by Jamie Magee
I looked at Landen and felt my stomach drop; through all the peace, I could feel the deep sorrow of one: Marc.
“Stella,” I said, breathlessly rushing back into the house and down the stairs; Landen was right behind me.
Lying on the couch in my living room was Stella’s body; I could feel everyone I loved around me, but I could only see her. Marc was caressing the hair out of her face, and his eyes looked like glass as he tried to hold back his tears.
I walked slowly to her and knelt down. I thought I was keeping her safe, alive - but the truth was she was sustaining me. Her eyes were closed, and she was still, too still. I placed my hands on her face.
“Stella,” I whispered, “he came for you...your dreams came true...we are truly home now.”
Unable to hold back his tears anymore, Marc buried his head in the couch next to Stella. Landen tried to calm him down, but his sorrow was too deep.
“Willow,” I heard my father say.
I turned slowly and saw him standing in front of my entire family. “She’s trapped inside. Her soul and body are strong, but she just can’t make them agree long enough to wake,” he said in a soft tone.
I looked back at Stella, closed my eyes for a second, and cleared my head. As I stepped out of my body, I heard a gasp come from the room, and Landen rushed to my body to guard it from being moved. Stella’s energy was as bright as the sun; yet, it lingered against her skin. I gently lay down and joined her.
I didn’t open my eyes and bring her body to life the way I’d expected to; instead, I found myself next to Stella’s soul in darkness.
“Stella,” I whispered. “It’s Willow.” I felt her joy and peace strengthen.
“Are we home?” Stella asked.
“We are. Can you wake for me?” I asked, moving my energy closer to her soul.
“I don’t have the strength; I feel so heavy.”
“Do you remember what they did to you?”
“All I remember is trying to get back to you, then I felt a pull, and all of my energy left me.”
“Did they say anything?”
“Everyone was yelling. I can’t remember what they were saying.”
“Stella, I’ll find your energy - or I’ll find the words to break this spell you’re under. I promise.”
“Willow, you came the way Evelyn said you would...thank you,” Stella said as her mind filled with the memory of Evelyn.
“She knew that you belonged to this family, and I was happy to fill the space between her and Marc,” I said as calmly as I could.
“Can Marc come to me the way you have? It wouldn’t be so bad if he was close. I can hear him; I know I’m hurting him.”
“You’re not hurting him; he just thinks he’s going to lose you - and we both know that’s not going to happen.”
I felt her peace. “I can’t let go of a life I’ve yet to live,” Stella whispered.
“I’m going to teach Marc how to come in here,” I said, trying to convince us both.
“You know, if you hadn’t been taken by Drake, I never would have been on those docks; I’d be in a laundry house under the street, and I don’t know how I ever would have found Marc. You weaved us to one another, and we’ll never be able to repay you for such a beautiful gift. Loving him forever is worth the wait I endured.”
I reached my energy all around her and tried to give her patience, not knowing how difficult it would be to teach Marc to calm his mind. I opened my eyes and found myself back in my body; Landen was holding me tight.
“We have to teach Marc; she wants him, and they need to join until we can figure this out,” I thought.
Landen looked down and smiled, glad to see me back. He kissed my forehead, then looked over to Chrispin and Dane and nodded toward Marc. Chrispin walked over and put his hands on his brother’s shoulders.
“Come on, man; we need to teach you,” Chrispin said.
Marc moved his shoulders away, angry at himself for waiting so long to find Stella. I knelt down next to Marc and put my hands on his face, forcing him to look at me. “Marc, I just promised Stella that I’d teach you how to go to her. She can feel you, and she thinks she’s hurting you. You need to go to her until I can figure this out.”
Marc’s dark eyes seemed to lighten a little. “Then you teach me,” he said in a harsh whisper.
I nodded and stood, and he followed me. Everyone parted out of our way. I took Marc’s hand and pulled him to the front door, to the porch. The crowd around our house had dispersed, and in the distance I could see a few of them broken into small groups across the hilltops; they were silent as they cleared their minds. Our family wanted to follow us, but Landen held them back, and they all stood silently watching from the windows. I kicked off my shoes and looked back at Marc. He followed my wordless instructions and pushed off his shoes. I then sat in the green grass in front of my house, and Marc sat silently in front of me.
“I don’t think I’m strong enough to do this,” Marc said, looking me in the eyes; the pain I saw in them took my breath away as Drake’s sorrowful eyes came to mind...I suppose I did hurt him again - just as he predicted.
I pushed Drake’s image away and stared into Marc’s eyes. “You’re as strong as you think you are, now listen to me. I need you to close your eyes and let it all go, turn off every thought. You’re going to feel yourself slowly connect to something bigger than all of us; give into that pull, release yourself. You need to see yourself outside of your body, and when you find yourself there, walk into the house and lay gently into Stella. You won’t be able to see her, but you’ll feel her soul.”
“Can I pull her out?”
“They’ve taken her energy, but Landen and I will find it. All I need you to do is love her - and wait.”
Marc nodded, and I put both my hands on him and sent as much peace and calm as I could. He closed his eyes and breathed out; he was so tense. It wasn’t just Stella; it was the loss of his father, seeing his mother, losing her over and over again to Drake. I looked up to Landen, and he followed my wordless request, stepped off the porch, and placed his hands on Marc’s shoulders. Libby and Preston opened the front door of our house and walked to Marc. Libby stood on one side and Preston on the other, and they touched him as well. All of us pushed a numbing calm into Marc. For a moment, confusion coursed through me and Landen; we had no idea that Libby or Preston had the power to change emotions. Our focus then came back, though, and we all gave Marc the peace he needed. Our Auras turned into a stunning pure light so bright that I felt the eyes of the world on us.
Moments later, Marc appeared behind Landen, looking in awe at the heavens. He then took ownership of the peace we’d given him, smiled at us, turned, and walked into the house.
“We’ll watch him,” Preston said, sitting down next to Marc’s body, protecting anything from moving him.
Landen and I followed Marc back into the house, and everyone parted and made room for his soul to pass. When he reached Stella, he did as I’d told him and gently laid down. His soul vanished inside of Stella, and the thin yellow line that outlined her skin grew as Marc’s energy found hers.
Chapter Seventeen
As Marc settled his energy inside of Stella, I turned to see my family. The love in the room immersed me, and everyone embraced me tightly, welcoming me back to the place I where belonged. My grandfather Karsten and grandmother Nyla had made their way to town in order to help August find a place to stay, as well as prepare food for all of our guests. The rest of us wandered out onto the front porch.
I paced back and forth, lost in my thoughts. I had to help Stella; I had to help them all. I felt like I’d been trapped in hell itself and had selfishly left so many behind.
Ashten stood in front of us all. “We need to come up with a plan. This time, no one is disappearing in the middle of the night; we’re all going to go,” he said, looking across at us all.
My eyes fell to Olivia. She was sitting next to Chrispin on one of the couches. She’d dream
ed of the moment we’d soon face, and I took comfort in her calm.
“What do we have to do? Go and get another page or something? Do we have to wait until tomorrow?” Brady asked, eager to get to the action.
Felicity smiled proudly up at him. She was holding little Allie, whose eyes seemed to follow the conversation as it moved from person to person. I still couldn’t fathom how an infant could focus so clearly.
Preston, who was still guarding Marc’s meditating body, stood and made his way to the porch. Everyone looked to him, and he smiled at me, then at Landen. “Perodine will help you,” he said confidently.
I looked up at Landen, then pulled his hand for us to go to the string to find Perodine.
Ashten stepped in front of us, blocking our path. “I don’t think it’s wise for you to charge into a dimension that’s held you both captive for the last few days.”
“I have to help Stella,” I argued, looking back at Landen.
Preston pulled at Ashten’s hand to get his attention. “They don’t have to go to my old house; she’ll be at the gate that leads to the waterfall as the moon rises,” he said.
We knew what gate he was speaking of; it was the one we’d passed through to rescue Olivia, the one through which we’d carried Preston home.
“Then we’ll all go,” Ashten said, looking first at me and Landen, then to Clarissa, Chrispin, and Brady.
I locked my teeth, struggling with the anticipation. I didn’t want to wait for the moon to rise, and I didn’t want to wait for a stupid planet to orbit - I wanted it fixed now. Landen pulled his arms around me, sending as much patience as he could through me.
“So what do we do until then?” Dane asked, just as eager as I was.
I looked at Olivia, then to Dane. “We were told to teach the two of you first, so you’d be able help us teach. Whoever wants to help us is going to have to be able to move through people, to show them what they should feel every moment of life,” I said as a surge of déjà vu came through me.
Rose cleared her throat and walked to my side. “I’ve told all of you that the children of this dimension that have reached the age of six have developed gifts that cannot be explained. They’ll be able to help you.”
“I don’t want children in that dimension,” I said, looking at Rose, then to everyone else.
“If they want to go, you won’t be able to stop them; they can use their minds in ways that cannot be explained,” Rose said, searching my eyes for understanding.
I moved my eyes from her to Preston, then to Libby, who was still sitting next to Marc’s body. Suddenly, I felt the gaze of innocents, and I looked to Allie; her eyes were locked with mine, and she smiled a smile that was beyond her age. I felt the hair on my arms rise; everyone did.
“Do you want us to teach them?” Preston asked me and Landen.
We nodded, giving him our permission. He then stepped off the porch and walked to Libby, who stood and smiled as they walked hand in hand down the driveway.
My mother came to my side, hugged me tightly, and whispered to me, “Never be afraid of your purpose. I love you.”
I hugged her back, and she smiled, then followed Libby. Aubrey was right behind her..
I walked over to where Felicity was sitting and sat down, still captured by Allie’s attention. Felicity smiled at me, and I gently reached for Allie and laid her on my chest, feeling her unconditional love.
Landen stared at me, then looked at Brady and the others. “We need to practice; I don’t want anyone to get hurt this time. Drake has had control of his energy longer than all of us combined. If he tries to move us, we need to be able to stop him.”
They all nodded. Landen then walked to me and kissed me softly before making his way to the side yard. Brady, Dane, Chrispin, and our fathers followed him, leaving Olivia and Clarissa with me and Felicity. I leaned back and caressed Allie’s back as she drifted to sleep in my arms.
“Are you OK, Willow?” Clarissa asked as she sat across from me.
Olivia took a seat next to her. I drew an uneasy breath.
“I lost myself, I lost Landen, and I made a mistake that I’m sure to pay for one day,” I said. As the words left my lips, flashes of each time I kissed Drake came to me - and I felt sick as I remembered longing for him when he was absent. I was weak; if I were as strong as Esterious thought I was, I never would have lost my touch with reality so easily.
“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Olivia said in a cracked voice.
I looked down, knowing I wasn’t being hard enough on myself.
“Did you ever give your heart to Drake?” Felicity asked.
I looked at her like she was a fool. “I can’t give him something that I don’t own; it’s always been Landen’s.” My words were almost angry - not with them, with myself.
Clarissa looked at me as if she could feel my pain. “Willow, the flesh is nothing; the soul is who we are, and Landen knows that. Put this behind you before it hinders you.” Her words were comforting, and I nodded to give them peace - but guilt still seeped through my veins.
“Have you been meditating?” I asked them, looking at Felicity. “Do you know how?”
“We’ve been looking for you day and night,” Olivia answered. “And after what I saw in that dimension, I’ll stand at your side until those people are released. I’ve never seen or read anything so dark.”
Felicity stood and went in the house. She returned moments later with a carrier for Allie. I laid her down gently, and the four of us gathered in the front yard next to Marc.
“Do you think you can do this?” I asked Felicity.
She smiled. “Ashten and Aubrey have already taught me and Brady. We even know how to join our energy to strengthen us,” Felicity answered, blushing a little.
I looked at Olivia and Clarissa. “Did you guys figure it out?” I asked, almost amused. They both laughed.
“It didn’t take us long,” Clarissa said, looking behind me at Dane, who was being held in the air by Landen.
I shook my head, smiling, glad that others could feel how amazing it was when the energy of two soul mates combined.
We settled, clearing our mind. I was the first to rise. Olivia was a moment behind me, and Clarissa and Felicity appeared at the same time. They drifted in the direction of Landen and the others. Meanwhile, I gazed at the heavens, which were a sea of pearls, full of color. I walked in my own direction to the center of the lush green field and breathtaking flowers. I let my soul settle there, watching the white glow open and settle around me as I lay down and watched the heavens flow above me.
I questioned every step I’d taken in my life since mid-August. Just a few months ago, I was ordinary, lost in the routine of life, watching the clock tick by; within one breath, though, it seemed like my universe had moved. I found Landen, a purpose for my gifts, and lives that I’d lived before were told to me as if they were read from a moving novel, separate from the ordinary person that I was.
I’d made mistakes. It seemed like every time I took ownership of my gifts, someone suffered; now, I’d not only have to take ownership of my gifts, I’d have to lead at Landen’s side - innocents to save innocents. I let each person I loved pass through my thoughts, asking this beautiful sky - not to take them from me. I asked that it be I and I alone to bear whatever burden was to come.
I felt a peace come over me, more powerful that what man himself could have in his soul. It was as breathtaking as the energy I felt when I helped someone, and it was beautiful as the love Landen gave me. It was there that I found the courage I needed to lead, to take the path that I’d chosen.
The light behind the sky seemed to be dimming into dusk. I rose and drifted back to my home. Marc’s body was still sitting in the front yard; I knew he needed to move. I made my way inside my home to where Marc and Stella were lying on my couch, and I fell into their energy; The love I felt from them was incredible.
“Marc, I need you to wake so we can move you inside; you have to take ca
re of your body if you want to keep your strength,” I said into the darkness.
I could feel his resistance, and so could Stella. “Go, Marc; you’ll come back to me...I know you will,” Stella said in a voice of pure innocence.
I rose, giving them a chance to say goodbye. When I opened my eyes, I was back in my body. The others had left; only Marc and I remained. I could feel Landen close; he was leaning against the rail of the porch, patiently waiting for me. Seconds later, Marc’s eyes opened, and his Aura was almost completely yellow.
Landen stepped down off the porch to help us both up. “You need to eat before you meditate again,” he said to Marc.
We could both feel Marc’s anticipation to return to Stella. I took Landen’s hand, and we made our way into the house.
In the kitchen, our counter was full of every kind of food you could imagine. I smiled up at Landen. “What army do they think we’re feeding?” I teased.
Marc looked at Landen, then to me. “The strongest army that’s ever existed,” he said, sure of himself.
Landen helped me fix plates for all of us as Marc melted into a chair at the table. Landen then placed Marc’s plate in front of him as we took a seat next to him. Marc looked down at his plate, then up at us. “What are we going to do?” he asked.
Landen slid Marc’s plate closer to him, encouraging him to eat. “You need your strength,” he said softly.
“I need to know that we can help her,” Marc argued.
Landen sighed. “Tonight when the moon rises, we’re going to meet Perodine next to the waterfall. We have high hopes that she’ll be able to tell us what must be said or done to bring Stella back,” he explained.
“How is she going to meet you? That waterfall is not in her dimension.”
“Preston said she’d be at the gate. Dad and Jason are going to step through and bring her to us.”
“Ashten and Jason?” Marc questioned, “I should go. Brady, Chrispin, we should go in there - you know what happened last time,” Marc argued.
