Insight (17 page)

I felt an admiration coming from them, but for what, I couldn’t comprehend. I pulled my legs as close as I could to my body, pushing the thought of the pain away. Clarissa rushed to Dane and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He reached up and kissed her, not losing his guard position. Brady walked closer, looking at me and then Dane shaking his head in disbelief.

“Did you know she could do that?” Brady asked Dane.

Dane nodded.

“How?” Brady asked.

Dane shrugged his shoulders. “All I know is, she gets a look in her eyes, then she’s gone before she ever really leaves. I started holding on when I was eight.”

I tilted my head on my knees and looked at Dane. He was staring back at me. Even though we never spoke about my images, I always felt better knowing someone knew.

“Has Landen seen you do that?” Brady asked me.

I nodded. “He taught me to control it,” I said, slowly looking in the distance at the memory.

Brady glanced at Clarissa, and they both smiled at each other then looked back at me. I could feel pride and a tinge of envy coming from them. But I don’t know why anyone would envy what I was going through.

“Dane, you can see in the string?” my mother asked, befuddled, remembering that Aubrey had told her he could.

Brady was staring at me, but he turned sharply to Dane as my mother spoke. Aubrey and Clarissa smiled proudly. It was clear that Brady didn’t know that.

“I can see in the string. I just can’t see the passages in or out,” Dane answered, feeling offended by Brady’s reaction.

“That’s not normal. How is that possible?” asked Brady, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I didn’t realize what it was,” Dane said.

“At least you can see. We might even be able to teach you to see the passages,” Brady said to him as his stare raked over Dane.

Dane seemed to relax as Brady showed acceptance of his talent. Everyone then fell silently into the background, and I drifted inside myself somewhere, analyzing memories, ones that could help me remember why I chose to be so naïve. I had to have known there would be a day when I would have to face those nightmares.

When I would see Brady out of the corner of my eye, his image caused my heart to pound through my chest, and I had to fight harder to forget the pain. Why was I in pain? Seriously?

The day aged. The sun had set long ago. Libby never left me, even when my mother begged her to eat. She was sleeping on my lap now. Even though she was warm, I still trembled. Brady took the others outside one by one. I knew they were talking about me. I’m sure my sanity was coming into question. I felt out of control; my head wouldn’t stop running through everything. Why didn’t I tell Landen about the other nightmares? Did he even know that’s what Drake meant?

Aubrey and my mother were now sitting beside me, and Clarissa positioned herself in front of me, taking Dane’s place as a guard.

“What was Libby upset about earlier when I saw her?” I asked my mother.

She looked down at Libby and ran her hand across her forehead. “We’d just gotten back, and I was about to fix lunch for everyone. She was dancing around and playing with Ashten and Marc, then the laughter left her and fear filled her eyes. It was like she was watching a horrible accident. We tried to talk to her to bring her out of whatever trance she was in, then after three or four minutes she started screaming your name. She told your dad he had to go get you, that you were lost in a field. As soon as the words left her lips, you appeared out of nowhere.”

I felt a chill run through me. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew that somehow she’d seen what had happened in the string.

“When you left with Dane, she was calm, she told us you would be right back,” Aubrey added.

“Willow,” Clarissa said. “You saw one of the parents earlier, right?”

I nodded.

“I bet your friends don’t even know they’re in danger.”

I looked at her, not understanding what she was saying and slightly offended by her lack of concern. She read my expression and went on to explain. “It just seems that if they were scared, you would have seen them,” she added.

I took comfort in her explanation. It made sense, but I didn’t feel any better knowing that they were clueless and in danger, like sheep being led to the slaughter.

My mother’s cell phone rang. The sound brought us all to attention. Brady and Dane came back in the door while my mother reached for her phone, which was resting on the side table.

“Hello? Gina? Hey, is there good news?” my mother said cheerfully.

I felt everyone’s hope rise, but as my mother listened, I could feel her heart breaking.

“I—I need to talk to Jason…I’ll call you back…I’m fine…I promise,” she said, fighting back tears. She then hung up the phone and stared at it.

“Are they okay, Mom?” I asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

My mother gave me no response.

“MOM!” I yelled.

She came to attention. “I don’t know…she didn’t say.”

“What do you mean? She said something.”

“There was…well, there’s some kind of a fire at our house…they’re working on it.”

Of all the days, this is the one day that our historical home decided to burn. I could feel my mother’s grief. That house was all she had left of my grandparents. I sat as still as a statue. I didn’t even notice Brady and Aubrey take my mother outside.

I could feel my mother’s mood change as Brady and Aubrey talked to her. I felt a sense of understanding come over her. I then watched as she came in, picked up her cell phone, and turned it off. She then went upstairs. I could hear her walking from room to room. Aubrey and Clarissa went upstairs, too, and I wondered what they were doing. Brady had a very calm feeling come over him, almost too calm. I knew he knew more than he was telling me.

I realized that Landen wouldn’t have been gone this long unless something had happened. Perodine’s words circled in my mind. I wondered what price my choice would cost, and who would pay it. I wanted answers.

“Why did Drake take my friends?” I asked Brady.

“Willow, he’s just a really bad guy,” Brady said, locking his jaw.

“Do you know who Perodine is?” I asked.

My question astounded Brady. I could feel his fear spike, then he suppressed it.

“Do you?” he asked bleakly.

I knew then that she was real, just as real as Drake and Landen. Aubrey was standing on the balcony that overlooked the living room. Brady looked up at her, then walked away from me, staring out at the string. Aubrey came back down the stairs. My mother and Clarissa were close behind. They looked refreshed, ready for something to happen. I felt like they were leaving me out of some big secret. I’d never felt more alone in my whole life. I looked at the clock on the wall; it had been almost twelve hours since Landen had let go of my hand.

“Should it take this long? Where are they?” I asked.

When no one answered me, I stood and started to pace. I was just going to have to look for him myself. I was sure that Brady would follow me, and I’d make him take me to Landen. They wouldn’t talk me out of it this time.

“Willow, I think you should sit back down; you don’t look so good,” my mother said.

I felt weak, but I told myself that when I found Landen, I’d be fine.

My mother went on. “I think you need some food. You really look pale,” she said, even louder.

It took everything I had not to scream at her. How could she be so calm? Dad was in there, and so was Ashten, yet they just sat there, petting me.

“How are you two so calm? Even you, Brady? You’re all separated from them…does it not hurt? You don’t feel it? ”

As if I’d said the magic word, their emotions changed from anxiety to excitement. What could they possibly be happy about?

Aubrey walked over to me and placed her hands on my shoulders. “I told them that you two were more than the rest of us.”

I looked at her with my red eyes. “It doesn’t hurt you? You don’t feel it?”

“It’s not comfortable, but it doesn’t hurt physically,” Aubrey said, looking me directly in the eye. “This is a good pain. It means that it’s real, you and he are real, and no one else is like you in any dimension. You should not be apart. You need each other to survive. Your energy has begun to thread with his, in some way, you’re becoming one.”

“We have to go in the string and find them. Something could have happened,” I argued, remembering that Landen had already been burned twice.

Aubrey shook her head no, and the only thing I could feel from her was pride. “I know my son. Whatever pain he’s in, he’s using it to keep you safe and get back to you.”

I felt myself sway as I stood. Brady was now standing at my side, waiting to catch me if I fell or tried to leave—whichever came first. I let my eyes close for just a moment, and I could feel hands on me. Then out of nowhere, a rush of energy came through the room. I opened my eyes quickly and saw that they all looked the same. No one had moved, so where was it coming from? I peeked around them all to see Libby; she was still asleep on the couch, but I was sure it was coming from her. Everyone else followed my stare.

All of a sudden, Libby shot up from the couch and ran up the stairs and you could hear her running around up there. My mother walked over to the stairs and yelled Libby’s name. When she didn’t answer, my mom started to go up the stairs at the same time Libby was coming down them. She had taken off her bathing suit and put on her favorite little pink sundress and sandals, and she was holding the rabbit that she’d slept with her whole life. A smile was brightly lit across her face. The energy she was putting off was refreshing. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she screamed, “Come on, Willow, it’s time to go to Landen’s castle!”

“Libby, do you see them?” I said, feeling life seeping into me.

“Come on, Willow,” she said, holding me by the hand and pulling me to the door.

I wasn’t going to ask any more questions. I followed her out the door and down the steps. I could feel the confusion coming from everyone behind me. I didn’t care, though; Libby had to have seen something.

Outside, it was dark. The crescent moon was fighting with the clouds to shine through. My eyes were weak, my whole body was. I wanted to run faster, but I didn’t have the strength. All of a sudden, I felt him.

“Landen? Landen, are you here?”
I thought.

He didn’t answer.

I closed my eyes and fell to my knees but before I could fall any further, I felt his hands on my face. When I opened my eyes and saw him, I took all the energy I had left, I wrapped my arms around him, and kissed him desperately. The pain was going away. I didn’t understand it. I knew I had not imagined that pain. That I was not some love sick weak girl. It didn’t matter right now, though. It was over. The pain was over.

Landen kissed me back with the same hunger.
“I know... I know it hurts, but it’s over now. I love you,”
he thought.

“I love you, too.”

I felt my body go limp. I’d lost my energy, and I was drifting away.

Landen yelled behind him, “Jason, something is wrong with Willow!”

I could feel my father and everyone else around me.

“Willow, speak to me.”
I wanted to, but I couldn
’
t.

“She’s fine. Her adrenaline levels have been too high for too long. She just needs to sleep,” my father said.

“Can you carry her?” I heard Ashten say.

“Brady, get Libby,” Landen said.

“Willow, baby, hold on. I’ll carry you home.”

I felt the current and hum of the string and lost all consciousness. I fell into a deep sleep, dreamless at first. When I opened my eyes I could see a beautiful canopy above me. I had made it to my home again.

When I reached next to me, Landen wasn’t there, but I could feel him just outside the doorway that led to the porch. I felt his turmoil, and I imagined he was still lost in the worst day we’d lived through so far. Rising from the bed, I noticed that I was wearing a white night gown that barely reached my thighs. The straps were a beautiful lace. It looked like nothing that I’d ever owned, and I loved the way it felt against my skin.

Wanting to hold Landen, I walked slowly, feeling the pain in my sore muscles, to where he was standing. He was looking out at the crescent moon. His arms were spread wide across the banister. The gleam from the night sky highlighted every lean muscle in his back. The site of him took my breath away.

I could see that my father had treated his wound; a wide white bandage was wrapped around his arm, and another was on his shoulder. I walked to him and wrapped my arms around his lean, firm waist.

He let out a deep breath. Relief filled him. He felt so real, more real than he had in any dream I’d ever had before. He kissed my hands softly before slowly turning around. When I saw his eyes, I could see how troubled and tired they were. I reached up and ran my fingers over them, and he drew my face up to his and kissed me tenderly. I could sense him forcing himself to be gentle. I pulled him closer knowing I didn’t have the same amount of self-control that he had.