“Never,” I said, hugging him again.
Chrispin called him over to Brady and
Landen; I could see a football game starting. “Be careful,” I
warned Dane as he walked away. He looked back at me like I was
crazy. I looked over to Landen.
“
I’m not going to show them yet. I’ll be
out here all night if I did,”
Landen thought.
I laughed and walked over to Olivia and
Clarissa. “Hey, did you guys have fun?” I asked, meeting them in
the field.
Olivia’s Aura was a deep violet purple. I
was almost sure she had dreamed again.
“Yeah. It would have been better if you were
there, though; we could have stayed longer,” Clarissa said, looping
her arm around me as we walked back to my house.
“Landen said that we should go there for a
few months when this Mercury thing is over,” I promised. “Why
didn’t you guys stay longer?”
“We’re just trying to stay close to you
guys. Hey, we’re going to New York tomorrow. Do you guys want to
come?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah. I mean, I don’t see what it would
hurt,” I said, hoping there wouldn’t be another late night
discussion that would take me somewhere else. We sat on the steps
and watched the guys play an aggressive game of football. It gave
me peace to see Landen carefree, without any worries.
“So, what did you guys learn?” Clarissa
asked me.
“Just more about energy,” I replied. I
looked at Olivia and asked, “How did you sleep last night?”
Clarissa didn’t seem surprised by my
question; I was sure Olivia had told her by now, and it was the
reason they were staying close to me and Landen.
“Good. Same old dream, nothing new,” Olivia
said, trying to sound positive.
We unloaded my refrigerator and heated up
dinner for everyone. Amazingly, after dinner was over and everyone
left, no one called or came over. Landen and I had a quiet night
all to ourselves.
Landen climbed into bed next to me. We lay
on our sides, facing one another as we always did before we closed
our eyes. I let my eyes trace over all the colors of his Aura; even
in our dark room, I could still make out the white line that
encased us and the blue that surrounded the outer edge of him. I
looked in his eyes; the blue seemed to go liquid in the reflection.
He smiled softly at me. I raised my fingers to trace the dimples on
his face next his eyes; they were my favorite feature.
“
Tonight, let’s stay here first,
” he
thought softly. As my eyes questioned his thoughts, he leaned
forward and kissed my lips softly.
“I just want to try
something,”
he finished. He then laid his head back down on his
pillow, and we stared at each other until our eyes felt so heavy
that they began to close slowly.
Chapter Seven
When we opened our eyes, we were standing at
the foot of our bed. I slowly looked up to see Landen. Staring at
each other, we gradually knelt down on the large rug that centered
our room. Even in this state, our Auras followed us. I could feel
how nervous and uncertain Landen was. He silently rose his hands.
Staring into his eyes, I placed my hands flat against his. I could
see my body sigh as my soul felt his energy. Slowly, our hands fell
inside one another; as they did, a warm blissful sensation rushed
through me. Lying in our bed, our bodies gasped, then pulled closer
to one another. The feeling rushing through my soul couldn’t be
compared to any sensation I’d ever felt before - even Drake’s touch
was shallow in comparison - and it intensified as I felt the impact
that I was making on Landen’s soul.
Landen moved one of his hands from mine,
then slowly reached for my chest – which was where my heart would
be if I were in my body. His hand passed through the surface. I
then reached for his chest, and the color around us shifted to a
beautiful red. The rush of energy intensified, taking us past any
high that we’d ever experienced before - together or apart. It was
like living in the peak of adrenaline, a numbing feeling that made
you forget that you were human, exhausting and exalting all at
once. Growing addicted to the rush, I raised my other hand and
moved it through him. He moved closer, pulling us together - and
now we were truly one. Both of us relished into a complete state of
bliss...I could stay this way for all of eternity.
The glow of red, as well as the rush of
energy, sustained themselves well through day break. The only
things that brought us back were the sounds of our front door
opening and footsteps in our entry hall. We flashed into our
bodies, gasping to catch our breath as the energy left us; it had
submerged us for so long that we had to focus for a moment before
we could use our gifts to see that it was Marc.
“Landen, Willow, I brought lunch. Where are
you?” Marc yelled through the house.
I looked at Landen, “Lunch?” I said,
blushing a little.
He exhaled a deep breath he’d been holding,
then laughed to himself before he reached over and kissed me. Even
though we were awake, I still felt a hum of energy on his lips. He
pushed away and walked to the door. Before he closed it he yelled,
“Just a minute,” to Marc.
Within fifteen minutes, we’d both showered
and were walking down the steps. Marc was in the kitchen, sitting
at the table and finishing his sandwich. When he looked up and saw
our wet hair, we could feel his confusion. He raised his eyebrows
and said, “Late night?”
I blushed before going to the cabinet to get
a glass.
“What are you up to today?” Landen asked him
as he pulled a chair out and took a seat next to Marc.
“Nothing. Really, I was looking for Preston;
I figured he’d be around you two,” Marc answered with a tinge of
jealousy in his voice.
“Looks like you were wrong,” Landen said,
nodding his head in the direction of the window. I followed his
eyes as I took a seat at the table next to him. Marc turned his
head to see Preston and Libby topping the hill, coming from the
direction of Marc’s house. “He’s looking for you,” Landen said to
Marc, reading Preston’s intent.
Pride and excitement came through Marc as he
watched them start to run toward our house. A minute later, the two
of them crashed in the back door. Preston ran to Marc, pushing
himself in his lap. Libby hugged me, then ran to Landen and pulled
herself up on his lap.
“What’s all the excitement about, little
man?” Marc asked Preston, rubbing his long hair.
Preston shrugged his shoulders.“We just
wanted to say goodbye before you left,” he answered, still catching
his breath.
“I’m not going anywhere. I need a bit of a
break,” Marc said, squinting his eyes, making it seem more dramatic
for Preston’s sake.
Preston looked across the table at Libby,
and they both smiled. That exchange always warned Landen and me
that they were either up to something or knew something. We passed
a weary look and waited for it to come.
“Yes, you are,” Preston said
“Yeah, it’s your turn,” Libby said.
And there it was. Landen and I leaned
forward, hoping that if they asked Marc to look for his soulmate,
he just might give in.
“My turn for what?” Marc asked, oblivious to
what they were saying.
“She’s waiting,” Preston said.
“Yeah, she thinks you forgot her, and she’s
really scared,” Libby said.
“Who’s scared?” Marc asked, concern filling
his voice.
“The one,” Preston said in a whisper.
Marc looked sternly at Landen. “Did you two
put them up to this?” he asked, trying to mask his frustration.
Landen raised his hands, letting Marc know
we had no part in this.
“Marc, we’ll help you. It’ll be so easy for
us now,” I said, feeling that he was finally considering it.
Libby and Preston shook their heads no.
“Marc has to find her,” Libby said.
“He doesn’t need you yet,” Preston
added.
Marc sighed and closed his eyes. “Will you
tell me where she is? Who she is?” he asked.
When he didn’t hear an answer, he opened his
eyes and looked at Preston. The tension filling the room was
undeniable. I stood and started to clear the table from lunch.
Marc’s eyes raced back in forth. He snapped out of the trance he
was in and looked down at Preston. “What do you mean she’s scared?
Is she hurt?”
Preston didn’t answer, and panic started to
fill Marc’s body. We were all grateful for the insight they gave
us, but it never seemed to be enough. Marc sat Preston down, then
stood and shifted his weight back and forth.
“I tell you what, let me call Chrispin;
he’ll go with you. I bet Dane would go, too. He wants to learn,”
Landen said, trying to dodge through Marc’s emotions and
intent.
Marc shook his head no. “I’m going
alone.”
“At least tell me where you’re going so we
can find you if you’re gone to long,” Landen pleaded.
“I don’t know...look, I’m going to get my
bag and say goodbye to everyone. This is good. How many days do I
have before that Mercury thing?”
“That doesn’t matter. We’ll be fine; you
need to take care of you first,” Landen answered.
“I’ll come home before it orbits,” Marc
said. Then he reached down and hugged Preston.“You be a good boy
while I’m gone – promise?”
Preston nodded.
Landen and I said our goodbyes to Marc and
watched him leave. A sense of relief came over us; we were more
than sure that he would find her, whoever she was. Libby and
Preston were sitting at the table quietly, watching us.
“Do you guys want to go to New York with us
today?” Landen asked.
Libby smiled widely. “We have to go
somewhere else first,” she said as excitement rushed through
her.
“And where is that?” I asked.
Libby looked out the window. I followed her
stare and saw Marc telling August, Ashten, and my father goodbye in
the distance. “August will tell you,” she answered, covering her
mouth to try and hide her smile.
I let my shoulders droop, feeling the dread
of having to cancel on Olivia again. I’d been the worst friend
since all this had happened.
Landen felt my dread and said, “I’ll call
them. They understand.”
“They already know,” Libby said, looking up
at me.
“Yeah, they left already,” Preston
added.
“We get to stay all night there,” Libby
said.
At this point, confusion was the only
expression that Landen and I could call forth.
“Maybe we
shouldn’t sleep late anymore – look how much we missed,”
I
thought.
Landen laughed and kissed the top of my
head.
“I don’t care what we missed. It all seemed to work out.
If fact, I think we should sleep in more often,”
he thought in
a teasing manner before he left the room to get our travel bag.
“Libby, baby, can you at least tell me what dimension so I know
what currency to bring?” Landen shouted in the direction of the
kitchen.
Libby giggled. “You don’t need any, silly,”
she yelled back. I felt Landen’s stunned emotion. He quietly walked
back in the kitchen with our bag and sat it on the table, then
stared at Libby and Preston in disbelief.
“
What is it?”
I asked.
“
There’s only one dimension beyond our
own that doesn’t have currency,”
he answered.
“
Which one – Esterious?”
I thought,
panicking a little.
“
Well, two dimensions. I think they’re
taking us to the farthest dimension; it’s more beautiful and
peaceful than this one.”
“
How is that possible?”
“
It’s...very unique...if we ever take
someone there when we pass through the opening of the string, the
soulmate is always waiting ready to leave. I’ve only been all the
way in once – when I was six.”
“
Your dad took you?”
“
No...Livingston took me. He asked me not
tell anyone that I’d been there. I’d forgotten about it until
now.”
“
Is this bad?”
“
I don’t think so...I’d think that they’d
be able to help us understand the Auras even more. They’re very
spiritual people.”
“
Do you think they’ll let us in?”
Landen looked down at the kids, then to the
window to see the others walking closer to us. “They must think
so,” he muttered. I pushed my feet into my sandals by the back
door. Preston and Libby pushed in their chairs. Preston walked over
and took my hand, and Libby took Landen’s, then we walked outside
and waited for the others to get closer; the yellow and green
shades that surrounded them were so beautiful.
August smiled widely when he saw us outside
with our travel bag in hand. “I suppose they’ve already told you,”
he said, stopping in front of us.
“Are we going to see Pelhan?” Landen asked.
August nodded. “How do you know they’ll let us pass all the way
through?” Landen asked.
“Yesterday, Pelhan himself was at the gate,
and he told me to tell you that ‘He’s been expecting you any day
now,’” August answered.
Landen looked down, then over to me; he was
nervous and trying to hide it. “Let’s get going then,” he said,
walking in the direction of the opening of the string.
I looked at my father; he was full of pride
and excitement. He winked at me and wrapped his arm around my
shoulder as we fell in behind Landen and the others.“Your mother
said she wants detailed paintings of this dimension when we get
back,” he said to me.
“I don’t see how it can be more beautiful
than here,” I whispered, looking forward at Landen.
Ashten and August were flanking him,
whispering encouragement. His emotions were swarming out of
control, building into a growing fear for our fate.
“I’ve never been past the gate, but it’s
more beautiful than any dream you could ever have,” my father said,
squeezing me closer.
I thought about the place to which Landen
and I had gone, and I had my doubts. Once inside the string, Landen
reached his arm back for me to come to his side. He glanced down at
my tattoo, then in my eyes, and tried to smile. My father picked up
Libby, and Ashten carried Preston. August took the lead.