Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(76)

“Well, if it’s the same as my tattoo, it came from Infante. It’s Egyptian,” I said, looking at my wrist and the uninvited star inside my loop.

“Egyptians, as you call them, are in a lot of dimensions and are a very advanced people,” Landen said, sliding the ring on my finger again. The tingle came as the shine returned. “They’re the only other people that we’ve discovered exploring the strings. They’ve settled across many dimensions.”

“Seriously?” I asked, thinking he was just teasing me.

Smiling, he answered, “The string is energy. In theory, everyone should be able to see it. People have the power to change their perspective. They just get caught up in an endless cycle of foolish things that don’t matter.”

I looked down at my olive skin, matching my tone to Landen’s and wondering if that culture was a part of me.

“Do you know what my tattoo means?” I asked Landen.

He smiled. “‘Eternal life.’ I remember when you got it. I thought you were trying to tell me something,” he said, tracing the cross while avoiding the star in the loop.

“I think I was trying to tell myself something that I’d find you in this life or the next,” I said, looking up at him and smiling shyly.

Landen kissed my lips softly causing my soul to seize with anticipation. “I always knew I’d find you,” he swore.

I looked down at the rings again. It felt like I had seen them before, too, like they’d always been ours. “Did August tell you where he got these?”

“He really didn’t have a chance. All he said was ‘time is simply an illusion, and the gifted live on,’” Landen said, smiling. “August isn’t like the others. He isn’t quick to offer advice. He likes to watch your mind work.” He laughed a little, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. “He said he needed to show us something in the morning.”

“Is he going to tell us what the others are hiding?”

“I believe he will.”

We changed out of our party clothes and into the all-black attire. We then laid in our bed in silence. Hoping we’d given Rose and my father time to rest, we drifted to sleep, almost simultaneously. Standing over our bodies, the addictive rush of excitement came over us again. Landen checked his pocket to make sure the garlic salt was with us then looked at me.

“Let’s try this: think of your father’s porch.” He reached his arm around my waist and pressed his forehead to mine, concentrating on my father’s porch.

“We did it,” he thought. I opened my eyes to see that Landen was right. We were on the front steps. A rush of excitement came through us, more exhilarating than before. I gave him an alluring smile; this power was becoming less elusive.

I led the way through the door. All the lights were off, and I could sense peaceful sleep coming from five people. Karsten must have stayed there, too. Walking up the stairs, we stopped in the guest room. Rose was asleep in a chair with an open book resting on her lap. I was afraid to wake her and startle her. We went down the hall to my parents’ room. When we opened the door, my father raised his head and whispered into the darkness. “Willow.”

I walked over to him and pulled back his blanket, letting him know it was us, and a rush of excitement came over him as he watched the blanket move without seeing anyone. Landen found a note pad on my mother’s side of the bed and wrote “wake Rose, we are on our way now.”

Already dressed, my father slid on his shoes and walked to Rose’s room.

“Do you want to see if we can make it to the hospital the same way?” I asked. Landen smiled, and we held each other again and focused on the roof that we’d been on earlier that day. A moment later, raindrops could be heard. When we opened our eyes, we were on the roof. It was an awful looking day; the sky was so dark, it was hard to tell that it was daylight. There was thunder in the distance with increasing wind.

Knowing the way, I took Landen’s hand, and we walked in the door and down the steps. The hospital was quiet; not much was happening there, new births being the most exciting thing.

The maternity ward was on the fourth floor, and we passed that doorway on our way to the third floor.

We opened the door slowly, not knowing who might be standing close to it. At the end of the hallway, we could see two women standing outside one of the doors. As we approached them, I could see it was Chase’s mom, and Gina, Dane’s mom. We listened as they talked.

“It just doesn’t make any sense, how did they get here so fast?” Gina said.

“At least they’re safe. The search for Monica was called off yesterday…I don’t think this town could bear losing another child,” Chase’s mom said in a sorrowful tone.

I looked at Landen. He felt my grief and put his arm around me.

“I wish someone could get a hold of Jason, or Grace, for that matter. Jason would know what was wrong. That man is the best doctor on this planet.”

I felt a rush of pride all my own as they spoke of my parents.

“How is Dane anyway? I can’t believe he ran off with Willow like that. I bet you’re happy, aren’t you?”

Landen was shaking his head and smiling. He wasn’t angry or jealous. It was just odd how Dane and Clarissa had met.

“He’s not with Willow. He’s—he’s seeing one of her friends, Clarissa,” answered Gina, confused by her own words.