The Four Dolls Who Replaced My Family Chapter 01

The Four Dolls Who Replaced My Family Chapter 01

The day my SAT scores came out, I shouted into the living room without thinking.

“Mom, Dad, I got a 1520!”

“I can apply to Kingsport! I could be in the same city as Tristan and Julian!”

No one answered. Just silence, like always.

Four handmade dolls sat on the sofa.

My dad. My mom. My brother Tristan Sterling. And Julian Hayes, my childhood friend.

Their round little eyes stared back at me, the same way they had every night for the past year.

Right. I’d forgotten.

A year ago, my sister, Bella Sterling, had a total breakdown.

They said my grades put too much pressure on her. That I was the reason she tried to end her life.

So they sent me away. Stashed me in this rental like a dirty secret.

My first night here, a drunk neighbor hammered on my door by mistake.

I pulled the blanket over my head, crying with my hand clamped over my mouth.

All I could do was call them. My dad, my mom, Tristan, Julian. Over and over.

Every call went straight to voicemail.

Just before dawn, my mom finally texted.

[Stop calling. Bella gets upset when she sees your name on the screen.]

After that, I made four dolls. One for each person I missed.

They sat with me at meals. They stayed on my bed at night.

I told them about every small win, and the secrets I had no one else to share with.

But today, even with tears running down my face, I didn’t reach for the dolls.

A year in exile had taught me one thing. I didn’t need to look back anymore.

…

For the first time, I actually saw the apartment. Really saw it.

The paint was peeling off the walls in patches, exposing the bare concrete underneath.

The curtains had gone stiff from too many washes. Mildew stains worked deep into the corners, no matter how hard I scrubbed.

The ancient AC unit rattled overhead, pushing out nothing but hot air.

All summer, through the worst of AP and SAT prep, I sat at that desk grinding through practice tests.

The heat was so unbearable that after one practice test, I had to shower twice.

The Sterlings weren’t hurting for money.

My family lived in a three-thousand-square-foot penthouse downtown.

Bella had her own study and a piano room.

Even her collectibles had a room of their own.

When they sent me away, all my mom said was,

“It’s just a year. There’s no point spending money on anything nicer.”

“Once your finals are done, we’ll bring you home.”

Testing had ended over two weeks ago. My scores came out today.

Nobody had said a word about bringing me home.

I dropped my gaze and started gathering the plushies.

Then my phone buzzed. A text from my mom.

[Eleanor, come home. We need to talk about your college applications.]

I read the word “home” three times.

Something in my chest loosened, even though I knew better.

Maybe they hadn’t forgotten me after all.

I flew down the stairs.

The bus was too slow, so for the first time in a year, I splurged on an Uber.

The second I walked through the front door, I heard laughter.

Everyone was there. My dad, my mom, Tristan, Julian.

Bella sat in the center of the room, four beautifully wrapped gifts stacked in front of her.

My mom had her arm around Bella’s shoulder, her voice impossibly soft.

“Baby, you did so well! Over a 1300! Our Bella can apply to schools in Kingsport too.”

Tristan grinned.

“She’s coming to Wellington, obviously. Who do you think got her through math?”

“You know how many hours I spent tutoring her this year? She’d better end up at my school.”

Julian shook his head.

“No way.”

“I’m the one who saved her Reading and Writing scores. If anyone gets to claim her, she’s coming to North Crest.”

They argued over her like she was a prize, each of them refusing to give an inch.

And I stood in the entryway, like someone who’d walked into the wrong house.

It took a while before my mom noticed me. Her smile instantly faded.

“Oh. Eleanor’s here.”

The room went dead quiet.

Bella rolled her eyes, scooped up her gifts, and disappeared into her room.

Everyone else just looked at me. No one seemed to know what to do with their faces.

Tristan broke the silence.

“Don’t just stand there. Come sit down.”

I didn’t say anything, just walked over and sat on the armchair at the far end of the room.

My dad cleared his throat.

“Did your scores come out?”

I nodded.

“Yeah.”

“What did you get?”

I opened my mouth, but my mom cut in.

“Your score isn’t the point right now. That’s not why we called you here.”

“We need to talk about where you’re applying.”

She couldn’t look at me. “Don’t apply to any schools in Kingsport.”

“It took Bella a full year of tutoring to get where she is. If you end up in the same city, she could spiral again.”

My nails dug into my palms, slow and deliberate, until the sting crawled up my wrists.

They knew. Every elite program I wanted was in Kingsport.

But Bella might feel bad.

So they sacrificed my future without a second thought.

I turned to my dad, still hoping.

He was already nodding.

“Your mother’s right.”

“Things have finally calmed down around here. Don’t shake things up again.”

I looked at Tristan.

He shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oakhaven’s got good schools too. And it’s close to home.”

Lastly, I looked at Julian.

He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

When he finally spoke, his voice was barely there.

“Eleanor, you’ve always been smart. You’ll be fine wherever you end up.”

“But Bella’s different. She needs her support system around her.”