Out of nowhere, a rush of vigorous vim came through the room. I glanced to all of them then finally settled my stare on Libby.
A second later, Libby shot up from the couch and ran up the stairs.
Mom walked over to the stairs and yelled Libby’s name. When she didn’t answer, my mom started to go up the stairs at the same time Libby was coming down them. She had taken off her bathing suit and put on her favorite little pink sundress and sandals, and she was holding the rabbit that she’d slept with her whole life. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she screamed, “Come on, Willow, it’s time to go to Landen’s castle!”
“Libby, do you see them?” I said, feeling life seeping into me.
“Come on, Willow,” she said, holding me by the hand and pulling me to the door.
I wasn’t going to ask any more questions. I followed Libby out the door and down the steps. I could feel the confusion coming from everyone behind me. I didn’t care, though; Libby had to have seen something.
My eyes were weak, my whole body was. I wanted to run faster, but I didn’t have the strength.
I felt him.
“Landen? Landen, are you here?”
He didn’t answer.
I closed my eyes and fell to my knees, but before I could fall any further, I felt his hands on my face. When I opened my eyes and saw him, a lazy smile came to my face. The pain was going away. Sweet relief was humming through the shredded paths inside my body
“I know... I know it hurt, but it’s over now.
My body fell limp. I was drifting away.
Landen yelled behind him, “Jason, something’s wrong with Willow!”
“Willow, speak to me.” I wanted to, but I couldn’t.
“She’s fine,” Dad said. “Get her home; you’re the medicine.”
“Can you carry her?” I heard Ashten say.
“Brady, get Libby,” Landen said.
“Willow, baby, hold on. I’ll carry you home.”
I fell into a deep sleep, dreamless at first.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a canopy above me.
I’d made it to my home again.
When I reached next to me, Landen wasn’t there, but I could feel him just outside the doorway that led to the porch. I felt his turmoil.
Rising from the bed, I noticed that I was wearing a white nightgown that barely reached my thighs. The straps were a beautiful lace. It looked like nothing that I’d ever owned. I loved the way it felt against my skin.
Where had I fallen asleep? Where did this come from? The thoughts were dangerous; at least they were if I wanted to stay asleep. I’d learned never to question a dream, to float on its current and work out all the whys later.
I ambled toward where Landen was, feeling the pain in my sore muscles with each step. I had to be in severe agony in my waking life for it to follow me to the dream state.
No, there was no way I wanted to wake up yet. I needed to heal.
Landen was gazing out at the crescent moon. His arms were spread wide across the banister. The gleam from the night sky highlighted every lean muscle in his back.
The sight of him rushed my heart.
A white bandage wrapped around his arm and another was on his shoulder. Once at his side, I wrapped my arms around him.
Relief filled him.
He felt so real, more real than he had in any dream I’d ever had before. He kissed my hands softly before slowly turning around. When I saw his eyes, I could see how troubled and tired they were. I reached up and ran my fingers over them. He drew my chin up and kissed me tenderly as his hands moved down my sides, and mine eased up his chest.
Each temperate movement of his hands across my gown left me breathless.
His kiss gained power. His long arms reached down and grasped my legs, lifting me so that I fell perfectly around him.
The closer I was to him the less I hurt, the less I felt like I had a care in the world. I was weightless, eternal, part of everything.
A heartbeat later he carried me through the doors to our bed. His hunting blue eyes slowly traveled over every inch of me as he carefully laid me down.
I reached for his face wanting to feel his lips against mine.
An insane tingling sensation encased my soul as when he leaned forward and stared at me just before our lips touched. Kiss by kiss, touch by touch I realized we were not new lovers. We were old lovers welcoming the other home after a long absence.
When he moved into me, a euphoric high came over. I found myself losing my breath—the sound my heart thrashing in my chest deafening. I couldn’t believe how real it all seemed to be.
He whispered, “I love you,” just beneath my ear.
No, this wasn’t a dream.
It was real.
We were home.
We were together, both embracing this sacred, breathless first.
Chapter Nine
“Aries are strong and determined. They are ambitious, assertive, driven, impulsive and loyal and they can achieve whatever they put their mind to.” Thought Catalog
Sunlight filling the room brought me out of a deep sleep. I glanced to my side and saw Landen sleeping soundly. I watched his chest rise and fall, assuring myself that he was real. Smiling, I let my memory flow over the night that we’d shared, but then the day that we’d lived before came crashing through my thoughts.
I had questions.
Is everyone safe now?
Is Drake only a bad memory?
What now?
He looked too serene to wake. I decided to get up and explore. There was a long dresser on the opposite wall of our bed. I saw the bag that I’d packed in Franklin sitting on top of it.
My photo album was open to the picture of graduation night. Monica was the valedictorian, and Olivia and I were kissing her cheeks as she smiled widely. An uneasy feeling waved over me. I wanted them all to be safe and wished only for a moment that they’d never known my darkness or me.
With my purple top, white shorts, and all my toiletries, I found my way to the master bath.
When I was ready for the day, I tiptoed past Landen’s sleeping body and went down the stairs. The house was even more perfect in reality, not a single stitch of uniformity.
I searched for the willow tree first. Rainbows danced across the walls as the sun touched the crystals. While I was standing star struck, I heard something. It sounded like a car door closing.
Odd…cars.
I peeked out the front window and saw a little white car, just like the ones we had at home. The only difference was that the top of the car had a gray panel. Someone was pulling things out of the back seat. She was young, her hair was long and blonde—almost white—and her skin was the color of honey. I walked to the front door and opened it a bit shyly. She turned as I stepped on the front porch, a smile filling her beautiful face. I assumed she was Felicity, Brady’s soul mate. The massive baby bump gave it away.
“Did I wake you?” she said.
“I was exploring...”
She had reached the porch wither her large basket, and I could smell the baked goods coming from it. My stomach adamantly reminded me that my last meal had been breakfast yesterday.
“I’m Felicity.”
“Willow,” I said under my breath.
I felt like a fool. “Here, let me take that,” I said.
“Is Landen still asleep?” she asked.
I nodded and watched her walk into the house. A bit confused, I followed her through the entry hall to the kitchen.
“This is my favorite room. It was the only one I got to help with,” Felicity said over her shoulder.
The kitchen was one of the rooms I hadn’t been in yet, but I found it perfect, just like the others. The counters were made of a beautiful gray stone, the cabinets were a dark wood that matched the table and chairs, and there were beautiful bouquets of flowers set in the center of the table and counter. The room was huge. It had a long window across one wall and a wide doorway on the back wall
that led to the porch. She walked over to the cupboard and pulled out two glasses and plates. I sat down at the large kitchen table and just watched her. She had a beautiful glow about her.
“I don’t remember anything. Is my family okay? Do you know where they are?” I asked.
“Their house is just over that hill,” she said, looking out the back door. “Libby is the best. I played with her for hours after you all came home. I love her vibe. I’m sure they’re still asleep. It was well into the night before they went home. Brady was sleeping like a baby when I left.”
“Do you live close, too?”
“We all live within a mile of each other. It’s still very private, though. The hills give each home solitude.”
She felt so safe, comfortable. It was reassuring. I knew she had come from another dimension, left her family behind and started a new life. The lack of fear and stress inside her promised me I had a shot at finding the same.
“Is it as amazing as I think it is here? I mean, how does it all work—its ah, it's not so...happy, at least all the time, where I come from.”
Felicity laughed. “What I love about here is that each person does what they’re meant to do. Everyone has a purpose threaded into their soul. In this world, it's a priority to discover what yours is. I think that helps with the ‘happy.’”
“What do you mean? Everyone has insight?”
She swayed her head. “I mean we all have a purpose, something inside us intended to bring not only personal joy but also those who surround us. We are here to make it better than we found it. You can see it in everyone if you look, it’s almost as beautiful as love.”
“I can’t imagine that’s easy.” I was sure if it were my world would have the same philosophy. It didn’t make sense for us or anyone to want to live a life without purpose—without a fire burning inside driving us to see what others can’t.
“It's not hard, not really. Well, okay, Libby is six,” Felicity said. What they’ll do is look at her birth chart and find her characteristics, teach her math, science, everything in the way she learns best. Brady’s sun sign was Aquarius, but he has several other planets there too. Aquarius’s hear differently—they hear the sound, not the words. With Brady, every subject related back to music. He’s not a musician, but being confident enough to learn and explore helped him find that traveling wasn’t just in his blood it was in his soul. Loving to learn and explore is the first step to looking inside yourself. It can be scary in there, even for kids.” She pursed her lips. “It is the last place most explore.”
The most I’d ever done as far as the Zodiac was concerned to look at my horoscope, which was always wrong. To think that an education system balanced on the stars in the sky seemed insane to me, then again, I still didn’t understand what a birth chart was or how it could hold any answers.
“What?” She asked when she read the debated in my stare. “How do they do it in your dimension?”
“We all just go to school and learn the same subjects.” I lifted a shoulder. “Some of us are pushed by our parents down a path they know.”
“What dimension did you come from again?” Felicity asked, raising one brow.
“Um…Infante,” I said, hoping I’d remembered the name correctly.
She nodded as if my thought process matched my home dimension. “I still find it intriguing to meet the people they bring back. You would not believe how differently we come to conclusions on the way life should be lived.”
When I glanced to her stomach, to the innocent vibe there, Felicity landed her hand right where I felt it the strongest. “Traveling is a dominant purpose in our family. They are vital to Chara; they guide us. If they see something in another dimension that has brought harm to the people, they guide us away from that tragedy. If they see something that has brought peace and bliss to a dimension, they teach us so we can grow more peaceful. Traveling is one of the most extraordinary gifts. Without travel, our children would never find the love that we have.”
“Everyone in this family travels?”
Felicity nodded. “So far. We’re known throughout Chara,” she said. “Landen is the youngest and most admired traveler of all.”
I raised my brows to question her.
“Landen’s insight of truth is not what he is known for, he is known across Chara as ‘the one who can see all,'” she explained.
Mystified I slanted my head in thought. Perodine told me in my dream that ‘the one who sees...,’. Did she mean the string?
One problem at a time, Willow...
“Do you know what happened before we got here? Did Landen find them?”
Her smile lessened. “I think Landen wants to talk to you about it.” She sighed, “I felt sorry for him. He was worried about you. Jason must have told him a hundred times that you just needed to rest.”
She reached for my hand. “I’m so happy for you two. I knew Landen would find you. When Brady told me the names of your family, all I could think about was that music box on the mantel.” Letting go of me, she said. “Everyone is coming to your celebration.”
“Mine? What about Dane? Isn’t this fast? We got some things to take care of and stuff.”
Was I fumbling my words? Yep. I didn’t like parties. I loathed them. The ones I feared had a spotlight aimed to find me.
“The news has spread across Chara. Jason Haywood home, at last, Clarissa’s soul mate being able to see the string, and, of course, the youngest couple—the ones who need no words!”
Nope, I needed to run from this topic before I had an all-out panic attack.
“Which dimension did you come from?” I asked.
“Neime. Just next door, so to speak.”
“Is Neime a good one?”
“Yeah. I think Neime is the smallest. The biggest difference is time. I didn’t know what it was until I came here.”
She shrugged when she saw how baffled I was. “We do not mark hours or days or even years. It’s a good place for Gemini signs.” She glanced to her basket then to me. “I need to go. I want to help Aubrey get ready for tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“It’s just going to be family and close friends,” she promised. “This whole week will be filled with celebrations. People are coming from everywhere,” she said, walking softly toward the front room, beckoning me to follow her.
When we reached the porch, she said, “I have some clothes for you. I wanted you to have something nice to wear. I remember how I felt when I got here, not having more than a satchel of things from my world.”
I followed her to the car, and she handed me a handful of clothes. They were all dresses; some long, others short, and the colors were vibrant and balanced all at the same time.
“I made these, so if they are too big, I can take them in for you.”
“You made these?”
Her grin was proud. “It's my thing. I’ll stop back by before the party and make sure they fit you well. See ya when the sun goes down.”
I found the way she kept time very comforting I gave her a slight nod then watched her leave.
When I walked back in the house, I found Landen standing at the bottom of the stairs. I could tell he had been up for awhile; his hair was wet from where he had showered and dressed for the day, all in black again.
I shyly smiled at him. I couldn’t believe this was real. I was home.
Then the distance between us seemed too far, so I let the dresses fall and ran into his arms. He laughed out loud at my unconventional enthusiasm.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked against my neck before he kissed the tender skin there.
“No way, you looked too happy.”
I glanced at his arm to make sure he’d dressed his wound again. My eyes widened as I stared at his unbroken skin.
“How?” I thought.
“I don’t know. It was healed when I woke up. My shoulder is healed too,” Landen said, pulling his shirt up to show me.
It was like it had never happen
ed, but both of his burns had been severe enough to cause scarring. I kissed his shoulder softly before I lowered his shirt. He turned and stared at me with utter devotion.
I felt like a mystical lore character all over again.
“You healed me,” he whispered as he put his hands around my waist.
“I’m weird, but not that strange.”
“Do you hurt,” he asked leaning his forehead to mine.
I didn’t. Not one single sore muscle.
“We’re both weird,” I said only halfway teasing. I was scared. Scared that I was changing too fast. I was becoming someone new. I didn’t’ even know who the old me was.
“Don’t let it scare you. Don’t let anyone scare you,” Landen said holding me a little tighter. “We’re in this together.”
I pulled him closer and laid my head on his chest, hearing his heart racing, too.
When his heart had settled into a rhythmic beat and we a second to take in the latest revelation, he said. “I see you met Felicity. She wanted you to wake up just as badly as I did last night. I was surprised that Brady got her to go home,” he said in an amused tone as his hands slowly glided down my back.
I let my arms fall from around him, then picked up the dresses I’d let fall to the floor and draped them across the banister.
“She brought some food. Are you hungry?”
Landen's eyes brightened up. I smiled and pulled him into the kitchen. After a bit of hunting with only a nudge here and there from Landen, I found all I needed to plate breakfast.
“What?” I asked, glancing up at him as he helped.
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“You just look…you look like you belong here. I just can’t believe it—that you’re here,” he answered shyly.
We fell into an odd silence. I had questions; Landen had things he needed to tell me, but neither one of us were ready. It was like we knew any breath we could take we needed to savor it.
After breakfast, we moved out to the back porch.
Large white windmills scattered across the fields. I could see the wind turning them. Long benches, padded chairs, planters, all made up a cozy, clean setting. We settled on the biggest bench against the house.