It's a Secret

Maren's face held accusations and shock, Meagan looked around to see the reason for their sudden change and she gasped, horrified and in shock too. The whole place was a mess, with empty bottles and glass shards, her blankets, dirty clothes heaped up on a corner . 

"Shoot! I forgot to clean up this morning…" Meagan chuckled awkwardly, then turned and mouthed some curse words at herself, picking up anything she could find - and it was a lot. Meagan scrambled to arrange the room. 

"You sleep on the couch?" Mahalia's voice dripped with curiosity and sympathy.

"No, of course not, I sleep in the guest bedroom there" gesturing towards the room that was just adjacent to the living room, Meagan watched the girls exchange silent looks. 

"The guest bedroom? But it's your house, isn't it?" 

"That's enough Mahalia, you are being rude!" Maren retorted immediately, her eyes held a warning glint, and she had her signature frown on her face. 

"You girls can use this room, it's dusty, but… I am sorry I wasn't expecting to come home with anyone" Meagan allowed her uncertainty show. 

"It's okay, only if you give us something to eat" Matilda spoke for the first time that day to Meagan, and she smiled slightly at her. 

"I doubt anything is here, I will just order something, what do you want to eat?" Meagan asked the girls and they exchanged an uncertain glance at each other.

"We will be grateful with whatever you give us" Mahalia said but the longing in her eyes told Meagan that they didn't want to offend her. 

"Yes, but you can just pick whatever you want, I promise" Meagan spoke up, and she patted Mahalia's head. 

"Then can we have some burgers and fries, with that chocolate dripping milkshake" Matilda swallowed noisily as she spoke, showing how much she wanted everything she just said. 

"Matilda! That's way too much, I don't think we can have all that" Mahalia spoke up, but her eyes showed how much she wanted it. 

Meagan couldn't help but smile, then she picked up the phone and ordered everything from chips, chicken, milkshakes, pizza. 

Maren still managed to hold herself aloof, but when the meals were delivered, she couldn't help herself, she stared at it longingly, and Meagan gave them the go ahead and watched them noisily stuff themselves. 

Meagan was reminded of her boys again, remembering how Majesty and Magnus loved junk foods but Marcellus preferred his veggies. Did they change a lot the last two years she didn't see them? Did they enjoy their ninth birthday? She couldn't help the tears and escaped to her room where she cried herself to sleep. 

*****

The ray of the morning sun filtered through the window and Meagan realized that she had slept peacefully for the first time in six months, she didn't have the nightmare. 

She heard noises from her kitchen and jerked up fully awake and angry. "Maybe I should just kill that fool" Meagan mumbled as she stormed to the kitchen. 

Seeing Maren on a stool as she reached for the upper counter and the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit Meagan at once, and she was giddy with emotions. 

"Good morning, did you have a restful night? I am sure you did" Mahalia said in a singsong voice then winked at Meagan, rocking excitedly on her chair. 

Suspicious about her behavior, Meagan asked. "How did you know that?" 

"It's a secret, but don't worry, you won't have bad dreams anymore, oh yeah, you didn't tell us your name, what is your name?" Mahalia asked as she looked at Meagan with puppy eyes. 

"My name is Meagan, and you can call me that" Meagan looked around the kitchen, sniffing the air. "Do I smell coffee? I hope you didn't drink coffee, you are way too young for that!" Meagan's eyes went round with worry. 

The girls giggled in unison, and Meagan stared at them with an eyebrow raised, she didn't get the joke. 

"Don't worry silly, it's for you! Adults love coffee don't they?" Matilda's eyes held a mocking and mischievous glint. 

Meagan didn't bother to hide her shock. "How do you know how to make coffee? Aren't you like eight or nine years old?" 

Maren shrugged casually, her little hands moved efficiently, but that was the only answer Meagan got from her. 

"Maren knows stuff, I mean a lot of things" Mahalia whispered cautiously as she eyed her cup, her words earned her a warning glare from Maren, and an annoyed sigh from Matilda.

"We clocked nine last month" Matilda offered as silence enveloped the kitchen.

Holding out a tray filled with perfectly stacked pancakes, and we'll chopped fruits, Maren said. "Here you go Maha, set the table, Matilda, get the plates and cutlery set" 

Meagan watched as the girls obeyed the orders, it was clear who called the shot with them. 

Maren handed Meagan a cup of coffee, not bothering to look at her face. "Here Meagan, make sure you wash up and join us at the table." and with those words, Maren came down from the stool and went to the dining area. 

The coffee was good, great even, and that was what shocked Maren more, she ran inside to quickly clean up herself. 

The girls stopped whispering immediately the saw that Meagan was within eyesight, and Mahalia looked uncomfortable. Meagan wondered if the food was safe, so she decided to let them eat first. 

"Matty, say the grace" Maren said and held out her hands closing her eyes, the girls linked their hands together, and Meagan hesitantly joined her hands with Mahalia and Matilda's. 

After the surprisingly good pancakes and fruits, the girls cleared the dishes and washed them, while Meagan was still so stunned. 

"Meagan, it's normal for nine year Olds to do house chores" Matilda said with a frown as she glanced at Meagan briefly. 

"Ohh, I am sorry, I was staring" Meagan adjusted her robe, and gasped in shock, when she turned to see the adoring gaze of Mahalia, she didn't realise the girl had moved so close to her. 

"You really are pretty, so what do you do here to pass time, do you work?" Mahalia crossed her legs like she was in an exquisite interview. 

Meagan didn't laugh, but her eyes held an amused glint. "Well, I do nothing for now, I just…

Drink? Sleep? Cry silently? No, she definitely can't say those things to the girls. 

Maren walked up to Meagan and Mahalia, and passed a rag to her sister, and with a firm voice. "Take this and wipe the furnitures, we are cleaning" 

"Maren, you don't have to, I will call cleaning services to get this done, don't worry too much okay? 

"No Meagan, we will earn our keep, it sets us at ease" Maren's tone was final, as if she expected no arguments. 

A grumpy Mahalia whispered. "More like it sets you at ease" when Maren's head whipped to her direction so quickly, Mahalia shrugged and hurried away, cleaning a spot earnestly. 

Meagan felt it was time to be the adult, and make Maren see that she was being a bully. "Look Maren, I get that you might be slightly older than the others, but don't you think you are being a bully? I mean, you always make them do things your way, do you think it's okay? 

Maren stared at Meagan silently for a while, and it took all Meagan had not to squirm, 

She is just a child, Meagan told herself mentally. 

With a slight shrug and a dismissive tone, Maren replied. "I just know better, and I am the youngest" Maren walked away, picking up the vacuum, she began cleaning the room. 

Meagan was left stunned by that discovery, she just assumed Maren was the oldest, but if she wasn't, why did the other girls seem to fear her and obeyed whatever she said. 

Mahalia rushed to where Meagan stood in a daze and poked at her with a full smile. "It's okay, Maren is a good person, she is just overly protective, she is someone you will want to have by your side when you are in trouble" then Mahalia glanced around to be sure either of her sisters wasn't paying attention to her. 

When she saw that they were engrossed in their work, she signalled for Meagan to move closer, waving her little hands. A curious Meagan indulged her.