a sincere face so I quickly stepped myself into the car. From the window, I heard Robby say, "Thank you, Father."

Robby and Prince Alfred stood next to each other on the steps, watching Thomas get the car ready.

I saw the two of their faces and I saw the resemblance of their father and son faces. They did seem to have the same face. They were both extremely handsome; Prince Alfred in the older version way and Robby in the younger way.

They were standing the same way as the car began moving. I sighed loudly, looking back at them, and they were just waving at me.

As we left gates of the palace, I sat back, relieved that I was finally out without King Edward or Duke Richard stopping me.

Let my journey begin.