Because We Were Different – Part 25

Hey everyone! I’m back with the next part of my serial story! And here we are with the plot twist I’ve been looking forward to revealing!

If you are new to my story, or want a refresher, you can click here to read the first part, or click the “short stories” tab at the top of the page to read all the other parts. I’ve made some improvements to the site, so hopefully it’s easier to navigate now! Thanks for checking it out, and I look forward to seeing your likes and comments! ~ Kay Leigh

Part 25

I set about gagging and tying Cadet Harden up, then glanced at the time on the clock on the Shiarizian colonel’s desk. Who knew when the colonel was to return from lunch, but it couldn’t be that long. I had to hurry.

I snatched the ring of keys and key cards from Cadet Harden’s pocket, then went about studying the filing cabinets. Each was labeled with a letter, and I thought back to the princess’ name. Nicolette Jaxon.

I unlocked the cabinet labeled J and rummaged hurriedly through it. There were several unique files concerning many high-ranking officials in the Shiarizian military, and I knew Remington would give his right hand to get a hold of these. I smirked as I bypassed them. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

My smirk soon faded, however, as I realized nothing about the princess — or the royal family, for that matter — was within. I’d have to try the Ns… and if nothing was in there, I’d just have to hide Cadet Harden and find another empty office to look in.

I hurried to the N cabinet and unlocked it, rustling through the papers as fast as I could. Na… Ne… Ni, here we go, Nicolas, Nicolae, Nicole… Nicolette! I pulled the file out, my heart pounding. Yes, this was Princess Nicolette Jaxon’s file! I flipped it open to reveal the same picture Remington had of her in his file. I scowled. Had the Shiarizians really not had enough time to get an updated photo of the girl? Would’ve made my job ten times easier. Now I had to look for the girl who was nearly sixteen using a picture of her when she was ten.

I scanned down the file, stopping as I read and reread the girl’s birth date, blood type, and her date of “disappearance”. Something was strange about it… I’d seen this all before, somewhere, somehow… and then it hit me.

Natalia’s portfolio.

I drew out the portfolios hidden under my shirt and opened hers. Yes, it was the same. Same birthday, same blood type. The only thing Natalia’s portfolio lacked was the date of disappearance… but the date of Nicolette’s disappearance was the exact date Natalia had joined the Kachinoan Military Post.

I didn’t know what to think. I felt like laughing — she’d outwitted Remington and the entire Kachinoan military splendidly with her story about being from Marni and color contacts — but I also felt sick. For years, my sister and I had been under Remington’s thumb; he’d been grooming me for ages to find and capture this princess, and here she’d been under our noses the entire time! I’d kill her myself if I wasn’t sure Remington would do it… or would I?

I realized my hands were trembling as I held the portfolios side by side. Maybe it was just a pure, sickening coincidence. Sure, I’d discovered Natalia was actually Shiarizian and not Marnisian, but maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t the princess. Maybe they just… were look a-likes. I couldn’t have been that fooled… I couldn’t have gone through all that training, all that suffering for nothing.

I flipped through Nicolette’s file, stopping as I came to a page which detailed out every single step of the princess’ “disappearance”. There were orders that fake IDs and proofs of Marni citizenship were to be forged… and then the king had given the order, sending her to the least likely place the Kachinoan Military would think to look for the Shiarizian princess… the Kachinoan Military Post… under the name of Natalia Atticus.