He leaned his forehead against mine. “I’m going to get you to a safe place, all of you. No Escort would be brave enough to hunt you near them. There’s too many of them; they’re like archangels. Pure. Deadly.”
His words instantly brought Silas to mind.
“I have to figure out what Silas was supposed to say to them.”
Draven leaned back and fought with the anger in his eyes.
“Comfortable place, Draven. You saw what he said to me. You know he knows what to say to help them realize what they’re up against. What if I could have said something back there that would have ended this before it began?”
“Go say your goodbyes,” he said, leaning away from me.
I pulled him against my body and stared up at him. “What do I have to do to convince you that I love you, that I have no regrets? What do I have to do to take that anger out of your eyes?”
He leaned down and kissed me gently. “I love you,” he said as he pulled away.
Evan’s bedroom door opened at that moment. Aden had woken him, and he looked just as scared as we did. He let out a nervous sigh as he looked over me and Draven.
“I have to find Madison, make sure she’s OK,” I said, squeezing Draven’s sides then rushing to the stairs.
Grayson and Monroe were in the living room with Winston. They weren’t saying anything; they were just staring at each other. I yelled Madison’s name, but she didn’t answer. I ran to the kitchen and found the back door open. I picked my bag up off the floor and ran outside, yelling her name. When I reached the edge of the garage, I heard her crying. I hesitated, trying to figure out where she was. I walked slowly out of the garage and found her leaning against the house, covering her face. I turned her around and embraced her as tightly as I could. She squeezed me back. “I’m going to die,” she sobbed against my shoulder.
I pushed her back. “No. You’re not,” I said firmly as fear shot through me.
She wiped away her tears, and anger and determination filled her emerald green eyes. “Why were you blocking me?” she asked in a voice that was still laced in tears.
“I wasn’t.”
“Charlie, don’t play dumb with me. All of you just left me in the dark.”
“We didn’t. I swear, we didn’t. Madison, the door was wide open; you just couldn't see it.”
“That makes no sense,” she said, crossing her arms and looking away from me.
“What does make sense, Madison?!” I yelled. “After everything we’ve seen our whole lives, after today what makes you break is a few blind spots? You did see something.”
“No, I didn’t!” she yelled, looking at me again. “I saw another sketch come to life. I saw my nightmare come closer, and I don’t know why. I have no idea why I’m in the middle of this.”
Sympathy washed over my expression. “I don’t either, but I know one thing: this is more about you than me. Your dreams, you knew this was coming -- and God help me, Madison, I tried to get you to talk to me about it, about all of your dreams, but you wouldn't, and now we’re right in the middle of this. This darkness is trying to destroy us, and you’re going to let it.” She looked down as guilt came over her. “If you honestly think that you’re going to die, if you have any emotions for Britain, any at all, you stay right here. I’ll kill Bianca and end this. I promise.”
“Bianca isn’t the end, and you know that. Like I’m going to let you face her or leave here without me.”
“I don’t think you can handle it. I love you, but I really don’t; your own mind is blocking you.”
“But you don’t have to. Tell me what I can’t see.”
I swallowed as I tried to find the words, a way to tell her that that boy’s name was Drake and that he was very real, but the words wouldn't come. It was just like I’d felt upstairs: an invisible force was holding me in place, forcing me to watch this. I didn’t know if it was Monroe or something else, but I couldn't tell her.
“Whatever is blocking your mind is taking my words, it has been – but, Madison, you already know. You have a pretty good track record with dreams coming true. Think about that.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not going to be like you, Charlie, like Willow. I will not let my heart be my weakness. If I don’t seek a soul mate, then I won’t find one. Don’t mention my dreams again, not that one. Not him.”
I started to say something, but she held her hand up. “I know what I’m doing. I know how to stay wide-awake and clear headed. If I know what’s coming at us, I can fight it. We’re leaving. We’re going to turn this nightmare around. We’re going to survive it.”
“Fine,” I said as I pulled my keys out.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to Silas.”
“Not alone.”
“Madison, go tell Britain goodbye.”
“If he wants to tell me goodbye, then he needs to meet us at the park.”
I looked at her like she was crazy. “Silas and Britain in the same place? Are you insane?”
She let out a sigh as a half-cocked smile came to her placid expression. “I must be,” she said before she walked to the passenger side of my car and climbed in.
I let out a long deep breath, then climbed in the driver’s seat. “What is this, some kind of test or something? Are you trying to make him prove he loves you?” I asked her as I pulled my seat belt on.
“Trust me, whoever I give my heart to will have to face a far greater test than meeting me in a park.”
I backed out of the driveway knowing she’d never spoken truer words. Most people fight to fall in love; she was going to fight to stay away from it.
“Maybe I should take you to your mom’s. You can meet him there, say your goodbyes.”
She was texting on her phone, so she didn’t answer me at first. “I already told my mom goodbye.”
“How did that go?”
“Sad. She knew it was coming.”
“How does your mom know stuff like that?”
“The same way yours does, I guess. We had my birthday dinner, I heard the story of my birth again, along with all the things that made them proud of me as I grew up. They let me go. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
I didn’t push her to tell me more. I knew I had to start focusing on Silas if I were going to get him to show up. I doubted I had much time before we were leaving. As we drove, I thought his name, told him I had questions.
I felt Madison’s stare and glanced at my side at her. Her pupils were wide; she was seeing me, and once again, I made no effort to hide anything from her.
“You knew her,” she said after a few minutes.
“Apparently.”
“Draven was her friend?”
“Seems that way.”
“She said you were in a family of souls.”
“That, too,” I mumbled.
“No wonder Draven felt called back to The Realm last night, why he’s the one that’s gotten the closest to him.”
“What am I missing?” I asked her.
“Draven’s looking for someone to help him understand how to adjust to what he is. You always get what you seek. ”
“Nice big family,” I mumbled, holding Drake’s image in my mind, giving her every chance to see him.
“They’re older than us, and there’s no doubt that we’ve sought guidance from them before, from others in that family she was talking about. Britain told me I met you around that time you saw her.”
“Has he told you why you died? How you went from being undead to in this life with me?”
“Yeah,” she said, looking out the window.
“Well...?” I asked, noticing she wasn’t elaborating.
“I followed you. We’ve always been friends.”
“The only way I was able to die was because I loved someone. How did you do it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Madison?”
“I don’t,” she said, looki
ng at me. “Britain doesn’t open doors for me the way Silas does for you. I just now figured out that that was the only way I could have died, through what Silas told you.”
“Why would he not tell you, Madison?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
We rode in silence the rest of the way to the park. Right when I pulled into a parking spot, my phone began to ring. I searched in my bag to find it, and when I pulled it out and saw that it was Kara, my heart sank immediately. I answered on the fourth ring and tried to sound as happy as possible.
“Hey.”
“Charlie, are you alright?”
“Yeah, why?” I asked, finding it hard to hide the lie in my voice.
She was quiet for a second. “Just a feeling, I guess,” she finally said. “Robert told me you already knew about my surprise trip.”
“Mom told me. I’m really happy for you. You guys need to spend some time together.”
“Charlie, we’re going to come home to you. I don’t want to lose a minute of time that I could spend with you.”
Tears swelled in my eyes. “Kara, you aren’t going to lose a minute. When you board that plane, I’ll be stepping into the string.”
She was quiet for what seemed like forever. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“I was going to call you. I really thought you would have called me by now, the way Mom was talking.”
“When did you talk to her?”
“A few hours ago. Why?”
“She wasn’t at the apartment, and her assistant said she headed out early.”
Early for my mom was before eight. “You know how she is. For all I know, she’s on her way here, but she already told me goodbye.”
“I have a bad feeling, Charlie.”
“Kara, I’m going to be fine. I promise.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” she said weakly.
“Do. I love you.”
“I love you.” I heard her start to cry, but before I could say anything she hung up.
“Are you alright?” Madison asked.
“Goodbyes suck,” I said as I tried to call my mom. When I pulled up her name, there was a text from her: I know you’re leaving. Even though I’ve already told you goodbye, I wanted to tell you I love you one more time. My phone will be out of service, so I’ll see you later, baby. Stay safe, be the woman I raised you to be.
My mom was never good at anything emotional like goodbyes, so this didn’t surprise me at all. I texted back ‘I love you’ right as Britain pulled up next to us.
“Looks like he passed that test,” I mumbled as I got out of the car. I nodded once at Britain, then walked out into the field thinking Silas’ name over and over. When I reached the pond, I saw a glowing butterfly and knew he was close.
“Sorry,” I said quietly.
He appeared instantly in front of me. “I have got to find a way not to get angry with you,” he whispered in a husky tone marked by a swarm of emotions.
“I seem to have that effect on people.”
“Did he do something to you?” Silas asked as the glow in his eyes grew brighter.
“No,” I said, stepping back slightly, seeing my fear dimmed the glow in his eyes. “They’re here. Willow is here.”
“I know,” he said quietly.
“Do you need to talk to her? What did she tell you to say to them in this life?”
“I’m not supposed to tell her anything.”
“Who then? Landen?”
He nodded.
“Then tell him. You know where he is in The Realm; tell him and wake him up.”
“No,” he said, crossing his arms.
“Why?” I asked in a frustrated tone.
“Because this is not the time.”
“When is going to be the time? Are you assuring me that he’ll live through this, that we all will?”
Silas looked to the water, then back at me. “The wind can blow in any direction.”
“Don’t say something that lame. You’re here, alive and well. Make a difference.”
“I’m not alive.”
“Whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Are we going to fight again?” he asked.
“Are we? I don’t get it; undead or not, you know enough to stop this, and you’re not.”
“Charlie, you have to trust that things will happen the way they’re meant to.”
I wanted to throw his words back in his face, to tell him that was exactly what happened when I left before, that I was meant to love Draven now, but I couldn't do that. “Fine. If you won’t help me with them, will you help me with Monroe? Where is her mom? How can I stop her dad from coming after her?”
“You can’t.”
“Can I do anything?” I asked sarcastically.
He put his hands on my shoulders. “Charlie, he’ll never stop looking for her. She’s his. Other children like her have been born, but never to darkness. He sees her as a weapon, as a gift; he believes that she validates his power.”
“What kind of weapon is she? She’s a child, an innocent child.”
“She is chaos.”
“Explain yourself, “I said as my eyes rushed across his serious expression.
“She’s growing stronger, seeing more. Her touch already reveals the set course of the future. It reflects the past, too. She fears no evil - not because it’s within her, but because she sees us all as one. Right now, she’s fighting with her emotions, fearing for the ones she loves, but when she loses that fear, she’ll become a divine witness, an example for each soul to follow. But before she reaches that point, she’ll be dangerous if she falls into the wrong hands.”
“How could she be dangerous?” I asked, trying to grasp what he was saying.
He let his hands fall from my shoulders. “She’s a child right now, and she has a choice to abandon her course at any time. The next phase of her power will allow her to show everyone their fate, which will be chaos; instead of following a course that was chosen by each soul for itself, they’ll run from it in fear. Only a few would be strong enough to face it, to run right into the course before them.” He looked down. “Monroe is strong. She’ll hold her power within her and use it wisely until she gains control of it. The phase after that will be the one that’s the most dangerous.” His eyes met mine again. “She’ll have the power to wipe away all emotions from those she chooses.”
“She could create evil?”
“Evil has emotions, dark ones. She could take theirs away, too. She can take away the good ones as well. If she falls into her father’s hands before or at that point, he could use her against you and Willow; the family of souls she built will have no merit. You won’t fall into a blissful feeling of one; you’ll fall into the nothing that creates The Realm.”
“Does she know this?”
“If she does, she doesn’t clearly understand it. More than likely, she feels the power building. She needs to be in Chara. She needs to be around people that understand her.”
“I’m taking her there now.”
“No. Willow isn’t taking you to Chara; she’s taking you to Esterious.”
“Then I’ll get Austin to take her there.”
“If you have one focus, it needs to be to get her there.”
I nodded, grateful for a straight answer, at least a plan. “What else do you know? Where are you going now?” I asked, seeing the familiar certainty in his eyes.
“To help those I told Landen I would.”
“You mean the people that are supposed to die? Become like you?”
He nodded. “I’ll be in The Realm with you when you find Landen. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he promised.
“You won’t let anyone hurt me, but you’re about to watch people die. Has the thought crossed your mind to stop it?” I asked as anger engulfed me.
“I’ve had a long time to think about what Landen said to me. Trust that this has to happen.”
“Do I know them?”
“Not in this life.”
“Where are they? Are they in this dimension?”
“Charlie, you aren’t going to stop it. You have enough in front of you without worrying about people you’ve never met.”
“Tell me where you’re going,” I demanded.
“Call, and I’ll be at your side.”
“Tell me,” I said, gripping his arm.
“New Orleans.”
I sighed, knowing that that was thousands of miles from here. He was right: I didn’t know whomever he was going to help, but that didn’t make me feel any better. “Tell me they want this, that they won’t be in pain or feel cursed.”
“They already feel cursed; this will cleanse that,” he said, looking away from me.
“Are you lying to me?”
“No,” he said quietly as his eyes found mine again. “They may not understand, or even be frightened like we were at first, but that’s why Landen asked me to be there. They won’t wonder the way we did; their transition will be immediate, no long, confusing dreams that take years to play out. I will be their guide; I’m helping, not hurting -- I promise.”
I looked down. “Fine. I’ve got to go. I have to get Monroe out of here.”
He leaned forward and let his lips touch my forehead. “I love you, and when this is over you will discover that you still love me,” he said, then vanished.
As I walked back to the car, I studied Britain and Madison’s silhouettes; they looked like they were fighting, which wasn’t surprising with the mood Madison was in. When Madison saw me getting closer, she reached her arms around him and kissed his neck, then climbed into my car.
Britain turned to see me walking closer. “Don’t do this, Charlie.”
“Do what?” I asked weakly.
“Leave.”
“Britain, I don’t have a choice,” I said as I walked to my driver’s side door.
He leaned over my car and pointed down to where Madison was sitting. “She’s a sacrifice, and you know it. If you’re not going to stop it -- then I will.”
I stared at him and tried to understand if he was afraid of losing her because he loved her or because he’d lost his source of light, if he was just worried about his own life. I finally said, “If you want to stop something, get those boys away from Bianca.” I opened my door, climbed in, and turned the key. “Last chance, Madison. Get in the car with him - take a vacation. I’ll come back for you.”