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No. A woman. Somehow, impossibly, Wendy must be aging. She has wide eyes and sleek, mousy brown hair, but a haunting in her features that can only speak of age.

“You’re—you’re not a teenage witch at all,” I utter.

She rolls her eyes. “That’s because I wasn’t meant to die yet. Goddess. For a medium, you don’t know anything.”

“A medium?” I shake my head.

What is she talking about?

“Well, look at that.” Her smile grows. “Someone is finally listening to me.”

Despite the obvious malice in her chaotic smile, there’s something more that passes through her—relief. I can feel it. Whatever link I’ve opened between us, it lets me feel her.

I swallow thickly. “I’ve been trying to listen, I promise⁠—”

“No, you haven’t. You didn’t. Not until I hurt precious Luke.”

I huff. “He is precious, and he’s doing much better now, if you care.”

This ghost is probably dangerous, and I definitely shouldn’t be calling on her alone. I didn’t think this through well enough.

“Whatever.” She tosses her ghostly hair over her shoulder. “Don’t you want to know what I’ve been trying to tell you?”

I laugh nervously. “I had a feeling it was something along the lines of… ‘stay away from my boyfriend’?”

She sighs. “No—well, sort of. But it’s not as if I can have him. That’s the problem with dying.”

I nod slowly. “You could… find a nice ghost? There must be others in Starbrook.”

“Sure. But forget about me. I’m here to make sure you know the truth.”

I recoil. Was this all a desperate plea for my attention? Gods, what kind of witch did Sterling fall in love with? I really have to question his taste.

“You hurt my brother,” I say. “What makes you think I want to hear⁠—”

“He’s lying to you.” Desperation comes from her in waves, and she leans closer. “Sterling. He says he told you everything, but he didn’t.”

“What—“

She goes on, never giving me a moment to finish my sentence. “What you don’t know is that when I grew sick because of his magic, he left me. He said it was for my good, that it would give me time to heal. But I wanted him there. I begged for him on my deathbed, and he didn’t come. He’ll do the same to you. He will.”

I shake my head. The story is close to what Sterling said, but I’d assumed she passed quickly. It’s clear that wasn’t the case.

“I’m sorry you were alone. No one should have to pass like that.”

But I don’t blame Sterling. He was trying to protect her, even if he didn’t do the best at it. He was a teenager, too. I can’t say I would have done any better at that age.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she snaps. “You’re treating me like I’m some wounded girl, but you’re going to be too. He only loves you because you live here. You’re sleeping in my bedroom. He loves you because he thinks you’re me, and he left me. He’ll do the same to you.”

I look down at the flickering candle, focusing on the protective intention of the darker one. “That’s not true.”

“It is! He’s never loved anyone else.”

She doesn’t need me to argue. I don’t know what she needs or how to give it to her, but this isn’t it.

I nod. “Well, it won’t matter soon. We’ll be leaving.”

She hesitates. “What? Your mom was serious about that?”