Vindicate (Insight #5)(25)
“She doesn’t live here?” Olivia asked .
Nana smiled weakly. “This is Aden and Draven’s home . They ’re my only grandchildren, but I ’ve helped raise both Madison and Charlie. I was there when they were born, when they spoke their first words , and when…and when they began to see the darkness.”
“You see it?” I asked , leaning against the counter , trying to find balance.
“I do, and the light , ” s he said as her eyes cascaded over me.
“What happened to Draven?” I asked , knowing there was a tension between him and the others.
She pulled out a brush and some lotions for me. “He ’s fighting his demons , just like you… and Charlie will help him get through that , ” s he said , looking up at me.
“They love each other , ” I mumbled , almost angry that I hadn ’t remembered the intensity of that love that I saw before in the image that Preston had showed me. I knew then that Nana was right : I was weak , and my body was blinding my insights.
“Beyond the air they breathe, they are a very passionate couple. Always have been.”
“Is Madison in love?” Olivia asked faintly.
Nana smiled slightly. “Very much so .” Nana walked to the door . Just as she closed it , she looked down , then back at me. “She just hasn’t seen him outside of her dreams yet.”
I felt all the color leave my face as I stared hopefully at Nana.
“Hurry, I wan t you to eat. I t will help you focus , ” s he ordered , then closed the door.
Olivia and I locked stares. “Is it her?” she whispered to me .
“Do you think she looks like me?” I asked , turning to the mirror. My skin was pale. Dark circles were under my eyes. I could see white lines outlining dried tears that weaved to the base of my neck , looking like traces of ash. My hair was tangled as it lay across my shoulders. My eyes , which would normally be a bright emerald green , seemed dark . Lost. Around them , there was a deep red color from the tears that had fallen. I almost looked demonic. I felt grateful that Charlie and the others hadn ’t fled the moment I appeared.
“She looks healthier, that’s for sure , ” Olivia said , reaching her arm into the shower and turning it on.
“Seriously , though,” I asked again.
Olivia came to my side and ti l ted her head as she gazed at our reflection. “It’s not goin g to matter what she looks like. A ll that matters is how he will feel about her or whoever else passes his path…I remember.” Her words began to quiver as she leaned forward and looked down. “I remember when I first met Drake, when h e saved me from that raging sea. He wanted to see something in me, he really did. He craved the feeling he felt when he looked at you, but he couldn’t, he couldn’t because I was not her. I already belonged to Chrispin , even though we had never met. Drake understood that ; you need to understand that.”
“Understand what?” I asked , laying my head on her shoulder as memories of every time I’d broken Drake ’s heart came to me.
“That you can’t make you r heart feel something it won’t. If this is her…don’t say a word. Not to her. Not to him. Let them see each other that way.”
I had no doubt that both Madison and Drake would argue with me if I pointed out their fate. Didn’t matter, though. I was right. He’s been in love with someone else this entire time. I ignored the guilt that rumbled in my core when I thought of every time his lips had touched mine.
“I think Charlie knows something – Draven and Aden…they were blocking Madison , ” I said as I tr ied to clear my thoughts. To replay what had just happened – how easily they understood who I was, how easily they expected me to understand who they were. I t w as like they had been waiting. Waiting for this moment. And like me, they did not turn from the fate they felt coming, they embraced it.
Olivia let out a deep breath. “Willow, there is no telling what they s aw when your defenses were down. There is no telling what they already know. They are protecting her , and we are going to let them do that.”
I raised my head and pushed my way out of my shoes and unbuckled my belt.
“We are going to let them do that, Willow,” Olivia said firmly.
“Right,” I mumbled as I pulled my clothes off. They needed to protect her from me. I get it.
As I stepped into the steaming water , I fought with grief. Grief for Drake . Grief for the idea that I had found the girl I was looking for. I found her a moment too late.
Olivia was right , though, so was Nathaniel – Preston , w hoever I was with when I was trapped in the Utopia place. I cannot force anyone to love another. I didn’t have time to. Right now , I had to hope against all hope that I loved Drake enough to save him. I knew no matter what , my soul would find Landen’s. I craved his touch. His voice. His energy now more than ever.
Chapter Six
Nana had managed to find not only a change of clothes , but also a travel pouch that h eld a few cosmetics and visine . I pulled on the jeans she had left with Olivia. They f it almost perfectly. The waist was a little loose , but I was sure once I’d eaten that I wouldn’t even notice. There were a few tank tops , one black and one dark purple. I layered them on , then slid my arms through a dark gray ho o die.
Olivia handed me the brush as she sat on th e counter Indian style. She stared at me as I brushed out the tangles in my hair and dropped the eye -drops in my eyes. The cool liquid burned at first , then I felt a cooling sensation as the red t i nt went away. The emerald green shade of my eyes was still absent , but it was coming back slowly. Olivia handed me a tube of con c ealer.