The Pharaoh's princess

Renee – POV The first day of senior year always came with a buzz—nerves, hope, dread. This year, I felt all three. I stood in front of my mirror, eyeing the girl staring back. Caramel skin glowing under morning light, long black hair straightened to perfection, and a hot pink top paired with sky-blue jeans. No makeup. Never needed it. The look said: confident, but chill. My new SolarSteps—black with pink lightning bolts—tied it all together. “Renee!” Great. Mom was in a rush again. I took one last glance at myself, checked my bag, and called, “Coming!” I’m Dominican. And I’ve always hated my name. Renee. Where we’re from, it’s usually a boy’s name. But my mom swears it came to her in a dream—said it felt destined. Whatever that means. Downstairs, Mom waited with her usual magic—Miranda, age-defiant and always glowing like she moisturized in moonlight. Slim, curvy, with a delicate nose and full lips. Her brown eyes sparkled when she looked at me. I got my caramel tone from her, though hers leaned more toward mocha. My dad? Gone. His choice. I’ve made peace with it, mostly. But it hurt. Not just me—he left my little sister too. “Let me look at you,” Mom said, spinning me around like I was still eight. I was taller than her now, but she didn’t care. “Bella!” she called, fumbling with her phone. “Coño,” she muttered, finally getting the camera app open. She snapped like fifteen photos in three seconds. “Mom,” I groaned. “Okay, okay—just one more. There. Done!” “Elena!” she yelled. Enter: my glitter bomb of a sister. Elena burst down the stairs in a tornado of pink tulle and joy. A sparkly StarFlare Clip perched atop her bouncing ponytail. Her outfit matched from head to toe, like she’d been styled by a magical fairy stylist. She looked more like our dad—hazel eyes, tan skin, chocolate-brown hair. But she was all heart. And sass. And somehow, one of my favorite humans. We finally piled into the car. The drive to school was mostly quiet. I had begged to ride the bus like my friends, but Mom wouldn’t hear of it. “You’re too beautiful for that bus. Someone might take you,” she’d said dramatically. But she wasn’t wrong. Girls had been going missing lately—mostly girls who looked like us. No one seemed to care unless the missing girl had blonde curls and pearl earrings. So yeah, I got it. She dropped me off first. “Good luck, mija,” she said, kissing my cheek before speeding toward Elena’s school. I turned to face Belmore High’s towering front doors, exhaled, and stepped forward. Annavi was waiting near the entrance, arms crossed. She was tall, tan, and her black hair always looked like it belonged in a luxury shampoo commercial. I straightened mine just to try to keep up. She gave me a once-over. “Why pink?” “You know it’s my favorite,” I grinned. We were mid-laugh when it happened. A boy walked past us. He got way too close. Paused. Stared at me like he knew me. Then—without a word—kept walking. Rude. But then I blinked. And his clothes—his entire look—changed. He wasn’t in stormcut shorts and a black Nightweave tee anymore. He was wearing a long white robe. Gold sandals. A headpiece like something out of ancient scrolls. I blinked again, and poof—back to the modern look. Like nothing had happened. “Did you see that?!” I gasped. “Yeah, what was his problem?” Annavi asked, annoyed. “Who even is that?” “No—I mean, his clothes. You didn’t see his outfit change?” She looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “White shorts. Black shirt. ShadowGlides. That’s it.” What the hell? Had I just hallucinated? “We’d better head to class, Renee,” she said, turning toward the building. I followed, my pulse racing. Something was definitely not right. Idris – POV First day at a new school. Yay. I’d spent the entire summer sulking about leaving Solterra for the Eastern Province. I thought Selmaris Bay was a city—turns out it’s a town the size of a cereal box. I really should’ve paid more attention in geography. To make it worse, I’d been having the same dream. Every night. A woman—maybe a princess—on the verge of death. Beautiful. Regal. Reaching for me with trembling fingers. “Find me,” she’d whisper. Every time, just before I woke up. In tears. I didn’t even know her. But I missed her. “Idris, get going!” my dad yelled. My mom had taken the car to work. Dad’s been a wreck ever since he lost his job. Back in Solterra, we had a real life. Friends. Family. My own room. Here, everything felt… wrong. I stood in front of the mirror and pulled off my durag. Waves? Flawless. Threw on my Nightweave tee, favorite shorts, and ShadowGlides. Slung on my backpack, grabbed my board, and headed out. School was close enough to skate. Inside, the halls echoed with laughter. Everyone already had someone. I felt like an outsider looking through a window no one knew was there. Then I saw her. The girl from my dreams. She was standing near the front, laughing with another girl. Not sick. Not dying. Alive. Radiant. Smiling. She was real. I couldn’t stop myself. I walked past her, trying to be smooth—but I got way too close. Her expression screamed what the hell, and I pretended I hadn’t just completely invaded her bubble. Then it happened again. The hallway shimmered. For a split second, the lockers were gone—replaced by carved stone and ancient pillars glowing with etched symbols. Everything flickered like candlelight. I blinked—and it vanished. I rubbed my eyes, shook my head, and kept walking. Man, I swear I’m tripping. And I don’t even do drugs