Deep Truths...

Chapter 22

My heart is actually legit racing. My mind is blank and I am speechless. I pick up the note and look at it again. 

"You'll never know..." 

I can't believe this. My sister. My one chance and I lost it. Some stupid, stupid moron idiot person just took my file and left this piece of crap here. I am so...angry and upset. I flop down on the bed, and stay there for a while, tears silently making a river down my cheeks. This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Ok, that's a lie. But it certainly is in the top 5 category for worst things in Alice's life. And then my mind wanders to the book about Estonia's royal family history, and I need to read it. So, forcing myself, I get up and walk over to the door. I don't bother telling the guards where I'm going, and they don't ask. I walk to the library and find the book exactly where we left it. 

I sit down and pick it up. There are lots of things explaining things about each generation of the royal family, but that just looks and sounds boring. I'm looking for like, a family tree or something. And then I find it. It is very big and well-done. I see Queen Ama and King Aidan, I see my father and my mother, Mary, next to him. Then I see us. Noah and then Alex, and then me next to them, underneath my father. But that is not the thing that sends my mind into a frenzy, and my heart spinning out of control. I drop the book and run to Sarah's boutique. Because that's whose name I saw next to mine, 'Princess Sarah Lockwood. Younger sister to Princess Alice Lockwood. Full vampire and living in Vampire city Estonia. Age, 17.' It couldn't be. Sarah is my...my sister? My best friend and my saviour...is my sister? I can't believe it. It just can't be. 

I arrive at Sarah's and am about to knock when I hear voices. I lean closer and hear Sarah's voice...and my father's?! Or..our father's? 

"...how can I be her sister?" I hear Sarah exclaim. " I'm not a princess, I'm a dress designer. And there is no way we can be related!" 

"Calm down Sarah, there is. Your mother and I decided to hide it from you both until..." 

"Until when?" I hear Sarah ask.

"Well, until never," My father replies, barely audible. I have to strain to listen. 

"WHAT? WHY?! WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW! How could you keep something like that from us? Does Alice know?" 

"Well, I gave her a file to read, but then I talked to her mother(WAIT, how does he know mom is here?!!!!) and she said that both of you can't ever know. So I had Bilkits go and take it from her. He found it under the pillow."

"But-but WHY?!" Sarah exclaims again.

"It's not because we didn't want to, it's because we weren't allowed to," My father says.

I hear Sarah scoff. " And who said you weren't allowed to?" 

"King Aidan..." 

"WHAT?! WHY?!!" 

" I can't tell you-"

"So why did you then?"

"Because Aidan said that we had to because on Alice and Noah's wedding, you need a drop of blood of every family member, and if yours wasn't given, then the wedding would not proceed; it would be invalid. And so we had to tell you. I wanted to tell you together but-"

"But?"

"But then if we told you together, you would both act unreasonable and you wouldn't believe us."

"Oh really?" Sarah drawls out sarcastically.

"Yes, and please, Sarah, take this seriously. You are going to be announced as princess on the 11th of December, so you had better accept it by then."

"Or what?"

"Or, Alice will not be able to wed Noah,and he will forever be without a mate."

"OMG...this is unbelievable!!!I have to talk to Alice. She'll tell me I'm dreaming." Sarah says. 

"Sarah, this is quite real, and I haven't told Alice yet."

"WAIT WAAAAAAAT? WHY?" 

"Because she was busy with her tour and needed the rest. And you had to be told first any way. And before you ask why, I don't know, Aidan told me I had to inform you first. Though I suspect it was so you could help Alice to believe she has a younger sister.Alive and well."

"I don't really believe it myself right now..." Sarah says.

"But how did it happen? Why were we separated?" She asks.

"It was when Alice was just two years old, and your mother wanted another child, a sibling for Alice. So we tried and then she got pregnant. King Aidan found out and he was angry because he wanted Alice for Noah, not you. We knew you were a girl beforehand. Vampire thing. Any way, he didn't want Noah to marry you because I had promised my first born to his first born son. Any second daughter marries the first son of another family. It is a tradition. So he ordered us to hide you the day you turned one. Alice never saw you because your mother was sent to Estonia to look after you there. The day you turned one, she left you in the care of her most trusted friend and left. And then I got called back and your mother raised Alice all on her own. Luckily, I got to see you often because your mother's friend lived in Estonia, in one of the villages. I watched you grow up and everyday, I wished for you to one day meet Alice, and I hated the king for what he had done to us. And then I found out about your mission, and I was over the moon. You would meet, but you would never know the truth. That was a bit sad to know. And you became so close and your mother and I were so happy. And then Alice came here, and you know the rest."

"And who raised me then?"

"The woman who got you this job anyway, and Alice's aunt. The one she's never met. But you have. You just never knew.

"Eladora Nightingale,"

I hear Sarah gasp as the door suddenly swings open and my dad stands in the doorway, smiling(?!) at me. 

"Alice, just the person I wanted to talk to. Why don't you come in. I need to talk to you, though I half suspect you've been listening to my conversation with Sarah... so you may have a vague idea, I presume."

I gulp the same time as Sarah's face pales, and she faints.