Dinner was weird, to say the least. Sana couldn’t miss the glances Mina and Chaeyoung kept shooting Dahyun. They were trying to hide it, but little could be hidden within their coven, especially when it came Chaeyoung. It had taken the longest time to read Jihyo. She hid everything behind a front of strength. It took a lot of strength to achieve that, but everyone had their limits. They’d needed years to learn those of their leader, but they had, and it had made them all stronger for it. 

She looked back at Dahyun. They had all seen her break down, but Sana was sure they hadn’t seen her limits. Sana didn’t know how far was too far. Had that line already been passed and returned to in the past years? Or was the fairy very close to crossing it? She didn’t know enough about Dahyun to be able to guess at that answer. 

That was it. That was what made everything worse. She didn’t know what could push Dahyun away forever or what could lead to her staying. She also didn't know what could lead to her coming back. Was it Sana's fault? Had she pushed her away these past weeks? Had Sana wasted her time building a dam when she could've just let her emotions wash over her? She didn’t know. That might have been the worst part. 

The fairy remained quiet for much of the time. The eight crystals of Dahyun's sadness had been placed underneath a white cloth on the kitchen counter. It was something Sana was pretty sure had been done by the girl herself. On her way back from Jennie’s, she’d met with all the girls except for Momo, Mina, and Chaeyoung. They all were in favour of letting Dahyun do it, just as long as it wouldn’t hurt her. 

Watching her, Sana saw the change. Not only was she less calm, less grounded, but she was also more distant. The smiles were slower to appear, but her questions were quicker. It wasn’t the side of Dahyun she was used to. 

“In the next few days, I will be leaving the house more often,” the fairy said. “There are potions I have to brew, as well as some other preparations.”

“When do you leave?” Momo asked. She was already prepared for it.

There was a pang in Sana's chest at that. Guilt was behind Momo's words. No matter what Sana, the other girls, or even Dahyun told her, it hadn’t lessened her feelings of responsibility. 

“By the end of this week the latest.” Dahyun's eyes flickered towards the kitchen. 

Jihyo looked between all of them. Then she spoke. “If it’s really what you want, you can give us that protection.” 

She smiled slightly. “It’s not about what I want. It’s about what you want and what you feel comfortable tying yourselves to, namely my magic.”

A short pause. 

“You can give it to us,” Nayeon said. “As long as it doesn’t hurt you, or drain you, or anything like that.” 

“It won’t.”

Sana couldn’t help but look at her then. The certainty in her voice and her expression made her believe her. Yet there had been a change since the forest, a change since she took out the sadness. Before her thoughts could reach any conclusion, Dahyun kept talking. 

“But what is this that I heard about a party?” she asked. “Irene asked if I was going, but I don’t know what parties are like in this world.”

The mention of Irene still tugged at Sana, but she pushed that jealousy down. It was the last thing she should've been worrying about. 

“In this world?” Jeongyeon repeated. “As in you partied?”

A wider smile. It actually reached her eyes. “Of course. I told Momo about this. Whenever there was a discovery or notable progress made, or anything else, we would celebrate.” 

“How?” Chaeyoung asked. “With music and dancing?”

“Partially,” Dahyun nodded, “these were the times when we were all together, nobody off in the other world, or as much as we could be.” Her eyes fell to the table. “We looked for the best foods to make a feast, hunting and gathering as much as we could.” 

Sana felt a lightness settling over her. This was what she wanted the next days to be filled with: exchanges about each others' worlds. If she could do anything with the time they still had left, she'd learn more about who Dahyun was and her life from before. 

“Did you cook?” Jihyo asked.

“Not many of my clan did,” she laughed slightly, “though there were some elementals who utilised their abilities to create interesting meals, even the cold ones as you sometimes have them. That cream stuff.” A furrow in her brow appeared. “Or was it called snow cream?”

“Ice cream,” Sana corrected, unable to hide her smile. “So you can’t cook?”

“Not well.” A shake of her head. “As for that party, when is it?”

“Friday,” Nayeon replied. “Do you think you can stay until then?” 

“We’ll show you what a party here looks like!” Chaeyoung grinned. 

The fairy didn’t respond immediately. Sana’s chest tightened. Was she going to leave before the week ended? It was too soon. 

“I’ll go,” Dahyun said. “Though I will leave right after.” 

They nodded, small smiles on each of their faces, but Sana saw the disappointment in each. Her words were so final. They tugged at Sana’s heart in ways she hated, like each part of it was attached to an elastic. Some time soon, those strings would snap. What would happen then? 

The conversation moved towards what film they’d watch. They agreed that Dahyun needed to watch Harry Potter, especially after she’d read the first book. 

During the movie, the fairy didn’t wear that adorable frown. She just watched the characters on the screen, concentrated, but not like before. Was this her way of separating herself from them? Of pushing them away while still being with them? Sana didn’t want that. She wanted Dahyun to feel at home in the time that they still had left with her. 

When they all went to bed or out on patrol, Sana lay awake in bed. She’d done what Momo had said and broken up with Jennie. It'd been hard, because the girl had immediately assumed it was because Sana had found someone else. It both was and it wasn’t. Telling the truth would've been impossible, because she’d have to explain what it meant to have finally found someone outside of her coven who still understood how that worked. Someone who understood Sana the way Dahyun did. Explaining that wouldn’t have worked and would definitely have made the girl feel worse. She hadn't wanted that either. 

She sat up. Sleep wouldn’t be coming to her. Not easily. She also didn’t want to. 

Instead, she got out of bed, left her room, and crept down the hall. As she did, she listened for a distinct heartbeat. It was faster than normal, but even that was less than the average human. 

Sana took a deep breath. Then she knocked on the door, wishing desperately that there’d be a response. 

“Yes?” The voice sounded awake. 

She opened the door. It was cold, but there was no wave of sadness that met her. Dahyun sat by an open window, looking up at the sky. Her gaze was sombre, but her back straight. 

“Not sleeping?” 

“I’m not tired."

“Do fairies get colds?” Sana took the blanket from the bed and came over. She tapped her arm with her foot. “You’re freezing.” When she draped the blanket over the girl’s shoulders, Dahyun looked up at her. The moon reflected off light blue eyes. Sana found herself staring. 

“It’s difficult to get cold. We have a tolerance for it. Not naturally, but still,” she said. “Do vampires get cold?” She opened her arms, the edges of be blanket held between her fingers. An invitation.

A part of Sana wasn’t sure if she should accept, but the other wanted to go to her. She sat down on the floor and Dahyun wrapped her arms around her. It felt weird to be held like this. A good weird, but still not what she was used to. 

“Sometimes, but we don’t get sick.” 

“We sometimes do, but that requires extreme conditions.” Her eyes were brown now. When she looked at Sana, they were still bright. “Why’d you come? Nightmare?” Her brow furrowed. “I have been elsewhere in the emotional world, so I didn’t feel it. I’m sorry.”

“No,” Sana shook her head, “no nightmare, but don’t say you’re sorry.” And if she’d had a nightmare, she was sure Dahyun would try to take the fear again. That would lead to her being cold again, afraid again. Sana didn’t want that. 

She nodded, her gaze going to the sky again. It was both thoughtful and empty. There was an ache in Sana’s chest just looking at it. 

She wrapped her arms around the Dahyun’s waist. “What are you thinking about?” 

“The night sky is never dark for us.” A moment passed. “Many people look up at it, directing emotions of despair, confusion, but also wonder at it.” Another moment. “Sometimes, when you direct your emotion at something, or feel a certain way in a certain place, or for a specific thing, some of your emotion is transferred over. After many millennia, the sky is ablaze.” Her eyes went to Sana’s. They weren't brown anymore. There were flickers of colour swirling in them. In the blue, she picked out grey, green, and gold. “Want to see?”

“You can show a person that?” She felt her stomach flutter with anticipation. She hadn’t realised how much she wanted to see the world through her eyes. There was another thing that contributed to her excitement. Dahyun’s gaze held more warmth to it now. 

“You need a certain mental strength to stomach it, but immortality does lend itself to that.” 

Sana considered those words. “Because of sadness?”

Dahyun's brow rose. “Why do you say that?” She was staring at her. 

“You said it protected your mind and that immortals have a specific sadness. Does it help you not be overwhelmed?”

Was that why Teresa had not survived captivity, but Dahyun had? Fear definitely overwhelmed, but anger could as well. Sana thought better than to voice her thoughts.

“In a way.” A bright smile grew on her face. Her eyes turned a deep green with lighter flickers of something within them. “I’ll show you.” One hand went to Sana’s. “Focus on the sky.” The words were coming slower now, not rushed. Had this night served as a recovery for her? 

There was a feeling of warmth, then cold. Sana didn’t even need to blink, but the world changed in front of her. The dark blue sky became a sea of different colours, most of them faded, almost pastel, but so plentiful that they still created a tapestry above them. 

Whenever she focused on one colour, she felt that emotion. She received the awe of the sky or the terror of the nothingness of space. 

Most of it was tranquility, which had somehow embedded itself above them, creating great swathes of light blue. It gave her a deep sense of calm. It felt so natural, as though this was how she was supposed to be. She was also reminded of Dahyun, just as she had been when she’d felt her core emotion of sadness. 

“You see this every night?” Her voice sounded distant to her. Then she looked away from the sky and at Dahyun. Sana could see her through the colours, but it was like her real face was smoke. The ever-changing shades of blue were her real face. Looking at her now, Sana felt what she did when she breathed in the scent of mountain air and forests, but ten times as strong. There were nuances to it, a sense of calm like the one you have when you just wake up, but also a feeling of deep sadness when you lose something—what’s leftover when the grief passes. 

“Almost,” Dahyun said. Just hearing the word made her dizzy. 

The colours faded. Sana didn’t want them to, but when her vision cleared, her mind wasn’t spinning anymore. She felt exhausted.

“I told you to focus on the sky.” A light smile appeared. “Here, this might help.” Yellow appeared in her eyes. Sana's heart rate increased and her thoughts begin to buzz. Her body became filled with warmth, like she'd just stepped into a bath. 

“Excitement?” She couldn’t stop her own smile. It was like knowing you were about to find out or see something great. 

Dahyun nodded. The blue in her eyes was lightening.

“Doesn’t it get overwhelming?” The physical world looked bland in comparison, but she was so comfortable here. Looking at the emotions was like staring at a screen. A headache was starting. 

“In a group, one surrounded by many other people, yes.” Dahyun looked back up at the sky. The colours Sana had just seen were reflected in the fairy’s eyes. “When I was little, I frequently got overwhelmed, as everyone was cloaked in an ever-changing spectrum, while everywhere I looked had some set of emotions bound with it.” She blinked. “A conseq