ASHLEY
I kill the engine and let the silence settle around me. Nova's apartment building stands a few yards ahead, ordinary enough that nobody passing by would guess the woman inside has managed to turn my life upside down. My fingers remain wrapped around the steering wheel while I stare through the windshield, replaying everything Dean had told me.
Buffy.
The name still feels unreal. I never imagined I would hear it again, much less attach it to Nova. I lean back against the headrest and shut my eyes.
She remembered.
After all these years... she remembered. The thought pulls me back to middle school before I can stop it.
Father had hated anything that distinguished the four of us. We were expected to look identical, dress identical and carry ourselves like one unit.
