Page 24 of Golden Star

As for Zoey, she’s always been my partner in crime. More than that—she’s always been the one toleadthe crime. Not having her by my side feels wrong. Plus, she’s the one who figured out the loophole in the deal. Zoey may be human, but she’s smart and strong.

I trust her with my life, and I know she feels the same about me.

I’m lost in thought when suddenly, there it is.

The silver tree.

Its leaves sparkle even more in the sunlight, shimmering so much that they almost hurt my eyes.

“We did it,” I say, gazing up at the tree in awe. “We’re here.”

Zoey’s using her hand as a visor to block her eyes, looking everywherebutat the tree.

“Where?” she asks.

“There,” I tell her, moving closer. “Right in front of us.”

“I don’t see anything.”

“It’srightin front of us.”

How can she not see it?

Losing patience, I move to stand behind her, grab her shoulders, and force her to look straight at the tree.

She flinches and curses.

Seconds later, she stills.

“Oh my God,” she says, staring up at the tree in amazement. “How did I missthat?”

“Maybe because you’re human?” I say, since it would make sense. “But it doesn’t matter. You see it now. Come on.”

Together, we hurry toward the stream and kneel beside it to peer into the water. It looks just as magical as I remember—crystal clear, almost shimmering, like it’s lit from within by something otherworldly.

Zoey crouches beside me, staring at the water. “So, this is it?” she asks. “We just drink this water, and bam, we’re in another realm?”

“That’s what happened the other times I’ve done it.” I glance at her, my heart pounding faster now that we’re so close. “We should link arms when we do this, so we don’t lose each other. And remember—the landing’s rough. Be ready to brace yourself.”

“Maybe it’s best not to link arms,” she says. “It’ll be harder to land if we get all tangled up in each other.”

“True.” I don’t like it, but her point is valid. “Let’s just make sure to drink at the same time, okay? And be ready for the landing.”

“I’m good at sports,” she says, as if I didn’t already know it. “Way better than you, even though you have supernatural abilities.”

“I didn’tknowabout those abilities until last night,” I say. “I don’t think I was using them anywhere close to my full potential before.”

If I was using them at all.

“Fair point,” she says. “But what I meant was—have a little faith in me. I’ve got this.”

It’s true. Of the two of us, she’s always had better grace. And aim.

And I’m confident that means she’ll be able to aim her body correctly to land in a way thatdoesn’tgive her a fatal head wound.

Well, a half-fatal head wound, given that I came back to life after it.

We share a nod of understanding, and then we each scoop up a handful of the shimmering water. It’s colder than I remember, its icy chill biting into my skin as it trickles through my fingers.

---