She searched the kitchen for something to take in a lunch. It was weird. In this house she rarely ever came in the kitchen except on Wednesday's when Alyssa came at Two. The kitchen was Alyssa's domain. Snacking, according to her mother meant you didn't eat enough at meals. At their old house snacking was practically a commandment.

Dairy Queen runs, late night pizza and popcorn during movies lounged all over the living room were things they took for granted. Sophie remembered hanging out at Chris's after school and dumping the ends of all the chip bags in a bowl like a giant horse trough. They'd lay with legs entwined on the couch while his brothers and sisters caused all kinds of havoc. It was loud and chaotic and it always made her feel like a part of something bigger.

She opened the cupboards scrounging for any scrap of food that was portable. When she closed it Alyssa was there causing her to scream.

"Holy shit Alyssa. You scared the crap out of me. Try clearing your throat or something when you come in."

Alyssa looked as afraid as she felt.

"Sorry, Ms. Sophia. I meant no harm."

She studied her trying to figure out her age, maybe early 20's. Too old to be in a shitty job like this. Cooking and serving meals to a stuffy dysfunctional family.

"No, it's my fault. I just didn't hear you. Sorry about that. And, it's just Sophie. Or Soph. Okay?"

Alyssa gripped her hands and her eyes grew round. She looked...scared.

"At least when it's just us. I'm not trying to get you into trouble. I'm still getting used to all this title crap. Do we have anything I can take to work? The Strogolian's have like no food. And I'm not talking about snack food. I'm talking zero food."

Alyssa nodded and moved toward the cupboards. Her hands quickly grabbing things and dumping them on the cupboard.

"I don't mind getting it myself Alyssa. You aren't my servant. Speaking of which, why are you here. Wouldn't flipping burgers or selling clothes be a hell of a lot easier? And less creepy?"

Alyssa's expression darkened and her lips pinched together. She focused on what she was preparing and Sophie focused the girl. Her uniform looked straight out of an old movie. Her hands seemed aged, much older than her face.

"It's not a job Ms. Sophie. It's an honor. It's my heritage. My family has served your family for hundreds of years. It's how we've survived."

Her words were proud, and even though they came across kindly Sophie felt embarrassed and the prick of guilt.

"No disrespect Alyssa. Believe me, I get the family debt thing. Coming here wasn't even voted on. My dad changed when grandpa passed. It was like the whole world was going to end if we didn't get here to fill the space. But... it's the 20th century. Things like servitude and heredity don't matter as much. The world is an open book now, you can be whatever you want. And I think you'd be great at anything you wanted to do."

Alyssa handed Sophia a bag of food and looked at her with such intense sadness Sophia felt her pain.

"Sometimes our past makes our choices for us. But thank you. It's nice to speak with you when you aren't angry, or craving a cheeseburger."

The crinkles around her eyes and the half smile made Sophie feel warm.

"Thank you for the food. Staying up all night was tough, but not as tough as starving."

Alyssa laughed and Sophie laughed with her. It felt like having someone from back home to talk to. Someone who dressed weird, but at least someone close to her age.

Alyssa grabbed her arm firmly and Sophie stiffened.

"Be careful there. And please, stay safe. Be good to that boy while you can."

The hairs on her neck prickled and Sophie felt her body tingle. It was stupid how many people here believed crazy rumors but for some reason Alyssa's warning made her skin crawl with fear.

"I'll be fine. Don't believe all the crazy things you hear. He's a weird kid, but he's really okay. Thanks again, for the food. It's gonna save my life."

Alyssa winced and Sophie left the kitchen. She wasn't about to be late. She grabbed her phone and earbuds off the end table and threw on her converse. When she got to the door her parents were standing on the stairs. Her moms eyes were lined red and her dads face looked worn. His arm was draped tightly across her mother's shoulders. Sophie froze.

"Who died?" She blurted.

"Don't be ridiculous Sophia. We're just saying goodnight."

She felt like a rat being circled by a snake.

"Okay, night. See ya tomorrow."

They descended the bottom two steps and wrapped her in a hug as she squirmed to get out.

"Okay then, weird parents. I gotta go."

Her mom opened her mouth to speak and Sophie bolted for the door. Today had been semi-drama free and the last thing she wanted before work was a stand off about responsibility.

The walk across town felt good. Her feet bounced across the pavement and everything seemed calm. The sun was just setting over the large church in the town center making the stained glass windows look like they were alive with flames.

She stopped to take a picture. She'd sent it to Chris. While the entire town looking like it was from the 1800's gave it an eerie vibe, she had to admit the architecture here was breathtaking. Every building was big and sturdy. They each had a sense of pride and an air of importance.

As she reached the edge of town and the beginning of the tree lined driveway to the Strogolian Manor she wrapped her arm around herself for warmth. Her feet got heavier and her steps slower. For some reason she hated this driveway. As much as she tried to force herself to hurry toward the safety of the house her body failed to listen. The closer she got the more her gut twisted and when she finally reached the door she felt a wave of nausea.

She forced her hand to wrap itself around the big brass knocker. It was painfully cold and the sharpness of it shot up her arm like an electric jolt.

The orange glow of the sun was just at the corner of the porch and Sophie suddenly wanted nothing more than to rush over to the dying light and curl up in it. She waited, and knocked again watching as the deep orange faded into darkness. Her eyes adjusted as the door opened.

"You're early! Come on in."

It was Mr. Strogolian. Kraus. She immediately felt warm and welcome and walked into the mansion. Her eyes immediately drawn again to the etched tray of symbols on the wall. She felt the same pull...an almost trance like heaviness to stay there and stare as if the whole meaning of life were in these living moving pictures.

From beyond her focus she could hear Kelly Strogolian speaking of honor and duty but she couldn't pull herself away. When she felt an icy hand reach hers she jumped. Blinking away the fog she noticed Charlie standing next to her. His parents were nowhere to be seen.

"Whoa. Sorry buddy. I spaced out. Maybe I'm meant to be an art major. This thing is incredible. Did your parents leave?"

Charlie shrugged and led her away from the walkway where she could still feel the pull of the tray almost daring her to look deeper. She shuddered involuntarily and walked with him into the kitchen.

The shock of what the kitchen was like stopped her cold. It was packed with food. A fruit bowl overflowed on the counter. The cupboard doors were open showing boxes and bags of prepackaged food and snacks. Charlie opened the fridge and it was fully stocked with juices, milk, eggs, meat and various specialty cheeses.

"Dang Charlie! Your parents stocked up! I hope I didn't embarrass them by mentioning the food. I brought food too. For you and me. But none of this good junk food. My parents won't buy it anymore. Whatya say? Wanna pig out?"

Charlie's brows raced to meet in the center and a confused expression clouded his features.

"You don't know pig out? Oh my gosh, we gotta get you some friends kid. Pig out means eating a bunch of food and sitting around while it digests. You hungry?"

"No."  His words were quiet but clear and Sophie was glad they were at least starting tonight out with actual speaking.

"Okay. I can wait. What do you want to do?" She put her hand on his head and flipped his long bangs back to get a glimpse of his sparkling dark eyes. He was a really cute kid.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the dark hallway. Gotta love a kid who knows what he wants.