Insight (20 page)

“I’ve only dreamed of you,” he answered.

“Who’s Perodine?” I blurted out faster than I intended.

Landen quickly turned sideways and looked down at me, astonished that I’d said that name.

“Who told you about her?”

“No one. I dreamed of her, and she told me her name.”

“You dreamed of Perodine?” He was angry and alarmed all at once.

“Is that bad?”

“It can’t be good. She’s older than time itself, and they say that she’s the true ruler of Esterious. She’s portrayed as Donalt’s wife, and if you were to look at paintings from hundreds of years ago, you’d see her portrait. They say she lives on and on, never dying, and that she’s the source of all the good and bad magic that the dimension uses.”

I closed my eyes, exhausted from the constant twists that life kept throwing at me.

“What did she say to you, besides her name?”

“Nothing that made any sense,” I said, frustrated with the added conflict of Perodine.

Landen nodded, not wanting to push me. “Okay, listen: I want us to keep this to ourselves. When August gets here, we’ll tell him. He’ll be honest with us.”

“Are the others not being honest?”

“I’m just tired of them hiding whatever they’re hiding.”

I nodded, agreeing with Landen. I hoped that August would come home soon. Landen squeezed me tight, then stood, reached for my hand, and said, “Your Dad is walking this way.”

I looked out at the field, but I didn’t see him. Landen then nodded his head toward the front door.

“He’s coming to see how we’re feeling after yesterday,” Landen said, smiling slightly.

Chapter Ten

I stood and followed Landen. As I stepped into the kitchen, I was sure I felt my father’s peace approaching. I looked at Landen and shook my head in disbelief, hoping my insight would eventually grow as strong as his. We passed through the kitchen into the entry hall. Landen reached for the door just as my father knocked. Landen then pulled the door wide open, and my father was standing there with a bright smile on his face.

“Good morning, Jason,” Landen said, extending his arm as an invitation.

“I was just coming to see how the two of you were fee-” my father stopped in mid-sentence. He was staring at Landen’s arm, then his eyes quickly looked over Landen’s entire body, then over mine. I could feel his absolute disbelief.

“Come in, Jason,” Landen said, putting his arm around my father.

Landen led my father into the living room, which was beside the front door. My father quickly looked us over again while reaching for Landen’s arm and inspecting it closer.

“How did you heal so fast?” my father asked Landen.

“I don’t know,” Landen said glancing at me with a near sinful smirk hanging on the edge of his lips. “I took off the bandage this morning so I could take a shower and the burn was gone.” Landen took a seat on the large tan couch in the center of the room.

My father walked over to one of the matching chairs that faced the couch and sat down, still completely astonished.

“His shoulder is healed, too,” I said as I went to Landen’s side.

“Both of you are healed, but last night I could see pulls deep in your muscle tissue. I’ve been up all night trying to figure out how it was possible for the two of you to have that much damage inside your body,” my father said as he slowly looked us over once more.

“Have you seen my dad and Livingston today?” Landen asked, trying to change the subject.

My father nodded. “Livingston went to Esterious to see if he could find a way to the girls, and Ashten is helping Aubrey get ready for tonight.”

“Is mom okay?” I asked.

“She’s fine. Trying to stay busy and positive. She’s worried about your friends,” my father said quietly.

I swallowed hard. I knew my mother would grieve deeply over Monica. She always saw my friends as her extended family. My eyes fell as I felt the heavy burden of blame.

“It was an accident, Willow. Josh and Chase said that a storm came, and Olivia and Monica were knocked out of the boat. In fact, they said that Olivia would have drowned if Drake hadn’t pulled her out of the water,” my father said.

“What are you going to tell Sharon?” I asked.

“Sharon knows there was an accident. The Coast Guard told her that Monica was on a boat with Chase and Josh and that they couldn’t find her. Right now, she wants to believe that Monica is just missing. She’ll say goodbye when she’s ready,” my father said to me in a gentle tone.

“Where do they think Olivia, Hannah, and Jessica are?” I asked, bewildered.

“They don’t know. I altered a manifest for a cruise ship that showed the three of them docking in the Florida Keys. It was all I could think to do at that moment. That’ll buy us some time to get them home safely, though,” my father answered.

“I thought you said Chase and Josh saw Drake take the girls. Wouldn’t they have told everyone? Did they see the string?” I asked, looking first at Landen, then to my father.

“There is an herb that grows in Chara called Realm. It erases recent memory. I gave them the herb to help them with their misery. Both of them blamed themselves for not reaching Monica.” I could feel grief from my dad. “Now, the last memory they have is of arriving in Florida. The doctors will assume that their memory loss is due to shock.”

“We have to go and get them,” I said, standing.

Landen stood and reached his arm around me. He knew I intended to leave right then and go to Esterious. My father also stood, blocking my path.

“Willow, they aren’t in danger now,” Landen whispered as he pulled me close to him.

I buried my head in his chest and fought against a rush of angry tears that wanted to come out.

“Landen’s right, Willow,” my father said, putting his hand on my back. “Drake wants you, and he knows that if he hurts them you’ll never come to him.”

I looked up from Landen’s chest at my father. “Why does he want me?” I asked, staring at him through a film of tears.

The color left his face. He glanced up at Landen, then back down to me, then he sighed and turned. “I’m hoping that one of the girls will appear as an image to you,” he said, changing the subject.

“Now he’s being silent,”
I thought.

Landen held me a little tighter, trying to fight his anger.

“Will you show Brady and Marc how you travel? If they appear as an image, it would be good to have them at our side,”
Landen thought.

“I’ll show whoever you want me to. I just want them back,”
I thought, still staring at my father, feelings of betrayal welling up inside.

“We’re going to teach Brady and the others how Willow travels so that when the time comes, we’ll be able to get them all back safely,” Landen said to my father.

My father turned quickly. “That’s a good idea, but do you think it’s safe for the two of you to leave Chara?” my father asked.

“We’ll stay close,” Landen promised.

“Just make sure the two of you stay close to each other…I still don’t understand what happened to your bodies yesterday.”

Landen nodded. My father then looked at me, reached over, and kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes as I sensed his concern. I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t just tell me what he knew.

“Be safe. I’ll see you tonight,” he said quietly as he turned to leave.

I sat patiently on the couch as Landen called his brother and Marc to come over, but my stomach was tied in knots. All I could think about was how short I’d been with Monica the last time I saw her. I’d taken her for granted. Now she’d never know how much she really meant to me. I let memories of Olivia, Hannah, and Jessica run through my mind. I could hear their voices and smell their perfume. They didn’t deserve to be pulled into this twisted fate that had always chased me. I didn’t care if it was an accident or not. Drake had put all of my friends in danger, and I would not rest until he paid for my grief and their suffering.

While we waited on the front porch for everyone to arrive, I stared out into the field, taking in the pure beauty of Chara.

Brady was the first one to make it to the house. He stepped out of a large white Jeep that had gray glass panels running across the hood and doors. I noticed he was dressed almost completely in black. As he walked toward us, I couldn’t help but ask.

“What is it with all the black? Do I need to change?”
I asked, looking down at my white shorts and purple top.

Landen smiled at my new observation.
“No, I’ll keep you close. It’s just easier to see each other in the string if your wear black. If you get more than ten feet apart, you seem to fade.”

Brady and Landen were now standing side by side, and their resemblance to one another was more than apparent. It wouldn’t be difficult for a stranger to mistake one for the other.

“How’s your—” Brady started to say as he looked at Landen’s arm.

“I don’t know,” Landen answered before Brady could ask.

Brady nodded, dropping the subject. These two had a tight bond that I had no doubt everyone could sense.

Another Jeep pulled up. It was dark gray. I could see the same panels that were on Brady’s Jeep. I studied the panels on both vehicles, trying to understand how they were powering the Jeeps. Landen grinned as he watched my eyes take in all the details.

“I keep forgetting that this is all new to you. It’s like you’ve always been here with me.”

I grinned.
“I have been. I just never paid much attention to the scenery around us.”

“You two are talking, aren’t you?” asked Brady. “Now that’s weird. I don’t know if I’d want Felicity in my head…I mean she
is
the one, but this is just—just something else.”

Landen laughed, then pulled me to him and kissed me, not caring who was watching. With that kiss my mind flashed over last night, I knew exactly how his lips felt over every inch of my body. I had to stop the kiss this time or I would end up embarrassing the both of us.

There were two people in the Jeep. I recognized Marc; he was the one driving. The other guy was tall and had a lean build like the others, but with a baby face. His hair was a dirty blond and very curly, and he had a playful emotion wrapped in anticipation.
“That’s Chrispin. He’s Marc’s baby brother,”
Landen answered my question before I could even ask it.

“I have to say, you two look a lot better today. You had me worried, little one,” Marc said to me as he reached the porch and hugged me.

“Can I see your arm?” Chrispin asked as he got closer.

Landen looked at Marc, then down to his arm. I felt the shock come from Marc, but Landen just shrugged his shoulders. Marc then looked back at Chrispin and shook his head, letting him know to drop the subject. I felt the confusion coming from Chrispin as he looked nervously back and forth between Landen and me.

“This is Chrispin. He’s very excited to meet you, though I’m sure you already know that,” Marc said.

“Hey,” I said shyly. “Thanks for coming on such short notice. I’m sure you all had your day planned out already.”

“Hey, li’l sis. You two are the only show in town right now. We’re proud to be here,” Marc said.

I blushed as he complimented us. It was very hard for me to be the center of attention. I hoped that I’d be strong enough to stand in a room with a lot of people that night.

I followed Landen’s lead, and we walked off the porch to the fields that surrounded the house. Along the way, we passed a large windmill, which was almost a mile away from our house.
“We’re going to take a shortcut to another dimension, Olence. It has towns like yours.”

“I’m worried my insight won’t work outside of Infante,”
I thought.

“I know it will. When we were in the string yesterday, I could see your paths everywhere. Apparently, you’ve gone farther than your father thought.”

“Did that upset him?”

“I don’t think he saw them. It seems that they’re only really clear to you and me.”
I looked at him with an astonished expression on my face.
“I know, weird. We’ll just add it to the pile. At this point I’m just waiting for aliens to land, nothing seems crazy anymore.”

Laughter came over us both. We were now at the point where nothing made sense, but we’d make the most of it for the time being. As they watched us, amusement came over the others as well.

Just before we reached the windmill, I could see the string come into view. Brady stepped in first, but Landen held me back; he was waiting for something. Brady then reached his arm out and waved us in. The string was calm. The hum was a low murmur, and you could barely feel the current.

“Are there any storms close?”
I thought nervously, remembering how painful the last one had been.

“Storms never occur close to Chara,”
Landen promised.
“We never encounter them until we pass Esterious. No one knows why, but some of the travelers believe it’s because Chara and the dimensions closest to us only use natural energy.

I smiled faintly and took his hand for my own personal comfort. I began to take in the beauty of the string and tried to focus on the emotions. I wanted to learn to navigate the passages.

“So what do you think about Dane being able to see in here?” Brady asked Landen.

Landen raised his brow, and pressed his lips together. I could feel a tinge of jealousy coming from him.
“I knew there was something else I wanted to ask you about,”
he thought teasingly.

“Dane is the brother I never had,”
I explained.

I watched as a grin came across Landen’s face. He then wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head.
“I know. He told me about that night at the lake. I’ve already thanked him for keeping you safe when I couldn’t. I just wish I was the one there.”

I realized how right Landen was. Dane had always been protective of me.
Just like Olivia, he was always at my side.

We came to the passage that they’d chosen. It was a light blue haze. I was the last to step through. I didn’t know what to expect, having no idea what this world would be like. The passage was behind a large building, next to a generator.

We walked around the front to the streets, and much to my surprise, it looked the same as my world did. We were in a small town, the buildings were all made of brick, and the roads were made of what looked liked pea gravel. The people seemed ordinary enough, and the clothes even seemed to be the same as they were in my hometown. I reached out with my sense of emotion to see if this place were truly as safe as I thought it was, and I could feel that the mood was ordinary—the common stress, pride, and energy that I would have felt at home.