That thought only scares me more, and I throw myself into my tasks. But after three days of it, I can’t take another chore.

More than once I escape outside to watch Colin train with Aunt Elaine and Uncle Roy, but it only makes me itch to do something more useful than chores. So much so that I even help Colin keep researching the symbol and man from his vision, though we’ve yet to make any progress.

Right now, he’s sparring with Uncle Roy in the morning mist, the sunlight glancing off the Saint Knives in bright orange beams.

He’s already gotten better with them, and I have to squash another flicker of jealousy. He took to his new powers like a sprite to a flame, whereas I can barely handle mine. Colin’s been a Raven all of a few days and he’s already being useful.

I’m scrubbing faerie dust off the deck.

The scent of pumpkin spice trickles out of the kitchen, and I hear Kara’s and Rose’s laughter a moment later. Tossing my rag into a nearby bucket, I dash inside, where a pumpkin hot chocolate waits for me in a chipped blue mug on the table.

My sisters are already sitting there, their feet propped on each other’s laps, cheeks rosy from their warm drinks. Kara’s on her phone, holding a one-sided conversation with Rose while she sorts different-colored petals from a basket on the table.

“What about flowers?” Kara says to Rose’s unspoken thought. “Dilara loves flowers.” Pause. “Yes, I know she works at a flower shop.” Pause. “I am not bad at giving gifts!”

I sit down, pulling my hot chocolate close. There’s a cinnamon maple leaf drawn on top of the whipped cream, and I take a deep breath of the spiced scent. The house makes the best drinks.

Rose hands me a yellow rose petal. “Yellow is not your color,” she says as if I’m supposed to know what that means. I’m mostly used to Rose’s distracted ways, but sometimes I wish she came with a manual.

“Neither is pink,” Kara says with a smirk. “You have faerie dust on your nose.”

“You have a pimple on yours,” I shoot back. “Oh wait, that’s just your nose.”

Kara’s hand pauses halfway to her face and she glowers at me. “Fine. I guess I won’t tell you our news, then.”

I perk up. “What news?”

She twirls a few strands of long hair around her finger. “The thing is, Dilara wants to take us out tonight—”

“—for ice cream!—” Rose interjects excitedly.

“—but Rose is supposed to pull the bluebells out of the garden, and I need to schedule readings for Aunt Elaine for the next couple days, so we just won’t have time to tell you beforehand.” Kara makes an exaggerated show of standing.