Chapter one

On the day she turned sixteen, Audrey Wildes found a note in her locker.

She had actually been excited when it tumbled to her feet, because she assumed it was from her girlfriend, Hedy. Sure enough, as she plucked the tightly folded square of looseleaf off the floor, she spotted her name written in Hedy's loopy handwriting. Audrey smiled, expecting the note to be a message wishing her a happy birthday, or maybe even one of the sappy love letters the pair of them had been writing each other since they first started dating a few months earlier.

But as Audrey's golden eyes scanned the page, the smile faded from her lips. Her heart plummeted, crashing into the pit of her stomach like a chunk of ice.

"This has to be a joke," she muttered to herself as she shouldered her backpack and took off down the hall. She clutched the note in a death grip as she ran, weaving around her fellow students and narrowly missing a few collisions on the way to her girlfriend's locker. When she arrived, red-faced and breathless, Audrey found Hedy standing in the midst of a group of their friends. One of the girls, Miriam, noticed Audrey first. Her eyebrows shot up in alarm, disappearing beneath her bangs.

"Hedy, it's her," Miriam whispered to Hedy, who was facing away from the oncoming storm that was Audrey. As if the group shared one mind, every pair of eyes swiveled toward Audrey in unison.

Perturbed, Audrey stopped in her tracks.

"What's going on?" she asked as she took in the looks on everyone's faces. Their expressions spanned everything from uncomfortable to inquisitive, and none of it boded well to Audrey. When no one answered, Audrey zeroed in on her girlfriend. "Hedy, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Hedy licked her lips and glanced back at her friends, who responded with encouraging nods and sickly sweet smiles that ignited a spark of fury at Audrey's core.

"Actually, Audrey," Hedy said. There was a stilted rigidity to her words that gave Audrey the impression that she'd rehearsed them ahead of time. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Audrey gaped. For a moment, she was too stunned to speak. Hedy took the opportunity to elaborate.

"I put everything in the letter." Hedy nodded at the note, now crumpled beyond recognition in Audrey's clenched fist. "I don't think there's anything else to say."

"Well, I do!" Audrey cried. She shook the note between them, making Hedy and the others flinch away from her. "According to this you're breaking up with me because I—and I quote— 'scare you'. What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's not just her, Audrey," Miriam said.

Something about knowing that all of their friends had been talking about her made Audrey feel like someone had dumped kerosene on that angry little spark inside of her. "Shut up, Miriam," she snapped before she could think better of it. "I didn't ask you."

"You know what I mean!" Hedy cried, gesturing at Audrey like she was an exhibit on display. "And I'm sorry, Dree, but I just can't deal with it anymore."

A sense of betrayal sliced through Audrey like a knife. "Hedy, we've talked about this." Her cheeks burned hot. She was embarrassed to be talking about something so personal out in the open, and mortified by the realization that Hedy had likely already told their friends things she'd shared with her in confidence.

Hedy shook her head and crossed her arms. "Listen, I'm sorry that you're going through some stuff right now, Audrey. I mean it — I know things are hard for you and I know you're trying to figure it all out, but..." she hesitated, and Miriam wrapped an arm around her shoulders — a gesture of support that no one seemed to be willing to offer Audrey. Hedy took a deep breath to compose herself. "I don't think I can fix it."

Audrey seethed. Her anger burned her like a house from the inside out. "I never asked you to fix anything!" she shouted, drawing curious looks and hushed whispers from other students in the hallway. "I just asked you to listen — to be there for me. That's what girlfriends do!"

"I'm sorry," Hedy said. She took the tiniest step back. "You're right — you should have someone you can talk to about this stuff. I just don't think I can be that person for you anymore. It's too much."

Don't do it, Audrey thought as she felt the telltale prickle of tears biting at her eyes. Don't you dare cry in front of them.

"You mean, I'm too much, right?" she spat. Instead of answering, Hedy looked down at her pristine shite sneakers, which told Audrey everything she needed to know. She scowled at them all. "Well, I guess this is one way to get out of buying your girlfriend something for her birthday, huh? Really classy, Hedy. Thanks for nothing."

It was time to leave. Before anyone could say another word—and before she did something she'd regret—Audrey spun away and stormed out of the school. The sound of her blood rushing in her ears drowned out every sound as she took off running. She furiously wiped the tears from her eyes. Every breath she took scorched her lungs, and her head felt like it was full of acrid black smoke. In the back of her mind, Audrey knew her grandparents would be waiting for her at home, ready to celebrate her sixteenth birthday together. But she was too angry to go home yet. She needed to calm down first, so she cut to the left and headed for the forest.

The western edge of town was skirted by a dense thicket of old trees. For as long as Audrey could remember, those woods had been her favorite place in the world. As a child, she explored the forest floor with her friends as they played epic and sprawling games of make-believe, hunting for magical creatures and hidden treasures. The dappled sunlight that filtered through the leafy canopy above gave the forest a mythical, almost sacred quality. Audrey liked how small the towering trees gave her a sense of being cradled and protected. After her mother died, the woods became Audrey's sanctuary — a place she could retreat to when her grief got to be too much. Among the trees, she could cry or be angry on her own terms. Unlike people, the trees didn't wince with discomfort in the face of her sadness. The woods didn't make her feel like her emotions were too much for them to handle. The forest was Audrey's safe space, and today that was exactly what she needed.

Audrey's heart was still smoldering by the time she broke through the underbrush and into her favorite clearing; the one with mossy boulders surrounded by tall, swaying grass. She let out a furious scream as she stepped out of the trees. Birds took flight from the boughs above, squawking indignantly at having been frightened from their roost. Normally, Audrey would have felt guilty about scaring the wildlife, but today she was too full of anger and hurt for there to be room for anything else. As she paced around the clearing, she read and re-read Hedy's breakup note. The crumple paper quivered in her trembling hands.

"Who the fuck does she think she is?" she shouted toward the sky, kicking at the lush grass.

"Ahem," said a voice, "are you quite finished?"

With a startled yelp, Audrey whirled around. She'd been so caught up in her tantrum that she hadn't realized that she wasn't alone. There, perched lightly on a boulder as if it were a throne, was Welkin.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Audrey snapped. Her eyes scoured the clearing and the tree line that surrounded it, making sure she hadn't missed anyone else lurking in the shadows. "What are you doing here?"

"That depends on what you mean by 'here'." Compared to their daughter, Welkin's voice was soft and measured. They slid gracefully from the stone and took a moment to smooth their pristine robes before fixing Audrey under a disapproving stare. "I'm on the planet to celebrate my child's birthday, like I do every year. But I'm in the woods because I could sense your rage the moment I arrived, so I chose to investigate."

Audrey bristled. She didn't like being reminded that her otherworldly parent could feel her emotional state in the way a normal person might feel a change in temperature. "Ugh, why don't you just read my diary like a normal parent? It would be less creepy."

Sighing loudly, Welkin ignored the barb and breezed across the clearing. They stopped in front of her and tipped their head curiously, sending a sheet of their long gilded hair sliding across their shoulder. It caught the afternoon light and glistened like a river of molten gold. Welkin's appearance was the one thing that hadn't changed over the years. As far as Audrey could tell, their beautiful face, with its sharp and angular features, hadn't aged a day in sixteen years. The fact that the Star was seemingly ageless was paradoxically unnerving and comforting all at once.

"Perhaps you could just tell me what's wrong instead?" Welkin said. Their eyes—the ones they had passed down to Audrey—dropped to the note in her hand. "What is that?"

For a split second, Audrey considered telling them to fuck off and mind their own business. As a parent, Welkin left a lot to be desired. There had never been anything consistent about their presence, something Audrey hadn't minded as much when her mother was still around. But the last few years had been tense and strained: Welkin didn't know how to raise a child, and as far as Audrey could tell, they didn't want to either. She didn't need Star-like omniscience to know that being around her made Welkin sad.

But a broken heart will make a person do strange things. In a moment of weakness, Audrey's need to be comforted made her cave.

"It's a note from Hedy," she said miserably.

"Hedy..." Welkin's brow furrowed. "She's the young lady you're romantically involved with, correct?"

Audrey groaned. "My girlfriend, yes. Or at least she was until she slipped this stupid thing in my locker today. She dumped me!" Audrey held the note up and jabbed her finger at a line halfway down the page. "She says I'm 'not the same person' she fell in love with anymore. Can you believe that?"

Welkin plucked the note from her hand and read it in thoughtful silence. Audrey watched their expression, waiting for some indication of disbelief, or fury on their daughter's behalf. Instead, all she got was a couple clicks of Welkin's tongue as they handed the paper back to her.

"Well, daughter, I'm sorry that your significant other decided to end your relationship. And on your birthday, no less. That wasn't very considerate of her."

A moment passed, followed by another. When Audrey realized that was all Welkin had to say, the glowing embers of anger inside of her reignited into a furious blaze.

"That's it?" she shouted, throwing her hands into the air. "She broke my heart, Welkin! She didn't even try to make things better — she just gave up on me and walked away, and it fucking hurts. Can't you at least pretend to care?"

This seemed to shake Welkin's stoic facade, if only slightly. They blinked, clearly taken aback. "Of course I care, Audrey. I care that you're hurting. But this—" they gestured at the note "—this is just a moment in time. It's not as though you're destined to be with—"

"That's not the point!" Audrey cried. "But thanks for reminding me that my feelings don't matter. That's exactly what I needed to hear right now."

Welkin pinched the bridge of their nose and let out a frustrated huff. "That isn't what I meant, Audrey. I'm simply trying to tell you that this too will pass. You have your entire life ahead of you, and in time none of this will matter. Life is short, but it's also long — even for humans."

The anger searing Audrey's core had grown wild and unruly. The blaze was a wildfire, burning completely out of control. "I don't care! I didn't tell you about this just so you could give me some motivational pep talk!"

"Then why did you tell me, Audrey?" Welkin asked, exasperated. "What is it that you need from me?"

"I just wanted you to listen! Maybe commiserate with me a little, or at least defend me."

"Defend you against what, exactly?"

"This! How could you read this and not be mad?" Audrey made an agitated gesture at the note in her hands. "She basically says I've turned into a monster."

"You're not a monster, darling," Welkin said gently, "but she's not incorrect in saying that you've changed. In fact..." They hesitated before finishing their thought. "It's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Audrey's head spun. For the second time in less than an hour, she found herself completely blindsided. "Are you fucking serious? You're taking her side?"

Welkin shook their head. "I'm not taking anyone's side."

Trembling, Audrey clutched the note in both fists. "How would you know if I've changed, Welkin?" Her hurt and her disappointment reached a fever pitch. "You're never even around!"

As Audrey's fury exploded, so too did the note in her hands. Without warning, the paper was consumed by a ball of vibrant glowing light that incinerated it into dust. Then, as quickly as the light appeared, it vanished again, leaving Audrey gaping at her hands in disbelief.

She tore her eyes away from the charred ash drifting from her fingertips and looked at Welkin. To her horror, they looked just as alarmed as she felt.

No, she thought as dread flooded her insides. It's happening again.

"What was that?" she wailed.

"I was afraid this might happen," Welkin replied, sounding dazed. Their gaze was unfocused, hovering on the place where the note had been.

"You were afraid what might happen?" Audrey asked. Panic bordering on hysteria rose in her throat.

Welkin gave their head a shake. Then, to Audrey's surprise, a small smile spread across their lips. "All this time I thought the only thing you inherited from me were my eyes." They lifted those eyes back to hers. To Audrey, it felt as though they were seeing her for the first time. "But it seems I was mistaken."

***

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