Pay the Price

Chapter 3- Back Together

Connor looked at Myrah, then at Christopher. The latter looked at his brother with complete fear, he was frozen, and he dropped the pineapple cushion. Myrah looked like she was about to attack Connor for not just barging in, but for scaring their brother, who was hiding in her room.

When Christopher realised who the person standing before him was, he stood up so quickly that he stumbled a bit, and clung to Connor, almost falling over. He could barely walk in a straight line because of how weak he had become. Connor lifted his brother, which wasn't a hard task, and carried him over to Myrah's bed, sitting him down.

To say Connor was relieved to see his brother there was an understatement, even if he already knew Christopher was there. But it didn't stop him from checking his brother's face, head, neck, arms, and his mouth for infected, untreated, or new injuries. He had to ensure his brother was okay for the most part.

All he found were old, treated wounds, only one baby tooth that was very loose while his other teeth were healthy and intact, and a developing skin rash on Christopher's right shoulder. Myrah continued braiding her brother's hair, all while Connor picked the pillow up, giving it back to Christopher.

"Connor..." Christopher whispered, his eyelids drooping as Connor held his cheek. Even in the safety of his sister's room, he couldn't sleep well. He didn't sleep the night prior. His eyes had large bags, his eyelids were half-open, and he'd sway ever so slightly, no matter if he were standing or sitting.

"Oh Chris." Connor knelt in front of Christopher, letting his brother cling to him. "What did they do to you? You're so exhausted." He whispered, carefully moving to sit on Myrah's bed once the braid was tied off, holding Christopher in a tight embrace. He, Christopher, had his hands clawing into Connor's back, his head on Connor's shoulder.

Myrah and Connor sighed sadly, but they were a bit happy Christopher wanted to cling to someone. Christopher didn't let either of his siblings loosen their grip on him, wanting to stick close to both of them.

"He's been clingy all day. He's scared to be alone." Myrah informed Connor, putting a blanket over Christopher's shoulders to keep him warm. "He refuses to bathe because he's scared of being by himself. He also can't speak well. His throat is swollen and causes him pain to talk." She explained, swiping an eyelash from Christopher's cheek. "He's also having trouble sleeping and eating."

"Okay. Got it." Connor nodded, then looked at Christopher. "You don't want anyone to know you're here, do you?" He questioned, and Christopher nodded. "Okay, well, I'll do what I can to help Myrah prevent anyone from seeing you." Connor thought about whether to mention Maria Zandailias but decided against it. He didn't wish to scare Christopher.

Myrah and Connor fell silent, not being able to help but smile as Christopher nestled himself closer to his brother and sister, staring at the wall behind Myrah. The presences of both his brother and sister were giving him warmth, and it was making him feel a bit comforted. The triplets were together, after ten years.

It had been so long that to the eldest two, it felt almost surreal. They couldn't believe their brother was right there, right in front of them. But they had to. He was there, he was safe in their embraces, he was... home.

"He's surprisingly... healthy. Not as healthy as he should be, he's malnourished, but he's able to do everything we can. He's just scared to." Myrah commented, then grabbed Christopher's hand, showing Connor their brother's nails. "His nails aren't breaking, there's no dip in them, they aren't brittle, there's no yellow, no peeling, no clubbing, nothing. His nails are completely healthy, which is a good sign for the rest of his body." She pointed out, almost laughing as Christopher immediately took a tight grip on her hand.

Connor was about to speak, but someone knocked on the door loudly. Christopher immediately startled. Connor quickly slipped away from Christopher, and went out the room, preventing anyone from entering to keep his brother from prying eyes.

If Christopher wished to hide from everyone, including family, then he could stay hidden.

~

Madelia, the mother to Delilah, Adhi, and the triplets, looked confused as Connor exited Myrah's room.

"Where's your sister?" She asked, about to move past Connor, but he pressed his back on the door, preventing anyone from getting through. "Excuse me. I have a right to go in here."

"Myrah is busy with school work. I was helping her with chemistry, but now she needs silence to complete it." Connor lied smoothly. He was always a good liar, unlike his siblings, who were all horrible liars. "And Waffle the puppy is sleeping. He wakes up easily."

"I see." Madelia nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Then let her know that her friend... what's her name... Sarah, that's right, is here. She wanted to go out with Myrah for a girl's day."

"Alright, I will." Connor agreed to which Madelia walked off. When she was out of sight, Connor slipped back into Myrah's room, still making sure his body blocked off any sight of the room.

When he turned around, he noticed something. Myrah was in her en-suite, but Christopher was gone. Connor looked under the bed, in the wardrobe, everywhere, and Myrah soon joined him. Christopher had vanished.

They looked out the window, finding the windowsill was cracked. Like someone had stepped on it. Christopher wasn't taken. He ran away. They spotted him running to the nearby forest, and in just two seconds, he was out of their sights.

"Shit." Connor and Myrah whispered in unison, then ran out of the room, going to follow their brother's steps. The forest was dangerous, especially for a boy as weak and defenceless as Christopher.

"Christopher!" Connor yelled, sprinting to the trees, unknowingly catching the attention of the Aetos family. They thought Connor was crazy. Until Myrah also started yelling for Christopher, running in the same direction as both of her brother's.

And unfortunately, Maria Zandailias also heard. And she was going after Christopher Aetos too. Christopher knew who was near, and fled to not just protect himself, but his whole family. He wanted to run and hide away.

Due to Connor's deadly mistake of calling out for his brother, Maria knew where her target was. She began running as well to get to her captee before Connor could. It was a race; who'd reach Christopher first?

~

Christopher hid in a tree, watching over. He held his breath when he saw Maria.

"I'm going to find you, you cursed bitch."