Page 11 of Echoes of Us

Teagan

As I stare at myself in the bathroom mirror, I realize that the next seven months are going to be the worst of my life. Well, the second. The first few after my mom died were definitely worse.

I pat myself dry with a towel one more time before heading back into the dining room. Princess is sitting on a towel in the seat I was previously in. She must really be proud of herself with that tea attack. I sit down next to Mrs. Briggs.

“Okay, everyone. Let’s say grace,” Mr. Briggs says. EJ and Eve extend their hands to me from both sides. I look down at their hands in confusion.

“You gotta hold hands during grace, silly,” EJ leans over and whispers.

These people are freaking weird. I place my hand into each of theirs, not holding them fully. Mr. Briggs begins the prayer as the whole family looks down and closes their eyes. I look around at everything on the table. All of the food has been placed in beautiful blue and white ornate bowls and platters. The roast is still steaming in the center of the table, surrounded by tall candles on silver candlesticks. The walls are filled with expensive looking art and the China cabinet is beautifully antique. The chandelier above the table has hundreds of teardrop shaped crystals that create a sparkling effect on the ceiling.

I am brought back to the conversation when I hear Mr. Briggs say, “Amen. So, Teagan, I already received an email from Headmaster McNeely. He attached your schedule, and it looks like you’ve been placed into all AP courses, but he wants to know what elective you’d like to choose.”

“I don’t care, pick one,” I say, not looking up from my plate.

“The school has so many electives to choose from, but I know which one you should do! If you’re anything like your mother was, I am sure you are an amazing pianist. We have a piano you can use whenever you’d like, by the way! If you want to master something else, you can go to the front office on Monday and look through the course catalog,” Mr. Briggs says before taking a large bite out of a buttered roll.

I look up, meeting princess’s eyes. Her eyes move between me and her father. There is a mix of disbelief and anger within them.

“What do you mean she’s in all AP classes? There is no way she can handle our school’s AP curriculum coming from… wherever she came from,” Em says to her father. “No offense,” she then adds and smiles sweetly at me. Mrs. Briggs looks at her pointedly, shaking her head.

“She scored out of the other courses on the admittance exam. She received the only perfect score for a new senior student in school history. Teagan here is a genius!” Mr. Briggs says, now through a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

Emmaline stays quiet for a moment before huffing, clearly annoyed by her dad’s compliments to me. A small smile tugs at my lips. I’ll keep this in mind to use against her later.

As we finish dinner, Mrs. Briggs begins to grab the dishes from the table. “Ethan, EJ, you guys help me clear the table. Em, take Teagan upstairs and show her to her room, please. Teagan, dear. Tomorrow is Sunday, so we will need you to be downstairs and ready for church by 9:30 a.m. We go as a family every Sunday morning.”

“I don’t do church, sorry,” I say flatly.

Mrs. Briggs straightens, “You do in this house. Part of the reason your aunt wanted you to stay with someone from our church is so you would attend services there. As I said, we do church as a family. While you live here, you’re part of this family. Understood?”

I nod my head, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. It is not the time to argue, Teagan. Let it go. I just want to get out of this dining room and away from these people. I give her a ‘thumbs up’ and turn to leave.

In the foyer next to the stairs, I see a grand piano. When Mr. Briggs said they had a piano, I never imagined it would be as magnificent as this one. My stomach twists in knots at the sight of such a beautiful instrument. An instrument that symbolizes all I have lost. Shaking the thought from my mind, I spot my bag upside down in the middle of the hallway. It seems princess decided to toss my bag around earlier. I roll my eyes, bending down to pick it up before ascending. I hear footsteps behind me but don’t turn to see who it is.

At the top of the stairs, there’s this ridiculously spacious loft that feels more like a game room. A pool table takes up the center, because of course, why wouldn’t there be one? On the wall hangs a huge flatscreen TV. Below the TV, an entertainment center holds an Xbox, a PlayStation, a Nintendo Switch, and hundreds of games like some kind of video game museum. There are two doors on either side of the TV, and down the hall, I can see two more—one at the end and one to the left.

I look back at princess and ask, “Which one is mine?”

She sighs and points to the door on the right. She goes to walk past me, bumping into my shoulder as she passes and disappears into the door to the left of the TV.

Before I head into the room, I pull my phone from my pocket to text Sean.

TEAGAN 7:16 PM

It is the princess…. I am living with that brat from the other night. AND the bitch spilt tea on me before dinner. The house looks like a serial killer lives here it’s so clean. Thank god the food was good. Pick me up at that same church at 10AM. I am not going to some stupid church service.

SEAN 7:16 PM

Too many words. Too high to comprehend.

TEAGAN 7:17 PM

Same church. 10AM. Don’t be late.

SEAN 7:17 PM

*Middle Finger Emoji*

---