11. The Planning
When the call ended, none of the two girls said a word. The thought of being able to talk to the queen has not yet sank in to them.
"Oh my gosh… omo omo… th-that's the queen! The queen, December! As in the legit queen of our beloved country! Oh my… I can't believe you just talk to her… and she… she's you mom! Omo! I'm the best friend of a princess!" Jean squealed and paced around December's room.
December, on the other hand, is staring at the wall. Processing what has just happened, she took in a deep breath.
"Jean, please calm down," December said to her friend who is still pacing around. Just watching her makes December dizzy.
"Yeah, yeah. I should calm down. Yeah," Jean said and stop to take three deep breaths to calm her nerves.
After calming herself, she stared at December and sat beside her again.
"So this is what you want to talk about that requires privacy. But… how come none of us, citizens, know that the king and queen have two children. We all know that the royal family only have one child, and that is Princess June from our history class. How did you became their child?," Jean inquired in confusion.
"Well, the king said that I was kidnapped when I was a kid, and they thought I died that time. I am also not that sure since I cannot clearly remember anything from when I was 6," December explained and Jean nod as she is also aware of her friend's situation.
"Well, your life's quite a classic," Jean teased and remembered that her friend plans to have a vacation with their friends. "Oh, what trip were you talking about? Do you have any plans?"
December nodded and said, "I have requested from the king to give me some time to absorb the truth about my identity, and to have more time with you guys. I don't want you just simply leave all of a sudden for you to discover that I became a princess."
"Yeah, that's right. You better not leave without a word just because you're a princess already. I wll be really mad at you if you did that, but anyway… where will we be having a vacation?" Jean asked, excitement evident in her large eyes.
"The queen said that she will help us to have a vacation at the largest leisure park in our country that is owned by her brother," December said sheepishly and saw the stunned expression of her friend.
"Seriously. We're going to the Paradise!" Jean squealed again but December was able to hold her down.
"Don't be too excited! We are still not sure if my supposed uncle will accede. Let's wait for the queen's message. For now, you must help me tell our friends that we are planning to have a short trip when school break starts. I plan to tell them about my identity during the trip."
Jean nodded and regarded December's identity seriously. "But if you were really a princess who was kidnapped, and there's no news about it… that means that the culprit has not been caught yet. Your life may be endangered if your identity was announced."
December remembered the king mentioning that he plans to fetch her in secret to not alert the enemies who wants to harm her. She considered it carefully and decided to keep her identity as a princess hidden even from their friends.
"I take back what I said about telling my identity to our friends. Let this be a secret between us and Maria," December said and Jean nodded with a serious expression on her face.
"Yes, I agree. Now, let me call my mom to tell them I'll be sleeping over here. Good thing I left some of my clothes here in your room. We'll plan our trip and ask our friends to reserve the date," Jean winked at her and called her parents.
After a night full of fun and gossip, the two friends was able to finish an outline of what they will be doing in the Paradise, and also made a plan b if some mishaps happen.
The next day, December received a call from the queen to confirm that her "uncle" was happy to accommodate her request to have a vacation at his resort. So she and Jean gathered their friends together after school.
Their group is composed of 7 people. Aside from her and Jean, 3 of them are their batch mates and 2 are one year ahead of them which includes Eugene.
"So, Maria was finally generous enough to let you be on trip with us," Jessa teased while eating an ice cream.
December smiled and also ate a spoonful of ice cream. "Uhm… actually, Maria's coming with us."
"Yeah, I mean. Who would want to miss the opportunity to have a vacation at the Paradise. It is the most expensive park and only the elites can be able to access that. Tell me, Maria, are you an elite in secret?" Kristoff asked Maria who carries a plate of bread towards them.
Maria smiled at them and put down plate at the table. "I don't have money to afford the expenses brat. This vacation is sponsored by December's parents."
All of them, except for Jean was shocked at the revelation. They stared at December who is still eating her share of ice cream.
"You mean December found who her parents are?" Eugene ask after recovering from the shock.
"No. I did not search for them. They found me," December said and sighed. "I just found out recently so I requested to spend time with all of you before leaving with them."
"You mean, you are a daughter of a rich family? Your parents are elites?" Jessa clarified and suddenly understood why they can have a vacation at the largest leisure park in the country which only caters the elites and the royalties.
December just smiled and chose to not answer Jessa. That girl's a chatterbox who can spill every secret she knows if one ask her to do so.
The rest of their friends remained in silence since they noticed December's discomfort on the topic at hand. Eugene, being the oldest in their group decided to shift the topic about their itinerary for this vacation.
"We have one week left before school officially ends. So it's best that we tell our parents about our plan to get their permission," Mark, Eugene's best buddy said after they have finished discussing the whole plan.
The rest of them nodded. They were all not yet of legal age so they still need to inform their parents of the vacation trip they are planning.
They all said goodbye to each other and went on their own way home. December and Maria watch her friends walk out of the neighborhood.
"You should quit your job," Maria said when both of them cannot see the silhouettes of December's friends.
December agreed and they both walked to their rooms.
"Good night, Maria," December said and yawned.
"Good night, dear. Have a good sleep."