Witness

  “How do you know Silas?” was my response

  “What’s going on?” I asked Aden. “Are you supposed to guard me now?”

  “No,” Aden said shortly. “Dad wants me to stay here because I have the misfortune of being the identical twin of Draven – not to mention my truck looks the same as his at night.”

  “So he did burn it? Are you serious?!” I said as a new text came in. I was too mad to even look at it. My head was spinning, and I didn’t know what do; I felt sick to my stomach.

  “Right now, he’s with over seven lawyers and half the city council – he’s innocent,” Aden said grimly.

  “In this world,” I said shortly. “Why is he with lawyers?”

  Monroe had finished putting her things away and was sitting quietly on her bed, turning the rings on her fingers.

  Aden rubbed his hands across his face. “Dad bought the school – he’s turning it into an arts center where bands can play and where music, art, theater and dance teachers can teach. They’re closing the deal with the city at the site – I told you that before. Dad said they’re almost done, and Draven hasn’t left his side.”

  “You know that wouldn’t matter; he could leave with his mind, and they’d never know any different.”

  “Right – but we don’t have to worry about charges from the law.”

  “I’m not worried about charges – I’m worried about retaliation!”

  “Calm down…Draven will be here soon…Madison is already on her way here.” Aden looked at my phone. “What is he saying?”

  I looked down at my phone and read the last text as I fell to my knees. It read: “I survived Silas – I don’t know him.”

  I texted back “Survived???”

  “Do you know a Silas?” I asked Aden before I could stop myself. I squinted my eyes closed and gritted my teeth, furious that because I was so focused on what Draven had done, I forgot to censor myself; the last thing I wanted to do was let Aden see what really happened tonight in that alley. I did what I could to block out my emotions, and memories, then opened my eyes to see Aden looking at me like I was crazy.

  “Should I?” he asked with a mystified smirk that highlighted his dimples – the only feature that set him apart from Draven’s addictive image.

  I shrugged my shoulders, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, then looked at Monroe. “How do you know him?”

  She never looked up at me or bothered to answer.

  “She doesn’t speak – don’t push her to. I’m sure it makes her more uncomfortable,” Aden said in a quiet tone.

  A sly grin came to the corners of my lips as my eyes moved back to her. She’d spoken to me. The memory of her innocent voice was allowing me to be calmer than I normally would in a moment like this. I didn’t want to scare her. Monroe glanced up at me, then down to her hands again.

  “Why did you ask me that? What is he saying?” Aden asked as another text came in.

  “When I saw Britain tonight, a guy named Silas showed up and got us away from him…he knew my name…Monroe’s name,” I said as I looked down at my text.

  It read: “You need to understand that what I am, what Draven is - some people don’t like that. Silas is nothing compared to what you fear Bianca could do to your precious beloved.”

  “He says that Silas is dangerous – that he survived him.”

  Aden reached for my phone and read my texts. I didn’t fight him; I wanted answers. There was no way Silas seemed dangerous to me, not with the peace that was around him - but then a really bad thought came to mind: if Draven was fighting not to become what Britain is, maybe this Silas guy was some kind of vigilante that stopped evil; someone who could hurt Draven if they didn’t understand that he was really good and fighting to stay that way. My arm braced my stomach as I fought a sick feeling that caused the room to spin…I didn’t need another problem, another person to protect Draven from. I shook my head no. I was right, Britain was wrong: if Silas was some kind of vigilante, he wouldn’t have led me right back to Aden – back to the one person that would take me to Draven.

  “If he says he’s bad, he must be good. What did he do?” Aden asked as he handed my phone back to me.

  I nodded, then let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Nothing really. He just showed up. Silas told me to tell Britain goodbye, then…he walked me to your truck.”

  “Sounds like a good guy to me,” Aden said flatly.

  I looked in Monroe’s direction, looking for some kind of response that would tell me if I were wrong or right, but she stayed still.

  “Don’t let this Britain guy mess with your head. This fight between him Draven has moved to another world – the dream world. If Draven did set a fire, it’s nothing compared to what he could have done in that place.”

  My eyes grew wide. “Tell me what happens when you follow him there?” I asked, looking intently up at Aden.

  A familiar anger came to his eyes. “It’s crazy, Charlie…imagine creating anything with your mind - any power, any weather, any building. The only thing you can’t change is the people in the place with you.”

  “Is it a place like what Austin talks about – or a dream?”

  “I don’t think it’s a place. Austin talks about dimensions like what we live in. They’re only different because of the choices they made as a whole. This is like stepping into a virtual reality.”

  “Is it scary?”

  Aden looked down as he titled his head. “When I follow him, it doesn’t see so grim…but the other day, he let his guard down and I was able to see him for just a split second. When I did, I realized that what I see and what he sees is different. Kinda like how we see in the first place; he’s always seen the nightmares, and I’ve always seen the lost dreams.”

  “Has Madison gone? What does she see?”

  “Yeah…the emotions she feels in that place shift dramatically without warning…it’s hard for her to stay long.”

  “Will it be hard for me?”

  “I don’t know, Charlie. When you were at your best, you saw it all…it might be too much for you.”

  “I can’t get to my best if you shelter me,” I argued, growing more determined to go to this virtual reality at this moment.

  He grinned slightly. “You did really good tonight – seriously. You’re almost there.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled as I looked down at my phone again.

  A new text read: “Call me tomorrow – I know they are watching you now.”

  I shook my head as I read Britain’s text.

  “Have you seen a girl there? A beautiful girl with long, dark hair and angelic blue eyes?”

  Aden’s jaw clenched, and his eyes moved to mine, but he didn’t say a word.

  The wind left my lungs. I had been foolishly hiding in my house, thinking my simple texts would keep her away - but I was an idiot. They were distracting me from what was going on, I wasn’t distracting them. Bianca had her own little world to find my Draven in…she could take him from me, and I’d never know the difference.

  Chapter Seven

  I reached in my pocket and pulled out the black book that Draven had taken from Britain. I looked for Silas’ name amongst what I was sure was Latin, but I couldn’t understand any of what I was reading. I mean, I knew this language from studying it in school, but I would have to focus to call back those forgotten lessons - and right now focusing on any one thought was too much to ask.

  “What’s that?” Aden asked.

  “Nothing,” I said as I tossed it under Madison’s bed. “Its Madison’s. I just found it,” I mumbled. I hated lying, but I didn’t need to add anything to what I was trying to figure out. I started gathering the sketches Madison had across the room. I knew without a doubt that she’d been to that dream world Aden talked about…these images were too dark, darker than the shadows we chase. What was with the Ankh? I remembered her talking about this symbol, wanting a tattoo like it or something - but she hadn’t mentioned it in months
; seems like the idea was still strong in her mind, though.

  Monroe crawled on the floor and started helping me gather them. Aden was going through my phone, reading all of my texts. I didn’t care. I had nothing to hide. Britain really was just a friend to me.

  Aden looked up. “What does he want with Madison?”

  I glanced at him to see his face as white as a ghost. Madison was his and Draven’s cousin, but they always treated her more like a little sister (even though there was only a year between them). No guy had a chance to break her heart with the threat of them around. I remember telling Draven to let her fall in love at least once. He always said that the guys she liked weren’t good enough or wouldn’t understand the way she ‘sees’ or how important what she could do was. You have no idea how many arguments we had on the fact that no one would understand – we didn’t even understand. I think that was one of the reasons Madison was ready to leave with Austin; she thought that in the dimension of Chara, or perhaps another, she wouldn’t have to hide who she was – that she could find someone.

  “I don’t know. According to him, she’s in his dreams.”

  “What?!”

  “Seriously, calm down,” I said as I glanced at Monroe. “You knew this. You saw her dreams a few months back, remember? She’s had really bad dreams – even before all of this happened. Britain is in them, but so is another guy.”

  “I saw the place, not a guy. Is it this Silas guy?” he asked, trying to curb his tone.

  “I don’t think so…she said he had dark eyes.” I looked down at the sketch I was holding and saw the eyes she described. “Like these.”

  Aden took the sketch. “This guy looks dark.”

  “You’re just saying that because she’s dreaming of him. He could be a good guy,” I said, jerking the sketch back from him.

  “Listen…Madison and I don’t have the same privilege that you and Draven have. We have to be careful of who we let in. People would think we were insane if we talked about what we could do - and if you can’t let someone in, then what’s the purpose of being with them?”

  “He’s in her dreams…he’s already in,” I said smugly. It’s not like I wanted Madison to be with Britain; I was just trying to prove my point that she and Aden needed to let their guard down and trust their hearts to find someone – it just wasn’t fair that they didn’t have what me and Draven had.

  “If he’s hurting her, I’ll chase the evil bastard down,” Aden said in harsh whisper. The anger in his eyes reminded me of Draven, and I felt a chill run down my spine…what was happening to us? When did we go from innocent children to people who would boldly chase evil or anything that mocked a threat?

  “No one’s hurting me…I rule my life,” Madison said. I turned to see her walking from the stairway in the room. “Sorry for the mess.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked as I looked at the sketches, then at her.

  “Nothing.” She looked at Aden. “Anyone try to come?”

  He let his eyes tell her no, then waved my phone in front of her. “You have an admirer. What’s going on, Maddie?”

  “I’m not a little girl; don’t call me that,” Madison said as she rolled her eyes.

  “You knew about this?” Aden asked again.

  Madison shrugged her shoulders as she pulled her long, dark hair back into a ponytail and slid out of her shoes. “I only know my dreams. I don’t even know if it’s the same person or not. I think about Britain because of Charlie – you know how dreams work: what’s on your mind shows up there.”

  “Wait,” I said, raising my hands to stop their fight. “What do you mean, has anyone tried to show up? What was Kara talking about – they can come here?”

  As Madison reached for the sketch of the dark eyes in my hand, I swear I saw her emerald green eyes glass over. I was going to have to get her to talk about these dreams, but I knew she wouldn’t do it in front of Aden.

  “Once you see a place, you can go back. Bianca was in this room…she can come back when she wants - and she has reason to now.”

  I assumed Madison meant that Bianca would come back now because I told them I was awake – that their little mind game didn’t work on me a second time. I didn’t feel guilty for finally telling them. I’ve known for a long time that everyone was waiting for me to break this standoff we’d formed over the last few months. I just wished I’d picked a better time to do this – like before Draven was tempted by the dream world.

  “Which means you should be at my house,” Aden said shortly as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms.

  Madison’s captivating eyes shot a deadly look at Aden. “Seven teenagers and two adults in one house would not pan out too well in the long run…if you want her to go – get her dad to agree with you.”

  Fear was consuming every part of me. I felt like I was a sitting duck; cruel memories of the image of Draven appearing in my room - mocking a fierce fight that took my breath away – a fight that almost led to my death. I looked down at the bracelet Monroe had made for me and played with the rock charm.

  “Dad,” I whispered. “Should I move?”

  Within an instant, he appeared at my side. He was solid again. I barely noticed how the lights dimmed slightly as he appeared. His eyes smiled at me as they peered into mine. Words weren’t going to come, so I just listened to what I felt, and what I felt told me that I was safe in his house…that if I went to Draven’s, I wouldn’t be able to help Madison and Monroe - and with each passing second, the desire to do just that was growing.

  “I’m staying in my house,” I said to the others that were watching us. My father nodded, then faded away.

  Aden slowly moved his head from side to side but chose not to push the point again.

  “Tell me how we can do this, go to a place again. When you do that, can the people there see you?” I asked as I tried to grasp how complex seeing had just become.

  Madison sat down next to me and Monroe on the floor and gazed into the dark, mesmerizing eyes on the sketch. “If they’re awake – or I guess you could just say aware – they see you…most don’t. Those that do, doubt themselves - but that isn’t the hard part; the hard part is trusting yourself to move through memories.”

  Aden leaned forward. “She got the hard part right tonight.”

  “What?!” I said, looking back at him.

  “When you messed with Todd and Anna, you saw Todd’s memories through Anna’s memories...you went deep – fast.”

  Madison’s eyes grew wide as a sly smile spread across her face. “What did you do?”

  I winked at her. “Just put Anna in her place, made her see how low cheaters are. Maybe now she’ll stop trying to get Draven to leave me.”

  “Or she’ll try harder. Either way, I bet it was fun to watch.” Madison’s eyes grew wide as if she were in awe. “It didn’t scare you to move into Todd’s memories from hers? You trusted yourself to do that?”

  I thought over the moment that I did that. At the time, it seemed insignificant. “I was trying to see faster, figure out how I used to do it...for all I knew, what I did was normal.”

  Madison and Aden both seemed to become nervous at once, and the tension rose in the room.

  “Not normal?” I asked quietly.

  “No,” Madison mumbled. “At least, it never was before.”

  “But you’re doing it, so it can’t be bad – right?” I asked.

  Aden stared at Madison and waited for her to finally answer me.

  “Um…” Madison tried to smile and look calm – to hide what she really knew from me. Sadly, it was working; I was too confused to focus and try to see her. “We learned the other way: remembering a place we’d seen or had been, then going there. We didn’t figure out how to move through memories until we watched Draven do it,” Madison answered

  “Who taught him?”

  “No one,” Aden said somberly. “He’s stumbling on new aspects to our gift every day. That dream world that he goes to gives him con
fidence – makes him fearless.”

  “And he found this world when he created that song? He found Britian and Bianca there?” I asked.

  Madison threw an angry glare at Aden, who threw up his hands defensively. “She guessed. She’s not an idiot; she just came to an obvious conclusion.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I said in a desperate whisper as I looked at Madison.

  The remorse in my voice caught Monroe’s attention. She looked up at me, then moved closer as if she wanted to comfort me; however, she hesitated and fell back into her unapproachable Goth mode. I was starting to see that the look she had was an act…she was a scared little girl, but she didn’t want anyone else to know that.

  Madison looked down at her sketch again. “I didn’t want you to worry about it…Draven doesn’t go there for her – he goes there to end whatever this is, to find peace for us. Every time I’ve followed him there, the most powerful emotion he has is the love he has for you. He uses it as a weapon.”

  “I’m going there – now. Show me,” I said as I raised up on my knees.

  “No,” Madison said, pulling me down. “Just wait. If you get Draven to show you how, it’ll be easier. We had to watch him for days for him to slip and let us see him. He’ll let you in.”

  “Did he not want you there? How does that song have anything to do with it?”

  “He just didn’t understand it…he thought he was going mad at first,” Aden explained.

  “But he didn’t bother to tell me that. What makes you think he’ll show me how to go there? Why do you think he’ll let me in?” I argued as I stood and prepared to make them show me.

  All of them seemed to grow tense at once, then I heard, “Because I love you.”

  My heart began to hammer in my chest, and my skin flushed. I turned to see Draven at the top of the stairs. “Because I’m you...you’re me…we are one,” he said as his somber eyes carefully moved over my face.

  I slowly walked to him, holding his gaze. I tried to see him, but the only thing he was showing me was how much he loved me, all of the moments we were alone together. He reached his arms for me as he stepped forward, and I let myself fall into his embrace and reached to pull his shoulders down to me.