Chapter 3
Ellen
After a week of grumpy behavior and a horrible attitude, my mother decided that I would be punished. So, she sent me to the market with our cook, Brittany, to fetch the ingredients needed for the night’s supper. Without realizing it, my mother had actually just given me a gift, an opportunity to leave the walls of our home for a little while.
The walk to the market was very awkward as Brittany and I had never really talked before. I spent most of my time holed up in my room or in the garden, trying to imagine a place where I was happy. In an attempt for small talk, Brittany said, “Going to the market is my favorite part of the day. The colors, the smells…it’s just wonderful!” I could tell that she really meant it by the sparkle in her blue-green eyes. She really loved being a cook. I smiled. “It really does smell delicious. Do you mind if I take a look around?”
“No, of course not. Just don’t get lost!” she said with a wink. I headed off, wandering around the fruit stands. Yet again, I was daydreaming, lost in my own little world. But suddenly, a solid object came in contact with me, knocking me down to the ground. I looked to see a girl sprawled on the ground next to me, surrounded by pieces of fruit. Our eyes met for a split second before we both heard the shout of “THIEVES!” A very large man with a black mustache and a knife in his hand was pointing at us, a murderous look in his eyes. Without taking a second to rationalize and come to the conclusion that I, the princess, could get out of this situation without a hint of trouble, I got up and ran, pulling the girl next to me off of the ground, as well. We sprinted for what seemed like an eternity, but was nowhere near that, until we came to an alley. The other girl was ahead of me, and she ducked behind a row of barrels, motioning for me to follow. After a moment of squatting in silence, we saw a group of sellers, including the mustached man, trot past the alley with no idea that we were there. We took a few more minutes to make sure that there were no stragglers before we both stood up.
At first, I thought that I had hit my head. Surely something had happened, because what I was seeing was not possible. I was staring into the eyes of another, slightly dirtier, version of myself. Her hair was chestnut brown, wild, and wavy. Exactly how mine appeared in its natural state. Her eyes were hazel and framed by dark, long eyelashes. Exactly like mine. She had a slender frame and stood about 5’6’’. Exactly like me. “How…what…wh…who are you?” I sputtered out, mostly at a loss for words.
From the empty stare upon her face, I could tell that she was feeling as dazed and confused as I was. “Kellie James,” she answered. “Who are you?” After a moment of hesitation, I replied, “Ellen Thompson.” Taking in what I had just said, she said, “As in the princess?” I chuckled, nodding my head. “The very one.”
“Wow…” I felt her eyes on me again, although this time it seemed as if she was in awe. I never understood why people got this way around my family. After all, we really were nothing special. “Being a princess, well, it’s really not as wonderful as everyone makes it seem,” I said. “But what I’m curious about is how nobody ever mistook you for me. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I know that I am somewhat of a public figure…”
“Mistook me for you? Are you joking?” Kellie responded, her bashfulness disappearing. “I can see a slight resemblance, but look at me. I’m dirty, my hair’s a mess, my pants have a hole in them. To the common eye, we’re as different as night and day.” I could see what she meant. The average person wouldn’t see our similarities (rather exact alikeness) the way we did.
Since the shock had worn off, I remembered why I was in the alley with Kellie in the first place. I decided that being discreet didn’t matter so much anymore. “So, why were you stealing fruit back there?” She sighed, a touch of red appearing on her cheeks. “Well, I’m not in the best of situations right now. I’m living in a place with a bunch of kids my age, and we don’t have the money to afford food. None of us want to steal, but we just have no other way.”
“You’re living without your parents?” I asked, basically ignoring the theft. “Yes, but not by choice really. In my case, my mother and father were killed four years ago. I had nowhere else to go.” Immediately, I felt embarrassed and apologetic for seeming so excited about the prospect of no adult supervision. “Kellie, I’m so sorry to hear that. Really, I am.” She smiled, a slight shine appearing in her eyes. “Me too. I miss them dearly. Sometimes I just wish that my life was different, you know? To be honest, I’ve always dreamed about being a princess. I guess that seems sort of silly.”
“No, it really doesn’t,” I responded. “I think I can relate to how you feel in a way. I’ve been stuck my whole life in a world I don’t want, a place that I don’t fit in. Sometimes, like today in the marketplace, I wish that I could be someone else, too.”
And just then, as I spoke those words, a grand idea popped into my head. “What if we could have a different life, at least for a little while? Wouldn’t that be great?” She nodded in agreement, obviously not catching where I was headed. “What if your dream of becoming a princess could come true?” Finally, it hit her. I wanted to take her spot and she could take mine.
A brilliant smile flashed across Kellie’s face. “If that happened, I would never stop smiling.” We both laughed. “Of course,” she said, coming back to reality, “it could never be a permanent switch. Someone is bound to realize who we really are sooner or later. Or who we aren’t.”
“Yes, I suppose that it would be only a matter of time. But we could prepare ourselves, learn about each other, so that it would last as long as possible, right? Give each other a crash course on the lives of Kellie and Ellen.”
“Princess Ellen? Where are you? Princess Ellen?” A voice floated down the alley, coming from the street to the left. It was a voice I recognized as Brittany’s. “That would be our cook,” I said in a hushed tone. “I came with her to the market. She’s probably worried sick. How about we meet back here tomorrow at the same time so we can finalize our plans and prepare ourselves?” Kellie nodded, ducking behind the barrels as the footsteps appeared to be right around the corner. I dusted off my dress hurriedly, setting off to the left. I walked out of the alley and Brittany saw me, a wave of relief crashing over her. “Princess Ellen! There you are! What happened to you? The market ends far back there.”
“I’m so sorry Brittany!” I apologized. “I was just lost in thought and then actually managed to get lost. Thank you for finding me.” She wiped her brow with a handkerchief. “Will you please promise me to never do that again? If I hadn’t found you, Queen Jessica Marie would have surely had my head!” I smiled, saying, “I’ll try my best,” knowing perfectly well that the next day would consist of wandering off, as well.
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