“I would have to say that this is my favorite of all your gifts,” he finally said.
I looked back at him. Stella had made it seem like my gifts were dangerous here; yet, both Beth and Drake knew about them.
“Why can I not feel you?” I asked.
He leaned in to me and kissed my lips, but I held mine firmly together. He then sighed and looked impatiently at me.
“You can feel me.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Some would be pleased to have a sense of the unknown in their lives,” he said, reaching down to kiss my neck. As his lips moved across my skin, I felt breathless; it was all I could do to stay focused. I gently pushed him away, then turned my back to him and stared back at the painting.
Drake fell silent, and I looked back to see him sleeping. I shook my head; it was if he was guarding me. My thoughts took to coming up with ways to get him away from Stella; I was sure Marc would return soon. The dark sky began to grow lighter, and I could hear thunder in the distance. The wind was crashing against the windows, and it woke Stella with a start. She came into the front room to find me sitting in Drake’s sleeping lap. The respect and fear she had for him was gone; she was now furious when she looked at him – and the emotion was not appealing coming from someone so beautiful. She shook her head in disapproval and returned to our room. I wondered what Marc had said to her last night. I could feel that she still loved me, but not the way she loved Evelyn. It was more than sisterhood now. I could hear water running and assumed she was bathing and dressing for the day.
Beth slowly opened the door. When she saw Drake sleeping, I felt her relief. She walked over to me and handed me the three pain pills. When I reached for the last one, I pushed against Drake on purpose to wake him. I wanted him to see me take my medicine. His grip on me tightened as he got his bearings. When he saw what I was doing, he sighed and wiped the sleep out of his eyes.
“At least you’re being more agreeable now,” he said under his breath.
Beth found his words humorous and felt reassured that I’d honored her promise not to take those pills. As she took a seat next to us, Drake moved me, allowing himself to stand and stretch. I felt Stella walking closer. When she came into the room and saw Beth, she smiled a shy smile and bowed her head. The exchange did not go unnoticed by Drake, and his eyes raced back in forth between the two of them, then back to me. I smiled back at him and reached my arms for him to sit back down - but his eyebrows creased with a tinge of anger.
“I’m going to change. I’ll be back soon,” he said shortly, then walked out of the room. Beth shook her head; I knew she loved him immensely and felt responsible for something that had happened in his life.
“How many hours has it been?” I asked in a hushed voice.
Beth looked down, trying to hide her fear. “Almost fourteen,” she said shortly.
“Will you help her if -” I couldn’t finish. Beth nodded, and I felt Stella’s fear rise.
The woman from yesterday came in the room with a tray of food and sat it on the table between me and Beth.
“Do you have my assignment?” Stella asked the woman.
“There isn’t one,” she answered, her fear and confusion apparent on her face.
Stella sighed deeply and leaned against the wall. The woman bowed her head to Beth, then left.
I pushed the tray in Stella’s direction. “Eat,” I said. Stella walked over and took a piece of bread. “You’re going to have to eat more than that,” I said quietly.
Stella shook her head no. She was missing Marc immensely.
The storm that had been approaching all morning had made its way to the estate, and the howling wind was terrifying. Each time the thunder clapped, we all jumped. Drake walked back into the room; he had changed into another black suit, and his hair was wet from where he’d bathed. He looked past Beth and Stella at me, then made his way back to my chair, moving me so he could sit by me.
“Did she eat?” he asked his mother.
Beth nodded. “Not much,” she said quietly
“I think you need your rest; you’ve been up all night,” he said quietly to me.
A large clap of thunder made itself known. I shook my head, smiling; someone would have to be dead to sleep through this storm. He rolled his eyes and reached for a piece of fruit on the tray. Suddenly, Alamos and three other men in hoods walked in the room, and Drake’s body tensed when he saw them.
Alamos cleared his throat. “It appears we have an unexpected guest, sir,” he said in an angry tone.
I felt Beth and Stella’s fear rise. Drake nodded his head, then two of the men walked over to Stella and grabbed her by the arm, leading her out of the room. Drake moved me and stood.
“What are you doing?” I said harshly.
Drake tensed, then turned and looked at me. “I’m only taking a precaution here.”
“What?” I said, trying to stand.
Drake sighed deeply and followed the men out of the room, not looking back at me. I could feel Stella’s horror. I tried to stand, but the anger had taken strength from me. I looked at Beth; she nodded, then followed. She had every intent of helping Stella.
I sat frozen, imagining Marc and the others fighting those men; I took a deep breath and pulled myself up, stumbling as I walked. I could feel Stella; I was going to find her and spend my last moments defending her. I walked down the hallway with my eyes closed, squinting for strength and following only her emotion. Beyond Beth, I could feel another person with her;, they were angry, but it wasn’t Marc or the others...this was someone else. I turned down a hallway, and at the end two tall doors were opened. I was sure Stella was there. I could hear people arguing; in loud, angry voice, Drake was telling someone that they’d been misinformed.
I took the last steps to the open doorway and let the doorframe hold me up. Inside the room, Stella was lying on a table with her eyes closed. Two men stood over her. Another man was lying on the floor; he looked like he was dead. Beth was crying in the corner, and Drake was arguing with the woman I searched for, Perodine, with Alamos at his side. His eyes found mine, and I didn’t need to feel him to know that he was furious with me. Perodine’s eyes followed his and found me. She loved me; I was sure of it. The anger she had for Drake and Alamos intensified.
“Are you insane?” she screamed at Drake. “She has to love you. This will kill her.”
“She does love me,” Drake said, stepping to me.
Perodine waved her hand, and a clear veil fell over me, making it impossible for him to reach me.
“You fool – she has minutes left,” Perodine said harshly.
She then stepped inside my shield with me, pulling my weight to her.
I looked up at her. “Stella...get Stella...it’s too late for me.”
Perodine shook her head in disbelief. “You really don’t know who you are, do you?” she asked. astonished.
I shook my head no. “Take Stella...someone is coming to save her,” I whispered.
She waved her hand, and I gasped as I saw Stella’s body floating across the room in our direction. Her eyes never opened; she just lay flat against thin air.
Perodine led me down the hallway, back in the direction of my room. I kept my eyes glued to Stella, sure that she was going to fall, thinking that I was hallucinating. Perodine waved her hands behind us every few feet, and I looked back to see what looked like walls of water blocking anyone from following us. In the distance, I could feel Marc and the others. Stepping closer, I felt something more than them; it was a warm relief, like I’d found my home, my peace. I was grateful that death felt so inviting. As soon as I saw Marc take Stella, I was going to close my eyes and let my soul rise to another place, a place where you’d feel no pain or fear - only love.
We turned down the hallway that led to my room, and I saw Marc, Jason, and Ashten rushing toward us; their relief and fear was filling the hallway. I stopped and stared: leading them was a tall, breathtaking man; his eyes were so b
lue, they took a breath. I felt a remarkable veil of love come over me. My eyes searched his; they weren’t the same ones that I’d seen before - yet they were so close, it hurt my heart.
Perodine pushed Stella’s body to Marc, and he reached for her. Once she was in his arms, he turned and ran the other way. The blue-eyed man stepped cautiously to me, and I searched deep in his eyes, knowing he was the one that had placed the veil over me.
“Willow,” I heard in my head, causing me to gasp.
Flashes of another life came across my face: it was me and him, together, in love...Willow, could that really be me? How?
“Can you say my name? Can you say ‘Landen?’”
I gasped again. Jason stepped forward. “You only have four minutes left,” he said to us.
Landen...that’s not Landen...I know Landen. I looked up at him. “You’re not him,” I said, confused.
He stepped forward and reached one of his arms around me, then cradled my face with the other - looking deep inside me. He then leaned forward and kissed me softly.
“I’m in here, Willow...I need you to remember. It’s time to leave; she’s gone.”
My lungs filled with air as my life came back to me. I remembered everything: who I was, who he was, how much I loved him. I reached my arms around him, kissing him as if it were the air that I needed. I felt the weight of my body fall, and the heat of his body left. I opened my eyes to see Evelyn’s body fall to the ground. Brady’s body fell back, and Ashten and Jason quickly caught him before he reached the ground. I looked up at Landen to see him smiling; the love felt so amazing. Landen looked to see Brady standing, and he reached his arms out and pushed them, telling them to leave. I looked to where Perodine was standing; she was staring at me, and she smiled. “Wake now, child,” she said proudly.
I felt a burst of energy surfacing in my bed, in Chara. I never felt so alive in my entire life. Landen leapt across our bed, pulling me up. I could feel Rose, my mother, and August in the room. Landen waved them all away. I heard the door close and felt them flowing down the stairs; their joy and relief made its way to me. I cried as Landen kissed me more fiercely than he ever had before. I was such a fool; how could I have ever forgotten something so beautiful?
“I’m sorry...,” I thought. He pulled away, staring into my eyes. I took in the beauty of the blue, knowing they were my strength forever more.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said softly.
“I was cruel to you...I’ve been with him,” I cried.
“You couldn’t remember who you were, Willow...your heart never left me - I’m sure of it.”
I wrapped my arms around him, taking full advantage of my newfound strength; I only wanted to crawl inside of him somewhere, to be one the way we were meant to be. “I love you, Landen...I love you so much, it hurts.”
Landen reached his fingertips to my eyes and gently closed them. I knew he wanted me to rise with him, and I gave in to his silent request. Immediately, it calmed my mind, and within that second I was standing at the foot of my bed with Landen at my side. I didn’t step slowly into his energy; I threw myself inside of him. The rush came through us, and it was more powerful than it had ever been before.
Chapter Sixteen
I didn’t know how many hours had passed before we reluctantly brought ourselves back. I reached over and lay on Landen’s chest, never wanting to leave this room; he held me tight.
“How did you get Perodine to help you?” I asked, replaying the ignorance in which I’d lived over in my mind.
Landen shifted his body so he could look into my eyes. “We tried everything. Every time I tried to dream, I was taken to a different part of that dimension - never the same one. If I went into the string, it hurt you; your father all but tied me to you. Everyone who was capable of traveling flooded Esterious with the sketch you’d made. Preston came over here yesterday. Brady was here, checking to see if you’d come back. Preston told us that we needed Perodine, and Brady ran toward the string before I could say anything. He found Perodine using the passage that we’d made near the waterfall, and he was bringing her here when he passed Jason, Marc, and Dad. They brought her here, Brady told me to step into him, then we took off.”
“Perodine was here?” I questioned.
Landen smiled. “Willow, she’s so proud of you. Even though it was near dusk, she could see the beauty here.”
“I don’t understand how Drake found me...my star was here?” I said, looking down at my Ankh.
“Willow, when I said everyone who could travel went into that dimension, I mean over half of this dimension went. They all had a sketch of Stella; it wouldn’t have been hard for him to figure out that something was wrong.”
“Is it over now?” I asked, wanting Mercury to be behind us.
“We still have two days left – if the orbit signifies the end of the trail,” Landen said with a sigh.
I sat up slowly, pulled my knees to me, and tried to imagine how much harder it could get in the next forty-eight hours. Landen sat up, concerned by my changing emotions. I turned and slowly looked at him through liquid panes of tears.
“I have to tell you something,” I whispered.
Landen’s perfect blue eyes searched my face, afraid of what I might say. “I’ve been keeping something from you,” I said, looking away. He moved in front of me so I’d have to look him in the eye.
“Olivia and Clarissa found a picture of me and Drake in the remains of my old house, and Aora told me I had past lives with Drake,” I said in a tearful voice, afraid, so afraid he was going to be angry with me.
Landen pulled me to him and held me a close as he could, then rocked me back and forth; I felt him sending an immense amount of love through me.
“You’re not mad?” I asked, regaining my composure.
“I already knew,” he said, leaning back to look me in the eyes.
“How?”
“Willow, our souls are one; there’s nothing that we could keep from one another. I knew the moment your eyes landed on that photo...I don’t care. We can’t change what once was; we only have now.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you knew?” I asked, feeling the relief.
“If it ever divided us, I would have. I knew you needed time to take it all in.”
I looked deep in his eyes, and guilt hit me like a ton of bricks. I had all but seduced Drake to keep myself and Stella alive, and now I’d rather die than tell Landen that I had.
“I don’t care, Willow. I don’t care what happened. You never left me; your guilt is uncalled for,” Landen whispered.
“You’re being too nice. I’d kill you if you did what I did - and I wouldn’t care who you were trying to protect,” I said, turning to look away from him.
Landen put his hands on either side of my face and kissed me softly. As he pulled away, he smiled, and his hands fell to my shoulders and down my arms. “These lips...these arms...they never left this room. You didn’t do anything but stay alive.”
As I let myself fall into his eyes, he hesitated for a moment, then said, “Perodine told me about Drake’s touch.” His eyebrows furrowed as he searched carefully over my face. “At first I was jealous, then I was thankful. I hoped that he was man enough to take your pain away until I found you.”
I pulled him close to me, kissing him and taking in his peace; there was nothing left to divide us. The peace in our room seemed to intensify, and we felt people, a lot of people. Landen looked to the doorway that led to the balcony; it was daylight here now. I nudged toward the bathroom.
Landen looked back at me and smiled. “I think we have company,” he said, nodding toward the bathroom, I went quickly, knowing my body had not left this room in days. I showered hastily. Landen opened the bathroom door, and I saw that he had changed; he was now dressed in his travel clothes.
“You’re not going to believe this,” he said with a sense of admiration.
He took my hand and pulled me through the bedroom to the doors th
at led to our balcony, then looked back at me and smiled before he opened them. The sun beamed across my face, and I closed my eyes for a second, taking in its warmth; a flood of peace came over me.
“Look, Willow,” Landen thought.
I opened my eyes and stepped onto the porch with Landen. Surrounding our house was a mass of people; their Auras seemed to combine into an elaborate sea of colors, as beautiful as the heavens that we’d see when we meditated. The significance of that realization settled in my soul, reminding me that we’re all connected and truly never alone.
Applause erupted as we stepped out side-by-side, and a smile spread across my face as I felt their peaceful energy flow through me. Landen pulled me close to him and kissed me for all of them to see, and the applause intensified, the energy they put off rushing through us.
Landen walked to the edge of the balcony with his arm around me. My eyes searched below, looking for our family; I could feel them...they were here somewhere. We waited patiently for the crowd to grow calm. Minutes later, when the applause lessened, Landen tried to speak over the crowd.
“I cannot thank all of you enough. You left your families and hindered your desire to search for the one that completes you - to help me find my soul.”
The crowd cheered again, and Landen smiled at me as he waited for them to settle again. “Willow is home, and she’s stronger now than she ever was. I want to tell you that it’s over for now, but our true challenge has yet to come. There are billions of people in Esterious that have never felt the peace we bask in every day, and Willow and I have chosen to help them remember the love their soul was made with. I won’t ask any of you to fight our battles, but if any one of you feels called to help, we’ll teach you everything we know and proudly stand at your side,” he said charismatically to the crowd. They cheered abundantly in response.
August came up behind us, and the applause grew louder. He hugged me tightly and smiled up at Landen.
“I’ll divide them into smaller groups and send them into town so the others can begin to teach them. Your help is needed downstairs,” he said to us.