Sarah Michelle was a Princess. Not a make-believe princess like the kind you find in books or theme parks, but a real live princess descended from a long line of notable royalty. She did not like to advertise the fact that she was nobly born because it caused her friends in school to tease her ceaselessly about being “stuck up”. Her entire family had to leave the kingdom of Moranovia because of the tiresome feud between the members of the royal line and the young and newly elected members of the Moranovian legislature who declared the tiny country was no longer a Monarchy.

It was not like during the French revolution when the gentlemen and ladies of the aristocracy suddenly found themselves in prison and in danger of losing their heads. No, in Moranovia, it was a one-way ticket to some other location far away from the daily routine of Moranovian life.

Sarah liked living in Atlanta. She was happy with the many different shopping malls, the entertainment centers and especially all of the friends she had made in school and her secluded little neighborhood. She had a younger sister called Natalie who was also a true princess but not next in line of succession like the eldest born child. Her younger brother was interested in race cars and games of all sorts and he was called Jack. They were happy to be a family together but Sarah was totally devoted to sports of all types. The thing she hated the most was to hear someone say, “Girls don’t do that”. When she heard those words, it was like a challenge to her to be different and do it better than silly boys.

Even though she was a recognized princess, Sarah liked to be treated just like everyone else. She loved to play almost any sport and was much enthused about both running and swimming.

One day her running coach remarked it was a shame they did not have a young girl to help out with the discus and shot-put events. Sarah decided to give it a try and was amazed that she was able to throw the heavy weights further than many of the boys. The more she practiced the better she became with the weights and the technique that she needed to improve her distance.

Sarah was blossoming now and would soon be 15 years old. She was beginning to think that 15 was a very difficult age to be. It was so important to do well in school and she wanted desperately to succeed on the field when she had to represent her school with the running and the field events.

Life was beginning to unfold in front of her eyes with the many possibilities and different roads to be traveled. Her parents and her coach and all of her teachers tried their best to explain to her the many opportunities open to her. There were so many different choices that sometimes she felt a little confused with how to make the right decision. She knew that if she listened to her mom and dad, she would probably arrive at the place she wanted to be quicker than any other route.

She was interested in boys but was quite mystified at how their minds worked. It seemed like they came from a different planet sometimes and the only ones who really understood her other than her own family were her girlfriends who had many of the same interests that she had. It was so much easier to talk to girls instead of boys because she felt that they always were listening and not just concerned with talking about themselves.