They stood with us. The boxer came to Madison, begging her to pet her. She eagerly complied.
“Will do,” Wesley said.
Erica led us to the door. As she opened it, she smiled at me. “I can’t wait for tomorrow. I bet that’s going to be the concert of the year. Happy early birthday.”
“Thanks,” I said as the anxiety of what that concert or my birthday may bring.
When I got in my car, I reached for my phone. I had seven missed texts; all but one was from Draven. I’d caused him to worry about me again. He had said he thought the tattoo was awesome – that he would have been there if he knew. When I didn’t respond, he became worried and started asking me where I was.
I texted him back: ‘Sorry for the delay – I was looking for Austin – he should be on his way here soon.’
The other text was from Aden. It simply read: ‘when and where’. I answered him back: ‘your house we need drums –how about now?’
Just as I hit send, Draven responded: ‘Is he here?’
I answered: ‘no I used that seeing trick you taught me and went to Chara myself - long story. I’m going to your house to work on a sound with Aden.’
Aden had already responded: ‘on my way’ at the same time that Draven texted: ‘almost done – I’ll bring dinner to you guys.’
I looked to my side at Madison. She was reading the text on her phone and blushing slightly. I thought about everything I saw in that dark dimension and wanted to talk to her about it, but something told me Preston had distracted her on purpose, like he knew she wasn’t ready to see that world. I didn’t understand why. I assumed it was because she wasn’t used to seeing the darkness I saw. I mean, she saw shadows, but I was able to see the darkest, cruelest moments; she only shifted through emotions when she helped them.
“Who are you blushing at?” I asked as I turned around in the street and made my way toward Draven’s.
“Britain,” she answered quietly. “He wants to see me. Can you take me to my car?”
A ghostly grin echoed in my bemused expression, knowing that if she’d said that a few days ago, I would have been outraged – even terrified – by her request; now, it seemed like a relief. She was happy and he was safe - that was a win for me.
“Bianca isn’t there – right?” I asked.
“No. He kicked her out months ago; she’s not allowed there. In fact, before a few days ago, she hadn’t shown her face around here.”
I gritted my teeth, remembering when I’d seen her in town with him: the morning I figured out Evan was back. To me, they looked like old friends having breakfast. I guess I was starting to figure out that things weren’t always what they seemed.
As we drove toward my house, I couldn’t help thinking of that young King that Preston had shown me. I wondered if he was OK, if what I saw on the balcony had happened before or after the night of the blue moon.
“Madison,” I said quietly. “A few months back, you had a really bad night – the worst I’ve know you to have. The blue moon – you remember that?”
The happiness that Britain’s text had caused faded instantly as she nodded.
“Why was it bad for you?” I asked.
“I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Do you just wanna show me? I can pull over.”
“No,” she said shortly. “No offense, but I’m not ready to share my dreams; they’re too personal.”
“I get that. I’m just trying to understand.”
“Just imagine…just imagine seeing something horrible happening to Draven…,” she said quietly.
“Did something happen to the one you dream about?” I asked, knowing that Britain was fine.
“Yeah, but he’s OK now…I still feel him.”
“Feel him, like, around you?” I asked, knowing that that wasn’t farfetched; I could feel Silas around me, even though I couldn’t see him.
“No…I just know his heart still beats.”
“How?” I asked gently trying not to pry.
“Because my heart is still beating,” she answered as she gazed out the window.
I let the subject drop; I didn’t want to upset her. There were so many things going on at once, I didn’t want to make anything worse. Britain was making her happy; even if that was only temporary, it was worth it…yet, deep down I knew there was a connection between her and what I’d seen; there was something I was missing. I hated that feeling, but I knew it would pass soon. I just had to make sure Draven was safe, then I could figure out how to help Madison. Hopefully, by then she’d be ready to let me do just that.
When we reached my house, all the lights were off and Kara’s car was gone. I knew Monroe wouldn’t be in there alone. When Madison got out, I thought about texting Kara to make sure Monroe was OK, but I held back. I needed to get this sound down, to make sure Aden understood it enough to help Draven.
“Call me if you need me,” Madison said before she closed the passenger door. I waited for her to get in her car and turn it on before I pulled forward.
As I drove to Aden’s and Draven’s house, I focused on the sound that my father had shown me. I beat my hands against the steering wheel as I remembered the riff I’d written. Even though this song was still in pieces, I could feel the power behind it - which made me feel stronger.
Aden pulled in his driveway right behind me. His house was dark, too. I got out of my car and followed him into the garage
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
He smiled, revealing his dimples, the only trait that was different from Draven. “At the school,” he answered as he unlocked the door. “I wouldn’t call it a school anymore, though; it would blow your mind what they managed to do.”
“It was impressive last night,” I said as I followed him up the stairs to their studio.
“Dad spared no expense with the lighting and sound equipment. They’ll be there all night setting up. I’m excited for all the indie bands; they’ve never been on a stage like this.”
“Have you?” I asked when we reached his studio.
“Only in my dreams. The irony is that Dad had never wanted us to play on a stage that big because he thought it would attract too much attention – too many shadows...now, that’s our one goal: to bring them back.”
I walked over to one of Draven’s guitars; his favorite ones, the ones I knew how to play well, were all gone. I assumed they were at the school. “We wanted them to leave – the right way,” I said quietly as an undeniable fear for all of the dammed - both dead and alive - hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Right,” he said as he looked over me carefully. “Where were you today?” he asked as he came to my side and inspected my new tattoo. “How did you heal so fast?”
“Shhh,” I said as I pulled my hand back to me. “I have to show you this before I forget. Did Draven show you what he’d come up with? Or is he keeping it to himself?”
“He showed us all. He’s playing it tomorrow.”
“What do Winston and Grayson play?” I asked, knowing that Draven and Aden were both very versatile on stage.
“Grayson’s lead, Winston is base, Draven rhythm, and myself – DRUMS.”
“Draven is playing rhythm – and singing – something this complicated?” I asked.
Aden nodded. “He wants us to have control over the sound. He would trust Grayson with his life; Winston, he has his doubts.”
“Not a fan myself,” I mumbled as I began to play the riff I’d worked out.
“He’s alright; he just hasn’t fully committed to walking a straight line. He’s enticed by that realm.”
“Is Draven?” I asked as I stopped playing.
Aden’s eyes slowly moved across my concerned expression. “You’re the only thing that entices him…even music is shallow in comparison.”
I nodded as I began to play again. Aden rocked his head to the sound I was creating. When I finished, he smiled. “We worked on that today. He blows my mind sometimes, how well he remembered you playing that.”
I grinned as I anxiously put the guitar down and went to his drum set. I picked up the sticks and stared down and the monster of an instrument in front of me. “Oh wow, this is gonna sound bad. Where’s your acoustic?” I asked.
Aden walked around the drum set and took his sticks from my hand. “Charlie, just show me,” he said as he trapped my gaze.
“How can I show you that sound and nothing else?” I asked timidly.
“What are you trying to hide?” he asked as he furrowed his eyebrows.
“Nothing. Look, there’s a lot going on in my head right now, more than I can explain if you ever saw it. I need you right here,” I said, pointing to the drums. “I need you to have your brother’s back – my back.”
He let out a deep breath. “K. I trust you. Just remember the moment you thought of it – nothing else.”
I stared into his haunting green eyes and thought of the moment I’d returned from seeing my mom. I remembered the message in the rocks, the sound of the guitar and drums as they rose in mid-air, divided, then joined again. Then I closed my thoughts off to him. I didn’t want him to see Silas, Esterious, or anything else that was plaguing me.
“Wow…your dad was intense today.”
“Right,” I said as I let my shoulders fall.
“What were those rocks?” he asked.
“It’s a lamp Monroe gave me. It, like, puts off energy or something. He broke it, then fixed it.”
“The answers are all around you,” he repeated what he’d seen in the rocks.
“Aden,” I said as I pushed his shoulder. “Focus. Did you hear the drums?”
He reached for my shoulders and moved me out of his way as he took a seat. “Just so you know, what we were practicing wasn’t even close to this; you just changed the entire backbone to this song.”
“Is there enough time? Can you make it work before tomorrow?”
He didn’t answer; instead, he started to hash out the rhythm he’d just heard in my thoughts. I stepped out of his way and watched him completely master the beat within a matter of minutes. I picked up Draven’s guitar and began to play my riff. We were in the middle of our third attempt to play it when Grayson walked in the room. He moved his head with the sound as he walked over to the stand and took control of another guitar. He began to play the lead - a sound I hadn’t heard but was completely in love with - as I heard it swim around the room. Just before we began to play it again, Winston came in and retrieved a guitar. He then sat down next to me and began to play the base. The four of us played through the song two more times, but it was still missing something – the core of the rhythm.
“That’s gonna sound awesome when we have our vocalist and rhythm,” Grayson said as he grinned widely at Aden.
“You guys have lyrics – solid lyrics?” I asked.
“We do,” Winston said, elbowing me. “Fallen angel.”
I blushed slightly. “One more time,” I said as I began to play.
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine Draven’ hypnotic voice singing the lyrics I’d texted him earlier. When we were done, I heard clapping and opened my eyes to see Evan and Draven standing in the doorway. Evan was the one clapping; Draven was staring at me with undeniable devotion. As he slowly walked across the room to my side, everyone else vanished; it was as if we were the only ones in the universe. He reached his hand out to help me stand. As I took it, he pulled my wrist to his lips, and I felt the tingle his skin always provided. My heart was racing, and my head was spinning.
He leaned his forehead to mine and whispered, “Eternal life would be pointless without you at my side.”
I knew the symbol that was now permanently a part of me stood for that notion – eternal life. “Agreed,” I whispered before I stood on my tiptoes and stole an innocent kiss.
“Yuck. You’re a freaking rock star – no mush,” Winston said, pulling me out of the illusion of solitude.
Holding my stare, Draven ignored him, but the others threw random things at him.
“That’s enough, guys,” Evan said. “Come on; food’s downstairs.”
While the others left, Draven and I stayed, staring at each other. “What happened today?” he asked.
I looked down. “I saw a dimension...I saw a world full of the dammed.”
“Show me,” he whispered.
I looked up into his eyes and let my day play out for him. I showed him Wesley, Chara, Preston, and finally Esterious – the face of that young King. Then I closed my thoughts to him.
“A world full of the living dammed...” he mumbled as his eyes moved across my worried expression. I could tell he was starting to piece something together that was still escaping me. “They thought Madison was Willow?” he said in a concerned tone.
“Yeah – and she was really freaked out.”
“I would be, too,” he said as he reached to cradle my face. “Looks like Landen is fighting for the living damned and we’re fighting for dead that are dammed – just like you predicted.”
It took me a moment to recall what he meant. I had this feeling, this strange feeling that we were only half of the story the night of my accident. I don’t know where that thought or idea came from, and the fact that Draven had pulled all of it together in an instant made my heart race.
“We’re still fighting for the dammed – together, right?” I asked, knowing when I said that that I had no idea how badly our fate would twist – that the nightmares would overtake Draven.