The morning of the eclipse was warm, with not a cloud in the sky. Eleanor sat on the front porch, where she’d been since before sunrise, unable to sleep. The perfect summer day, and Eleanor couldn’t appreciate one bit of it. The clock in the hall had been silent all week. They had seen more strange roads around town, but no amount of watching them had yielded any clues, and they hadn’t found answers in Bartimaeus Ashford’s books or anywhere else.

The door opened. Jack stepped out, hands in his pockets. “The clock is running backward as always,” he said. “Can you hear it?”

Eleanor shook her head.

“Then perhaps the eclipse is unrelated,” Jack said. “It’s the solstice after all.”

“I’m not going to relax until the eclipse is over, whatever the clock says,” Eleanor replied.

Eleanor’s phone chimed in her pocket. On my way over, Otto texted.

See you soon, she sent back. Pip didn’t reply. She lived farther away, but she was also a lot harder to wake up in the morning, so Eleanor tried not to feel too nervous about the fact that she hadn’t checked in. She’d be here.

Jenny was calling from the kitchen.

“Shall we?” Jack asked.

In the kitchen, Jenny was making a giant pile of waffles. Eleanor looked at the array of fruits and berries and syrups and wished she had even a little bit of an appetite.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Jenny said.

“Ravenous,” said Jack, who had a serious sweet tooth.

Eleanor hmm-ed. Jenny gave her a hard look over her shoulder. “You’re always going around with the weight of the world on your shoulders, Eleanor. And I get it. But don’t forget to enjoy some waffles now and then, too.”

Behind Eleanor, the doorbell rang. Otto already? “I’ll get it,” she said quickly, and hurried back through the hallway before Jenny could expand on her pep talk.

Eleanor opened the door, expecting to find Otto—or even Pip—and blinked in confusion to discover Katie standing on the welcome mat, her pinhole camera carefully cradled in her arms and a cheerful smile rounding her cheeks.

“Good morning!” she chirped. “I know I’m early but I’m just really, really excited.”

Eleanor stared at her. “I—but we—”

“Katie! Good, you made it in time for waffles,” Jenny said, popping out from the kitchen. Jack followed behind, casting a questioning look between Katie and Eleanor.

“I love waffles,” Katie declared, stepping in past Eleanor.

“You knew she was coming?” Eleanor asked.

“Of course. Her mom called to make sure we were okay to host yesterday,” Jenny said, giving Eleanor a puzzled frown.