ELENI AND I stepped onto the front porch as a fresh batch of snow sprinkled our neighborhood. Now that we’d defeated the Lord of Shadows, all the things that had turned gray were back to normal. The sky, the trees, the stop sign. Latesha’s red curtains, Mr. Mason’s blue shutters, the Lees’ mural, the Patels’ elephant statue, the Okekes’ bright yellow birdhouse. Well, the greystones were still gray, but they were supposed to be.

Little kids ran up and down the sidewalk, laughing. A snowball smacked against the wall next to my head. “Sorry!” Billu said as he crouched beside a tree. He grinned sheepishly before rejoining the snowball fight.

His mom, Sidda, along with dozens of other darkbringers, had wanted to stay in the human world, which had caused much debate among the celestials, godlings, and our human families.

“It’s nice to see new faces in the neighborhood,” Mama said as she and Papa stepped out of the house behind us. “Glad to see some familiar faces, too.” She waved at Latesha, who was working on her latest masterpiece: a snowman wearing armor made out of aluminum foil.

“This is how it should be,” Papa replied. “Darkbringers and humans sharing the same world.”

“Do you think the orisha council will rule in favor of destroying the veil?” I asked Papa. I had mixed feelings—not about the veil coming down, but that without it, I wouldn’t be a guardian anymore. I liked helping Papa, but if destroying the veil could unite our fractured world, it was a small price to pay. Besides, I liked the idea of spending my spare time opening gateways to faraway places. Though I wouldn’t mind traveling the old-fashioned way sometimes.

“It isn’t up to our council alone,” Papa explained. “The meeting today will be with all the councils across the human world and representatives from the Dark.” Papa paused, glancing at the sky. “But I suspect the veil will come down one way or another.”

“It’s long overdue if you ask me,” Mama said.

Eleni pulled the hood of her coat up and stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I can’t wait until spring’s here. It’ll be a fresh beginning for everyone.”

“Where should we go for spring break?” Mama asked as Papa wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Normally, I would recommend something on the beach, but we should broaden our horizons. There’s the whole universe to explore, after all.”

“How about the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars?” Papa asked, excited. “The merchants there have some of the most exquisite and rare trinkets from across the universe, and the food is intergalactic class. There’s this chef who makes the best barbecue seaweed popsicles.” Mama and Eleni wrinkled their noses, but Papa only laughed. “What? Don’t knock it before you try it. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness and spiciness.”