Before that fateful summer night, Willow had balanced the insight of emotion, and the vivid images. That night, the figure in her nightmare marked her wrist with a star, giving her father no choice but to tell Willow a family secret that would abruptly change life, as she knew it, forever. Before Willow had time to absorb the shock of her father's secret, her soul mate that had shared every stunning dream with her, found her, and darkness captured her closest friends. In order to save them, she must weave through broken myths and the undeniable power of the Zodiac. In the end, Willow discovers that at the moment of our birth we are all given a divine gift.
Excerpt:
I was terrified; the summer air blew through my open window as I tossed and turned in bed, lost in a dark dream. I was having one of the bad dreams where I could not feel the ones around me; they had no emotion, or even a mood. The same dream had haunted me since childhood, and the heavy weight on my chest was almost unbearable, leaving me with shortness of breath. On top of that, the adrenaline rushing through my body gave way to hair-raising chills.
Being unacknowledged by the people in this place had become normal. They seemed lost in their own personal hell; lines gave definition to their faces, and the world around them was gray. In order to lift the weight from my chest and wake from this horrible hell, I would have to find the one who had called me here, the one I could feel - whom my touch could help.
I made my way through the gloomy street, pushing through others as they walked by in a solemn state. I reached out with all my senses, and could I hear the sound of arguing growing louder; that had to be my way out, and the weight on my chest grew stronger - telling me I was right. Fear began to race through me, though, so I tried calming myself by remembering that they could not see me, that I was a ghost to them.
Small windows lined the tall gray cement walls; darkness lingered behind most, while lights illuminated others. There was no grass, trees, or sign of birds or any other life beyond the hopeless people all dressed in long black cloaks. Everything was so controlled and uniform; the absence of color, music, and laughter was almost as scary as the emptiness in their eyes.
As I walked closer, fear overtook me upon the realization of what I’d anticipated: the one who had called me was close. The weight was reaching a degree of unbearable pain, and my emotions were nearing anger. Why did it have to hurt? I tried to push away the invisible force that was torturing me, but my efforts were in vain - just as they always have been.
The arguing was coming from one of the small windows on the first level. A man was yelling as a woman cried out, not being heard. On the front steps, I saw a little boy; he looked to be five or six, and he maintained a blank stare into the darkness with purest of blue eyes. His hair was long and messy, and the clothes he was wearing were tattered and dirty. I felt so sorry for him; I wanted to take him from there, but that was nothing short of impossible. Putting my anger and fear aside, I sat down next to him and placed my hand on his small back. I thought of how happy he could be if he were only given some sense of being loved. How great he would feel if he could be the center of some lucky parents’ world. The little boy dropped his eyes as he felt me; oddly, his emotion shifted to regret and sorrow. Not understanding, I focused on peace, and his emotion slowly gave into mine, bringing a sense of peace into his little body. I hoped that I would have been able to bring him happiness, but my time there was coming to an end. Silence came, and the little boy disappeared, as the people on the street did. The wind whistled through the barren cold walls, and I could only hear my heartbeat.