Epilogue

The hearty smell of freshly ground coffee filled the café. Cress was the only customer, sitting in the center of one of the loveseats surrounding the communal coffee table. As she took a sip of her chai latte and let her lips linger on the edge of her mug before she set it back down and licked the foam from her upper lip.

"Sorry for taking so long," a brunette woman around Cress's age said. She playfully shoved Cress over and sat down. "How's the latte?"

"It's great. Vi's drinks are always the best."

"...You're doing it again."

The woman beside Cress gave a pouty frown and her emerald green eyes glared at Cress in annoyance while she let out a childish huff.

"I'm sorry, Il— Amy. I've just been feeling down lately."

"I get that, but I don't like it when you stare off into space and answer all monotone. It makes me think you don't want to spend time with me."

"That's not… We should go. The movie will start soon."

"It starts in an hour, Cress, and it's only a ten minute walk away. What is up with you?"

"Nothing!" Cress and Amy both blinked at the sudden outburst. "Sorry. Maybe we should just go out another day."

"Or maybe not at all," Amy snapped. "I've been trying to say it's all in my head, but you don't even like me, do you?"

"Don't say that," Cress said. She tried to take Amy's hand, but the woman snatched it away.

"This is the last time I let Kirian set me up with someone," Amy grumbled under her breath. She stood up and put on her coat. "Wasting a month of my life on a girl who's not even that cute."

Cress didn't bother to argue. She was honestly surprised the relationship had lasted as long as it did. Kirian had insisted she at least try to date and she'd met Amy at one of Kirian's parties. They'd text for a few weeks before Kirian gave them the final push to go on a date and for a few weeks, Cress had even fooled herself. She didn't even deny it when Vianna and Ian asked if she was just trying to find a replacement for Illia. Why should she? They were the ones who held her back. They didn't have the right to judge.

As Amy stomped out of Histoire D'Amour, Vianna came up behind Cress and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, giving her a tight squeeze.

"I'd say I'm surprised, but at least you tried."

"Not really," Cress said, pushing Vianna off of her. "You were right, I was just trying to find a replacement and it didn't work."

"Listen," Vianna sighed, leaving over the loveseat. "I know Kir is a bit pushy, but you didn't have to try and see someone if you weren't ready. We know how hard it's been on you."

"No, you… I'm sorry, Vi. It's just hard to think that it's been a year. Planning a date today was stupid and unfair to Amy."

"You can always chase after her and apologize?"

"I'm good," Cress said with a half hearted smile. "Why don't we go out for lunch."

"Sounds good."

Lunch with Vianna was pleasant, though it did little ease Cress's thoughts. Most of the conversation revolved around Vianna's research and how much muscle Cress had gained since following Ian's work out regiments (she'd taken up deadlifting at Ian's insistence). Not that it mattered. In shape, or not, none of it mattered. She'd grown to appreciate the irony that even after overcoming her arachnophobia her life was still revolving around a spider.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay on your own?"

"I'll be fine, Vi. It's not like I live across town. Tell Ian I said hi."

"I will," Vianna said, her voice packed with worry. She yanked Cress into a final hug. "Just promise you'll call if you need to."

"I will, I will. I'm just going to go home and watch TV with William. Maybe eat some ice cream."

Vianna nodded in approval and with a final glance, left Cress to walk home.

But she didn't go home. She couldn't bring herself to. Every day there felt like living with a ghost. Every glance at the balcony, every step into her sewing room, all of it reminded her of Illia and she hated it. It was so bad that she'd had to move back in with her mom for the first three months after Illia… left. She only moved back because her mother kept trying to push her to meet her friend's sons. She thought she'd made it pretty clear she wasn't interested, but old people tended to obsess about marriage.

"I guess Illia was technically old, too. She would have turned eight-nine this year. I can't believe she turned into a stereotypical lesbian; moved in the day we met, age gap… Maybe it's written into genetics or something."

After returning to the city, Cress had forced Kirian, Vianna, and Ian to visit the portal site again. Against their protests, she'd tried to open the door again, but to no one's surprise, it hadn't budged. She still couldn't help but wonder if the bodies of all the monsters were still inside. Vianna admitted she was curious, too.

"Oh."

Cress wasn't sure how long she'd been wandering, but when she looked up, she found herself in front of the alley where she'd found the golden lily coin.

"Aren't you going to check it out?" a teasing voice whispered in her ear.

She swung her fist before she bothered to check who it was; it was their fault for sneaking up on her. To her surprise, her fist only hit air.

"She did the same thing last year. Took my head clean off!"

"Sivan? I thought you died!"

"Hardly," the witch scoffed, tossing her black hair behind her. "Though Fanasi was nothing like I imagined."

"How?" Forgotten determination burned in Cress's chest and adrenaline raced through her. "Tell me how!"

"That wouldn't be any fun," Sivan cooed, disappearing. She reappeared next to Cress and clung onto her arm, leaning her lips to Cress's ear. "Why don't you take a trip down memory lane?"

Jaw clenched and balling her fist around the lace sleeve under her hoodie, Cress shoved Sivan off of her which just amused the witch more. She could see why Illia had hated witches. But she couldn't pass up the chance, no matter how slim.

Pulling her phone from her coat pocket, Cress sent a quick text to Vianna while under Sivan's watchful gaze. It made her skin crawl and she wanted nothing more than to wring her neck, to scream and blame her for what happened to Illia.

"She came back, though. And it's not like she'll give me answers. Worst case the alley is empty and she makes fun of me saying 'Did you think it'd be that easy?' or something else just as dumb."

"I see why Illia hated you," Cress muttered.

She reached into her messenger bag and nervously rubbed her fingers on folded silk. The alley was the same as every other time she'd visited it over the last year, empty except for a few trash cans on the sides of the entrance. The only odd parts were the large dark stains towards the end.

It only took one step for Cress to feel the heaviness in the air and her heart leapt into her chest, butterflies fluttering from her stomach through her. A gust of air created a vortex around her, blowing her white blouse and jacket up and tousling her hair.

Then, there was only darkness.