was a product of my mother’s spell? How much was real? Did they truly want to hurt me, or did Darlene’s spell make them channel all of their pent-up anger and rage onto me?
At one point, Nana knocks on the bathroom door, asking if we can talk, but I ignore her. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I just want to stare blindly at the water-stained wall in front of me and feel my heart shrivel into dust.
Pain.
So much pain.
It’s like fire ants are crawling through my veins. I want to cry, but my eyes seem incapable of it. I think I cried too much recently and now my tear ducts are empty.
I slowly slide to the ground and wrap my arms around my knees. Staring. Just staring. I don’t even know what, exactly, I’m looking at.
When there’s another knock, only a half hour later, I jump to my feet and storm to the door, throwing it open hard enough that it careens against the wall.
“What?” I bellow, expecting to see Nana. Instead I see…no one. I glance in both directions, but the hall is empty. It’s only then that I notice the object lying demurely on the ground.
A peony flower made of paper.
My curiosity getting the better of me, I bend down and rub it against my cheek. The amount of work someone did to create something so intricate…
On one of the petals, I notice words written in ink. I have to strain my eyes in order to read them.
Where the green ends.
Where the green ends? What the hell is that supposed to mean? And who sent it?
I narrow my eyes suspiciously at the innocent-looking flower, running the tips of my fingers over the soft edges. The resemblance to a peony is almost uncanny. From the green stem to the pink flower unfurling at the tip. It’s beautiful, and unlike real flowers, it’ll never die.
Whoever sent this just made me immortal.
Where the green ends…
My feet begin to move before my brain can catch up, bypassing the kitchen and dining room until I’m standing on the back porch.
Where the green ends…
My eyes latch on to the manicured lawn that gives way to a forest of maples interspersed with oaks, all currently leafless.
Where the green ends…
Feeling almost euphoric at my discovery, I race barefoot through the grass, loving the way the soft strands prick my skin, and stop at the edge, where green grass transitions into rough dirt.
I glance in both directions, smiling smugly when a splash of pink captures my attention.
I hurry forward and grasp the green stem of a second paper flower. Like before, there’s a note written on the leaf.
Where the sun is a triangle.
Where the sun is a…?
Oh.
Quick as lightning, I run back into the house and climb the ladder leading to my attic space. Directly behind my bed is the tiny, triangular window that looks out into the driveway. And on that ledge is a third flower.
Golden stars.
Golden stars? I scour my memory for anything that has golden stars in it but come up blank. I even type it into my phone, wondering if it’s a location I’ve never heard about before.
Nothing.
Golden stars.
Golden stars.
Golden stars.
I begin to pace, ducking when I come too close to a precariously hanging rafter.
Golden stars.
Golden stars.
Golden stars.
A memory hits me seemingly out of nowhere.
“Can I play?” I asked tentatively as I stared at the four large boys standing before me.
The redheaded one, Lucas, smiled brightly, showing off his missing tooth. I didn’t think it was fair. I still had yet to have a loose tooth.
“Sure.” He tossed me the basketball, which I caught easily.
“Do you know how to play?” the biggest one queried. He had dark, obsidian skin and brown eyes that twinkled when he smiled. His black hair hung in loose waves down to the nape of his neck.
“Like this?” I awkwardly began to bounce the ball, wincing when it got away from me and rolled into the grass.
Karsyn, the kind one with an easygoing grin and tangled blond hair, hurried to retrieve it.
“Good job,” Elias said softly. I knew I was awful, but his praise made a smile rise to my face regardless.
We played for only a few minutes before Cassian groaned, throwing his head back against the basketball pole.
“I need to get going,” he announced, dropping the ball. “Mom said I needed to be home for dinner by six. Elias, you still coming?”
“Yeah,” the brown-haired boy said, nodding. “Lucas? Karsyn? Peony?”