Lily hit the front steps running and she barged in the house like a bull in a china shop.

“Dear Lord!” said her grandmother’s voice. “Whatever is running after you?”

She froze. “Grandma?”

“In here.” Mackenna came out from her bedroom, looking more rested and slightly ruffled as if she had just jumped out of bed. “Are you well?”

In fact, she wasn’t. Lily’s head began to spin as she tried to reconcile the woman in front of her with the woman she had left behind.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Well, where would you rather I be?” Mackenna chuckled softly. “I may be able to walk a little, but I certainly am not up for hiking anywhere else.”

“But I just saw you.”

The smile froze in Mackenna’s lips, a strained grimace appearing in its place. “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding. It must have been someone who looked like me, that’s all.”

“You talked to me!” Lily gestured wildly, her head spinning faster as her breathing became more labored. “You were there—where the burned tree… and you talked to me!”

Mackenna walked up to her, only a slight limp to her steps, and put her frail arms around her shoulders. “There, there. I’m sure there’s another explanation. How could I have been there and here at the same time?”

Lily realized she was shaking. “I’m not going mad,” she murmured.

“Of course not!”

“But it feels like it. The spoon first, now this. I—”

“I think you just were tricked by a faerie,” Mackenna cut in. Her tone was perhaps a little bit too terse.

“Faeries don’t exist, Grandma,” Lily said with a heavy sigh.

Mackenna fixed her for a long moment and then her shoulders slumped, giving up the discussion. “Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. But they’re great pranksters, so it would not surprise me if this had been their idea of a joke.”

Lily didn’t reply. Arguing would lead nowhere. She’d seen it every time her mother tried to talk Mackenna out of the old ways. For her grandmother, faeries were there. She even called herself a faerie doctor as the visit to the McEnroe’s had reminded her. That was the reason she had so many odd things about and had spent a whole night working on something Lily could only call a potion. But still, those beliefs didn’t explain what she had seen, so—

“Come, Lily,” Mackenna said. “Let’s forget about the good folk. I have a gift for you.”

“Really?” She grinned. “You didn’t have to! What is it?”

Lily didn’t forget about meeting her grandmother on the way back home, but she did push it to the back of her mind. While there were no faeries, the prankster theory did have its merits. Impersonating her grandmother to such an extent must have taken a lot of planning and effort and it was odd that anyone would bother, but what other explanation was there?

“Come and you’ll see for yourself,” her grandma called back over her shoulder.

Mackenna led Lily to her room. The bed cover was still askew after napping and she straightened it with care before sitting down and patting the bed by her side. Lily obeyed while her grandmother rummaged in the bedside table. After a few moments, she got out a small leather pouch and put in in Lily’s hands.

“There,” she said. “It will look lovely on you.”

Lily loosened the string and spilled out the contents. Her breath caught in her throat when the silver chain flowed over her fingers.

“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered. The necklace shone, capturing every little ray of light available and glimmering like pale fire. The brooch, big and engraved with an elaborate rose bud, was designed to rest against her throat, holding the delicate triple chain closed and letting the charms hang from its end. Each charm hung at a different length and each was intricate and graceful. There were two roses in full bloom and one that had wilted, but even the wilted one was gorgeous, a decadent testimony of a lush past.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Like doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Lily said, her eyes captured by the jewel. “It’s a masterpiece. It’s amazing. It’s… Where’d you even find something like it?”

“That’s going to be my secret,” Mackenna said with a smile, squeezing her free hand.

“I’m not sure I can wear it. What if I lose it?”

“Oh, no, I won’t have any of that. You simply must wear it. That’s the only condition for the gift.”

Lily grinned. “Well, I’ll sacrifice myself then.” With reverent care, she clasped the necklace in place. The metal felt cool against her skin and the weight settled comfortably around her throat.

Mackenna studied her, gave a nod of approval, and stood.

“Now that it’s settled, I think I’ll make myself presentable for the day.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep anymore? The wake-up call wasn’t all that nice on my part.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a great moment to start doing things, and we wouldn’t want to sleep perfectly good hours away when we can be using them.”

“Okay. I’ll prepare something to eat then. A late meal. Would you like anything special?”

“Thank you, my dear. Anything you pick will be fine.”

“Pancakes then. I’ll have them ready when you are.” Lily needed something sweet after the rocky start of the day, and she thought she remembered where all the ingredients were in the kitchen. She might even manage to surprise and impress her grandma as a thank you for the incredible necklace.