“She liked that about him. She liked a lot of things about him. The thought arrived without warning, warm and certain, and Bella felt her cheeks flush before she could stop it. At her feet, something rustled. The small fern growing between two rocks at the edge of the clearing was growing. Visibly. Its fronds unfurled in slow, deliberate spirals, stretching upward like fingers reaching for sunlight. Bella stared at the fern, then slowly looked at Mabs. Mabs sat perfectly still on her log. She said nothing. Her expression said everything. ‘Don’t,’ Bella said through her teeth.”