The three of them sat around the breakfast table eating and Michelle held up her newly cleansed crystal, ticking it back and forth on the chain like a pendulum.

“Aurora?”

“Hmmm?”

“Can crystals heal my Von Willebrand’s?”

Aurora swallowed what was in her mouth and took a quick second. She could feel Dante’s tension from across the table. She didn’t have to look at him to know what he was wanting her to say.

“No, they can’t, Michelle,” Aurora said quietly but firmly, not wanting to crush the little girl or give her false hope. “Remember how I said that they’re not magic? They’re good for you the way a full night’s sleep is good for you, or drinking enough water. They can soothe you or make you feel better, but they don’t do miracles.”

Michelle cast her eyes down but she nodded. It was the answer she’d been expecting.

“Besides,” Dante chipped in. “You know that Von Willebrand’s is genetic, Michelle. There’s no cure.”

“I know. I know.” She propped her head on her chin and took a big bite of her eggs. “I guess I just get sick of having it sometimes. I just wish there was more stuff we could do to get rid of it.”

“Yeah, that’s how I feel about being so dang handsome all the time,” Dante said, immediately making Michelle snort and fight a smile. Which, of course, had been the intended effect. “Sometimes it’s just such a burden. Every guy wants to be you, every girl wants to get next to you. It’s just like, enough already!”

Aurora and Michelle rolled their eyes at each other and laughed. But as Aurora finished off her breakfast, a thought was brewing. One she didn’t want to share with Michelle until after she’d shared it with Dante.