The Cost of Betrayal

“YOU BITCH!” Oliver screamed at the top of his tiny lungs, struggling uselessly against Cerys’ fingers as she held him fast and opened the door.

Brooklynn’s eyes widened at the sight of tiny squirming figure trapped in the other girl’s hand, “Oh my god you found him!” she exclaimed excitedly, broad grin appearing on her beautiful face as her eyes lit up. Her brain registered the captive was not Cam. “Wait, is that Oliver?” she asked, looking closer.

Cerys nodded slowly, Cheshire grin spreading capriciously on her face.

Curling up her right hand, Brooklynn waggled an index finger at him, “You are in a lot of trouble right now little one,” she scolded playfully

Going still, tears welled up in Oliver’s eyes as he looked to the immense blonde haired girl, “She ate Cam, just ate him,” he indicted, thrashing anew against his confinement.

Glancing back up to Cerys, Brooklynn blinked a couple of times and frowned, “What?” she demanded,

“You know the rules. You couldn’t look after what was yours so finders’ keepers,” Cerys replied, smiling cruelly, smugly.

A storm cloud of anger swept into Brooklynn’s green eyes, “No, that’s not how it was supposed to go because he had help!” she yelled, pointing at Oliver. “The order of claim was still intact!”

Cerys snorted, “Too bad, so sad,” she chuckled pushing passed Brooklynn, entering the hall.

Clenching her teeth, murder dancing in her limpid eyes, “This isn’t over,” Brooklynn seethed. “Not by a long shot”

“What’s done is done,” Cerys chided, meeting the blonde’s hard look with one of her own.

The two girls remained locked in a stare down, fire and ice, neither willing to back down. The sound of the front door closing broke the moment. Turning, Brooklynn, followed closely by Cerys moved down the hall, the pair descending the broad stairs at the front of the house just as Monroe, Allie, and Edith stopped in the foyer.

Putting the hand containing Oliver forward, “I found this in my room,” she declared triumphantly.

Looking at the tiny head peeking out from the brunette’s fist, “Oliver?” Allie questioned.

“She found and devoured Cam,” Brooklynn indicted.

Letting out a breath, Allie shook her head, asking, “First off, how did you get Oliver to reveal himself and did you swallow Cam?”

“I basically just storied Oliver about how I could save him, and then I overhead the sisters in the hall and realized I more than likely also had Cameron in my room as well,” she said smugly. “Two little birds, one stone.”

“Who you ate, you heartless fucking monster!” Oliver spat, little face twisted.

Face darkening, “The order of claim for Cam was to hold because of Oliver’s interference,” Allie stated.

Cerys shrugged, “Oops.”

Edith held up a hand, “Enough of this,” she stated, extending her free hand to Cerys. “The boy,” she demanded.

Nodding, Cerys deposited Oliver in Miss Frost’s palm. “You are second in line for this one?” she asked, curling her long slender fingers around Oliver and holding up the hand.

Cerys nodded, “Yes I hold second claim, plus, I think you stated special consideration would be granted to the sister responsible for his capture,” she reminded, angling her head slightly to one side.

Edith nodded slowly, “You are correct I did say that, but for your deliberate and willful haste in consuming young mister Crawford with little regard for the situation compels me to resolve this in a way that communicates my displeasure. You will forfeit two of your days to Brooklynn, two to Allie, and Harmony’s claim will be placed before yours. You shall have the remaining one day with him before he becomes communal property of the house proper,” she decreed.

Lit up by the ruling, Brooklynn brought her hands up to her face to conceal her jubilation.

Allie smiled, grateful this occurred while Miss Frost was in the house and could intercede.

Seeing the reaction of the other girls, face contorting, “No, that’s not fair,” protested Cerys angrily.

“No? Who do you think you are to tell me no? Be grateful I’m even leaving you a table scrap, now be off with you before I change my mind and leave you with nothing, you stupid silly girl,” Edith barked, tone razor sharp.

Not just Cerys, but all the sisters took a step back under the force of Miss Frost’s words. No one spoke.

Knowing there was naught she could do about the decree Cerys bobbed her head quickly before breaking away and returning up to her room.

Oliver in hand, Edith marched back toward the kitchen, leaving the silent sisters standing in a semicircle in the foyer. In the kitchen, she motioned with her head for Vesper to follow, leading her down another hall to the secluded study near the rear of the house.

Following Edith Frost inside the well-appointed room, Vesper closed the door behind them before looking in askance at the gray haired woman.

Sitting down at the desk, Edith released Oliver unceremoniously onto the blotter, the tiny boy rolling over a few times and coming to a stop before she opened her hand in his direction.

Recognizing the boy, a grin bloomed on Vesper’s face as she walked over, “Well, well, well. This will certainly make Sersei a happy girl. You’ve proven yourself quite the elusive quarry here in the house Oliver,” she stated, bending slightly at the waist and placing her hands on her thighs.

Getting to his feet, Oliver turned to look at the pair of gigantic women looking down on him, eyes drifting from one to the other before settling on Vesper. “For what’s it worth, I guess I won’t be able to make it in for work today,” he said sarcastically, accepting the responsibility for Cam’s demise but masking the devastating hurt he carried in his heart.

Leaning forward, she fixed her cold emerald eyes on him, “I’m not interested in your work schedule, tell me about your mother’s boyfriend Stan,” Edith prompted with a smile, punctuating her request by strumming manicured and brightly painted nails staccato fashion on the smooth polished desktop.