The door opened, and it was
like an apparition materializing before me, some sort of heavenly messenger descended from above.
I’d never been away from her for this long, and after all this time, part of me wondered if I was
imagining this.
Her hand went to her mouth, and she stared at me wide-eyed. I think she felt the same way-and she
hadn’t even had warning of my visit. She’d just been told I was coming “soon.” No doubt I seemed
like a phantom to her, too.
And with that reunion… it was like I was emerging from a cave-one I’d been in for almost five
weeks-into the bright light of day. When Dimitri had turned, I’d felt like I’d lost part of my soul. When
I’d left Lissa, another piece had gone. Now, seeing her… I began to think maybe my soul might be
able to heal. Maybe I could go on after all. I didn’t feel 100 percent whole yet, but her presence filled
up that missing part of me. I felt more like myself than I had in ages.
A world of questions and confusion hung in the silence between us. In spite of everything we’d been
through with Avery, there was still a lot of unresolved business from when I had first left the school.
For the first time since I’d set foot on the Academy’s grounds, I felt afraid. Afraid that Lissa would
reject me or scream at me for what I’d done.
Instead, she drew me into a giant hug. “I knew it,” she said. She was already choking on her sobs. “I
knew you’d come back.