string...something’s wrong...you can hear them screaming,” she said between broken sobs.
“Who’s screaming?” Landen asked, pulling Beth away from me so he could see her face.
“All of them...our family...Marc and Drake pushed us through here and went to find out why,” Beth said, trembling.
Landen grabbed my hand, and we ran down the hall with Dane right at our side; we almost knocked Alamos down as we ran by. Once at the passage, we pushed through – and we heard the screams immediately; they were blood curdling. I could hear Allie crying and Preston and Libby screaming our names. We ran in the direction of Pelhan’s world. As the passages of Esterious ended, we saw Drake and Marc. The string was blocked by what looked like a gray wall, Olivia’s dream was coming to life in front of me - and Brady’s fears were confirmed. I looked at Landen; his face was engulfed with the panic I felt coming from him.
“We can’t push through, Landen,” Marc said as Stella’s voice yelled his name. “Do something, Landen!” he yelled as he pushed against the wall - only to get burned.
“Stop hurting yourself!” Landen yelled, pulling Marc back.
I paced in front of the wall, trying to read the emotions, to see what was hurting them; I couldn’t tell one from another.
“ I think it’s an illusion,” I thought. Landen looked at me for an explanation. “ I’ve felt Stella’s terror before, and that’s not it,” I thought, cringing at the sound of her voice echoing in the string.
“ Are you sure?” Landen thought.
I nodded and swallowed. As I focused on the emotions of the string, I was very sure; they didn’t have the soul of the people I knew beneath them. I’d taught myself when I was only a girl that there’s a signature in all of our emotions, something that can’t be mocked or completely covered by another dominate emotion. I’d tried to teach this to Landen, but it was harder for him to perceive; his gift of intent seemed to overshadow the one of emotion.
As Landen’s eyes moved back and forth from one emotion to the next, he realized I was right. “It’s an illusion Marc; she’s not hurt,” Landen said, grasping Marc’s hands before he burned himself again.
“This wall is not an illusion,” Drake said as Preston yelled his name.
“Tell me how you know,” Marc said, putting his hands on Landen’s shoulder. He was so angry and scared, his whole face was red.
“She doesn’t feel the same...they all feel the same; there’s nothing making them individuals,” Landen explained, trying to calm Marc - but Marc pushed away, not allowing Landen to calm him.
“I told you to save that,” Marc said, harshly covering his face and falling to his knees, trying to calm his own emotions.
I sat down in the center of the string and closed my eyes, blocking out the screams and dark images my mind wanted to create for me. I wanted to assure myself that they weren’t there. I knew if they were in distress that I’d feel the pull of the string, that they’d appear before me as an image - and we’d find a way through the wall. I felt nothing, though; just an emptiness. I could barely feel the people of Esterious. I opened my eyes to find the four of them staring at me.
“Nothing,” I said to them.
“Landen, can you find another path? Let’s make sure they’re OK,” Dane said as he heard his name echoed by Clarissa’s voice.
Landen nodded and reached for my hand to pull me up. We walked in the opposite direction, and when the passages to Esteroious ended, another gray wall was in front of us. The devastation coming from all of us was almost too much to bear in the vibration of string. This wall was silent; there was no emotion behind it. At that moment, it was as if the only dimension that existed was the dark one of Esterious.
“We’re trapped in hell,” Marc said in an angry tone.
Drake looked at
“Who’s screaming?” Landen asked, pulling Beth away from me so he could see her face.
“All of them...our family...Marc and Drake pushed us through here and went to find out why,” Beth said, trembling.
Landen grabbed my hand, and we ran down the hall with Dane right at our side; we almost knocked Alamos down as we ran by. Once at the passage, we pushed through – and we heard the screams immediately; they were blood curdling. I could hear Allie crying and Preston and Libby screaming our names. We ran in the direction of Pelhan’s world. As the passages of Esterious ended, we saw Drake and Marc. The string was blocked by what looked like a gray wall, Olivia’s dream was coming to life in front of me - and Brady’s fears were confirmed. I looked at Landen; his face was engulfed with the panic I felt coming from him.
“We can’t push through, Landen,” Marc said as Stella’s voice yelled his name. “Do something, Landen!” he yelled as he pushed against the wall - only to get burned.
“Stop hurting yourself!” Landen yelled, pulling Marc back.
I paced in front of the wall, trying to read the emotions, to see what was hurting them; I couldn’t tell one from another.
“ I think it’s an illusion,” I thought. Landen looked at me for an explanation. “ I’ve felt Stella’s terror before, and that’s not it,” I thought, cringing at the sound of her voice echoing in the string.
“ Are you sure?” Landen thought.
I nodded and swallowed. As I focused on the emotions of the string, I was very sure; they didn’t have the soul of the people I knew beneath them. I’d taught myself when I was only a girl that there’s a signature in all of our emotions, something that can’t be mocked or completely covered by another dominate emotion. I’d tried to teach this to Landen, but it was harder for him to perceive; his gift of intent seemed to overshadow the one of emotion.
As Landen’s eyes moved back and forth from one emotion to the next, he realized I was right. “It’s an illusion Marc; she’s not hurt,” Landen said, grasping Marc’s hands before he burned himself again.
“This wall is not an illusion,” Drake said as Preston yelled his name.
“Tell me how you know,” Marc said, putting his hands on Landen’s shoulder. He was so angry and scared, his whole face was red.
“She doesn’t feel the same...they all feel the same; there’s nothing making them individuals,” Landen explained, trying to calm Marc - but Marc pushed away, not allowing Landen to calm him.
“I told you to save that,” Marc said, harshly covering his face and falling to his knees, trying to calm his own emotions.
I sat down in the center of the string and closed my eyes, blocking out the screams and dark images my mind wanted to create for me. I wanted to assure myself that they weren’t there. I knew if they were in distress that I’d feel the pull of the string, that they’d appear before me as an image - and we’d find a way through the wall. I felt nothing, though; just an emptiness. I could barely feel the people of Esterious. I opened my eyes to find the four of them staring at me.
“Nothing,” I said to them.
“Landen, can you find another path? Let’s make sure they’re OK,” Dane said as he heard his name echoed by Clarissa’s voice.
Landen nodded and reached for my hand to pull me up. We walked in the opposite direction, and when the passages to Esteroious ended, another gray wall was in front of us. The devastation coming from all of us was almost too much to bear in the vibration of string. This wall was silent; there was no emotion behind it. At that moment, it was as if the only dimension that existed was the dark one of Esterious.
“We’re trapped in hell,” Marc said in an angry tone.
Drake looked at
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