Paying the Price

Chapter 23: Oliver

"So what are we going to do?" I asked, "We obviously are not going to send him back to his parents. We need to get his sister and return the twins to Odin."

Janae shook her head at this. "How do we know that they will be safe with Odin? I mean it sounds like he's a pretty shit older brother." She turned to me and Oakley "Would you two leave me and June in an abusive household all by ourselves at six years old?"

I was a little taken aback by this. I don't think I had ever really heard Janae curse.

Oakley immediately replied "Of course not, Janae. But you are right, what kind of brother leaves his six-year-old twin brother and sister alone in a house with abusive parents?"

"Owen said that Odin promised that he would come back for him and Jenifer. What if something happened to Odin and he wasn't able to get back to the twins? Owen said that he has been gone for over a month," June said.

This was true. This is all so confusing and I could tell none of my siblings, including myself, had any idea on what to do.

Oakley looked at his watch. "It's getting pretty late, why don't we head to bed and we will finish this conversation in the morning when we can ask Owen a few questions."

I was a little confused because it wasn't even that late but I looked around at the table and saw the look on all my sibling's faces. They were all exhausted and I bet I looked the same. It had been a long day.

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I hadn't slept well the entire night.

I can't explain it but something just felt off and I don't think I slept longer than an hour or two without waking up.

I sat up from my bed and looked over at my brother who was still sleeping.

I was a little taken aback by this. Oakley always woke up before me.

I stood up to go near him and I saw him sleeping with no shirt on and in just a pair of shorts with all his blankets kicked onto the floor.

He always slept with lots of blankets and I remember him being fully clothed when we went to bed last night.

"Oakley?" I put my hands on him to shake him awake but immediately pulled my hand back.

His skin was extremely warm.

I rushed and put my hand on his forehead.

He was burning up.

"Oakley!" I yelled a little louder trying to wake him up.

It wasn't working. Oakley is the lightest sleeper in the world. I swear sometimes my breathing wakes him up.

I started to panic after I shook him again and he didn't respond.

Immediately thinking worst-case scenario I put my hand on his chest.

Thankfully, I felt a very slow and faint heartbeat, too slow and faint for my liking but I would rather feel that than no heartbeat at all.

I didn't know what to do so I went into our bathroom and filled up a cup with cold water and brought it over to Oakley.

"Sorry in advance Oak," I said to him before pouring the water onto him.

Thank God because he immediately woke with a start. His eyes flying open and him sitting up.

"Woah Oakley, take it easy." I put my arms around him and lowered him back down.

"What the hell Oliver, did you throw water on me?" He groaned and tried wiping the water off of him.

"Yes, I did, because you are running a fever and would not wake up," I told him.

He rolled his eyes at me "I am not running a fever, I'm fine."

He stood up and I watched as his eyes got heavy and his body went limp causing him to fall right back onto the bed.

"Yeah, if you're fine then I'm a fucking bird. Sit your ass down." I pushed him back into bed.

"Oliver I swear I'm okay."

Oakley gets on my nerves sometimes.

He tried to stand up again. Obviously just to fall down again causing me to have to pull him back up.

Scratch that. He gets on my nerves all the time.

"Oakley, you are sick. I'm getting Janae so you better not move until we get back or else I'm beating your ass." I told him and then went into the girl's room to get Janae.

I knock on my sister's door and was met with June when I opened the door.

Immediately I also put my hand on her head to see if she was also running a fever.

When Oakley gets sick it's almost guaranteed that June will as well and vis versa.

She looked at me confused. "Oliver? What are you doing?"

"Oakley woke up with a fever."

Janae must have heard me because she quickly turned her head around towards me.

"Oakley's sick? Is he alright? June stay here." She said and rushed out the door passed June and me and into my room to find Oakley.

I turned to June "She's right. We don't want you to get whatever he has. Stay put and we will be back soon."

She nodded and went back into her room. We have been doing this forever. Whenever one of the two gets sick, the other is immediately banished to their own room.

With both of them having no immunity we can't risk them spreading diseases. When they get sick, they get sick bad and it can become deadly if we don't take enough care of them.

Janae and I entered our room to thankfully find Oakley right where we left him.

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AN: Hi my loves <3, I missed you all dearly and I apologize for the lack of updates from me for the past (I think 3) weeks.

School just started back and I've just got a lot going on but I really was determined to write this chapter.

I think the hardest part of writing is just starting because when I start writing a chapter I almost always just write it all in one sitting but it's so difficult to start.

Anyways, this book is now 30,000 words long which is crazy because it doesn't feel that long but it is.

Some interesting things are about to go down and it's about to get really intense for our characters.

The next chapter is going to be a bit of a surprise but I'm excited.

LOVE YALL <3