“Alright. All of you need to just sit here and clear you mind...hear, see, and feel inside of your soul,” Landen said calmly.
We all closed our eyes, and within a breath I opened my mine and stood behind myself. Landen was right behind me, and we stepped back and watched the others.
Above us, the night sky seemed to glow with billions of stars, and darkness could barely be seen behind them. The sky opened up and poured into Landen and my bodies. After a moment, we could see a small light slowly reaching out of Olivia, and the sky opened up and began to reach for her. The light was thin, though; nowhere near the width that was pouring into me and Landen.
As the moments passed, Olivia’s light expanded, then her soul appeared behind her body. Her shock was immediate, and we slowly approached her to calm her. When she saw us, peace came over her, and she was suddenly taken by the colors all around her. Dane was the next one from whom a light came; it started small, like Olivia’s, then grew - and he appeared seconds later. He wasn’t afraid; he was absolutely amazed by what he had done.
I watched Clarissa and Chrispin closely for a light to come. They were calm, but they just weren’t letting go. It wasn’t until Olivia’s soul touched Chrispin’s and Dane’s soul touched Clarissa’s that they let go and the light came from them. They all stared in awe at all the colors.
We lingered on the rooftop. Landen and I were afraid to leave our bodies unattended; keeping them safe was a new priority for us. When we could feel our bodies coming close to exhaustion, we waved to the others and opened our eyes – but no one followed us. I couldn’t blame them; I would have stayed in meditation if I had any strength left. We stood, careful not to disturb them, then walked down the stairs into the condo and collapsed on the bed, too tired even to pull back the covers.
Moments later, we were standing at the foot of our bed. We looked at each other with calm faces and slowly knelt to the ground. We both knew that when we combined our energy, we grew stronger. The reality of facing Drake tonight gave reason for us to want to be as strong as possible. Landen slowly reached for my heart. As I reached for his, our energy joined, and a breathless high consumed us. Late into the next morning, we woke feeling stronger than we ever had. We could feel the others in the living room; they were blissful. We dressed slowly, enjoying our moments alone. In the living room, we found Olivia and Clarissa sitting in mediation; their souls were walking around the room, and Dane and Chrispin’s eyes followed them. “You can see them?” Landen asked, amazed.
Dane looked at Landen and grinned. “Yeah. Watch this,” he said, nodding at Clarissa. Clarissa’s soul walked slowly over to Dane, and he stood, waiting with anticipation. Clarissa then stepped through him, and their Auras joined and beamed brightly across the room.
“Olivia can do it, too,” Chrispin said, standing. Olivia passed through just as easily.
“Can you guys do it?” Landen asked. Chrispin nodded yes. Olivia and Clarissa then brought themselves back to consciousness.
“I can’t believe you guys learned so quickly,” I said, still in shock.
“It wasn’t hard,” Olivia said, stretching her legs out.
“Were you guys up all night?” Landen asked.
“Only till like, two, but we’ve been up since seven. We’ve already been on the roof, but it got to hot,” Chrispin explained. “So, will you teach us how to move one another?”
“Can you see Auras?” Landen asked. They all nodded. Landen then looked around at the condo. “We should go home; Mom will kill us if we break anything here,” he said.
As everyone went to gather their things, he looked down at me and thought, “Maybe this won’t be as hard as we thought.” As I felt our building confidence, I smiled up at him; any fear we might have had of Mercury or Drake was slowly fading.
Once home, we made our way to the side yard, and Landen walked over and picked a flower. “Can you see the energy around it?” he asked all of them. They nodded. Landen then slowly passed his fingers through the flower, and the energy flowed through me and him.
Landen moved his finger back to flower, finding it solid on purpose. Chrispin reached down and picked a flower, and the others followed his lead. “It’s just like when you’re stepping into one another; it’s only solid if you see it that way,” Landen explained. “If you want to move someone, you have to see the energy around them as solid and move it wherever you want it to go,” he finished.
Olivia stood in front of Chrispin, reached out to his blue Aura, and pulled him slowly up. Seconds later, Dane was in the air next to him. It was all I could do not to laugh.
“Come on, Willow, put Landen up here,” Clarissa said, laughing at the idea. I looked at Landen; I hadn’t lifted anyone yet.
“Come on, now - you’re not going to let them show you out?” Landen thought in a teasing manner. He was trying to entice me - and it was working. I reached for his energy and pulled him up slowly, higher than the others; the energy was weightless. All at once, I felt Landen’s weight start to show itself, so I lowered him, thinking he was going to fall. Five feet from the ground, I had to let him go. Landen landed on his feet and walked over to me, grinning, then softly kissed my lips.
“What did I do wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. I just wanted down. If Drake can throw me, I want to know how to stop him,” Landen explained. I could see Clarissa and Olivia’s arm weakening as mine did, and Chrispin and Dane fell to their feet. I heard clapping and turned to see August, Libby, and Preston standing on one of the distant hills.
Chrispin wasted no time picking up Olivia and dangling her in the air. Clarissa held her hands up, blocking Dane. “I’m not fond of heights,” she warned. Dane gave in to her request and pulled her to him using her energy, proud of what they had learned.
August and the children approached us. Landen reached out playfully to Preston and Libby and picked them up. When they were still feet away, their laughter was so loud, it echoed against the hills. Landen passed them on in mid-air to Chrispin and Dane, then walked over to August.
“I see you’ve learned a lot,” August said, patting Landen on the back. “I heard you had an interesting night,” he continued. Landen looked at him curiously. August’s eyes moved up to Libby and Preston. “They said you did well,” he finished.
“I didn’t expect to see him,” Landen said with regret in his voice.
August smiled. “What did you expect - for him to knock on your door in a week and say, ‘Let’s duel?’” August said, almost laughing.
Landen shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know the rules to all of this,” he said, a little embarrassed.
“No one does, son; our present always unravels itself in its own way. Just keep getting stronger and never let your guard down when it comes to Willow,” August warned.
We spent the remainder of the day practicing moving our energy; it was amazing how fun and carefree it was. As the moon filled the sky, everyone parted to go to their homes. We climbed the steps to our house full of bliss and comfortable with the path that we’d chosen for the first time since we’d found each other. I made us a plate from my still overflowing refrigerator. As we ate, I slowly gathered my nerve; I wanted to go to Esterious tonight and move through people, to give them peace. Landen felt my emotions and tried to ignore them. Once in our room, I gathered all my nerve and took a deep breath. “Can we drift first tonight and see if we go there again?” I asked quietly.
I saw Landen’s jaw tighten; he wanted to tell me no, but he was afraid to deny my request. “I don’t think we can go there from here; this dimension is protected,” he said, opening the balcony doors.
“It’s not protected from images,” I argued, remembering the weak girl we’d seen a few nights ago.
Landen sighed and lay across the bed; I could feel he wanted to help, but he just wasn’t sure of himself. “What if someone gets hurt because we made them act different?” he asked, trying to make me feel guilty.
“I just want to make the
m feel better, at least until we can move them all. I want them to know that their suffering is almost over,” I pleaded.
Landen reached his arms out for me, and I crawled across the bed and fell into his arms. His kissed my forehead softly.
“Let’s just be careful, OK?” he thought. I let out a deep breath, excited that he was going to let us go. He smiled when he felt my emotion. I squeezed him tighter, and he reached to turn off the lamp. It took me a few minutes to fall asleep; my anticipation was taking my calm away from me. My body finally submitted, though, and I drifted.
Chapter Eleven
When I opened my eyes, I heard a huge clap of thunder and felt a rush of wind. Landen was at my side, and we were somewhere in Esterious. People were rushing around the streets, trying to work faster; each of them had an Aura of gray, which made them look dusty. The yellow Aura around me and Landen seemed to shine like sunlight in the dull streets.
“Well, looks like we picked a good time; this storm has them all on edge,” I thought. Landen smiled slightly; I knew he wasn’t happy about being here.
“Are we near Delen?” I asked.
“Not even close,” Landen thought, growing more uncomfortable.
I took his hand, and we passed down the street. When we allowed the people to walk through us, I smiled as I felt their rush of energy; they would hesitate in their steps, then look back. Landen watched them closely, afraid that they’d be seen by one of the priests. The wind picked up, then lightning flashed, followed by thunder.
Letting go of Landen’s hand, I started to focus on the ones who seemed to be the most solemn. As I passed through more people, I smiled as I felt their peace. I looked back to smile at Landen, but he wasn’t looking at me; he was watching the storm grow stronger. I knew he was going to ask me to wake soon, and I was determined to walk through as many people as I could before we left. As I turned onto another street, I froze; my image, the one we’d seen a few nights ago, the young frail girl was there. She was leaning against a store front, and her eyes were lost somewhere inside herself. I felt absolute grief and terror coming from her; it brought pain to my heart. I slowly stepped to her, determined to take all her pain away.
“Willow,” Landen thought as he reached for my shoulder to hold me back.
“Look, it’s her; we found her again.” My thoughts were just as excited as I was.
Landen’s jaw tightened. “This doesn’t feel right, Willow. I think you need to leave her alone,” he thought, looking at the young girl. I couldn’t believe the words he thought; she needed our help more than anyone else did. Walking away from Landen, I approached the girl, determined to help her. “Stop, Willow! We cannot help them all!” Landen thought as loud as he could.
The anger I felt for him was foreign, and I hesitated before slowly turning to see his piercing blue eyes staring at me through a flaming red glow.
“Who are you to choose who we help?” I said, defending myself. As my temper began to rise, my yellow Aura changed to match his red.
Landen sighed deeply, then covered his face with his fists and let out a horrible growl. I looked back to see the young woman; her pain was nearly unbearable. I had never felt an emotion with this much sorrow and dread. “She’s just one person, Willow; it’s not going to matter if you help her or anyone else around her,” he thought sternly.
“You don’t know that. If she helps one person because I helped her, then the whole universe could change.”
“Willow, I don’t even know where we are. Let’s just wake up, then we’ll come back here.”
“No, you just said you didn’t know where we are; we could be too late.”
“If we are too late, then it’s meant to be,” Landen said in a more approachable tone.
I could feel his anger turning to dread; he already knew I was going to do this.
“Have you lost your mind? You sound like your father!” I watched as my words stung his soul. I hesitated for a second, then thought, “I’m going to help her one way or another; she has passed our path twice now, and there’s something about this that feels right.”
How could he not feel it? What was he afraid could happen? We’ve done this before.
“This is Esterious - nothing here is right,” Landen thought, looking around at dull gray buildings and masses of people who’d lost everything they were born with.
“I’m doing this, Landen.”
“Fine. I’ll watch you go,” Landen thought coldly as he folded his arms across his chest, pulling his broad shoulders back in an absurd manner.
I looked in his blue eyes one more time, then turned to the girl. I took a deep breath, focused on the gray haze around her, and imagined her body as nothing but a cloud of energy, then stepped in. The first thing I felt was an agonizing pain in her stomach; it was so strong, I was having trouble finding an emotion. I could feel Landen easing closer to me; he could feel the pain now that it was coursing through me, and his anger turned to fear. “Willow, get out – she’s not sad, she’s dying,” he thought. “Willow, SPEAK to me – it’s too late!”
I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t think anything. It hurt so badly. A rush of wind blew through the streets, and something hit me hard in the head – then...
“Evee...Evee...Evelyn, look at me...” I opened my eyes and saw a beautiful young girl with dark eyes and long black hair standing over me, shaking my shoulders. Who was she? Who is Evelyn?
“Willow...Willow, answer me,” I heard a different voice say...a deep, corporeal man’s voice. Who’s Willow?
“Evee, say something,” the girl said.
“Willow, say your name...do you hear me?...say Willow!” The man’s voice was near panic – I could feel panic all around me.
“Evee, speak to me...say something...anything,” the girl said.
“Um...Willow,” I muttered.
“That’s my girl...are you OK?” the man asked.
“Willow...is she helping you?” I could feel excitement coming from the girl now. “You hit your head. Can you sit up for me?” the girl said.
“It’s not over. You girls better move away from those windows,” a different man’s voice said.
“Help me move her...please,” the girl said.
“Willow, you have to leave...it’s too late; she’s already gone...come on, leave,” the voice in my head said as he grew nervous again.
“Leave where?” I asked in a haze.
“The storm is not over; we have to move before you really get hurt,” the girl said to me. The older man walked over and picked me up, then walked toward a dark doorway. I heard a whoosh of wind and the breaking of glass, then looked over his shoulder to where I’d been laying and saw that it was now covered in glass and wood.
The man looked down at me. “Looks like I’ve done my good deed for today,” he mumbled.
He carried me through the dark hallway and down some steps; as he did, it sounded like the building itself was ripping apart piece by piece. At the bottom of the stairs, he opened a narrow doorway and laid me on a small cot. I watched as he lit candles. The girl was at my side, holding a towel to my head.
“Does it hurt? Are you OK?” she asked.
“Who are you?” I asked her.
The man across the room turned and looked in my direction, and I could feel their panic as if it belonged to me.
“She may have hit her head harder than you thought,” the man said. He was now at my side, examining my head with the girl.
“Willow...can you hear me, baby? Talk to me,” the voice in my head said.
“Who’s Willow?” I asked out loud.
The man at my side eyes widened, then he froze for a second and stepped slowly away from me.
“Listen, I am not prepared to die...you better make her stop saying that name, or I’ll toss you both out - storm or no storm,” he said. His fear was real, but the girl was almost relieved.
“What?” I murmured.
“Willow,” the man’s voice in my head said so
ftly.
“Stop saying ‘Willow’...you are scaring me...please stop!” I screamed into the room, choking on my own tears.
The man and the girl stared at me, and the voice in my head fell silent. It felt like arms surrounded my waist, but I couldn’t see anything. A calm feeling then coursed through me, dulling the agonizing pain that I felt everywhere. The older man stepped further away from me; it was clear he didn’t want anything to do with me. He looked at the girl, who was still crooning over me. “When this blows over, you need to find someone to look at her. She’s more hurt than you think,” he said.
“Of course, she is,” the girl murmured, feeling overwhelmed.
As she settled in next to me and hummed a soft melody, the man sat against the wall across from us and stared at me. I frantically tried to remember anything; I didn’t know who I was, where I was, or who these people were. My own anguish outweighed the concern of those who were with me. Time slid by, and the storm outside raged on. I looked to the girl beside me; she’d been staring at me without pause, and her concern was beginning to scare me - even more than my not knowing who I was.
“Listen, don’t get mad or more scared - but who are you?” I asked the girl.
Tears came into her eyes, and I immediately wished that I hadn’t asked; she was now full of sorrow. “I’m Estelle, your baby sister...you’re Evelyn. You really don’t know, do you?” she asked. I shook my head no, then looked down, ashamed.
“That’s Tim. He usually works here,” she said, looking at the man across the room. He smiled and nodded his head.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked.
“You...yelling ‘Evee,’” I answered.
The girl sighed. “That may not be such a bad thing,” she said, looking down at her feet.
As she thought over something, I felt her sorrow intensify. Meanwhile, the storm had grown still, and Tim stood and walked to the doorway. “I’m going to go check to see if it’s safe, Stella,” he said.
Stella stood and put on a long black coat, then handed one to me. I stood, but a sickening, dizzy feeling soon brought me back down. What felt like a gentle embrace around me tightened, though, catching me before I fell too hard. I took a deep breath and tried to stand again, and this time I was successful. As Stella watched and braced herself to catch me if I fell again, the room swayed back and forth, but it finally stood still. I heard footsteps and felt a remorseful person approaching us; it was Tim, who leaned in to the small room we were in. “It’s over now, but it’s bad up here, so watch your step, girls,” he said solemnly.