Vital by Jamie Magee Read Free Book Online Page A

I was only bluffing.
    “Alright,” Dane uttered in an annoyed tone. I halted, then turned and looked at him. “The speakers hide their faces with hoods. From what you can see, you can tell that they’re all older men. They have control over their energy, and they teach others to ‘see’, as they call it. They’ve said that this war is beyond what the eye can perceive. There are some that have already managed to escape their bodies the way we do. Most are too timid to do so. If anyone shows any strength, they’re taken from the crowd. Your friend that you just sent to prison was taken two days ago. I would imagine that’s why he could see in here; they taught him to do so.”
    I looked up at Landen. “That’s bad.”
    Drake looked down at me, letting his dark eyes tell me not to worry. It was easy to see that he wasn’t surprised or alarmed by what Dane had reported. His apparent confidence hindered my fear.
    “Awful confident, aren’t you?” Dane accused, seeing Drake’s obvious lack of concern. “Could that be because you’ve found a new source of power?”
    Drake turned sharply to Dane, then he and Landen both pulled their shoulders back, trying their best to deter their anger for my benefit - but with little success.
    “I haven’t found anything. The power I have, I was born with,” Drake said coldly
    “Whatever. The two of you are only using Willow as a source of power, and one day she’ll wake up and see that if she was just an ordinary girl, neither of you would have given her a second look.”
    “What?!” I yelled, putting my hand on Landen’s chest in a vain attempt to hold him back.
    “Willow, I’m just calling it like I see it. Neither of them showed up in our lives until they needed your power.”
    I took a deep breath before I spoke. “Dane, you obviously have been brainwashed by these meetings. You need rest or something because I promise you, if you ever say something like that again, I will be your worst nightmare - not them,” I said, nodding in Landen and Drake’s direction.
    He raised his hands defensively, knowing he’d crossed a line. “Sorry. You’re right. They’ve gotten into my head. I just need to spend more time around you, for you to keep me sane,” he said, stepping cautiously closer to me while ignoring the glares from Drake and Landen.
    Help me call a truce here, Landen. I don’t need this on top of everything else , I thought.
    He looked down at me and nodded once, but held his stern expression. “We need to go. The others are waiting on us,” Landen directed, glancing at Drake.
    Drake nodded. “Wait right here; Mom is on the other side of this passage. You guys take her, and I’ll find Alamos, then meet you there.”
    As Drake disappeared into the passage, I looked at Dane “I want you to go home. You need to talk to Clarissa. You’re no good to me if you’re distracted by the fight the two of you are having.”
    He shook his head no. “If I go home, I’ll only make it worse. She wants us to run away from all of you, and I’m not gonna do that. The only way we’re gonna be normal again is when I know you’re safe, that you aren’t being played.”
    At that moment, Beth stepped through the passage. Landen reached out for her arm to guide her. I’m gonna walk ahead. You’re gonna have to talk to him; he literally has the intent to fight with me, and right now I feel like letting that happen, Landen thought.
    I sighed and nodded. Landen guided Beth forward, glaring at Dane as he passed him.
    I looked up at Dane. “What is with you? I mean, did you get knocked in the head or something?”
    The look of shock on his face matched the mystified emotion I felt from him. “You think I’m not acting like myself?” he asked, genuinely surprised.
    “Um...no,” I scolded, walking forward.
    He followed me into the glow of the string; I didn’t want Landen to get too far ahead of me. I knew he wouldn’t step through without me, but the fear of the pain