Oliver tossed and turned in his bed, as he was plagued by a terrible nightmare. He dreamed that he was trapped in a dark and fiery place, surrounded by lava and flames. He felt the heat scorching his skin, and the smoke choking his lungs. He heard a loud and sinister voice, echoing in his ears.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gsqX6BJZL
"Oliver... Oliver... Oliver..."
He tried to run, but he couldn't move. He tried to scream, but he couldn't speak. He tried to wake up, but he couldn't escape.
He wished he could see his mom, or his dad, or his siblings. He wished he could hear their voices, or feel their hugs, or see their smiles. He wished he could tell them he loved them, and that he was sorry.
But he couldn't.
He was alone, and forgotten, and doomed.
He felt a tear roll down his cheek, and a sob escape his throat.
He wanted it to end, and he wanted to wake up.
But he couldn't.
Suddenly, he heard a loud knock on his door, and a familiar, feminine voice calling his name.
"Wake up, child!!"
"Yeah... wait Ashlyn!..." he shouted back. He took a deep breath and proceeded to stretch his limbs. He checked the time on his bedside alarm clock.
7:03 AM. Saturday, 28th January.
He got off his bed, and yawned. He dragged himself to the door, not unlike a zombie, or a freshly resurrected undead body. He reached for the door handle and opened, to see his sister standing there.
"Morning, sleepyhead."
"Thank you for getting me out of there, sis..." he muttered sleepily. "Okay, now I'ma head to the bathroom."
Ashlyn furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What is up with that kid..." she asked herself.
|•|•|•|
A few hours had passed. The three siblings were all in their own little worlds, within the 7 inch screens of their phones, all manufactured by none other than their father, and his company.
Ashlyn answered the person on the other end of the line of her phone call. "Truth," she said, confidently.
She waited for the question, hoping it would be something easy and harmless. She was not prepared for what she heard next.
"Do you like Caeden?" the voice asked, teasingly.
Ashlyn felt a jolt in her chest, as she heard the name of her crush. She felt her face heat up, and her heart race. She wanted to deny it, but she also wanted to be honest. She was torn between her pride and her feelings.
"No, I do NOT like Caeden!" she objected, raising her voice. She hoped her tone would convince the person, and herself, that she was telling the truth.
There was a pause, and then a laugh. "Come on, Ashlyn. You can't lie in truth or dare. We all know you have a crush on him. Just admit it," the voice said, persistently.
Ashlyn sighed, knowing she had been caught. She knew she couldn't lie, but she also couldn't confess. She decided to give in, and hope for the best.
"Okay, fine... I can't lie in truth or dare anyway... I do like him..." she said, softly. She felt a mix of embarrassment and relief, as she finally said the words out loud.
She heard a cheer, and a clap. "There you go, Lyn. That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, don't you feel better?" another voice asked, happily.
Ashlyn smiled, and shrugged. "I guess so. But don't you dare tell him, okay? It's our little secret," she said, nervously.
The voice chuckled, and winked. "Don't worry, girl. Your secret is safe with me. For now..."
Meanwhile, as much as he was tempted to, Draco decided not the eavesdrop on the online truth-or dare game. He had better things to do on his phone.
He opened his friend, Zack's chat, and typed angrily. 'I cannot believe it...' he wrote. 'First, she broke my phone. Now her friends keep accusing ME of hurting her. What is wrong with our schoolmates?!'
He waited for a response, hoping for some sympathy or support. He got none.
'I dunno, man.' Zack replied, casually. 'At least you got free vengeance. From broken phone to broken bones...'
Draco rolled his eyes, and sighed. He knew Zack was joking, but he didn't find it funny. He felt sorry for his sister, even though he hated her.
'She is still my sister... unfortunately. I had to save her. Even though I didn't know the truth back then. Besides, I would have been called in for questioning by the police, at a random time..' he wrote, defensively.
He hoped Zack would understand, and drop the subject. He didn't.
'You still were questioned...' Zack wrote, teasingly. 'But don't worry too much about it. She's doing well, and once she starts coming back to school, her friends will stop blaming you.
Draco groaned, and shook his head. He knew Zack was right, but he didn't want to admit it. He had been questioned by the police, after his sister's accident. They had asked him about his relationship with her, and his involvement in the incident. At the time, all he knew was that they were classmates, haters.
'True...' he wrote, reluctantly. 'Thanks, dude.'
He wished Zack would stop, and change the topic. He did.
'No problem. So, what's new with you?' Zack wrote, curiously.
Draco smiled, and relaxed. He was glad Zack was interested in his life, and not his sister's. He decided to tell him the truth, and hope for the best.
'Not much... my brother is staying with us till my mom can pick him up. He's fun to hang out with. ...' he replied. 'What about you?'
He waited for Zack's reply, hoping for some excitement or praise. He got none.
'Actually... there is something.'
'Go ahead. You can trust me.'
'See... there's something that's been bothering me. I like this girl, and want to get in touch with her... but have no idea how.'
'Who is it?'
'I can't say... you'll probably laugh... or tell her.'
'Come on, I won't do anything. It's not like it's my sister or anything. Even if it was, I wouldn't tell, of course.'
'I'm sorry, man... it is...'
Draco felt a jolt in his chest, as he read Zack's message. He wanted to deny his frustration and be supportive, but he also wanted to let it out.
'Why, though?' Draco asked, sarcastically. 'What's so special about her, except her expertise in the fine art of breaking expensive phones?"
'You can argue that you shared a womb with her, but I've known her for longer. She's really nice, actually...'
'My mom and dad were enemies as kids, but their brothers were best friends. They came up with a plan to become brothers-in-law, and it worked... until it didn't. If you ever do marry my sister, we'd be brothers in law.' Draco explained, and typed a laughing emoji.
'That's not the only reason I like her... she's an all round great person. Now I get why we got along so well when you first joined.'
Draco paused for a minute, before replying, 'Maybe... also, was I being a pain while venting out my hatred for the girl?'
'Everyday.'
'Ouch... I'm sorry...'
'It's cool.'
As the boys kept texting back and forth, and the girls continued with their game, Oliver had nothing to do whatsoever. He couldn't play with his siblings, and he had gotten bored of the video game console. It was on days like this his mom would drop him off at his uncle Leo's home, to beta test the videogames. But Ashton, along with cutting off contact with his wife, was not in touch with her brother either.
What about Jayden, his best friend, you might ask. As if on cue, the siblings heard a small bell noise on the living room PA, which diverted their attention. It was a deep, masculine voice, not unlike the one which gave poor Oliver a fright the previous night. It was their dad's voice, most likely from the office.
"Kids, your uncle said he is coming over, tonight. We're also going to celebrate Amira's return from the hospital."
The siblings heard the announcement, and felt a mix of emotions. Ashlyn was excited to see her uncle, and to celebrate her sister's recovery. Draco was curious to meet his uncle, and reluctant to welcome his sister into the family. Oliver was nervous to leave his dad, and to face his mom.
They all got up from their seats, and headed to their rooms. They had to get ready for the evening, and for the changes that were coming.
But they didn't know what was waiting for them.
As they walked upstairs, they heard another bell noise, and another announcement. This time, it was the voice of their maid.
"Kids, there's someone at the door for you. It's your mom, and she looks stressed."
They stopped in their tracks as they were about to go their separate ways, and looked at each other. They felt a surge of fear, and confusion.
What was she doing here? What did she want? What did she know?
They had no idea, but they were about to find out.
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