Wings Of Choice (Joel Pimentel)

35 - Reaped

Richard storms off right after he tells Joel to get everyone back to the palace. Joel ran to Erick's room, and conveys what Richard has ask him to. "Something happened to Jodi. I don't know what. Let's just go back." he tells everyone in Erick's room.

Erick struggles to get himself up, as his wound was too deep it hurts when he moves. Samia put him back on the bed, but he insists on coming along. "Get a wheelchair and take me back with you. I don't want to be here while you guys are having problems." he tells her.

They then come back to the palace to find Richard leaning his back on the hallway's wall. They asked him what happened but he didn't say a word. He just stare at Jodi's door with dead expression on his face.

In Jodi's room, Chris is on the bed with Jodi in his arms. He keeps kissing her cheeks with tears running down his cheeks. There's pool of blood on the bed, and Jodi doesn't move. Everyone gasps, trying to figure out what was going on.

Chris raised his face to find everyone staring at him in disbelief. "When I came back she already cut her wrist. I don't know why." his voice trembled as he grabbed a folded paper under the pillow and hand it to them. "I don't want to see what's inside." he says.

Joel's hand was shaking when he took the paper from Chris. He opens it up to find that it's a suicide note. A really short one. One life for another, Jodi's life for Riki's. Joel read it out loud, making all eyes laid on Riki and Kat.

"It's not a suicide note. It must be from that woman." Finn says blankly. "What woman?" Chris asks, almost yelling. Finn had no choice but to tell him everything he heard, about the woman with a mask offering the reaper another soul in exchange to Riki's. He never thought it was Jodi's.

Chris put Jodi back on the bed and stood up, storming at Riki. "What's so good about this low life half blood that Jodi was sacrificed just to save him?" he says screaming on Riki's face.

Riki was froze, he has no idea that his life was traded. Kat stood in front of him, pushing Chris away. "He doesn't even know anything. I know you're brokenhearted, but that doesn't mean you can let it out on him, he's innocent." she defends Riki.

Enraged, Chris grabbed her arm and drag her towards Jodi's bed before pushing her down to look closer at her dead sister. "That's your sister lying on her bed, lifeless. Because her life was taken in exchange to your boyfriend's. You're telling me I can't blame him?"

Kat starts to cry when Chris keeps forcing her to keep her eyes on Jodi. It feels like a stab in her heart. They grew up together, shared everything with each other. She was her world. Never has it occurred in her mind that she would find Jodi like this. "Let her go, Chris. You're tormenting her!" Joel says sternly.

Moving his eyes on Joel, his face turned dark. He the push Kat with his both hands, making her fall on her knees. "So everyone is against me right now?" he asks.

Everyone in the room was scared, as they never seen this side of him. They shook their head, telling him it's not like what he thinks it is. "Chris, calm down. There's nothing we can do." Cass tries to calm him down.

"It's a easy for you to say. Imagine coming back to find Joel's blood drained like that. How would you feel?" he let out on her. He lay his eyes back on Jodi, then to Cassandra. "Or maybe it's part of your plan." he says to her.

"What do you mean it's part of her plan? She knew nothing about this. None of us does." Erick jumps in. Chris ignores him and walked towards Cassandra, pushing her to the wall and pierced his bloodshot eyes on her.

"Ever since we met you everything turns upside down. First you made us fight for you, then we lost our parents because of you." he hissed at her. "Chris, stop!" Joel yells when he mentioned the last part. He knows how much Cass blames herself for what happened to their parents.

Chris acts like he didn't hear Joel telling him to stop. Cassandra's pouring tears doesn't move his stone cold heart, not even a bit. "And now I lose the only girl I loved, to keep your brother alive? You're a devil indeed. You never make anyone lives in peace."

"I said, enough!" Joel pushed him off from Cassandra. "You're not in your right mind! Get out! It's not like you can bring her back." Joel orders him to leave the room.

Feeling defeated, Chris glares at him before he took his steps to the door. He stopped at Riki for a second. "If only I didn't waste my time healing you, I would've been here to save her." he says without even looking at him.

Zabdiel grabbed him from the back and drag him out. "You need to get your head back together." he tells Chris. Kat and Cassandra were on their knees as they bursts into tears, both affected by Chris's action. Riki can't move, he keeps his eyes on Jodi's body on the bed, with guilt eating his heart out.

"I need to tell my dad about this." Joel says, dismissing himself. He was afraid of how Jared would react, but he has to know. Joel found his dad in his reading room. "What can I do for you?" Jared asks, only taking a glance on him before moving his eyes back on his book.

Joel didn't answer right away, he was gathering his courage to say it. Jared put his book down and walks to his son. Looking at his teary eyed son, he starts to feel uneasy.

"What happened to your cousin?" he asks. Joel swallowed the big lump in his throat. "J-Jodi" he stammered. Before Joel can tell him the news, Jared rushed out from the room, leaving Joel behind. "Looks like it'll take longer for us to mend up, dad." Joel sighs.