When I followed Landen inside I did sense my dad approaching. Landen reached for the door just as my father knocked. Landen then pulled the door wide open, and my father was standing there with a bright smile on his face.
“Morning, Jason,” Landen said, extending his arm as an invitation.
“I was just coming to see how the two of you were fee-” my father stopped in mid-sentence. He was staring at Landen’s arm, then his eyes quickly looked over Landen’s entire body, then over mine.
“Come in, Jason,” Landen said again.
Landen led my father into the living room, which was beside the front door. My father quickly looked us over again while reaching for Landen’s arm and inspecting it closer.
“How did you heal so fast?” Dad asked.
“I don’t know. It was gone this morning,” Landen took a seat on the large tan couch in the center of the room.
My father walked over to one of the matching chairs that faced the couch and sat down, still completely astonished. “Both of you are healed. Last night I could see damage, painful—slow healing damage. I’ve been up all night trying to figure out how it was possible.”
“Have you seen my dad and Livingston today?” Landen asked, trying to change the subject.
“Livingston went to Esterious to see if he could find a way to the girls, and Ashten is helping Aubrey get ready for tonight.”
“Is Mom okay?” I asked.
“She’s fine. Trying to stay busy and positive. She’s worried about your friends.” Dad gave me the same gravity filled stare he aways did when he need me to pull my shoulders back and weather through something. “It was an accident. Josh and Chase said that a storm came quick. Olivia and Monica were knocked out of the boat. They said that Olivia would’ve drowned if Drake hadn’t pulled her out of the water.”
“What are you going to tell Sharon?” I asked.
“Sharon knows there was an accident. The Coast Guard told her that Monica was on a boat with Chase and Josh and that they couldn’t find her. Right now, she wants to believe that Monica is just missing. She’ll say goodbye when she’s ready.”
“Where do they think Olivia, Hannah, and Jessica are?”
“They don’t know. I altered a manifest for a cruise ship that showed the three of them docking in the Florida Keys. It was all I could think to do at that moment. That’ll buy us some time to get them home safely, though”
“I thought you said Chase and Josh saw Drake take the girls. Wouldn’t they have told everyone? Did they see the string?”
“There is an herb that grows in Chara. It erases recent memory. I gave them the herb to help them with their misery. Both of them blamed themselves for not reaching Monica.” I could feel grief from my dad. “Now, the last memory they have is of arriving in Florida. The doctors will assume that their memory loss is due to shock.”
“We have to go and get them,” I said, standing.
“Willow,” Landen said. “They aren’t in danger now.”
“Landen’s right,” Dad said. “Drake wants you, and he knows that if he hurts them you’ll never come to him.”
“Why does he want me?” I demanded.
The color left my dad’s face. He glanced to Landen, then to me. He stood. “I’m hoping that one of the girls will appear as an image to you,” he said deciding he didn’t have an answer he wanted to give me about Drake.
“Now he’s being silent,” I thought.
“Will you show Brady and Marc how you travel? If they appear as an image, it would be good to have them at our side,” Landen thought.
“I’ll show whoever you want me to. I just want them back,” I thought, still staring at my father as feelings of betrayal welled inside me.
“We’re going to teach Brady and the others how Willow travels so that when the time comes, we’ll be able to get them all back safely,” Landen said to my father.
My father turned quickly. “That’s a good idea, but do you think it’s safe for the two of you to leave Chara?”
“We’ll stay close,” Landen promised.
“Just make sure the two of you stay close to each other…I still don’t understand what happened to your bodies yesterday.”
Landen nodded. My father then looked at me, leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Be safe. I’ll see you tonight,” he said quietly as he turned to leave.
I sat patiently on the couch as Landen called his brother and Marc to come over, but my stomach was tied in knots. I needed a pause button. Something to slow my life down, there was too much right and wrong side by side. Too much supernatural.
While we waited on the front porch for everyone to arrive, I stared out into the field, taking in the pure beauty of Chara.
Brady was the first one to make it to the house. He stepped out of a large white Jeep that had gray glass panels running across the hood and doors. I noticed he was dressed almost completely in black. As he walked toward us, I couldn’t help but ask.
“What is it with all the black? Do I need to change?” I asked, looking down at my white shorts and purple top.
Landen smiled at my new observation. “No, I’ll keep you close. It’s just easier to see each other in the string if your wear black. If you get more than ten feet apart, you seem to fade.”
Brady and Landen were now standing side by side, and their resemblance to one another was more than apparent. It wouldn’t be difficult for a stranger to mistake one for the other.
“How’s your—” Brady started to say as he looked at Landen’s arm.
“I don’t know,” Landen answered before Brady could ask.
Brady dropped the subject. The respect in the vibe between them told me these two had a tight bond. No explanation was needed. They’d been through too much, seen too much to not know how to ride the wave of unknown.
Another Jeep pulled up. It was dark gray. I could see the same panels that were on Brady’s Jeep. I studied the panels on both vehicles, trying to understand how they were powering the Jeeps. Landen grinned as he watched my eyes take in all the details.
“I keep forgetting that this is all new to you. It’s like you’ve always been here with me.”
I grinned. “I have been. I just never paid much attention to the scenery around us.”
“You two are talking, aren’t you?” asked Brady. “Now that’s weird. I don’t know if I’d want Felicity in my head…I mean she is the one, but this is just—just something else.”
Landen smirked. “Its awesome.”
There were two people in the Jeep. I recognized Marc; he was the one driving. The other guy was tall and had a lean build like the others, but with a baby face. His hair was a dirty blond and very curly, and he had a playful emotion wrapped in anticipation. “That’s Chrispin. He’s Marc’s baby brother,” Landen answered my question before I could even ask it.
“I have to say, you two look a lot better today. You had me worried, little one,” Marc said to me as he reached the porch and hugged me.
“Can I see your arm?” Chrispin asked as he got closer.
Landen looked at Marc, then down to his arm. I felt the shock come from Marc, but Landen just shrugged his shoulders. Marc then looked back at Chrispin and shook his head, letting him know to drop the subject. I felt the confusion coming from Chrispin as he looked nervously back and forth between Landen and me.
I followed Landen’s lead, and we walked off the porch to the fields that surrounded the house. Along the way, we passed a large windmill about a mile away from our house. “We’re going to take a shortcut to another dimension, Olence. It has towns like yours.”
“I’m worried my insight won’t work outside of Infante,” I thought.
“I know it will. When we were in the string yesterday, I could see your paths everywhere. You’ve gone farther than your father thought.”
“Did that upset him?”
“I don’t think he saw them. It seems that they’re only really clear to you and me.” I looked at him with an astonished expr
ession on my face. “I know, weird.”
Just before we reached the windmill, I could see the string come into view. Brady stepped in first, but Landen held me back; he was waiting for something. Brady then reached his arm out and waved us in. The string was calm. The hum was a low murmur, and you could barely feel the current.
“Are there any storms close?” I thought nervously, remembering how painful the last one had been.
“Storms never occur close to Chara,” Landen promised. “We don’t encounter them until we pass Esterious.”
I smiled faintly and took his hand for my own personal comfort. I began to take in the beauty of the string.
“So what do you think about Dane being able to see in here?” Brady asked Landen.
Landen raised his brow, and pressed his lips together. I could feel a tinge of jealousy coming from him. “I knew there was something else I wanted to ask you about.”
“Dane is the brother I never had,” I explained.
I watched as a grin came across Landen’s face. He then wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. “I know. He told me about that night at the lake. I’ve already thanked him for keeping you safe when I couldn’t.”
We came to the passage that they’d chosen. It was a light blue haze. I was the last to step through. I didn’t know what to expect, having no idea what this world would be like. The passage was behind a large building, next to a generator.
We walked around the front to the streets, and much to my surprise, it looked the same as my world did. We were in a small town, the buildings were all made of brick, and the roads were made of what looked liked pea gravel. The people seemed ordinary enough, and the clothes even seemed to be the same as they were in my hometown. I reached out with my sense of emotion to see if this place were truly as safe as I thought it was, and I could feel that the mood was ordinary—the common stress, pride, and energy that I would have felt at home.
I did find it odd, though, that I didn’t see any children anywhere. There wasn’t a stroller in sight. I didn’t even see a dog on a leash. I noticed a few admiring feelings aimed at my escorts, and it was easy to see that they all went unnoticed by them.
“Where are the children?” I asked.
“Here, the children are the most precious assets. They keep them safely at home until they’re young adults, for fear that if they mingle with any adult beyond their family, their ambition will be altered.”
Chrispin began to grill Marc and Brady about the dimensions he’d recently traveled. He was so ambitious and young at heart. The guys were telling Chrispin tall tales about giants and flying dragons, and at one point they had him convinced that trolls taught in the schools in my world.
As we passed a street crossing, something caught my eye. I hesitated, and Landen stopped with me, but the others didn’t notice and kept their stroll.
“What is it? Do you see something?”
“You said no children, right?”
“Right.”
“Do you see that woman with the crying baby?”
“No.”
Landen called out to the others. They were confused. Maybe they were waiting for something more dramatic, or perhaps they thought they’d be able to see my images.
We turned down the alleyway and followed the woman. I was grateful that I’d found someone off the beaten path. I could imagine that someone might notice five people disappearing into thin air. This was a young girl. I could see that this was her first child. The inexperience was in her eyes. She was dancing and singing above the crying. I could see that she needed strength and that the baby needed to be calmed down. I was starting to doubt that I’d be strong enough to help them both and carry us all through the string.
“Okay, we’re here. What’s your plan?”
“Look, I’m going to hold Willow, and you guys hold onto me,” Landen instructed.
“Wait. Are you sure about this? I don’t want them to get burned,” I thought in a nervous tone.
“I was only burned because Drake pulled me back through. I shifted out of the path you made. They’ll be fine. I promise.”
I tightened my jaw. I was even angrier with Drake now, and all I could think about was how I was going to make him pay for hurting the ones I loved.
Brady stepped forward quickly. I was sure that after my display yesterday, he was eager to see how I did this. As their anticipation rose, I could feel the excitement running through the guys. I felt the gentle pull of the string, and as I reached out, I could see a white light reach back toward me.
I reached forward and placed one hand on the baby’s back and one hand on its mother. I felt the hum pass through my body. They were so beautiful. I’d have to find the time to sketch these two. I let my mother’s energy and my father’s peace flow through my memory. I hesitated longer than I normally would. I watched as the baby succumbed to a peaceful sleep. His mother’s eyes sparkled. She looked refreshed and happy. I lingered, taking one last look at all the details, then I took in a deep breath, gathered my strength, and let go. I felt my body being pulled back, so I focused on the energy and stopped myself in the string.
Suddenly, a roar of laughter erupted from Landen, Brady, and Marc. Brady was laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes.
“Get him, Marc,” Landen said as he tried to calm himself. Marc stepped through the other side of the string and returned with a humiliated Chrispin. I felt so bad for him.
“Don’t let go until she stops,” Landen said as he tried to stop laughing.
“Sorry,” I said, apologizing for the others’ laughter.
His face was so red. “You guys can tease me all you want, but that was epic,” Chrispin said, grinning. The others nodded their heads in agreement.
“I’m glad I got you back when I did. The passage is already gone,” Marc said, slapping Chrispin on the back. I looked in front of and behind myself, and I could still see it just as clearly as I had before.
“I told you so, they can’t see it anymore,” Landen thought.
“Can they still pass through it?”
“I don’t know. We should try.”
“Hey, we’re going to try something. Line up behind Willow,” Landen instructed. The irony was unbelievable. They were nervous, but they were so macho on the outside. I walked back through my passage, and one by one we were all back in the alley.
“That has to give us an advantage,” Brady said.
They followed me back into the string again, and Landen led the way back to Chara. I noticed that Brady’s emotion had changed. He was nervous. The others must have sensed his mood change as well because Marc grinned at Brady and said, “Don’t worry, Brady. I’m sure Willow will learn to affect the emotions around her soon enough to help you if you really need it.”
I glanced up at Landen, questioning what I’d just heard.
“He’s nervous about being a dad. Can you blame him after seeing your image?”
“It’s not always like that.” I could remember what a happy baby Libby was.
“It’s not the crying. The two biggest challenges we face in our lives are finding the right person and being good parents. He was just as nervous when he went to find Felicity. I remember telling him it should be easy, that he already knew what she looked like. That was when I realized that by my seeing you I was different from the others. They only have a feeling to follow.”
I halted as my mind raced through my memory, touching on every image I’d ever helped.
“What is it, Willow?”
I smiled up at Landen. “I attract them.” Landen questioned me with his eyes, but I continued. “Listen, if I’m lonely, I find someone who’s lonely. If I feel lost, that’s who I find. The other day, we were talking about marriage, and I found someone who was about to propose. This morning, I was with Felicity and I could feel the baby’s emotion.”
“But, Sharon—Libby.”
“I think that was personal. Like you said, they’re connected
to me, so I have to be sensitive to their pain.”
Landen grinned, agreeing with me. “Well, we can take that off our list of unanswered questions,” he thought.
When we reached our dimension, it was almost sunset. Landen had told the others about the nightmares and our dreams, how they were more like out-of-body experiences. They seemed to take what we were saying well, but I could tell it bothered them the same way it bothered Landen that I’d been in Esterious so many times alone. That place must be wretched.
When our house came into view, I could see Felicity’s car. She was standing on the porch with her arms crossed, which reminded me that I hadn’t even tried on the dresses that she’d brought me.
“Looks like somebody’s in trouble,” Chrispin taunted.
When we got to the house, I could sense her. She wasn’t angry; she was excited. She wrapped her arms around Brady and said, “I heard that you’ve been playing with babies all afternoon.”
Shock came from everyone but Landen and me. We both knew Libby must have told her. I couldn’t wait to see her.
Felicity smiled at Brady, knowing that she’d bewildered them. “My new best friend, Libby, told me.”
“I wonder how she fits into all of this?” I asked Landen.
“She’s zoned into you, at least what happens to you.”
Felicity had Brady unload her car. She must have been expecting us to be late coming home because she’d brought clothes for the guys to change into. It was refreshing to see them in colors other than black; like changing out of a uniform, the seriousness left them for a moment as they prepared for the night.