Insight

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Mom was kneeling in front of me, saying something, but I couldn't hear her. A pain was creeping through my body. Everything hurt. I felt like I was being torn apart. I desperately tried to see my passage so I could follow Landen, but it was gone. I was still holding tight to Libby, and she was holding just as tight to me.

"Willow, what happened?" My mother's words finally reached me. When I didn't respond, she fumbled with her phone, finally dialing a number. When the other person answered, she said, "They're in the string—all of them. Willow made a passage in the center of the cabin, but she won't tell me what happened...is that safe...are you sure?"

There was a pause.

"Okay, okay, okay." She hung up. "Willow, I need you to calm down. You're scaring me. They know what they're doing. He can't hurt them. I promise."

I knew I was scaring her, but I couldn't calm down. As the seconds passed by, the pain intensified.

When I could think all my friends flashed before my eyes, and a different kind of pain settled in my soul.

The cabin door opened, and there stood a beautiful woman, the same age as my mother. Sympathy filled her face, and she ran to where my mother was holding me in the center on the cabin floor.

"Did you see them on your way here?" mom asked. The woman shook her head no.

"Is it safe for Clarissa to be in there?" mom asked.

She had to be Landen's mom.

"She's fine. Her soul mate can see in the string. It's like he was born to travel through them. She went back for him. Brady will be here any minute."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I don't know if I was talking to her or everyone who was up in arms or hurt because of me.

I laid my head on my knees and rocked myself, trying to focus. Aubrey brushed my hair out of my eyes. "You're so beautiful," she said, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

My mother took her phone outside, leaving Aubrey to watch me. Libby was still sitting next to me. I tried to focus on her. Wondering what had her so upset, why I could see her before.

My emotion was still overpowering everyone else's, but my eyes found a solution to my agony: someone was on the porch. A rush of excitement came through me.

"Landen!" I said breathlessly.

Aubrey followed my eyes and pulled me close to her. "No, sweetie, that's Brady."

He opened the door, and when the sunlight hit his face, I could see that she was right. Brady's resemblance was remarkable. He had the same build and wavy dark brown hair, but his eyes couldn't begin to compare to Landen's. He smiled at me, and I saw his dimples come to life. He narrowed his stare disbelief as he walked closer.

"Now there are those eyes my baby brother told me about," he said, looking down at me.

"Did you see them?" Aubrey asked.

"I didn't expect to. The storm is blowing the other way," Brady answered, still staring at me.

"Will you tell me what happened so I can help Landen and the others if they need me?" he asked.

I nodded quickly. "I made a passage from a town down the street to Franklin. Drake has taken people from there. When we were in the string, Drake showed up, then the string roared and the current erupted. Landen and I pushed through. He's hurt. His arm is burned really bad." I said it so fast that my words collided together.