The Seventh Deadly Sin

Part One: The Maiden's Wish

"TWO ROADS DIVERGED IN A WOOD AND I - I TOOK THE ONE LESS TRAVELLED BY, AND THAT HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE."

- ROBERT FROST

I SELDOM RECALL picturesque bonding with my father back in my childhood years. They are all too brumous. The only thing that I can recall is his rueful visage as he left me waiting back at the Church. The same goes with my mother, Lady Devana.

Though she is nowhere in visual perception, by the time he discards me, I know that my father did it with her approval. Lady Devana already apologized and seems to repent her past short-comings and wrongness. But, my father, Lord Henry, prefers to ignore the huge elephant in the room. There is something off about it. But both of them are ineffectual in addressing it yet.

I promised to wait so they could stipulate crystal-clear answers. But for how long? My forbearance is getting filmy. Now that the Headmaster and Lady Devana have arranged an imminent betrothal between Alex and me, it just ignites my desire to grasp the factual answers from my parents.

Should I tell Dominic that I already knew about it beforehand?

Will Alex detest me, if he finds out that I concur to have a relationship with Dominic, even before mending the engagement?

Alex tells me in advance that he will help me out of this betrothal. But when he confronts me about Dominic, he poses it as a scourge. He doesn't like Dominic, the same sentiment goes with his other brothers.

Reid offers to clear out the smoke revolving around Dominic by midnight. I just hope I will make it on time and he won't change his mind.

Emily clicks her fingers in front of my face, discontinuing my train of thought. "Hello? Mary Jane? Are you still there? I said, what's the favor that you wanted to ask?"

I can feel my cheeks turning carmine from shame. I didn't notice that I'd been spacing out for too long. "Right, I just wanted to ask if there is any store nearby Mastema to acquire cat food for Plume, my cat. And, I also wanted to know where I could find a phone booth."

Emily taps her chin while standing in front of her threshold. She's the closest friend that I have now. Alda seems occupied nowadays, hanging out with her other peers. She also seems to yonder, ever since the dorm occurrence, in which he tells the prefect and her uncle, Mr. Gibson, that I have been staying at Dominic's dorm. Alexis seems to be hanging out more with the popular group alongside the Frelli sisters.

"The phone booth is a lot easier to find. But for Plume, I know some stores are nearby outside of the dorm, but I am not sure which one. They only transact human food mostly. So, we will have a tenuous difficulty with that. I mean, where did you even acquire the cat? Pets are not allowed here at the dorm." Emily rumbles.

"The triples gave it to me after my performance."

She raises one eyebrow, "Figures, they're not yet quenched by bothering and tailing you all day, but they also give you a cat that only writes up perturbation. Where did they even get that cat?-"

"Emily," I interfere with her rambling. "Please just help me."

She lets out a deep, browned sigh. Emily runs her fingers through her colored ginger hair before responding, "Okay, fine. But you must leave Plume at your house if the weekend hits. I'm sure your household personnel will take good care of the cat. Pets are strictly impermissible.

You might appeal Mr. Gibson's tending again if you keep your little pet here."

I nod. "I understand."

"Where is the cat, by the way?"

"It's in our room. It just sleeps all day. I don't have a litter box yet, so we're permitting it to do its private business in the bathroom. We left its entry open all day for the cat. But, it's pretty stroppy sometimes, so I also choose to do a little spick-and-span after it finishes its potty."