“Dane, can you stay here until tomorrow morning?” my father asked.
Dane muttered a ‘sure,’ a little taken back.
“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 don’t want to leave the girls alone if Willow is shaken up.”
“That’s fine. I’ll call my mom,” Dane said.
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.”
“We have to leave a believable paper trail. We can’t pass through the string now, anyway. 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. If he were trying to take you to one, he would’ve already.”
“You fear him one minute, hide us in this life, and now its no biggy?” I was over this!
Dad clenched his jaw and fought with his thoughts before he spoke. “Livingston has passionately argued this boy is not as dangerous as our fears led us to believe. I trust Livingston.”
“But you asked Ashten and his family to take us home.”
“I have my reasons,” he said shortly. “I don’t want you near Drake. I don’t want you alone. When we get home, we’ll figure this out.” He searched eyes. “I’m going off your instinct, Willow. You would’ve come home hours ago if Drake was an immediate threat.”
“Not the one you should be counting on right now,” I said quietly. Dane hung up the phone. I didn’t need him to get the vibe there was more to Drake than an unwelcome advance.
“Okay,” Dad said to himself. “I’m going to tell your mother. Make sure you’re packed and ready.”
I hugged him then climbed the stairs. 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.”
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 asking him what he wanted with me.
Then it hit me—if Drake were real, then the blue-eyed boy had to be, too. My eyes raced back and forth as I tried to think of a way to find him. I turned off the water, excited about going to sleep. 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 let her in.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“I have Libby all packed up,” she said, leaning against the counter.
It was like she’d been waiting for this day for far too long.
“I’m eager to go home,” she said reading my expression.
“What was he like?” she asked when I didn’t open a conversation up.
I didn’t need to clarify who the ‘he’ was. “He’s kind of sexy,” I said with a smirk.
“What did he feel like?” she finally asked, hunting for reassurance that we had nothing to fear.
I froze for a second; no one had ever asked me a question like this before.
“I couldn’t feel him...”
“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 grabbed my bag.
“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 made me flushed. I just wanted to talk to him. I tore a page from the back of the book and pulled a pen out. With shaking hands, I wrote: I need you, help me find you.
I lay down and stared at the note that I’d written. I planned to focus on my blue-eyed guy and the words and hope that I could somehow take it with me. I didn’t let any evil 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 the adrenaline rush through me as I realized I would see him. I looked down at my hand and saw that my note was there. I ran to the porch and circled it, but he wasn’t there. I went through the house, searching every room. I found the place empty. My heart felt heavy as each moment passed. I didn’t 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 moved 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; he leaned down to catch my gaze. I would wake at any moment now. I stood on the tips of my toes wanting to kiss him. I saw the same desire in his eyes but we stilled a breath apart and rapidly searched each other’s eyes.
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. Wide awake.
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?
“Your mom came in here. You have to leave in an hour,” Olivia said, pushing the bed into a couch.
I nudged Dane to wake him as 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 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 thundered, 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.
“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 fo
r 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 it.”
“Tell me you aren’t seriously considering going off with some guy you just met?”
Monica glanced down as the room grew awkwardly tense.
“We’re all leaving for school in a few weeks. It'd be good 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.
“We got you something,” Jessica said, breaking the tension. She handed me a black bag with burgundy tissue paper. 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.
Inside was a large photo album, and on the front of it was an abstract painting of the five of us that Jessica had done. The pictures started when we were all in diapers, and they went all the way through graduation night. The album was full of birthdays and summers. Everything we’d ever shared. I grinned as the flashbacks flew through my memory.
“This is priceless...” I said with a crack in my voice.
“Just don’t forget us when you’re famous, deal?” Jessica said.
I stood, pulled all of them together and hugged them.
When Dane was through in the shower, he loaded my mother’s car with our luggage and drove us to the airport. He even went in with us, not leaving until we reached the security gates. My mother and Libby walked on, giving us a chance to say goodbye. I stared forward at the gate, then back at Dane.
I was scared.
“You can’t be afraid of the next step, Willow. We all have to grow.”
“That’s pretty thick,” I teased.
“Maybe one day I will listen to my advice,” Dane said.
“You will,” I promised.
Holding back my tears, I reached up and hugged him. I didn’t understand why growing had to hurt so badly. After I let go of him, I kept my eyes down. I could feel his sorrow. It was ripping me apart. I never saw my life without Dane in it without any of my friends.
“Keep them safe,” I said as I walked away.
Chapter Four
“I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars.”
― Stephenie Meyer, Twilight
The flight was two hours long, so I decided to try and fall asleep. I needed to know if the blue-eyed boy had read my note.
Dreams came fast, but I didn’t find him...
All I saw was a Blue Moon filling the sky. I gazed at its detail and felt the energy that came from it. Slowly, it started to rise. In the gleam of blue light, I saw Drake to my right, and to my left, I saw my blue-eyed guy.
The landing gear hit the ground, and I awoke with a start.
Libby had fallen asleep, too, so I carried her through the airport and cradled her as my mom rented us a car. My mother drove through the last hours of daylight.
My mom took over again at daybreak. She had been to Ashten’s home before and knew the way. I gladly closed my eyes, needing the rest, the hope I wanted to find in sleep.
The weight that I always felt on my chest was immediate.
My sense of emotion vanished. This time the people around me could see me. They gawked in my direction. The room I was in was more beautiful than any other place I had visited in these nightmares. It was regal. The floor was a red velvet carpet, and doors that stretched from the ground to the ceiling centered on every wall. One of them led outside, into the sunlight.
Women were lining the walls, dressed for a formal occasion; others made adjustments to what I was wearing. They’d dressed me in a gown, with lace and flowers woven into the design.
The wooden doors in front of me opened. I sensed someone. They were not afraid. They were content. My heartbeat grew louder as I gasped for breath. Through the doorway, I heard whispering.
A striking woman of age with spellbinding green eyes glided over to me. When she reached me, the ones around me scurried away. She took my hand, and as her smooth skin touched mine, the room vanished, a white glow surrounded us. At that moment, the weight on my chest released. The woman smiled. I could feel her intensely now. She was compassionate.
“You’ve been quite difficult to find,” she said serenely.
“Who are you?”.
“I am Perodine. You have known me from your first heartbeat.”
“What do you want?” I asked, nervously.
She kept taking me in like I was the supernatural element in this scene. “I’ve waited over four million years to see you this...powerful.”
“What?”
Perodine beamed. “Your heart is your weapon. The one who sees all must have it.”
Sees what? “I don’t understand.” I couldn’t hide the tremble in my voice.
“When the Blue Moon rises, you will choose. Not for the first time or the last, but you will choose.”
“Choose what?”
Perodine went to speak, and as she did, I saw pain absorb her body. With her eyes closed, she inhaled deeply and said in a hushed voice, “Our time now is over.”
The room flashed back, and the others in the room gasped. The pain in my chest intensified. I panted for breath. Before I could focus on what was happening, men took Perodine away. She glanced over her shoulder at me, taking in one last disbelieving glance.
Someone’s warm breath glided down my neck, as a hum swarmed through my body. I turned and saw Drake. He grinned and wrapped his arm around me. “They are waiting,” he said.
The glass doors leading outside opened, the roar of a crowd erupted, and I walked unwittingly with Drake to the balcony. The sky was a beautiful blue, and the sunlight warmed my face. The crowd grew louder as they saw us standing side by side. Looking down, I saw a sea of color surrounding the people who cheered below. My nightmares had never had a happy ending even close to the vibration I felt then.
My eyes peered up at Drake. My willpower was losing a battle that any other girl would have lost the first time that she saw him. Then, above the crowd, I heard the sweetest voice.
“Willow…”
I turned to look back in the room and saw Libby standing there. I couldn’t feel her, but I could see the fear in her eyes. I ran to where she was, but she vanished before my eyes.
The roar of the crowd grew silent.
The sky turned gray.
“You’re mine,” Drake said unsympathetically.
I turned back to where he was and raised my arms to block a light I was sure would come. As I moved my hand, I saw that my wrist was bare and that the Ankh was gone. I fell to my knees, gasping as I tried to understand why it had disappeared.
Chants echoed against the walls. I closed my eyes and found the image of the one who always made me feel safe: my blue eyes. The room shook, and the paintings crashed to the floor. The noise shocked my body, causing me to wake with a scream.
My mother was so frightened that she veered off the road.
“Willow? Are you okay?”
My eyes focused as I looked down at my wrist: the tattoo of the ankh and one lone star was still there. I was safe, at least for now.
I had dreamed with Drake more times than I could count. Something was off about him in that last one…it was like I knew someone was playing his part, someone cold and deceitful. The question was how was any one of them getting into my head in the first place.
“Just a nightmare. I'm all right.”
“We got you some breakfast, well, lunch. You were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t want to wake you. I wish that I had now.”
“How close are we?” I asked, looking at the secluded highway.
“Only an hour away. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, Mom, just a dream,” I shuddered as it flashed into my memory.
I spent the rest of the trip watc
hing Libby in the mirror. I had to keep her safe. Far from that place.
Mom turned off onto a small road where a picturesque mountain played the role of a breathtaking background. Then she turned off onto a less traveled path. Without warning, a beautiful, massive log home nestled next to a magnificent river came into view.
Excitement and relief overtook the emotions of the two people on the porch of the cabin. I could see my father standing next to an attractive man whom I assumed was Ashten. He was smiling and patting my dad on the back. Strangely, he looked familiar to me.
I woke Libby up as we stopped. My mother was already in my father’s arms. When we got to the porch, my dad introduced Libby and me to his lifelong friend, Ashten Chambers.
“Jason, your girls are beautiful. You’re a lucky man,” Ashten said, looking curiously into my eyes, then to my father.
Overwhelming anxiety and anticipation started to build in the vibe around me. I should’ve questioned it, but I was too numb and tired.
Dad told us the others should be there soon, then showed us into the cabin. The entire front room, from floor to ceiling, was made of a glossy wood. The ceiling angled into an A-frame with wide beams that stretched across the cabin. All the furniture seemed to complement the mountain setting. The smell of pine lingered in the air. I unloaded my tote on the counter and picked up Libby’s bag to carry it upstairs.
The cabin had six bedrooms, so Libby got her room, which made her happy. I brushed her hair and listened to her tell me about all the fun she was going to have in her new home.
I decided to take a hot shower. All the traveling had given me jet lag, but the last thing I wanted to do was close my eyes again. When I got back to my room and started to dress, I couldn’t find my brush anywhere. Libby walked in and handed it to me. I stood stunned, holding it. Libby didn’t often go out of her way to help me out since she was used to us taking care of her.
“I couldn’t find your sandals,” she said sadly.
“Why were you looking for them?”
She furrowed her little brow. “Cause you told me you needed your brush and asked if I had your sandals.”