I glanced from side to side, wondering if Silas was near, if perhaps the thought that I had to speak to him today had somehow reached him and he was lurking in the shadows, playing the part of the silent hero.
Nothing. Not even a sign of a butterfly in the air. A horrid feeling of foreboding settled in my gut, telling me to turn back, but I couldn’t bring myself to listen to it.
I furrowed my eyebrows as I put the car in drive and took in a deep breath. I scanned the side of the road as I drove to Wesley’s to see if I saw a shadow, a butterfly, an image of Silas standing in the distance, but nothing was there. I was having a hard time shaking this odd feeling I felt...it was like it was the calm before the storm, the illusion that all was well. My eyes could find no reason to be afraid, but my body and soul were screaming at me to be aware. I had that feeling often, usually when I was just feet from Bianca in The Realm, when I thought that I finally had her, that I would stop this demon, that collected broken hearts, for good.
Every time I thought I had Bianca in my grip, she’d either fake her death or simply vanish into thin air. I had to find a way to beat her, to end her.
As I pulled onto Wesley’s street, I saw something that seemed to irritate me for every reason and no reason: Aden’s Hummer. He jogged with us every morning, too. He claimed he needed the exercise, but I knew that was just a cover. Twins can never keep secrets from each other long, and Aden knew about Silas. He knew that he wasn’t just some guy that had helped me and Monroe that one night; he knew that Silas loved me, that he wanted to kill Draven, and he made it a point to be with me on this jog simply because he knew that Madison wouldn’t come, that ideally this would be the one time that I wasn’t with one of them. That if Silas were to show himself, it would be then.
Wesley was playing with his dog, Princess, who also jogged with us every morning in the front yard. Aden was on his phone, pacing next to Wesley.
Wesley smiled at me as I got out and clipped my phone to my running pants. I nodded for him to come, and he made a face, telling me that I was wrong, that I should wait on Aden to finish his call. So, I whistled at Princess, telling her to come; she did so eagerly. I grabbed her leash and took off in a sprint with her at my side, then glanced over my shoulder to see Wesley tapping Aden on the shoulder before he began to run to catch up with me.
“Feisty this morning, aren’t we?” Wesley asked when he caught up with me.
“Not a fan of being babysat, and I didn’t get much sleep. Bad dreams.”
“Ah...he loves you. I should be the one offended if you really do need to be protected,” he said, laughing. “Same nightmare?”
“Yep. Ash. Lots of it.”
“I told you before: your dreams are you.”
“Explain that. Like, that’s how I see things in my life? Is that what you mean?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Kind of. For most people, yes -- but with what you can do, and the fact that you’re curious about your past lives, your mind is trying to give you what you want.”
“Not a warning; that’s reassuring. Monroe had a nightmare last night, too. Must be something in the air.”
“Well, I bet I can make you smile.”
I stopped my jog. “Is he here?”
Wesley waved for me to follow him. “No, but I bet it won’t be long now.”
“How are you so sure?” I said as I picked up my jog again.
“I dreamed of him, and I keep seeing signs.”
“Signs? What do you mean signs?”
He nodded to a parked truck on the side of the street that had ‘Austin County’ on the tags. “I bet on this run, I’ll see his name at least three times.”
I looked at the tags on the truck again to see the last three numbers of the plate: 555. I swallowed nervously as I tried to balance my air as I jogged.
“Is that like a Chara thing? Seeing things like that?”
“It’s like a human thing,” he said, grinning at me. “Have you ever thought of someone you hadn’t seen in a long time, and then you start seeing things that remind you of them -- then they just show up?”
“Um. No,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows. “But I keep seeing the same numbers over and over again, fives.”
“My mother always told me the easiest and fastest way for our spirit guides to talk to us was through numbers. If I remember correctly, five is a good one; change, I think.”
“So I guess it’s a good thing those plates had 5 on them, too?” I said, trying to smile.
“I’d say so. Get ready, Chara -- Charlie’s coming home!” Wesley yelled, looking at the sky before grinning at me.
“Tell me this,” I said, trying to measure my breath, “if you didn’t know me, how would you feel about bringing people that can do what we can do to your home? Should I even want this? Is it fair to your world?”
“Ah...Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. Yes, you have to understand that you cannot hurt my world.”
“But why is that myth in place then? The one that says the world will reject you, that you’ll get sick and die if you’re not loved by someone?”
“Look, myths only have the power that you give them. We bring families from other dimensions to Chara all the time. I think that idea, myth, is there just to back up the foundation of the world. That it’s built by soul mates. Besides, even if it is true, I kinda see you like the little sister I never had - and you know Austin loves you guys.”
“Right, but I’ve been there every day. I’ve seen the sun, the lush fields, felt the peace. I just keep imagining showing up, then the clouds turn gray and the darkness that I am takes over that place. I don’t want to be selfish; I just want help with Draven.”
“What about Draven?” I heard Aden say as he ran up to my left side.
“Nothing.”
“Charlie,” Aden said, running backwards in front of me.
“How could I keep secrets if someone’s always with me? You see him more than I do. Remember. I’m just a part-time girlfriend.”
“Ouch,” Wesley said, elbowing me as he nodded to a guy in front of us wearing a T-shirt that said ‘Austin’s Bar,’ along with a phone number that had three fives in it.
“Ouch is right. He’s just trying to keep you safe; you know that,” Aden said, turning to jog at my side again.
“OK, well explain this. You’re a light, too, just like me and Madison. How come you get to write with him? How come you get to see him when he’s upset?” I sounded like a child but I didn’t care.
“Because I’m his brother and I’m strong enough to knock the hell out of him if his dark side comes out.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Whatever. Mr. Light. You’re the only one in the band that’s a quote-unquote ‘light.’ In a room for hours at a time with three potential Escorts, crossing the line of The Realm daily -- and yet you’re right here with me, jogging at my side in fear that someone might show up and have a conversation with me.”
“Are you telling me that you don’t want me to be with him – to be a constant reminder of what we were before all of this? And don’t play innocent, Charlie. I’ve seen you in The Realm just as much I’ve been there. He just doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
I bit my bottom lip. He was right about me being there. Madison and I would sneak into the top level of the auditorium and wait until it looked like they were gone, then see our way to where they were. We managed to stay at a distance, but my butterflies glowed there and usually gave us away before long.
What I’d figured out about The Realm was that it really was what you wanted it to be. A devil’s playground. If you wanted to see evil, you saw it. If you wanted to be on a beach, staring at a sunset, you saw it. You never really moved from where you were. It was like a dream; things would change around you, and things that didn’t make sense would happen. It was only when you decided to be a witness that you saw things as others did. Basically, you had to choose to share a dream or reality with others.
Madison and I would linger in the darkn
ess and watch the others. What they created was a concert, a massive one, for thousands and thousands of shadowed images. When it was over, when Draven’s scream roared, the shadows would turn to smoke and drift into his guitar – all of the instruments on the stage. When they brought themselves out of The Realm, the shadows were released into the reality of the world, and at that point the healing would begin. The words that needed to be said were said, and the light that needed to come, came.
Half the reason that Madison was looking for folklore on protection was because of that act; we didn’t want any of that darkness to escape the school. Madison found lore on herbs that could be used to block spirits in a room, so the walls of the auditorium were lined in salt, herbs were put into the walls, and incense was burning throughout the room.
If anyone didn’t know any better, they’d think we were some kind of devil worshipers or something. Draven’s dad had the room that they played in sealed off for only us. They never brought the shadows back when construction workers were on site, or when anyone else was for that matter. During the day they’d write music, and after the sun went down the dark concert began.
The entire act left the band exhausted, to say the least, but it kept us on a tight schedule. We were all usually passed out by midnight, then up again at the crack of dawn. I knew we couldn’t keep this up much longer. Even though the band was pulling thousands of shadows out of The Realm each day, they didn’t make a dent on that place, not to mention the fact that there were shadows that were already here, ones that needed our help; by not helping them, we were basically ensuring that they’d end up in The Realm eventually.
We were spinning in circles, but honestly, it was all we could do at this point.
While the band’s little concert was going on, Madison and I would hunt Bianca. The first few days, we came close. So close. It was the basic war of words and wit. Bianca would manifest images that would make anyone sick to their stomach. We hadn’t been able to find her the last few times we were there; maybe that was why I felt this agonizing foreboding. I didn’t know where she was or what she was up to. I’d rather see my enemies than fear where they may be.
Britain told Madison that she’d moved on, that another source of power had her attention, but that didn’t make us feel any better. We didn’t want her to hurt anyone the way that she’d hurt us, so we continued to look for any sign of her. There had to be a way to stop her. I was determined to find it.
“Just looking for an old friend; don’t mind us,” I said to Aden.
“Charlie, let it go. She’s not going to get Draven,” Aden said firmly.
“Yeah, well, I don’t want her to do that to anyone else either. You know she made a sly comment about Monroe’s dad, and now Monroe is having dreams about Daddy Dearest. I hunt her for reasons beyond what she did to Draven. She knows stuff.”
“You think she knows stuff? Is Monroe alright?” Aden asked in a concerned tone.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Did you see a bright light earlier, a few minutes before you got to Wesley’s?” Aden asked.
I nodded as I slowed down a little. We’d reached the sidewalk area of town, and there were other runners out along with dog walkers.
“I did, too, and now they’re all gone again,” Aden said. “Wes saw it, too.”
I looked at Wesley. “Really?”
He nodded. “I didn’t hear anything before it. Glad I didn’t; it looked like it hurt,” Wesley said, looking across me at Aden.
“It was loud,” I confirmed, remembering what had happened at the edge of my driveway.
“Yeah. I called Draven and them. They saw the light come in from the windows, but they didn’t hear anything because they were in the house; you know Mom blocks stuff like that.”
“Right. Did you ask Madison?”
“Tried. No answer...and now I know why,” Aden said, nodding to the diner window that we were passing.
Madison and Britain were at the table by the glass in what looked like a heated conversation. I reached across Wesley and knocked on the window. She nodded, then stood. She knew we only had a half a mile or so left on our run, and she was probably ready to hit the books as soon as I was done.
“What did it look like, Wesley?” I asked.
“Like the sun got brighter for a second. I just thought a cloud had moved or something. I was more focused on your bodyguard; he was pretty much on his knees, and Princess was going nuts.”
“Weird,” I mumbled.
Wesley elbowed me, then nodded to a van that had ‘Austin’s Plumbing And Electrical’ on it. “Pack your bags, girl. He’s coming.”
“Maybe he was our light. Maybe Landen is here or something.” I mused not noticing that I did so aloud.
Wesley grinned boyishly. “I don’t know about that. I mean, Austin said Landen has been gaining new insights, but making some kind of blinding light appearance isn’t really his thing. He’s very human. I want you to remember that when you meet him. I know you think he’s your answer, but the truth is he may not know how to help you; from what I know of him, though, he’ll find a way,” Wesley said through broken breaths.
“Are you going home?” Aden asked Wesley.
“I’m going to tell him to take you guys first. We’re in no hurry to leave; I kinda like this town,” Wesley said, grinning.
“It won’t be cool without us, though,” Aden teased.
“True, true,” Wesley said as he whistled at Princess to get her to sprint the last block to his house.
“What was Draven worried about last night?” I asked. We were supposed to go out last night, just the two of us, but he canceled on me at the last minute and gave little excuse. He didn’t even call; he just sent a text saying that tomorrow would be a better day for us to be alone. I’m sure he assumed that I’d think he was just in a bad mood or something, but I never assumed anything. Madison and I went to the school, but they’d left for the night. He was at home. From my bedroom, I could see his studio; I saw him and the others arguing. I even thought I’d seen them see their way somewhere, but when I tried to follow, I just found myself in his house. I knew something was going on; something had him more on edge than usual.
Aden shrugged his shoulders. “The only thing he ever worries about is you.”
Whatever. Aden was relentless when it came to keeping his brother out of trouble with me. “What did he say when you called him about that light this morning?”
“He wanted to know if I was with you and told me to make sure Madison was with you before I went to the school.”
“Why didn’t he call me about it, then?” I asked shortly. “I wouldn’t be so mad about the distance he kept if I knew why.”
“He did.”
I furrowed my eyebrows as I unclipped my phone from my waist. It was frozen; I couldn’t get it off the lock screen. “That’s weird.”
“I told him you looked fine and then took off to catch you.”
I turned my phone off, then sprinted the last few feet to Wesley’s driveway. As I caught my breath, I tried to turn it back on, but I couldn’t get it to work.
“Let me see your phone so I can call him. My phone is acting weird,” I said to Aden.
He handed me his, then took mine to see if he could try to fix it.
Draven answered on the first ring. “You better not have said anything. Tell me she doesn’t know.”
“Know what?” I said shortly as my face blushed with anger and I glared at Aden.
Draven never answered me; instead, he appeared in Wesley’s front yard. He was wearing his favorite holey jeans and a black T-shirt, but he was barefoot and his hair was wet; he looked like he’d literally just gotten out of the shower. What I was looking at wasn’t really all of him. He’d seen his way here, but I’m sure his body was still holding his phone in his room.
“What are you hiding?” I said as my eyes blazed through him.
“Nothing,” he said as he stepped closer to me, holding my stare and lo
cking his jaw in place, obviously trying to remain calm.
I focused on him and asked the question in my mind, trying to see him, but he was blocking me.
“Then stop blocking me,” I demanded.
“Why can’t you see that I’m blocking you to keep you safe?”
Really, Draven. Get a new excuse. “Why can’t you see that I’m sick of that? I’m sick of not knowing everything about you -- what you’re becoming. If you love me, then we’re one person -- and you can’t keep secrets from each other. Your pain is mine.”
“Fine,” he said quietly. “She’s gone.”
“Bianca?”
He nodded once. That couldn’t be all of it. Rage was in his emerald green eyes.
“That isn’t a news flash, Draven. You know I’ve been hunting her.”
“I mean that she has no interest in us anymore,” he said as he reached for my neck and pulled me closer, his thumb urging my chin up so I could see deeply into his eyes. They turned dark as night, and in that instant I was gone.
In this vision, I found myself in some kind of medieval looking chambers. What I saw was exactly what I’d seen in the first vision I had of Bianca: a man was against the wall, and she was leaning into him and whispering into his ear. I moved to the side to see if I recognized the man, and when I did, my heart hammered out of control and I lost my hold on that vision.
“What...? How...? Was that him? The prince?” I whispered harshly to Draven.
His eyes told me yes.
“We have to do something! Warn them. That world is dark enough; she can’t have control of it,” I said in a panicky whisper.
“I’ve already done what I can for now.”
“What do you mean?!”