"Ma, who do we have to leave? I don't want to go!" A little girl clung to the sleeve of her mother's dress as she placed the last of their meager belongings on the wagon headed for the docks. They had sold all of their furniture and livestock, earning just enough for the trip across the Atlantic, heading for America. Star's bitter tears could be heard throughout the countryside, her mother taking the reigns and gently snapping them across the back of the horse as he jolted forward and loped down the dirt road towards Dingle. Only once did her mother tell her to quiet down and Star obeyed, pressing her face into her woolen mittens though she continued to cry until she fell asleep against the rough wooden seats. 

It was close to dusk when they clattered into town across rough cobblestone paths that lead them directly to the docks where Star's uncle was waiting. He helped Star and her mother unload their trunks before taking the horse and cart, pressing a few coins into his sister's hand. 

"It's not much, but I hope you'll find something better than here. Ilse will meet you when you arrive, sent word a week ago that she'd be expecting you. Even got a little bed for the lady there." 

He bent close, handing Star a small charm that was shaped like a horseshoe, winking at her before ruffling her hair as he stood up.  Your husband was a good man and it was hard to see him go. I can't say I want you leaving here either but you have to do what's best for her. Don't forget to write though and Star? Keep that charm close and it will bring you good luck."

As her uncle turned, Star placed her damp mittens in her mother's hand and followed her solemnly up the rickety dock and into the boat. It was there that her mother told her they weren't sailing for America straight away but instead, they were traveling to Liverpool where they would connect with the steamship that would take them to Ellis Island. It took another three days for them to finally get to and board their ship and Star was disappointed by their accommodations. They were traveling steerage as it was all the money they could scrape up coupled with the less than generous donation from her grumpy great aunt Ilse. The old woman described herself as prudent and Star knew she should be grateful, although she often wondered throughout the week what she had to be grateful for. Her father was dead, her mother ill, and she was leaving her home behind.

Star leaned over the rail of the ship on the short area they were allowed to stand and stretch during the day. She felt stiff and cold from the late winter winds and salt water which caked everything in a film of white. She took little interest in what the other children on the boat were playing and spent much of her time sitting near a rail, watching the seagulls scream through the air as they fought over bits of discarded food and fish. 

After eight days, Ellis Island became visible, veiled behind a soft flurry of snow. Most of the people on the boat were awed by the sight of the majestic brick building rising up out of the water, but the sight of it only made Star feel sick to her stomach. Ilse would be waiting to take her and her mother into the crowded city of New York before dragging them to their new home with Shannon, her mother's other sister. The only solace was that it was a farmstead quite removed from the grime and filth and loudness of the city. 

The boat finally docked and Star's mother took her hand, tugging her along as she coughed into a handkerchief clutched in her other hand. After struggling to free their trunks from the others, and an impossibly long wait in a line to approve their papers and complete a medical examination, they were finally free of the masses of wailing children, grumpy parents speaking many languages, and frankly disinterested adults who moved them through. It was yet another trip from the island to the ferry where they chugged slowly towards the docks well into the late afternoon. The sun was setting as they made their way to Ilse who offered to take their trunks and have her porter place them in her buggy. Her dark brown horse hitched to the buggy tossed his head impatiently, stamping at the cobblestones, ready to leave the city behind. 

It was still several hours before they made their way upstate to a small house where they would sleep for the night. The meal was the first decent one she'd had since leaving Ireland and the bed she slept on was soft and didn't smell the way the beds had on the boat. In the morning, she was allowed to bathe and dress in clean clothes before they hitched up the buggy once again and made their way slowly towards their final destination. It was a journey that lasted several more days and the sight of the rustic gray house surrounded by barren fields that held a promise of springtime heather and flowers reminded her of home. Her aunt Shannon stood on the porch holding a lantern in her weathered hand, another woman standing next to her with her hand resting on Shannon's hip. Once the buggy pulled up and their things were unloaded, her mam and Shannon hugged each other, tears flowing freely as Ilse gave a curt nod and asked where she could tie up the horse for the evening. That night, Star began to feel a little more at home in the spacious yet cozy farmhouse, dripping with dried herbs and flowers. They were bundled and tied everywhere and the house smelled of burnt herbs which Shannon told her was sage. 

The rest of the winter passed quickly, though her mother was too sick and heartbroken to make it through to spring. After a tearful goodbye, realizing that she was alone, her aunts were quick to reassure the young girl that no harm would come to her as long as she was in their house. They became her new mothers, teaching her little bits of their craft though they respected Star's own religious upbringing and made sure to help her learn her catechism and prepare herself for her first communion. By spring, she was enrolled in a small school with a few other children her age and had found a way to learn to love her new life. She and her best friend, Kittie, went through communion together and played most days out in ever growing fields of grass that grew wild around her aunt's farm. It was a friendship that would last regardless of whatever life would bring them. 

Star grew into a bold but confident young woman, learning as she went to hide her native accent and adopt one that sounded more American. Despite her outward displays, with friends or family, they would drop away, talking for hours with her best friend over the lunch table at school. 

"I have a confession, I've got a bit of a thing for your brother Kittie. I can't help it, it's the way he smiles when he pushes his hair back, it's ridiculous." 

Her best friend, clutching her chest in mock surprise caused both of them to devolve into wild giggles. The two were thick as thieves, taking classes together, walking to school, and comparing lunches every afternoon. As school was coming to an end, however, both girls looked seriously at their options once they graduated. 

"I can't stay Kittie, I know they want us to grow up to be housewives but I was raised by two women who have always lived outside the natural conventions of society. How they haven't been burned at the stake I don't know but then again they don't really talk publically about what they do. Most people think they're just really into making natural cures for illnesses, not actual witches. I just, I don't know what I want. When I left Ireland I was eight years old, it was the only home I'd known and my ma and pa were loving and kind. Then Pa died in an accident and we couldn't survive there anymore so we moved here and I met you and it's been wonderful but you and I both know that there can be so much more. I know that sounds silly, we're eighteen and the world has gone to hell since the stock market crashed back in '29 but Shannon made me apply to the Women's college anyway and I got accepted."

It was difficult saying goodbye, especially having to leave Katherine behind but with determination, Star moved forward. College was a different experience altogether and Star found herself disenfranchised with the available degrees, studying home economics for a year before leaving school altogether. She knew there had to be something better for her and learning how to do the things her aunts taught her when she was ten, wasn't it. She considered moving back to the farm, performing a few odd jobs here and there in the interim before being approached by a gentleman who could offer her much more than baking and sewing. The offer was too good to pass up and Star found she had a knack for it. It wasn't practical magic such as her aunts studied, and it definitely wasn't traditional or housewifey, but the pay was good and the perks were to die for. 

Still, she missed home and thought often of her friend who she had left behind. It came as a great surprise to hear Kittie's voice call her up out of the blue one day, unaware that she could even be found in Philly. Still, she'd hopped in her car and gone to meet Kittie in a shoddy hotel, bringing her back to her own apartment and folding her under her wing. She offered Kittie protection from O'Shaunnessey's thugs, and in turn, Kittie joined the family. The two were constantly getting themselves into shenanigans and disaster seemed to befall them during less serious missions. It might not be the kind of fairy tale rags to riches story that Star had always dreamed about, but somehow she'd gone from being a lonely orphan to what felt like the richest woman in the world.