Insight

Chapter Eleven

A tiny figure ran toward us. It was Libby. My fear dissipated as soon as she fell into my arms. We couldn't even say hello before she began to rush over her day, telling us about everyone she now had as friends, her room, and how much she loved it all here.

"So you didn't miss me at all today? I see how it is," I teased.

"Willow, I was with you, too, you can't see me sometimes, though," she said as she slid down and ran toward the house to announce our arrival.

Glancing up at Landen, I could sense his despair. He wanted nothing more than for me and Libby to be safe, and at that moment he saw that as an impossibility. He grinned at me, then guided me toward the house. I took a deep breath and squeezed his hand as we climbed the front steps.

"Don't be scared," he whispered into my ear, kissing my neck softly. He was putting off a blissful emotion, giving me a blanket to hide behind.

We walked through the front door, and I noticed that his house was so much different from ours. Everything was white and very bright, the walls accented the rooms with a light teal blue, and even the floors were a light wood color. Flowers decorated the banister and the doorways. No one was in the house. They'd all gathered in the back. Landen led me through the living room to the double doorway that opened to the back of the house. As we opened the doors, an eruption of applause began.

The group of family and friends was close to two hundred people. Heat filled my cheeks and my ears. The spotlight couldn't be more uncomfortable. My mother and father stood in the front of the crowd, smiling up at us. My mother was glowing in a silver dress, her long hair was curled and her happiness unmistakable. Ashten, Aubrey, my father and mother proudly walked up to the porch where we were standing, which had been transformed into a stage.

Ashten began a heartwarming speech. "Aubrey and I, along with Jason and Grace, are pleased to introduce each of you to Landen and Willow, the newest and youngest couple of Chara."

Applause erupted again, then Ashten continued, "We have faced many trials and triumphs over the years. The time that Jason was lost will haunt me for a lifetime, just as the time that I found him will be celebrated for all of time." Ashten raised his glass to my father while tears streamed down Aubrey's face. It was easy to see that she'd helped Ashten carry the burden when my father was missing.

"Today, we celebrate Jason and Grace. They have been returned to us at last. We also celebrate that my only daughter, Clarissa, has found her soul mate, Dane."

I noticed Clarissa and Dane standing beside Landen and me. I didn't know if they'd been there the whole time. They were locked in each other's gaze, not appearing to notice the world around them.

"We also celebrate that life is not predictable. We are not all the same. Uniformity doesn't apply to any dimension, not even ours. Landen has proven this to us all as he stands here joined at last with Willow."

The applause erupted again, and I felt an overwhelming joy beaming from the crowd. An older woman handed Landen and me a glass of champagne. Ashten then raised his glass, and the crowd toasted. Landen turned into me and kissed me softly. I could hear the applause begin again as my head spun with his touch.

My father put his hand around the older woman who had handed me the glass and said, "Willow, this is Rose, your grandmother."

My eyes widened—she was not what I expected. Rose looked so young. The only sign of age she had was her solid white hair, which fell just to her shoulders. Her eyes were a beautiful green, and beside her was an older man whose hair was short and dark with silver running through it. He looked like my father, only much older. "And this is your grandfather, Karsten," my father said, tilting his head in the direction of Karsten.