Embody (35 page)

We had to take three jeeps. Landen I rode
alone behind the others. As we passed through the beautiful land
where we lived, he let his hand rest on my lap, dreaming of the day
that the gray dimension would be as beautiful as our dreams.

The town was set beautifully with strings of
light stretching from building to building, and flowers were
everywhere. I watched Stella pass through the streets in Marc’s
arms, meeting so many friendly faces. Landen and I laughed as we
felt her child-like enthusiasm. In the center of town, there was an
open dance floor and a stage. Ashten stood in front of us all and
played the role of Marc’s father, introducing the much-awaited
couple.

I swayed alongside Landen as I watched Marc
twirl Stella around the floor. After the first song, Marc waved for
everyone to join them - and Libby quickly staked her claim on
Landen, pulling him to the dance floor. He looked back at me,
feeling guilty.

“
Take her; I’ll wait for you,”
I
thought, laughing at his demeanor.

As I stood there and watched them, I felt
the peace of August come up behind me. I turned and smiled at
him.

“Am I lucky enough to have the first dance
tonight?” he asked.

I laughed. “Where’s Nyla?” I asked, looking
around.

“Fighting for a chance to hold Allie,” he
said, looking to one of the tables.

Rose was holding Allie while my mother,
Aubrey, and Nyla stood around her. I shook my head, then took
August’s hand and let him lead me to the dance floor. I saw Landen
watching me, and I winked at him as I placed my other hand in
August’s. I looked up into his clever eyes, thankful that Landen
and I had so many wise people to lead us.

“August, that night on my porch before all
of this happened, you said, ‘It would be amazing if they were all
right.’ Who is ‘they?’ What are they right about?” I asked.

August’s eyes drifted over the crowd, then
back to me. “Daydream with me for a moment...remember Infante, the
dimension you were raised in...imagine what would happen if you
took every leader of every religious group, every leader of people,
doctors, astrologers, specialties in every field, and had them walk
into a room, take their titles, and place them on a table. They
just talked and didn’t push their views on one another; just
listened and combined the knowledge they have.” My eyes widened as
I took in his daydream; it was so beautiful. “You see, across the
universe there are people who are speaking, and their words are
valuable - but they don’t take the time to listen. If they did,
they’d see that we all have the same problem, and if we combined
our knowledge, the universe would have peace. Imagine that one day
we all realized that we’re right, at least in part,” he said
staring into my eyes.

It was easy to see that he’d daydreamed that
scenario over and over again - and who could blame him? It was
perfect. The only flaw was that mankind would have to learn to
overcome their pride before it could ever come true.

“That’s beautiful,” I said, smiling up at
August.

“One day, it will come true; I see us
getting closer every day. You and Landen may have only managed to
graze the skin of a vast giant, but it was enough to make everyone
see that peace is possible everywhere,” he said as the song
ended.

Landen set Libby down, then crossed the
dance floor to take his place in my arms. August kissed my cheek
before he handed me to Landen, and I looked into Landen’s eyes and
let August’s daydream run through my mind, wondering for a moment
how we’d all lost our way.

“See, I should have danced with you first;
August has taken your thoughts away from this moment,” Landen
joked.

I pulled myself back into my present reality
and felt the harmony of my entire family, as well as the love from
a man who – at times – I didn’t think I deserved. As I put my hands
on his face, pulled him to me, and kissed him, I felt the eyes of
the world on us. Landen’s arms pulled me tighter.

“I love you,” I said, laying my head on his
shoulder.

“
I love you, now, then, and always,”
he thought, and I felt my body hum as I heard his words.

Acknowledgements:

Gratitude is an emotion I’ve always felt
simply because I have a wonderful family that loves and supports
each of my crazy ambitions. I never realized that emotion could
amplify as much as it has over the past few years of my life. I am
still eternally grateful for each person that encouraged me to
bring Insight to life. Today, I must thank so many more. Embody
would not be here today without the support and acknowledgement
from countless book reviews, bloggers, and most importantly the
readers who took a chance on a debut author. I thank each of you
from the bottom of my heart.