Chapter 1

Anya Brightwater felt the Texas sun on her skin, a familiar warmth. She worked the small garden behind their cabin, fingers in the cool earth. This land was part of her, even if it wasn't truly hers.

Jedediah, or Jed, her adoptive father, was out checking his trap lines. He was a man of few words, his hands rough from work as a trapper and sometimes a farrier. He watched over Anya with a quiet intensity.

Elara, her adoptive mother, hummed softly inside, the smell of baking bread drifting out. She sold her goods, her remedies, her mended clothes in town. A gentle woman, but her eyes held a strength Anya knew well.

They were her protectors, the only family she' d known for years. They kept her secret safe.

Ethan Miller was her other world. His family' s farm bordered theirs. They grew up together, their paths always tangled. He had bright eyes and big dreams. Anya loved him, a simple, deep love.

One dusty afternoon, a traveling spiritualist came to their small town. He had a tent and a sign that promised glimpses into the unseen. Curiosity, or perhaps a deeper unease, led Jed and Elara to him, with Anya trailing.

The spiritualist looked at Anya, his eyes clouded. Later, he spoke privately to Jed and Elara.

"That girl," he said, his voice low, "she carries a star of sorrow."

"Her true nature, if revealed, will bring great tragedy to those close to her."

Jed' s face hardened. Elara pulled Anya closer.

"Nonsense," Jed spat, his voice like gravel. "Get out of our town with your dark talk."

They left, angry, but Anya saw the fear in their eyes.

Ethan didn' t believe in such things. He believed in hard work, in the future.

Before he left for the city, for Chicago or St. Louis, he took Anya' s hands.

"I'm going to become a lawyer, Anya," he said, his voice full of hope.

"I'll make a fortune. I'll come back for you."

He pulled a small, simple ring from his pocket.

"Marry me, Anya. I'll make you a lady of society."

She said yes, her heart full. He promised to write, to return.

The years passed. Letters came, then became fewer.

Then, one day, news arrived, not from Ethan directly, but through townsfolk who heard it from travelers. Ethan Miller was a success. A lawyer making a name for himself, with influential connections.

Jed clapped his hands together, a rare smile on his face.

"He did it, Elara! Our Anya will have a good life."

Elara hugged Anya, tears in her eyes. "He's a good boy, Anya. He kept his promise to work hard."

Anya felt a warmth spread through her, a hope rekindled. Ethan was coming back.