"I heard her asked what to do with their enemies," Marilyn whispered.
"Yes," Josh nodded.
"He advised her to leave in the meantime—I heard, too."
"Why?"
"' because he didn't want her to get caught in a war which he said was imminent."
They continued to eavesdrop until Tatin and Isabella left the hall.
"And who did he say were their enemies?" asked Fr. Robert, his eyes blinked behind his eyeglasses.
"He said wolves who don't approve of their policies." Jan said. "He mentioned those who can transform into another creature—that they'll be difficult to beat."
Added Josh: "Now, I can presume that those witches were part of destabilization forces."
Jan and Fr. Robert nodded.
"I know those witches," proudly declared Marilyn.
"You know? Then, why did you not help Ellie and Eleanor when they were held hostage by those ugly witches?" Jan's tone sounded as if he was accusing her.
"I did," defended Marilyn. She was supposed to be cool this time. "I opened the door when Zen and the baby Michael came back from their morning walk. Had I not opened the door, Ellie, Eleanor, Jackson and Zoraida wouldn't have unhooked the ropes around their body."
"Why did you not fight the witches? You are a ghost, too. You have power, don't you?" Jan insisted.
She got irritated again hearing the word "ghost".
"I'm a thinking, practical person. ' won't fight women like them if by doing so would mean more harm for me or make matters worse."
She looked sternly at Jan. "You don't seem to like my company, do you? Are you jealous of my beauty?" She looked closely at Jan and chortled.
Jan raised his eyebrows and snubbed Marilyn.
"I can just go the other way if you don't want me in your company."
She began to walk, but tripped. Jan laughed.
"No, no, come with us," interrupted Fr. Robert. "I know you have a purpose."
"He's always barking at me," Marilyn said, projecting her own little hostility at Jan and a naughty smile.
Josh was looking at the two. He was surely having a good time with these two opposing characters. Then, he suddenly thought that his mother Isabella—the Isabella of the future—must be looking for him now. He remembered having told her that he wouldn't be long. In the meantime, he would try to forget her because he had his own problems right now and that was how to go back to the present when he had to—when they had to.
"They have problems right now. What are we supposed to do? Shall we keep on hiding?" He asked.
"By the way, what did she tell the guy, is she leaving?" Fr. Robert asked.
"She said she didn't want to leave this time," Marilyn blurted out.
"Holy cows! What are we going to do with this lady?" Jan asked, pointed his eyes to Marilyn.
"Keep her Jan," Fr. Robert decided.
Marilyn looked at Jan again and with raised eyebrows snubbed him.
xxxxxx
Meanwhile, it was broad daylight. Josh' cellphone in the mansion kept ringing on the bed. The old man entered the bedroom, wondered where the three went.
At the Lee's residence, Aaron was worried again. It was Josh that was missing this time.
Isabella told Aaron that she kept ringing Josh's cellphone number but that he had not been answering.
"Maybe we should stop worrying about our son. He's old enough. He can look after himself."
Aaron pondered the thought. He put his elbows under his chin as he sat at the dining table. "He still lives under our roof. Besides, he has an important job with our company. He can't delay transactions. Right now, it is his assist that is performing his functions." He then asked: "Where is Suzy?"
"In her bed now, but I'm sure Yuri is at the other end of the line." Isabella had been observing the two and she knew that they were close not only as friends but as mutual lovers. "They're not young anymore. Soon, only Michael will be left with us."
The thought also occurred to Aaron lately.
He thought about Evan and Yuri for a while. The two brothers grew up together and were always the Lee children's company. And although Yuri became closer to Suzy, Evan was a little different. He had loved his brother's company but maybe would prefer being a bachelor. They hardly separated, Aaron thought. The brothers, too, had their own jobs at the See's own company. Mr. and Mrs. See had been a good family friend for a long time.
Aaron invited Isabella to bed. "Let's stop thinking about your son in the meantime. Tomorrow or the next day, I'm sure, like what happened to you and the baby, he'll be back." He, then, put his arms around Isabella and the couple retired to bed.
xxxxxx
Josh, Jan, and Fr. Robert` were looking for a way out of the timeline. They thought they had seen and heard enough. They were worried also for people they loved who they knew would be looking for them.
But Marilyn had a problem. She had been complaining. She didn't want to come back.
"Then don't," quipped Jan. "We're all leaving you here."
"Yes, because I have no body in that timeline. I like it here."
"Aren't you afraid of war?"
Then, she froze. She suffered during the war, and she couldn't afford a repeat.
Problem was where to look for the portal. They had to retrace their footsteps. Maybe if they could locate the exact… exact place where they were all thrown out, they would be able to return to the present—or what they called the future--and be with their loved ones.
"I want to be free—that's all my problem is—I don't want to get stuck, not again."
Fr. Robert was looking at her. Then, he said, in a compassionate tone: "You can tell me your story."
Marilyn told him everything; Fr. Robert blessed her after she had told him everything. She was teary-eyed.