Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(74)

“Landen, who is that next to Karsten?”

Landen looked up from his quiet conversation with my father to follow my gaze. It was clear he hadn’t noticed them before. I could feel respect, joy, and love coming from Landen. He stood, putting Libby in my father’s lap, and pulled me up with him.

“That is my grandfather, August, and my grandmother, Nyla. They’re home.”

I followed Landen as he stepped closer. His grandfather rose as he saw us approach his grandmother followed. Landen all but threw himself into his grandfather’s arms; it was easy to see that he was closer to his grandfather than he was to Ashten.

“Willow, this is August and Nyla, my grandparents,” Landen said, formally introducing me to them. I was quickly pulled into their joyful embrace, and from the dance floor I could hear applause.

“I’m proud of you,” August said to Landen as he looked at me again. “We’ve been trying to get home for days. The storms were more difficult where we were...they haven’t been giving you a hard time, now have they?”

“They’re silent,” Landen said in a frustrated tone as he pulled me closer, smiling down at me.

“I imagine that they are,” August said, smiling at Landen. “I spoke with your father. You’ve certainly humbled him.”

“Not intentionally,” responded Landen.

“I left something for you at your house. You’d already left when we stopped by,” August said.

Landen tilted his head curiously. August leaned in closer and whispered something to Landen, ending the conversation.

Couples filled the dance floor as dinner ended, and one had my full attention: Olivia and Chrispin; they seemed to glide across the floor. The smile across Olivia’s face overshadowed her recent blindness, and no one dared to try and divide them. Landen and I were separated unintentionally. His grandfather, Brady, and others who names I had forgotten surrounded him. I was surrounded as well. The space between us was odd, yet bearable, being filled by people who I’d seen the least since being there.

I was nestled next to Rose as the conversations blossomed around us. I felt safe next to her, and understood. The uncomfortable separation brought Landen back to me, his followers were close behind, and then it was simple just to relax and feel the harmony.

Across the street, I watched as Libby and an older woman were talking. Libby then followed her into the store that they were standing in front of, almost certainly convincing the woman to give her a special treat. My eyes were growing heavy. Our day had been long and arduous. I laid my head on Landen’s shoulder as he listened to one of August’s stories of recent travels.

Kissing the top of my head, he thought, “You’re not leaving me, are you?”

Before I could protest his thoughts, I felt Libby crawl across my lap and onto Landen’s.

“Willow, I have something for you,” she whispered.

“You do?” I said, genuinely surprised.

Libby reached into the pocket on her dress and brought out a small brown bag, trying to hide it from my parents’ view, not caring that she had Landen and Rose’s full attention.

“Tonight when you go see Hannah and Jessica, you’ll need this,” Libby said.

“What will I need it for?” The bag felt as if it were full of sand.

“When you see the mean monkey, throw this in his eyes, and he’ll go away and not hurt you.”

Landen reached for the bag and causally slid it into his pocket before anyone else noticed the exchange.

“What is it, sweetie?” asked Rose.

“Garlic salt,” Libby said, covering her lips to let Rose know it was a secret.

The feeling of certainty coming from Libby was frightening. A mean monkey—what did she mean? A little girl with ivory skin and liquid blue eyes came over, beckoning Libby to play with her. Libby hugged me tightly and said, “Don’t be scared. I’ve protected you.”

As she ran across the dance floor, my heart sank and my breath left me. We had no power to protect her from what she saw; defenseless, she would witness the battle before it came to be.

The dread was coming from Landen as well, but we were both thankful that whatever we faced tonight would be mild. Libby had no fear; her certainty still lingered around us.

The celebration went on. Not wanting to appear ungrateful for the companionship, we stayed, half-heartedly listening to the many tales around us. Rose’s distraction was apparent, as her laugh would be delayed when a story called for it. As the moon shifted, everyone’s eyes seem to grow weary, and one-by-one the town began to empty of people. Hoping we’d served our purpose, Landen excused us.

Libby had fallen asleep in my mother’s lap, and I hugged and kissed them both good night. Landen hugged August and Nyla. I looked for Rose, but I couldn’t find her. My father made his way to us, and he kissed my forehead, telling me goodbye.

When we reached Landen’s Jeep, we saw Rose leaning against the side of it, waiting patiently for us to reach her. She hesitated as a group of people passed by before she spoke.

“I know the last thing you want is someone else telling you what to do. That’s not my intent, but I implore you to please tell me when you leave tonight,” Rose said.

We weren’t concerned with the ‘monkeys’ we were supposed to see that night, simply because Libby had no fear when she’d told us, assuring us we had no reason to be afraid. Rose’s concern, though, was shaking the solid ground on which we stood. Our pause gave her reason to explain further. “If you’re gone too long, or if you’re afraid, I want to try and wake you. That monkey could be anywhere between here and those girls, and waking you might keep you safe.”