Vindicate (10 page)

“Only you trying to kill me . N
o big deal , ”
s he said in her familiar witty tone.

I glanced down at her wrist , then elbowed her. “You have the tattoo . Y
ou’re safe.”

“One could hope.
Felicity dreamed about the tattoo, too . D
id you know that ?
”

“I think I remember Brady mentioning it yesterday . H
e said there wer e two other girls that had it. W
hat’s up with that?”

“I don’t know…but it can’t be good.”

“For us or them?” I asked , having my doubts about charging into unknown territory.

“From my dreams. Y
ou’re the danger , not them.”

Well that made me feel like a rock star. Not. I t was really irritating me that they were afraid of me. I was still Willow. A very tired and stressed out Willow.
“I would never hurt you. A nyone.”
I winced. “On purpose.”

“No. Not on purpose,” she mumbled , looking behind us.

I gritted my teeth and promised myself that when Olivia or anyone else was around me with that tattoo , I would think twice before I reacted.
“The y’
re not in here yet,” I promised , knowing I didn’t feel the anger Brady was sure to have.
I halfway hoped my father would be th e one that came looking for me. E
ven though I knew I wasn’t that lucky.

I slowed down as we approached Infante. I gazed forward as flashes of my dream came to me , Preston running though the passages. I remembered the hazes he passed and found my bearings . A few steps later , I saw a purple haze , and I knew I was close . W
ith my next step , I saw the gray one with another purple passage a few feet away.

“Is this it?” Olivia asked as she looked behind us again.

I didn’t answer at first. I was feeling the emotions on the other side of th e passage. I felt disdain, I felt d etermination, I felt protection.
I felt peace . A ll coming from different sources. Their intent was simple and shared among each of them : to redeem the damned.

“It is , ” I mumbled as I tried to understand the range of emotions before me.

“It’s gray , Willow. Man made. N
ot natural. We have no idea where this will lead, how dangerous it is.”

“Man made.
Austin made , ” I mumbled as echoes of Marc and Landen’s laughter echoed in my memory. I remembered Landen saying that Austin fell into a p assage that led to these people. T
his had to be them. T
he same ones. “You don’t have to come.”

“Yeah , right.
I’m already an accomplice to your escape .
I’m not missing the action.”

I looked down at the i Pod in m y hand to that image – to the broken heart on that demons neck . Anger engulfed me. I had to find her. I boldly stepped forward into the gray unknown passage.

I heard the guitar just before the gray haze passed. We were standing in what looked like a studio. A large bay window was to the left. There were drums – guitars – amps everywhere. There w as a brown couch and chair in the center of the room. That girl , t he one I saw Preston with in that vision, Charlie, was sitting in the center of the couch. Her dark eyes peered up at me with nothing less than astonishment. Beside her was a girl that was much younger. H
er eyes were just a s dark as her long black hair. W
ith the exception of bright purple lipstick , everything she was wearing was black , which made her skin seem pale as snow.

In the chair , there was a guy. Young. A ddictively attractive. His hair was dark, slightly long , and it highlighted his green eyes. I t was him. T
he boy I saw in that image, bu t something was off about him. H
e looked the same but felt different to me. The shock I felt from him was reflected in his instant tense composure. I glanced in the direction of the guitar that was playing and saw the identical twin of the guy in the chair . H
e was the one. T
he one I saw holding Charlie. I ’
d found my male twins. I’d found Charlie, my solution.

The guy was staring out the window as he played . F
eeling my gaze , he turned . A t first , he didn’t seem surprised to see me there , but then his emerald green eyes laced in black focused on me , and his emotion of shock instantly mirrored his brother ’
s. His hand froze in place over the strings of the guitar as he stared at me , ignoring Olivia at my side.

I let go of Olivia’s hand and held out the i Pod , showing the cover art that belonged to that song to the room. “Which one of you made this?” I asked firmly.
I guess my anguish had erased the manners my mother had so diligently taught me as a child.

“Um,” Olivia said , stepping in front of me and pushing my arm down. “Listen. I know.
I know you’re asking yourself how we –” she glanced around the room , “
h ow we appeared here , but listen , there ’
s a very believable explanation , ”
s he said , trying not to sound as nervous as she was.

The girl who I knew was Charlie stood slowly and tilted her head around Olivia. “Willow?” she asked as if she couldn ’
t believe her eyes.

“You know me?” I asked , fighting to balance the rush of anger and adrenaline that had left me even more weak and dizzy.
I dug my nail under my ring. Screaming in my thoughts at the caged fury. I would not hurt these people. I said it over and over again until I felt the storm deep inside me settle.

“Not yet,” she muttered quietly.

“Did you make this?” I asked breathlessly , wanting her to be my solution.

She didn’t answer me ; she just stared into my soul . The guy in the chair had stood and was walking slowly to me with the same stare. The one in the window took the strap of the guitar off his tall , lean body and set it in a stand by his feet – staring at me the entire time.

I wanted to run. B
ut I held my ground. I wasn’t leaving t here without answers. With their stares , I felt waves of emotions. Ones that were all familiar. Love. Passion. Anger. A nd most dominantly grief.

“She’s seducing them , ” Charlie said as if the words made her sick.

“She better not be,” I said through gritted teeth as rage exploded inside of me. It was reflected in what sounded like an explosion of thunder. Everyone in the room , with the exception of Olivia and the pale girl, who hadn ’
t moved, ducked with the fierce sound.

I recoiled . Crap. Now they were afraid of me , too.

Olivia gripped my wrist , telling me to calm down.
“You know of us? You know why we ’
re here?” she asked them as they slowly re gained their composure.

“We see it, Olivia , ”
t he boy who was sitting in the chair said to her.

“How do you know my name?” Olivia asked defensively.

He cautiously stepped forward. “I told you .
I see it.”

“What ?
What do you see?” I asked again , doing everything in my power to remain calm.

“The past , ”
t he boy said. “Everything that brought you here.”

“What ’
s your name?” Olivia asked him .

“Aden,” he said , relaxing a little. He smiled slightly , revealing dimples that reminded me of Landen . H
e tilted his head to his twin and said, “Draven.”
He t hen looked at the girl on the couch and said, “Monroe.” Before he could introduce Charlie , I spoke.

“Charlie, the girl who has already been to Chara, met Preston.”

When I said Preston’s name , Monroe looked up at me , almost as if she wanted to smile , but she didn’t ; instead , she maintained her calm and gazed at me.

They just kept staring ; their emotions were on a roller coaster ride, which was making me even weaker.

“What?!” I asked as my eyes moved from one to the other. “Why are you staring at me?”
Change your tone, Willow, I thought to myself. These people are innocent. And right now you look like a mad woman.

I stared at Draven , who was walking slowly toward me. The magnetism in his eyes made me think of Drake. I t felt like he was walking to me. T
hat he was about to bluntly put me in my place. “There ’
s a lot to see. Y
our existence is vast , ”
Draven said with a voice that was smooth as velvet . H
is tone was hypnotic , almost as hypnotic as his eyes , which I could swear had turned dark.

“Well,” I said , holding in rampant emotions , “
i t’s about to end if you don’t help me.”

At that moment , I felt anger, determination, and betrayal , but it wasn’t coming from them ; it was coming from a much more familiar source. A second later , I felt Brady’s strong hands on my arms just before he turned me to face him.

Brady and the two travelers we ’
d passed had stepped through the gray passage into this studio.

“We had a deal,” Brady said through his teeth as he leaned inches from my face.

“Hey – HEY!” Aden yelled as he tried to push his way between me Brady . H
e had the immediate intent to protect me , and his brother Draven was inches behind him. I was terrified that either Brady or I would hurt them without even trying. I had to stop that.

“Brady,” I said , losing my battle with the tears I was holding back. “He sent me here.”
I’d stopped the tears, but my eyes were glassed over.

The anger in Brady’s eyes faded instantly as they tried to peer into me , t o understand me.

“Brady ? L
ike Landen’s brother Brady?” Aden asked.

Brady broke his glare with me and looked around the room . H
e nodded once at Aden , and the tension in the room faded.
Brady pulled me to his chest when he heard the rain begin to fall against the window.
At least it was soft rain. I took it as good sign that I was still in control.
“How did you find me ? D
id you dream of him , too?” I asked in a frail whisper. I felt his hand cradle the back of my head as sympathy and grief engulfed him. “Preston.
I dreamed of Preston , ” Brady said quietly.

“Sorry, man , ” Aden said , stepping back as he glanced at Charlie. “I know how it is.”

I couldn’t comprehend what he meant by that , but the disdain I felt in Charlie led me to believe that Aden had either played the role Brady was playing in my life before or soon would.

Brady looked over his shoulder to the travelers that had come with him. “Go tell them I have her . M
ake sure Marc stays there.”
He then looked down at me and cupped his hands around my face. “What did he say?” he asked , trying to hide his grief and bury his frustration with me.

“He told me to find them, that they see everything -
and they do ; they said they do , ” I said , looking from him to Olivia.

Olivia regarded the others. “You see where they are? Can you take us there?” she asked.

All of them seem ed to look at Draven , who glanced down , then looked up at me. “This isn ’
t a place. There isn ’
t a passage. You ’
re going to have to see your way there.”

“What if I can’t?” I asked .
Please tell me you can go there I thought to myself. I knew I felt his intent to go, but I wanted to hear him say it.

His eyes drifted behind me , and I felt the nervousness in the room build . I nstantly , almost defensively , I shielded my energy around myself , t hen I heard , “We’ll go. We’ll kill Bianca.” I turned to see a girl in the doorway.

No. F
reaking . W
ay. No way. Now? She shows up now. Well, isn’t that poetic. I glanced up at Brady just to make sure my mind was not playing tricks on me.

Her hair was long, dark. Her skin was olive like mine. H
er eyes were emerald green. Same height. Same weight. We may not of looked exactly alike, but we were close enough.

I knew her. This was not the first time our paths had crossed. I was sure of it. I struggled to throw every insight I had at her, but she was a void. Her energy was familiar to me, near soothing , but she was a void. Figures.

“You called that one,” Brady murmured so only I could hear him.

Yup. I was right. The re she stood. The counterpart to a boy I cared very deeply about. Did she know? Was she aware that she was royalty?
That an entire dimension was waiting for her to take Drake’s hand and rule their golden age. My gut told me she did. It also told me she was just as stubborn as I was.
She didn’t care for her fate to be outlined for her.

“Why can’t I feel you?” I asked , stepping back from Brady Absentmindedly I stretched out my insights wanting to know if I had any more surprises coming at me. I needed to know if anyone else would walk through that door.
There were others here, at least four others , maybe more. They weren ’
t dangerous. I felt their concern, protective mindset , and determination. They were somewhere in this building we were in.