My mind is churning with turmoil, thought after thought crashes onto the walls of my skull. My chest aches with the weight of panic, each heartbeat slams against my ribs in warning. I’m trembling so hard my teeth could chatter. My scalp prickles. My fingertips buzz. Even the chipped blue polish on my fingernails is vibrating.
   This is completely insane.
   What the hell am I doing?
   Why am I following them?
   This is how girls disappear. Vanish. Headlines. Candlelight vigils. The “she was always so sweet” interviews.
   And yet—I keep walking. But 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. They didn’t lift a finger. 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 just 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 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 it 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. Supermodel gorgeous—tall, broad shoulders, lean muscles under a dark hoodie, and 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.
   Fiera, the mysterious new girl at school. We’d hung out a few times—at lunch and occasional class partners when she wasn’t skipping. The moment she saw me sitting with Elias, she was fuming. Not irritation. Rage. She knew him—and hated him. I watched, frozen, as they hurled sharp words and bitter insults, as if I wasn’t even there. Like 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. Down right creepy.
   Elias’ voice shook as he said he knew my parents.
   It landed like a a punch to the chest. Red flag. My parents died three years ago in a boating accident. There was no way he knew them. I thought it was some sick joke.
   Immediately, he started backpedaling. He tried to explain—said he only knew my mom. As if that made it better. Then, he fumbled through the creepiest confession I’ve ever heard: he’d been watching me. Planning to meet me tonight.
   Obviously, every warning bell in my head went off. This exactly how girls disappear.
   I reached for the phone, ready to call the cops.
   The moment my fingers touched the receiver, the air snapped.
   Electricity—real electricity—erupted from my hand. It wasn’t heat or pain. It was light and sound and power, crackling across my skin, racing up my arm, out my elbow. Like lightening had chosen me.
   Fiera had done it. Fire magic she claimed. It was enough voltage to stop a human heart. Toast a cat. Leave a squirrel in ashes.
   But me? I was completely unharmed.
   Shaking. Breathless. Scared out of my freaking mind. But physically…okay.
   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.  Apparently my mother—and my aunt—had come from that world too.
   No one ever told me. Not me. Not my little sister, Elowen. No bedtime stories. No clues. Just silence. A vacuum of truth.
   It’s been less than thirty minutes since my entire reality imploded. Elias insisted that the only way for them 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 eighteenth birthday. Said it belonged to my mom. Elias’s is nearly the same—but 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.
   Unless this is a dream. I could wake up at any second.
   Fiera insisted my Aunt Flora knew everything—about them, about magic, about me. If that’s true, why hadn’t she ever told me? Why keep something like this a secret?
   Then again, she definitely wouldn’t want me following two potentially unstable magical strangers into the night.
   Good thing she believed my lie. Said I had to restock a surprise supply delivery before heading home. I gave myself one hour. 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—infuriatingly so—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 unbearable. 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 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 clearly 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 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 more minutes pass. The sidewalk gives way to gravel, crunching beneath our feet as we enter the park. At night, the park feels eerily desolate—silent, shadowed, and unwelcoming. A few dim streetlights line the path, but they’re so far apart that they barely cut through the darkness. The vibrant autumn foliage, so striking in daylight, is swallowed by night, leaving the trees as little more than inky silhouettes against the blackened sky.
   A chill skims across my skin, and it’s not just from the cold.
   “Have a seat, Aurelia,” Elias says, 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 my way would 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— massive, ancient, its trunk 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 reach beneath my shirt and pull it out. The silver charm gleams 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,” Faith explains.
   The flickering grows brighter, more purposeful, pulsing with the rhythm of a heartbeat—my heartbeat.
   “But, why…” I whisper, standing on trembling legs. The charm in my hand grows warm, 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 eyes. It’s amazing. The fireflies float toward me, landing on my arms, my face. Their touch is soft, tingly, 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, stunned. She can’t be serious.
   “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—sharper, cleaner, 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.