Synergy (See #3)(60)

Ashten tilted his head, noticing Madison for the first time. He whispered something to Willow as shock filled his blue eyes, then stepped closer to us, looked at Madison, and said, “And where does your sun rest?”

“Scorpio,” Madison answered, trying to sound calmer than I knew she was. She had to have some fear, she had to think she could easily be a sacrifice, or at the very least be mistaken by Willow’s enemies as her.

“Not a fan of that sign?” Ashten asked.

“Love it, but I don’t love that I can’t see you, at least not all of you. There’s a void, and it’s driving me mad,” Madison said as she glanced at me.

Ashten was completely mystified by Madison’s answer and looked at Willow for some kind of answer. She responded, “No worries, Ashten. I’m a complete void. She means that she -- they -- can see everything that led you to this point.”

“All of you have voids,” Madison said, looking at all of the travelers. “Will you tell me what’s in that void since my best friends refuse to?” she said, glancing to where Draven and I were standing.

I knew if they did, she would run, and we couldn't run now, not when we were this close to getting Monroe to a safe place, or at least a hidden place. Willow must have sensed how uneasy I was, how uneasy we all were when it came to both Madison and Monroe. She said, “As Draven put it, our existence is vast. There is no way for us to know what you can’t see. I’m sure when you’re meant to see it, when you’re ready for it, it will be clear as day.”

I may not have all the senses or powers that Willow had, or even Madison, but I know how girls think, how sometimes it’s not what they say, but how they say it that really matters. Willow wasn’t being kind or portraying some kind of philosopher; she was daring Madison to consider that her dreams were real. Watching two Scorpios head-to-head was so intense that I couldn't move; none of us could. It was a battle of wits; one that I had no doubt Madison would win.

Madison glanced at her tattoo, then up at Willow. “Agreed. Can we proceed with killing Bianca now?”

Perfect rebound. Madison was keeping her focus and ignoring the obvious; her dreams were about to become a reality. I could only hope she was doing that to help us, not to hide from herself.

Ashten seemed shocked by Madison’s response and said, “Did I miss something? Since when do we commit murder in this family?”

“We don’t,” Willow said quickly. “That’s the name of the demon that took them. I don’t think murder applies to demons.”

“And you would be correct,” Ashten said, looking down at Willow, then glancing at all of us. “Because you cannot kill a demon, only transform the energy - and that can only be done if you rise above duality. Or so I’m told.” His eyes landed on Madison, who looked back at me. That word ‘duality’ was one her favorites. She’d been striving to rise above that for a while; she’d basically said that once she killed Bianca, she’d be able to do just that.

“Looks like August has had your attention,” Willow said so quietly that I barely heard her. I wanted to find August so bad. Maybe that’s why Madison had agreed so easily to Silas’ direction; she must have recognized her philosophy when she looked into Olivia and Brady’s thoughts.

“My father has always believed that, but I cannot help who I am. That notion is meant for souls much wiser than mine,” Ashten said as his eyes found Monroe. “You look much younger. How do your parents feel about you being here?”

Grayson’s chest bowed protectively. “She doesn’t speak. She’s in my care; our home is where we are.”

“Where are your parents?” Ashten asked, mirroring the strong father I could tell he was.

“Not here,” Grayson responded.

Willow put her hand on Ashten’s shoulder, stopping him from pressing Grayson any further. “Will you find rooms for them, their stuff? I want to end this now.” Ashten nodded, and Olivia left Madison’s side and followed Willow into a gray ashy light that was to the right of the string.

Draven gripped my hand, and we stepped forward to follow Willow with Aden and Madison at our side. We wanted to go first for a reason. We knew this place was dark, and even though Grayson and Winston could see and help the shadows, they weren’t as fast as we were; their strength was in The Realm. If this were as dark as we thought it was going to be, we wanted to pave a path for Monroe to make it easier on her.

Draven and I stepped through the gray haze first. As it encased us, I heard them, millions of them: the shadows. We pushed through the haze, thinking that was where they were. A room came into view. It looked like an elegant entry hall with marble floors and oil paintings, but I couldn’t take in the beauty of it. The whispers turned into screams, terrified, bellowing screams. It was so loud, so painful to my ears that I fell to my knees in agony. Draven was at my side instantly. He reached into my pocket, pulled out my headphones, and pushed them into my ears. Though his song was blaring, it couldn’t cover the cries of the dead. I heard Aden yell, “Show yourself!” as I found the strength to stand.

Instantly, dark images were surrounding us. They had more depth than the ones we saw at home. They weren’t shadows; they were more like ghosts, the way I saw my dad when I was too weak for him to become solid. These people hadn’t lived dark lives; dark lives were given to them. It was as if every ounce of creativity or individuality had been stripped from them.