Once Upon A Curse

Caged Part 2

The stairs finally lead Elliot and Rosaline to the first floor of the tower.
"Thank goodness my legs were killing me." Rosaline stretches out her legs relieved.
"Quick we need to find Cecilia." Elliot races to the next floor and Rosaline groans chasing after him to guide him. These steps where shorter and narrower. Rosaline pulls Elliot up onto the last floor. Elliot shrugs Rosaline off and runs to the middle of the room.
"Cecilia!" Elliot calls out with his heart in his throat. "Cecilia." He calls again but quieter. Rosaline stands watching still on the last step.

A girl with long copper hair that reaches the lower back of her body stares at Elliot from behind with tears in her eyes. She looks so speechless and happy. Her green eyes was nothing like Elliots light speckled ones, hers had a darker shade of green with yellow and brown. Cecilias heart felt like it was gonna come out of her chest.
"Elliot." Cecilias small voice barley reached him. In a instant Elliots head snaps in her direction. He reaches his hands out trying to find her. Cecilia slowly walks towards him. Inspecting his new clothes given from Rosaline and the bandage around his eyes. Her small narrowed hands reach for Elliots large ones. As soon as Elliot felt Cecilia's hands he gripped onto her, Covering his hands with hers.
"You're here. You're here!" Cecilia throws her arms around Elliot and he catches her with her waist. "You're back. Wait, oh no you're back." Cecilia pulls back putting her hands to her head like she's thinking. "Why are you back? It's dangerous here and my mother sh-"
"Cecilia."- Elliot finds her hands again -"It's okay. We need to help you."
"What? I can't she'll come after us and I can't I'll die and- why do you have that over your eyes?" Cecilia quickly rambles. Rosaline still waits in the corner not moving a muscle. Instead she looks around. The room is decorated in fake plastic flowers, draws with books, ink and everything is so unusually clean and tidy.
Cecilia spots Rosaline and hides behind Elliot. "Did someone follow you? Please tell me you didn't get in trou-"
"Hey it's okay"- He reassures her- "we better talk about this over a cup of tea."

As Cecilia brews the hot water and gets some fruit at the small dining table, Elliot explains the same story he told Rosaline about how he got cursed. Cecilias heart felt like it was melting.
"Oh, Elliot." Cecilia says shamefully "I'm so sorry, I swear my mother thinks she's doing the right thing she just wants to protect me. There has to be a way to help you." Cecilia pours Rosaline and Elliot a cup, slightly shaking at her mothers twisted mind.
"It's okay but did she do anything to you?" Elliot asks concerned.
Cecilia sets down the kettle and rises her own delicate cup. "She asked if I knew anything about a blonde boy picking a rose but I denied. Oh thorns, Elliot I swear I'm going to help you."

Rosaline drinks from her own cup which fills herself with warmth and the taste of honey goes smoothly down her throat. She inspects the inside of the cup. No tea bags, no sugar it was all purely grounded. Rosaline then watches Cecilia. She wonders to herself how can such a bubbly, extroverted person be so okay with her living conditions. Rosaline understands it's dangerous for her but her mother has magic, can't she help? Rosalines mind slips into Cecilias imagining what it would be like everyday. Waking up in the same tower, never getting to meet new people, not experiencing things and those clothes! No one should live like that.
Cecilias big green eyes look over to Rosaline.
"Thank you so much for helping Elliot." Her smile is big and wide
"No please it's okay." Rosaline says gently.
"No, no please." Cecilia quickly runs off to grab something in her room.
Elliot leans a bit to where Cecilia was before. "She ran off. Didn't she" Elliot says, not a question but a statement.
"Uh huh." Rosaline simply replies. Cecilia comes running back in with a fake droopy red poppy in her hand, gesturing it to Rosaline.
"Mum doesn't allow me to have real flowers because of bees but you can have this." Cecilia smiles.
Rosaline hesitantly reaches her hand to claim the droopy flower. Rosaline didn't want to have to keep a fake flower but accepted in anyway to be polite. Cecilia gasps.