Image (Insight #3)(26)

“We can’t push through, Landen,” Marc said as Stella’s voice yelled his name. “Do something, Landen!” he yelled as he pushed against the wall - only to get burned.

“Stop hurting yourself!” Landen yelled, pulling Marc back.

I paced in front of the wall, trying to read the emotions, to see what was hurting them; I couldn’t tell one from another.

“ I think it’s an illusion,” I thought. Landen looked at me for an explanation. “I’ve felt Stella’s terror before, and that’s not it,” I thought, cringing at the sound of her voice echoing in the string.

“Are you sure?” Landen thought.

I nodded and swallowed. As I focused on the emotions of the string, I was very sure; they didn’t have the soul of the people I knew beneath them. I’d taught myself when I was only a girl that there’s a signature in all of our emotions, something that can’t be mocked or completely covered by another dominate emotion. I’d tried to teach this to Landen, but it was harder for him to perceive; his gift of intent seemed to overshadow the one of emotion.

As Landen’s eyes moved back and forth from one emotion to the next, he realized I was right. “It’s an illusion Marc; she’s not hurt,” Landen said, grasping Marc’s hands before he burned himself again.

“This wall is not an illusion,” Drake said as Preston yelled his name.

“Tell me how you know,” Marc said, putting his hands on Landen’s shoulder. He was so angry and scared, his whole face was red.

“She doesn’t feel the same...they all feel the same; there’s nothing making them individuals,” Landen explained, trying to calm Marc - but Marc pushed away, not allowing Landen to calm him.

“I told you to save that,” Marc said, harshly covering his face and falling to his knees, trying to calm his own emotions.

I sat down in the center of the string and closed my eyes, blocking out the screams and dark images my mind wanted to create for me. I wanted to assure myself that they weren’t there. I knew if they were in distress that I’d feel the pull of the string, that they’d appear before me as an image - and we’d find a way through the wall. I felt nothing, though; just an emptiness. I could barely feel the people of Esterious. I opened my eyes to find the four of them staring at me.

“Nothing,” I said to them.

“Landen, can you find another path? Let’s make sure they’re OK,” Dane said as he heard his name echoed by Clarissa’s voice.

Landen nodded and reached for my hand to pull me up. We walked in the opposite direction, and when the passages to Esteroious ended, another gray wall was in front of us. The devastation coming from all of us was almost too much to bear in the vibration of string. This wall was silent; there was no emotion behind it. At that moment, it was as if the only dimension that existed was the dark one of Esterious.

“We’re trapped in hell,” Marc said in an angry tone.

Drake looked at him and shook his head. “Trust me - you’ll get used to it,” he said, running his hands through his dark hair.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Marc said as his face turned to stone.

Drake pulled his shoulders back, ready to defend himself, but Dane stepped in front of Marc and Landen stepped in front of Drake.

“My little brother is trapped on the other side of that wall with people I don’t even know – and you think I’m fine with that?” Drake said, looking over Landen’s shoulder.

“Trust me – he’s better off there than he ever was here,” Marc yelled in Drake’s direction.

The current in the string began to rush around us, and the roar of the energy mocked an evil laugh. We all stood frozen, listening to it.

“This is what it wants,” I whispered. “It wants us to be angry and scared; divided. August was right: you guys have to call a truce for now,” I said, looking from Drake to Marc.

I felt their tension leave and calm come – and at that moment, the screams of our family grew louder. “See, when you grow calm – it gives you another reason to be angry,” I said.

Landen stepped away from Drake and put his arm around me. “Come on, we need to leave here before someone really gets hurt,” he said over his shoulder as he guided us back to our passage.

Drake’s eyes looked over the embrace in which Landen had me, and his jaw locked; whatever he wanted to say or do, he suppressed.

Landen and I led them back to the passage of Drake’s room, but before we stepped through, our names were all screamed out from the voices of our family. A chill ran down my spine as Drake’s dark room came into view. We walked quickly back to Perodine’s study; we wanted her to assure us that we were right, that dark illusions were toying with us.

When we reached the study, we saw the silent girl that had shadowed Perodine comforting Beth on the couch. August was at her side, rubbing her back. Perodine was at the table, lost in her work. Alamos was nowhere to be seen.

“Are they OK? Tell me he’s OK,” Beth said, walking to Drake. Her eyes searched over his face, which held only sympathy for her. “Marc?” Beth said, moving to him - only to find Marc reflecting the same sympathy that Drake had. “Willow? Landen? Someone answer me,” she said, walking to me and Landen.

“There’s a wall, a gray wall; we can’t reach them, but we’re more than sure that the screams are an illusion,” Landen said, looking across the room at Perodine. I followed his stare to see Perodine nodding in agreement.