Witness: See Series (Volume 1)(36)

“So – this Landen guy knew about us but never even tried to meet us, to give us advice? Maybe he isn’t the person Austin made him out to be.”

Draven shook his head as I spoke. “Austin never had a chance to tell him or see him. What he knows is common knowledge in Chara. If anything, Landen is more than what they thought, and his soul mate has given him immense powers…kinda like you give me power.”

“You promise this door isn’t closed? Austin will come back?” He nodded. “That when he comes back, you’ll tell me?” He nodded again. “How do I give you power?” I asked as my shoulders fell.

“I’ve been trying to show you; baby steps, remember? Let’s take the first one.”

I nodded and followed him to the couch, where he picked up the guitar and laid it across us. My mind was rushing in every direction. I felt out of control - like I was racing toward a cliff and Draven was driving. I let out a deep breath and conceded the idea that if we fell off this cliff, at least we’d fall together.





Chapter Eight


I watched as Draven played with the strings of the guitar. It was clear he was trying to think of a simple way for me move into memories.

My head was spinning out of control; all I could think about was finding Bianca and giving her a piece of my mind. I couldn’t believe I was such an idiot. I remembered thinking that I was supposed to save Britain from her, that if I did, I could figure out how to protect Draven - but now I don’t know what to think. It’s as if she’s had her chance with both of them and had been refused. If that was the case, what was next? What was she planning? If they aren’t escorts meant to blind us from our purpose, then what do they want with us? How do I give Draven power? What is he not telling me? I began to fidget with my hands and was having a hard time staying still at Draven’s side.

He glanced at me. “Thought about taking you somewhere safe and close first, but I want to show you how powerful the ability to do this is.”

My eyes grew wide with anticipation, but then thoughts of defeat came over me. I’d struggled long enough with figuring out how to see, and now he was taking this to the next level.

“OK, look – don’t assume I know something I don’t. If any of you had bothered to tell me that I needed to ‘ask’ a question when I was seeing, I would have gotten this long before I did. Now all of you are blocking me, and I have no idea if you’re doing that or if I’m doing this wrong. Tell me step by step what do, what I have to focus on.”

An impish grin came to the corners of his perfect lips. “I did tell you to ask a question…you were just asking too many.”

“You should have said that. I almost feel like you like me being blind like this,” I said boldly.

His smile fell, and I knew I had hurt him. “I don’t want anyone to be blind…I was trying to let you find your way back on your own because you’re stubborn and hard headed. You wouldn’t have listened to me anyway – but now we’re out of time. You need to know how to do this now.”

“Teach,” I said shortly, knowing he was right. I have a bad habit of trying to understand things on my own, but going through what I’ve been through has forced me to ask for help – a hard lesson I didn’t care to learn.

He held my stare as he played through three chords. “Remember this song?”

I did. It was the very first one he’d written for me. He was only fourteen, and he played for me at his grandmother’s house in the UK. My mom had let me fly over there for three weeks that summer. I nodded to confirm.

“How vividly do you remember me playing it for you?” he asked as he blushed slightly.

I gazed into his eyes and let the memories flood to the surface of my mind. “We were on the back deck. Everyone was inside, playing cards at the kitchen table. You pulled the guitar out from behind the swing and nervously began to play…you fumbled with the first few chords, but then you found your place and began to sing, to take my breath away.”

He raised his eyebrows and blushed slightly. “You took my breath away,” he said quietly, then he began to play again. “Stare into my eyes…remember everything about that place...the way it smelled...the air...what you saw…let your mind take you there.”

I held his gaze and listened to the chords come to life. At first he hummed the words, but then he let the lyrics come to life. I smiled slightly, noticing how much stronger his voice was now than it was then. Then the eyes I was staring into seemed to grow younger. I closed my eyes, sure I was going crazy – but then I told myself that going crazy may be the only way to figure this out. I focused on every part of that memory, then opened my eyes.

I wasn’t sitting in my room any longer; I was across the ocean, on his grandmother’s deck. Everything seemed so real. I could still hear the music Draven was playing and looked around to find him. He was right behind me without his guitar. My eyes grew wide with disbelief. The sun was rising here, and birds were singing. It was the same place - I just wasn’t in my memory; I was there...I was really there.

“How?” I asked as I gazed back at him.

“The how is something we may never know…it just is.”

“This is real? We’re here – like in real life? Are your grandparents inside?” I asked as my heart began to hammer against my chest.