When Claire tucked Eleanor’s hair behind her ears and looked into her eyes, it wasn’t just Claire. It was the hedgewitch, too. But their stories were the same story. Eleanor’s mother was her mother—all of her. Everything she’d done and everything she’d been through. All the ways she’d shattered, and all the ways she’d healed. And so was Eleanor.

So were all of them.

And as Eleanor watched Pip and Otto head home to reunite with their own families, she thought about what stories their futures would hold.

Whatever tales there were to tell, they would discover them together, she thought. She looked up at the stars, and felt the starlight within her shine.

“Happy birthday,” she whispered to herself, and smiled.

Epilogue

The sun rose in a clear, crisp autumn sky. It was November—which was now officially Eleanor’s favorite month. She was home. Her parents were here, together. Her friends were safe. And it was November.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Eleanor poured two cups of piping hot coffee and took the eggs off the stove. Jenny and Ben came into the kitchen, Naomi balanced on Jenny’s hip, all of them looking puzzled to discover they had company.

“Good morning!” Eleanor greeted them, holding out the coffee. “You’re going to need this.”

“Eleanor?” Uncle Ben said, accepting the coffee with a deeply confused expression. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you in school?”

“Long story. School closed down. Something about bedbugs, I think,” Eleanor said breezily. “I’m home now! Isn’t that exciting?”

“That’s lovely,” Jenny said with a smile. “Not the bedbugs, obviously, but we’ve really missed you.” Naomi was thrashing in her arms. Jenny set her down, and the one-year-old stomped off across the floor on her own toddlerish mission.

“I’ve missed you, too,” Eleanor said with feeling. It might have only been a few days from her perspective, but it felt like a lot longer. Her heart squeezed when she looked at Naomi. The little girl had grown up so much while she’d been gone. She’d missed her first steps. Her first words.

But she was here now.

“There’s more I need to tell you,” Eleanor said.

“How did you get back? Did Jack drive you?” Ben asked, blowing on his coffee.

“Er. Yes,” Eleanor said. Technically true. “Also, my mom is here.”

“Claire is here?” Jenny asked, alarmed. “Is she—”

“She’s fine! She’s good. She’s better,” Eleanor said firmly. “She’s out back with Jack. I asked her to let me talk to you before you saw her in person. But I promise, everything’s okay now.”

Jenny pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes welling with tears. Eleanor sometimes forgot that when she’d lost her mom, Jenny had lost her sister.