CIARA'S POV
We walked to the receiving chamber, my heart beating faster with each step. I kept picturing Sarah's face—not as I'd last seen her, clueless and soft on that final night, but as she'd been in our academy days: bright-eyed and fierce.
The doors swung open, and there she was.
Sarah Morgan stood beside her mother, hair neatly pulled back into a perfect braid. She wore a simple dress, dark blue and modest, nothing like the bold colors she'd favored in my memories. Her posture was rigid, hands folded neatly in front of her.
"Luna Jade," Sarah's mother stepped forward with a practiced smile. "So lovely to see you again."
My mother returned the greeting warmly. "Maggie, it's been too long."
I barely heard them. My eyes were fixed on Sarah. She looked the same but different. Her
