“You think you’re leaning on people,” Charlie smiled. “Really, we’re holding you up to the light. You fight for us. We need you. And you need the light.”
In an uncharacteristic move, Charlie stroked her cheek. His eyes reflected his deep fondness for her. He smiled.
“What he doesn’t know about you is that you find light by leaning on others,” Charlie nodded to the field. It had transformed into a grape vineyard. Heavy with grapes, the supports bent against the weight of the vines. “Find the light, Alex.”
There was a flash of light and Alex’s eyes shifted to the field. When she looked back, Charlie was gone. Sad, she wandered down the path to the house where Jesse waited for her. She hugged him tight. In her embrace, he was solid and strong, flesh and blood. Together, they began a slow journey through the sunflower field.
“Lean on me,” the sunflowers creaked in the wind. “Lean on me.”
“Alex, honey, come back.” She felt more than saw John pull her onto his lap. “Come back to me.”
“John?” She opened her eyes to him.
“You were crying,” he kissed her hard. “I hated to wake you because I know you’re not sleeping but…”
She opened her eyes to find worry in his cobalt eyes.
“Raz left a message saying the darkness took you again yesterday,” John said. “He tried to get out of his training but was told he’d lose his position. He knew that would only make your life harder.”
“I’m okay,” she said. “I’m glad he stayed in the stupid training. At least it’s over with.”
“Was yesterday hard?” he asked.
“Brutal.”
He picked her up off the bed.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Bath,” he said. “We’ll wash away the sorrow and laugh until dawn.”
“Dawn?”
“It’s almost dawn,” he said. “The case was…”
“Brutal?”
He nodded.
“I need the light,” she said.
“We’ll watch the dawn together,” he said.
“I’d like that.”
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Lean on Me Page 43
