Justice Switch, page 1
Copyright © 2022 by Heidi Harris
Paperback: ISBN: 9798791908650
Hardcover: ISBN: 9798791909220
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact Heidi Harris, heidiharriswrites@gmail.com.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Book Cover by Heidi Harris
Illustrations by Heidi Harris
Contents
In Loving Memory of Mamaul,
Scripture
Map of Angeline
Map of Dorin
JerRic's Family Tree
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7
8. 8
9. 9
10. 10
11. 11
12. 12
13. 13
14. 14
15. 15
16. 16
17. 17
18. 18
19. 19
20. 20
21. 21
22. 22
23. 23
24. 24
25. 25
26. 26
27. 27
28. 28
29. 29
30. 30
31. 31
32. 32
33. 33
34. 34
2 Months Later...
35. 35
36. 36
37. 37
38. 38
39. 39
40. 40
41. 41
42. 42
43. 43
2 Months Later...
44. 44
1 Year Later...
45. 45
3 Years Later...
46. 46
4 Years Later...
47. 47
2 Years Later...
48. 48
49. 49
50. 50
5 Months Later...
51. EPILOGUE
DESTINY'S CHOICE
Destiny
52. 1
Heidi Harris
Books by Heidi Harris: Storyteller
In Loving Memory of Mamaul,
1925-2006
She did her best to live for God.
I learned a lot of wisdom from her about
people and life.
Scripture
“He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”
(Psalm 33:5) NASB
1
“Annabeth!” My mother called for me.
“I'm coming.” I rolled my eyes. I was knee-deep in a project. I carefully stepped over the paper and scissors and out the door. I rushed down the stairs.
“We need to have a talk.” My Mom patted the seat next to her.
“Okay.” I frowned.
“You know that I love you.” Mom’s voice was very careful.
“Yeah, sure I know that.” I nodded my head. “I love you too, Mom.” I didn't like where this was going.
“Well, I...” My Mom swallowed like she couldn't continue.
“What's wrong?” I leaned forward and patted her hand.
She pushed an envelope my way. I stared at it. I wasn't sure why she would be handing me an envelope. I took the envelope and opened the paper.
Mrs. Justice,
I am sorry to inform you that there was a mix-up at the hospital when your daughter was born. Annabeth wasn't born Annabeth Justice. She was born Anna Beatrice Poveste.
The birth parents would like to meet Annabeth. They are not pursuing custody at this time since she is 17, but they request a meeting this upcoming week.
Their email and phone number are below. They will be expecting to hear from you soon.
Grantington Hospital
My mouth went ajar. I stared at my mother blankly. My father had been in the military when I was born. He was killed in action when I was three. It's just been me and my Mom for years.
I didn't know what to say. I dropped the paper and sat there, stunned.
“I already called the hospital.” My Mom swallowed. “It's not a prank.”
2
Iclutched my purse tighter. I wasn't sure what to think about this. I swallowed. This reminds me of a show I saw on TV once. It seemed weird that the parents didn't know they had the wrong child. Isn't that something you feel in your bones?
I glanced at my mother. She was very quiet. I had never seen her this quiet in my life. I bit my lower lip and crossed the street. We entered the restaurant.
“How many?” The waiter asked.
“We're meeting someone.” My mother spoke up.
I could barely breathe. It felt like the walls were closing in on me. I started counting inside my head to calm myself down.
“What is their name?” The waiter had picked up a few menus.
“Poveste.” My mother responded.
I had heard that tone from my mother over the years. It was the tone she used when she didn't want to do something, but had to anyway. I still felt like this was a poorly planned prank.
“They just sat down.” The waiter smiled. “This way, please.” He smiled and walked towards the back of the restaurant to an enclosed party room.
I glanced at my mother. I didn't expect to have our own area. Somehow, it made it better and so much worse. I let out a silent breath.
The waiter put the menus down. “What would you like to drink?”
“Sweet tea.” Mom glanced at me.
I nodded.
“Two sweet teas, please.” My mother told him.
“Sure thing.” He smiled and left.
We still had yet to sit down. There were six people sitting at the table. Six? I swallowed again.
“Peter, stand up.” A woman backhanded the man beside her.
The man took a drink of his glass and stood up quickly. The woman was already walking towards us with a smile on her face. I found her features very striking. She had my strawberry blonde hair. The man had my green eyes and nose. I had always thought I got those from my grandmother on my Dad's side, but there was no mistaking the genealogy behind the piece of paper from the hospital.
“My name is Madeline. Everyone calls me Maddy.” Her smile was welcoming. “I'm not much for chitchat, so I am going to get right to the point.” She paused and took Peter's hand. “We were very surprised as a family to discover that Anna isn't biologically ours. We don't plan to uproot either of your lives and we hope Mrs. Justice agrees that we will keep the living arrangements as they are, especially since it is you girls' last year of high school.” Maddy's eyes went to my mother's.
Mom nodded, appearing relieved. I knew that we didn't have the money it would take for a lawyer. I didn't want to leave my school. I had friends from Junior High and the thought of moving was overwhelming. At least they seemed to be on the same page.
“Oh, good.” Maddy clapped. “I suppose I can see how the nurses messed up with one baby being named Annabeth and the other being named Anna Beatrice.” She sighed. “I'm so sorry about all of this.” Maddy's eyes flashed to my mothers. “I feel like I should have known, but I was so out of it that Anna...” She motioned behind her. “...is the only baby I remembered meeting. I was squeezing poor Peter's hand so hard, he almost needed a cast.” She flashed me another smile.
She took both hands in mine. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but she seemed nice enough. She gave them a slight squeeze. I swallowed.
“I truly hope you forgive all of us for this.” Maddy licked her lip. “None of us meant for this to happen.” Her eyes were very earnest.
I managed a nod.
“Thank you for your graciousness.” She smiled again and let go of my hands. She walked over to the table. “This is Felix.” She pointed at a strawberry blonde haired man that looked like the male version of me.
“Hi.” He flashed a smile. “This is my wife, Eva.” He pointed to the brunette.
She waved. I waved back. I noticed a child at the end of the table. I peered around the corner of the table.
“That is Ginny.” Felix pointed to the girl. “She's four going on ten.”
Eva smiled and nodded.
“Now I have two Aunt Anna's.” Ginny stood up on her chair and leaned forward.
Eva tapped her hand. Ginny frowned. Eva pointed at her seat and Ginny sat down, not happy about the whole thing.
“And I am Anna.” A beautiful, sandy-haired girl stood up and walked over to me.
Anna looked like a much younger version of my mother. She was the kind of girl that I would have had nothing in common with at school. I swallowed. I was feeling very much out of my element.
Anna's eyes took me in and flashed back to Maddy and Peter. “Annabeth, why don't we take a walk?”
I didn't have time to respond. Anna looped her arm through mine and pulled me back the way I had just came. The door banged shut behind us.
3
“So this is really weird, right?” Anna's eyes held mine.
I nodded.
“Mom and Dad are the best. Even Felix isn't that bad.” She flashed me a lopsided gri
I didn't have it in me to say anything. It didn't even occur to me that I would have siblings or be an aunt. I was still getting over the fact that my mother wasn't biologically mine.
The wind picked up and died down. Anna stopped outside on the almost empty patio. She sat down and motioned to the seat beside of her. I sat down too.
“What scares you the most?” Anna leaned forward.
“I don't want to leave my Mom alone. I'm all she has.” I frowned.
Anna's eyes softened. “Mom and Dad won't make you leave. They promised and they always keep their promises.”
That made me feel much better. I nodded.
“Anything else?” Anna asked.
“Mostly that.” I shrugged.
“I understand.” She bit her lip and nodded.
I smiled slightly. “You are the only one who can.”
“Ever since I found out, I have given this a lot of thought. We share the same birthday. We were supposed to be living each other's lives... so I decided to consider you like a sister.” She put her hand on mine, much like Maddy had done earlier. “If that's okay with you?”
I nodded. The anxiety released from my body. Anna was much kinder than I expected.
“I see how they mixed us up. We have a similar hair color.” She gently picked up the end of my hair and let it fall.
I gave Anna a once over. She was right. We could easily be mistaken for sisters. Our hair coloring was similar. Our features were similar, but we were different enough at 17 it would be evident who our biological parents were to anyone else on the street but us.
“What's your life like?” Anna leaned forward and hung on my every word.
“I'm on Yearbook.” I thought of the first thing that popped into my head.
“Do you like it?” Anna tilted her head.
“I really do.” I grinned. “It's a ton of pictures to go through and touch up, but I feel like I am making a lasting impact each time I finish a page and it's uploaded to the site.”
Anna nodded. “What's your parents like?”
“Mom is great, actually.” I smiled. “She is the kind of Mom that always gets an ice cream cone after every shopping trip. She taught me to ski when I was ten. I love it. We try to hit the slopes on the first snowfall every year. My grandparents have a cabin a mile away, so we try to make a weekend of it.”
Anna nodded. “What about your Dad? I noticed he didn't come.”
“He couldn't.” I frowned.
“He couldn't get out of work. I'm sorry.” Anna's eyes turned sad with empathy.
“No.” I paused. “He died when I was three. He was a military man and... and... he didn't make it.” I swallowed. “We go see his grave a few times a year.” Tears touched the corners of my eye.
“Oh.” She sat up straight like I had startled her. “That's rough. I wish I could have met him.” Empathy fell out of her every pore. “I am sure he would have been proud of you.” She finally continued.
“Don't take this the wrong way, but you're really nice.” I swallowed.
Anna laughed a loud, self-assured laugh. I kind of envied her for that. “Thank you. You are too.” Her smile was contagious.
“I think I'm ready to go back in.” I let out a deep breath.
“We got this.” Anna flashed me a smile.
4
Iexamined my mother's disposition. She seemed less nervous as I entered. I hoped that was a good sign.
“Did you have a good talk?” Maddy's eyes were wide.
I nodded and smiled slightly.
“Yes.” Anna sat down.
I sat in the seat between Anna and my mother. I wasn't sure what to say or do, but I felt like I could have a friend in Anna. Right now, I needed a friend.
I wasn't used to big families. At home it was usually quiet, besides the TV playing in the background. I hadn't given much thought to the noise, or rather the lack thereof, until now.
Ginny kept saying the cutest things. Felix tickled her, and she giggled. We ordered and the food came. Anna had a lot to say. I was trying to answer the questions being thrown at me.
“Let the poor girl eat.” Peter winked at me.
I smiled. He seemed nice enough. They all were. The love between them was tangible.
I carefully blotted my mouth with the napkin. I bumped the drink, and it fell over. Fear gripped me. Here, everyone was being so nice and I was making a mess of things. The cup stopped moving. The liquid that had sloshed out sloshed back in and sat straight up. It should have fallen. I blinked. Relief hit first. I know it should have fallen. It should have landed in my lap.
My eyes went to Maddy's. She was looking at Eva. My eyes went to Peter. His eyes were curious, but he didn't speak. He merely nodded twice, almost to say he saw it too. Had I imagined it?
“Are you okay?” My mother whispered.
I swallowed and nodded.
“I'm sorry. Is this too much for you?” Concern filled Maddy's eyes.
“No, you've been great.” I nodded.
“I have an idea!” Anna spoke up. “Why don't I sleep over at your house Friday and you can sleep over at my house on Saturday?”
I glanced at my mother. This situation was challenging. I didn't know what to think.
“We usually go to church on Sunday.” My mother answered for me.
“Oh, wonderful! We do too.” Maddy clapped her hands together.
“Mom.” Felix winced.
Maddy rolled her eyes. “He should be used to that by now.”
“Then it's settled.” Anna beamed at me.
5
“Iam so glad we got a chance to meet you.” Maddy clasped her hands together. “Is it okay to give you a hug goodbye?”
I nodded.
A large smile came across Maddy’s face. She wrapped her arms around me. I felt nothing but love from her.
Peter was standing beside her. He didn’t say a word. I bit my lower lip and stepped forward to give him a hug as well. A kind smile was on his lips.
“We only want the best for you.” Peter whispered in my ear.
I felt tears trying to gather in my eyes. I blinked twice and turned to go with my mother. She was hugging Anna. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I knew my Mom loved me. She had enough love in her heart for two daughters. I decided that I didn't think God would want me to be jealous, so I let the feeling slip away. Anna let her go and pulled me into a hug.
“Oh.” I was surprised.
“Here’s my number. You can text me anytime.” Anna smiled as she handed over a folded piece of paper.
I glanced at my mother, and we made our way to the car. I didn’t know what to think. This day had been emotionally draining. I stared at my mother over the roof of the car.
“Are you okay?” I waited for her to say something.
“I will be, Honey.” She unlocked the car.
I nodded and got in.
“Are you okay?” She buckled her seat belt.
“They are really nice.” I frowned.
“They seem genuine.” My mother started the car.
“Is it an act?” I buckled my seat belt.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.” Mom took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I love you, Annabeth.”
“I love you too, Mom. Don't worry, you won't lose me.” I vowed.
She nodded with tears in her eyes. She blotted them and we drove away.
6
“Anna is here!” My mother yelled up the stairs. “Coming!” I picked up my phone and put it in my back pocket. I reached the first floor as Mom was opening the door.
“Hi!” Anna waved to me and hugged my mother. She was like a ball of sunshine. I found myself smiling. Mom closed the door. Her gaze was nervous.
“Mom and I thought we could order a pizza and watch a romantic movie. Does that sound okay?” I shifted my weight to my right and then my left before leaning on the banister.
“Yeah, that works for me.” Anna nodded.
“What kind?” I stood up straighter.
Anna shrugged. “Surprise me.”
