by Laura Burton
We take a few moments to sit quietly and sip our tea. The hustle and bustle of traffic outside reminds me that the world is moving on like nothing spectacular has happened. But my world has shifted. When I woke up this morning, alone in my apartment, I had no idea I had a sister. In fact, I thought I was going to spend my birthday working at the…
“Oh no, I’m late for work!” I burst out, nearly dropping my mug. Prim dabs the corner of her mouth with her handkerchief again and shoots me a quizzical look.
“I’m terribly sorry, I shouldn’t have taken up so much of your time.”
We both rise to a stand at the same time, and she follows me into the hall as I gather my keys and phone, stuffing them into a purse. “Do you want to walk with me? The ice-cream parlor is just a few streets away.”
Prim follows me out into the street, and she looks around at the old buildings in wonderment as I lock up my apartment. “Didn’t you say you needed a favor?” I ask, zipping up my purse and heading down the sidewalk. Prim hums and clasps her hands together but does not answer.
“You said it was urgent?” I press.
One stark difference between Prim and I: she seems to run on another speed as I do. It’s as if she doesn’t know what it means to be in a hurry. If I had just turned up on my long-lost sister’s doorstep, I would have shared my entire life story with her by now. But Prim is surprisingly tight-lipped.
We catch a break in the traffic on the street and I have to grab her elbow to hurry her along just so she doesn’t get hit by a car. She looks around us calmly, in her own little world.
“Yes,” she says finally, as we reach the other side. “Though I’m uncertain as to how to ask the question,” she says. I glance at her from the corner of my eye as I pick up the pace. “Do you need money? If you do, I have none. You’re welcome to my debts though.” She chuckles and I smirk.
“No, I’m not looking for money,” she says softly.
I didn’t think so. The idea of a princess coming to me for cash seems a bit odd.
Not that I have much experience with princesses. What possible favor could she need? From me, of all people?
“Do you need to be in two places at once?” I ask, drawing on the movies I’ve seen involving twins. Prim stops and cocks a brow at me. “You’re getting warmer, but no.”
I cross my arms as a rise of irritation starts to drown my intrigue. Getting anything out of this girl is like getting blood from a stone, and I don’t have time to ask twenty questions. With any luck, Alejandro will be at the parlor, but if not, there’ll be a line of angry customers waiting for me to open up.
“I need to be away from the palace for a while…” Prim finally says, her eyes widening under my stare. I drop my arms.
“Oh. You need a place to stay?” I ask.
Well, my small one-bed apartment isn’t much, but my mom always taught me to offer the shirt off my own back if it’s to help someone in need. So, if my princess twin wants to spend a weekend away from her royal duties, I can help with that.
“If you don’t mind,” Prim says, averting her gaze as we both continue to walk.
“It’s no problem, I’ve got a fold-out couch with your name on it,” I insist.
We reach the parlor and my tension eases at the sight of Alejandro serving customers. He shakes his long, silky hair and flashes a smile as we walk in. Then his eyes land on Prim and his face falls.
“I don’t believe it. I am seeing double,” he says, dragging a hand through his dark locks. Prim stares and her cheeks redden. When I look back at Alejandro, I catch sight of his eyes twinkling at her.
Mayday. Mayday. Mayday.
I don’t know what’s happening here, but Alejandro is not allowed to look at my new-found twin like that.
“Prim, this is Alejandro. He’s a family friend,” I say, figuring it’s good manners to make introductions. Prim bobs as if to make a little curtsey and I bite my tongue. Really, it should be Alejandro to bow. He’s in the presence of royalty after all. He inclines his head instead, giving the widest grin I’ve ever seen.
I resist the urge to sigh. “Alejandro, this is my sister... Primrose Courtier, the––”
“––You can just call me Prim,” she cuts in. She holds her hand out and Alejandro takes it. Now their clasped hands are hovering over the counter. There’s so much heat coming from them, I worry the ice creams are going to melt.
“If I hadn’t seen you two walk in side by side, I would have thought you were Violet,” he says warmly. The two of them stay like that, despite the customers milling around the shop with their ice creams. Neither one of them seem inclined to let go.
Really? This cannot be happening right now. My twin has only been here five minutes and she’s already catching male attention. He doesn’t even know who she is yet. Meanwhile, I’ve been in Rome for seven years now and I still haven’t found myself a boyfriend.
Prim is blushing furiously now, and she finally takes back her hand. “We’re twins,” she says softly, stating the obvious. Then she glances at me, nipping her bottom lip. I narrow my eyes at her. I get the impression she’s coming up with an evil plan. And I don’t like the impression one bit.
Alejandro excuses himself to serve a customer and Prim turns to inspect all the ice cream flavors. “Ah, twins.” Alejandro says as he wipes his hands down on his apron. “A very happy birthday to both of you.” He gestures to the corner of the parlor. “Please, take a seat. I’ll make up a pair of sundaes. You like chocolate, yes?” He asks Prim. She nods with a chuckle.
“I’m going to have such a sugar rush,” she says as I lead her to a metal table in the quiet corner of the parlor.
“Well, if you can’t indulge on your birthday, when can you?”
“So, what is it like… Being a princess?” I ask. But Prim leans in and shushes me, her eyes darting to the other people around us.
“I’d rather you didn’t call me that here.”
An incognito princess? Ah. The plot thickens. “Gotcha. I won’t mention the P word again. I promise.” I make a motion to zip my mouth shut and give her a wink. Prim lets out an appreciative chuckle.
Alejandro plants a glass jar of warm chocolate sauce and two giant bowls of ice cream on the table.
I suck in a breath and pick up a spoon. “So… Is there anything you can tell me?” I ask, scraping ice cream from the sides and popping the spoon in my mouth. For the first time, I see Prim’s shoulders slump.
“I’m like a bird trapped in a very pretty cage.”
Her words register at the same time I get struck by brain freeze. I’m not sure if it’s the ice cream that gives me the sudden headache.
“You don’t look trapped to me,” I say, rubbing my forehead. I do a quick scan of the parlor, from the elderly couple sitting by the window to the young mother cleaning up her toddler’s chocolate-covered face.
She’s out in broad daylight, with no sign of bodyguards or paparazzi. Prim gives me a knowing smile.
“Truth be told, I’m not supposed to be here,” Prim confesses.
My brows shoot up at the revelation. “Then how did you end up in Rome… All the way from Andorra?”
“Andonna,” Prim corrects me. Right. Like that means anything to me. She could be from the moon and it wouldn’t make any difference.
“I convinced my parents to let me go to the Vatican for my birthday.”
I resist the urge to laugh. The Vatican is the last place I’d expect someone to spend their birthday. “How did you find out about me?”
Prim blinks at her ice cream intently while nudging the spoon with her index finger.
“It’s a long story,” she says with a long exhale. I want to press her for more information but the more I ask, the more she clams up. So, I dig into my melting ice cream instead.
A bell rings as a group of American tourists amble in through the door. They look fresh out of college, or maybe they’re just traveling Europe for the summer. It brings a faint smile to my face as I rem
ember how blissful those days were.
Of course, at the time, I was stressed to the hilt about getting my assignments done on time and where I was going to live once college was over. But the Violet in college didn’t have to worry about rent, or making sure Alejandro was running the ice cream parlor. The girl in college hadn’t experienced loss, either.
I glance back at Prim. She’s inspecting her sundae with the tip of her spoon as if she’s fishing for cockroaches.
I wonder what my life would have been like if I’d had Prim in it. Would we have gone to the same college? She looks like she would have chosen to major in history too. But then again, she’s a princess.
If I had grown up with Prim, I’d be a princess too.
And my parents––the people who adopted me––wouldn’t be my parents. I can’t even imagine them not being in my life.
Prim looks up unexpectedly and the flash behind her eyes makes me wonder if she can really read my thoughts.
It’s clear she’s not going to say a word in this parlor. Or finish her sundae.
“Did you want to go to the Vatican?” I ask her. The question makes her face light up. “I’d love to.”
I look up at Alejandro just as he finishes serving the tourists. “Are you okay watching this place on your own? I want to spend some time with my sister.”
Alejandro grins and his left cheek dimples, but his eyes are not on me. They’re beaming at Prim again. “Si,” he replies. Then he walks around the counter to grasp both of Prim’s hands in his. “I hope to see you again, yes?” He plants a kiss on each of her cheeks. It’s a normal custom here in Rome, but it looks oddly intimate when he does it to Prim. She giggles softly.
Giggles! I’ve got to get her out of here. It’s like I’m watching a rom-com in real-time. Alejandro is a friend of my dad. He’s so… Old. And Prim is a princess. This is a terrible match.
I link my arm with Prim and pry her from his clutches with a fake smile. “See you later, then,” I say, leading my sister to the door. Alejandro and Prim keep their eyes locked as he lifts a hand with a casual wave.
“Ciao, bella.”
The bell jingles as we leave the parlor, and I take a deep breath, inhaling the diesel fumes of an old van as it drives past.
“Well, Alejandro seems friendly,” Prim states. We break apart and she pats herself down, her cheeks flushing as if she just ran a marathon. “Which way to the Vatican?”
I give her a shrewd look and she just bats her lashes at me, smiling innocently.
“Are people always that friendly with you?” I ask, thinking back to the way she talked about Pierre at Donatello’s, earlier. Prim’s blush deepens to a deep shade of red as she tucks a stray hair behind her ear. I don’t think I’ve blushed in my entire life. I thought it was one of those ultra-girly things that women do in movies.
Although, I also thought I’d never meet a princess. Let alone find out I’m related to the royal family.
I want to ask her all the questions. What is her life like? How big is her bed? How many tiaras does she own? Is there a prince waiting for her back home? Is she close to our parents? Did she get a pony for Christmas?
But Prim hasn’t been very forthcoming with details. The idea that all of this is some birthday prank springs to mind. Maybe Prim is my doppelganger. Like a stunt double, or something. And maybe Alejandro set it up. He’s a joker, after all. This is totally the type of thing he would set up. That, at least, would explain why he and Prim seem to be sharing some kind of… thing. My imagination goes into overdrive as we navigate the busy streets of Rome.
“We need to get the Metro,” I say, leading her into the busy station.
“Metro?” Prim repeats, as if I’m speaking Russian. I shoot her a look.
“It’s a train,” I explain quickly as we approach a newsstand. “Do you speak Italian?”
Prim gives me a light nod. But as she looks around the bustling crowds, her eyes grow wide like saucers. “What is that delightful smell? It’s salty and warm…” she gushes, then her eyes land on the pretzel stand and she lets out a cry of delight.
I shake my head. “Never mind, I’ll get you a ticket.”
“Here? Don’t you want to use those ticket machines?”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Sure, you can use one of the machines and pay through the nose for a ticket if you want––”
“––Oh, I don’t have any money,” Prim corrects me. I pinch my brows and look at her for a second, then I turn back to the man at the newsstand and purchase two train tickets.
“What do you mean, you don’t have any money?” I whisper, as I link arms with her again. I need to keep her close. This girl sticks out like a sore thumb, looking all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It’s as if she’s never stepped foot in a train station before.
“How did you pay for the cupcakes this morning?”
Prim’s cheeks redden again, but this time it’s a lot less cute and a lot more annoying. “The lovely gentleman thought I was you. I explained the situation to him, and he gave them to me.”
A flicker of a smile threatens to take over my frown, but I keep my composure. Right now, I’m more concerned than anything else. “Prim. Don’t tell me you came all this way from Andover––”
“Andonna.”
“––Right. All the way from Andonna, with no money?”
A train rolls into the station, interrupting our conversation. Prim gasps like she just jumped into a fantasy novel and is about to board a magical train to wizarding school.
I steal a look at the people around us and notice that Prim’s enthusiasm is drawing attention.
“Come on,” I mutter to her, urging her on as the doors roll back. We take our seats by the luggage rack and I turn to my naive sister with a frown.
“I’m worried about you.”
She rests a delicate hand over her heart. “That’s so sweet.”
“I’m serious, Prim. You can’t just waltz around Rome all alone, with no money, acting like a lost puppy.”
“But everyone here is so nice,” she says, patting my arm like an old dear. “I can see why you love this place.”
I tilt my head. Yes, I love Rome. But how could she know that?
“I need some answers,” I say, leaning in and lowering my voice. “What exactly do you know about me, and what makes you think that coming here with no money, and no security, is keeping you safe?”
Prim takes in my hard stare like a pro. She doesn’t recoil, but keeps her shoulders rolled back and head high. It’s the first time I sense she has a backbone. “My security is sitting three rows behind us,” she says frankly, her smile fading. “And my assistant takes care of my financial needs. She’s sitting two rows in front.”
I look from left to right and try to eye out who these people are. But whoever they are, they blend in perfectly.
“It’s not me you should be worried about,” Prim continues, her voice matching my tone. I lean back with a frown. “What is that supposed to mean?” I ask.
Prim shakes her head and puts on a smile once more. “I just mean... Don’t you want to know where you’ve come from? Who you truly are?”
I gulp. I’m Violet Rossi, I grew up in Chicago with my Italian parents. I had a pet guinea pig named Frankie. I took English and History at school and went to prom alone.
I clamp my jaw. I know who I am and where I’ve come from. No one is telling me otherwise.
But my heart pangs at the thought that I have biological parents out there, sitting in a castle, in a whole other world. I can’t help but wonder what happened. Why did they give me up? Was there a mistake? Did the nurse tell them there was only one baby? Or did they only want one?
The more I think about it, the more it hurts. Prim touches my arm again, and this time her smile is warm and empathic.
“You have so many questions, and I have only one,” she says, softly.
I take a deep breath. Only one?
Prim nods, even though I didn
’t say anything.
“I need to spend some time away from that life. I long to experience what it's like to be normal. Sadly, I cannot do that when I have people expecting me back at the palace. But seeing you, and seeing how other people mistake us for each other has me thinking… Violet, will you take my place?”
Chapter 3
I swallow hard as I register her words. “You want me to be… you?”
Prim nods seriously. “Only for a month. I want to switch places with you. I’ll stay here and work with Alejandro… You’ll go back with my team and pretend to be me.”
Her plan knocks the wind out of my sails. For a glimmer of a second I am excited by the idea, but the thought of Prim walking around alone, spending time with Alejandro, fills me with dread.
“Listen. I feel for you, I do,” I say, resting my hand over my own heart. “But, leaving you here, in the city? It’s crazy.”
Prim tilts her head. “Why?”
“Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not very streetwise. And I’m sure your security would not agree to this plan.”
Prim looks down. “Oh.”
Her deflated look tugs at my heart and my stomach knots itself. Am I being too harsh? I mean, she’s made it to almost thirty relatively unscathed. She should be able to take care of herself. I bite my lip.
“Is there a way you could… I don’t know. Have someone stay with you? Your assistant, maybe?” I say. It’s not that I think she needs a babysitter, it’s just that the thought of her wandering around Rome alone sends a chill down my spine. Yes, the people are nice here. But some of them are too nice. Prim lifts her gaze to look at me, delighted. “Does this mean you’re thinking about the possibility?” she asks, clearly hopeful. I chew the inside of my cheek and study her wide, misty eyes. Seeing how much this means to her makes me want to go against my instincts. After all, I’m a sucker for helping my family.
“I could have my assistant stay with me. She’ll pretend to go on personal leave. And you could go back with the security, that way you don’t have to worry about me. And the palace would have no idea we switched.”
