Insight

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Landen stood and walked to the mantle. He was staring at my willow tree. His anguish hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Willow," he said solemnly, "we've made a big mistake." His words were a dagger in the heart.

"Excuse me?" I managed.

He stared at the floor with disdain. "If that lore is right...then or now...and you can help those people," he dropped his head. "That matters. It's important.

I stood. His emotions were a brick wall between us. I reached for his arm, but he shifted away. He wouldn't look at me. The rejection burned every part of me.

"You can't say that—"

"You haven't seen what I've seen, know what I know. Donalt's people— those people live a life that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"Landen—"

He raised his hand to stop me. "No, listen to me. It's a virtual hell. No color, they live in identical houses, inside and out, they eat the same food, wear the same clothes, work day in and day out. They're executed if they break the simplest law. No one smiles or laughs. It's dark, no life. No one has a will to live."

"How is that your or my fault?" I shouted.

He paced the floor, his hands on his head, his eyes closed.

"I stole your heart. You were supposed to stop all of that, but you fell in love with me and never looked back, and now look—how many people do you think have died because we were too selfish?"

"I am not selfish," I bit out.

Landen turned quickly and put his hands on my shoulders. His eyes were different. The blue had changed, it was darker.

"If you have to choose between me or saving those people. Save them."

I jerked his hands off me and stepped back, more angry than I'd ever been in my life.

"Are you insane? What are you saying? You—you want me to be with Drake!"

"Willow—"

"No. Don't 'Willow' me! One minute you're telling me that you love me and you're going to fix everything, and the next you're telling me to go to another man. How dare you!"

"I am not telling you to go to another man!"

"Yes, you are! Are you even listening to yourself?"

"Willow, I told you to save those people."

"Which means I have to be with Drake! How can you stand there and ask me to pay for something that was done millions of years ago?"

"Do you think this isn't killing me? Do you not feel how bad it hurts for me to tell you that? We have to fix what we've done wrong. Chara will go to war with Esterious, they will never think twice about it. People will die, Willow. They have died because of us, and will die because of us."

"Do you happen to remember what happened four million years ago, because I sure don't. If you do, enlighten me. Tell me why I'm cold and selfish?"

"I didn't say you were cold."

"Basically, you did. I know that if those stupid charts are right and I'm back or whatever they mean, then I should be the same person, and I happen to know myself well: if I stayed here, I had a damn good reason."

"You loved me."

"And I still love you, and if that was my reason it was good enough then, and it's good enough now."