"Celeste, are you ready to go?" Mom asks as she starts up the car. She and Dad decided that they no longer wanted to stay together and they told me that I was going to be living with Mom from now on. I had packed my things and Dad helped me load my luggage into Mom's car. Dad quickly went back into the house after that, he didn't want to talk to Mom at all. I get into the car and fasten my seat belt. 

"I know things are scary right now," Mom says as she begins driving to our new home, "but its for the best, OK? Everything will be alright."

"Mm." I nod. Mom's right. There's nothing to be scared about. My best friend told me so anyway. I met her a few weeks ago on a shopping trip at the hypermarket. 

"You're very brave." Mom pats me on the head fondly. 

"No, not brave." I murmur while hugging my best friend who sits on my lap. 

"Is that the doll I bought for you the last time?" Mom raises an eyebrow at my best friend before she goes back to concentrating on the road. 

"Princess." I smile, "Princess knows many things. She'll protect us and make everything right." Of course I don't tell Mom that I had known all along that we would be moving out from the house. Princess told me about it the day we first met. 

Princess knows many things. 

"Sure she will, Celeste." Mom shrugs in reply, "You want me to get Princess a castle once we settle into the new place?"

I shake my head, "Princess doesn't need it. Princess says money is tight and I shouldn't make trouble."

"Oh Celeste." Mom sighs and puts a hand over her mouth. The drive continues in silence, except for the whispering of my best friend in my ear. 

.....

Princess had a secret. A secret that she could tell no one else other than me. She was the best mage in the world, but had to hide herself because of a bad man called the Tyrant. The Tyrant attracted other bad men to him, people who liked to steal, to cheat and to hurt others. The Tyrant liked these kinds of people because as the most evil of all the bad men, the Tyrant could bully and rule over them. Together, these evil people hunt Princess, forcing her to hide. 

That's why Princess approached me at the store and asked me to hide her in my home. I am not a bad person. I am a good girl. That's why Princess trusts me. And why I will not betray Princess because I am a good person. And good people don't hurt their friends. Not like bad people. 

Not like the Tyrant. 

Friends help each other. Princess is my friend and I help hide her from the bad people. I am Princess's friend, and she shares her magic with me. Princess told me that as long as I pray to her, she can hear me and help with my problems. Problems like Mom and Dad not staying together anymore. 

Why are there problems in my life? Why is there unhappiness in this world? I asked Mom this question one day and all she did was start crying for no reason. Mom didn't know anything, but Princess had the answer. I should have asked Princess from the start. 

Because Princess is so smart.

Pain, unhappiness, its all caused by the Tyrant. The Tyrant likes good people to be unhappy. The Tyrant likes good people to suffer. If he could, the Tyrant would just kill all the good people in the world, so that he can hang out with all his evil friends and do evil things all day, everyday. But the Tyrant can't do all that, because Princess keeps fighting back whenever she can. And I can help Princess out by praying to her. 

I can do my part to save Mom and Dad from the Tyrant. 

....

"We're here Celeste." Dad tells me as the car pulls up at Unity Academy, "Plenty of rich kids at this place, mind yourself."

I hold Princess tight in my arms as she sits on my lap. Dad frowns as he glances unhappily at Princess. I feel a wave of annoyance rising at him. Why doesn't he show some gratitude to his benefactor?

"You're not a child anymore." Dad reprimands as gently as he can, "Don't you think you should put your dolls away?"

Ah, of course. I had made a mistake. Princess told me that we had to move more cautiously from now on. I should not openly hang out with her. I quickly open my bag and allow Princess to hide herself inside. 

"That's better." Dad sighs in relief, "You know that I'll be leaving for that new job overseas soon right? And your Mom will be joining me. If there's any problem with staying at the dorms, call us. You remember the number we gave you?"

I nod, "I'll be fine. I'll be making lots of new friends here anyway." My eyes suddenly widen as Princess urgently whispers in my ear. A boy walks past the car towards the Academy's main entrance and I can't help but stare at him. He's the one. The one that Princess kept telling me about. The one who needs to be saved. 

"Uh huh." Dad goes back to frowning, "Your Mom and I will be in touch. Regularly in touch. Remember. Behave."

.....

The bad man is outside the dorms. 

Princess told me that he's the Tyrant's friend. That he likes to hurt people. The bad man is here because the Tyrant wants to corrupt Tensei and to put Ken in his place. Bad people have their own hierarchy. Ken thinks that he is at the top of that ladder, but he's wrong. He's nothing compared to the Tyrant and the bad man. I'm scared. I am scared because the bad man is hurting Ken's gangsters right now. If he finds me, if he knows that I am the Princess's best friend ...

The bad man will kill me. I know this. I know it deep in my heart. 

That's why Princess taught me how to hide, to prevent anyone from discovering our relationship. I no longer hang out in public with Princess. Instead, I have rented an apartment of my own with the money Mom and Dad send me. My allowance is huge and my parents are doing well, thanks to my best friend. The apartment allows Princess to hide and have her own space. We spent several weekends decorating the place. It looks awesome now, a real castle fit for a real princess. 

But I cannot show this castle to any of my friends. Like Princess says, I must make myself as small as possible, so that the Tyrant cannot see me. If the Tyrant thinks I am beneath his notice, I will be safe for that much longer. Safe to continue helping Princess and to protect Tensei. 

The bad man ignores me. It worked. I did it.

.....

It no longer works. Everything is going wrong. 

The bad man has been rampaging up and down The City. Its all over the news. Tensei has been corrupted, betraying the hearts of so many of our friends. Making myself unnoticeable is no longer enough. Princess is hurt, she's losing her fight against the Tyrant. I need to step up, even if it means attracting the attention of the bad man.  I may be weak, but I can still shoulder some of the burden for my best friend. 

And so I pray. As Tensei sleeps in the hospital, surrounded by his Uncle's guards, I pray for his safety and salvation. Day and night, I stay at Tensei's side to keep him safe. I do this because Tensei's a good person, I know it. His heart is pure and gentle. Completely guileless. He just needs to be given a chance to live free from the Tyrant.

The bad man is growing more daring though, I sense his presence, lurking just outside of the building. He's still scared of Princess, but sooner or later he will break in here. I pour every drop of strength I have into my prayer. Princess, please, protect us, protect Tensei. Keep him safe. The drain is enormous, I have never felt so tired before, but I keep at it, feeling the bad man trying to run away. That's right, run away, run far away and stop bothering good people!

A gunshot from somewhere outside is heard as the bad man's presence retreats into the distance. I slump from my chair by Tensei's bedside and collapse on to his hard, muscular chest. Fatigue spreads throughout my body, leaving me limp and weak. Tensei gasps in surprise, completely bewildered by the sudden gunshot while the battle butlers take up protective positions around the bed. 

"What's going on?" Tensei asks, mild panic in his voice. 

"Mm." I murmur, "Its fine. The bad man is gone now." 

"Bad man?" Tensei asks, sounding confused. 

"Hey, stop talking about that." I say gently, "Stroke my hair, OK?"

"Alright?" Tensei complies and his fingers begin running through my hair as requested, "Why though? Its so unlike you Celeste."

I huff as my arms wind around Tensei's body, "Girls can be strong, but we really hurt on the inside. Remember that. Irene, Sera, Kira, they may smile, but its smiling while holding the tears in. Treat them well from now on. Can you promise me that?"

"How about you Celeste?" Tensei asks, "Do you smile on the outside and cry on the inside as well?"

"Me?" I smile regretfully, "I met you on the first day I arrived at the Academy. Did you know that?"

Tensei freezes and shakes his head. 

I push myself up from Tensei's chest and return to my former sitting position. I squeeze Tensei's hand and I feel his body tense. Why though? Sometimes this kind of stuff gets so confusing. 

Well anyway, squeezing Tensei's hand is what Princess says is the best thing to do. 

And Princess is really smart.