Insight (37 page)
“I have clothes,” I protested.
“Yeah, but if we leave here and go into town you’re going to have to wear clothes that match this dimension,” Landen said, raising his eyebrows.
“And what might they be here?” I asked, seeing he was amused.
“They only wear yellow. They see the sun as a god and honor him by wearing only a
very
bright yellow,” he explained, holding his hand out for me to go in.
The house was beautiful, wide open. The ceiling arched into a frame, the living room had over-sized leather couches centering it, a fireplace was in the center of the couches, and there was a bar that separated the living room and the kitchen. I walked slowly to the couch and collapsed. It was so soft, framing me as I rested there. I heard Landen going through the kitchen looking in all the cabinets. I knew he was looking for food.
“I’m not hungry,”
I thought.
I closed my eyes and saw the photo of Drake and me again. I debated on just telling Landen. The last thing I wanted to do was stir up a conflict that had barely rested. Neither of us understood why we, of all people, were tossed into a conflict that began over four million years ago. It didn’t matter that we supposedly chose this or that we were the ones who lived four million years ago. We just wanted to live our lives without conflict. I ultimately decided that I’d be protecting Landen from unnecessary pain if I just forgot, like Olivia had told me.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry? Marc was just here. The entire house is stocked,” Landen said as he made himself a bowl of cereal.
I turned my head from side to side against the couch. Marc had traveled relentlessly since the day we laid his father Livingston in the ground. He used the excuse that Landen needed to spend time with me, and people still needed to find their soul mates. Landen and I knew it was his way to grieve.
My father had started to travel again, too. It was easy to see that he loved it more than he ever loved being a doctor in Franklin.
I moved my legs to the couch and stretched out. I then closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. A few moments later I felt Landen crawl next to me.
“Wait for me,”
he thought. I sleepily opened my eye to see that he had turned off the lights and was covering us with a blanket. As I felt him nestle against me I let my heavy eyelids fall.
When my eyes opened I realized that I didn’t focus on anywhere the way Landen and I always did as we fell asleep. It was our way of assuring ourselves that we’d be in the same place.
I was standing in the center of a gray street with gray buildings. I took in a deep breath realizing that this was Esterious. The weight that was always on my chest when I came here in my nightmares was absent. I could feel almost everyone around me, whereas in the past I could only feel the one that had called me here and after that I would always face Drake. Panic seized me. I could hear my heart thundering.
All at once I found peace. Landen placed his hands on my shoulders. I turned to look up at him. I could sense his alarm as well.
“How did we do this?”
I thought.
“I don’t know. Are you in pain? Is this a nightmare?”
Landen thought.
I shook my head no.
“I can feel all of them,”
I thought, watching all the people in long black coats go about their mundane day. Their faces were as solemn as they felt.
“I can, too.”
At that moment, a small child was walking at her mother’s side down the street. Landen was in their path, but before he could move, the little girl passed through him. A tantalizing rush soared through the two of us. I could feel his emotion intensify. For a moment, he felt just as sad as the little girl. After she passed through him, shock came over him, yet the little girl was filled with peace and love.
Landen’s eyes widened, then he hastily ushered me out of the street. There was a small opening between the buildings we slid inside it and gazed out at the passing people.
“
How did you do that?”
I thought.
“Me? How did she do that?”
A man leaned against the wall next to us. Landen glanced at me, then cautiously raised his hand and placed it on the man’s shoulder. He was solid. I felt Landen give the man the same peace he had unknowingly given the girl. A rush came through us again. The man stood up straighter. You could tell he wanted to smile, but he hid it as others walked by.
“That doesn’t make any sense,”
Landen thought.
“I think we should help them all,
” I thought, looking at the river of people walking by.
“Willow, we have to be careful. They are not supposed to smile or act different. I don’t want them to be executed because we made them feel better. I don’t even know where we are in this Esterious.”
I nodded, smiling at the chance to help more than one person.
Landen and I took each other’s hand and stepped out of the alley. As the people walked by, we touched them lightly. With each touch the rush we felt intensified. It was mind numbing, blissful. The emotions around us shifted immediately to peace. At the end of the street we stopped and looked back. The people were glancing at each other curiously. Some of them were whispering to one another as they looked back to where we had walked. This was the first time I really appreciated my gift of emotion.
Two men with hoods—whom I could not feel—walked out of the gray building we were standing next to. Landen pulled me back before they could pass through me. The people on the street noticed them immediately. Fear came through them all. Only a few of them were strong enough to hold on to the peace we had given them. We leaned against the wall and watched as the dark men walked through the center of the street.
Once we were sure that none of the people were in danger, we looked at each other and nodded.
We opened our eyes. Daylight was peering in through the front of the house. Landen sat up and rubbed his face, trying to wake up. I pulled myself up slowly.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I said quietly.
Landen looked down at the ground, then back at me. “I feel trapped,” he said. “What is the purpose of giving them any peace if they lose it as soon as one of the priests comes around?”
“Maybe we’re supposed to find the strong ones. Help them so they can help the others,” I offered, urging him to lie back down.
He refused to comply. Instead, he moved his from head side to side as he stared into the thin air. He was clearly arguing with himself, or at least an idea he had.
“August tried to help a man in Esterious. The man and his family plotted underground to cause people to rise together against the priests, against Donalt. Someone betrayed them…they lost their lives. They left behind two young girls. August has never forgiven himself for encouraging the man.”
“When was that?” I asked feeling even more disgusted with Esterious.
“I don’t know...at least ten years ago. That’s why I think we need to be careful. I don’t want anyone’s blood on our hands,” Landen said, pulling me closer to him.
“I don’t think we hurt anyone last night. We could do the same again tonight,” I said, staring at the A-frame ceiling.
“I thought the reason we left our home without warning was to spend time alone, away from what Esterious has done to us, to our family and friends. We stumbled last night. I think we should be more careful and focus tonight. We need a break. We can go back when we understand it more,” he said in a final tone.
I wasn’t fond of being told what to do. I never have been. When I sat up quickly and went to find a shower, he knew I was furious.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing my bag and following me to the bathroom down the hall.
“What’s wrong?” I repeated sarcastically. “You want to go home and get
everybody’s
opinion on last night. You know what will happen—we’ll be pulled in every direction, only to find out that no one even knows one way or the other. All the while, people in Esterious are going to be living in their own personal hell. It’s not fair.” I pulled my things out of my bag and began throwing them on the counter in the bathroom.
Landen caught my hands before I could toss my brush. He gently pinned my arms behind my back and pulled my body against his. He dipped his head slightly so I would I have no choice but to look him in the eye.
God those eyes of his were lethal. It didn’t matter if I was in a foul mood, terrified, or basked in his bliss they would seize me. Right now that stare was telling me to take a breath. To stop and listen to the reasons he had for caution.
“Now, you know that’s not my intent,” he said, tilting his head a little, while letting his eyes carefully glide down my body.
I really wanted to stay mad at him. But he had me under the spell of his empowering energy that was wrapped in unconditional love and passion. The boy could make my heart race with nothing less than a glance.
Right now his solid intent was to protect me, to help me become all that fate had asked of me. His intent was for us to become more powerful as one.
Silently he was telling me that had to occur before we could help the souls that I yearned to save.
“I just want it to be over with. I don’t have the patience for all of this to unfold. Why can’t we just help and move on with our life?” I asked, almost pleading.
Landen kissed my forehead then let his lips gently slide down to my cheekbone before they finally found my waiting lips. He teased me at first, kissing my bottom lip, then my top before melding our lips together. When I felt his tongue slide against mine, when he deepened our kiss to a level that invited passion I felt a numb sensation encase me. My very being was pulsing wanting to be as close to him as I possibly could be.
He reached down and picked me up, wrapping my legs around him and leaning me against the sink. His lips left mine and traveled down my neck as his sinful hands began to explore my body at slow pace.
“You’re distracting me Chambers.”
“Apparently not well enough.”
He thought as I felt his hands move the rim of my shirt up.
I signed feeling the warmth of his touch against my flesh.
His lips left my neck and I slowly opened my eyes to see him staring at me as if I were the most precious soul he had ever laid eyes on.
“We will figure this out. We become more powerful when we love each other. Our insights are already colliding. We have to be in sync before we can help others.”
My hands moved across his shoulders and his chest, feeling how powerful his mind, body and soul were, knowing that he was mine.
“So your theory is that we take off alone,” I let my lips barely graze against his. “Let our gifts strengthen, and then go back and get everyone all rallied up again?”
“Go back and help,”
Landen corrected as he leaned in and let his lips tease my neck. I swear he knew exactly where to kiss me, exactly what to do ease my body.
“It sounds like a very clever plan to get me alone,” I said with a sigh as I eased my fingers though his dark hair.
“Everybody wins my way,” Landen said under his breath, as his hands reached back for my knee and slowly began to slide forward.
Landen Chambers had to be the most addictive soul in this universe. And he was all
mine.
Acknowledgements
I have always believed that God places souls in our lives for a given purpose. I want to take the time to thank God for the souls He has blessed me with. My amazing husband, who has always supported my ambitions. My beautiful children who inspire me to embrace the world around me. All of my friends who have listened to me ponder every step I took. I have never once felt alone on this journey. Once again: Thank You.
Would you like to see Insight as a movie? IF so here is your chance to cast the characters!
http://iflist.com/stories/insight
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Other Books by Jamie Magee
Embody (Book 2)
Image (Book 3)
Image (Book 3)
Vital (Book 4)
Vindicate (Book 5)
Enflame (Book 6)
Blakeshire
New Series
See (Book 1)
Witness (Book 2)
Synergy (Book 3)
Redefined (Book 4)
Derive
Rivulet
Imperial
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