My chest suddenly feels tight with emotion. I touch her wrist lightly. “Yes, but in the best way possible. You must be an incredible Healer. And for the record, you’re right. I’m starving.”

We round the corner into the dining hall, which is a cacophony of noise and color. Servers circulate with platters of fragrant meat and fluffy bread. “I want you to meet everyone,” Tessa says, taking my elbow and guiding me to a table at the far side of the room, where a group of half a dozen apprentices are already deep in lively conversation.

“This is Jacey,” Tessa says, pointing to a girl dressed in a purple robe. Her skin is golden brown, and her heart-shaped face is framed by a tumble of dark curls. “She’s a Mixer.”

Jacey gives me a small wave, and Tessa turns toward the rest of the table, making a series of rapid introductions that fly by so quickly, I’m sure I’ll never remember them all. I search my memory of my reading of Gran’s bone, but none of these names or faces are familiar.

The more time I spend here, the more my mind is flooded with images from another life. I remember a boy with auburn hair, pale skin, and a sprinkle of cinnamon freckles. A Breaker girl with raven locks and a penchant for snark. But neither of them are here.

This morning, when I realized that Tessa and I were roommates on my other path, I assumed her other friends would be the same as well. But they’re all different. How is it possible that Gran’s bone breaking changed Tessa’s entire group of friends? The thought gnaws at me all through the meal. Were none of us fated to be close? Was the vision I saw wrong? Are the others even here?

A wave of homesickness washes over me. I wish I could talk to Ami and get her advice.

“Saskia.” Tessa’s voice pulls me back to the present. Her tone makes it clear this wasn’t the first time she’s said my name.

“I’m sorry,” I say, “what was that?”

“Jacey asked how your binding ceremony went.”

I shift my focus to Jacey, who is studying me with an eager expression. “I’m just trying to imagine all that pageantry for one person. Was it awkward?”

I shake my head. “My ceremony was nothing like yours. No tables full of cloaks. No learning about the meaning of the stained-glass windows or the history of the Grand Council. We pretty much just skipped right to the binding.”

“Wow, Tessa really filled you in on every detail.” She smiles and nudges Tessa’s ribs with her elbow. “That sounds nothing like her. She’s usually so quiet.” Jacey’s tone is full of gentle sarcasm. No one who has spent more than a moment with Tessa would ever sincerely describe her as quiet.