Insight

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

It was daybreak when we reached our home, and for the first time I saw the rain fall in Chara. Brady had vanished into the dawn with Livingston's body. Marc, still carrying Preston, followed us to my parents' home. The porch light was on, and upstairs we could see Libby sitting in her window seat, patiently waiting for us. We saw her in a new way. It was clear why her insight centered on us. We loved her even more deeply now.

Libby ran outside to meet us, and we knelt down and scooped her up into our embrace. Both of us had tears in our eyes. We couldn't ever leave her, no one could.

"I knew you'd come back to me. I just knew it, love you," she whispered in our neck.

"We love you..." Landen whispered.

Libby let go, then ran to Preston and hugged him. My father was on the steps, confused and scared when he saw us so early with a little boy. We walked past him, keeping our eyes down.

Landen and I walked up the stairs to Hannah and Jessica's room. The girls were lying in the same positions when we'd left them. We knelt down between their beds, laying the page on the floor between us. We then joined hands and touched the girls. Landen held Jessica's hand as I held Hannah's. We looked at each other one last time then to the page to read the words scrolled on it.

"Speak pure, hear love, sleep only to dream, dream only pure, dream only love, be no more...leave this now."

Beneath our left hands, a pure white light glowed and a mesmerizing hum centered in my soul and sent a sensation throughout my body. I looked to Landen to see if he could feel it, too; in his eyes, I saw a beautiful glow. He smiled at me. Locked in our stare, we didn't notice Hannah and Jessica wake from their sleep.

"Where are we?" Hannah said.

"I don't remember," Jessica answered.

They looked at each other, realizing that they'd they been healed then threw themselves in each other's arms.

Landen's eyes were still locked into mine. As he leaned slowly forward and kissed me, the room disappeared. I realized how easy it would have been to succumb to Drake's touch, and I was amazed at my will power and thankful that Landen's love was strong enough to carry me through.

Walking down the stairs, we could hear Libby and Preston giggling in the kitchen. My mother was waiting for us, wide-eyed, not understanding what had happened through the night.

"We need to talk, but we can't do it here," I whispered to my mother, looking at Preston.

At that moment, Olivia stepped in the back door. We could feel her grief, and we knew she'd seen Brady.

"Um...I can watch Libby if you guys need to go to Willow's for a little bit," Olivia said to my mother. "Did...did the page work?" she asked, bracing for our answer.

Hannah and Jessica trailed into the kitchen, answering her question. My mother let out a few happy tears as she witnessed our reunion.

Brady had gathered his parents, Chrispin, Felicity, Dane and Clarissa at our house. Landen made a call to August and Rose's home, telling them that there had been an event.

We sat in silence, waiting for the others to arrive, feeling the heavy weight of grief coming from those who knew. In rain-drenched clothes, one by one people filled our house. Brady looked to Landen to explain, knowing that Marc wouldn't be able to find the words. Marc went to Chrispin's side as Landen stood in the front of the fireplace.

"We left last night," Landen began. Sighs filled the room, and anger came over Ashten and my father. Landen continued, "Libby told us we needed a page to heal the girls – and she also told Brady and Marc. We didn't leave you out of this to be spiteful; we only had your safety in mind." Landen's eyes shifted between Ashten and Chrispin then he continued, "Once there ... once we were there, we saw Adonia's body."