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soft, fragrant hug. “I can’t believe you’re finally here. You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting.”
    Callie pulled away from the awkward hug and the woman laughed, a light, bell sound. Her dress swooshed as she led Callie deeper into the room. “Of course you wouldn’t recognize me. I’m Sapphire.”
    But Callie did recognize her, or at least, she thought she did. Something prickled at the back of her mind, and eventually bloomed into realization. “You look like me.”
    Sapphire’s smile stretched into a grin.
    “Yes.” She draped an arm over Callie’s shoulders and led her to the mirror. Their eyes stared back, identically slanted. Their hairlines arched into the same peak, just slightly off center. The same bow lips, the same dusting of freckles.
    “Sisters,” Sapphire said softly. “Not that I’m supposed to tell you that. Family is hard to find around here, but I have an advantage. I saw you coming.”
    “You did?” Callie murmured, still transfixed on the mirror. Sister, she thought. Someone to hold her hand, someone to share secrets with, someone to love. She wanted that, didn’t she? Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. “You’re lying.” If this was some kind of joke, it was the worst kind of cruel.
    Sapphire laughed again, squeezing Callie’s shoulders, warming them. “If only you knew how funny that is.” She withdrew and moved toward the door, dress glistening like a jar of fireflies. “I just wanted to say hello before the ceremony. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up now that you’re home.”
    The door shut behind Sapphire, leaving Callie alone. She leaned over, putting her hands on her knees. “When I open my eyes,” she whispered, “this will all disappear.” Squeezing her eyes shut, she took three deep breaths.
    One.
    Two.
    Three…
     
    ***
     
    Rowan felt Callie shiver. Her arm was delicate against his, as though any force might take her down. The pulse at her wrist fluttered erratically and the vessels at her throat jumped just as fast.
    The people spread before him like a sea of twinkling colors. Rowan knew all their names and faces, how long they’d lived in Eirensae, what their powers were, but he could think of less than ten whom he actually cared for.
    Callie’s fingers pushed into his arm and he snuck a sideways glance at her. She’d lifted her chin, but her free hand trembled against the banister. An uncertain smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Rowan wished he had a camera to record this moment, one of the few he might like to take with him when he left. He settled for memorizing the graceful slope of her neck, the slant of her cheekbones, the way her scent—lilacs and chamomile—made him dizzy. He should’ve told her she looked beautiful, she was, after all, a girl, and they liked that sort of thing.
    When they reached the final steps, the crowd broke into applause.
    “People of Eirensae, ” Hazel cried. She stood on the stage in the center of the room, her tiny body swathed in gold fabric, a crown of red curls around her head. “I present to you, Calla Lily, a child of Eirensae returned to her rightful home.”
    Cheers resounded through the crowd. Rowan clapped along with the rest of them. Callie’s cheeks flamed bright pink and she stared at the gold-flecked floor.
    Hazel lifted her arms and the glowing orbs that hung suspended above them flickered. “Join me in welcoming her.” She said a few more words in Gaelic, which were repeated by the crowd, and then the band behind her started playing. Hazel stepped off the stage and disappeared into the throng of people.
    “What did she say?” Callie asked, angling toward Rowan.
    “The Gaelic? It’s an ancient incantation. It means welcome home.”
    “Oh,” she said. Her expression remained perplexed. “Can I ask you something?” she murmured, gazing over his shoulder.
    He shrugged.
    “Is it weird…or maybe wrong, that all of this…it feels—I feel,” her words drifted