Vindicate (Insight #5)(53)

I held my hand up to stop her. “I know . Ju st sayin’.”

“Willow, seriously, don’t put all of your hope on one girl. I don’t think she is ready for any of this. I’m not sure the others are either.”

“They’re more ready than you think they are.” I said with a smirk. “They think deep.”

“Thinking and doing are two different things. They are at opposite ends of the spectrum from you.”

“What do you mean?”

She pursed her lips as she gathered her words, her argument. “They have more of a dark edge than you. They have spent their life with ghosts . Some good, most of them bad. All the y want to do is save the dead, and you’re trying to save the living.”

“Right. We need them .”

“Maybe. But still. I n this l ife, they may be the same age a year or so younger, but on the big scale, well, we all know you and Lan den have lived millions – over four .”

“They need us . We have been through what they’re going through.”

“But you don’t remember it. I think they do.”

“Think, or know?”

She grimaced. “I had the pleasure of speaking with Grayson, Monroe’s ol dest brother. According to him after some test Draven had a few weeks ago, he can recall them all, and apparently there is this guy named Silas th at is tempting Charlie’s heart. The only way he could even get her to conceive that she had loved him befo re was showing her past lives. None of them seemed thr illed with that enlightenment. They are in the middle of something big, and we just added to it.”

“What about Madison?”

“Well, apparently she shields herself pretty well from Grayson. He didn’t know how much she knew or remembered, but he was sure that a guy named Britain has been sort of jogging her memory.”

Jogging ? More like a marathon. “Sounds to me like whatever memories they have are one-sided. It would be like Drake only showing me our lives together – omitting Landen or even Dane.”

“That is what I am saying. They’re young, and they h aven’t grasped that yet. They’re dealing not only with the emotions of being as young as they are in this life, but those same uncertain emotions they had in other lives.”

I was only halfway listening to her; I kept hearing Madison’s words in my head, seeing her reaction when I called her out on Britain. “Something tells me love triang les are not their focus,” I muttered as I thought over Madison’s point of view on falling in love. “What about Aden ? Where is he in this?” I asked.

“Honestly ? In my opinion he is the only quote unquote sane one. Very calm energy around him.”

“Good .” I said, crossing my arms. “And what about our little orphans that my evil angel seems to admire so much?”

Olivia moved her head slowly from side to side as her eyes reflected the awe she was feeling. “I think that little one – Monroe, is just like Libby and Preston. There is a story there . One that I’m not sure I want to know.”

“Has she said anything since then?”

“They’re gone.”

“What?!”

“August was with Stella when we came back. She told him everything tha t happened. The ghost. What that little girl said. We took them to Chara; we had to, Charlie and Madison insisted.”

“Is that safe ? I mean, will it hurt them because they were not brought by someone that loved them?” I asked with a panic. Prepared to go and save them from any harm at this instant.

“No,” Olivia said, looking down. “Libby and Preston asked for them to come. They already knew, Willow, they knew you would find them, and they love everyone.”

I let out a gasp as I told myself that I was not alone in this. That I could trust my family to help those kids. “That younger one, though, the one named Winston I’m not sure I trust him; I don ’t think the others do either. The older brother Grayson, I like. His emotion toward Monroe reminds me of how I feel about Libby.”

“I think Winston jus t needs a mom, and we both know that between your mom and Landen’s mom, that role will be filled. Not to mention Rose and Felicity.”

I tilted my head faintly to silently tell her I agreed with here on that last point. “I just don’t think all the suns hine and peace is their style. I see them more in a place like this,” I mused .

“You may be right, but we don’t need that right now, not until we get Landen and Drake back.”

“Agreed,” I said as I focused my senses. I had no idea where everyone was. This was the first trial that had come where our entire family was locked in one place, trying to figure it out. “Where is Dane anyway? Clarissa?”

“Still in Infante .”

“We need to send someone to tell them we found the song . Those kids.”

“They know.”

“Then why are they not here?”

“This Escort thing . What Draven calls himself, that Bianca girl is, has them both intrigued. I think Dane is trying to figure out ho w he was manipulated so easily. Trying to understand if he was evil in another life. Clarissa said he is worried that he was one and doesn’t know it.”

“That’s insane. Why does he care? He needs to come back.” I argued wondering if I had time to find him before I went into The Realm.