I forgot the most important part of friendships.

  Common interests.

  I never really liked reading. I mean, I liked being read to as a kid; who doesn’t? But after third grade, my interest in books declined. I blame the teachers who made us read boring non-age non-age-appropriate books. Who cares about political systems when we live in one?!

  Zephyr and I had made it our task to find a book that would finally interest me. Sixty books in, nothing was even remotely interesting beyond the nonfiction books about magic.

  “What about this one?” Zephyr held up a red book titled “Romance for Wharracks.”

  “I don’t even know what a wharrack is.” I slumped, turning my attention back to the bookcase.

  “They’re…” He paused, no doubt trying to figure out how to describe it. "They’re small animals with a snout and curly tail. Very fluffy, but they’re not affectionate, so I can’t recommend petting them.”

  His description was actually decent — it described a picture rather than being described as something similar to another animal I no doubt had never seen.

  But romance between those things? Really?

  “I’ll pass. I’d rather read that other book you brought up ten minutes ago.” I remained fixated on the blue cover in front of me: Silly Delight. Well, wasn’t that just silly.

  “May I Sniff Your Eyeballs?” Zephyr asked with an amused grin.

  “Yeah. That one sounds so ridiculous it might actually be interesting, if not gross. And also impossible! Eyeballs don’t smell like anything!”

  “Do you know that for a fact? Have you ever tried sniffing someone’s eyeballs?”

  “No! That’s gross!” I shouted back, disgusted, but it only made him chuckle.

  “Elaina,” he composed himself. “You can’t judge a book by its cover — or its title. If you keep rejecting books based on their titles, you might miss out on a story you genuinely enjoy. Books are… a lot like people. It’s easy to make judgments based on what they look like or what their name is, but you’ll never know the full person until you talk to them.”

  “You want me to treat books like people?” I narrowed my eyes at how ridiculous my words sounded.

  “Authors pour their hearts and souls into their creations. Perhaps think about it as seeing the author behind the book.”

  I sighed. Did he have a point? It was kind of weird.

  “You know how people sometimes make friends?” I grinned, coming back with a rebuttal. “Hearing their existing friends talk about their friends. They talk them up, make them sound interesting, and share similarities between you and them. So… Recommend me a book you think I’d like.”

  The corner of Zephyr’s lips curved in a smile. “I know the perfect story, then.”

  He walked around the shelf and pulled out a book with a teal cover: Caelut’s Reach.

  “Caelut is one of the islands in Etheria. Rosalie was perhaps the first person from Meridia to reach it, and much of what we know about it comes from her. Flying animals known as Pegasi serve their inhabitants, and magic is seemingly abundant. Furthermore, the elements exist more freely. Waterfalls of lava, platforms made of wind, and rock storms.”

  “That sounds… amazing and terrifying at the same time.” I shivered. “Have you ever been?”

  Zephyr shook his head. “It’s impossible to reach without magic. And I imagine the only two people who can reach it are Maverick and Rosalie.”

  “How come?” I wondered. “I mean… Can’t you just take a boat there?”

  Zephyr blinked at me as if what I said was utterly confusing to him. What, was it such a ridiculous question? Okay, taking a small paddle boat to another continent was probably a little insane, but my idea should have sparked something.

  “Is that how you travel in your world?” he asked.

  “To other countries? Yeah — I mean, we use ships which are just bigger boats… We also use planes, which are… basically flying devices that can carry you over the ocean, avoiding sea travel entirely,” I explained and hoped it made sense.

  “Ah, so your countries are divided by water. Ours are divided by sky.”

  “…Huh?” I was completely confused and dumbfounded.

  ”Here.” He flicked his hand and a book from across the library flew at us, nearly crashing into my head as I turned. He opened it to a page that contained a map of Etheria. I could see Meridia to the west as well as several other countries and islands to the east. Rather than the space between land being colored in blue, clouds were printed across the page.

  “…Has anyone ever fallen off Meridia before?” Why was that the first question that came to mind?

  Zephyr shook his head, handing me the book so I could continue looking at the map. “At least not that I know of. Mountains block one side of Meridia, a giant lake encompasses another, and the land between has fencing along the edge. Though there is something of a myth that anyone who goes missing has simply fallen off Meridia.”

  “I suppose that’s not what my parents thought.” I closed the book, having seen enough. I wonder who my parents were anyway? Maybe Sylvis would know. Maybe I could meet them. How would that go? Hey, I’m your daughter who somehow teleported to another world and then got teleported back here after it was discovered I had magic! I guess Sylvis would have a better plan.

  But did I even want to meet them, to begin with?

  Zephyr straightened his glasses, probably sensing the awkwardness. “Information we have about Caelut is often regarded as speculation since the original source, to most people at least, is unknown. Thus, it’s treated as more of a fairytale rather than a fact. The book I gave you is the author’s take on Caelut based on the limited information we have. It’s about a girl who suddenly finds herself in Caelut after an accident. She must find a way to survive as well as return home.”

  Why did that sound just like me?

  “Thank you… I think this one might just be the one.”

  “I hope it brings you comfort.” He smiled at me. “Was there anything else you wanted to—”

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Zephyr?” A vaguely familiar voice entered the room. Where had I heard it before?

  We both turned behind us, and I instantly recognized the girl as the person jealous of my and Maverick’s nonexistent relationship.

  “Oh! Elaina! You’re here too! Come with me!” She beamed as she grabbed hold of my wrist far more tightly than anyone ever had before, and dragged me out of the library. Why?!

  “How do you know my name?” I asked.

  “I learned it from Frenica,” she answered as if it weren’t unusual. “Oh, I never introduced myself, did I? I'm Letheria.” She smiled at me, and for a moment, I could almost believe it was genuine.

  “Where are we going?” I tried to pull my wrist back, but to no avail.

  “There’s a roast in town where we can talk.” Was she trying to separate me from the manor? Well… It wasn’t like she could use magic in public.

  “What’s a roast?” I asked.

  She blinked at me, and I used the opportunity to pry my wrist out of her grip. “It’s a place that sells tea and pastries.”

  “So, a café.”

  “Is that what you call it in your world?” How much had Frenica told her? Ugh! This was all Finn’s fault.

  “There’s a lot I want to talk to you about, but I'll save it for when we get there." She winked at me before grabbing my wrist again.

  It wasn't long before she was dragging me around town, earning funny stares from passersby. I really wished she could have used teleportation magic, but I supposed appearing in public randomly would have been suspicious.

  I nearly tripped more times than I could count on the uneven cobblestone, but we eventually arrived at the café, or, uh, "roast."

  She led me to a table near the window. Had she sensed my unease about going somewhere with a perfect stranger with magic who may or may not have goons trying to kidnap me because of a nonexistent relationship with someone she clearly had a crush on? Or was I overthinking it?

  I was definitely probably overthinking it.

  "So," she began, hands clasped together as she rested her elbows neatly on the table. "What's going on with you and Maverick? You seem a bit... distant," she said in her characteristic saccharine voice. I couldn't help but notice how the yellow of her hair nearly blended in with the yellow walls.

  "Yeah, I guess," I answered, not really wanting to talk about Maverick or our problems.

  "Why is that? You didn't hurt him, did you?" Her eyes narrowed at me.

  "The jerk hurt me." I crossed my arms. "I was only trying to get him to open up and—"

  "You were trying to have a relationship with him?!" Her eyes widened as if I told her the world would end before our conversation would.

  "No! Unless you count a friendship!"

  "Yes! That's exactly what I meant! You're trying to be his friend!"

  "Is that... a problem?" I asked slowly.

  "Silly little Elaina! Maverick is... he's..." she trailed off, her eyes swooning as her voice got lighter with each word. "He's a piece of work. A masterpiece yet to be completed. He's a flower waiting for Spring so he can bloom."

  "Please get to the point..."

  "You can't rush art." She waved a manicured finger at me. Wait, are there even manicures in this world? Meh. It's manicured to me. "Maverick needs... time. Space. He doesn't need people like you or Finn to pressure him into being something he's not. Not yet, at least. When the time comes, I will be the one to guide him; the shoulder for him to cry on," she said with dramatic flair. She reminded me of the drama students at my school.

  "What makes you think he wants your help specifically?" I asked, growing impatient that we were getting nowhere thanks to her "poetry".

  She paused for a moment as if she had never thought to ask herself this. “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m caring, considerate, I can always see the good in him… Why wouldn’t he want me?”

  Was I talking to an actual egomaniac? She couldn’t possibly believe what she was saying.

  “He doesn’t have to choose me. I’ve chosen him,” she began again, and I motioned for her to please try to explain her twisted thought process. She rolled her eyes at me. “I’ve already explained to you. Maverick is eventually going to open up in his time. When he does, I’ll be his first genuine friend. And girlfriend. That’s why you. Can't. Have. Him.”

  “I don’t want him—”

  “You’re trying to be his friend!” she screamed at me through gritted teeth as she pounded her fists against the table. The two coffee cups launched into the air and miraculously landed without breaking. I thought that only happened in movies.

  “But… I’m not trying to be his girlfriend…? Isn’t that the whole point of this?” I asked, trying to make sense of this delusional scenario.

  “Ugh! You don’t get it!” She looked like she would actually go insane if she wasn’t already. “If you’re his friend, then he’s naturally going to cling to you! I won’t stand a chance! You need to not be in the picture!”

  “Then why don’t you just become his friend…?”

  Her mouth slowly hung agape; her eyes looked like they were ready to fall out of their sockets. The only thing that snapped her back to reality was the waiter taking our order. Not having looked at the menu and wanting to leave as soon as possible, I opted to order whatever Letheria ordered. She had good taste in nails, maybe that carries over to food…?

  “It’s not that easy.” She snapped me out of my thoughts.

  “What’s not—"

  “Making friends with Maverick!” she snapped. It was like every question I asked infuriated her more and more. “He doesn’t just ‘make friends.’ He’s not like other boys. In fact, I don’t think he actually has any friends.”

  Maybe that’s why I couldn’t get him to open up to me.

  “Then why are you so concerned about me becoming friends with him if I can’t become friends with him because he doesn’t make friends?!” I asked, confused by her twisted logic.

  She paused, a grin slowly creeping onto her face. “You’re right. It seems I’ve been paranoid over nothing.” That we can agree on. “This was a good chat, Elaina. I’m glad we talked. I feel so much better now; you have no idea.” She beamed at me, though obviously it was fake.

  “Uh… Sure…” I faked a smile back.

  “Tell me about yourself. How did you end up in this world?”

  Do I have to tell her? I guess she already knows half of it from Frenica…

  I proceeded to explain how Maverick had kidnapped me here on Sylvis’ behest and how Maverick was instructed to teach me magic. She didn’t seem thrilled about any of that.

  “How are you liking it here? I mean, obviously, you’re going to go home once you learn how to use your magic, right?” she asked sweetly.

  “I don’t know about that. I mean… I had fully intended on going home originally, but… Maybe I belong here. I mean, nobody in my world has magic, after all.”

  Her facade quickly dropped. Her fingers clenched the edge of the table as she scowled at me. Was she even aware she had broken character?

  I blinked, and she was back to her characteristic fake self. “But you have family back home! You must miss them dearly. And they no doubt miss you. Just think about it: You disappeared without a trace, and they have no idea where you are. You at least know they’re safe back home. Can you imagine the worry they must be going through, looking for you day after day?”

  I paused. I didn’t expect myself to fall for anything she said, but she had a point. All this time, I had been scared of what they’d think about me having magic and how it was better for me to stay in this world.

  What about them? What if I’d given my dad a heart attack? I couldn’t possibly imagine the anxiety of your child going missing.

  What about Carol and her family? Had they been blamed for my disappearance? I would never forgive myself if Carol’s parents were in jail somewhere because they weren’t supervising a minor. Or would they go to jail? I honestly had no idea how the law worked.

  And what about Matt? How lame was it that we hadn't cuddled or even kissed? We would both be made fun of if I didn't return soon.

  There was also the pesky fact that I missed them. If I could learn to use magic… would I be able to make myself appear like I was aging? Or even if I couldn’t, I’m sixteen — I’m probably not going to age that much more in the next four or five years. If I could spend even that much time with them…

  “Thank you, Letheria.” I smiled genuinely at her. “You made me realize something I had been missing this whole time.”

  “You’re… welcome?” She seemed genuinely surprised by my reaction.

  “I don’t want to give up on my life back home. Not yet.”