"I know. I'm so sorry I wasn't here," Thea comforts her.

They stay like that for moments on end before Thea draws back, a look of happiness unlike any I've seen before settling on her face.

"Come meet my friend," she says, pulling her inside the room and closing the door.

"Luce, this is Wyn," Thea introduces her, and I give her a bright smile.

"Pleased to meet you."

She returns the smile, bending down in a curtsy. She's so damn cute that I can't help but warm up to her right away.

She looks to be about seventeen or eighteen, her hair black as midnight while her eyes are a startling green. She's dressed in a pale green gown adorned by golden ribbons. The style is similar to the one Thea and I are wearing, with an empire waist and long, wide sleeves.

Her hair is tied down her back with a dark green silk fabric.

Yet the most startling thing is how much she looks like Thea. Aside from their different colorings, their features are the same, so much so they could pass as twins. The only difference is that Thea is much taller while Wyn is closer to me in height.

"You brought a friend?" Wyn squeaks as she looks me up and down. "It's so nice to meet you, Luce. Welcome to our home. I'm so happy Thea finally brought over a friend," she says excitedly, coming closer and grabbing my arms. "You're going to stay with us for a while, right? My debut is in a few weeks, and I would love for you to join us."

"Debut?" I blink, sneaking a glance at Thea.

"It's her official debut into adulthood," she explains in a soft voice. "Our kind reaches majority at three thousand years old. She's also going to start her qualifying exams soon."

Wyn turns to her sister and mouths, "Our kind?"

"Luce is human."

Wyn's eyes widen.

"You're human? I've never met a human before," she declares, her eyes sparkling with excitement—not at all the reaction I was expecting. She circles around me, studying me full of curiosity. "I didn't expect this," she adds pensively as she stops in front of me.

"That bad?" I chuckle.

"Oh no. You're so pretty. The humans I've seen in picture books were...not." She flashes me a guilty smile.

"I'm glad I surpassed your expectations."

"You have no idea how happy I am you're here," she continues. "When Thea told me she brought a friend, I couldn't believe it! She's never had anyone over."

"Luce is special," Thea adds. "You know I have high standards for people," she huffs in good humor.

"Maybe too high." Wyn coughs, and Thea raises a brow at her.

"You little..." Thea shakes her head. "Just because you're the queen of popularity doesn't mean I have to be too."