Seraphina felt a hand clamp onto her wrist, dragging her from her angry thoughts of Jonathan."Don't get any ideas, Sera. We've had enough drama for one night," Molly said firmly, dragging her away from the window. They headed back toward the dwelling, leaving Seraphina with her swirling thoughts. None of this predicament made any sense, but Jonathan's presence changed everything. Her mind spun in different directions, trying to untangle the purpose of it all.Though her landing in this foreign planet had been haphazard, Jonathan's presence here most definitely wasn't He had recognized her, hadn't he? If so, why had he seemed utterly confused when she struck him? Logically, that reaction only made sense if he hadn't remembered what he had done to her—the heinous crime of taking her life. She could still feel the phantom pain of his dagger sliding into her chest, the devastation of her failure, and the cruel satisfaction on his face as her life ebbed away. And he hadn't granted her an easy death, either. She wouldn't have spared him one, had their roles been reversed.Molly slid a key into the lock to open the main door of the building. Seraphina caught up just as Molly turned to her, her tone laced with frustration. "Molly, let me ask you a question. If I wanted to find information about someone, who would I hire for such a task?" Seraphina asked.One foot perched on the step, Molly stopped at the base of the steps and turned to face her. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion. "What do you mean, "who you should hire"? If you want to find information about someone, just look them up on the internet like a normal person!"Molly's glare deepened as she continued. "And who are you planning to stalk, Jonathan? Was it not enough that you embarrassed him in front of the whole bar?"Molly thus assumed Jonathan felt ashamed. Wonderful. But no, it hadn't been enough. Seraphina saw from Molly's impatience that this charade of pretending to be Sera was becoming more of a hindrance than a help. She couldn't continue with this pretense; it was putting a strain on their relationship. Perhaps honesty—or something close to it—would be a better path forward.Seraphina shook her head. "I don't know what the 'inner-net' is. But I do need to learn more about that man, Jonathan, and why you know him by his real name, yet you don't know me by mine."Molly squinted her eyes as she watched Seraphina. "Sera, honey, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"Seraphina held her stare, saying, "I am not your friend, Sera."Molly's demeanor hardened. "Sera . . ."Seraphina took a step back as her patience wore thin. She had no time for Molly's skepticism. "My name is Seraphina of the Luminark House, and I am a mage. I've been thrust into this dreadful place and this pitiful existence. And I want to go home."Molly looked at her in disbelief, her mouth expanding and shutting as if looking for words. After a minute, she sighed. "God, Sera . . ." She shook her head and murmured, "Either something is terribly wrong with you, or you're screwing with me.""All of my faculties are completely intact," Seraphina stated calmly."Then this is some kind of terrible joke," Molly remarked, her voice rising. "I have to tell you something, Sera, it's not a nice one. I know you're penning all these stories, but come on.""Stories?" Seraphina inquired, puzzled."Dammit, Sera, I am trying to be a decent friend here. I'm seriously asking you what's going on," Molly insisted.Seraphina stayed silent, her irritation increasing. Clearly, Molly believed she was suffering a mental collapse. This talk was going nowhere, and her attempt to be honest had backfired. Without saying anything further, Seraphina pushed by Molly and climbed the stairs."The conversation was going nowhere, and you weren't listening," Seraphina said sharply.Molly gasped, obviously taken aback. "What is your problem?""I just told you," Seraphina stated bluntly as she approached the entrance to her home. She removed the key from her backpack and opened the door, entering without waiting for Molly.Molly followed, her voice falling behind Seraphina as she looked about the bright and crowded room. Seraphina found it unpleasant, but she knew she'd have to put up with it for now. This environment was very different from her own, and she needed to figure out how to traverse it.Seraphina turned to face Molly and pinned her with a penetrating glance. "If you want your friend back, the only way is to help me get home."Molly crossed her arms, her mistrust evident. "If you claim to be a witch from another land, prove it. Perform some friggin magic right here."A knot grew in Seraphina's tummy. She averted her gaze and said softly. "If only I could, but the man you just saw . . . he existed in my world too, and he took my magic from me."Bethany scoffed. "Well, isn't that convenient."The two ladies looked at one other in quiet, anxiety hanging in the air. Molly finally moaned and threw up her hands. "Fine. If this is the tale you want to tell, I'll go along with it—for now. But after you've finished—" she indicated between them—"whatever this is, let's talk about why you wanted to be this other person.""Fine by me," Seraphina responded. Her voice was calm, and her will unyielding. "Now, tell me everything you can about Jonathan."Molly shrugged and fell back onto the couch. "You're exhausting."Seraphina crossed her arms and stared at her. "And I'm waiting. What do you know about him?""I actually don't know a ton," Molly said, extending out. "His name is Jonathan Nordstorm, and the bookstore he runs is really lovely. It has been passed down through several generations of his family."Seraphina curled her lips in disgust. It seems he wasn't a self-made man. "What else?""I think his dad worked there, and his grandpa too." Molly halted, as if she had reached the limits of her understanding. Seraphina began pacing in front of her, frustrated by the lack of information. She tapped a finger across her chin, thinking."You mentioned something about the inner net before. Can we go there to learn more about him? Seraphina asked.Molly nodded slowly, her face suspicious. "So you're truly committing to this, right? Pretending you don't understand how the world works... She narrowed her eyes. "How do you think we got to work today?"Molly let out a loud bark of laughter. "Trust me, the MTA is anything but magic." She looked toward the door, almost as if planning her escape, and whispered, "I think I'll have to pretend you have amnesia to get me through this thing." She returned to Seraphina and remarked, "Also, it's inter-net, not inner-net."Molly sighed and went into her handbag, pulling out the little black rectangle she usually carried, touching it again. Seraphina leaned over to take a closer look. "Why do you continue to do that?" "What is its purpose?"Molly looked up at her. "Of course, you don't know what a phone is, either." She held it up. "This is called a phone. "It's all the rage here in the new world," she said sarcastically.Seraphina ignored her joke and gazed at her blankly. Molly groaned and said, "A telephone—or cell phone—is a communication device." She ran her fingers down the edges in a colorful manner, as if she were selling street items. "I can press a few buttons and talk to someone on the other end.""Marvelous. "You see—you have magic," Seraphina said."Yes, the wonders of technology. "You have one, too." Molly stood up from the couch and rummaged through the bag Seraphina had carried all day. She took out a similar little black gadget and tossed it to her. Seraphina grabbed it with both hands, shocked at its weight. She smiled at the thought of possessing part of the world's magic in her hands. When she tapped the surface, as Molly had done, it quickly lighted."So, I can speak with others through this?" Seraphina asked."Talk, text...""Text?""You can either speak directly with your voice or send words back and forth—messages.""Oh, I see! It's like the spell I use to speak with my generals when they are on the front!""Good for you and the generals.""All right. Now, how will this little device help with our search for information about Jonathan?"Molly went back to her phone and picked it up, turning it to show Seraphina the brightly lit side with tiny words scrolling up and down the screen. Seraphina stepped closer until she could read. "Google... Jonathan Norstorm... about 2.97 million results?" She continued reading, not fully comprehending it all. When Molly pointed at something, Seraphina read it aloud. "GoFundMe—Help Save the Maple Reads Bookstore, Neighborhood Institution." She looked at Molly questioningly, and Molly flinched."I think his store is in peril. "I didn't realize that." Molly moved the phone back nearer her face, skimming her finger across its surface to get additional information. "It appears he was a writer who gave up to operate the bookstore. And now that is in jeopardy as well. Yikes, this is a really terrible story."Seraphina's face broke into a big grin. "Good. He's preoccupied, which makes him weak. I can work with the weak.Molly frowned. "Dude, that is cruel. Try to sound less wicked. Perhaps we shouldn't be digging up information about Jonathan. I'm not sure why you punched him, but you used to really like him.Seraphina scoffed, finding it difficult to believe. Even if it wasn't her—but Sera—Jonathan wasn't especially likeable in her eyes. "I am serious. You've been building up the guts to talk to him for months.""Here you go... Maybe your Sera does it, but I've never had to work up the confidence.""Anyway... you were completely into him, which is another reason I should not have hooked you up with Roman. I don't see why you're so upset with this person."Seraphina tightened her fists at her side. "I'd like you to try being stabbed in the chest by your mortal enemy, then get sent to another dimension in punishment, only to find that same damned face staring at you again." She exhaled in exasperation. "Of course I am furious.""Okay..." Molly slid her phone back into her pocket. "Maybe we should stop drinking for a bit. Why don't we call it a night and chat further in the morning, when we'll both have clearer heads?"The next day, Seraphina awoke to the sound of a strange ringing. It's that thing. I know it, she thought. She sat up and felt around on the surface next to her. The phone was somewhere, the most abysmal music pouring out of it. When her hand connected with the device, she frantically hit the screen until it stopped. Already annoyed—with the day and this world's magic—she stared at the screen. There was one of those written messages waiting from Molly. Molly had shown her the previous night the basics of using the device, adding the disclaimer that "the only way to master the magic of the phone was to practice with it." Seraphina hadn't commented, but she knew Molly was being condescending.Molly texted: It's Saturday, so no work. But stay at home. I will come collect you in the afternoon. Don't leave if you're still feeling strange.Seraphina scoffed. As if I were going to listen to someone give me instructions. Sitting in this house would not get her anywhere, so she stood up to get dressed. Her top aim was to learn more about who Jonathan was in this world. She had no way of knowing if he was faking not to recognize her at the pub or whether he recalled everything about their shared past. Regardless, she needed to know.She opened Sera's wardrobe and sifted through the garments, looking for anything suitable that wasn't covered in a ridiculous, childish pattern. Finally, she found a dark pair of pants and a plain blue sweater. Unfortunately, there were still bows on the collar, but it would have to do.When she was ready, she took up the phone, intending to contact Molly and inquire where she got the sandwich she had given her the day before. She grinned as she recalled how to type the phrases, but before hitting submit, she paused and considered what she was doing. If she informed Molly of her plans, Molly may attempt to stop her. Her stomach grumbled at the notion, and she moaned. "Guess I'll have to forgo breakfast for now."She collected her luggage and phone, and 10 minutes later, she was back on the street, which was still crowded with people and moving contraptions, albeit in less numbers. Maybe others, like Sera and Molly, didn't work today. She did not understand why individuals would choose not to work on any given day. There was always work to do.Without her guide, she was hesitant to leave the safety of her building, so she paused on the path, trying not to make eye contact with anyone despite her interest in learning about these people. One tall, thin woman had bright pink tips at the end of her hair, and dark black lines around her eyes. Another woman walked at a brisk pace, dragging a squalling little boy by the hand. A heavy-set man with a bright yellow vest over his shirt grinned and said, "Hey, gorgeous."The man had said the truth, but he should thank his fortunate stars that she didn't give him double what she had given Jonathan. Seraphina maintained her focus on her goal ahead. She could see the door of Jonathan's bookstore from the front of the building. It couldn't be a coincidence that they were so near. She wasn't sure what she would do if she met him again, but it seemed like the key to Eve.Just as she was about to head to his shop, a familiar voice cut into her mind: "I have been looking for you for ages."