In my room, I slip off my damp jacket and close my blinds, which takes a minute; my dorm room has a lot of windows. I would have been a lot more excited about Reed if my father had told me that residence halls included ones like this: a renovated 1920s cottage, complete with kitchen and fireplace and sun porch. The hours I spent envying my friends’ faraway college plans were a waste; I couldn’t love any college more than I love Reed. My classes are challenging, the Theater Department is amazing, and the student population is a study in diversity compared to high school. And free lunches with my dad, plus my curator mom nearby to help decorate my room . . . How lucky can one person get?

I set the box on my desk and reread the return address. Champaign, Illinois.

She did it. She broke away. She’s halfway across the country, doing exactly what she dreamed of doing.

I split the taped seal with scissors and pull the flaps open.

At the top of the box, on a mound of packing material, is a colored-pencil drawing done on a large piece of thick card stock. A deep-blue sky studded with sparkling stars fades at the bottom into an ocean. On the left, waves crash onto the beach Sam once made for me in Starworld, with crystals hanging from trees to cast rainbows over the waves. A robot that must be the Fairy Godbot stands beneath the shelter of the branches, looking out over the ocean.

I flip it over to find a message scrawled on the back.

Zoe,

I hope you can forgive me for a lot of things, including the delay on the fulfillment of the third quest: the most perfect treasure in all of Starworld. I always knew what it was, but it’s important to me that you see it, too.

Thank you, Zoe. I will always be grateful for your friendship.

*unlocks the door in the sky*

*flies Humphrey through in search of the next adventure*

*leaves door open*

Sam

Something shifts sharply in my chest as I remember how happy her messages used to make me. She gave me laughter when I was hurting. Company when I was lonely. Adventure when I felt trapped. Love when I was riddled with self-doubt.

I never dreamed she would fulfill the third quest. I never thought I’d hear from her again.

I’m glad about so many things. Glad she left Portland. Glad she sounds okay. Glad she doesn’t hate me.

Mostly, though, I’m glad I knew her.