I knew she was trying to help me. That somehow she’d figured out that Draven and I were having problems in our relationship. Though my heart did break for Silas for what he went through when I fell -- and the time that had passed since then -- I had no doubt that I loved Draven, and I didn’t have that doubt because Willow prepared me for that moment. I couldn’t tell her that now. I couldn't tell her that I hid things from Draven not because of any doubt, but because I knew his anger would cause him to suffer in The Realm, and in this world. I couldn't tell her that because from what I could see around her, the conversations with her family, I knew that she would never put anyone in danger. She was asking for help because she thought we knew what we were doing, that there was no risk for us. I wasn’t going to take hope away from her, so I politely said, “I see now why you’re so respected in your home.”
She glanced at Olivia and Brady, then to me. “I’m just like you: a girl who’s dealing with some really weird crap – at least trying to.”
I kept asking questions in my mind as I stared at her. Scenes of her life would come into clear view in my mind. I really felt sorry for her. She was lost, and she was lost because from day one she was told that there was a chance that she could lose Landen. I’m sure I would have lost my focus, too, if I were her. The reason I was staying sane and focusing on fighting this evil was that I knew that fighting it was saving Draven, saving us.
Willow noticed my stare and said, “OK…maybe that’s just how I want you to see me. The truth is that our path is only troubled because our calling is high. Just like yours.”
Knowing what I’d already seen in her life, I knew she was doing better than she thought she was. “Go us. The overachievers,” I said choosing sarcastic humor to lighten the mood.
Willow smirked. “So when you saw me before, my past, did you see those butterflies? The ones I saw a few days ago?”
As soon as she asked me that, I did see them. They weren’t quiet like mine; they didn’t seem to glow, but they were still beautiful, symbolic of the power she was. I nodded to tell her yes.
“Are they the same as yours?” she asked.
My eyes found Monroe, who was a few feet ahead of us, and I nodded once. “She told me they were a guide, a reflection of my power. Supposedly, they can lead you to what you want, but what sucks about that is that they don’t override the challenges you have to face to get to there. They cause everything to come faster.”
“You use them in The Realm?” she asked.
I thought of this morning, how Bianca pushed one into Draven, the hunger in his eyes, and how that hunger created a fight between Silas and Draven. I moved my head from side to side. “I don’t use them. They appear, and that’s not always a good thing.”
Willow glanced at Draven as we walked. “I’m going to give you advice that I have yet to take myself. Love them both. Love them both because we’re meant to feel love for everything and everyone in this universe...your soul knows where it belongs, and it will never let you stray too far from that point. Trust your heart, and doubt the thoughts that bring logic because there is no logic in love. Never has been.”
Her words pierced right through my heart. I didn’t want to think about Silas, his last words that promised I would love him again. “Are you seeing me?” I asked quietly.
She moved her head from side to side. “Just taking in what I know about you, your emotions and your intent. The truth I see in you.”
“That’s seeing. Well, the first part of it. Now you just have to open your eyes and let your imagination take you there.”
“Let’s hope I can do that,” Willow said as her eyes found Madison. “If I can’t...if I can’t, what kind of impact will Madison make there?” She glanced at me. “Will anyone there recognize her?”
That was the last question I wanted her to ask me. I knew besides bringing Landen and Drake back that finding her ‘twin,’ who she thought was Drake’s soul mate, was her greatest desire. Madison was right: Willow was blind to what was really going on with this darkness. “Hard to say...she said sometimes...sometimes he sees her, but most of the time he’s looking at someone else.”
“Drake?” she whispered.
“Listen,” I said, slowing down even more. “I know Madison. I know that she’ll shut the world away and run. I’ve seen her do it. I’ve seen her make every excuse when someone comes for her heart. If you push her, she’ll run. For all I know, she’ll run anyway, but pushing her isn’t the way to go about this,” I warned.
“I won’t,” Willow promised as she tried to hide her relief, the joy of finding Madison. “Does she trust me? Does she hate me?”
That was the oddest question she could have asked me. I mean, it’s not like Madison knows Drake, like he’s her ex or something, and from what I’d seen, Willow had done everything in her power to convince him that she wasn’t his soul mate. “Honestly, she hasn’t conceived the idea that he’s real. She blocks her dreams from us. The only way Draven and I figured out he was real was because she sketched his image and Preston showed me who he was when I came looking for you. I haven’t found the nerve to tell her that he’s real. None of us have.”
“She’s an artist?” Willow said as the relief in her eyes grew more apparent.
“She can sketch better than I can play,” I smiled shyly. “That’s a compliment. I promise,” I said, realizing that Willow really didn’t know anything about our talents or us.
It was clear I had left her speechless, so I went on to say, “And just so you know, there is someone else in her life.”
“Who?” Willow asked, looking at Winston and Grayson.
I had to hold in a smirk; there was no way Madison would ever date either of them. “Britain.”
“The one that was addicted to you?” she asked.
“Are you sure you’re not seeing me?” I asked curiously.
“Very. Draven told me about it.”
“Did he?” I said as I glanced at Draven. I was proud of him. He must have been able to talk to her when I was gone, and if he was talking to her, he was balancing that hunger, growing comfortable with her energy. If he could handle hers, he could handle mine. “That’s him. He’s very charismatic, very powerful. She doesn’t trust him, but I catch her thinking about him. If you hadn’t have shown up when you did, chances are he would have found a way to her heart. He’s almost there.”
“There’s a reason for everything,” Willow said as something captured her attention and she started to walk faster. I followed her, but I stopped at Draven’s side. He took my hand and squeezed it tightly. I didn’t block anything because I wanted him to be able to show me what he and Grayson were showing each other before; to see if we knew anything more about Monroe or what we needed to do.
Draven let out a sigh. “Looks like you’ve found a counselor,” he mumbled.
I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what he meant by that, then I realized he must have seen Willow tell me to love them both. Knowing him, he thought that Willow had felt doubt, guilt, or regret. I wanted to argue with him, but we’d come to a stop in the string. We’d passed countless hazes of light that resembled beautiful sunsets, but now it was as if a storm were upon us; the hazes had turned gray and looked more dangerous than beautiful.
Two men were in front of us, blocking our path. I asked the common question, ‘Who are you?’ in my mind and quickly discovered that one of the men was Landen’s father. He was tall, well-built, broad shoulders, and had the same blue eyes and dimples that both Brady and Landen had. Through his perception, I saw how mad and worried he was about both Landen and Willow. His blue eyes glowed in the string, reflecting the pain I saw in his thoughts. Ashten was his name. I looked at the other guy, hoping he was August, even though he looked too young to be a grandfather, but he wasn’t family; he was basically a soldier, one of the people from Chara that were in Esterious to help Landen’s family. Austin must have recognized him because he nodded once in his direction.
My stomach sta
rted to twist. I felt like all of us were in trouble, like we’d been caught sneaking out of the house or something. Without hesitation, Willow walked right up to Ashten and placed her hands on his face. She said something to him, but I couldn't hear it. Whatever she said seemed to take the tension out of the string. He said something quietly to her, then looked at Austin. “Who do we have here?”
Austin nodded respectfully, then introduced us all one by one. Once he was done, Ashten’s blue eyes looked over us carefully, then he asked, “Who’s the Libra?” Madison looked at me instantly, and that sick, ‘I’m in trouble’ feeling came back again. I raised my hand, only to receive a smile from Ashten. He looked at Draven and Aden. “Taurus, I assume.” They both nodded to confirm. It was odd, like he not only knew we would be here, but who we were. At least someone did, someone told him. The Great Witch came to mind again, and the fear that Madison was a sacrifice raced through my heart.
Ashten tilted his head, noticing Madison for the first time. He whispered something to Willow as shock filled his blue eyes, then stepped closer to us, looked at Madison, and said, “And where does your sun rest?”
“Scorpio,” Madison answered, trying to sound calmer than I knew she was. She had to have some fear, she had to think she could easily be a sacrifice, or at the very least be mistaken by Willow’s enemies as her.
“Not a fan of that sign?” Ashten asked.
“Love it, but I don’t love that I can’t see you, at least not all of you. There’s a void, and it’s driving me mad,” Madison said as she glanced at me.
Ashten was completely mystified by Madison’s answer and looked at Willow for some kind of answer. She responded, “No worries, Ashten. I’m a complete void. She means that she -- they -- can see everything that led you to this point.”
“All of you have voids,” Madison said, looking at all of the travelers. “Will you tell me what’s in that void since my best friends refuse to?” she said, glancing to where Draven and I were standing.
I knew if they did, she would run, and we couldn't run now, not when we were this close to getting Monroe to a safe place, or at least a hidden place. Willow must have sensed how uneasy I was, how uneasy we all were when it came to both Madison and Monroe. She said, “As Draven put it, our existence is vast. There is no way for us to know what you can’t see. I’m sure when you’re meant to see it, when you’re ready for it, it will be clear as day.”
I may not have all the senses or powers that Willow had, or even Madison, but I know how girls think, how sometimes it’s not what they say, but how they say it that really matters. Willow wasn’t being kind or portraying some kind of philosopher; she was daring Madison to consider that her dreams were real. Watching two Scorpios head-to-head was so intense that I couldn't move; none of us could. It was a battle of wits; one that I had no doubt Madison would win.
Madison glanced at her tattoo, then up at Willow. “Agreed. Can we proceed with killing Bianca now?”
Perfect rebound. Madison was keeping her focus and ignoring the obvious; her dreams were about to become a reality. I could only hope she was doing that to help us, not to hide from herself.
Ashten seemed shocked by Madison’s response and said, “Did I miss something? Since when do we commit murder in this family?”
“We don’t,” Willow said quickly. “That’s the name of the demon that took them. I don’t think murder applies to demons.”
“And you would be correct,” Ashten said, looking down at Willow, then glancing at all of us. “Because you cannot kill a demon, only transform the energy - and that can only be done if you rise above duality. Or so I’m told.” His eyes landed on Madison, who looked back at me. That word ‘duality’ was one her favorites. She’d been striving to rise above that for a while; she’d basically said that once she killed Bianca, she’d be able to do just that.
“Looks like August has had your attention,” Willow said so quietly that I barely heard her. I wanted to find August so bad. Maybe that’s why Madison had agreed so easily to Silas’ direction; she must have recognized her philosophy when she looked into Olivia and Brady’s thoughts.
“My father has always believed that, but I cannot help who I am. That notion is meant for souls much wiser than mine,” Ashten said as his eyes found Monroe. “You look much younger. How do your parents feel about you being here?”
Grayson’s chest bowed protectively. “She doesn’t speak. She’s in my care; our home is where we are.”
“Where are your parents?” Ashten asked, mirroring the strong father I could tell he was.
“Not here,” Grayson responded.
Willow put her hand on Ashten’s shoulder, stopping him from pressing Grayson any further. “Will you find rooms for them, their stuff? I want to end this now.” Ashten nodded, and Olivia left Madison’s side and followed Willow into a gray ashy light that was to the right of the string.
Draven gripped my hand, and we stepped forward to follow Willow with Aden and Madison at our side. We wanted to go first for a reason. We knew this place was dark, and even though Grayson and Winston could see and help the shadows, they weren’t as fast as we were; their strength was in The Realm. If this were as dark as we thought it was going to be, we wanted to pave a path for Monroe to make it easier on her.
Draven and I stepped through the gray haze first. As it encased us, I heard them, millions of them: the shadows. We pushed through the haze, thinking that was where they were. A room came into view. It looked like an elegant entry hall with marble floors and oil paintings, but I couldn’t take in the beauty of it. The whispers turned into screams, terrified, bellowing screams. It was so loud, so painful to my ears that I fell to my knees in agony. Draven was at my side instantly. He reached into my pocket, pulled out my headphones, and pushed them into my ears. Though his song was blaring, it couldn’t cover the cries of the dead. I heard Aden yell, “Show yourself!” as I found the strength to stand.
Instantly, dark images were surrounding us. They had more depth than the ones we saw at home. They weren’t shadows; they were more like ghosts, the way I saw my dad when I was too weak for him to become solid. These people hadn’t lived dark lives; dark lives were given to them. It was as if every ounce of creativity or individuality had been stripped from them.
They’d been executed for the pettiest crimes I could imagine, things like speaking too loudly or being out after curfew. It took a second or two to find a moment of joy, one that could help them remember love; it was almost like they’d never felt it. I began to whisper; “You are worthy,” knowing they’d been told over and over that they weren’t when they were alive. Those words held more impact than I bargained for; they helped faster than naming scents or moments in their lives.
I felt Brady push past us and rush to Willow’s side. The shadows that remained after our words were said were still in the thousands. Most of them were saying my and Draven’s name, as they always did, but I heard a few of them say Willow’s name. I heard them say, “Show her,” and the advice of my mother and Nana came to me. I had to show Willow how to help them; they were angry that she couldn’t see them or help them.
Willow yelled, “Get them out of here!” to Brady and Olivia, but I wasn’t going to leave there, not yet. Those shadows needed me; they needed to know that Willow would find her focus and help them one day very soon.
I yelled, “Silence!” Complete silence didn’t come, but they were quiet enough to listen to me. I felt the stares of Draven and Madison as I moved confidently through the ghostly images. “You want to be redeemed?!” I asked firmly as I moved closer to Willow. I could see a faint glow of light around her, Brady, and Olivia; it was like a protective bubble. I could only imagine that was what was making these shadows so mad. She couldn't see them or hear them, and everyone knows that you often find answers in the past.
Willow would never move forward if she didn’t perceive them to be real, if she didn’t understand that she wasn’t fighting to redeem what this dimensio
n was today, but what it had endured. “Why do I need to show you when you stand in the presence of that definition?” I said as they parted my way and I saw Willow clearly. “Think of him, Willow -- show them,” I said as I locked eyes with her. I knew Willow had to understand that some of these shadows had never felt the emotion she basked in. I knew that because the ones that I had at home hadn’t either, and when I showed them how much I loved Draven, I helped masses at once; that was what needed to happen now.
Holding my stare, Willow said, “Let it fall, Brady,” and in that instant the glow around her vanished and the ghostly shadowed images moved closer to her. It was hard for me to tell if she could see them or hear them; she looked too calm.
The whispers became even more silent, so much so that I couldn’t hear them over my headphones. I pulled them out of my ears and said, “Show them,” once more to Willow.
Her eyes smiled at me, and I could swear I could see her glowing. Then, an explosion of light erupted in the room; it was near blinding. She had done it: she’d helped well over ten thousand shadows with one thought. I was in awe of her power, the power that she had no idea she possessed.
I felt Draven’s strong arms around my waist, and I turned in to him. He felt so tense; at first I thought it was because that was one of the hardest things we’d ever done, but then I couldn't get him to look me in the eyes.
I knew him well enough to know that he was questioning why I didn’t show the shadows our love. I wanted him to look at me so I could show him once more that both my mom and Nana had told me to show Willow how to do that. I played out the argument in my mind and knew I would more than likely lose, that he would tell me that that was the last moment I should have used to teach anything. I let my eyes fall as Draven released his grip on me. He still made sure his hand was on me protectively, but we were having a silent fight.