Witness

  Wesley’s smile faded. “No, sorry. I’m going to pick her up in a few hours, though. Is there something I can you help with?”

  “Actually, we wanted to talk to you – well, we need Austin,” I said, fighting to remain calm.

  “Come in,” Wesley said as he opened the door wider.

  We followed him into the living room, which was off to the left. He turned off the TV, that had a video game paused, and picked up a Coke can and a plate from the coffee table. “Have a seat. I’m going to put these away. Do you guys want something to drink?” he asked.

  We both shook our heads no as we sat on the small loveseat. The boxer immediately climbed into Madison’s lap, and she laughed out loud; the dog was exactly the same size as her. Wesley rushed back into the room and pulled the dog down.

  “Princess, no, leave the pretty girls alone. Go to your bed,” Wesley said in a firm, yet playful voice. The boxer sneezed, then lowered her head before walking to the large dog bed beside the lager couch and circled a few times before finally settling.

  “Wow, you have her trained really well,” I said, amazed that he’d managed to calm such a large animal down with just a few words.

  “She’s still a baby, almost six months, so we’re still working on our manners,” he said as he winked at the dog. She let out a little whine, as if she didn’t want to be on her bed.

  “Listen, I really need Austin. Tell me he’s back, or will be back, like, today,” I said, bringing us back to the reason I was there.

  Wesley took a seat on the long couch in front of us. His eyes were still smiling, but he wasn’t. “No, sorry. I’m not sure when he’ll be back. From what I understand, the travelers have been preoccupied recently.”

  “What if there was an emergency, though? Like, what if you had to leave here? Could you? What would you do?” I asked impatiently.

  Wesley furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you girls OK?”

  Madison nodded to reassure him. “Just being proactive.”

  Wesley’s eyes widened slightly. “Well, if there was an emergency, I’d have to weather it out here; there’s no way I could lead Erica or anyone else through the string.”

  “Not even if your life depended on it?” I asked.

  Madison elbowed me, and I knew I was sounding ruder than I intended.

  Wesley smiled sympathetically. “Stepping into that string unguided would mean death – so I guess if my life depended on it, it would be a choice of how I would die.”

  “How does Austin know how to navigate the string?” Madison asked nervously. “I mean, what makes a traveler like Austin or that Landen guy?”

  “You know Landen?” Wesley said as he smiled.

  “Not yet – do you?” Madison asked.

  “Only from a distance. He comes from one of the most respected families in my home. The entire family are travelers, the only family that has occurred in – not to mention his added insight.”

  “Insight? What do you mean they’re all travelers? Can you not be trained to be one?” I asked.

  Wesley shook his head. “No, travelers are old souls, believed to have lived countless lives before. They see all passages, but someone like me can only see the one I meant to find my soulmate in. You’re born with the instinct to travel; it cannot be taught.”

  I looked down, trying to hide how believable I thought living before was. I didn’t want Madison to read it all over my face and push me to talk about Silas when we left there.

  “What about that insight thing you were talking about? Is that like a sixth sense?” Madison asked curiously. I wasn’t surprised she had asked. We had always told her that the way she sensed others’ emotions was her sixth sense. She never understood what we meant because to her, understanding what someone was feeling was natural to her.

  “That’s harder to explain…some people in my home seem to have a sixth sense – and those insights can range from any degree.”

  “What’s Landen’s?” Madison asked.

  “Truth...intent.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “You cannot lie to him – and at any moment, he can see your intent, where your thoughts will lead you.”

  “Oh, yeah,” I mumbled. I remembered Austin and Draven telling me that when I saw Austin a few months ago. My memory was absent at that point, and so much had happened since then that I hadn’t had a second to contemplate how unbelievable that really was.

  “That’s kinda like seeing,” Madison said as she looked at me.

  Wesley nodded. “I think Austin wants you to meet Landen because of that seeing thing you guys do. He said you guys see the past and that Landen sees the future – and that together, that could help a lot of people. Helping people is part of our core beliefs in Chara.”

  “Listen,” I said as l leaned forward, “I really need to find Austin or another traveler. Will you let me see you? See you so I can go there?”

  “Excuse me?” Wesley asked politely as his eyes widened with confusion.

  “Long story,” Madison said. “Basically, if you’ve been there, then we can go there through your memories.”

  “Like an out-of-body experience?” Wesley asked.

  “Yeah, I know it sounds weird,” I answered quickly.

  He smiled again. “Maybe here – but I assure you, some dimensions not only believe in that, but practice it. My mother was from one like that.”

  “Really?” I asked, feeling more and more comfortable around him.

  “You guys will really be amazed at what’s beyond the string. Austin has no doubt that you’ll be travelers. He said you could see the string – every part of it...mutable doorways.”

  I vaguely remembered Austin testing us on seeing the string months and months ago. I really didn’t think it was a big deal that we could see it, but it was clear that it was.

  “What do I need to do?” Wesley asked as he leaned forward.

  Madison looked to her side at me. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Very,” I answered as I looked back at Wesley. “Just sit there... think about home... think about Austin’s home or any other traveler. I just need to know that someone is on their way to get us.”

  He nodded. “Alright,” he said as he leaned back on the couch.

  Madison reached for my hand. “Ask out loud so I know where you’re going; I don’t want us to be apart there.”

  I held her hand tighter and stared at Wesley. “Think about the last time you saw Austin’s home in Chara.”

  Almost instantly, I could see a beautiful image come to life around me. My heart raced, but I ignored it as the scene became more vivid. I squeezed Madison’s hand just as I felt a rush of energy pull my soul.

  We were now standing in the middle of a field - a breathtaking field. There were flowers everywhere, but not normal flowers. Each petal looked as if it belonged to a different flower, like a rose, daisy, and tulip. I couldn’t understand it. Madison knelt down and picked one.

  “Now this is poetic.”

  “What?” I asked, clearly not seeing the flower in the same light that she was.

  “All different petals living as one – coexisting as one,” she answered as she breathed in the sweet aroma of the flowers. “Like the dimensions the string connects.”

  “Only you would see it that way,” I said as I shook my head.

  A few feet behind us, there was house. It wasn’t extraordinary or anything; I mean, it was beautiful, but I could imagine seeing one of these houses in my hometown – if it weren’t for the strange flowers, I’d think that we were still in our dimension. It was two stories, yellow, with white porches all around it. There were flowers like the ones in the field hanging around the porch.

  “This way,” I mumbled as I walked closer to the house.

  When I reached the porch, I looked back to see Madison still standing in the field, staring off into the distance. “Madison,” I whispered loudly. She broke out of the trance she was in, then came to my side. Once she reached the steps
, I knocked on the door. As we waited for someone to come, I couldn’t help noticing how distracted Madison was; she kept staring off to the left. I followed her stare. I thought I saw the rooftop to another house, but I wasn’t sure; this place seemed so secluded. There were gentle rolling hills that seemed to place the home we were at in a world of its own. There was also a road; it was light brown, which caused it to blend in easily with nature. It was as if the modern world I knew had never met the simplistic beauty of this place.

  The door in front of us opened suddenly, and an innocent young woman was standing there. Her long dark hair was braided to the side, and she was wearing a short white cotton dress. Her blue eyes grew wider as she looked between me and Madison. Her eyes settled on Madison.

  “Willow?” she said.

  Madison quickly broke her stare with the distance and noticed that the door was open for the first time.

  “Um…,” I said, trying to understand how this woman could have mistaken Madison so quickly for another girl. Willow...Willow...wasn’t that the name of Landen’s soul-mate?

  “I’m Charlie, and this is Madison. We’re sorry to bother you.”

  The woman looked carefully over Madison, and her eyes settled on the Ankh tattoo on her wrist. The woman’s gaze obviously made Madison uncomfortable because she hid her arms behind her back.

  “But you’re Willow – everyone is looking for you. Are you OK?” the woman said as she stepped out on the porch and reached her hands for Madison’s shoulders.

  “Look, sorry – you’re confused. I’m Madison,” she said as she stepped away from the woman’s hands.

  I could see the doubt in the woman’s eyes and how uncomfortable Madison was becoming.

  “Is Austin here?” I asked.

  The woman looked back at me. “He’s in Esterious with all of the other travelers – like I said, looking for Willow.”

  “There are no travelers here?” I asked, feeling defeated.

  The woman sympathetically shook her head no. Then her eyes widened. “Charlie – like Draven, Aden, and Charlie?” she asked.

  “Yeah, that’s us – with Madison,” I said, nodding to my side.

  “How did you get here?” the woman asked, looking behind us.

  “We are – we aren’t really here; long story. Listen, I need you to tell Austin or anyone else you know that travels to come for us.”

  “Are you OK?” the woman asked, pushing the door open, wanting us to come in.

  “Sorry, we don’t have time. We’re fine, at least for now. I just need to make sure Draven is in a safe place - before it’s too late.”

  “The second I see him or anyone else, I’ll tell him,” the woman promised. “He adores all of you so much. He was so sad when he couldn’t get you to come here.”

  “That was my fault. I thought I could handle what we were going though; I’m not so sure anymore,” I said, looking down.

  The woman stepped out on the porch and pointed in the direction that Madison was staring in before. “Landen is just over that hill. That’s his home. Maybe he or his grandfather can help you. I just saw them not too long ago. Hurry if you don’t have much time.”

  “Over there?” I asked, pointing again.

  “Yes, I’ll make some calls – do whatever I can to send help.”

  Madison shook her head. “We’re fine. Sounds like you guys have bigger problems than us.”

  I was instantly furious that Madison had downplayed what we were going through; maybe I should have told her about Silas.

  “Nonsense. There isn’t one soul more important than another. I’ll send help,” the woman said as she rushed back into the house.

  “Why are you trying to sabotage my way out?” I said as I rushed down the stairs and started walking in the direction the woman had told me to go. I had made it to the top of the hill before I felt Madison’s arm holding me back.

  “Charlie, seriously, they’re missing Willow. There can’t be two Willows – that’s Landen’s Willow. We can handle this on our own; let them fight their battles.”

  “You’re just freaked out because that woman called you Willow.”

  “That’s not it. I can feel the grief, Charlie – this far away. It’s bad...whatever happened – it’s not good,” she said, looking away from me.

  “Listen to me – those honey eyes you dreamed of? They belong to a guy named Silas, a guy that says that I loved him in another life and that if Draven or Britain try and take my so-called power – he’ll end them because that’s what he’s meant to do. Britain basically promised me that he would have no other choice but to take it – soon, very soon. I don’t want them to die.”

  Her emerald green eyes grew wide. “What else are you not saying, Charlie?”

  “We can talk about it later. Right now, I have to make sure I can get Draven to people that can help him...I can’t lose him, Madison.”

  “Fine,” she said as she let out a jagged breath and let my arm go. I almost ran to the next hilltop. In the distance, I could see a home. It was two stories, rustic brick with white porches. On the top balcony was a young man. I couldn’t make out his features, but from this distance I swear I could see the grief that Madison was talking about. He was leaning forward, staring out into the field in front of his house at the large white windmills that were spread across the field in the distance.

  Around his home, countless jeeps were parked. Several people were on the porch, surrounding the house. Upon seeing this, I instantly lost my nerve and froze in place.

  An older man stepped out on the balcony the young man was on and stretched his arm around him, obviously consoling him.

  “Maybe you’re right,” I mumbled as Madison came breathlessly to my side.

  At that moment, I heard the most innocent voice in creation say my name: “Charlie.”

  I turned to see who had said it and saw a precious little boy behind me. His hair was sandy blond and curly, long, almost hiding the most alluring color of blue his eyes reflected.

  “Um…hi,” I said as I looked over him carefully. I knew I didn’t know him; in fact, I couldn’t think of a single child I knew. I wasn’t even sure how to act around children. “Do – do I know you?” I asked, looking from him to Madison, then back to the little boy.

  He smiled widely. “Not yet. I’m Preston.”

  “How – how did you know my name?”

  “Lucky guess,” he said with a mischievous smile. His eyes moved to Madison, then he reached for the wrist that had her Ankh on it. She didn’t pull away or flinch; her tense composure instantly vanished. She was staring at him with absolute wonder. Preston traced her tattoo, and almost instantly it was healed. There was no sign of red where her skin had been pierced, and the ankh wasn’t raised in swollen protest anymore. You would have thought she had it for years.

  “Is that...uh...um...is that Landen over there?” I asked as I swallowed hard.

  Preston nodded as he held Madison’s hand. I furrowed my eyebrows, finding this little boy odd – and the way Madison was acting was even odder.

  “He looks sad,” I said, trying to get his attention.

  “He is, but it’s almost over, so he’ll be happy.”

  “Over, like, in day or so – or like now?” I asked, thinking maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to go down there after all.

  “Like soon – but he doesn’t know that yet,” Preston answered.

  “How do you know?” I asked.

  “I listen.”

  I raised my eyebrows as the thought of Monroe instantly came to me; she’d pretty much said the same thing to me last night.

  Preston looked up at me. “She listens, too,” he said.

  “Who?”

  “Monroe.”

  “You know Monroe?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” he said as he smiled.

  As frustrating as it was to talk to him, I couldn’t help but smile, too.

  “I’m looking for Austin. Preston, do you know him already? Can
you show me where he is?”

  “I do,” he said as he smiled. “I can.”

  “Charlie, you’re crazy. You are not stepping into a memory – inside of a memory! You have no idea if that’s even safe – that’s too deep!” Madison argued.

  I didn’t know where this Esterious place was; for all I knew, it was down the street - but I wanted to find Austin.

  “What do you mean, ‘deep’?” Preston asked.

  Madison looked down at him and smiled. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Seeing isn’t hard to explain,” he said innocently.

  “You know what would be easier?” I said with a bit of a smirk. “For you, little one, to tell us what you already know. Can I see where Austin is through you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Charlie, you could get stuck or lost - are you crazy?!”

  “Her soul cannot be stuck. No one’s can be; you go where you want - you know that. How many souls have you told that to?” Preston asked.

  “I’m not going to that Est – whatever they called it,” Madison said.

  Preston’s tiny hand tightened around her hand, and an almost instant calm seemed to come over her.

  Taking advantage of the distraction he was giving me, I knelt down to look him in the eye. “Preston, show me Esterious. Show me through your thoughts. Can you think of it for me?”

  He smiled and reached for my hand, the one that had my new Ankh tattoo on it. A numbing calm – one that matched the peace I felt around Silas – instantly came over me. I stared into this little boy’s eyes and asked: Where is Esterious?

  Instantly, my soul was moved. I was in a palace, an elegant, gothic palace. It was as if it were stuck in a lost era. There were dark hardwood floors, elegant paintings, and chairs and couches that reflected nothing less than royalty. There was a large wall of windows to the left. Nervously, I walked there, trying to get my bearings. Before I even reached the window, I could see a deep gray sky. Everything was gray; the buildings, the landscape - it was as if all of the color of the world had been erased from this place. When I reached the window, I looked down and saw millions of people gathered in the courtyard, looking up at the palace. Each of them were dressed in long black cloaks. They were silent, still, and held the deepest sorrow in their expressions.