Wings Of Choice (Joel Pimentel)

20 - One More To Save

The voice came from a lady that looks like she's at early 30s. Lean body, Blake Lively's face features with platinum, wavy, chest length hair. She introduces herself as Marguerite. "I'll call you Maggie." Erick decides on his own, earning raised eyebrows from Cass and Joel.

"Maggie it is." She smiles, approving the nickname Erick just gave to her. She then invites them into her house. "How do you know us?" Joel asks as he enters the front door.

The living room was decorated in boho style, colourful pile up pillows and kilim rugs accompanied by Moroccan lanterns. "Let's just say I know it as soon as I lay my eyes on you guys. Have a seat, I'll prepare some tea." she dismissed herself.

"She looks young, do you think she'll know enough to help us?" Erick whispers to Joel, doubting Maggie's capability. "She's a witch, she might be older than how she looks. They can be 100 years old and still looks like a teenager." Joel whispers back.

Maggie comes back and serves them the tea. "What's taking you here?" she asks. Without wasting any time, Joel tells her about the curse and asks her if there's anything she can do to undo it.

Seeing how she looks at them apologetically, Joel already knows the answer. "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do to break anything that Lucian has done." she apologized. Cassandra looks over at Erick, but he smiles faintly, mouthing to her that he's okay. "But if you give me one night, I can prepare something to delay the effects. Might spare you some time to be with the affected ones."

They accepted the offer, so they'll stay there for the night. "I'm sorry we only have one guest room. I'll tell my son to sleep in mine so that you guys can have two rooms." Maggie tells them.

"It's okay, I can share the room with your son. If he doesn't mind." Erick says. Maggie shows them the rooms, telling them to rest while she prepares for dinner.

In their room, Cassandra lay her head on Joel's lap. "I feel sorry for Erick." she says softly, staring in the air. "He has no siblings, his grandfather hates him. Once he loses his parents he'll be left with no one by his side." she adds.

Joel turns Cassandra's face to make her look at him. "You keep worrying about others. What about yourself? If you lose your mother you'll have no close family members left too. Lucian doesn't count. He's out."

I have a brother. She says in her heart. She raised her hands to touch Joel's face. "But I have you. That's enough for me." "Same thing applies to Erick. He has us. We are family." he strokes her hair, lending her an assuring smile.

Maggie almost done cooking when her 10 years old son ran to the kitchen. "What did I say about running in the house, Finnick?" she puts her hands on her waist.

"Mom, is that uncle in my room going to be my new dad?" he asks excitedly. Erick chased after him, his face turns blank when he heard the question Finnick asked to his mom.

Maggie reddenend when she saw Erick standing behind her son . "No, Finn. He already has someone. Stop talking nonsense and get back to your room. Now!" she scolded him. Pouting his mouth disappointedly, Finnick glares at Erick before he ran back to his room.

"I'm so sorry, Erick. He always asks me that when we have a male guest." she shook her head. "Maybe it's not his fault. His father died before he was born, our family was demolished, leaving only the two of us. Of course he's longing for a father."

"Well if he insists, I can just be his new dad." Erick jokes. Maggie let out a small laugh, before she poke his chest with her finger. "Stop playing. You love that fiancee of yours. Even though you're doubting if she really feels the same." she tells him, leaving him speechless. He can't believe she knew what's in his heart.

---

They left the next day after lunch. Maggie provide them with a bottle of potion that she claimed can delay the process of the curse for one week. "Without this you only have a week left. Put one drop of this in their mouth, and you'll have another week extra. I'm so sorry, I wish I can do more." she squeezed Cassandra's hands.

They thanked her for trying her best. Finnick who is standing beside her still looks sad that their guests are leaving. Lowering his knees, Erick played with his hair. "Once I'm done visiting my parents, I'll come back to take you for a boy's day out. Okay?" he promised to Finnick.

"You don't have to do that, Erick." Maggie tells him but he insisted that he wants to, as he feels sorry for the boy. Before they leave Maggie reached out for Erick and Cassandra's hands. "Don't let your guard down. Both of you are valuable. If he can't have you, he might kill you." She says, referring to Lucian.

Confused, they were about to ask more but Joel was calling for them to leave quickly. In the car, none of them said a thing. If he can't have you, he might kill you. Maggie's words keep playing in Erick and Cassandra's head.

---

After telling the others the outcomes of finding the white witch, all of them asked for Jared's permission to go back to their family's place. Of course, the three of them was lectured first for going somewhere far from the Capital without the king's permission.

He granted their permission, and tells them to come back with their other siblings. "You're much safer here. I can't let the safety of the royal's heirs at risk after what happened to your parents. We'll handle your people from here." he told them.

After the meeting Cassandra sits alone in the balcony of Joel's room. Joel hugs her from the back, resting his chin on her shoulder. "What is it you're thinking about?" he asks as he sense the tense in her.

"It's something Maggie said." Cassandra tells him what Maggie told them. About how valuable they are that Lucian might just kill them if he can't get them to be on his side. Joel turns her around, looking at her with worry in his eyes. "Then don't leave this palace. Not without me." he says seriously.

Cassandra shook her head. "If it was because Erick and I am half bloods, then I can't stay put without saving one more person from Lucian's hands." Joel's face furrowed as he asks her who is it she wants to save. Taking a deep breath, Cassandra crossed her finger that he'll take it nicely if she tells him. "My brother. I just knew that he wasn't dead. Lucian didn't kill him."