The next day, David was celebrating his birthday as he invited his friends. Cynthia was hoping Oliver could come as there would be a sleepover.
Oliver accepted the invitation just so he could have a break from his new family. He felt smothered. They just wouldn't leave him alone.
"Can we come?" Emma asked Oliver. "Please? I won't stop until you take me."
"Emma, let go of his leg." Skylia says.
"But they're my friends, too! Why does Oliver get to go?" Emma asked.
"Because Oliver needs a break from you kids right now." Skylia says as Emma breaks down sobbing. She then had to explain that Oliver needed his space. They hadn't given him much of a break this summer.
"Don't die..." Emma sniffed.
"I'll see you in the morning, Em. Don't worry." Oliver assures her.
Oliver arrived as there was a pool party in the back.
"Oliver, you made it!" Cynthia says.
Meanwhile, Lucy was at a poetry convention as Luke and Lincoln were the only ones who had time for her.
"Thanks for this." Lucy says to Luke and Lincoln.
"No problem." Luke says.
Lucy began to read her poem as Luke smiled at her.
At David's party, Oliver was pushed into the pool, fully clothed. He shivered as Cynthia pulled him out.
"David!" Cynthia says.
"Whoops! My bad!" He says.
"I just had to get in a love triangle…" Cynthia says as she gives Oliver a towel.
Later, they had some pizza. "Where's Luke?" Ann asked.
"Somewhere where he's dry." Cynthia says.
Luke cheered for Lucy when she finished.
"Thanks." Lucy says as Remy went for his turn.
Remy was indeed a changed person. He no longer had spiteful feelings toward anyone. And he was going to therapy twice a week to deal with his repressed feelings.
Remy read his poem. Haiku was smiling at him.
After that, the judges announced the winners. Remy got 2nd and Lucy got 1st, much to her shock.
Remy didn't mind getting second place for a change. He knew that losing built character, according to his therapist.
At David's party, Oliver was still wearing his wet clothes. He got Oliver some dry clothes. Oliver went off to change, returning in time to watch David open his presents.
He opens Oliver's gift to see a new game. "Thanks, dude." he says.
"You're welcome." Oliver says. He watches David open more gifts.
After gifts came the piñata as Oliver brought it out. The kids got excited. David got a bat and smirked. He hit the piñata as candy came out and everyone at the party cheered as they got their share.
Soon, it was cake time as David saw his chocolate cake with mini M&M's and a few candles on it. He smiled at this.
Everyone began singing to David as he thought of a wish.
He wished he could have Cynthia back and blew out the candles as everyone cheered.
Soon, the sleepover began as Kali, Brock, Ann, and David did a sneak preview of their ANH performance.
Oliver just looked away.
"What's wrong?" Cynthia asked.
"Basically everything…" Oliver says.
"That doesn't answer my question." Cynthia says to him. "Oh, is it your family?"
"Who else would it be?" Oliver sighed in annoyance. "They are super clingy…."
"Easy. Ditch them." Cynthia says. "I mean Luke rarely goes home a lot, so just copy him."
"I like your way of thinking." Oliver says. "I'll try that. I mean, they haven't given me a break all summer…Well, Brandy and Emma, anyway. Randy is always trying to avoid us." Oliver says.
Soon, they had a pillow fight. Oliver just went to bed. He had no intention of joining in.
"Okay, fine, we'll do something else even though it's my birthday." David said. Oliver shook his head.
"No, no, you guys have fun." Oliver says.
"Oh, what if your siblings come here?" Ann says. Oliver made a mad dash upstairs, screaming in annoyance.
"Easy, we go somewhere they don't know" Cynthia says as the lights turned out.
"Boo!" Cecilia says scaring Cynthia
"Ah! Can this day get any worse?" Cynthia asked as a portal opened under her as she grabbed Oliver's leg trying to avoid getting sucked in, but they both did as it closed.
"Aw, man, Cynthia's hogging all the adventure fun!" Kali says.
A few days later on the 12th, Oliver came back to see an annoyed Kali, arms crossed.
"What?" Oliver asked.
"Nothing, just next time, take me!" Kali says.
"What's with her?" Oliver asked a tired Cynthia.
"She loves adventures." Cynthia says. "A lot."
"I didn't ask to be sucked into this!" Oliver says.
"True, true…sorry." Kali says.
Oliver stormed home.
Cynthia sighed. "Best to go home…" she says.
Meanwhile, Lisa was working on something for Beau's birthday, despite it being in October.
Luna was just practicing music, Lincoln was playing video games, Lola was doing her thing, and Lynn was practicing basketball as Lori and Leni had part time jobs.
Oliver returned home, annoyed as all get-out.
"Welcome home, son." Gabriel says. He embraced Oliver, who cried as he told him everything that happened.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you ended up on one of those adventures." Gabriel says.
"Oliver's home!" Emma says. Oliver was distraught.
"I wish you weren't…" Oliver says.
"Well, you're the only one here we can hang out with since our friends are busy." Emma says.
Oliver groans and goes to his room.
Suddenly, a portal opens as Emma got sucked in.
"Don't worry, I'll get Oliver to help out." Angry Luigi says, but Alem tuber kicked him in as it closed. Alem tuber snickered as Skylia looked worried.
"I'm inviting my pals for a sleepover, " Alem tuber says.
"I'll buy snacks for you." Gabriel says.
"Why did I even come home?!" Oliver thought.
"Look, Oliver, at least you have another break from your siblings." Skylia says.
"I don't care!" Oliver screamed as he left again.
"He'll never come home." Skylia sobbed. "I'm a horrible mother!"
"Honey, he's been through a lot in the past few days." Gabriel says. "You know he has autism. Sometimes he just wants space."
Oliver just stormed through town. He goes into Luke's house.
"Sorry, but I can't stay in that house right now!" Oliver screamed, frustrated.
"Maybe Remy was right…" Lola says.
"About what?" Lana asked.
"Getting rid of Brandy…" Lola says.
"Girls, stop. Oliver, sweetie, it's all right…" Charity says, holding him.
"How long is he staying? Because Luke won't be here for him, considering he has us." Lucy says. She didn't mind Oliver staying, but knew he was only here for Luke.
"Seems like a permanent stay." Lisa says off screen.
"Oh, right." Oliver says.
"FOREST! Could you come here, please?" Charity asked.
The girls were gone, having run off to do their things.
"Lucy's right, staying here is a dumb choice." Luke hissed and dragged Oliver out of the house as he slammed the door shut. But Charity was having none of that.
"I'm not staying here!" Luke says.
"Luke, honey, stay so Oliver can be here." Charity says. "You weren't raised to be unkind. Unless you want your birthday, you will learn to be kind."
"But I can't stand my siblings." Luke says.
"Oliver is your friend, young man. He's dealing with a lot of mental trauma right now. He will not go back to that house until we do something about this whole thing he's dealing with." Forest says.
"So, we beat up Brandy?" Luke asked. Forest and Charity shake their heads.
"Physical altercations, spells, and other suggestions of the sort will result in punishment." Forest says.
"And groundation." Charity says.
"I'm going to Haiku's house for the night." Lucy says, not wanting to overprotect Luke.
"Maybe we shouldn't be around Luke, at least for tonight. If Oliver can't stand his siblings, then he certainly can't stand us. It's for his mental health." Lisa says.
Lucy came back.
"That was quick." Leni says.
"Haiku is coming here." Lucy sighed. "Remy said so."
Soon, all of Luke's friends came to comfort Oliver. They saw Oliver's distraught look.
Forest had driven to the CPS office in the city. He worked there.
"What's wrong?" Sally asked.
"I've opened a new case, Sally." Forest says. "And it is ugly."
He then shows her what they're working with.
"You want the Waterlashes arrested?" Sally asked.
"We are inspecting the place first." Forest says.
They arrive at the house. Forest and Sally knock on the door as Jack opened it. Skylia ushered him back upstairs as this was serious business.
"What seems to be the matter?" Skylia sniffed and froze seeing Forest as she had a few flashbacks and slammed the door and locked it, not wanting them to come in. But Gabriel ended up letting them in.
They inspect the twins' room first. Brandy's side was a mess and kinda smelled. There were a few power ups and weapons. Alem tuber just had a few books and stuff, but nothing bad.
They checked Oliver's room, which was very neat and tidy, so there was nothing to say there.
Lastly, Emma's room was a mess. There were sweets in the closet, Oliver's snacks were in her toy box, and Brandy's muffins were in her drawer. Forest was appalled by this.
Skylia hopes they stayed away from the basement. She couldn't risk exposing her secret spell books. They stayed away from there as they looked around the rest of the house.
Soon, they finished.
"What did you find?" Gabriel asked.
"Food, weapons, and flowers with eyes." Forest says.
Skylia sighed. Emma's hunger was uncontrollable at times.
"And the twins' room smells like something died in there." Sally says.
"Brandy…" she muttered as he could be lazy at times.
"Have a nice day now." Skylia had a forced smile on her face as Forest and Sally headed back to the city.
Skylia began to sob. Gabriel was displeased with the stuff they found.
"The weapons are just Brandy's power-ups and hammers and a sword. He can't trust Delta with that stuff since she has it out for Remy. And Emma gets hungry all the time, and no matter what I give her, it's never enough. I don't want my family to split apart, not again! I was forced to give Brandy up 9 years ago!" She sobbed, having a mental breakdown.
Meanwhile, Angry Luigi woke up and groaned as he was under a roof and walked outside to see a village and looked freaked out. "Oliver, Oliver, Oliver!" Angry Luigi screamed, but Oliver wasn't around.
"Well, I'm dead…" Angry Luigi says.
Meanwhile, Leni put on a movie before leaving.
"Luke, what is this?" Lonnie asked.
"Princess Pony." Oliver says as Lucy froze. Haiku never knew about this.
"Why don't we watch something less pink and awful?" Lucy says nervously.
"Like what?" Remy asked.
She chose a horror movie, but sees Luke's movies.
"Okay, one of Luke's movies." Lucy says, knowing he had a few.
Forest came home to see the group watching "Stop The Planet Of The Apes, I Want To Get Off!" as Oliver was giggling.
"What happened?" Charity asked Forest.
Forest told her about everything he had found. Charity was shocked.
"So, does that mean we get to adopt him?" Leni asked.
"As it stands right now, yes. He's the only one leaving that house." Forest says.
"Won't Gabriel be upset?" Lori asked.
"Gabriel and I talked before I left." Forest says. "He's still Oliver's legal guardian."
"Wow, Remy was right…" Lola says, eavesdropping.
Oliver was soon sitting on a guest bed in Luke's room.
"I told you, Luke." Remy says.
"And now I know." Luke says.
"So, what's the plan to get payback on the Waterlashes?" Stephen asked as they were talking. Oliver thinks. He got visions of his birthday as Angry Luigi did come through for him
Later, Oliver walked outside, but he was kidnapped.
To be continued