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My eyes grew wider as I remembered Austin saying that. I also remembered him testing us, he wanted to know if we could see something called a string. Draven and I stood next to him… the night air began to move before us. Austin looped his arms through ours, and we stepped forward – then all of a sudden, everything around us was glowing white. I could feel a wave of energy coursing around me, and I could hear a low hum. In either direction, I could see beautiful hazes of every color. Austin stepped back, pulling us with him, and it was night again. Next, he took Madison and Aden through the passage – all of us could see. Austin told us he knew without a doubt that we were special – that not everyone could see – because we could see, he had the confidence that his home would accept us – his world believes in fate…he believes fate led him to us – that he’s now been charged with the duty to keep us safe – to find a positive reason for what we can hear and see.

“
The string – we were planning on leaving this world,” I whispered.

“
Dimension – not world…Austin told us he could bring us back to see our families when we wanted but that the storms in the string would make each trip a dangerous one – that we may have to go months without coming back.”

My head was spinning; before my eyes, I saw small lights – it was like dormant memories were sparking to life with his simple words – it was like watching a movie of someone who looked just like me – I could see them, but I was still having a hard time believing all these memories were mine – that I lost them so easily, without warning. “I was too scared to tell my mom…I knew she’d talk me out of it – I just told her I was going to find a safe place… she knew I was lying, and that just made us grow further apart.”

The guitar sound around us changed its pitch, as if to confirm my memories. Draven’s eyes looked at the thin air and smiled slightly.

“
You and your mom have never really talked about any of this…it’s just too hard for her – she doesn’t want to lose you.”

I looked down. “I was kinda hoping that distant memory I had of her was wrong.”

The guitar continued to play a sad tone.

Draven reached for my chin and gently urged me to look him in the eye. “All it’s going to take is just one conversation – you just have to talk to her.”

As I looked into his eyes, small tears came to the corners of my eyes. This morning, I would have told you that the distance between me and my mother was because she was grieving for my dad – but that wasn’t it at all – we were distant because I was just like my dad – and that hurt her.

Draven pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me. I took in a deep breath as I felt his hand gently move across my back. My mind was racing in every direction. I tried to piece the precious memories I found tonight together with the ones I already had; the only thing that was missing was Aden and Draven – I couldn’t figure out why.

“
Before yesterday, when was the last time you saw me?” I asked, wondering why he was so easy to forget.

Draven’s body seemed to tense all at once, and his hand - which was moving across my back - stopped. “We’re getting too close to what I need you to remember on your own,” he said quietly.

I looked up at him. “Just answer that one question,” I pleaded.

“
Tuesday,” he whispered as he pulled me closer.

I squeezed my arm around him as the emotion of grief brought unwanted dormant memories to life. “We had a fight…I told you I didn’t want to go with Austin anymore.”

I felt his lips on my forehead, and I closed my eyes. “You told me that you’d never forgive yourself if we led this darkness to another world – that we had to conquer it here first – I agreed with you, and so did Aden.”

“
Why did we fight?” I asked, looking up at him.

His fingertips tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. As he swallowed, I could see the anger in his eyes. “You wouldn’t tell me what was wrong – I think Madison may have known, but she would never betray you and tell me – you promised me that you’re protecting me by not telling me. I wanted to stay with you, but you sent me home…”

The only emotions I felt at that moment were regret and anger. I was furious with myself – I hurt him, and I couldn’t even remember why.

“
I’m sorry,” I whispered in a tearful voice.

He shook his head no as he pulled me to him and kissed my lips. I wrapped my arms around him and moved my lips passionately against his, holding him as tight as I could. I wanted to disappear somewhere inside of him and forget that something dark and cold was trying to come between us.

A knock was the only thing that stopped us from losing control in each other’s arms. I pulled away quickly and looked to the stairway - I could barely see the top of Aden’s head.

I looked back at Draven as a blushing grin spread across my face.

“
You can come up,” Draven said as he smiled back at me.

Aden climbed the last few steps into my room. “It was too quiet…I didn’t know if you were sleeping or not,” he said, trying not to blush as he walked to the bed and sat down next to us.

“
What time is it?” I asked as I felt a yawn come out of nowhere.

“
Almost seven…did you guys sleep?” he asked, looking over me and Draven.

“
Not long…we spent more time talking,” Draven said, grinning slightly at Aden.

“
Remembering,” I corrected.

Aden raised his eyebrows as hope spread across his face. “Is Charlie back?”

“
Almost,” Draven said, pulling me against him. “We’re back…that’s all that matters now.”

The guitar sound around us erupted into an electrifying tone, as if to celebrate.

I watched as a grin spread across Aden’s face. “I like that,” he said, rocking his head with the rhythm.

“
You hear it, too? Madison doesn’t – I don’t get it,” I said, sitting up and looking between them.

Aden started to say something, but Draven shook his head, telling him to stop, then looked down at me. “Sometimes…sometimes you have to use one sense to create another…she can’t hear it because…because she’s never seen it.”

I held my breath as he said the words – I couldn’t move – was he saying that I could see my father before? Did I forget that? How could I forget that?!

“
I’ll be downstairs, guys…I don’t wanna mess up and say the wrong thing,” Aden said, standing.

“
I’ll be there in a minute,” Draven said, nodding for him to go.

“
Show me how to see now,” I said, rising to my knees.

He shook his head no. “You’re tired…sleep first…dream for me.”

“
Draven, have I seen him?!” I said, refusing to let it go. I stood and started to pace my room.

The sound of the guitar grew silent almost, as if it didn’t want to make its presence known anymore.

Draven stood and caught me as I passed him by; he pulled me to his chest and swayed us from side to side.

“
Sleep first…let’s see how far your dreams take you…it’ll be easier if you remember more.”

I wanted to argue with him, but all of a sudden a calm and total serenity absorbed me – the room - my eyes were heavy, and my body grew numb. Draven pulled my covers back and urged me to lay down. I crawled under the covers and looked up at him through sleepy eyes.

“
I want to see him….I want to show mom him,” I whispered as my eyes began to close.

“
I’ll come back around four…you’ll see today – I promise,” he whispered.

I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer. I let them fall as I felt his lips touch mine.

Chapter 11

As I drifted to sleep, the memories I had found raced through my mind. I felt so guilty – I knew that for the last few days that Draven had thought that I left him – I was a horrible person - I’d fought with him – then simply just forgot he existed.

In my dream, I watched us scream at each other in my apartment in NY. He demanded that I tell him what was wrong, but I refused – his face hardened, and he asked me if there was someone else – he asked me if I was cheating on him. The question invoked a fury within me – I didn’t answer him – instead, I pushed him and Aden out of my apartment door. I closed it, then slid down to the floor, crying breathlessly – saying ‘ I had to’ over and over again. I heard my phone ring and crawled to my bag to answer it, sure it was him, but it wasn’t. Bianca’s name was on the screen. I took in a deep breath and grew more determined that sending Draven away was what I had to do – I answered the phone like nothing was wrong.

The dream was excruciating – I rolled myself awake, then laid still, trying to understand why I needed to protect him from her – then I had this sick feeling that I had somehow cheated on Draven with Britain and maybe – maybe I thought Bianca would tell on me. I shook my head from side to side, knowing I never could have done that – there had to be another reason.

My eyes fell closed again. I drifted to sleep and focused on Bianca – I tried to think of every conversation I had ever had with her –to see if I’d ever told her about Draven. Voices overlapped in my dream, then I found myself on my bed in my room in NY. Bianca hit ‘Pause’ on my phone, stopping my music. “This summer – we should go away together. I’ll get my dad to pay for it.”

I rolled my eyes at her and hit ‘Play’ on my phone. “Can’t go,” I mumbled as I rocked with the guitar that was playing.

She paused the music and pushed the phone away. “Cancun – is that what you said? We could go there.”

I shook my head. “I said I can’t go.” Her expression was placid, but I swear I could see her pupils in the center of her blue eyes expanding and retracting as I stared at them, wondering how she was doing that.

“
Cancun sounds fun…we’ll leave after graduation,” she said as she smiled at me.

I felt myself want to argue, but instead I whispered, “Can’t go – Cancun,” under my breath.

Bianca smiled and said, “That’s right, Charlie – Cancun.”

In my mind, I was desperately trying to find any clue in this dream – I looked down at what I was wearing – it was the same skirt I had on that night at the ER. My racing heart woke me up.

I rubbed my hands across my face, knowing that I never wore the same clothes in the same way more than once. I tried to remember if I had every really asked my mom if I could even go – a sick feeling came over me when I realized that I’d never said that I was going there aloud – that no one had ever mentioned that I was planning to, beyond Bianca and Britain.

I stretched and pulled myself awake. I decided I couldn’t lay there anymore. I couldn’t clearly remember Draven telling me when he’d be back, and I wanted to take a shower and change before he came.

As I showered, I questioned if Draven even knew that Bianca and Britain existed – it was hard to tell if he did or not. A sickening guilt came over me as I realized that if he did know about them, there was a good chance he believed I was cheating on him – maybe that’s why he refused to talk about anything past me sending him away. I knew I hadn’t – I knew that I couldn’t - I was protecting him – from what, I didn’t know. I planned to call Madison as soon as I got dressed – I was going to make her tell me what I was fighting on my own – what Britain had to do with any of this.

I hummed with the sound of the guitar as I got out of the shower. I was trying to put words to the music. I wanted to hear answers behind the sound. My heart started to race as I thought of the possibility of seeing what was creating this beautiful sound – right now, I didn’t know if I could handle seeing the image of my father.

I had a towel wrapped around me and had almost finished drying my hair when Kara charged in the bathroom; the look on her face was of pure anger.

“
What kind of game are you playing, Charlie?!” she whispered harshly. “I really thought you were getting yourself together - starting to see things clearly.”

“
What are you talking about?” I asked, looking at her like she was insane.

“
Bianca is downstairs,” she said shortly.

A vacant, sick feeling absorbed every part me. I leaned against the counter, trying to find balance – a clear thought.

“
Charlie,” Kara said, moving in front of me, trying to snap me out of my scared stare. “Did you know she was coming here?” she asked in a kinder tone.

“
I didn’t know she’d show up at the front door – is mom here? “ I asked quietly, starting to see how bad this could really get.

“
No. The meeting she had this morning ran late, and all of the flights this afternoon have been pushed back because of the storms that are rolling in – she flies in at three tomorrow.”

I shook my head and tightened my jaw and started to pull together what memories I had – I knew I’d find strength in them – that I was about to go into a battle of wits with Bianca.

“
I told her you were asleep, that I wasn’t gonna wake you, but she started crying and said that you and her had a horrible fight – that she said things she shouldn’t and you won’t answer the phone when she tries to call - that she drove all the way here and has to make this right or she’ll go insane.”

I pulled my hairdryer loose and wound the cord. I didn’t bother brushing my hair. I had this vision of Britain sitting outside and Draven pulling up. I didn’t take either of them for fighters, but it wasn’t fair that Draven didn’t know that Britain existed – at least I didn’t know that he did.