Chapter 16
BEACH
Johnny pulled off the veil. There was a collective gasp, which was louder than one usually uttered by Marlena. Everyone was in shock. Standing next to Johnny was a young girl who looked identical in every way to Sydney
ALLIE: Is this supposed to be some kind of joke, Johnny?
SYDNEY: What am I doing over there when I'm standing right over here?
JOHNNY: Oh, this isn't a joke, my dear sister. And, no, this isn't you, Sydney. Although, she is someone like you.
WILL: Okay, Johnny. You've got our attention. Now, tell us. Who...or what, is she?
JOHNNY: Oh, my dear William, I thought that you would already know. Or that, at the very least, you would suspect.
ALLIE: What? Have you cloned Sydney or something?
JOHNNY: Don't be daft, Alice. Of course I haven't cloned her. Although, knowing what Grandfather's done a few times, cloning is indeed possible. No, my fellow Salemites, this is not a clone of Sydney. Though, before I tell you her real name, there is a short story I wish to tell you. Sixteen years ago, my mother gave birth to Sydney. On the exact same day, at the exact same time, another baby was born. One that looked exactly like Sydney. Of course, she was of different parentage, but the resemblance was uncanny. At the time, Father was married to a woman named Nicole. The baby was not Nicole's, but the young woman who gave birth to the babe had promised the child to Nicole. Well, Nicole wanted Father's baby, which my mother had given birth to. So, she and Dr. Baker switched children. Many months later, the switch was undone, and the child that had been promised to Nicole was thought to be dead. But, she lived. It has taken me a very long time to find her. But, here she is. Ladies and gentlemen, I am more than proud to introduce to you, my other little sister: Grace.
Sydney ran. She didn't know where she was running to, but she ran. Ceri followed after her.
WILL: What the hell, Johnny? How could you do this? Do you think this is funny or something? How could you make a clone of Sydney and then come here and claim that it's Grace?
GRACE: I am Grace. And my dear brother, Giovanni, has finally brought me back to where I belong.
ALLIE: I don't believe this! I didn't think you could stoop so low, Johnny!
JOHNNY: What exactly are you looking for, Alice? Proof? I can give you her birth certificate if you like.
GRACE: No, all that'll do is prove to them that I was born, which is clear for all to see. What they want is concrete proof. Like, a D.N.A. test.
JOHNNY: All right. Fair enough. Your father lives not too far from here, Grace. I'll pay him a visit tomorrow, get some of his D.N.A. and match it up against yours. Then, everyone will see that this is the real Grace. Any objections?
Parker raised his hand.
JOHNNY: What do you want, Kiriakis? Or, is it Jonas? I can never keep your last name straight.
PARKER: Um, as my paternity has proven many, many times over, D.N.A. tests are easy to fake.
WILL: Parker's right. I should know. My mom's faked enough D.N.A. tests in her life.
GRACE: Well, by that logic, it would be impossible for me to prove that I am Grace. Even if I did have a D.N.A. test done, you wouldn't believe it. So, there is no way to prove it. You'll just have to take mine and Johnny's word for it.
DANIEL: Not necessarily.
GRACE: What?
DANIEL: Now, I don't claim to be an expert on every field of medicine...
There were several people who made bad attempts at covering their laughter by coughing.
DANIEL: But, I have recently heard of a new type of truth serum. It's supposed to be lie proof. If we give some to this young woman, who claims to be Grace, then we could see if she's telling the truth or not.
