Insight (7 page)

“Dane! Dane!” I yelled. “Take me home. Dane, do you hear me?”

Dane finally stopped pushing against Josh and held his hands up to show that he was done. Josh let go, and Dane reached for me. I ran to his side. He wrapped his arm around me and briskly walked me to his truck. He opened the driver side door and helped me in. Olivia ran and jumped in the passenger side.

When Dane turned his lights on and turned to leave, I locked eyes with Drake and gave him a murderous glare. Drake seemed unshaken by the whole event, well, beyond the fury I saw in his eyes.

“Did he hurt you?” Dane yelled, still full of rage. I shook my head
no
, still stunned.

My soul was pulsing out of control like it was trying to get me to wake up. I could not shake the feeling that my nightmares were in some way a waste of time for Drake. He had me confused with someone else. Who? That was the question. And why now? What triggered this? The Blue Moon? Was that it?

“I’m staying at your house tonight,” Olivia announced, holding on as Dane peeled onto the highway.

“Was that the new guy that’s staying at Chase’s?” Dane demanded.

“Yeah, Drake,” I said as I grasped my chest and remembered the pain of every single nightmare I’d endured.

“I’m glad I got there when I did,” Dane said through his teeth.

“What did I miss?” Olivia asked, confused.

“Nothing…he just tried to make a move, no big deal,” I said, dreading telling my father that Drake was there.

“I don’t know where that guy is from, but he needs to learn his boundaries,” Dane seethed, turning up the radio.

When we got to my house, Dane walked quickly inside. Once there, he climbed the front steps two at a time.

“Where are you going?” I called after him.

“To make sure your windows are locked,” he threw over his shoulder.

My father stepped out of his study and looked up at Dane, then down at me.

“I’m going to go call my aunt,” Olivia said, following Dane.

“What’s going on?” my father asked. “Is that kid’s name Drake?”

The fear that spiked in my father told me that it was. He pulled me into his study and closed the door.

“Did you see him?”

“Yeah, he’s been at the lake with me all day,” I answered, trying not to lose my calm.

“Did he try anything?”

“He had just gotten me alone when Dane showed up…he’s not what I imagined.”

“Don’t underestimate him, Willow,” my father said sternly.

“What are we supposed to do now?”

“I’m going to see if I can move our flights up,” he answered, still freaking out. My father never freaked out. This was
bad
.

He went to his phone and started dialing. I paced back and forth, more scared and confused than I’d ever been. Drake had made everything a reality.

Dane knocked on the study door. When I opened it I saw he was finally calm. He must have felt that I was safe now.

“Did you tell him?” Dane whispered.

I nodded.

We listened as my father went back and forth with an operator, then he hung up the phone, questioning himself.

“Dane, can you stay here until tomorrow morning?” my father asked.

Dane nodded, a little surprised by the question.

“I’ve managed to move my flight to an hour from now, but I can’t get theirs any earlier than 9 a.m. I just don’t want to leave them alone if Willow is shaken up.”

“That’s fine. I’ll call my mom,” Dane said, walking to the phone.

I motioned for my dad to come into the hallway. He moved swiftly thinking that maybe I had a better idea.

“Dad what’s the deal? Why are we still flying all over the place? Let’s just go.”

“First of all, we have to leave a believable paper trail for the people here. Second of all, we can’t pass through the string now. When Ashten called, he said the others were separated from him in the storm.”

“Are they hurt? Lost?”

“No, they know what they’re doing. Ashten is sure they’ll be here soon. He said Drake only uses the large passages. That is why he didn’t try anything, he has a different plan to get you to come with him.”

“Like what?” I said.

“I don’t know, but we’re not going to stay around here and allow him to do it. Do you think Dane can keep you safe?”

I looked back and saw Dane hanging up the phone.

“He did a good job tonight,” I said, still not believing that Dane was capable of being so angry.

My father nodded. “Okay, I’m going to tell your mother. Make sure you’re packed and ready.”

I hugged him and climbed the stairs, but not before glancing back at him, afraid that I might lose someone in all of this. About the time I reached the top of the stairs, I felt my mother’s emotion shift to panic and I knew my father had told her what was going on.

In my room, Dane pushed my bed to the wall with the window on it. He stretched out on it with heavy eyelids. Olivia was pulling out the futon couch, which was big enough for the both of us.

I went to my closet and pulled out the bags that I’d been packing to make sure I had everything.

“Do you need help?” Olivia whispered, trying not wake Dane, who had drifted to sleep.

“No, I think I have everything. I’m going to take a quick shower.”

She nodded, opened her book, and stretched out.

As I stood under the scalding water in the shower, I replayed the past few days. If I’d known what Drake had looked like, I don’t think those nightmares would have been nearly as bad. I regretted not just asking him what he wanted with me then I laughed at myself as I realized that I was considering having a sane conversation with someone that was clearly evil…or at least under the control of someone evil.

Then it hit me—if Drake were real, then the blue-eyed boy was, too. My eyes raced back and forth as I tried to think of a way to find him. I was afraid my father would make me wait another two years, or at least until after we’d solved this Drake issue. I turned off the water, a little excited about going to sleep. The memory of our first kiss brought heat to my already hot face. I dressed like it was a marathon to do so, packing my stuff as I went. There was a soft tap on the door. I sensed my mother on the other side. I pulled the door open and let her in.

“Are you all right?” she asked, looking me over.

I nodded.

“I have Libby all packed up,” she said, leaning against the counter.

“You’re ready, aren’t you?” I quirked a brow. It was like she’d been waiting for this day for far too long.

“I’m eager to go home,” she said, glancing over me.

“I guess it’s my fault you had to stay here,” I said under my breath.

“No, no, it’s no one’s fault,” she said, then paused, remembering that I’d seen Drake. “What was he like? I mean, is he, like, this evil-looking man?”

“Actually, he’s pretty hot,” I answered with a smirk.

My mother hesitated again, searching for words. “What did he feel like?” she finally asked. I froze for a second. I was not used to being open with anyone about feeling emotions.

“I couldn’t feel him,” I answered, remembering what I could feel—his touch.

“I don’t understand,” she said, standing up.

“He was just a—void. He’s the first person I’ve ever met like that,” I said as I grabbed my bag, not wanting to talk about it.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” she said in a whisper when I opened the door.

Olivia had fallen asleep with her book open across her chest, and Dane was passed out cold. I tiptoed into my room, put all my things together, then set them in the hall. When I set my tote on the top of the pile, my sketchbook fell out. Laying on top and staring at me was the sketch that I had made of the blue-eyed boy.

Just the sight of him brought heat to my core. I flushed once again as I remembered that
kiss
.

I stared down at it for a moment before picking it up. I just wanted to talk to him. I tore a page from the back of the book and pulled a pen out. Then I walked back into my room and sat on the edge of the futon bed. With shaking hands, I wrote
I need you, help me find you.

I lay down and stared at the note that I’d written. My plan was to focus on him and the words and hope that I could somehow take it with me. I didn’t let any bad thoughts race through my mind, only him as my eyes felt heavier and heavier.

Feeling sunlight on my face, I opened my eyes and saw the house in front of me. I felt adrenaline rush through me as I realized I
would
see him. I looked down in my hand and saw that my note was there. I then ran to the porch and circled it, but he wasn’t there. I went through the house, not focusing on any details. Searching every room, I found the place empty. My heart felt heavy as each moment passed. I did not know how much longer I could stay asleep. I went back outside and searched the fields, trying to see if I could feel him, and in the distance, I was sure I did. I walked through the field toward a small hilltop. He was getting closer, so I started sprinting in his direction. All at once, I saw him coming over the hill.

He was astonished to see me. I crashed into his chest and hugged him, a tingling sensation filled with desire washed over me. The idea that he was real was almost too much to grasp. I felt his hands sway across my back, him lean down to catch my gaze. I would wake at any moment now. I leaned up wanting to feel the flesh of his lips once more, as I clenched the note I had in my hand against his chest.

I felt his hand clasp mine, the note, as those spellbinding eyes swam in my hungry gaze.

Right then I heard a loud crash and jumped to my feet.

Olivia had knocked over my bedside lamp while she was folding up some blankets.

“Sorry,” she said in a loud whisper. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I glanced down to see my hand empty. The note wasn’t there.
Did it work?
Was that real? I noticed Dane still sound asleep on the bed. That diner was sucking the life out of him, always leaving him exhausted. No wonder he wanted to run away with me.

“Your mom came in here. You have to leave in an hour,” Olivia said, pushing the bed into a couch.

I shook my head and tried to come to my senses then I grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom to dress. I convinced myself the blue-eyed boy had read my note and that the next time I slept he would tell me where he was. Then I would make my dad take me to him, and if he refused, I would find another traveler. They couldn’t be that hard to convince, could they?

I heard the front door open and sensed Jessica, Hannah, and Monica climbing the stairs. I met them in the hall. They were so sad and full of dread. I led them into my room. I didn’t have much time, and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t leaving anything behind. When they saw Dane asleep on my bed, I felt embarrassment come from everyone but Monica. She found it hilarious.

“So I guess you were serious when you told Drake she was your girlfriend?” Monica said loudly, falling onto the bed next to him.

Dane sat up quickly and surveyed the room, replaying the last words he’d heard. He then rolled his eyes, slid by Monica off the bed, stretched, and grinned at me.

“I need a quick shower,” he said to me as he left the room.

“So, are you guys serious?” Jessica asked, awestruck, not believing she’d missed something as big as Dane and me hooking up.

Olivia belted out into laughter. She knew how ridiculous that comment was.

“I bet they are,” Monica teased. “This whole time, Willow’s been playing the innocent one, and then the day she leaves, the truth comes out.”

As I listened to her, I shook my head and scanned the room for anything else I may want to take with me.

“Hey, Drake said to tell you he was sorry,” Monica said in a more serious tone.

“For…?”

“He said he must have scared you, but he was only trying to carry the cooler to the fire for you,” Monica said, believing every word she said. “He’s not that bad of a guy. He invited us all to go to Florida with him. He has this huge boat, and he said we could go out on the ocean.”

“Tell me you aren’t
seriously
considering going off with some guy you just met?”

My words shamed Monica. She glanced down as the room grew awkwardly tense.

“We’re all leaving for school in a few weeks. It would be nice to go to the beach first,” Hannah said, defending Monica.

“Promise me you won’t go anywhere with Drake,” I begged, feeling a growing sense of dread within me.

Hannah looked at Monica. “We can still go to the beach, but Willow’s right. We don’t need to go off with a guy we just met.”

“We got you something,” Jessica said, breaking the tension. She handed me a black bag with burgundy tissue paper. I was sure she was the one who’d wrapped it; if it were up to Monica, it would have been hot pink. I sat next to Olivia on my bed and pulled the ribbons on the bag. “We’ve all been working on it since graduation. We were going to give it to you last night, but you left so fast,” Jessica said, proud of herself.