Write about a family attempting to hide their secrets from someone new

 “Johnny! Johnny! Come down here. We need to speak to you right away.” But Johnny is so preoccupied with his thoughts that he does not hear the voice of his mother calling out to him. “Am I invisible?” Johnny asks himself, as he stands in front of his bedroom’s window, staring at his reflection. “Why does it seem as if no one sees or cares about me?” Johnny continues staring at himself, tears running down his cheeks, as he begins reflecting on his life. If only he had someone he can talk to then he would not feel so alone. If only his parents can settle in one place long enough, then maybe he can make just one friend. But his parents change home so often; and are so busy with their jobs that they hardly spend time with him. In fact, Johnny feels pretty sure that if things continue like this, he will soon forget what his parents really look like. Johnny closes his eyes; breathes softly, while trying to picture in his mind, what his parents look like. Yes, he says to himself, they are slowly fading away. 

“Johnny!” What is this; is this his mother’s voice? Wow! Johnny cannot believe that his mind is so powerful, that he can hear his mother’s voice so clearly through his imagination. “Johnny!” That voice again. “Son, can you hear me?” This definitely is not his imagination. Johnny quickly opens his eyes and turns around. “Mother!” he whispers softly. Johnny stares at his mother’s face, as if seeing her for the very first time. As he keeps staring, Johnny realises that mother’s face is not at all what he had imagined just a few seconds ago. She looks older; her eyes are not as lively as they looked before; her face is leaner; and her hair looks thinner and slightly grey. Mother also appears a little stress. Is she working too hard, is she tired? Johnny continues starring at his mother and in a dreamlike state, his hand slowly reaches out toward her face. However, as he sees the confused look in his mother’s eyes, he quickly withdraws his hand.

“Come on Johnny, your dad and I need to talk to you right away,” mother states. A familiar feeling comes upon Johnny. He had heard this phrase so many times in the past and knows that something big is about to happen. Nothing good ever followed these words. Johnny feels as if his feet are barely moving, as he follows his mother. As they arrive downstairs, he sees his father pacing to and fro with a glass in his hand. Well if he thought that mother looks stress, then words cannot describe how his father looks. He definitely looks even more stressed out than mother. Father turns around and invites Johnny to sit. But it was always his mother who leads out in family discussions.

Johnny closes his eyes and anxiously waits for mother to begin speaking. She turns toward him and says, “Johnny, we got to get out of here. It is time that we leave this place. You need to start packing as soon as possible.” Johnny just can not believe it. He feels as if he is dreaming. Why couldn’t mother say something different such as, Johnny, do you like this place or would you like to remain here? Why is it always, “we got to get out of here?” Johnny feels as if he had never been given a say in the family’s decisions. He was always being told what he should and should not do, but had never been asked about his thoughts. As mother finishes speaking, the room becomes very quiet as the three of them sit there, staring at one another. Johnny feels the need to say something. He does not want to leave because he had just begun his new school and started to get attached to his teachers and class mates.

“No! I’m not leaving. Why do we have to leave mother, can’t we stay a little longer?” Johnny shouts. “No, we can’t. We must leave. If we stay, then our little family secret, will no longer be a secret,” mother replies. Johnny knows how important it is to keep the family’s secret, but cannot understand why they worry about it being revealed. Mother then asks, “Johnny do you know our neighbour Frank?” Johnny nods his head and mother continues speaking, “Well we found out that he has been asking several questions about our family and said that your father looks familiar. Johnny, you do know that there is a big reward out there for the person who finds your father, right?” That again! Johnny says to himself. He is beginning to get fed up with this excuse. Why doesn’t father just give himself up? Why does he want to be on the run forever? Johnny just cannot accept that they have to move again. Maybe it will be best if the “family’s secret” gets revealed after all. Then he will be able to have friends and live a normal life. All he wants is to be happy and to spend time with family and friends. Is this too much to ask, is he being selfish, doesn’t he deserve to live as other kids around his age do? Johnny wonders to himself, who exactly is being selfish here. Certainly it cannot be him.

After several seconds, Johnny continues speaking, “Well maybe father should think about giving himself up. Wouldn’t this make everyone’s life happier, how long can we keep running away?” Johnny sees the shock on his parents’ face. He knows that they are thinking that he is being selfish, but Johnny feels tired of running and needs to live as a normal family. Mother gently touches Johnny’s shoulder and says, “Son, I understand how you feel, but haven’t we already explained to you why this secret must remain with us? This decision was made by your father a very long time ago, and we must respect it. As a family, it is important that we stick together. Do you understand what I am saying?” Mother pauses, and there is a knock on the front door. “I’ll get it,” father states, heading toward the door. As father opens the door, Johnny hears Frank’s voice from the outside. Frank presents to father an old photo and asks, “Aren’t you King Edwards’s son? The person in this photograph looks just like you.”

Finally, the secret is out. Both Johnny and mother just sit there in unbelief, as father attempts to deny the claim. But Frank continues, “Aren’t you the son of King Edwards, who ran away from home many years ago?” Father surprisingly appears very calm, saying, “I’m afraid you have mistaken. I am not King Edwards’ son." Johnny knows that father is trying hard to protect his secret. Father was in fact the son of King Edwards, but he did not like the pressure and demands of living a life of royalty, which led him to run away from home as a little boy. After he ran away, mother’s family found and took him to stay at their house. Years after, he and mother got married and gave birth to Johnny. The King has been looking for Johnny’s father for years and in an effort to hide his identity, he changed his name and appearance so that no one will be able to recognize him. However, there is a huge reward for the prince’s return and over the years, many persons have been trying to locate father. In fact, this is not the first time someone approached him, claiming that he was the King’s son, but father has always denied the claim. Due to fear of being discovered, the family has been moving around for years.

Johnny and mother sit and listen to the discussion between father and Frank on the outside, hoping that father convinces Frank that he is mistaken. Finally, father walks back inside, closes the front door and states, “It’s time to get out of here. Let’s start packing.” By the next morning, the prince and his family vanished.