Alchemy of Secrets

by Stephanie Garber

But Holland liked to think that even if she knew harsh truths, she could still hold on to her hope and her belief that the world was full of magic—the wondrous, treasure-hunt kind of magic—and she could find it if she just reached her hand out far enough to grab it.

“Wait—” Holland interrupted. “I thought you said not to use the word magic?” “People have abilities,” he said, annoyed. “Objects have magic.”

Adam looked absolutely flawless in the silver-screen light. And yet Holland had the strangest feeling that her heart wasn’t flipping just because Adam looked good in his dark slacks, his velvet jacket, and his white collared shirt, insouciantly half-unbuttoned.

Holland had never wanted to be an actress like her mother. She’d always wanted to be a storyteller like her father. But now, standing there in her mother’s iconic Mirrorland dress, Holland could understand the appeal.