My mind churns with turmoil, thought after thought crashing against the walls of my skull. My chest aches beneath the weight of panic, each heartbeat slamming against my ribs in warning. I’m trembling so hard my teeth might chatter. My scalp prickles. My fingertips buzz. Even the chipped blue polish on my fingernails seems to vibrate.
   This is completely insane.
   What the hell am I doing?
   Why am I following them?
   This is how girls disappear. Vanish without a trace. Headlines. Candlelight vigils. The “she was always so sweet” interviews.
   And yet, I keep walking. I have to go with them, just to prove to myself that I’m not losing my mind. I need to know this isn’t real. That I’m not the kind of person who gets swept up in madness. I’m rational. Logical. Grounded.
   Except nothing about this is rational.
   Fiera and Elias say they came from another world.
   Another world.
   It’s ridiculous. Delusional.
   And yet…if they’re crazy, what does that make me?
   Because I saw it. I felt it.
   It was nothing short of surreal.
   At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but no. Elias flicked his wrists and the café rearranged itself like a damn magic show. Tables scooted back into place. Dishes levitated through the air, stacking neatly on shelves. And Fiera, holy crap! She summoned fire out of nowhere! No lighter. No spark. Just heat and flame, dancing across the espresso machine like it was nothing. Burned all the stray coffee grounds in an instant.
   It would’ve taken me twenty minutes to clean it.
   It took them ten seconds. Maybe less.
   I did not imagine it.
   I know what I saw.
   I know what I felt.
   This can't be happening. But it is. And I don’t know what terrifies me more, the fact that it’s real…
   Or the possibility that it’s not.
   Elias had walked into the coffee shop right at the end of my shift. I'd never seen him before. At first, I thought he was just some insanely cute guy grabbing a late-night coffee. He’s supermodel gorgeous. Tall, broad shoulders, and lean muscles under a dark hoodie, with that kind of shaggy, just-rolled-out-of-bed black hair that somehow looks intentional. But it was his eyes that stopped me cold. Bright blue, streaked with silver spirals, like someone bottled the Caribbean Sea and added starlight. I’d never seen anything like them…and yet something about them tugged at a buried memory.
   He was polite. Charming, even. Then he pulled out a deck of cards and did the most ridiculous, impossible magic trick I’ve ever seen. At least, I thought it was impossible. I didn’t know then that impossible was about to redefine itself.
   I was so drawn in, I forgot I was still on the clock. We sat and talked like we were friends. Our conversation flowed effortlessly, like we were meant to meet. I felt warm, seen, alive.
   And then, Fiera walked in.
   I thought Fiera was just the mysterious new girl at school. We’d hung out a few times at lunch, and been paired in classes (when she wasn’t skipping). The moment she saw me sitting with Elias, something flipped. She went from calm to furious in an instant.
   It was beyond irritation. Beyond anger. It was white-hot rage.
   Fiera knew Elias. That much was obvious. And she hated him.
   I watched, frozen, as they hurled sharp words and bitter insults, as if I wasn’t even there.     
   As if I’d disappeared.
   Finally, I snapped. “Enough!”
   And that’s when it all unraveled. Or maybe, began.
   Fiera turned on Elias. “Tell her.”
   I laughed nervously. “Tell me what?”
   That’s when things got really weird. Downright creepy.
   Elias’ voice shook when he said he knew my parents.
   His words hit like a punch to the chest. Red flag. My parents had died three years ago in a boating accident. There was no way he knew them. The claim felt like a sick joke.
   Immediately, he started backpedaling. He tried to explain, saying he only knew my mom, as if that made it better. Then, he stumbled into the creepiest confession I’ve ever heard: he’d been watching me. He’d been planning to meet me tonight.
   Every warning bell in my head went off. I reached for the phone on the counter, ready to call the cops.
   The instant my fingers touched it, the air snapped.
   Electricity erupted through my hand. It wasn’t heat or pain. It was light, sound and pure power, crackling across my skin, racing up my arm, and shooting out my elbow. Lightning had burst from the phone and into me.
   Fiera had done it. “Fire magic,” she said lightly, like what she’d done was impressively cute or something. It was enough voltage to stop a human heart, toast a cat, or eave a squirrel in ashes.
   But me? I was completely unharmed.
   Shaking, yes.
   Breathless, yes.
   Scared out of my freaking mind, definitely.
   But physically? Okay. I think.
   The coffee grounds on the counter weren’t so lucky.
   Right after that, Elias dropped the bomb. He and Fiera weren't just weird, they were faeries. Real, magical faeries, from another world. I started pinching my arm, willing myself to wake up from this insane dream.
   When my fingernails drew blood, I stopped.
   Apparently, my mother and my aunt had come from that world too. That stopped me cold. Neither had ever mentioned it. Not to me. Not to my little sister, Elowen. No bedtime stories. No clues.
   It’s been less than thirty minutes since my entire reality imploded. Elias insisted the only way to prove it was to show me. I don’t even know what that means. I just know this is reckless. Irresponsible. Completely stupid.
   This is definitely how girls disappear.
   But I have to.
   I need to know the truth.
   There are too many coincidences. Things I can’t ignore. Like the necklaces. Elias and Fiera both have amulets almost identical to mine. Same silver chain, same circular pendant. Mine has an oak tree covered in multicolored gemstones. My aunt gave it to me on my birthday. Said it belonged to my mom. Elias’s is nearly the same but with all green stones. Fiera’s glows with fiery orange ones.
   And Elias…
   While he was talking, I finally realized why his eyes seemed so familiar. I’ve seen them before.
   They were the same eyes that I looked into three years ago, when someone dragged me from the wreckage of our boat. The same eyes that locked onto mine just before I blacked out.
   Elias saved me. Saved us. And he hasn’t aged a day.
   If I wanted answers, real ones, I have to abandon reason for a minute…and trust them. At least a little bit.
   Maybe I slipped and hit my head. Maybe I’m actually lying on the floor of the coffee shop right now, unconscious, and this is all some wild hallucination.
   Nope.
   The rhythmic slap of our shoes against pavement, the occasional whoosh of a passing car, the sharp bite of autumn air against my arms. All of it feels too real. Damn it, I wish I’d grabbed my jacket.
   It’s completely dark, aside from the faint glow of scattered street lamps casting pale halos on the sidewalk. I follow Elias and Fiera, deliberately lagging behind. Ten feet. Just enough space to run, if I need to. If they’re completely unhinged, and I still haven’t ruled that out, I might have a shot.
   But after what I saw back in the coffee shop…I’m not sure anyone could outrun them.
   Fiera insisted Aunt Flora knew everything about them, about magic, and about me. If that was true, why had she kept it secret? Then again, she definitely wouldn't have wanted me following two potentially unstable magical strangers into the park at night. Good thing she believed my lie. I told her I needed to restock a surprise supply delivery before heading home. One hour. I'd given myself exactly one hour to find answers.
   Fiera is no longer the bubbly, sarcastic girl I’ve known from school. With Elias around, she’s sharp-edged and unpredictable. Intense. Crazed lunatic might not be an overstretch. I’m not sure if she’s dangerous…or just reckless. Either way, she makes my skin prickle.
   Elias is still impossibly attractive, but now that I know he plotted to meet me, the charm is tainted. It feels calculated. Creepy.
   I have a million questions swirling in my head, but every time I open my mouth, it feels like my stomach might revolt. I’ve never felt this unsettled. This lost. This…alive.
   But the silence? It’s tense.
   Like the air between us might shatter from the weight of everything unspoken.
   How long has he been watching me?
   Why does he know so much about my family?
   Why do they hate each other so much?
   Why the hell am I still following them?!
   I should turn around. I should.
   But the part of me that never believed in magic…is now completely, dangerously enthralled by it. No matter how much I want to deny it, the idea of magic being real…it’s fascinating.
   “Where are we—?” I finally blurt, unable to stand the silence.
   “To Danu,” Fiera snaps, not even bothering to glance at me.
   She’s infuriating. “Gee, Fiera, that clears everything up. Because it makes perfect sense that we’re just…walking down the street.” I roll my eyes. So annoying. “How far is this magical world of yours, exactly?”
   “We’re headed to the park,” Elias says, turning slightly. His voice is gentler, calmer. “It’s not about how far we walk. It’s about how close we are to the nearest portal.”
   “Portal?” I repeat, my voice climbing an octave. “Right. Of course. Because we’re apparently living in a sci-fi novel now.” I mutter. “This is so insane.”
   “I know it sounds absurd, Aurelia,” Elias says gently, “but I just need you to trust me.”
   His voice is sincere. Too sincere. And maybe that’s what scares me most.
   This is exactly how girls disappear.
   We fall silent again. My heart won't stop pounding. Five minutes later, the sidewalk gives way to gravel as we enter the park. At night, it feels eerily silent, the trees reduced to little more than inky silhouettes beneath a blackened sky. A few scattered streetlights cast pale halos along the path, but they barely push back the darkness.
   A chill skims across my skin, and it’s not just from the cold.
   “Have a seat, Aurelia,” Elias insists, motioning toward an old bench. The wood creaks beneath me as I sit, my eyes locked on them, especially Fiera. I still can’t believe she electrocuted me.
   Fiera rolls her eyes. “Oh, alright!” she says, backing up. “I’m sorry if I frightened you, okay? I thought it’d work faster. Shock some sense into you. You keep glaring like I’m going to zap you again, but I swear I’m done.”
   Elias gives her a look, then turns back to me. “See? My way doesn’t seem so ridiculous after all. Now…look straight ahead. What do you notice about that tree?”
   A tree?
   Seriously?
   I squint at it. It’s massive, ancient trunk is wrapped in moss and ivy. Branches stretch like arms, reaching overhead. The leaves, touched by autumn, are deep oranges and golds, but the darkness makes them look faded. Almost…ghostly.
   “It’s…covered in ivy. And it kind of looks like a…”
   My voice trails off.
   “A door,” Elias finishes.
   My heart stutters.
   “Where is your mother’s necklace?” he asks.
   I feel it immediately. Beneath my shirt, the necklace warms against my skin. Pulling it out, I’m captivated watching my silver charm gleam softly in the dim light.
   “Now look again,” Elias says.
   I turn back to the tree and gasp.
   Tiny lights begin to glow within the ivy. They flicker gently, like shy stars.
   “Fireflies will always guide the way for you,” Elias explains.
   The flickering grows brighter, pulsing with the rhythm of a heartbeat.
   My heartbeat.
   “But, why…” I whisper, standing on trembling legs. The charm in my hand grows warmer, as if awakening. Each gemstone begins to shimmer in time with the fireflies. I step closer.
   “Your amulet is reacting to the portal, Aurelia,” Elias says quietly from behind me.
The closer I move, the more fireflies gather, swirling like a constellation come to life.
   I reach out.
   The second my fingers brush the bark, the fireflies ignite, rearranging themselves into a glowing outline. A door. A real door.
   “What in the world?” I breathe, wide-eyed. It’s amazing. The fireflies float toward me, landing on my arms, my face. Their touch is soft, tingly, and curious.
   “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Elias whispers at my side. He places his hand next to mine, and the fireflies bloom brighter.
   “Fiera?” he calls back.
   Fiera steps forward. Her hand touches the tree, and the light surges. Then she raises her other hand and flicks her fingers.
   The fireflies obey.
   They twist and swirl in intricate patterns, choreographed like dancers in a silent ballet.
   “They’re dancing,” I whisper, awestruck. “How…is this even possible?”
   “I’m a fire faery,” Fiera replies casually. “I can influence the bioluminescence in their bodies.”
   “Fire faery?” I echo.
   Nothing about that sentence should sound normal.
   “Oh, just wait,” Fiera smirks, and shoves me forward.
   This is definitely how girls disappear.
   I brace for impact. But I don’t hit the tree.
   I pass through it.
   The bark dissolves around me. The world shifts.
   I tumble forward onto soft earth. The air smells different. It’s sharper, cleaner, and charged.
   When I look up, everything is changed. The trees. The sky. The energy in the air.
   There’s no mistaking it: I am in an entirely different world.