The Switch

Anger

Lots of angst in this chapter

*Raina's P.O.V*

I was unsure how to feel for the next couple of days. I desperately needed to ask Anastasia some questions but I couldn't slip away. Mother spent most of her days with me, working on schoolwork with me. I had tried to get out of it and only received trouble for my actions. Apparently hiding her reading glasses just meant she would read without them and that meant she got a headache which made her temperamental. I only did it once and promised to never repeat the experience.

I finally managed to slip away, three days after I had found the room with the cribs and the photo of the queen with the babies. Mother apparently had to plan a ball and I had a gap between when she left me alone and when Catiline was supposed to come. The gap was only five minutes but I took the secret passages to leave the castle.

I had gone back to the room after having my minor panic attack and had taken the photo, wanting to use it to show Anastasia so I could get an answer for what was going on. I fiddled with the edge of the photo that was tucked into my sleeve as I walked, taking the back alleys to avoid any guards.

As soon as I got to the stables, I ducked into the tack room. I changed into a set of old clothes I had stashed in there before setting myself up by the window near the back. I always took the back path to the stable and had shown Anastasia how to do it and she had taken to doing it as well.

I frowned when I saw Anastasia emerge from the back path, a few guards surrounding her. She shouldn't have guards right now, what was going on? I ducked my head down, hiding behind one of the shelves as I waited for her to come into the tack room. It took a couple minutes before she entered and went to get her tack stuff. I frowned as I moved to the door and leaned against it, making it click close quietly.

"Why do you have guards right now?" I questioned quietly as I looked her in the eyes, a small frown on my lips. "What secrets are you keeping from me?" I asked with a frown. Anastasia spun around to face me and I saw her lips part as she tried to answer me.

"I haven't been completely honest with you about the whole switching thing," Anastasia said after a moment, making me roll my eyes. That was obvious, she had been surrounded by guards and dressed in her normal royal attire which was the farthest thing from what I would wear. "I never actually switched lives with you, I've been at the castle the entire time. I've just been staying in a separate wing from you," she answered.

"Your parents know then don't they? That's why they called me Raina a few times," I said quietly as I looked down, glancing at her as I slid down the door. "What else have you been lying to me about?" I questioned.

"Yeah, yeah they know," Anastasia answered honestly. "They've known about you since I've met you," she admitted. "There's more to what's going on then you know," she said. I pulled the photograph out of my sleeve and held it out to her.

"Something like this?" I questioned as she hesitantly took the photo from me. She looked at it before nodding her head.

"How'd you get this? Did you go to the nursery wing?" Anastasia questioned quietly.

"Accidentally," I said as I shrugged my shoulders, looking at her for more of an explanation.

"One of the babies in this photo is me obviously and the other is my little sister. Her name was Reign," the name rolled off of Anastasia's tongue with ease. "Ray was her name for short. She was younger than me by 3 hours. We were together until we were seven months old," Anastasia said quietly. "My mom had taken me out of the room where we slept to the room next door so she could sit in the bed and allow me to nurse. All of the sudden there was a loud crashing sound and within seconds of the nursery being checked, she was gone," Anastasia whispered as tears trickled down her face.

I frowned softly as I listened to her, my stomach dropping at how heartbroken she sounded. It was clear Reign was a sensitive topic but I needed answers as to what was going on, I had to have them no matter what.

"I grew up hearing about her and it was widely assumed she was dead," Anastasia said as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "But then one day, I thought about the possibility of her being alive. Alive and in the kingdom because what better place to hide her right under her family's noses when they went overseas to try and gather allyship to look for her? And then I met you...and there was just no way you weren't her. We're not exactly identical because you look a bit more like dad and I look a little more like mom but there's no way you just happen to look so similar to me and also be the same age," Anastasia admitted quietly.

"So what was with the lying about switching then? Why did we go through all this trouble if your parents knew all along? Why lie to me?" I questioned as I stared at her, feeling a wave of anger wash over me.

"They wanted to get to know you and we thought it would be the best way to get you in the castle where you would be safe," Anastasia admitted as I started to pace back and forth, needing to move to process this information.

"You should have told me, I had every right to know," I said as I glared at her, a frown on my lips.

"We were afraid that we would scare you off, that you would be overwhelmed," Anastasia admitted. "I didn't want to lose you as a friend either," Anastasia said as she tried to hold my hand to comfort me.

"Don't fucking touch me," I jerked away, my back hitting the wall. "What makes you think I want anything to do with you? Why would I remain friends with someone who lied to me throughout our entire friendship?" I questioned as tears blurred my vision.

"Please Raina, I couldn't bare the thought of losing you as a friend but I also just wanted my baby sister," Anastasia sobbed out.

"I've known your entire family for like a week before I found out the truth. How long were you going to keep this all a secret?" I questioned as I stared at the ground, feeling like the carpet had been pulled out from underneath me.

"No one thought you would find out. We all thought we could tell you in a couple months once you got to truly know everyone," Anastasia said as she sat beside me, looking at me sadly. "Thought it would be less overwhelming for you," she stated quietly.

"Go home Anastasia, tell your stupid family that I know about them and your tricks," I whispered as I glanced at her. "I want nothing to do with any of you, I want to go home," I said.

"You can't go back to those horrid people you were with before, they were the ones who took you from us in the first place," Anastasia said as she stood up in alarm. "What if they take you away again?" she questioned, her eyes widened with concern.

"Where else am I going to go? You think I want to go back to your home after all I've found out," I questioned as Anastasia paced in front of me. "What am I supposed to do?" I questioned.

"We could not tell them you found out," Anastasia said as she crouched down in front of me, a gleam of an idea showing in her eyes. "Go back and continue as you were, you can see that I'm truly being honest with you about our intentions of just wanting you safe with us," she stated.

"Why should I believe what you say? How do I know you won't run and tell them?" I questioned as I frowned. It would be nice to know something that they didn't and to truly see their intentions while now knowing the whole truth.

"I swear on my life and upon the entire kingdom that I will not tell anyone what you have found out," Anastasia said as she held out her pinky to me. I looked at her and saw the sadness that rested deep within her soul and impulsively wrapped my pinky finger around hers.

I couldn't truly be angry at her, we were both only 14. My anger was solely on everyone else in the whole family. They had used Anastasia to build this closer relationship with me just so they could have their other daughter back. Maybe Anastasia hadn't realized that yet but I had and I was angry with them for it. We were both kids, they were the adults who should have done something to get me back.

"No more secrets 'stasia," I whispered as I looked her in the eyes.

"No more secrets Ray, I promise," she agreed as she slumped down next to me, resting her head on my shoulder as she wrapped her arms around me. Her hold was tight and her body shook with soft sobs escaping her. "I won't do anything to lose your trust, I want to be your friend above all else from now on," she admitted quietly.