Chapter 2

TANSY'S POV

The familiar shape of our farmhouse silhouetted against the moonlight appears. My heart swells at the sight of it. Home.

I slow my pace as I approach the house, shifting back into my human form just before I reach the front door. My dress is slightly rumpled from the run, but I do not care. I am too excited.

Before I can even knock, the door swings open.

"Tansy!" My mother, Nancy, stands in the doorway, her eyes red and swollen, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She pulls me into a hug so tight I can barely breathe. "My baby. My sweet girl. I am so proud of you."

"Mom, I knew you would be crying," I say, laughing, hugging her back.

"I do not care, you are going to SLU!" She pulls back, cupping my face in her hands. "Silver Leaf University. My daughter. A healer."

I feel the tears threatening to spill from my own eyes. "I know. I still cannot believe it."

From inside the house, I hear a crash and a muffled curse. My father's voice calls out, "Coming, coming, I am coming!"

I look past my mother's shoulder and freeze. My father, Tom, is walking toward the door with a cake in his hands. It is homemade, slightly lopsided, with candles sticking out of the top at odd angles. But that is not what makes me laugh.

He has decorated himself with leaves.They are everywhere. Tucked behind his ears. Pinned to his shirt. Sticking out of his hair like a crown. A few are even taped to his cheeks. He is grinning so wide I can see every single one of his teeth.

"Welcome home, our own Silver Leaf baby," he says, his voice warm and thick with emotion.

I lose it.

I double over, laughing so hard I cannot breathe. My mother starts giggling beside me, and my father, clearly proud of himself, starts dancing. He bounces on his heels, swaying from side to side, while holding the cake in some strange, leaf-covered waltz.

"What is happening right now?" I manage to gasp out.

"It is a celebration dance!" my father declares, twirling with the cake. "My daughter got into the most prestigious university in the Union. I have to mark the occasion!"

"By covering yourself in leaves?"

"I wanted to be festive!"

My mother is full-on laughing now, tears of joy and laughter mixing on her face. I join my father, grabbing his hands and dancing with him around the kitchen. The cake almost falls.

"Careful!" my mother calls out between laughs. "You are going to drop the cake!"

"Then we will eat it off the floor," my father says, shrugging. "It will still taste good!"

I laugh so hard my stomach hurts.

Eventually, we calm down enough to sit at the kitchen table. My father sets the cake in the center, lights the candles, and they both look at me expectantly.

"Now," my father says, leaning forward eagerly. "Show us the letter."

I reach into my bag and pull out the envelope. My hands are trembling slightly as I unfold the paper and lay it flat on the table. My parents lean in, reading over my shoulder.

My mother reads aloud, her voice cracking.

Dear Tansy Meadow,

It is with great pleasure that we inform you of your acceptance into Silver Leaf University's School of Medicine for the upcoming academic year. Your academic record, dedication, and passion for healing have earned you a place among our incoming class of exceptional students.

We welcome you to join our community of healers, researchers, and scholars. Congratulations on this achievement. We look forward to seeing you on campus

Sincerely,

The Admissions Board

Silver Leaf University

"We already know all of this," my father points out. "We watched the whole thing on the screen."

"I know," my mother says. "But seeing it on paper... it is different."

I nod, my throat tight. "It feels real now."

My father reaches over and squeezes my hand. "You did it, Tansy. You really did it."

"We are so proud of you," my mother adds, wiping her eyes.

For a long moment, none of us speak. We just sit there, the letter between us, and let the weight of the moment settle.

That night, we all end up in my room.

My mother brought extra pillows, my father dragged in his old sleeping bag, and we spread out across the floor like we used to when I was a child. The candles from the cake are now melted into small wax puddles on the kitchen counter, but the warmth of the night still lingers.

"The last time we all slept in here was when you had the flu," my mother says, fluffing her pillow. "You were seven."

"I remember," I say, smiling. "I could not stop sneezing."

"You sneezed on my face," my father says, pretending to be offended.

"I was seven!"

"We still forgave you," he says, grinning.

We talk late into the night. About the ceremony, about the students, about all the beautiful clothes and decorations. My mother wants to hear every detail about the Grand Hall, and my father asks about the other packs and what they were wearing. I tell them everything.

We all finally drift off to sleep.

The next morning, I wake up to sunlight streaming through the window.

My parents are already gone, their pillows neatly stacked in the corner. I stretch, feeling the last traces of sleep slip away, and then I remember. Today is the day I go to SLU for orientation and to collect my uniform.

I jump out of bed and head to the closet. I want to look nice today, not like the farmer's daughter who just rolled out of bed. I choose a plain brown skirt and a pale yellow shirt, the softest ones I own. I pair them with my nicest sandals and spend extra time brushing my hair, trying to tame the waves into something presentable.

My mother appears in the doorway just as I finish.

"Look at you," she says, her smile soft. "All grown up."

"Mom, I am just going to orientation."

"I know. But you are also going to Silver Leaf University. That is a big deal." She crosses the room and straightens my collar. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Now, go. Do not keep Cindy waiting."

I find Cindy at her home, which is a small cottage at the edge of the Granary, closer to Union Central than the farmlands. Her foster parents are quiet, kind people. They wave at me from the garden as I approach.

Cindy is sitting on the front steps, already dressed in a simple maroon dress. Her hair is pulled back, and her amber-orange flame pin glints in the sunlight.

"Look who finally showed up," she says, smirking.

"It is not even noon yet," I say, sitting down beside her.

"Exactly. I have been ready since sunrise."

I laugh. "Why? You are not nervous about your own orientation?"

"I am never nervous." She pauses. "Okay, maybe a little. But I am also excited." She glances at me. "I still cannot believe we are going to the same university."

"I know. I never thought..."

I trail off, not sure how to finish the sentence. I never thought an Ember-Born would get into SLU? I never thought we would both make it?

Cindy seems to understand anyway.

"Me neither," she says quietly.

There is a comfortable silence between us. Then Cindy stands and brushes off her grey dress.

"Come on," she says. "Let us go."

"You know I was assigned to my foster parents when I was six years old, from the charity day. They were the first family that ever wanted me."

I look at her, surprised. She has never really talked about it before.

"I see how close you are with them," I say.

She nods. "They are good people." She pauses. "But I know I am not really theirs."

"You are theirs," I say firmly. "They chose you."

Cindy smiles, a small, sad curve of her lips. "Yeah. They did."

"But now I have to move out," Cindy says in a low voice, sounding sad.

"Omg! The Union is giving you your own apartment ?" I say, trying to lighten the mood. "I have always dreamed of having my own apartment, ooh yes, we can think of how to decorate..."

Cindy shrugs, a real smile returning to her face. "Yeah. They provide housing for Ember-Born once we turn eighteen. It is part of the program."

"Where is it?"

"Near the university. I will not have to walk far."

"That is convenient."

"Very convenient." She grins. "I will have my own space. No one telling me when to come home or what to eat for dinner."

"You will probably just eat junk food all the time."

"I will eat whatever I want."

We laugh, and the heaviness from earlier lifts.

"So," I say, "when are you moving? I can help."

Cindy shakes her head. "No need. Men from the Iron Claw Pack will come to collect all my stuff and move it for me. It is part of the process."

"Really?" I ask, intrigued. "Iron Claw men?"

"It is a security thing. They handle all the logistics."

"Can I come watch?"

Cindy raises an eyebrow. "Watch?"

"Yeah. I want to see the Iron Claw movers. I have never seen them up close before."

Cindy laughs. "Why are you even curious about Iron Claw when you already have your crush in Prime?"

I feel my face go red. "I do not have a crush."

"You literally stared at Elijah Zenith the entire graduation ceremony."

"I was looking at the podium."

"You were looking at him."

"I was not."

"You were."

I open my mouth to argue, but I have nothing. She is right.