Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(10)

“Are we never going to come back?” My voice cracked.

“We will come back to visit, but we belong there,” Dad said.

“What am I supposed to tell my friends? I have known them my whole life. You want me just to disappear, like they mean nothing to me?” I argued.

As I spoke, both of them were shaking their heads no.

“Look, I’ve called all of their parents tonight, and I told them you were accepted to a school in Paris. They are happy for you,” my mother said.

“This is a good thing, Willow. We should have gone home long ago,” Dad said as regret absorbed him.

The phone rang, and my mother reached to answer it. When the person on the other end of the line spoke, I watched her pick up a pen and draw a line through a name. She had composed a list of people to say goodbye to which made this all very real.

Too stunned and angry to ask any more questions, I rolled my eyes, then turned and walked in the house.

“Sweet dreams tonight, okay?” Dad called after me.

On the walk up the stairs to my room, I was in a complete daze. If I did not see images or have strange dreams, I would consider having my parents’ sanity checked.

I had never felt more alone in my whole life. I was close to my parents. I never could have imagined that they would have kept something like this from me. I pulled myself into a ball on my bed and rocked myself back and forth, refusing to cry. Flashing back over my childhood, I tried to remember if there had been any hidden clues I’d missed.

I heard something hit my window. Knowing it was Dane, I let out a deep breath then wiped my eyes quickly, making sure there weren’t any tears and walked to the window. I quietly opened it and climbed out onto the rooftop. Having done it more times than I could remember, I grabbed the branch of a large oak tree by my window and made my way down, feeling Dane’s anxiety as he braced himself to catch me if I fell. Once on the ground, we walked quietly to the edge of the yard where we sat on a small bench. I could feel Dane’s emotion growing heavier. I wondered if my mother had already called his.

“You know you were supposed to use the nightmares to keep you from going to New York, not send yourself to another continent,” Dane whispered.

“I don’t think we’re going to find an excuse to keep me here,” I uttered, covering my face with my hands, trying to hide my raging emotions.

“You know you’re eighteen, you could just tell them no,” Dane said, feeling defeated.

“Yep, and you could tell your mother that you don’t want to have anything to do with that diner,” I offered in rebuttal.

He nodded, then we both laughed quietly. Neither of us had any intention of not following our parents’ wishes. It wasn’t that we were afraid, it was just that we had no idea what we were supposed to be doing. Until that moment came, we would follow.

“What am I going to do without you, Willow?” Dane said.

“I don’t know. Maybe if you’re not hanging around me so much you might find a girlfriend,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Dane looked at me crossly, showing me that he wasn’t amused.

“What? I know Monica still has a crush on you,” I said, trying not to laugh out loud.

“Monica likes everybody,” Dane bit out, rolling his eyes.

“Hey!” I said in her defense, even though it was true.

“I didn’t mean it in a mean way. She’s not what I’m looking for,” Dane said as he leaned forward.

“You’ll find her,” I promised, rubbing his back.

“I’m going to tell you something weird, Willow,” he said letting his gaze meet mine.

I held my breath. I wasn’t sure how much more “weird” I could take tonight.

“I’ve never seen you as more than a friend,” he said with a ghostly smile that held volumes of memories of the two of us.

I nodded and let my breath out. Good, we were on the same page.

“But, I get this feeling that if I stay close to you, I’ll find what I’m looking for,” Dane finished.

We sat in silence for a while, staring at the night sky. I wondered if he was right, that if we stayed close to one another we would find our place. Figure out why it seemed like all this time we were just sitting in a waiting room. Wondering when fate would open the door and invite us into a new world.

“Dane, will you do me a favor?” I asked.

He glanced at me, surprised that I had to ask. Then he nodded.

“Will you watch out for Olivia while I’m gone?” I asked with a tremble in my voice.

Dane nodded, understanding why I was so concerned. Olivia had lost her parents when she was only ten. She now lived with her cousin Hannah. Those two could not be more different. In fact, I think I’m the only one that understands Olivia and that’s only because I can still feel her grief and loneliness.

“You’re coming to the lake tomorrow, right?” I asked.

“I have to work most of the day, but I’ll meet you guys out there at night,” he said regretfully.

“Night?” I repeated. I thought we were just going to get some sun and go home.

“Yeah, they’re supposed to build a bonfire. I think a lot of them are camping out. It’s supposed to be a big farewell thing for you,” Dane said.

“You know I love you guys, but I’m not sleeping out there,” I teased, elbowing him.