Chapter Eleven

Edwina

Despite my attempts to find sleep by counting sheep, reciting the twenty times table, and singing, restlessness consumed me. Midnight had arrived, accompanied by the distant sounds of crickets and an owl's hoot. While I usually enjoyed the tranquility, recent concerns about home invasions made me hesitant to venture outside to gaze at the stars. Frustrated, I got up, adjusted my blanket, donned my slippers, and quietly left the room I shared with my sisters.

A week has passed since my dad and I rescued Justice and brought him home with the hope of nursing him back to health. However, my expectations of his swift recovery were shattered as I observed his lethargy over the last two days, spending hours in uninterrupted sleep.

Concerned, I gently opened the door to the parlor and was shocked to find him shivering despite the heat, his breathing unnaturally rapid. Kneeling beside him, I checked his temperature, only to hastily withdraw my hand – it was hot enough to boil an egg an