The Stølen Girl

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

* * *

Theodore showed up at the house less than a week later. He was jobless, but that didn’t mean he was homeless. He’d made it perfectly clear when he stepped foot into his childhood home that he could and would run away again if he had to.

Meredith didn’t even know he was coming. Keith had failed to mention him to her on many occasions. In fact, she still believed he was an only child. It had been easier that way, but now with him in the house, Keith was regretting his decision not to say anything to her.

Mother of course was thrilled. Less so than Keith, who had missed his brother but not enough to make him gleeful. He knew he’d have to tell Theodore about his pet, but there was never a good time to spill the beans before he arrived. And now he was here.

Keith knew it had to happen, but he decided it could wait until after school.

Meredith was enjoying the silence. Ever since Mr. Chambers had yelled at the maids, they left her alone. It gave Meredith time to explore more of the boxes in the basement, as if she hadn’t already done so in the twelve years she had resided there.

Today, she was rummaging through a box that had been pushed way to the back, one she didn’t remember seeing before. On the side was scribbled family memories, and she was eager to see them.

She pulled out a photo album. It was dusty and old, but with a few puffs, the dust seemed to disappear. She opened it, and was immediately overwhelmed with questions.

The first few pictures were of a blonde boy, clearly Keith. The child looked unhappy in all of them, and Meredith almost wanted to laugh at how similar the baby photos were to the real Keith.

But, then she got further in and realized that first child had not been Keith. Sure, the child had the same features, but it didn’t take Meredith long to realize it wasn’t. When the second child came into pictures, Meredith realized that the second child must have been Keith. Especially when she came to the family portraits. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers stood behind their kids with hands on each child’s shoulders. It was very formal and regal.

These style of pictures continued up until Meredith recognized a ten year old Keith, but then the other boy just stopped appearing in the pictures completely. It was like he’d been erased from the family. Instead, he was replaced with herself, which shocked her. Seeing childhood pictures of herself in the Chamber’s photo album made her feel weird. Like she suddenly belonged.

Except, she didn’t. On the backs off all the pictures she was in, it read Keith and his pet. Not even her name.

The two of them looked happy, though. More so Keith than herself, but it shocked her. A happy Keith? And all because of her?

The basement door opened with a bang, and she could hear someone walking downstairs. Immediately, she threw the album into the box and scurried away from it, realizing Keith might not be happy to see her going through the family things.

However, when she ran out to greet Keith, it wasn’t Keith she saw.

Theodore caught sight of the brown haired girl and yelled. She looked homeless, and for a moment he imagined that she had escaped off of the streets and into this home without anyone knowing.

Meredith bowed her head. “Where is master?”

Theodore’s mouth dried up. “Master? What do you mean, Master?”

Meredith dared to look up. The man in front of her looked a lot like Keith, but the differences were obvious. This man was much more rugged than Keith. And while Keith was a preppy boy dressed to the nines, always, this man was dressed in more comfortable clothing - jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was also a big difference because instead of being slicked back, it was a mess. Like he’d just woken up.