Chapter Twenty-Seven: Not Our Parents

                                    

                                          
6th of January 2004 - Marlborough College
                          
"Who would play you in a movie about your life?" Nick asked leaning back in his chair, his knee bumping into Adeline's while she finished off the chapter that she had been reading; they were seated in the library which was mostly empty. 
                          
The school year had just started up and with the holidays over, the two had taken a moment to meet up before classes started and catch up on some homework that needed to be done. 
                          
"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it?" Nick teased crossing his arms, his blue eyes watching her curiously while she closed the text book that she had been reading. 
                          
It was not a question that she had ever really had to consider, she doubted that she would be more than a footnote in history compared to the highest that her eldest brother would reach when he became King. 
                          
"I haven't done anything worthy of being in a movie," Adeline replied shrugging, she doubted that she would be remembered as anything more than Diana's daughter and her identity would not matter much. 
                          
Her children might hold the title of Prince and Princess but after them the titles would fade away depending on who they married and where they finally ended up in the line of succession. 
                          
"You're a Princess. Daughter of the heir to the throne. Daughter to possibly the most famous woman in the world. You are always going to be someone," Nick told her with a frown on his face. 
                          
There would be movies about her, about what she had overcome and whatever she did in her life; people talked about her as if she were the second coming of her mother sometimes. 
                          
"Does it bother you? The comparisons? Them expecting you to be her?" Nick asked reaching to the pen that lay on the desk and staring at it while he fiddled with the lid. 
                          
He stared down trying not to catch Adeline's eyes, this certainly had not been what he had wanted to ask instead of keeping the conversation playful he had asked something that exposed himself. 
                          
"Sometimes. Sometimes I wish that they could see more than her shadow. Sometimes I wish that they could see me," Adeline whispered softly, she might have only been sixteen but the comparisons where there as well as the ever-present expectations that she be like her mother before her.
                          
"I wish that too. People expect me to be like my dad. What he was like before..." Nick mumbled under his breath, his words making Adeline frown but she didn't say anything; he never talked about what was going on at home. 
                          
Despite how curious Adeline was on the matter and why he was missing school so much, she had not wanted to push him wanting Nick to open up in his own time. 
                          
Looking up at Adeline, he hesitated for a moment as if considering telling her what was going on; he was almost surprised that the teachers had not told anyone since they all seemed to know what was happening. 
                          
"My dad's sick. Like really sick and I miss school to look after my younger brothers and sister," Nick admitted quietly, he didn't want anyone to know and hadn't felt like he could talk to his friends since they wouldn't understand. 
                          
He knew that his father was dying and while his mother could not seem to accept that nothing more could be done for him; she was doing everything in her power to try and keep him alive. 
                          
Adeline opened her mouth to apologise, her mind racing with words that might comfort Nick but she stopped herself; she was sure he was tired of the sympathy and pity that he got. 
                          
"What are they like?" Adeline asked sure that if they were anything like her brothers then he would probably have his hands full. 
                          
The look of relief on Nick's face at her words made her feel relieved that she had stopped herself from saying that she was sorry; she remembered how annoyed she had felt at those words that would not change what had happened to her mother.