Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(32)

“Good morning, sleepy head.”

She smiled a sleepy smile at me.

“When did you come in here?”

She looked around the room, seeming shocked to find herself there.

“I don’t remember.”

“Were you sleepwalking?” I asked, teasing her. Libby hadn’t been a bed jumper since she was really little. Back then, she would rotate through the night between her bed, mine, and then Mom and Dad’s.

“Are you hungry?”

She nodded.

“Then let’s get you dressed. I think we have company downstairs.”

I was brushing out her hair, a difficult task, when she looked at me. “I like Livingston. He’s nice just like the others,” she said, looking back in my direction.

I suddenly realized she was doing it again because I hadn’t even met him. I’d assumed that he was the one downstairs, but she already knew him. I wondered how difficult this would be, for her to live life constantly ahead of everyone else. I could only pray that she would find a way to embrace her gift, as I had mine. At least she wouldn’t have to hide her insight.

When we walked downstairs, we heard laughter coming from the kitchen. The sensation of joy was illuminating the room.

“Ah, there they are,” my father said proudly.

They were all at the table—Ashten, Landen, and a man I assumed was Livingston, all dressed in black.

“Good morning,” Landen thought, smiling at me as he got up from his chair and walked toward me with my favorite playful grin. Kissing me softly, he sent a tingle through my soul. I blushed. He was still real…everything was still real.

“You left me,” I thought teasingly.

He shook his head, showing a playful pout. “Never.”

I could feel everyone watching our wordless communication with a sense of admiration.

Livingston raised his brow as a grin spread across his face. He was slightly older than my Dad and Ashten, and he had dark brown hair with a hint of silver tracing through it. He also shared their same trait of dimples and deep blue eyes.

“Willow, Libby, this is Livingston,” my father said proudly.

I could only imagine how great it must be for him to be reunited with his lost friends.

“Have a seat, girls. I have your breakfast ready,” Mom said warmly.

Everyone else had already eaten, making me wonder how much of the day Libby and I had spent sleeping. Libby asked if she could have her breakfast in front of the TV. Normally, that would have gotten an instant no, but sensing the direction of the conversation, my mother agreed.

“So, Willow,” Livingston began when Libby was successfully distracted. “They tell me you can sense emotions. Do you mind me asking, are they simple emotions or enhanced ones?”

I’d never thought of defining what I did. Emotions always seemed to be a good way to sum it up for me, but Livingston caused me to reflect on what I felt when people were around me.

“Umm, I’m not sure. I mean, some things I feel are more like a mood, as well as an emotion.”

“Fascinating. So how would you describe me?” Livingston pressed.

His tone was complacent, and he didn’t hold any real expression in his face. One might say he was calm. I smiled at him. “Nervous,” I said, sure of myself.

Livingston shifted uneasily in his seat and looked cautiously at my father and Ashten. Landen noticed the exchange and stared at Livingston with his piercing blue eyes, judging his every move.

“Fascinating,” Livingston finally said.

I tried to explain it more clearly. “The people that I’m around the most, I can sum up in one word. I could tell you that my dad is almost always peaceful, and my mother and Libby have an energetic emotion constantly coming from them. I can feel the calm coming from Ashten and Landen. At the same time, I could tell you if they felt sad, scared, or even prideful.”

“That does seem like more than just emotion, and it complements Landen’s insight,” Livingston said.

I smiled at Landen, losing myself in his blue eyes. For a moment, I forgot I was in the middle of a serious conversation.

“So, explain to us from your point of view how you travel,” Livingston asked.

“I don’t know…I mean, I see people who look like they need help, I feel a gentle pull, I touch them, and then I’m there. But after seeing what Landen did yesterday with the string, I don’t think I’m all the way there. You see, they don’t see me, and when I let go, I’m home again.”

My father was grinning at me, a strong sense of pride coming from him. He tried to help me explain it more clearly. “I’ve followed Willow before. She makes a path where one doesn’t exist. I was able to see the way back. If she were taught how we travel, she’d be able to see it, too.”

“How far does she go?” asked Livingston.

“Mostly she stays here, but she’s gone as far as Olecence before. More recently, she’s gone further than I’d care for,” he said, winking at me.

I wondered how many dimensions there really were. So far, I knew of four.

“Wait, what do you mean I ‘stay here’? You can jump around in one dimension?” I asked.

The room erupted into laughter. It must have been a funny question to those in the room who could travel, the normal way, but my mother and I seemed to think it was a valid question.