Schism by Britt Holewinski

But I just have a feeling that it’s not what it seems.”
    “Don’t say that,” she urged, despite the fact that she had similar doubts. “You’ll jinx it.”
    “Sorry, but when something’s too good to be true, it usually is.”
    Charlie reached the front gate first and pushed the button to let them inside. The gate swung open soon after, and then the front door of the house. Making her way up the drive, Andy saw a boy of twelve or thirteen standing in the doorway. She correctly guessed that it was Nataliya’s brother, Mikhail.
    “Come in,” he said with a sullen expression on his face. There were no pleasantries or gestures of politeness. He lacked the thick accent of his sister.
    They entered the house tentatively, as Mikhail had already scurried off somewhere inside the house. Nataliya entered the foyer moments later and gestured for everyone to come inside.
    “You will have to forgive my brother. Manners are something he lacks.”
    Andy and Morgan eyed each other after this understatement.
    Seven sets of dinnerware and silverware encircled three silver platters of hot food with steam rising upward, and two other plates with food that Andy could not yet identify. In between the platters were two lit candles. If Nataliya’s intention was to impress her guests, she had succeeded, though Andy decided that such efforts were aimed at targeting solely Ben’s attention.
    It became glaringly apparent that their host had not lifted a finger to prepare the meal when two young girls emerged from the direction of the kitchen, one of them approaching Nataliya. “Everything’s on the table. Is there anything else you need?”
    “No, thank you, Jenny,” Nataliya replied politely to the girl but with an air of authority. “Come back around ten or so. You can clean up then.”
    The two girls nodded and quickly left the house. Meanwhile, Morgan and Andy exchanged glances again as they read each other’s minds.
    “All right, everyone sit down,” Nataliya said. She had changed out of her clothes from the afternoon and had put on a summer dress that enhanced her slender figure. As hostess, she took a seat at the head of the table and gestured for Ben to sit beside her. Andy sat next to him on the other side. The other end of the table was occupied by Mikhail, who skulked into the room a moment later.
    As brother and sister, Nataliya and Mikhail looked very much alike. Their facial features, particularly their eyes, carried a strong resemblance. Though Mikhail was dressed far more casually than his sister, his clothes appeared new, like everyone else’s in town.
    Once everyone helped themselves to the food, Nataliya initiated a conversation. “So, how do you like your home?” After chorus of affirmatives from her guests, she smiled, looking pleased with herself. “Yes, this is one of the nicest and most expensive neighborhoods in Aspen,” she continued, as though the monetary value of a home still had meaning. But perhaps here in Aspen, Andy suspected it might.
    Nataliya began talking to Ben, asking him if they managed to see any part of the town. He nodded in return and politely described their afternoon outing. Meanwhile, Andy became preoccupied with her potatoes, wondering where the cheese came from. She had no clue how to make cheese, but she knew that squeezing a few udders was merely the first step of many that followed. Later, she began observing the others.
    Everyone spoke politely to Nataliya, careful not to offend her, and Nataliya, who controlled the conversation, seemed to enjoy that. Mikhail remained silent, however, his eyes never leaving his plate. Being an amateur student of medicine, Andy began to wonder if he possibly had some kind of developmental disorder, like autism. But after she caught him rolling his eyes and making faces at her friends’ remarks throughout the meal, she decided that he was merely a spoiled brat who didn’t like strangers in his house. When he finished his plate, he pushed