Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(57)

“Did that upset him?”

“I don’t think he saw them. It seems that they’re only really clear to you and me.” I looked at him with an astonished expression on my face. “I know, weird. We’ll just add it to the pile. At this point I’m just waiting for aliens to land, nothing seems crazy anymore.”

Laughter came over us both. We were now at the point where nothing made sense, but we’d make the most of it for the time being. As they watched us, amusement came over the others as well.

Just before we reached the windmill, I could see the string come into view. Brady stepped in first, but Landen held me back; he was waiting for something. Brady then reached his arm out and waved us in. The string was calm. The hum was a low murmur, and you could barely feel the current.

“Are there any storms close?” I thought nervously, remembering how painful the last one had been.

“Storms never occur close to Chara,” Landen promised. “We never encounter them until we pass Esterious. No one knows why, but some of the travelers believe it’s because Chara and the dimensions closest to us only use natural energy.

I smiled faintly and took his hand for my own personal comfort. I began to take in the beauty of the string and tried to focus on the emotions. I wanted to learn to navigate the passages.

“So what do you think about Dane being able to see in here?” Brady asked Landen.

Landen raised his brow, and pressed his lips together. I could feel a tinge of jealousy coming from him. “I knew there was something else I wanted to ask you about,” he thought teasingly.

“Dane is the brother I never had,” I explained.

I watched as a grin came across Landen’s face. He then wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. “I know. He told me about that night at the lake. I’ve already thanked him for keeping you safe when I couldn’t. I just wish I was the one there.”

I realized how right Landen was. Dane had always been protective of me. Just like Olivia, he was always at my side.

We came to the passage that they’d chosen. It was a light blue haze. I was the last to step through. I didn’t know what to expect, having no idea what this world would be like. The passage was behind a large building, next to a generator.

We walked around the front to the streets, and much to my surprise, it looked the same as my world did. We were in a small town, the buildings were all made of brick, and the roads were made of what looked liked pea gravel. The people seemed ordinary enough, and the clothes even seemed to be the same as they were in my hometown. I reached out with my sense of emotion to see if this place were truly as safe as I thought it was, and I could feel that the mood was ordinary—the common stress, pride, and energy that I would have felt at home.

I did find it odd, though, that I didn’t see any children anywhere. There wasn’t a stroller in sight. I didn’t even see a dog on a leash. I noticed a few admiring feelings aimed at my escorts, and it was easy to see that they all went unnoticed by them.

“Where are the children?” I asked.

“I didn’t think it would take you long to notice. Here, the children are the most precious assets. They keep them safely at home until they’re young adults, for fear that if they mingle with any adult beyond their family, their ambition will be altered.”

Chrispin began to grill Marc and Brady about the dimensions to which they’d recently traveled. He was so ambitious and young at heart; I wondered how he’d feel about the way that I traveled. The guys were telling Chrispin tall tales about giants and flying dragons, and at one point they had him convinced that trolls taught in the schools in my world.

As we passed a street crossing, something caught my eye. I hesitated, and Landen stopped with me, but the others didn’t notice and kept their stroll.

“What is it? Do you see something?”

“You said no children, right?”

“Right.”

“Do you see that woman with the crying baby?”

“No.”

Landen called out to the others. They were confused. Maybe they were waiting for something more dramatic, or perhaps they thought they’d be able to see my images.

We turned down the alleyway and followed the woman. I was grateful that I’d found someone off the beaten path. I could imagine that someone might notice five people disappearing into thin air. This was a young girl. I could see that this was her first child. The inexperience was in her eyes. She was dancing and singing above the crying. I could see that she needed strength and that the baby needed to be calmed down. I was starting to doubt that I’d be strong enough to help them both and carry us all through the string.

“Okay, we’re here. What’s your plan?”

“Look, I’m going to hold Willow, and you guys hold onto me,” Landen instructed.

“Wait. Are you sure about this? I don’t want them to get burned,” I thought in a nervous tone.

“I was only burned because Drake pulled me back through. I shifted out of the path you made. They’ll be fine. I promise.”

I tightened my jaw. I was even angrier with Drake now, and all I could think about was how I was going to make him pay for hurting the ones I loved.

Brady stepped forward quickly. I was sure that after my display yesterday, he was eager to see how I did this. As their anticipation rose, I could feel the excitement running through the guys. I felt the gentle pull of the string, and as I reached out, I could see a white light reach back toward me.