Royal Ransom Read Online Free PDF Page B

personal.”
    â€œOh … certainly … frightfully sorry,” she said, and backed away.
    I typed in the remaining three digits, hit Enter and the Internet screen appeared.
    â€œHere it is,” I said. “Do you want me to find you the—”
    â€œThat’s quite all right. I can take care of things,” she said. She pushed in close, practically pushing me off the chair.
    â€œI imagine we should feel grateful,” her brother said. “When she’s chattering away on the Internet, at least she’s quiet.”
    I watched as she flashed from screen to screen. It certainly looked as though she’d had a lot of experience on the computer.
    â€œShe’s headed to her favourite chat room,” he explained. “She likes it so much because some of the kids she talks to are even bigger losers than she is.”
    â€œDid I not tell you to shut up, Andrew? Even if my friends are cyber-friends, that still makes them more real than any friends you have.”
    â€œI have friends!” he protested.
    â€œYou only have people who pretend to be your friends because you’re royalty!”
    â€œAnd do you think your friends are any different?” he demanded.
    â€œMy cyber-friends don’t even know who I am,” she argued. “I am anonymous. As far as they’re concerned I’m just plain old Torie and nothing special.”
    â€œWell, I’ll agree with that. You are nothing special,” he laughed.
    â€œBe quiet!”
    He turned to me. “Some of these kids she talks to don’t even have a life. They spend practically every moment of their lives on-line.” He turned back to his sister. “Tell Leslie to get a life!”
    â€œYou leave poor Leslie alone!”
    â€œIs she on-line now?”
    She didn’t answer.
    â€œIs she?” he asked again.
    â€œYes, she is, but don’t you go making fun of her. What with her delicate condition and all the trips to the hospital, what else can she do?”
    â€œYeah, right, and you believe all that. You don’t know that she’s been sick. You don’t even know that she is a she! For all you know, your poor sick Leslie could be a forty-four-year-old man!”
    â€œEven if she were—and she is not—at least she is nice and kind. She has been so interested in everything I have talked to her about, even this trip. Not like some people I know.”
    â€œThat just shows what a loser she is!”
    â€œI just wish she were here instead of you!”
    â€œFinally we have something we agree about!” he said. “I wish she were here instead of me too!”
    â€œAnd I wish that for just once in my entire life you would mind your own business and button your lip!”
    She turned around and went back to clicking away at the keyboard. The Prince came and sat down beside me on the bed.
    â€œDo you two always argue like that?” I asked.
    â€œNot always. Sometimes we really fight.”
    â€œMore than this?”
    â€œThis is nothing! If we all go away on this trip for five days I am certain that you will see much, much worse than this.”
    â€œExcuse me!” Princess Victoria called out. “My friend Leslie wants to know if we will be going through rapids. She has always wanted to go through rapids.”
    â€œUm … I don’t really know … maybe around some, but we’re probably heading east first, and there’s none in that direction for a long while.”
    â€œThank you,” she said sweetly, and she turned back to the computer.
    I didn’t know for sure, but I remembered that Ray usually headed that way when he had inexperienced paddlers or small children. The longest stretch of flat water and fewest portages were in that direction.
    â€œWhy are you telling her anything, anyway?” Prince Andrew asked. “We’re probably not even going.”
    â€œWe are going.”
    â€œDon’t lie