Insight (31 page)

“I still feel her,” Marc said into the room. “I’m not crazy. I will find her one day,” he finished.

I could feel the words hit Landen like a ton of bricks.
“Why is Marc alone?”
I thought.

Landen stared at Marc with compassion.
“The urge to look doesn’t come until at least the age of twenty, but for some it comes much later. Some say it’s because those have a purpose to fill,”
Landen explained.

“You think he hasn’t looked because he’s still looking for his mother?”

“He remembers her more clearly than Chrispin. I can see how his search for her would cloud over the urge to want to find his soul mate.”

“Doesn’t he realize when he finds her that she’ll make him stronger?”

Landen glanced at me letting that sinful grin emerge before wrapping his arms around me.
“He knows we’re not meant to be alone. He just needs his time.”

After Marc drifted to sleep, we made our way to my father’s house to check on Jessica and Hannah. They were both in the guest room, sound asleep. There were no demons; our plan to protect them had worked.

Before leaving, we checked in on our little princess, Libby. Her eyes were closed as they fluttered back and forth. I pulled the blanket up over her shoulder. Just as we went to leave, she said, “How many?” We looked quickly at her to see her still sleeping. “What color?” she said, a little louder.

We passed a curious look, careful not to move or wake her. “What do I say?” Libby said turning in her bed.

“Will Willow come home with Landen?” Her face squinted together, then she lay silent.

Stunned, we didn’t move, waiting for her to say anything to answer the questions she’d asked.

Libby never moved again, but we rested our souls in her window seat, watching her sleep, waiting for her to say or do something, knowing she could very well hold the key to every question we’d ever had.

At daybreak, a knock on our front door woke us. We heard footsteps coming in the hall and up the steps; we knew it was Marc. Landen grudgingly pulled the covers over us, letting our bodies wake up before arguing with him.

“Ahh…so how does it feel having someone come in your room and scare the hell out of you?” Marc said as he walked in our bedroom door.

Landen threw a pillow at him. “It was for your own good, and you know it,” he said, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

“Look, as I was lying there last night, I realized something,” Marc said.

“What? That I was right?” Landen mocked.

“No,” Marc said, throwing the pillow back at Landen. “You said you could control where you go, right?” Landen nodded, squinting at Marc through the sunlight. “So you could beam yourself right into that Palace and take that star back, couldn’t you?”

“Jason thinks they’d be able to hurt us,” Landen corrected.

Marc’s enthusiasm faded as he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Hey, do you mind? Can we have a minute here?” Landen said, pushing Marc off the bed with his foot. Marc looked at me and blushed a little before leaving the room, giving us a chance to get dressed. Landen looked at me and shook his head in disbelief.

“The best part about getting through this is the idea of having you all to myself.”

Even though I knew he meant it, I still laughed at his new observation.

Downstairs, Marc had laid out breakfast for us, and he stared at Landen and me as we ate. Every once in awhile, he would start to say something, then hesitate and look out the window.

“Say it,” Landen said as he finished his breakfast and pushed his plate away from him.

“This doesn’t freak you out?” Marc said with a burst of air coming from him.

“What part?” I asked, making light of his perspective.

“I just think, Landen, you and I have seen a lot of crazy stuff over the years, but nothing like this, like the two of you,” Marc said.

Landen shifted in his seat, giving Marc a stern look and a sideways glance at me before he answered.

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I’ve known you my whole life. You knew about the dreams and the intent I could see.”

“That doesn’t mean that I knew that you were really out walking around with Willow somewhere. Where did you guys meet anyway?”

We glanced at each other; we’d never even tried to figure out where we went.

“We don’t know,” Landen said as he stared into my eyes.

“We’ve been to a lot of places, you’ve never seen the place awake once?” Marc pushed.

Landen leaned back in his chair and stared forward as the memories danced across his eyes. I felt him remembering all the places that had brought him joy.

“I’ve never been there awake. I’m sure of it,” he said finally, staring at me again.

“Are you ready for this? I’ve watched that world tear my father apart,” Marc said, calling Landen’s attention back to him.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re ready or not, it’s here,” Landen answered, reaching over and squeezing my hand.

Marc leaned back in his seat, seeing that he wasn’t going to talk us down from whatever we faced. “You’re my purpose,” he said.

“What?” Landen said, surprised.

“My purpose…is to keep you safe,” Marc said in a hushed voice.

“Marc—”

“No, Landen. Seriously, I know what I’m talking about. I remember when you were born, looking at you and knowing that I was supposed to protect you.”

“You were just being a good ‘brother’…you feel the same for Chrispin.”

“No, that’s just it. Chrispin is my baby brother, and yes, if I was there and he needed me, I’d keep him safe, but with you I feel like I’m supposed to make sure that I’m there to protect you,” Marc argued.

Landen sighed deeply and shook his head as Marc finished his explanation. “Listen, I want you to put what you just told me aside and clear your head…find that feeling and follow it. We all need someone, you aren’t meant to be alone.”

“I know that. I just have to do this first, so if you’re ready, then bring it on,” Marc said with an uncanny boyish grin.

Through the kitchen window, I saw Libby in the valley; she was picking flowers, and she had a basket almost too large for her to carry. As I focused on her, I could feel her urgency. Landen followed my stare, and so did Marc. “I wonder what she’s doing out so early,” Marc muttered.

“Something’s wrong,” I said to Landen, pushing back from the table, not losing sight of her. As Landen and Marc followed me, my quick walk turned into a sprint. “Libby, what’s wrong? Libby? What’s wrong?” I screamed. Libby jumped as she heard me, and relief filled her eyes.

“Willow, help me find the blue and green ones,” she ordered.

“What?”

“Willow, hurry—blue and green, I need lots.” Libby was now frantically searching the ground, looking at all the flowers.

“Find blue and green ones, hurry!” I yelled at Landen and Marc as they approached, and the three of us searched the ground frantically with Libby. Once her basket was full, she took off in a sprint toward her house, and we all followed her.

As we approached the house, I counted the emotions around me; beyond us, I could only feel two. I ran past Libby up the stairs to Hannah and Jessica’s room. My stomach dropped before the door even opened. There was something wrong. The room was without emotion. Libby pushed past me and opened the door.

From the doorway, I could see the blue tint of their skin as they lay in the same place we’d seen them last night. Marc took one look, then ran down the hall, screaming my father’s name.

Libby sat the basket on the floor between the beds and began pulling the petals off the flowers and putting them on Hannah’s chest. I looked at Landen, and we both rushed to her side to help her.

“Put them everywhere, Willow,” Libby ordered.

My father and Marc came crashing into the room; just like Landen, I could feel my father’s dread when his eyes fell on Hannah and Jessica’s bodies. We all knew that they weren’t breathing, and my father knew more. The basket was empty now, and the girls were covered in blue and green petals. Libby looked over them once, picking up a few loose petals and putting them on the girls’ chests.

“Okay, say this with me: land and will, will and land,” Libby said to Landen and me.

In a sacred trance, we did as she ordered and said, “Land and will, will and land,” in unison with Libby, repeating it over and over. Seconds later, I felt a burst of energy coming from Hannah and Jessica at the same time, and my ring and necklace warmed against my skin. I closed my eyes, and a numbing emotion swept through my body. As it passed, a dizzy feeling caused me to open my eyes, gaining balance. I looked at Landen and could see he felt it, too.

As Landen and I stood paralyzed by each other’s stare, my father rushed to the girls’ sides. We didn’t notice Libby dancing in place, my mother rushing in at the last moment, or even the overwhelming fear coming from Marc and my father as they looked back at us from the girls’ bedside.

Hannah and Jessica’s chests began to rise and fall, but their eyes never opened, and they didn’t move.

“Jason, what happened?” my mother screamed, taking into account that the girls were covered in flowers. My father kept his stunned look, staring at Landen and me.

“Jason? Willow? Somebody talk to me!” my mother shouted.

“They were sleeping too far away. The flowers helped Willow and Landen bring them back to the right sleep,” Libby answered, giggling.

“Libby, sweetie, why don’t you go and get some breakfast. I’ll be there in just one minute, okay?” my mother said, pushing Libby out of the room.

“Dad, are they okay? Look, are they okay!” I demanded, trying to get his attention away from Landen and me.

He slowly turned to look at Hannah and Jessica, shaking his head as he took a second look. “They’re fine, for now,” he said quietly.

“Were they…? Were they…?” I tried to ask if they were dead.

“Yes…for a while,” he answered in a low tone.

“What is this? Why flowers? Why did you say that?” my mother asked frantically.

“Libby told us to. We saw her picking flowers; she only wanted blue and green. Is that myth true? Did we hurt them by bringing them here?” I asked, feeling sick to my stomach.

“I don’t know if it’s our world, or if it’s something that was spoken over them. They’re fine now,” my father said, looking over Landen and me again.

“Are you sure?” I asked, looking at Hannah and Jessica.

“Their hearts are weak. Somehow they started to beat again, but they aren’t beating the way they’re meant to; it’s like they’re on life support.”

“The flowers,” Landen whispered. My father looked at Landen and nodded.

“So we have two choices? We take them home and let demons dance across their chests, or we leave them here barely alive?” I said through my teeth.

“They are very alive, and they shouldn’t be—you brought them back,” my mother said calmly.

“Did you know you could do that?” Marc asked.

“We have no idea what we can do. We’re just as baffled,” Landen answered, pulling me to him and shielding my view.

News travels fast with an energetic little girl proud of her morning’s accomplishments. Rose and August came to my mother’s house first. My mother was frantically fixing breakfast, trying to keep her mind busy. The only sound in the kitchen was the clanging of pans and plates

Brady, not hearing the news of the morning’s events, strolled in the back door, beaming with excitement and slapping Marc on the back as he smiled proudly at him. “You guys aren’t going to believe what happened,” he announced to the room, but his words fell on deaf ears, so to speak.

His frustration grew with our blank expressions. “Did you guys hear me? I have good news, not just good news,
amazing
news.” While he spoke, Felicity slid in behind him, giving way to Chrispin and Olivia.

When Olivia came in the room, her eyes met each of ours for the first time, and we knew she had her sight back. She then ran to me and hugged me tightly, laughing out loud.

“Oh my God—how—what happened?” I stuttered.

“It’s amazing…this whole place is so beautiful,” Olivia said, not hearing my questions. We all stared in shock, looking at a grinning Chrispin, waiting for an explanation.

“You told her, didn’t you?” Landen asked.

Chrispin grinned, then walked over and pulled a stunned Landen into a bear hug. “You were right. I was stupid for waiting. I told her as soon as we got back, and this morning when she woke up, her sight was back…it’s amazing.”

“What did you say to him?”

“That he was an idiot,”
Landen thought, with a smirk, as he winked at me.

“Well, this is certainly uplifting compared to the morning that’s transpired,” August commented.

“What happened?” Brady said as his smile fell.

The room fell silent. Felicity eased over out of Brady’s way and started helping my mother cook breakfast. Chrispin and Olivia stared with the shell of a smile on their faces.