Vindicate (Insight #5)(32)
They both looked at each other , and I felt a foreboding rise in Charlie ; it was like she knew how dangerous I could be.
The worst feeling in the world was knowing that no one really trusted you. Including you. I sighed. “The place we are going might seem fright en ing at first . I t’s a palace ; very old, very elegant. There is a lot of energy there , and I hate to say that none of it is good. My family is there. We all have a common goal to redeem those people one way or another. I beg you just to endure it long enough for me to figure out how to get in The Realm, and once I do , I will bring you home, or anywhere else you want to go. I promise.”
“I ’ve see n it. We’ll be fine , ” Charlie said , not believing her own words. I saw the frustration in Madison’s eyes as she looked over me , then Charlie.
“OK, let’s go ,” I said , nodding to Nana to tell her thank you once more. Charlie and Madison went to her. I left the room , letting them say their goodbyes.
I found Brady and Olivia lingering in the entry hall. They both looked over me with wide eyes. “How did she do that?” Brady asked .
“What?” I said in a confused tone.
“Bring your energy back . I f I didn’t know any better , I would think Landen was here.”
“He is,” I said , moving my hand to my chest. “Is everyone up there?” I asked , looking up the stairs.
“Yeah, their dad was saying goodbye , ” Olivia said as she fought the anguish of those words.
“Is he OK?” I asked , willing to give him peace , even though that was a small exchange for his sons.
“Hard to say,” Brady said. “Austin said they have been expecting it, but that doesn’t mean the moment is any less harsh.”
I nodded; agreeing with him , then went to the stairs. I followed the emotions , mixed in anguish, excitement, and foreboding , to the stone steps that led to the studio I’d appeared in.
When I got there , I saw Monroe and her brothers sitting on the couch . Austin was sitting in the chair. In the center of the room , there was Aden and Draven , and a tall man was standing in front of them. I walked quietly to the man’s side , then reached for his arm. He started to pull away at first , but then as he felt my calm emotion - the one that I remembered from my dad, from August, the protective instinct I always felt from Ashten . The man hesitated and smiled down at me as his green eyes rapidly moved across mine – as he took in what I was showing him.
“Looks like men I could trust,” he said humbly to me.
My eyes sparkled as I relished in the fact that with my touch , I could share my memories, that I could show someone why I felt the way I did. “They are, and right now they ’re more than likely very upset with me , so I need to go ; we need to go.”
The man nodded once at me , then pulled both Aden and Draven to him. They hugged him back , and the emotion between those three nearly made me cry. I’d seen my parents tell me goodbye more times than I cared to remember .
Charlie and Madison came in the room behind me, and the others stood.
“Alright , there are four of us and seven of them – we should be able to guide them fairly easily , ” Brady said.
Austin sho ok his head no. “They can see. Clearly.”
Brady raised his eyebrows in r espectful shock. “Alright, let ’s go,” he said , looking back at me.
The passage that we had entered into was in front of a wall of amps and speakers – someone who was not looking for the string would have easily looked it over more than once. At first it was hard for me to see , but then I saw the wave of energy a nd felt the pull of the string – then our path opened a little wider as if it w ere inviting us in.
I felt the nervousness of the others behind me. I reached back for Charlie , knowing her emotions w ere strongest , and felt her gratitude as my calm emotions swarmed through her.
Draven was at her side , but I felt a distance between them . Neither of them wanted to look at each other , but i t wasn’t that they were fighting. I felt Charlie’s intent not to show Draven something and Draven’s intent not to ask . They had a simple reason for that act : i t would be painful for the both of them.
Austin led , and I walked slowly , urging Charlie to do the same. The others walked ahead , leaving her in the back with me. I nodded for Brady to go ahead. I wanted to talk to Charlie before we stepped into Esterious. I wanted her and I to come to an understanding. We needed to figure out how both of our fates were entwined, w hat each of us could give to the other to save the souls we were fighting for.
Chapter Seven
Olivia took the opportunity to talk to Madison. She was curious abou t her, almost as much as I was. Draven glanced over his shoulder , noticing that I had managed to discreetly pull Charlie from his side. He looked at me and tried to smile , then caught up to Aden and the brothers Grayson and Winston.
“So,” I said quietly , “I met Draven’s mom.”
Instant shock came through Charlie as she regarded me with wide , dark eyes.
“How did that go ?” she asked slyly , clearly trying to sound braver than she was feeling.
“Well…seems you ’re the leader of this group. The one who saw reason in the madness that surrounded you.”
“I don’t know if I would say that,” she said under her breath.
“Listen,” I said , putting my hand on her back , pushing calm through her. “You and I have a lot in common. I’m not really clear on what you’re fighting outside of this darkness or how closely that dilemma weave s through this one, but I will tell you this,” I said , nodding towar d Draven. “That boy loves you, and if I had to guess , I would say that he thinks he’s too dangerous for you.” The calm I was giving her was overpowered by anger and sadness that vibrated through the energy of the string. I focused on how I felt when I was one with Landen and managed to bring those emotions to a h alt. “You know when this began, my hell , I had a fight with Landen . He thought that by us be ing together that others were suff ering, that if we loved each other , that would be a selfish choice. He was willing to put others before us.”