Marisol forces a smile, almost trembling with the need to keep moving as she answers, "Just going for a walk," she struggles to keep her tone casual despite the tension coiled in her chest. "Need to clear my head."
Lily nodded, though she still looked unconvinced. "Alright, well, be careful out there,"
"I will." Marisol murmured, with a nod of her own. She made to continue on her way when Lily spoke again, sounding hesitant.
"Do you.... maybe want to meet up with Maya?" She offers, sensing Marisol's unsettled state, "I could mindlink her to find you."
Marisol shook her head with a small smile, genuinely appreciative of the gesture, "That's okay, I'm not planning to spend a lot of time outside. It's just a walk. I'll be back as soon as my head feels lighter."
"Oh." Lily mutters, supporting the grocery bag with her free hand before adding quietly, "Okay then. Be safe."
Marisol nods in acknowledgment before she is finally allowed to continue on her way. She didn't have time to dwell on Lily's concern; she had a place to be, and she wouldn't rest until she had confronted Sophia and Caleb about their lies.
As she walks briskly, Marisol's mind races with thoughts, conjuring up images of how she would imagine the confrontation to go, what she would say to them, and how they would react when confronted about their deceit. She rehearsed her arguments in her head, anger fueling her to want to set the record straight.
Finally, she spotted Sophia in the distance, her figure silhouetted against the fading light of the rising moon. Marisol's heart skips a beat as she picks up her pace, fueled by determination. Finally, her steps falter slightly as she nears where the other woman stands.
"Sophia!" Marisol calls out, her voice sharp with anger. "We need to talk."
Sophia turns to face her, her expression guarded as she regards Marisol with wary eyes. "What do you want?" she asks, her tone cold and dismissive.
Marisol sucks in a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside her. "I want to know why you've been spreading lies about me." she starts, keeping her voice steady despite the anger bubbling beneath the surface.
Sophia scoffs, her lips curling into a sneer. "I've done nothing of the sort," she defends, her tone dripping with disdain. "All I've done is tell the truth about the nature of yours and Cedric's relationship."
Marisol feels her anger threaten to boil over at Sophia's unrepentant words and attitude. "That's not true and you know it!" she snaps back, her voice rising with frustration. "You know Cedric rescued me from your ambush, yet you somehow made yourself out to be the victim. What is your problem with me?"
Sophia's expression darkens, her eyes narrowing into slits as she glares at Marisol. "Don't play innocent with me," she spits, her voice laced with venom. "You can try to fool everyone around here but not me, I know the truth." She accuses, "I know you're just using Cedric to get what you want!"
Marisol feels her anger flare, her patience wearing thin. What was it with the people of Redwood and their baseless accusations, "I am not using anyone!" she snaps, nails digging into her palms from the force of her clenching them, "I'm just trying to survive, like everyone else, why is that so hard for you to register when you're the one who brought and is keeping me here against my will in the first place!"
"Oh please, Marisol," Sophia scoffs, rolling her eyes so hard. Marisol is surprised they don't stay at the back of her head, "Do you think anyone believes your pathetic attempts at innocence? They know the truth."
"And what truth would that be, Sophia?" Marisol shoots back. "That you're so desperate to hold onto an imaginary grudge because you feel threatened by me, that you'd stoop so low to peddle lies about me?!"
Sophia's face contorts with anger, disbelief and shock evident in her tone, "You dare speak to me like that?" she spits, her voice rising in indignation. "You, who has no place here?"
"Yes!" Marisol growls, her grip on control almost slipping. She saw Sophia's eyes widen for a fraction of a second.
"I don't belong here, Sophia. I never have and I never will." Marisol's voice is cold and steely as she grits out the rest of her words, "But I'll be damned if I let you or anyone else dictate my place in it. Especially since you're holding me against my will."
Sophia's nostrils flare with rage, her fingers balling at her sides. "You think you're so clever, don't you." She says, more of a statement than a question, "You're nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing, Marisol. And mark my words, the pack will see you for what you truly are."
Marisol feels her control slipping again. She ached to put Sophia in her place so badly, but something held her back, reminding her that the time wasn't right.
"I don't have to prove anything to you, Sophia. It's obvious that your delusions have driven you to the brink of madness." Marisol says, her voice steadier than she expected.
Sophia's eyes flash with rage, she's almost shaking as she takes a step closer to stand right in front of Marisol, "You don't belong here," her voice is low and threatening but the only thing Marisol feels is anger and irritation. "You're nothing but trouble, and you need to leave before you cause any more damage."
Marisol struggles to stop her jaw from dropping at the words, rendered completely speechless for a sliver of a second before she all but cries out. "Then let me go! Go ahead and remove that forcefield and see if I won't walk out of here and away from your lives without a second thought. But you can't do that, and you won't." The challenge was clear in her eyes as she stared at Sophia. "You want to know why? Because whether you like it or not, I am like your freaking savior. And it looks like I'm not going anywhere yet." She declares, her voice ringing with defiance. "If you have a problem with that, then you're going to have to handle that on your own because I am sick and tired of dealing with your tantrums!"
With that, Marisol turns on her heel and storms away, her heart pounding in her chest as the distance between her and a frozen Sophia grows wider and wider.
What annoyed her the most was that she still couldn't understand Sophia's stance or accusations. How could she trap her and then turn around to blame her? She could smell the jealousy oozing out from her, it was eating away at her and making her bitter, it looked like she was loosing her senses too and Marisol almost felt pity for her. Almost.
Marisol decided that she was done pretending. The next person who would dare to cross her would feel the brunt of her anger and in a split second, she makes another decision. Instead of the hidden castle, she storms back to her room.
Everybody in Redwood be damned. She wasn't going to stand in for the safety of such dubious and gullible people that night. And she couldn't put up with Cedric's insufferable attitude either. He could wipe all of them out for all she cared. That night, she wanted to be on her own until her anger wore off.