Hidden Identity

ARIA'S POV

Cole Morrison stood in my sister's bedroom doorway like a ghost.

"Get out," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Get out or I'll scream."

"Scream if you want. Your dad has passed out drunk and he won't hear you." Cole stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "And I'm not leaving until you tell me everything Sage knows about my brother's death."

I backed toward the window, searching for an escape but we were three floors up and I'd break my neck if I jumped.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said, in a shaky voice.

"Don't lie to me." His voice was sharp and dangerous. "I know Sage kept notes and I know she was at the party two years ago. I know she saw something the night Cameron died." He moved closer. "And I know you're not really Sage."

My heart stopped and I widened my eyes in shock. "What?"

"You heard me. You're Aria Chen. The perfect twin. The one who goes to Ashford Academy." His dark eyes bore into mine. "I've been watching Sage for weeks, learning her patterns, the way she moves, talks and acts. You're not her. You're trying but you're not good enough."

Terror flooded my system. "You're crazy…"

"Am I?" He pulled out his phone and showed me a photo. It was a photo of me, taken that night, getting out of the Honda. "This was thirty minutes ago. You arrived in a car Sage doesn't own and wearing clothes she would never wear, carrying a designer bag that costs more than her monthly rent." He swiped to another photo. "And this is Sage, taken twenty minutes ago at Ashford Academy's north parking lot with Julian St. Claire."

The photo showed Sage on her motorcycle, talking to Julian.

"How did you get these?" My hands shook.

"I have people watching both of you. I've been investigating Cameron's death for two years. I know about the drug ring. I know about the Ashford families being involved and I know that Sage witnessed something that got my brother killed." His gnashed his teeth. "Now you're going to tell me everything or I'm going to make both your lives very difficult."

"I can't tell you what I don't know!"

"Then read her notes." He pointed to the notebook that was still in my hands. "Read them out loud. Every word."

I looked at him, scared and my hands shook as I opened the notebook. I didn't want to betray Sage's secrets but Cole looked desperate enough to do anything.

I started reading, the dates, the party, the money changing hands, Cameron asking questions and Cameron's death.

When I finished, Cole's face went pale.

"Marcus," he said quietly. "She mentioned Marcus. That's Marcus Webb. He ran the drug distribution at Lincoln two years ago. He's the one who..." He stopped with his voice breaking.

"He's the one who probably killed my brother."

"I'm sorry…" He interrupted me.

"Sorry doesn't bring Cameron back!" Cole's shout made me flinch. Then he took a breath, controlling himself. "Marcus disappeared after Cameron died. No one could find him but if Sage owes him money..." His eyes widened. "He's back. He's in town and he's going after Sage to collect his debt."

"She owes someone money?" I asked, in wide eyes.

"According to her notes, eight hundred dollars. That might not sound like much to you, but to people like Marcus?" Cole ran his hand through his hair. "He'll do anything to get it, including hurt her or hurt the people she cares about."

"We have to warn her…" I said, urgently.

"We can't. If we contact her, whoever's watching will know about the switch." Cole paced the small room. "But we can't just do nothing either. If Marcus finds the real Sage pretending to be you at Ashford, if he realizes you two switched..."

"What? What will he do?"

Cole looked at me with genuine fear. "Marcus doesn't just collect debts, he makes examples out of people who try to run from him. Two years ago, a girl owed him money. She tried to hide, he found her and…" He stopped. "Let's just say she never came back to school."

Nausea rose in my throat. "We have to help Sage. We have to stop this."

"How? We don't even know where Marcus is. We don't know what he's planning. All we know according to you, is that someone called you tonight threatening to kill both twins unless you bring them Sage's notes." Cole looked at the notebook. "Notes that might contain evidence about who really killed my brother."

"You think Sage knows who murdered Cameron?" I asked Cole.

"I think she saw something important at that party maybe she doesn't even realize what she saw but it's enough that people want her silenced." He met my eyes. "You're in danger, Aria just by being here, pretending to be your sister, you've put a target on your back."

Fear gripped me. "So what do I do?"

"You meet them tomorrow night. At the warehouse like they asked."

"Are you insane? They'll kill me!" I said, in horror.

"Not if I'm there." Cole's expression hardened. "I'll follow you. Stay hidden. If anything goes wrong, I'll intervene but we need to find out who we're dealing with. Who's behind the threats because I don't think it's just Marcus."

"What do you mean?"

"Marcus is a dealer and a thug but organizing this? Knowing about the switch? Having people watch both you and Sage simultaneously?" Cole shook his head. "That takes money resources and organization. Someone with real power is pulling the strings."

"Like who?" I asked, curiously.

"Like the families who were running the drug operation through Lincoln. The ones from Ashford Academy." His voice dropped. "The ones who killed my brother to protect their secrets."

A door slammed somewhere in the apartment. We both froze.

"Sage?" My father's voice was slurred but awake. "You in there?"

"Yeah, Dad," I called back, trying to sound like my sister. "Just going to bed."

"Who are you talking to?"

Cole and I exchange panicked looks.

"No one, Dad. Just on the phone."

The footsteps in hallway got closer.

Cole mouthed: “Hide me.”

I looked around frantically. The closet was too full of junk. Under the bed? No room. The window…

The doorknob turned and without thinking, I shoved Cole toward the window. "Fire escape. Go!"

He slipped out just as the door opened. I slammed the window shut and spinned around, trying to look casual.

My father stood in the doorway, swaying slightly. His eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were rumpled.

"You okay, baby girl?" he asked.

The tenderness in his voice nearly broke me. That was my father. The man who used to carry me on his shoulders, the one who taught me and Sage how to ride bikes, the one who disappeared into a bottle after Mom left and never came back.

"I'm fine, Dad."

"You sure? You look pale. You sick?"

"Just tired." I said in pretense.

He nodded slowly, studying my face. For a terrifying moment, I thought he knew and saw through the lie.

Then he just sighed. "I'm sorry, Sage. For everything, for being a terrible father, for not protecting you better and for…" His voice stops. "For losing Aria and for losing our family."

Tears welled up in my eyes. I tried to control it but it was difficult. "Dad…"

"I know I messed up. I know I'm not the father you deserve but I want you to know..." He wiped his eyes roughly. "I love you. Both of you. Even though Aria's gone, even though I haven't seen her in five years, I still love her and still miss her every day."

I'm not gone, I want to scream. I'm right here. I'm standing in front of you.

But I couldn’t say that so I just whispered, "I know, Dad."

He nodded again, then turned to leave. At the doorway, he stopped. "Sage? You'd tell me if you were in trouble, right? If something was wrong?" He looked sober.

I swallowed hard. "Yeah, Dad. I'd tell you."

"Good. Because I might be drunk most of the time, but I'm still your father and I'd do anything to keep you safe." He looked back at me with sudden clarity. "Anything. Remember that."

Then he was gone, shuffling back to his room.

I stood frozen with tears streaming down my face. Sage had been living with that, dealing with our father's drinking, his guilt and his pain, all alone. For five years.

The window slided open behind me and Cole climbed back in.

"Is he gone?"

I wiped my tears quickly. "Yeah."

"Aria..." Cole's voice was gentler. "I'm sorry about your family and about all of this."

"Don't apologize, just help me figure out how to keep my sister alive." I said admists little sobs.

"I will. I promise." He handed me his phone.

"This is my number. Save it in that burner phone and If anything happens, anything at all, you call me. Understand?"

I nodded, saving his number.

"Tomorrow, I'll be in the warehouse on Fifth Street by midnight. I'll be there, watching. Bring the notebook like they asked but don't give it to them unless I signal it's safe." He said, patting my shoulders.

"What's the signal?"

"I'll flash my phone light three times. If you don't see that signal, you run. Got it?"

"Got it."

Cole moved toward the window again, then stopped. "One more thing. At Lincoln High on Monday, people are going to expect you to act like Sage. That means tough, angry and defensive. Don't be yourself, don't be perfect Aria Chen. Be messy and be real or they'll know something's wrong."

"I don't know how to be messy." I said, in low tones.

"Then learn fast because the people watching won't give you a second chance." He climbed out onto the fire escape. "And Aria? Be careful, trust no one at Lincoln. The teachers and even students, everyone has secrets. Everyone lies."

He disappeared into the darkness.

I closed the window and locked it, my hands were still shaking. I looked around Sage's room, the chaos, the art and the evidence of a life I never knew about.

I had to wake up the following day and pretend to be my sister. I had to navigate a school where I didn't know anyone, where dangerous people were watching and where one mistake could get both of us killed.

The burner phone buzzed. It was another text from the distorted voice:

“Tomorrow midnight in the warehouse, Bring the notebook and come alone. If we see anyone else, your sister dies first. Then you. Then your father. We're watching all three of you, every move and every breath. Don't disappoint us.” -Anonymous

I was about to turn off the phone when another message came through from a different number:

“Aria. It's me. Don't respond to this message, just read. Julian betrayed me. Victoria has me trapped at Ashford. She knows about the switch and she knows everything. She's planning something terrible for Monday. Something involving both schools, I think she's going to expose us publicly and I think she's going to…”

The message cut off mid-sentence.

I stared at the screen with my heart racing.

I tried to text back: “Sage? SAGE? What's happening?”

The message didn't send. It was disconnected.

My sister was in trouble and I was stuck in the room, three hours away, with no way to help her.

I grabbed the notebook and flipped through it again, desperate for answers. There has to be something. Some clue about what was really going on.

Near the back, I found a page I had missed before. A list of names:

“Cameron Morrison - DEAD”

“Marcus Webb - MISSING”

“Victoria Ashford - DANGEROUS”

“Julian St. Claire - NOT WHO HE SAYS”

“Cole Morrison - ???

And one more. The one I should never have trusted. The one who started all of this:”

Below that, my sister wrote a name. Then crossed it out so many times I could barely read it.

But I can make out three letters: ‘DAD.’

I froze.

What does our father have to do with Cameron's death? What does he have to do with any of this? I thought.

Behind me, a floorboard creaks. I spinned around.

My father stood in the doorway again but this time his eyes were clear, sober and focused.

He was holding something in his hand.

A gun.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said, and his voice was steady. "But I can't let you meet them tomorrow night. I can't let you give them that notebook because if you do, they'll find out the truth about what really happened to Cameron Morrison. They'll find out what I did and then I'll lose everything, including you."

He raised the gun.

"Dad?" My voice came out small and terrified.

"What are you talking about? What did you do?"

"I'm so sorry, Aria," he whispered. "But I can't let you save your sister because saving her means destroying me."

His finger moved to the trigger and in that moment, I realized my father wasn't the broken drunk I thought he was.

He had been pretending all along.