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  There, we could feel the exhaustion coming from the house, and we knew that they’d be glad we had come. Landen led the way in through the door and up the steps to the master bedroom, where we found Felicity sitting up in the bed, trying to get the baby to burp. Brady was on the edge of the bed with heavy eyes, watching her.

  Landen put his hand on Brady’s shoulder. He looked in to the emptiness of the room and sighed.

  “They’re here,” he said to Felicity.

  I stepped closer and touched Felicity and the baby. Felicity smiled and laid Allie across her arms in a cradle position. I looked down at her wide eyes and watched as she seemed to focus on me

  “Landen, look - I think she can see me.” Landen stepped closer, and Allie’s eyes shifted to where he stood.

  “I think you’re right.”

  “She’s too young to focus on anything,” I thought. Landen didn’t respond; he just smiled intently at Allie.

  “She’s just eaten and has been changed. It’s time to sleep now, but she just doesn’t want to. I have milk ready for her if she gets hungry,” Felicity said, pointing to the night stand and looking blankly into the room.

  Landen walked to the edge of the bed, pulled back the covers, and pushed Brady to lie down. Felicity edged to the side of the bed and laid Allie down in the cradle. I turned out the lamp and touched her shoulder, telling her I’d watch the baby as she slept.

  Landen went to one of the other rooms to get a chair for him to sit in. I slowly sat in the rocking chair and watched Allie’s eyes follow me. I rocked the cradle back and forth, keeping my hand on her stomach, sending her love and peace. Silence took over, and you could feel the peace in the room as Brady and Felicity shifted to sleep.

  When Landen returned to my side, Allie’s eyes found him.“That is amazing,” he thought. I nodded in agreement. Minutes passed, then she drifted to sleep. Her little eyelids shifted back and forth, and we could feel excitement, love, joy, and peace as she dreamed. I wondered for a moment why we all forget. Why would we ever step away from such bliss?

  Hours passed, and Felicity and Brady cradled each other as they slept. I was watching Allie and could feel frustration and confusion in her emotions. I assumed she was getting hungry and would wake at any moment. I reached for the bottle Felicity had left for her.

  “Do you think it’s safe to pick her up?” I asked Landen.

  “I don’t think there’s anything that would wake you. Just focus on being here,” he thought. I nodded. Landen reached for my shoulder to calm me, and I smiled, feeling it take effect. Allie began to cry before her eyes even opened. I handed the bottle to Landen, then reached for her. Allie’s cry lessened at my touch, but her frustration was still growing. As I settled into the rocking chair, cradling her, Landen handed me the bottle. As soon as the bottle touched her lips, gratitude filled her as she began to eat, staring up at me. Felicity turned restlessly in her sleep. Landen put his hand on her hand to calm her, then the peace returned to the room.

  After Allie ate, I changed her, then rocked her on my shoulder until I felt her drift into another dream. I laid her down gently, proud of myself. The sun was starting to peek over the hilltop, and we decided to stay until Brady and Felicity woke on their own. Just past eight, they started to move, then they both sat up at once with a panic. Landen and I grinned at each other, then stepped closer to touch them, calming them down. Their peace came back as they saw Allie sleeping soundly and the empty bottle beside the night stand.

  We woke ourselves back to our home. Every night we spent together was amazing, but this one seemed to be more; it was as if Allie taught us. I couldn’t remember a time that I was so grateful for being able to eat or have such a constant emotion of bliss.

  On the bedside table, the phone rang. I reached for it. It was Felicity. “Did you sleep well?” I asked.

  “I haven’t slept that well in months. Thank you, really,” she said.

  “It was fun. She ate around five. I changed her then, too.”

  “Are you guys going to come over and spend time with us today?” Felicity asked

  “Maybe. We’re going to spend some time with Libby and Preston today. I’m sure that you’ll have a house full of people soon.”

  “I can imagine that you’re right. I guess I’ll let you go. I want to try and take a shower before she wakes up again.”

  “Alright then. Love you guys.” I hung up the phone and nestled next to Landen. He was so warm. If I could take this warmth with me to my dreams, I’m not sure I’d ever want to wake up. I laughed at myself, thinking that may very well be the reason that that flaw was in place.

  Chapter Four

  From the kitchen window, I could see Preston coming over the hill toward our house. He was such an adorable, peaceful little boy. He was wearing one of Marc’s black travel shirts. It swallowed him, but it was easy to feel the pride it gave him as he wore it.

  I followed Landen to the porch to meet him. We had not spent a lot of time around him, so we were both a little anxious about trying to bond with him. Preston stepped up on the porch, holding his little shoulders back with a big smile on his face.

  “Libby will be here in a minute,” I said to him.

  He nodded like he already knew that.

  “Have a seat,” Landen said, extending his arm for Preston to take a seat in one of the chairs.

  Preston’s smile lessened a little. “We need to be in the grass,” he said as he looked over his shoulder.

  “Why is that?” Landen asked.

  “You want Libby and me to show you how to leave right?” Preston asked.

  Landen forced a patient smile. “Yeah – but why the grass?” he questioned again.

  “Cause it’ll be easier for you the first time,” Preston said, stepping down off the porch. He kicked his shoes off, then walked to the meadow of flowers that surrounded our house.

  Landen gave me a wary look. He was not fond of being barefoot – anywhere; his mother, Aubrey, told me that had to do with him being a Pisces.

  “It’s just grass,” I thought as I winked at him and slid my sandals off to follow Preston. I could feel Libby getting closer, and I looked in the direction of my parents’ house to see her running over the hilltop - already barefoot and wearing a long white cotton dress. Preston had made his way to the center of our side yard, the only side of the house that did not lead to one of our family’s houses. He sat down and crossed his little legs, then smiled up at me. I took a seat next to him and waited for Libby and Landen. Landen waited until he reached his seat before he took off his shoes. Preston looked at me and grinned, finding Landen’s demeanor amusing.

  “Alright, little man, who taught you how to do this?” Landen asked.

  “Nobody. I figured it out. I wasn’t allowed in a lot of rooms at my old house, and I wanted to see them...this is the only way I could,” Preston answered casually.

  “You step into other people to explore...?” Landen summarized.

  “Nah, I only step into people if I can’t reach something,” Preston answered with an odd expression on his face, as if we should have already figured that part out.

  “Libby,” I said to get her attention, “can you leave?” She nodded.

  “How many times have you left?” Landen asked

  “All the time,” she answered, giggling.

  Landen shook his head in disapproval. He was extremely protective of Libby, and he was upset that he was just now learning all of this.

  “Can you two talk?” I asked, wondering if they shared a bond as strong as me and Landen’s.

  “Why would we want to talk?” Preston asked curiously.

  I looked at Landen for help, but all I got was a small smirk on his face.

  “Alright then, show us,” Landen said, looking at Preston.

  Preston patted his crossed his legs, telling us to do the same, then he folded his hands in his lap. Libby did the same. Landen and I looked at each other before we complied with the wordless direct
ion.

  “OK,” Preston said. “You can’t think, and you cannot use any of your senses. If you hear, it has to be on the inside. If you see, it has to be on the inside. Close your eyes and breath.”

  “What do you mean ‘don’t think?’” I asked

  “It’s just like when you go to sleep - but you stay awake,” Libby answered.

  “Ahh, that makes sense. So we need to focus on here, right?” I asked Landen.

  He looked at me with my favorite impish grin. “I suppose so,” he answered.

  “Are you ready?” Preston asked. We nodded and closed our eyes.

  I had taken a few yoga classed with my friend Jessica a year or so ago. I wasn’t very good at it, but I did remember that Jessica always told me to focus on my breath, to imagine blue air coming in and red air coming out. I watched my breath; not forcing it, letting it come as it would naturally. I visualized myself in the meadow where I was and watched the blue go in my body, and the red leave. I felt relaxed, almost weightless. With each breath, I became more relaxed. Then it felt like my head was not even there – like I was connected to something bigger than me, bigger than the universe I was in. I let myself live in that moment a little longer, not sure if I’d reached the point of meditation. Taking in one more deep, cool blue breath, I opened my eyes.

  I was sitting next to my body. It was still holding my posture, letting quiet breaths in and out - but what was so remarkable were the colors around me. There was a white glow surrounding me and Landen, connecting us. Around us individually, close to our skin, was a very pure color of orange, and further away from our bodies the orange faded into a yellow, then bright green, giving way to a beautiful blue. The colors stretched several feet from us.

  “Can you hear me?” I thought to Landen. I could see him next to his body and feel his awe as he took in all the colors.

  He looked up and nodded with an awestruck smile on his face.“I didn’t think that is was possible for you to be any more beautiful,” he thought, rising to come to my side. Standing beside their bodies, Libby and Preston were watching us both, and the same white glow that connected me and Landen surrounded the two of them. The colors were not the same, though; they had a beautiful shade of pink surrounding them that stretched into a violet.

  “I wish we could talk to them,” I said to Landen.

  Preston and Libby looked at each other and smiled, then looked up at us. They raised their heads to the sky, leading us to follow their stare. I slowly raised my head to see the most amazing thing that I had ever laid my eyes on: the normal sky was gone; it was replaced by a beautiful sea of colors. It looked as if there were small pearls of light floating along an invisible current. Where our bodies remained, the sea of colors opened and let a beautiful glow of white light - more amazing than diamonds - flow into our color.

  Preston grabbed my hand and Libby took Landen’s as we passed through the field. We weren’t the only one that had colors; the trees, grass, and flowers had a glow of light around them. I swear I could see nature take in the air and release it. I’d always known that nature was life; I’d just never seen it as a part of us. It was as if we’d been given new eyes to see what we take for granted every moment of our lives.

  I was staring down at the grass, mesmerized by all the colors, when I noticed that when Preston passed through the taller blades of grass - they did not move; when I passed through the grass, though, it moved as if it were solid. I stopped.

  Landen was still looking up at the sky.

  “What is it, Willow?” he asked, feeling my shock.

  “Preston is passing thorough the grass - we’re not,” I thought.

  Landen looked down at Libby to see her standing in the middle of a row of flowers. It looked like they were a part of her. They must have expected us to notice this. Preston let go of my hand and walked over to Libby’s side. He leaned down, picked one of the flowers, and held it as if it were solid. Then he grazed his finger through it, making it look like an optical illusion. Preston reached up and handed it to Landen. In Landen’s hands, the flower was solid again. Landen raised his other hand and tried to pass his fingers through the flower, but it was still solid. Preston smiled and shook his head, then pointed to his head.

  “I think he’s trying to tell you it’s in your head...try seeing it as light,” I thought, reaching down to pick another flower. Landen looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I winked at him, then looked down at the red flower in my hand. I focused on the stunning white glow that surrounded it and ran my finger through it. As I passed through perfect petals, I felt the energy that the flower had and felt a tiny tingle ran through my soul. I smiled at myself and looked at Landen; we watched him as he tried to do the same. The first time, he found it solid. Before he tried again, he looked up to the sea of colors in the sky, then smiled at himself. The next time he ran his finger through the energy of the flower, I was almost sure I could feel the energy through him.

  We smiled at ourselves, then joined hands, following Preston and Libby through the field. They led us to Brady and Felicity’s house, and we could feel that they had several guests. Brady and Ashten were sitting on the porch; they both had a white glow around them that stretched somewhere in the house. The most dominant color around them was green, but it wasn’t as bright as the one around Landen and me. Preston and Libby broke off from us, laughing vigilantly as they chased each other through Brady’s front yard. I followed Landen up the steps of the porch and into the house. Aubrey opened the front door to call Ashten and Brady in for lunch.

  When she stepped closer to Ashten, the white glow around him stretched to surround both Ashten and Aubrey. “Did you see that?” Landen asked, awestruck, as he watched the glow connect his parents.

  “I think that’s the love we can feel between them,” I answered, looking at the one that surrounded us. Ours seemed to be thicker than theirs; I pondered that it may be because our love was newer.

  We followed Brady and Ashten in the house. Nyla and August were there, too. Nyla was setting the drinks on the table, and there was a glow around her and August as well. I was sure then that it was love that I was seeing. Felicity walked slowly into the room, staring down at little Allie and kissing her tiny head softly before sitting her down in a cradle beside the table. Brady pulled her chair out for her. What was so fascinating was that the glow around them stretched to Allie as she lie sleeping silently beside them; it was breathtaking to be able to see love connecting people so intensely.

  Landen walked back outside, and I followed him. It was easy to see that he was fascinated by the colors of nature. Preston and Libby came to our side, and we walked through the field back toward our bodies. As the birds would pass above us, we could see a pure white glow around them. It was as if everything and everyone was connected by energy; if everyone in the universe knew this, loneliness would not exist.

  Suddenly, I couldn’t feel Landen’s hand in mine; he was gone. I felt myself panic and squeezed Preston’s hand. He and Libby were calm. I brought myself back to consciousness, desperate to find Landen. Back inside my body, I opened my eyes and looked quickly to Landen. He was there, and so was Marc. Preston and Libby opened their eyes as well.

  “What are you guys doing?” Marc asked, almost amused.

  “Learning,” Landen said, slipping on his shoes as he looked up to the sky.

  I followed his stare; sadly, the colors were gone. There was no longer a light stretching from the heavens to us; yet, vaguely, we could still see the colors around everyone. Marc’s shade was light brown, and the white glow that should connect him to the ones he loved lingered around his body alone.

  “Learning what?” Marc asked, looking at Preston protectively.

  “To leave,” Preston said, smiling at Marc.

  Marc’s shade shifted to red, and I could feel his disapproval. “You are teaching these children to walk around without their bodies?” Marc said, looking sternly at Landen with his eyebrows creased. His brown eyes seemed to gro
w darker, and his jaw tightened; for a moment, the resemblance between him and Drake seemed to be more clear. A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered the moments Drake had held me.

  As he felt it, Landen looked at me. I pushed down the emotion and forced a smile.

  “No, your little brother is teaching us,” Landen corrected. “It seems Preston is miles ahead of us.”

  Marc looked down at Preston “Who taught you that? Drake? Mom?” Marc asked Preston.

  “I learned all by myself. I’ll show you, too,” Preston said, his smile lessening a little.

  Marc shook his head in disbelief. “Is this what you guys were talking about last night?” Marc asked Landen. Landen nodded “You should have made me come; Preston is my responsibility - not yours,” Marc finished.

  Landen reached for Marc’s arm and pushed much needed calm through him. Marc sighed, then nodded. His brown eyes lighted slightly, taking the ghostly image of Drake away. “So what triggered a late night discussion?’ Marc asked.

  Landen looked down at Preston and smiled.

  You could feel the guilt coming from Preston. “I was bad. I wanted milk, and I didn’t wait for Aubrey to give it to me,” he said, looking down.

  Marc looked at Landen for some kind of clarity. “They can step inside people and take over,” Landen said, keeping his hand on Marc to calm him down.

  Marc looked at Preston. “That was not nice - you know that don’t you?” Preston nodded.“You guys go play. I need to talk to Landen and Willow,” Marc said, running his hands through his hair.

  They hugged me and Landen before running off toward Libby’s house. We walked with Marc to our front porch. Marc sat down in one of the chairs and sighed. “August told me about Mercury. What’s our plan?” Marc asked, looking back and forth between me and Landen.

  “We don’t have one,” Landen said blankly.

  “You know he’s going to take someone, hurt someone,” Marc said, the red around him turning scarlet.