“Show me,” he demanded quietly.
I held his stare and let it all flow - every single second of that night. I watched as rage filled his eyes and he slowly sat up.
“Please don’t be mad at me…I thought they were gonna hurt you,” I whispered.
He looked back at me, and I could see his heart breaking. “Do you not think I love you enough?”
Tears came to the corners of my eyes as I pulled myself up. “I know that you do…and I knew I couldn’t let them take you – I couldn’t watch you hold someone else.”
“If you know how much I love you – then you know that it wouldn’t matter how seductive anyone was – no one can take your place.”
“I’m sure that woman I saw in library said the same thing…I’m sure that he said something close to what you’re saying now to her – this is a demon…there’s no way for you to know you wouldn’t have been tempted.”
“That hurts, Charlie…I feel like you think our love has a price.”
“No,” I said, reaching for him. “I’d rather die than live one breath without you.”
“Because of them, we lived several years without each other….do you have any idea how hard it was to look at you and know that I wasn’t even a memory?”
“You were always in my heart…,” I promised as I tried to get him to look at me. He wouldn’t; he just stared across the room.
“You’ve never been able to see that you’re the one that’s gifted – that you’re the one that the dead obey…tell me that after all of this, you finally see that – that you know that it’s not me that’s the target – that I’m not the one they need to stop…it’s you.”
“I see that,” I whispered. “But it’s not just me – it’s all of us.”
He looked into my eyes. “No more secrets…promise me that…I can’t lose you.”
“I promise,” I said as tears glassed over my eyes.
He leaned forward and gently kissed my lips. I felt my heart race and my skin blush with anticipation as his arms gently wrapped around me. As he laid me down, I squinted in pain; I was prepared to ignore it just so I could feel his touch, but he wasn’t prepared to watch me try. He slowly pulled away and stared into my eyes.
He smiled slightly. “I guess the best thing about all of this…was falling deeper in love with you. I feel like it taught me to never take you for granted – it showed me that what we have between us is divine – sacred, and it can never be divided…at least not for long.”
I smiled as I gazed into his emerald green eyes. “I love you,” I whispered.
A blushing smile beamed across his face.
“What?” I asked, blushing at his response.
“You haven’t told me that since you lost your memory…I missed hearing it.”
My eyes searched across his captivating image. He was right – I had told everyone but him that I loved him; I felt so guilty for that.
“Tell me you at least felt it,” I asked as sorrow filled my eyes.
He gently reached his hand to caress my face. “I felt it the moment you saw me in that restaurant – I felt you wanting me to come over to the table and say something to you.”
“Why didn’t you?” I asked, thinking this could have been so much easier if I knew from the beginning.
“Not driving to that ER – not watching you walk the line at your graduation was the hardest thing I’ve ever done…but I had to let you come back. I was terrified that if I showed up and demanded that you remember me, our life together would stay lost in your memories…I had to wait for you to find your way…but I was always there….right there, listening for you to ask me to be with you – for you to let me in.”
“You’re stronger than me – if this was reversed, I wouldn’t have been able to wait.”
“You never know how strong you are until you have no other choice,” he said just before he stole a gentle kiss. “I want to run away with you…I think we need to go with Austin.”
My eyes raced across his face. “Are you scared of that dream Madison had? That dark place… that fight she saw?”
He furrowed his eyebrows as if he were trying to remember what I was talking about.
“She said Aden saw it…that he told you and you wanted to run even more now.”
A look of understanding came over his face as he remembered what I was talking about. “I don’t know that her dream would make we wanna go anymore than I already do…honestly, I’m a little worried that we’ll come across one of them if we travel with Austin…we’ll just have to keep her safe.”
“We’ve already met one,” I said in a confused tone, wondering once again if he saw Bianca or Britain tonight.
“We have?” he asked as anger came over his expression.
“Tell me who you fought tonight – what did they look like?”
He hesitated as a pain came to his eyes, then whispered, “See me, Charlie,” as he stared into my eyes.
Our nightmare played before me again, only this time through his eyes. I saw him race toward me – I saw a dark image before him…it was mocking him in every way, showing Draven images of me with another faceless person….me seductively loving this person. I recognized the body - it was Britain. The dark image never formed into Britain or Bianca…it was just a dark void of existence – a demon like no other.
I shook my head from side to side as a sick feeling came over me. “That’s not true! That’s not true!” I pulled myself up as tears washed down my face. “I swear, it’s not true – oh my God, I’m gonna be sick!”
Draven pulled me to him and rocked me back and forth. “I know, I know,” he whispered as he kissed my hair, then my cheek, then my lips. I kissed him back as passionately as I could, climbing into his lap...I wanted to take those images away...I wanted to show him that he was the only one that ever has or would love me like that. He laid me down gently and, against my will, pulled away from my kiss.
“Easy,” he whispered as he caressed the side of my face. “I don’t wanna hurt you.”
I shook my head. “That was so cruel – how did they do that?”
“Who?”
“Bianca – Britain – they’re the ones you were fighting - the ones I’ve been fighting. Britain was one of the ones in Madison’s dream – how could you not see that?!”
“Shh,” he whispered to calm me as he caressed my cheek. “I know this is a demon like no other we’ve faced simply because instead of seeing his worst memories or fears – I saw mine.”
“Don’t fear that,” I whispered.
“I knew it wasn’t real, then and now.” he promised
“I saw them both…I thought she would seduce you…then I thought Britain would hurt you.”
I could see rage in his eyes, but it wasn’t for me; it was for the demon we were fighting. “We’ll beat this….let me take you away…I won’t let either of those boys near Madison, neither will Aden… we have to keep us safe and together.”
I looked away from his eyes and let out a breath. “Before we go…we’re gonna have to figure out how to control the darkness.”
“We’re running from it – why would we need to control it?” he asked, sitting up, prepared to argue with me.
I pulled myself up and caught his intense stare. “I think…I think that we’ve been seeing this all wrong…at least I have.”
He tilted his head and waited for my reasons.
“I always thought you helped the living and I helped the dead….that you could change emotions in the living…and I could help the dead remember a time when they felt the beautiful emotions of life.”
I squinted as I shifted my weight. “But I was wrong, though. I know you have the power to change emotion at a distance…but I don’t think that’s your role. Aden was right…we have a love for music, so we have a way to channel the emotions we see and feel in the dead.” I looked at him. “Our role is to help the dead…someone else has been charged with the destiny to change emotions in the living.”
“We can do both,” he said quietly.
I knew why he said that…we’d thought that if we didn’t help the living, the sea of dead we helped would be endless…we’ve always tried to divide and conquer.
“We need to focus on the dead – I bet we could write a song powerful enough to help the hundreds that seem to invade us at once.”
“A concert for the dead?” he said as he raised his eyebrows. I could tell he was deeply considering my words by the excitement I saw in his calm eyes.
I nodded. “I commanded them to save you tonight – before that, I promised countless others that I’d help them if they cleared a path for me. We’re only part of this solution…somewhere, there are people that can save the living….we need to let them to do their part…and we’ll do ours.”
“Well…we know it’s not Aden and Madison…maybe it’s someone my dad has found.”
I moved my head from side to side. “I don’t think they’ve begun yet.”
“Why?” he asked, looking all around me to see if I knew more than I was saying. I looked into his eyes and purposely made sure my shield was down - the glass between us was gone – and he could see me clearly.
“I just don’t feel it – I can only hope by the time we understand how to control this darkness, they will have figured out how to help the living…and somewhere in time, we’ll meet in the middle – and save every soul that’s damned.”
“OK,” he said, pulling me closer. “We’ll tell Austin to give us a few months – we’ll work on a song or some kind of music to help more than a few at a time. When we think we have this, we’ll go with him.”
“Are you scared of what lies on the other side of that string?” I asked as I remembered the white glow and the wave of energy inside of it.
“No…everything I see around Austin is breathtaking….he is a gift…sometimes I think he was led to us by our parents – I mean, what are the chances of him finding us?”
I raised my eyebrows, seeing how true his words were. “That’s another reason why I don’t wanna go – my father hasn’t told me to go yet.”
“He told you to run,” Draven said quietly, and I knew then that deep inside he didn’t want to wait any longer; he was only going to because I asked him to.
“He told me to run from that moment,” I said, looking all around the room. “Trust me – if he wanted us to run now, he wouldn’t be this quiet.”
He looked down. “You’re right…I guess I’m just anxious.”
I reached for his perfect face and turned it to me. “Don’t be…we have the rest of our lives to be together…this is the beginning of our freedom.”
He smiled a little, then leaned in to kiss me. As he pulled me closer, I flinched as I felt the pain in my side.
He pulled away. “I’m gonna get you some medicine – I can’t stand knowing you’re in pain.”
I nodded, then laid down and watched him leave. I let out a deep breath as I felt relief come over me – Charlie was back, and my mind was crystal clear – not only could I see – I could see further than ever before. I let my mind open up to the possibilities that I was part of something bigger than I could ever imagine – and that felt amazing.
The sound of a vibration pulled me from my thoughts. I sat up slowly and looked to the dresser to see the light of my phone illuminated. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering how it could have possibly survived the creek. I edged to the side of the bed and walked slowly to the dresser.
I could see Britain’s name before I ever reached the phone. My trembling hands picked it up and slid the bar so I could read the text that just arrived. “You’re in danger – I couldn’t stop her.” The text was from hours ago – the moment after I hung up on him….he knew…he knew she was coming for me…does that mean he’s innocent?
I dropped the phone and tried to breathe, but my pounding heart wouldn’t allow it. I wanted to call him and ask him what she wanted with me – us, but I couldn’t find the courage – the courage to make this all real….I’d rather him be some mystery I had to figure out….not someone I needed to help me.
At that moment, Draven came in the room with a bottle of water and two pills. He sat them on the dresser and questioned me with his eyes. I looked at him and let him see what had terrified me so badly. Rage filled his eyes as he rushed to my side, leaned down, then grabbed the phone and read it with his own eyes. He threw it across the room and pulled me to him.
“Let me take you away,” he pleaded.
“She can’t hurt me – not with you at my side. I’m not running,” I said in the most confident tone I could mange.
He didn’t argue with me – he just pulled me against him and held me as tight as he could.
“Come…,” I said, pulling away. “Let’s go play…we have a song to write.”
“You need to rest,” he said, letting his lips rest on my forehead.
“I’ve been asleep too long – I want to fight…and this is the only way I know how.”
I reached for the pills and water, then opened the door; I looked over my shoulder to make sure he was following me.
As I walked down the hallway, I knocked on the door I was sure was Aden’s. I’d already passed it when he opened it.
“Where’s Madison?” I heard Draven ask.
“Downstairs,” Aden said.
“Go get her…we’re writing,” Draven said he as caught up to me.
He put his arm around me and led me to the stone steps that went to the studio.
“Stay right here,” he said before I reached the top.
I looked at him curiously as he passed me. Aden came to the steps and asked, “Are you OK?”
“Yeah..I just need to hear music – make something strong.”
Draven came to the top steps and held out his hand for me to come. When I stepped into the room, I realized he’d simply closed the window off – he’d put us in our own world. A smile came across my face as he helped me to the couch.
Aden went to his drums, and Draven selected a guitar from the stand beneath the window. Madison came in at that moment, looking around the room curiously.
“Have a seat,” I said, nodding to the chair.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” she asked as she crossed the room.
“Who has time to sleep? You can help put lyrics to what we write – I don’t want you to go far.”
A grin spread across her face as she relaxed into the chair. Draven came to my side and held his arm out so I could move closer to him. He placed the guitar across us. I let my fingers grasp the neck.
“What sound are we looking for?” Aden asked as he twirled his sticks.
I leaned up and stole a kiss from Draven, then looked down at the guitar across us and played the most powerful note I could create. As the sound faded, I looked across the room at each of them.
“Something completely wicked – a song that holds every emotion – but its foundation is the most powerful one.”
A grin spread across Aden’s face, highlighting his adorable dimples. He began to hash out a rhythm, and Madison rocked to the sound.
Draven leaned into me and whispered, “I love you.”
I stared back at him with weary eyes and mouthed the words I love you.
Madison and Aden just grinned at us.
Draven took control of the guitar and began to play a tune so powerful, I could feel it in my core. I knew I was safe right now…I just didn’t know for how long.
Acknowledgements....
I am still eternally grateful for every soul that encouraged me to write/publish my debut novel Insight....thank you once again.
I also want to thank my husband, Lem, for listening to my random thoughts and ideas as each of these stories came to life, he is not only the love of my life but the man who keeps me sane on this insane adventure. I want to thank my children who inspire me to become more than I am today with a simple glance, and the echo of laughter and joy that surrounds me constantly.
Chancey Pi
ckard and Amanda Lambert have been at my side since the beginning and have read draft after draft of both my series. They were the ones that sat me down after the first draft of SEE and echoed the words of my favorite quote ‘to thine own self be true’ they helped me see how the Insight author I am needed to be embraced within in this new series, and without doubt they never let me give up on any of my random ideas.
I want to thank Cynthia Garcia for being a constant source of encouragement, for the detailed eye that helped shape the final drafts, and for being a fantastic writing ally. One of the greatest gifts of writing was that it lead to our friendship!
Music is the back bone to this story, though I have never played a single instrument in my life I was able to give that gift to Charlie and Draven with the knowledge of John Reaves, I doubt I barely grazed the passion this musician has for this mesmerizing field, but I know every callous, cord, string, and amp was carefully brought to life in my imagination by John and his band Bradbury.
I want to thank Jan Galloway for being a fantastic friend, and for being the first Beta, for her valuable input and edits, your blunt humor pushes me to become more than I am today! I adore each insight you give me.
Christi Alley, Celina Ortiz, and Jennifer Helmerick, Samantha McGarth for being the best Betas an author could ask for....you inspire me more than I could ever clearly express.
Marek Purzycki has got to be the most patient, talented graphic artist I have every met, thank you for giving my series a face, and for not throwing in the towel when I asked you to change little details a thousand times
These acknowledgements would not be complete without thanking every musician in every genre....you truly can change emotions at a distance, which gives you the power to change the world. The playlist with this series only carries a fraction of the artist I have come to admire even more so through the eyes of Charlie Myers and Draven Michaels.