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threatened tugging hard at his mouth. “Do you want some flowers or not?”
    The woman’s mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide. “Well,” she gasped. “Your brother is never— ”
    “I’m not my brother. So do you want this bouquet?”
    The woman grabbed the first bouquet of lilacs and shoved money into Ivan’s hand. Ivan crossed his arms over his chest and watched her totter off, glaring out over the shoppers. 
    It was going to be a long day.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE
    June
     
    June’s eyes stung. She’d barely slept last night, and when she did strange dreams chased her—dreams of falling through trees. Nightmares of falling through her bed and never stopping until the earth swallowed her whole. She’d woken gasping for breath with her pillow over her face. 
    She’d patted cold cream on her eyes this morning and carefully applied a pink lipstick to draw customers’ gaze away from her sleep-dulled brown eyes. By the middle of her shift at the bank, she was drowsy, nearly asleep on her feet.
    She blinked and tried to concentrate on work. She was counting out twenty dollar bills for Mr. Erikson, but the numbers on the money went fuzzy in her stinging vision. 
    But the physical ache of sleeplessness was nothing to how scattered her mind felt. 
    She’d fallen through a tree last night. Through a tree. That … that wasn’t normal. What if someone found out? 
    Clayton strolled across the bank floor, stopping to chat with a few customers. He met June’s eye and nodded.
    No, it wasn’t normal. But she wasn’t alone. After it’d happened, Clayton had been excited, Cora gently leading. They’d wanted to talk more about their powers, tried to get June to show them again what she could do. The problem was, she wasn’t quite sure what she was capable of. When she’d tried it again, her probing fingers had been met with solid, rough bark. There’d been a swoop of shock—and even exhilaration—talking to Cora and Clayton last night, but now June was just unsure and confused. 
    Maybe it’d been a trick of the light, or an odd mistake. But how did that explain Cora’s ability? Or Clayton’s? 
    June brushed a stray hair that had fallen from her neat chignon and smiled at Mr. Erikson. She had to focus. Clayton wasn’t just her friend, he’d also helped get her this job at the bank—much to the irritation of head teller Edith Applebaum, who was currently alternating between helping customers and watching June like a hawk. June smiled weakly. 
    “I’m so sorry, Mr. Erikson, did you ask for $55 or $65 to be withdrawn from your account?”
    Bo Erikson smiled indulgently. Other than Edith, June was the only woman working on the bank floor, another reason to pay attention and do her job well.
    “It was $65, miss,” Mr. Erikson said loudly. 
    A few customers waiting in line peered around him at June. The stares made pricks of red spot her cheeks. 
    “Actually, since I’ve got you here,” Mr. Erikson continued. “Could you pull another …,” he stopped to dig through his pockets and held a scrap of paper close to his eyes. “I need this.” He pushed the paper across the counter toward June: It was a credit receipt from the general store for $73.84.
    June’s stomach sank and she clutched at the stack of twenties. So she’d already counted out thirty … no, forty. Quick math had never been her forte. June chewed at her lip for a moment before pulling a large smile onto her face. 
    “Of course, Mr. Erikson. I’d be happy to do that.”
    A heavy footfall pulled her attention away from the mental math. “Is everything okay, Mr. Erikson?” Edith spared a thin-lipped smile for the man before turning her owlish glare on June. The woman’s severe hairdo and thick glasses, combined with her pursed lips and beakish nose, made Edith look ready to peck.
    June settled a placid smile onto her face. “Oh, thank you for checking, Ms. Applebaum. I’m just helping Mr. Erikson with his