That was genuinely surprising, and I’d turned her words over for a moment in my mind. Apparently, she had carried a shard of her teen magic days with her. Then I’d said, “So it isn’t the aunts. Or the witchcraft. And you said that you and Sage managed your… issues.” That part is obviously a lie. If they were truly fine, why hadn’t they seen each other in so long? I’d sat up then, projecting my voice clearly. “So… what is it?”

Her eyes widened slightly, and she tensed, almost like I’d cornered her. For a second I thought she might actually give me an answer, but then her face settled in a stiff smile. “Home isn’t always the place it should be, Willow. I’m glad you’ve never had that experience.”

Her words felt like a slap, and for a moment I was stunned. My home life is obviously miles better than hers ever was, but does she really think mine hasn’t been complicated? I’ve been stretched between two homes and two lives for so long, I’ve almost forgotten what home feels like. Does she really not see any part of that? The loneliness crept up on me, its tendrils reaching straight for my chest. Why am I so alone in this?

“Mom…,” I began, but before I could figure out what I wanted to say, she’d pushed back from the desk, stretching her arms over her head. “I sent your number to Simon earlier. It sounds like Mason really wants to get together tomorrow night. Night, Willow.”

And just like that, I was dismissed.

“Allo?” Now I hear Bea’s voice sing-song over the phone, snapping me back to the present and to her earlier question. “I think you need to start over and tell me one more time,” she says. “You ran into him again, what’s his name—Star Boy? Completely by coincidence?”

“His name is Mason,” I tell her for the ninth time.

“Well, Star Boy certainly seems to be everywhere,” Bea says.

“This is true.” I slow for a moment, remembering the way Mason’s face looked when he told me about his mom. I still felt terrible about the way I’d asked him. And then after we’d been interrupted, it hadn’t felt right to pick the conversation back up again. Mason’s star logs were full of her. Was she still in his life?

My mom showing up had been exceptionally bad timing.

Bea lets out a long, slow exhale. “So your family has believed this old curse story for a long time, but Sage found out it wasn’t accurate, so she’s telling it to you via a treasure hunt of letters, each of which has a clue leading to the next one?”