Felicity's POV

  It's been almost a month since summer vacation started, but it feels like I am living a different life. The only consistent things in my life are Marcus and my parents checking on Korinne and me. Only Marcus knows we were in Turkey for two weeks. It's something I still haven't been able to explain to him fully. I told him it was one of those schmoozy trips a headhunter took me on with Korinne. Being a coding prodigy has its perks. Still, it was a stretch. Marcus has been skeptical ever since. He questioned Kori and me about how it was absurd that we traveled aboard without our passports. The only truth I gave him was the name of the company I am remotely contracted to for the summer. Lying to him is the last thing I want to do, but even if I told him the truth, he wouldn’t believe me.

  Last night was the first bit of fun that I have had since summer began. Meeting Seth was like the surprising bite of chili flakes on beef fajitas. I walked into the bar, fully expecting Korinne to run as soon as she took in the crowd. I grabbed her arm and dragged her toward Linkin in the hopes he might convince her to stay. Minutes later, I saw this brunette, curly-haired guy who was trying way too hard to be cool. Linkin introduced Seth who looked gaped at me for a second before a warm smile lit up his face. The guy was smitten with me after a few minutes of conversation. He made me laugh over his tales of moving to Minnesota from Florida. It was the funniest culture shock for a twelve-year-old boy. When Kori sent me away to dance with Seth, I was worried she would self-destruct without me there. Honestly, I am not sure what happened between Linkin and Kori, but they seemed comfortable with each other when I left them alone at the table. It was an exciting and refreshing night out after weeks of Korinne’s intense emotions.

  Ever since her birthmark started glowing her anxiety has been suffocating. She snaps at everyone when she is on edge like a toddler missing their nap time. Although I know everything outside of our normal life scares her, she still struggles with changes. Finding out her mom’s family is the center of some Greek fairytale has been a hard pill for her to swallow. When her parents died, she swore off fairytales and happy endings. Can’t say I blame her, but I have been acting as her emotional regulator since we met Kalia. I talked to her about it a couple of times since we arrived in Minnesota. She’s been practicing and getting better with her human interactions. It’s still a work in progress.

  Then, there was meeting Selene. I never thought a person like her could exist who holds such disdain for mortals. Sometimes, she acted like Kori was nothing to her and then tried to convince her she had to face this trial. Kori would have said no if I hadn’t begged her not to forfeit her life to an early death. I am not sure what might kill her, but I know she has endured so much not to have a chance of real happiness in life. Although, Kori won’t see it that way. Her faith in happily ever after ended when she faced those cops about her parents’ deaths. All she wanted was a normal life where she wasn’t bullied for her birthmark or alone because her parents died. She didn’t care about when she might die because it was coming for her like it did for her parents. Korinne won’t fight death unless someone she loves asks her to, and I did. So, I take part of the blame for the road we are on now. At least, I am not the hated human in the moon goddess’s cave anymore.

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  Korinne almost dying in that cave rocked me to my very core. It took almost a whole day to find her after she passed out in pain alone. Korinne is braver than I will ever be because I know I would have died trying to get that ‘moody book’ as she calls it. I can’t imagine how she found the strength to just endure the rocks pelting her and dodging boulders. Kalia had told me later that was only a taste of the pain Kori would face on her trial. I vowed to Korinne to stay by her side through this journey, but I wonder how long or how many times I will have to watch her suffer.

  The nightmare-filled nights have been tough on Korinne and myself. I hear her crying through the night, so when she was sound asleep for a change last night, I was relieved. She woke abruptly before my alarm, muttering to herself. Once she flicked on her laptop, I knew there was no going back to sleep, so I joined her for her odd morning behavior. It was a blessing to know Kori had a dream walk with her spirit wolf. It mellowed her out. Her endless hikes and frantic research were becoming borderline obsessive, yet I am not sure I can fully grasp what she is going through. It’s not every day an ancient deity summons a person just to tell them that they will die unless they complete some absurd task to become a supernatural being.

  Watching Korinne bond with Winter almost immediately was crazy. She had this wild animal rolling over belly rubs. I could tell when she started mind-linking Winter. Her eyes went dull like it was taking all of her concentration to hear his thoughts. Clara would have noticed if I hadn’t kept her busy by talking about what makes a healthy diet for a wolf. By the time Korinne finished, I knew way too much about the wolf’s digestive system. I mean, it will probably be useful since Korinne will be a wolf one day, right?

  Is Korinne part wolf already? I wonder what her DNA says or if it has even changed. Her habits have been changing. Her sensitivity to the world has been draining for both of us. I often have to feel out of a place before we walk into one. In conversation, I have to play defense, so she doesn’t get too frustrated. She leaves me alone at the motel to scout out the trails for signs of her wolf. I worry about her being alone. It feels like our relationship has been set back to when she first lost her parents, and she needed me to help keep her afloat. This week was a little easier because has been trying to work through her overstimulation instead of running from it.

  All of this has been on my mind lately. I am sitting at my temporary desk in the Visitor Center of the Nature Preserve still reeling from everything. Part of me was hoping that writing down my thoughts might help me feel like the past three weeks were real, but it still feels like a fairy tale. I don’t think I am angry at Korrine, but I can be her lifeboat for so long. It has taken me years to realize she can be independent from me. She’s no longer a broken-hearted child. Korrine is a strong woman in her own right. I just wish she could see it.

  In short, I am not sure if my optimism will be enough to keep us both afloat through this mess or how many times I can bear to watch Kori struggle or have a brush with death. This feels like the calm before the storm. The thought of going home crosses my mind daily. I miss my bed and my baby, the computer I built from scratch, immensely. We are in a strange place, and things are only getting weirder.

  Still, I can’t imagine a world without Korinne in it.

  So, I will stay. I will push her forward like all companions do on insane magical quests, and when she screws up, I will tell her to get back up. Because death isn’t an option. She’s been my sister and best friend for years, and no Fate is going to cut our time short.

  Plus, Seth is cute. He might be worth seeing again…