Switched

by Amanda Hocking

  “They’re much stronger than we thought,” Kyra continued.

  “Where is she?” Sara asked, as if she hadn’t heard anything Kyra had said. “Where’s the Princess?”

  “She’s still in Förening.” Kyra glanced nervously at the King, afraid of when he might strike her down. “She’s fine, but they still have her.”

  “How many casualties did we have?” the King asked, so far sounding unfazed.

  “I don’t know,” Kyra admitted. “A lot.”

  “Hmm.” The King stood up, folding his hands behind him. “Very well then. We’ll have to do something more drastic to get her.”

  He smiled, and Kyra cringed, finding that more frightening than his frown.

  “We’ll do whatever it takes,” the King went on, “but I assure you, Wendy will belong to us.”

  Torn

  If you enjoyed Switched, you’ll love Torn. The second novel in the Trylle series.

  The first chapter follows here . . .

  ONE

  return

  When Rhys and I showed up at my “brother” Matt’s house at eight in the morning, he was happy . . . in the sense that he was glad I was alive and hadn’t disappeared forever. Despite being angry, he listened while I put together a vague explanation, glaring at me the whole time with mystified rage.

  At least I only had to face Matt. My aunt Maggie is my legal guardian, but she wasn’t there when we arrived. Matt explained that she had gone off looking for me in Oregon. I have no idea why, but for some reason, she thought I’d run off there.

  As Rhys and I sat on the shabby-chic couch in Matt’s living room, surrounded by the boxes that he had yet to unpack from when we’d moved into the house two months ago, Matt paced back and forth.

  “I still don’t understand,” Matt said. He stopped in front of us, arms folded over his chest.

  “There’s nothing to understand,” I insisted, gesturing at Rhys. “He’s your brother! It’s pretty obvious when you look at him.”

  I have dark, wild, curly hair and mahogany eyes. Matt and Rhys both have sandy hair and sapphire eyes. They have something much more open in their faces too, and the same easy smile. Rhys stared up at Matt with bemused wonderment, his eyes wide with awe.

  “How could you possibly know that?” Matt asked.

  “I don’t know why you can’t just trust me.” I sighed and laid my head back on the couch. “I never lie to you!”

  “You just ran away from home! I had no idea where you were. That’s a major trust violation!”

  Matt’s anger couldn’t cover up how hurt he still was, and his body showed signs of the strain he had been under. His face was gaunt and haggard, his eyes red and tired, and he had probably lost ten pounds. When I disappeared, he completely collapsed, I’m sure. I felt guilty, but I hadn’t had a choice.

  Matt had always been too preoccupied with my safety, a side effect from his mother having tried to kill me and all that. His life revolved around me to the point of being unhealthy. He had no friends, no job, no life of his own.

  “I had to run away! Okay?” I ran a hand through my tangled curls and shook my head. “I can’t explain it to you. I left for my safety and for yours. I don’t know if I should even be here now.”

  “Safety? What were you running from? Where were you?” Matt asked desperately, not for the first time.

  “Matt, I can’t tell you! I wish I could but I can’t.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was legal for me to tell him anything about the Trylle or not. I assumed everything about them was secret, but nobody had expressly forbidden me from telling outsiders either. Matt would never believe me, though, so I didn’t see the point in trying.

  “You’re really my brother,” Rhys said in a hushed tone. He leaned forward to get a better look at Matt. “This is so weird.”

  “Yeah, it is,” Matt agreed. He shifted uncomfortably under Rhys’s stare before he turned to me, his expression serious. “Wendy, can I have a word with you? Alone?”

  “Uh, sure.” I looked over at Rhys.

  Taking his cue, Rhys stood up. “Where’s your bathroom?”

  “Down that way, off the kitchen.” Matt pointed to his right.

  Once Rhys was gone, Matt sat down on the coffee table in front of me and lowered his voice.

  “Look, Wendy, I don’t understand what’s going on. I have no idea how much of what you’ve told me is true, but that kid looks like a total weirdo to me. I don’t want him in my house, and I don’t know what you were thinking bringing him here.”

  “He’s your brother,” I said wearily. “Honest, Matt. I would never, ever lie about something this major. I am one hundred percent certain that he is your real brother.”

  “Wendy . . .” Matt rubbed his forehead, sighing. “I get that you believe that. But how could you actually know? I think this kid is feeding you a story.”

  “No, he’s really not. Rhys is the most honest person I’ve ever known, except for you. Which makes sense, since you’re brothers.” I leaned in closer to Matt. “Please. Give him a chance. You’ll see.”

  “What about his family?” Matt asked. “Who has been raising him all these years? Don’t they miss him? And aren’t they your ‘real’ family or whatever?”

  “Trust me, they won’t miss him. And I like you better,” I said with a smile.

  Matt shook his head as if unable to decide what to make of all this. I knew a large part of him didn’t trust Rhys and wanted to throw him out of the house, so I admired him all the more for his restraint.

  “I wish you would be straight with me about all of this,” he said.

  “I’m being as straight with you as I can be.”

  When Rhys came back from the bathroom, Matt leaned away from me and eyed him warily.

  “You don’t have any family pictures up,” Rhys commented as he looked around the room.

  That was true. We didn’t really have decorations up of any kind, but we didn’t particularly care to remember our family. Matt especially was not fond of our . . . er, his mother.

  I had yet to explain to Rhys about his mother being a lunatic locked up in a mental institution. Stuff like that is hard to break to someone, especially someone as awestruck as Rhys.

  “Yeah, we’re just that way,” I said and stood up. “We drove all night to get here. I’m pretty beat. What about you, Rhys?”

  “Uh, yeah, I guess I’m tired.” Rhys seemed a bit startled by my suggestion. Even though he hadn’t gotten any sleep, he didn’t look tired at all.

  “We should get some sleep, and we can talk more later.”

  “Oh.” Matt got to his feet slowly. “You’re both going to be sleeping here, then?” He looked uncertainly at Rhys, then back at me.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “He doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “Oh.” Matt was clearly against the idea, but I knew he was afraid that if he kicked Rhys out, I’d go after him. “Rhys, I guess you can sleep in my room, for now.”

  “Really?” Rhys tried to tone down his excitement over staying in Matt’s room, but it was obvious.

  Matt showed us awkwardly up to our rooms. My room was still my room, all my stuff the same as I had left it weeks earlier. As I settled in, I listened to Matt and Rhys talking across the hall in Matt’s room. Rhys was asking him to explain the simplest things, like how to turn on the bedside lamp, and it made Matt frustrated and uncomfortable.

  By the time Matt came into my room, I had already changed into my pajamas. They were worn and comfortable, and I loved them.

  “Wendy, what is going on?” Matt whispered. He shut the door behind him and locked it, as if Rhys were some kind of spy. “Who is that kid really? Where did you go?”

  “I can’t tell you what happened while I was gone. Can’t you just be happy that I’m here and I’m safe?”

  “No, not really.” Matt shook his head. “That kid is not right. He’s so amazed by everything.”

  “He’s amazed by you,” I corrected him.
“You have no idea how exciting all this is for him.”

  “None of this is making any sense.” Matt ran a hand through his hair.

  “I really do need to get some sleep, and this is a lot for you to process. I get that. Why don’t you go call Maggie? Let her know I’m safe. I’ll get some rest, and you can think about everything I’ve been saying.”

  Matt released a defeated sigh. “Fine,” he said, then his blue eyes went hard. “But you better think about telling me what’s really going on here.”

  “All right.” I shrugged. I could think about it, but I wouldn’t tell him.

  Matt’s gaze softened again, and his shoulders slacked. “I am glad you’re home.”

  I could see just then how terrible this had all been for him. And I knew I could never disappear like that again. I went over and hugged him tightly.

  Matt left me alone in my room, and I crawled into the familiar comfort of my twin bed. I had been sleeping in a giant king-sized bed in Förening, but somehow, my narrow bed felt so much better. I snuggled deeper in the covers, relieved to be somewhere that felt sane again.

  I’d always had an inkling that I didn’t fit in with my family, despite Matt’s devotion to me. My mother had nearly killed me when I was six years old, claiming that I was a monster and not her daughter.

  Turns out, she was right.

  Less than a month ago, I found out I was a changeling—a child that is exchanged in secret for another child. Specifically, I was switched at birth with Rhys Dahl. It turns out that I’m a Trylle. Trylle are basically glamorous grifters with mild superpowers.

  Technically, I’m a troll, but not in the creepy little green monster sort of way. I’m of normal height and fairly attractive. In Trylle culture, the use of changelings is a practice that dates back centuries. The custom’s intention is to make sure Trylle offspring have the best childhoods possible.

  I’m supposed to be a Princess in Förening—the compound in Minnesota where the Trylle live. My birth mother is Elora, the Trylle Queen. After spending a few weeks in Förening, I decided to head home. I had a falling-out with Elora, who had forbidden me from seeing Finn Holmes simply because he’s not royalty.

  I escaped and took Rhys with me. In Förening, Rhys had shown me genuine kindness, and I felt he deserved some of that in return. I brought him here to meet Matt, since he is really Rhys’s brother, not mine.

  Of course, I couldn’t tell Matt all of that. He’d think I was completely insane.

  Growing drowsy, I thought again how good it felt to be home. It only took ten minutes for Rhys to shatter that comfort when he crept into my room. I was almost asleep, but the sound of my door opening made me alert. Matt had gone downstairs, presumably to make the phone call I suggested, and if he knew Rhys was in here, he’d kill us both.

  “Wendy? Are you asleep?” Rhys whispered, sitting gingerly on the edge of my bed.

  “Yes,” I muttered.

  “Sorry. I can’t sleep,” Rhys said. “How can you sleep?”

  “It’s not that exciting for me. I lived here before, remember?”

  “Yeah, but . . .” He trailed off, probably because he had no argument for that. Suddenly he tensed and sucked in his breath. “Did you hear that?”

  “You talking? Yes, but I’ve been trying not—” Before I could finish my sentence, I heard it too. A rustling sound outside my bedroom window.

  Considering I had just had a horrible run-in with some very bad trolls known as Vittra, I was alarmed. I rolled over and peered at the window, but the curtains were drawn, blocking my view.

  The rustling turned into actual banging, and I sat up, my heart pounding. Rhys shot a nervous glance at me. We heard the window slide open, and the curtains billowed out from the wind.

  If you enjoyed Switched, you’ll love Ascend. The third novel in the Trylle series.

  Wendy Everly can barely remember what it was like to feel like a normal girl. She’d wished for her life to be different but everything is so much more complicated than she’d expected. And she certainly hadn’t dreamt she’d be getting married at eighteen to a man she didn’t love – all for the sake of duty.

  As the big day approaches, Wendy can’t stop thinking about two different men – and neither of them are her husband-to-be. Finn – quiet, strong and determined to do what’s right, and Loki – dark and seductive, a sworn enemy who once saved her life . . .

  With an all-out war just days away, Wendy needs to act quickly if she is to save her friends and family. But while her loyalties and duties are to her people, deeper passions are leading her elsewhere.

  And as her worlds collide Wendy must sacrifice everything she loves to save them. But will it be enough?

  An interview with Amanda Hocking

  What first inspired you to write?

  There was never a time in my life that I wasn’t obsessed with fantasy worlds or telling stories. My grandma once recorded me when I was two or three, and I’m doing a re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. As soon as I could write, I did. My inspiration has always come from everything around me, but I grew up watching a lot of fantasy – Labyrinth, Star Wars, The Neverending Story, Legend. These have all heavily influenced what I write.

  Do you start with a character or a storyline?

  Characters first. It’s always the people, and then the story builds around them.

  Have other authors/books inspired you, and why?

  Judy Blume was probably the first young adult author I read, and while I always liked her books, I remember wishing they’d had romance. I also read a ton of Stephen King, and his use of horror has definitely been influential in my books. Richelle Mead is an influence, I’d say. She was the first young adult author I read that didn’t seem to talk down to the readers. YA books can at times get a bit preachy and gloss over things because they don’t want to expose kids to too much, but I think that alienates teenagers.

  So far you’ve written fantasy, romance and horror: are there any other genres you’d like to try?

  I might try a contemporary novel, without the paranormal elements, but I think I’d really like to play around more with horror.

  Your books appeal to adults and young adults – would you ever write a children’s book?

  I was actually talking about this recently with a friend of mine who is a school teacher, and I definitely might write one in the future.

  How do you manage to keep all your other characters and series separate when writing?

  I take copious notes. Keeping the characters separate is easy, but keeping the details straight would be impossible without notes.

  Do you have a favourite character or series that you’ve written?

  I do. Right now, Tove from the Trylle series is probably my favourite. I think he’s the most complex character in my books. I also really like Daniel and Penn from my upcoming Watersong series, for vastly different reasons.

  How did you feel when the Trylle series took off so well in ebook?

  Excited, grateful, overwhelmed, nervous, validated. There were – and still are – so many emotions wrapped in it. Even now, it still seems so surreal. It’s hard to believe what’s happened in the past year.

  What attracted you to having a publisher over self-publishing?

  I love writing, I love interacting with readers, and I even enjoy editing. But I didn’t enjoy all the business aspects of publishing – from formatting to hiring editors to choosing fonts for the covers. I’d get too stuck on every little detail and couldn’t focus on the things that really mattered – namely writing. I’m more than happy to hand over the publishing reins to someone else so I can get back to writing.

  What advice would you offer other aspiring authors?

  Write a lot, but read even more. And never stop learning. Research everything you can about writing, storytelling, the publishing business. The more you know, the more power you have.

  Where do you want to go from here with your books?

  I don’t know, exactly. I
want to keep writing and getting my books out to readers. I have lots of ideas for more books.

  What do you think about the future of physical books? Do you think most people will buy ebooks in future?

  I do think ebooks will continue to make gains in the market, yes, definitely. But I don’t think that means that paperbacks will become extinct. Even 10 years after the iPod was introduced, CDs still surpass digital downloads in sales. Eventually, digital will probably become more popular, but that takes time. And unlike VHS tapes, laserdiscs, DVDs, and even CDs, you don’t need a special player to read a book. It will never become outdated technology. Anyone can pick one up off the shelf and read.

  What format do you read in – ebook or physical? And why?

  It depends on where I’m reading and what I’m reading. If a book is really large and cumbersome to hold, I prefer to read on an eReader. If I’m at home, I’m more likely to grab a paperback off my shelf, but if I’m traveling, I bring my eReader.

  What can you tell us about the next books you’re working on?

  The next series I’m working on is the Watersong series. It’s an idea I’ve worked on for a long time, and I’m quite excited for people to read it. The story focuses on two sisters that end up mixed around with a supernatural entity, and end up having some romantic entanglements as well. It’s YA paranormal romance, but it’s different to what I’ve done before. It should be out in 2012.

  Praise for the Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

  ‘Her character-driven books, which feature trolls, hobgoblins and fairytale elements, and keep the pages turning, have generated an excitement not felt in the industry since Stephenie Meyer or perhaps even J. K. Rowling’

  New York Times

  ‘I started reading Switched in the evening one night and stayed up until 3 a.m. because I didn’t want to put it down. I had to be at work the next day and all I could think about was going home and finishing the book. Yes, it’s that good’